"It took me a while to get used to the quiet when I came to RMU," says Marques Dexter, a graduate of Philadelphia Central High School. But it didn't take him long to adjust from big-city life to a suburban university. "RMU is a school where you can jump right in and get involved with dorm life or Greek life or a student activity or club. Within a couple of weeks, I felt at home."

At RMU, Marques is a standout track-and-field performer known for his blazing speed on the triple jump and his fire-engine red track shoes. "Red's always been my color," Dexter says. "For me, it signals a passion for life."

Marques' passion for life doesn't end on the field. A keen Egyptologist, he sports a tattoo of the Eye of Horus, the Egyptian symbol of protection and power. He loves working with kids, too. After spending a summer as a day camp counselor at a Myrtle Beach resort, he was asked to return this year as activities director.

"Must be something about me and sand," says Marques. "Pyramids, sand castles, lying in the pit after a jump. I feel at home there, I guess."