Starting college is an exciting time in anyone’s life. As our first-year students begin to take classes, participate in events, and join different student groups, we, the John Jay community, want them to feel welcomed, supported, and valued. Our First-Year Focus series will serve as a virtual introduction to some of the newest members of our John Jay family. As you’ll see throughout the series, these students are exceptionally talented, creative, and driven to change the world for the better. Enjoy getting to know them.

When we first meet Marc Louis ’24 on Zoom, he’s sitting in front of a black wall with figures drawn on it. “This is my Basquiat wall,” says Louis, referring to artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. “He’s my favorite artist. Anytime I’m bored or feeling restless, I pick up some white acrylic paint or chalk, and draw on the wall.” Basquiat’s ability to change the art world, Louis says, has influenced how he views himself in everyday society. “What is so beautiful about Basquiat is how he transformed the art world and made it accessible to the everyday person. Here was this Black man of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent with no formal academic training, but still capable of making an impact on the world,” says Louis, a first-year student from Brooklyn, New York majoring in Forensic Science. “His ability to redefine what art can be and who an artist could be—where for so long the idea of who could access art was reserved for the upper echelon, the elite in society—was a beautiful and empowering thing, especially for those of us in the Black community.” Wanting to bring a Basquiat-like spirit to John Jay, Louis is hoping to infuse his love of art, and the ability to analyze it, into his future work as a forensic scientist. We spoke with Louis to learn more about his life before John Jay and how his love of art will help him strengthen his forensic science skills.

Tell us a little bit about yourself before John Jay. What was your high school experience like?
I went to a predominantly white high school in Brooklyn, and while academically it was great, what struck me and pains me most is the lack of representation, not only among faculty and staff but also among the student body. In four years, I had one official teacher who was Black. And, in my classes, where there was anywhere between 34 to 40 students, I was usually the only Black kid in the class. That meant that every time there was an issue in the school community, that they considered a “Black problem,” I was the one they called on. What I’ve realized is that the lack of Black students made me want to be part of various clubs and student government. I wanted to make sure there was a level of representation in these groups.

Was John Jay’s diverse student body one of the factors that drew you to the College?
One of the reasons I chose to come to John Jay was because I wanted to be around people who were like-minded and come from similar backgrounds. But I was also drawn to the College for its justice mission and its desire to seek the common good. I want to major in Forensic Science and I know John Jay is one of the best Colleges for that field. My goal is to become a forensic scientist so I can help alleviate the pain people, especially people in minority communities, experience when they’ve been tried unfairly due to a lack of scientific evidence.

As a fan of Basquiat’s work, how do you hope to use art in the forensic science world? In what ways do you think it will help you in your future career?
I definitely want to keep the Basquiat spirit alive in me and in my work. Like him, I want to be able to look at things differently. When you look at a Basquiat painting there’s so much going on; it’s the same when you’re examining a crime scene. But when you have an eye for art, you’re able to see things others might miss. I’m hoping to have that clear vision in a crime scene or when reviewing forensic evidence. I would also love to infuse forensics into my art. There’s an artist I follow, Jordan Eagles, who uses blood splatter in his art work. Taking the element of blood splatter and the human bone structure and incorporating it into my art work would be my dream. If I could do both Forensic Science and Art it would be amazing. I would love to minor in Art or Art History.

Do you have any concerns about starting off your first year in College in a distance-learning model?
I have to say that my biggest worry is getting a hold of what I need to do and doing it on time. There’s no micromanagement in College like there was in high school. So, I really need to work on my time management skills and recognize when it’s time for me to put my phone down and get to work. I hope that by the end of the semester I’m disciplined, an expert at time management, and fully able to juggle academic and extracurricular activities. I’m nervous but it’s a challenge I’m willing to accept and know I’ll handle.

What are you most excited about for the fall semester?
I’m excited to see what the course “Art in NYC” holds for me this semester, and I’m looking forward to becoming part of the Black Student Union. But, what I’m most excited about this semester is creating connections with my peers and becoming part of the John Jay community. For this incoming class, the experience of losing part of our senior year in high school, and now starting off our freshman year of College in a virtual setting, has bonded us in a really unique way. These last few months have made us strong and in the current climate we’re living in, we’ve stepped up to come together and educate ourselves and others. This experience has definitely connected our class, and I can’t wait for the day where we can be face-to-face and within six feet of one another.