Name: Martine De Matteo
School and Year: Fordham College Rose Hill 2018
Hometown: Ossining, NY (I commute from here!)
Major: Anthropology
What is your campus involvement? I’m an Orientation Coordinator, a Commuter Assistant, and a member of FUPAC (The Fordham University Philippine American Club)
What is your favorite thing about Fordham? Just one thing?? I would say the immediate positive energy I feel every time I step onto campus. The second I park my car and walk out of the garage every day I’m hit with this overwhelming feeling that everything is okay, and great things are going to happen. I attribute this positive energy to the feeling of community and love put forth by every person on this campus.
What is your craziest Fordham memory? So my experience on the 2015 New Student Orientation team began with me walking, shyly and hesitantly, into a room full of over 200 strangers, and ended with me somersaulting across Murphy field in a full-body banana suit while my team (GO BANANARAMS) screamed a chant to the tune of Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani.
What you want to do with your life post-Fordham? Agh big life decisions! Ultimately I want to find a way to combine my love for travel, other cultures, photography, and Anthropology. Working for a museum and going on archaeological digs is the goal right now!
What is the best thing about being an orientation coordinator? I get to meet so many incredible, wonderful human beings who are just as in love with Fordham and proud of the Ramily as I am. My fellow OCs are amazing and inspire me to be better, everyone in the office exudes positivity, and every team member I meet, past, present, and future, is so filled with joy, offers new innovative ideas to improve our community, and truly embodies the Jesuit values Fordham was founded on.
What is your favorite memory from your orientation? It’s a very small moment but it really has stuck with me since Orientation. I was walking to one of the info sessions/speeches on Student Life day, and was caught in the rain with no umbrella. Some girl walking ahead of me saw me crossing the street without an umbrella and offered to share hers with me. This moment epitomized what orientation had been all about: the community based on simply being a Fordham student. The fact that even a new student was this representative of Fordham’s values made me realize, 100%, that Fordham was the place I wanted to be for the next 4 years.
What is your favorite place on campus? I love standing at the top of the bleachers when the football field is empty. You can see all of campus and the surrounding area spread out, and the sunset looks incredible from there!
What is your favorite thing to do in your free time? I actually recently discovered, last semester, how much I love to hike!
What is your favorite movie? The Great Gatsby (Baz Luhrmann version) because I’m obsessed with the book, and I think the movie accurately captures all the nuances of Fitzgerald’s writing.
Describe yourself in five words. Silly, creative, friendly, energetic, curious