Moya Leung
With two crowns at age 20, Marque Hill isn’t your average college student. He is Georgia State royalty and a trailblazer with a passion to serve others. Hill is the 2019 Mr. Blue and White and the 2019 Mr. King of the Ivy. Despite his age and success, Hill is working to give back by helping others achieve their dreams of attending historically black colleges and universities.
Though already involved in several organizations such as Peerless Perfexion and Phi Beta Sigma, Hill started the 2019 school year and decided to run for Georgia State University Homecoming Royalty.
“Mr. Blue and White is the title for Georgia State’s homecoming king,” he said.
Although nervous, Hill’s close friends and fraternity brothers encouraged him to run for Mr. Blue and White. “Regardless of my age, they had a lot of faith that I could win,” he said.
They were right.
The Homecoming experience taught Hill that he can overcome his own doubts.
“I kept telling myself that I was too young and that I wouldn’t be able to balance academics and campus involvement, but I proved myself wrong.”
Winning Mr. Blue and White gave Hill a whole new purpose.
“Before I was just a regular student, but now it’s my duty to show people that it doesn’t matter what your classification is. You can achieve anything at this school.”
This new purpose led Hill to compete in the 2019 King of the Ivy Male Scholarship Pageant, put on by the Eta Mu chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Marque Hill poses with his crown and prize money after winning The King of the Ivy Scholarship Pageant.
The pageant was completely out of Hill’s comfort zone. “I honestly have no experience in pageantry, and I didn’t feel comfortable doing swimwear,” he said.
But again, Hill’s friends and brothers encouraged him.
“King of the Ivy was the second most tiring and mentally draining thing I’ve done since being in college, but it’s also the second thing I’ve gained the most from,” he said.
Hill said the pageant gave him another sense of family and community at Georgia State University.
“I learned that though you’re in a competition in various avenues of life, it’s not always about winning. Yeah, I won the crown, but winning another family was way more rewarding.”
Pageant chair and coordinator Jada Sharpe said, “Marque showed perseverance throughout the entire pageant. The relationships he made with all of us were genuine. They kept him going and eventually led him to crown.”
Family isn’t the only thing The King of the Ivy Scholarship Pageant gave Hill. Each contestant was given the opportunity to spread awareness on a platform of their choice.
Hill chose a platform based on his aspirations of attending Morehouse College.
“I applied and got accepted, but when I saw the tuition, housing and everything else that came with being a student there, I just couldn’t,” he said.
Hill’s platform is “HBCU accepted vs. PWI admitted.”
“With my platform, I focus on graduating high school seniors who aspire to attend HBCUs but lack the financial requirements and support necessary to enroll.”
Hill plans to visit high schools to educate students more on HBCUs, their culture, importance and how they positively affect the African-American population.
His service does not stop there. He plans on rewarding one deserving student with a $1,000 scholarship at the end of the 2019-2020 school year.
“I want to be the help I wish I had. I know it’s not much, but it can still help someone a lot.”
Hill’s accomplishments have motivated him to leave advice for incoming Georgia State University students.
“My advice to an incoming freshman is to understand what’s really important rather than what’s temporary satisfaction. Work on your academics, profession and yourself.”
Hill is very proud of himself and his achievements.
“I had a lot of setbacks, but now I have a lot of achievements and they mean the world to me,” he said.
Hill’s setbacks came from being so involved during his freshman year. “I hadn’t learned how to balance it all,” he said. His grades and mental health declined.
Royalty is not Hill’s only achievement. Since enrolling at Georgia State, he has become a member of Peerless Perfexion, a mentoring and stepping program. He has become part of the Panther Leap program for housing leadership roles. He has also become an orientation leader, the secretary of the Pi Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated, a member of Black Sophomore Society, Tighter Grip and Dance Ensemble.
Hill said the main force that has kept him going is his dislike of complacency.
“I’m not a student who’s 100% into schoolwork or academics, so I channel my energy into campus involvement and my community.”
Hill said the balance between school, campus involvement, student organizations and his community bring him joy and make him feel successful.
His goals do not stop there. “I want to become a 1913 ambassador, make the GSU walk of fame and I also want to start a club about investing,” he said.
Still, he hopes to encourage and motivate others. “No matter what happens or what I do next, I hope I continue to help inspire Georgia State. You are not your age or classification. You can do anything you want to.”