Dr. Mark Hamilton

Class of 1982
Career Pathway: Human Services

Dr. Mark Hamilton was nominated by Marilyn Rosi. 

Mark graduated from Grayling High School in 1982. While attending GHS, he was active in the theatre program. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and design from Michigan Technological University in Houghton in May 1987. 

In 1993, he joined the United States Peace Corps, teaching mathematics to secondary school students in Cameroon, West Africa. He returned to West Africa – to the Republic of Guinea -- as a mathematics resource teacher with the Peace Corps from 1995 to 1998. While there, he initiated a mathematics teaching project that benefited 110 teachers and 2,800 students. He worked in Conakry, Guinea, from 1980 to 2000 as a teacher trainer. During this time, he volunteered to develop and lead learning activities in mathematics with elementary school teachers and students in the Futa Jalon region.  

In 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2002-03, he was the foreign language and area studies fellowship recipient at Michigan State University. In 2004, Mr. Hamilton received a Fulbright-Hays doctoral dissertation fellowship award for a year-long study of how people in rural communities in Guinea participate in education and development. He completed his Ph.D. program in education and international development at Michigan State University in May 2007. His practicum research was entitled "’Living On My Own’: Self-Sufficiency Among Sudanese Male Refugees in the Midwestern United States," and his dissertation was entitled "Success, Participation and Development: Marking the Progress of Education Reform in the Republic of Guinea." 

Since then, Dr. Hamilton has trained teachers and principals of schools in Egypt and Turkey to help students develop problem-solving, career-planning and other life skills. For the past two years, he has been teaching and doing research and development work with the University of Dar es Salaam College of Education in Tanzania. He is currently leading a research project in that country to study the development of science, mathematics and technology education for UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization).  

He is fluent in French, speaks the West African Fulfulde-Pular language and is learning Kiswahili. 

Dr. Hamilton is the son of Bill Hamilton of Arizona and Phyllis Hamilton of Grayling. His siblings – Michael, Tina, Kirk, Sherry and Laura – also graduated from Grayling High School.