The entrepreneurship major shares his unique February 29 birthday with just 0.06 percent of the 8 billion people on Earth
Born on February 29, Markese Davis, a senior entrepreneurship major from Toms River, NJ (Ocean County) always has a big, memorable celebration on his birthday. When your special day falls just once every four years, that’s what the occasion calls for.
“To me, waiting three years for a big celebration on the fourth year is worth it,” Markese says. In non-leap years, he celebrates his birthday on February 28, and will usually go out to dinner and spend time with close family and friends.
This year, Markese will celebrate in Florida with his entire family.
Some of the funniest comments Markese receives when strangers find out about his birthday are, “Wow, you’re pretty big for a 5-year-old!” or “Since when did they let 5-year-olds go to college?” Markese has never faced any challenges or obstacles because of his leap day birthday, as it has always been seen as an advantage for him. “I enjoy the uniqueness of my birthday and I would not change it even if I could.”
One of Markese’s most memorable celebrations was for his 12th birthday when his parents treated him and two of his closest friends to a day off from school to spend it in New York. The day started with a big breakfast, then he saw his first Broadway show. After that, they went to Dave & Busters to play arcade games and ended the night with dinner in Manhattan.
A fun fact about Markese is that he has a good friend who shares the same birthday as him. They met when he was 14 years old. When his cousin told him that her boyfriend and Markese had the same birthday, he couldn’t believe it. “I never knew anyone else born on that day. Ever since meeting my friend, I haven’t been able to find anyone else who shares our special day.”
Today, Markese has a unique clothing brand named Motivated And Dedicated. Their mission is to motivate and inspire others and show them that through motivation and dedication, everything is possible.
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Written by: Valentina Giannattasio, junior double major in dance & marketing