‘Colorful’ Brookhaven student graduating one year early
Published 9:00 am Saturday, May 13, 2023
Martasia Markham is easily recognizable, not just by her colorful hair, but by her ear-to-ear smile. And this teenager has a lot to be happy about.
She entered the 2022-2023 school year at Brookhaven High School as a junior, but will leave it in just a couple of weeks as a graduating senior. She’s gotten all the test scores she needs and will soon wrap up her final class credits.
She’s eager to go to college at The University of Southern Mississippi, to work on a degree in interior design. She’ll be the first person in her family to go to college.
“I’ve always wanted to graduate early,” Markham said. “When I was in fourth grade, I said I’m going to graduate early, and now I am.”
The 17-year-old is an artist already, and has been since she was in her “single digits,” always drawing, staying focused on trying to color inside the lines and get better at any creative thing she picked up.
“I never put it down,” she said.
She has won several awards, including the 11th grade division in the 2023 Law Day Art Contest for the Mississippi Bar Association, with her work on the theme “Cornerstones of Democracy.”
Recently, her interest has focused on watercolor painting.
“It’s very nice. I really like it. It’s easy to use, fun, and I like color mixing,” Markham said. “I’m a very colorful person on the inside, so it’s comforting.”
She’s looking forward to graduating high school, going to college and getting her bachelor’s degree, and making more friends along the way. She plans to incorporate real estate into her interior design plans, decorating what she sells, and selling what she decorates.
She also has her own crocheting shop, making such items as purses and bags.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” she said of being the first in her family to continue formal education past high school. “In the transition from middle school to high school, it got really hard. Some things are just difficult. But I like English — I love to read and talk about books.”
“I’m a proud grandmother,” said Lora Markham, Martasia’s grandmother. “She has three sisters and has made sacrifices to help them, especially when her mother [Ruthie Wright] was at work. When her grandfather passed a couple of years ago, she really struggled, but she came back strong from a downward spiral. She really has worked hard to accomplish the things she has. I’m so proud of her.”
The graduating senior was failing at one point, and thinks it was because she didn’t like to ask for help.
“I like to work alone. I reject help a little, but I needed to go to my teachers and ask for help,” she said. “The work to finish school can be overwhelming, but I focus on the work and my self — and having lots of fun.”
Markham’s approach to design flows from her “colorful” personality.
“I do everything by hand. I do stuff to get my thoughts going. I always stop and look around the room and picture what would look good in that space,” Markham said.
Here favorite décor style is Bohemian — an unconventional, free-spirited style that brings together a mixture of patterns, textures, materials and colors. It’s fitting, since it matches her ability to focus, refocus, and advance in education and art.
“I want to put it all together.”