I am Marcus Perry; I grew up in North Carolina. I am currently in my second year of studies at Tulane University, majoring in Environmental Science. Current studies have piqued my interest in sociology and sustainability. I am going to apply this knowledge in the growing fields of sustainable affordable housing, the private space industry, and art.
Living and attending school in New Orleans has opened up a world of unique opportunities to me. I have had plenty of fun in New Orleans amidst all of the music, food, and heritage festivals, but I have also had more sobering experiences such as helping renovate a local elementary school and church, the latter of which had barely been touched in the four years since Hurricane Katrina. Katrina was the cause of and exacerbated many problems in local affordable housing communities. Many homes were damaged or destroyed and have not yet been repaired, forcing many residents to relocate. Extensive damage to the city's utilities infrastructure and decreased population has lead to higher utility bills, making affordable housing communities less affordable. I am ever learning about other issues that local and national affordable housing communities face. I have also worked with volunteer groups renovating homes and community centers in Wilmington, NC and Nashville, Tn.
Many of my teenage summer afternoons were spent learning the ways of car maintenance from my father (its an unspoken prerequisite to driving an old vw bus) and after laying down the mileage cycling after school on levee-top bike paths I have picked up some bicycle maintenance skills as well. Cycling is one activity among many on my repertoire of cross-training sports, which includes [but is certainly not limited to] baseball, soccer, track & field, wrestling, volleyball, basketball, shooting sports, ultimate frisbee, bodybuilding, hiking, bouldering, climbing, canoeing, swimming, racquetball, parkour, surfing... the list goes on.
Sports are one of many ways through which I am able to express myself and appreciate the expressions of others. Every time I learn how to play a new sport, play or sing a new song, create art with new mediums, or write in a new style I am but increasing my fluency in the language of this life. Conceiving original ideas through these and other outputs is just my way of creating a personal dialect; I love seeing the colloquialisms of myself and others present, retain, and recreate themselves throughout my everyday experiences. Making my place in a team, band, or other group of people whose individual ambitions mesh together to achieve a common goal is always an exciting opportunity to learn and grow; I hope the other riders on my route have similar feelings.
I love visiting new places and have traveled through much of the east coast and deep south; through Bike and Build I hope to expand my westward horizons and explore more of this beautiful land. I know I will percieve many beautiful things on this western walkabout, I mean rideabout, but I also know that I will witness homelessness, poverty, all of the -isms and negative lights that remain lit throughout America. With Bike and Build, my fellow riders, family, and friends, I am going to help combat injustice within our society. YOU can help by donating and telling others about Bike and Build!
To learn more about Bike and Build, check out the Frequently Asked Questions page- http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/content/view/47/73/
Marcus's photos
