TI engineer Marcus Cooksey has been named Dallas County School-Based Big Brother of the Year for 2010.

TI engineer Marcus Cooksey graduated from high school with honors but needed a little encouragement to go on to college. That is where his high school basketball coach and chemistry teacher, Val Rhodes, stepped in and influenced the young Cooksey.

"I'm grateful for the personal interest and guidance he demonstrated," said Cooksey, who today is a TI applications engineer.

Cooksey remembers the effect a role model like Rhodes had on his life. He tries to return the favor by being a mentor to other young men who need some encouragement. Marcus volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) and a Dallas-area program called Destination: Graduation, which partners with different agencies to provide students with mentoring, college preparation and parental involvement courses.

He has been named Dallas County School-Based Big Brother of the Year for 2010 and will be formally recognized during the BBBS Excellence Awards.

"I've always tried to make a positive impact on others, as the same has been granted to me throughout my life," he said. "When the call for BBBS volunteers was announced at Texas Instruments, I saw this as an additional way to give back to the community."

Clarissa Moore, a specialist with BBBS who nominated Cooksey for the award, said the engineer knows personally what having a positive male influence can do and is passing that along to another generation.

"I believe Marcus Cooksey deserves to be recognized for the positive impact he is having as a Big Brother through our program," she said.

Brotherly love
Cooksey decided to volunteer some of his time as a Big Brother after attending an informational BBBS session in 2006 at TI. He has since been matched with two little brothers, including Gary, for the past three years.

Cooksey visits Gary two to four times a month at school, where they spend time talking about life, sports, Gary's education and dreams for his future. These mentoring sessions typically happen while the two are eating lunch or playing games, such as chess or dominoes.

"There is a sense of personal satisfaction that I'm positively impacting Gary's life. I've been able to observe this over time," Cooksey said.

The two were matched when Gary was a freshman. With Cooksey’s guidance, Gary is a confident and goal-driven senior with plans to attend college – possibly pursuing a degree related to electronics. Gary has completed several college applications, which Cooksey helped proofread.

"I'm glad to know that he has plans for college after graduating high school," Cooksey said. "This was not initially part of his plans."

About Cooksey
Cooksey could relate to Gary. Even though Cooksey graduated from Spruce High School in Dallas with honors, he did not originally plan to attend college. He credits his high school basketball coach for influencing him to go to college.

Cooksey earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science Engineering from The University of Texas at Arlington and has worked at TI for six years.

Through TI, he became simultaneously involved with BBBS and Destination: Graduation – both of which are affiliated with the United Way. Destination: Graduation was launched in 2005 by a grant from the TI Foundation and now reaches students in Dallas and Collin counties.

Last year, Cooksey was nominated for the TI Founders Community Service Award based on his volunteer work with BBBS. Winners are selected annually for the TI award based on their outstanding community service efforts and contributions toward building a better future for the communities where TI operates.

The awards are announced each year during National Volunteer Week, which occurs in April. Although Cooksey did not receive the TI Founders award last year, he will win one of the highest honors from BBBS for 2010.

"We see everyday how Marcus’ drive, dedication and work ethic impact TI and our customers in a positive way," said Cooksey’s TI manager, Kim Devlin-Allen, who supported the nomination.

"His influence on kids in the Big Brother program is changing their lives and encouraging them to reach their full potential, and we are so proud of Marcus' leadership in our community."