Matthew de Gannes

Name: Matthew de Gannes
Hometown: Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies
Year: 2012
Area of Study: Biochemistry

Interests: I have a passion for sports, particularly cricket, with an interest in soccer. I am also eager to start, along with some of my colleagues, a Gettysburg College Cricket Club, which, hopefully, will eventually grow to encompass a Gettysburg Bullets Cricket team (F&M has had one since the late 1800's, and Gettysburg has not. I hope to change that and defeat F&M before I graduate.).

I also love listening to music. Back home, in Trinidad, I used to listen to primarily rock, with some soca, reggae, and dancehall. Now that I am in Gettysburg, it is the other way around. I really miss my local, West Indian music, which is why I have decided to start my own radio show on campus, "Bazodee and Energy," featuring the hottest, high energy, positive, musical vibes from the Caribbean, brought to you by the DJ group I founded here, the original Sound Asylum International Crew.

What drew you to Gettysburg College? Gettysburg College has a major emphasis on "getting involved," with a huge variety of clubs and opportunities to immerse yourself in college life and take on challenging mentorship, community, or leadership roles. Moreover, if you want to start a club, the staff here at Gettysburg is extremely approachable and will assist in every way they can. These features really excited me because I wanted to attend a college which is not only challenging academically, but in every aspect of life such that we are adequately prepared to engage the world around us whether in our careers, sports, social circles, or our personal life. The college also appears to have a value for diversity which means that I can be sure to receive more than adequate services as an international student. I have not been disappointed.

What do you appreciate about the IRC? At the IRC, I find a place where I meet other students who not only value diversity on campus, but also are unique in many cultural aspects. As an individual whose culture is also quite different to many others at Gettysburg, it is always a delight to meet these students at the IRC and share our views of how we see the world and what it means to us. Furthermore, since these students do value diversity, I always look forward to coming to the IRC and sharing our ways of life, especially music and dance. I am very pleased to find students so excited about different cultures from their own and I am eager to learn more about the world I live in by interacting with these students over the next four years at Gettysburg College.