When I walked into his house, Michael Gomez was boiling kumquats in an attempt to make jelly. His newest addition to the house, a dog named Misty, ran and hid under the table but kept a curious nose in the air, wondering who I was. He crooned to her and begged her to come out to say “hey”, but she stayed hidden. However, when she finally she came out, it was to stand attentively next to him; you can tell they’re best friends.
I’ve known Gomez for four years now and he continues to surprise me with his passion and kindness. While he is rough and tough on the outside, he is completely the opposite on the inside (though he wouldn’t want most people to know it, whoops). He’s the kind of friend you have and even if you haven’t spoken in a while, he’s still excited to see you no matter how much time has passed.
Her Campus (HC): What year are you?
Michael Gomez (MG): Senior
HC: What is your major?
MG: Environmental Studies with minors in Biology and Education
HC: Single or Taken?
MG: Single
HC: What sign are you?
MG: Pisces
HC: Where are you from?
MG: Miami, FL
HC: What’s your favorite holiday?
MG: Veteran’s Day
HC: What do you like to do in your free time?
MG: It depends on what you consider “free time.” When I’m not in class I’m either lifting weights, doing yoga, cooking, cleaning my house, or going for a run. While I do enjoy these activities, I consider them more of things I must do. If I somehow have time in between these events I’m probably reading, doing a crossword, playing guitar, or hanging out with friends doing things we shouldn’t be doing.
HC: What position are you in rugby?
MG: Number 7, otherwise known as the open side flanker.
HC: What made you want to play rugby?
MG: My sophomore year of high school I was in AP government and I got really close to my teacher. He’s in the FSU Hall of Fame for rugby and he told me I should try it out. I fell in love after day one.
HC: What was the best memory you have of playing rugby?
MG: There are some pretty good ones. Winning the conference title and going on to the elite 8 was great. But one of my absolute favorite moments was against USF last year. One of their players was being dirty and he punched one of my teammates. On one penalty he took the ball and ran straight at me. I lowered my shoulder and broke his rib (ouch!)
HC: What can we find you doing on a perfect Saturday afternoon?
That’s tough. If I’m completely satisfied with all the school work and working out I’ve done throughout the week then I’d take my dog to the dog park and probably day drink outside with my bros (he’s a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi.)
HC: What do you want to do when you graduate?
That depends. On one hand I can do what I’m already doing and apply to jobs with departments of environmental protection and wildlife conservation. The other side of me wants to do nothing but train and continue on the path to being named to the national rugby team.
HC: Favorite thing about FSU?
MG: My favorite thing about FSU is that no one has to be alone. Like to party? Obviously you can do that. Like to LARP? There are tons of people who like to get hit with Styrofoam swords. No matter where you came from, or who you were in high school, at FSU you have the chance to make what you want of life.
HC: What is your best memory at FSU?
MG: Too many memories share this spot. Sneaking on to the roof of the fine arts building, pledging with some of the best friends anyone could ask for, and even just hanging out at home with people who matter to me is something I’ll never forget. But honestly, the best memories I have here are all shared with my best friend, Josh Smith. I won’t give away all of our best moments, but I think one the funniest things that ever happened was in the Suwannee room. I went and got a bowl of yogurt and added granola like I normally do. Josh said, “oh that looks good,” and went to get the same thing. He comes back, sets his bowl down, and says, “wait why does mine look so different?” He put raisin bran in his because he didn’t know that the granola was right next to it. He tried eating it and it was god-awful. Needless to say we were both in tears hysterically laughing.
HC: What did you want to be when you grew up?
MG: A good father.
HC: What was the last book you read?
The last book I finished was Jurassic Park, and I’m currently reading Divine Justice by David Baldacci.
HC: What is your favorite movie?
MG: I tell people it’s Die Hard, but I don’t think there’s a movie that I can quote more than Mean Girls (you can sit with us any day!).
HC: What’s one word you would use to describe yourself?
MG: Passionate.
(Figure 1) Bonus photo of Misty, the cutest dog to exist