Reclaiming Purpose and Passion: Why Dr. Dawna Markova Deserves a USC Honorary Degree

With graduation quickly approaching, this week I am discussing an important figure in the field of adolescent development psychology and why I believe she should be given a USC honorary degree at commencement this spring. The woman I am speaking of is Dr. Dawna Markova. Through noting her in my previous post, I learned that Markova is a fascinating woman, the type of professional that I aspire to be. In short, she is the Superwoman of adolescent development. The honorary degree, USC's highest award, is given to "honor individuals who have distinguished themselves through extraordinary achievements in scholarship, the professions, or other creative activities, whether or not they are widely known by the general public." Dr. Markova has certainly distinguished herself as a scholar and humanitarian.

Faithful, scholarly, skillful, courageous, and ambitious: the qualities of a Trojan. Dr. Markova possesses each of these qualities beautifully. She is faithful to her cause, helping people all over the world learn with passion and live purposeful lives. Her places of business have varied from third world classrooms to corporate boardrooms. Markova could not be more scholarly, having PhD's in psychology and education, and having written seven books that have been published in ten languages. Her entire career is dedicated to education and the pursuit of personal fulfillment through learning. She writes on her blog, "As a learning junkie, nothing is as compelling to me as the light that is emitted from a person when learning is occurring. It has always been my handhold in the darkness... Learning is so much more than a transfer of information. It can mean wholeness, empowerment, actualization, liberation." I think that Dr. Markova must be rather skillful, courageous, and ambitious to have achieved all of her successes. It is not common for a psychologist to also be a teacher, volunteer, author, speaker, consultant, CEO, poet, parent, grandparent, and cancer survivor.

What does Dr. Markova have to say to the graduating generation? I believe she has more to say than can even be expressed in the time given for a speech. In an interview with Leverage Points, Markova says, " I think that the fragmentation and disengagement we're experiencing now comes, in large part, from the fact that we're living in a culture that doesn't cultivate wisdom...If you don't cultivate a garden, you don't get fruit... We can help each other develop strategies for bringing tomorrow into today's choices by falling in love with beautiful, dangerous, mysterious questions that can't be answered, by reminding one another that what matters to us is important, and by remembering those who stand behind us." In this small slice of Markova's wisdom, I find inspiration. Markova believes in the future, in progress, and above all she believes in learning.

While Dr. Markova may seem like an obvious choice, having been a keynote speaker at hundreds of events, no other professional in my field could be more qualified to receive a USC honorary degree as a Doctor of Humane Letters. She is the epitome of an outstanding citizen, dedicating herself to society in everything that she does. In one of her books, I Will Not Die and Unlived Life, Markova writes, "I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me; to make me less afraid, more accessible; to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance; to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit." If Markova could inspire every member of the graduating generation to approach life the way she has, the world would be a better place.