Know Your Neighbor story

We all made it here. The journey through childhood, high school, and the final destination to Ithaca College. But what makes you different, what makes you the person you are today. When I chose to write about Malick Mercier, I didn’t look at this story as an assignment, I looked at this story as an opportunity. An opportunity to learn why his story is so different from my own.

Malick Mercier is a freshman here at Ithaca College, a resident of Eastman Hall, and is a declared Journalism major. But this story isn’t about what he is now, it’s about what brought him here. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Malick was part of one of the most fast paced environment’s that one could experience. He made an hour and a half commute to school every day. One bus and two train rides was his daily routine for multiple years, certainly a change from his current living situation.

When I asked him what the biggest difference was between Ithaca and New York City, Malick responded, “I’d say the transportation. In the city if you miss a bus, there’s another one coming. Here, if you miss a bus, it turns into a 40-minute wait.”

Malick then talked about how the amount of nature that we’re surrounded by gives him a great opportunity to connect with it. He reminisced about one of his favorite authors, Robin Meade, always writing about a lake that seemed like the perfect place to be. As a Brooklyn native, Malick was never sure what Robin Meade was referring to as Malick jokingly mentioned, “I was always like ‘what lake?’ Like a pond in central park?” But as he arrived here on campus, looking out onto Lake Cayuga, Malick mentioned that he now knows what Meade was talking about all along.

Going beyond just the difference between the scenery of these two locations, the conversation between Mailck and I dove into the culture that New York possess’. Malick comes from a place where “everyone has their own ambition.” He made note that that the City is a very inspiring place and that resiliency, inspiration, and ambition, are instilled within him.

“I have a lot more grit and toughness. Not the kind of toughness that says I will kick your butt. But the type that inspires me to keep pushing forward.”, Malick said about the characteristics he developed from being a part of the City.

As Malick described to me what shaped him as a young kid in New York, I thought it was a great time to see what made him choose to pursue Journalism. Since he was a kid, he was always very interested in the news, as it was constantly around him in his environment. He could remember walking around on a typical day with his friends and suddenly seeing a well-known journalist, such as Anderson Cooper, casually walking on the sidewalk.

“I think being exposed to all of that so close to where I lived was just so inspiring”, Malick said.

However, what he said really made it click for him was one quote in particular that goes as follows: “Put yourself in fortune’s way. Don’t wait for it to come to you.” If you’ve never met Malick, you probably aren’t aware of the amount of diligence he has. Whether it be making the trip to Atlanta in the tenth grade to observe the CNN headquarters, or participating in a number of volunteer organizations throughout his life, Malick is, and always has been, extremely persistent in his efforts to look for journalistic opportunities. He mentioned that the countless number of opportunities that were made available to him were particularly unique to New York City, as his school was in fact right next to “ABC’s” news studio.

For Malick, the work that he has put in has led to noticeable results. Before deciding to come to Ithaca College, Malick was awarded the “Park Scholar” scholarship award. It’s a fully paid scholarship with requirements including being of satisfactory academic standing, and continuously participating in community service opportunities; which is something that Malick has been doing his whole life. He has been a part of numerous volunteer jobs including working at JFK airport, working open house events at his high school, being a tour guide here Ithaca College as a Freshman, and being a part of the “Disney Volunteer Program”. The list could go on, but it is clear that this hard work mentality has already been ingrained within him.

When I asked Malick to describe himself in one word, he took a quick pause, then confidently said, “moxie”. Before our interview, I wouldn’ have been able to tell you the first thing about Malick, but after spending time with him I couldn’t have picked a better word myself. After learning about what he has done and what he has gone through to get where his now, I think it goes without saying that he’s got both character and determination. As he continued to describe himself, he noted that sometimes it’s ok to be nervous. He said it could be something as simple as raising your hand in class, if the nerves are there, break through them.

An enthusiastic and committed person, Malick is looking to carry along all of his traits to someday becoming a news reporter. “You don’t need to be fearless, you need to fear-less”, Malick mentioned. This is the way he has gone about his work, always ambitious, and rarely taking no for an answer. “I’m a ‘full-go’ kind of person. When the opportunity is there, I’m always going to go for it.”, Malick said when I asked him what makes him unique. His journey, habits, and passions are all a result of who he is as a person. He has learned to take chances no matter how big or small the obstacle in his way may seem. Malick has put himself in fortune’s way, in an attempt to try and find his own.