Why the Sky Is Not the Limit
“I strive to make a difference through leadership and technology to impact the world in which we live,” says 2nd Lt. Nathan K. Marks ’24. “My goal is to make the world better for others while growing and improving myself along the way.”
Nathan’s desires for exploration and service have kindled a constant fire in his heart as he follows a servant life exemplified by Jesus Christ. A native of Galesburg, Illinois, he entered Olivet Nazarene University through ROTC in 2019 and majored in mechanical engineering, military science and military affairs.
“People at ONU genuinely take an interest in my future, they care for me, and they want to be part of my story,” Nathan says. “These are people who want to walk with me and do life with me. They truly believe in their students. You don’t find that in many places anymore. Some of my best mentors are at ONU, and I always know they are there for me.”
Choosing ONU Was the Right Choice
Nathan appreciates the deliberate and intentional inclusion of faith at every level of his ONU education.
“We learned how to integrate faith into our daily life from the professors and staff,” he says. “ONU makes sure to find the right people to fill the right positions to make an impact in students’ lives.”
According to Landon Miller, ONU’s director of military science and veteran affairs, Nathan also made an impact during his years at ONU.
“Nathan was a tremendous leader and asset to ONU’s ROTC program,” he says. “I watched him grow as a student and a leader. He was a community leader for the Ray Olley Memorial and coordinated the ROTC program’s participation in the dedication ceremony. He was the leader for the Hero 5K to support the military, veterans, law enforcement and first responders in Kankakee County. He also used his engineering skills to design a rappel wall, which ONU cadets used for the first time in fall 2024. He was excellent at creating opportunities for students to become a part of the ONU ROTC family.”
Nathan’s sister entered ONU as a freshman nursing major this past fall.
“I’m excited that my sister has the opportunity to experience close friendships and make memories at ONU like I did,” he says. “Sometimes I wish I could relive those times: conversations at Ludwig Center, Ollies Follies and the holiday season events I shared with my friends.” He deeply appreciates the generosity of the donors who helped make his ONU education possible. “I hope people continue to give to ONU, because their giving does make a difference,” Nathan says. “I want to live up to their generosity.”
Becoming an Explorer
While an ONU student, Nathan was accepted into the L’SPACE Program, a NASA-funded, virtual, workforce development program designed to train and educate students about the dynamic world of the space industry through hands-on learning. The program is designed to teach industry standard procedures and protocols to students who are interested in pursuing a career with NASA or other space industries.
His completion of the program opened the door for his 10-week internship with the Lucy Mission, his first aerospace engineering project. The Lucy Mission is the first mission to explore the Jupiter Trojan asteroids.
“I even got to attend the launch of the project I worked on at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida,” Nathan says. “This also put me on the map for more space engineering projects.”
In 2022 Nathan became a member of The Explorers Club, a prestigious organization dedicated to supporting scientific expeditions of all disciplines since 1904. He was nominated by two current members of the club for his significant accomplishments in the fields of science and exploration. The club has approximately 3,500 members worldwide, representing every continent and more than 60 countries. NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Sc.D., is the honorary president.
Expanding His Military Career
In 2024 Nathan graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Currently an infantry officer, he is stationed at Fort Moore, Georgia. In the next six months, he will be transferred to U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii on the island of Oahu to be a platoon leader. He will be responsible for training and leading 40 to 45 enlisted soldiers.
He has already experienced his “10 hardest days in the Army” with his completion of the U.S. Army’s Air Assault School in 2022.
“This is where we learn how to rope down from the skies and get our targets,” Nathan says. “Only 30 percent of those who enter actually make it through the school. I earned my wings, which I wear on my uniform, at the United States Military Academy at West Point.”
His future plans include earning a master’s degree at the National Test Pilot School (NTPS) in Mojave, California. He is working on his private pilot training and certification now. When he reaches the rank of captain, he will request reassignment to complete his flight training at NTPS and then return to his full-time U.S. Army service.
Making Space Exploration a Priority
Nathan’s most recent space exploration project is volunteering with the Breakthrough Listen initiative, a new scientific partnership between the University of Oxford and the Breakthrough Prize Foundation aimed at finding evidence of signatures of technology beyond Earth. He is involved in exploring the possibility of using the lunar farside as an interference-free site for radio astronomy.
“Volunteering for space operations projects is separate from my responsibilities with the U.S. Army,” Nathan says. “I’m learning about the private side of the space exploration sector and the challenges this presents regarding budgets, teams and science.”
Nathan also volunteers as an engineering consultant and in public relations with Blackbird STEM Education, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting talented students in designing and constructing a vehicle powered by hydrogen peroxide that will set a new absolute land speed record.
“ONU gave me some amazing challenges while allowing me to grow and fail and keep growing,” Nathan says. “In engineering and in ROTC, we did something hard every day to help us be better tomorrow. ONU helped set me up to be a person of faith in the workforce, which is what the world needs.”
From Olivet The Magazine, The God Who Sees Us – Winter 2025. Read the full issue here.
