Rebels Abroad: From Mississippi to Florence, Italy

My mentors and professors encouraged me to create this because they believe this trip will change my life, and I believe it too.

Honestly, this wasn’t something I saw coming. Studying abroad? Me? I grew up on the coast of Mississippi, raised by a single mom in a working-class home with my older brother. We didn’t have it all, but I never went without. That alone made me want to go after everything. To dream big and mean it.

But dreaming doesn’t always come easy when the world keeps trying to box you in. I spent my early school days getting told “you're too flamboyant.” I didn’t even know what that meant at the time, but I knew it made me feel small. And when I felt small, I turned around and made other people feel the same way. Because hurt people do hurt people. That’s real. But in 8th grade, I met Jesus. And that changed everything.

Since then, I’ve tried to live out what it means to be light. I’m now in my senior year at Ole Miss, majoring in Integrated Marketing and Communications, and I work with Digital Coast Media as an executive assistant. I’ve learned to start and finish big things. I’ve learned to lead. But more than that, I’ve learned that impact means nothing if it doesn’t reach back and lift somebody else up.

That’s why I given 400+ hours to AmeriCorps, reading to kids in the same types of classrooms I came out of. That’s why I work with Feeding the Gulf Coast, a program led by my grandmother Marilyn Brand, who, if you ask me, is the blueprint for how to live with purpose. That’s why I pour myself into everything I do, even when I’m tired. Even when I feel like I have nothing left. Because my heart stays rooted in my hometown.

This trip to Florence, Italy, is not just about me seeing Europe. It’s about perspective. It’s about healing. It’s about pausing the pressure I’ve felt trying to “be everything” at Ole Miss and finally asking: Who is Markel outside of the opinions, the titles, the performances?

Because yeah—I’ve had the high school titles. Mr. Pascagoula High School. Homecoming and Prom King. Hall of Fame. I was in everything. But behind those photos was a boy who was exhausted. Tired from smiling too much. Tired from thinking success only counted when it looked good on a résumé.

But now? I want success that feels good. I want clarity. I want to hear from God without all the noise.

Through Pine Lake Church in Oxford, I was introduced to something called P28. For 28 days, I prayed at 1 PM every day for God to show me what part of my life He wanted to grow. And out of nowhere, the idea of Florence came to my heart. The art. The culture. The creativity. The space to grow. I started researching the program and couldn’t stop. It felt like God had already packed my bags.

I’ll be attending Florence University of the Arts through the SAI Program. I plan to study entrepreneurial & global marketing, community engagement, and culture. But it’s not just about the courses. It’s about the Renaissance energy. About stepping into a city that once gave the world Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci and saying—“What can this place pour into me, so I can pour into others when I return?”

And I will return. Because when I do, I plan to launch youth travel scholarships for kids from small towns like mine. (PASCAGOULA STAND UP!) I want to create programs for students who don’t even know what a passport looks like, because I used to be one of them. I also want to build something for the homeless in my city. I recently came home for the summer and saw how much help was needed. It truly wrecked me. I have to be part of the solution.

And that’s why I’m here. I need your help.

The total cost of this trip is around $24,000. That includes housing, flights, course fees, meals, transportation, and weekend travel. I’ve already received over $10,000 in scholarships. I’m asking for support with the remaining gap.. not all of it, but $5,500 - $10,500, depending on how far this campaign reaches. I’m committed to working hard and making this opportunity truly worth the journey.

I’ll be documenting the entire journey through my personal website: markelwilliams.com. You’ll get to follow along with every museum, every plate of pasta, every breakthrough moment. I’m working out a cost-effective way to handwrite and mail postcards from Florence to every donor, as a reminder that this journey isn’t just mine, it’s ours.

If you’re hesitant to give, I get it. I’ve been hesitant to ask. But I believe this trip is going to change my life. And the ripple effect will reach way beyond just me. I don’t want anyone donating if it doesn’t make sense for your finances—I respect every dollar earned. If you can’t give, a share would mean the world.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for believing. And thank you, truly, for being a part of this.

—Markel L. Williams

Pascagoula native, Ole Miss Senior

markelwilliams.com - *coming January 2026*