Chances are, you’ve seen him around school, or more accurately, rolling around school on his scooter. This week’s campus cutie, Matthew Grote, is one of the friendliest, funniest guys on campus. Matthew is originally from Rhode Island and lives off campus on the Upper East Side. Matthew doesn’t use Instagram or Twitter, so to learn more about him, you’ll have to read this Q&A!
Name, Age, Hometown, Major:Matthew John Grote, 21, Chepachet, RI, Communication Arts with a concentration in Creative Media
What’s your favorite class at Marymount?One class I really enjoyed was Video Workshop. For one reason, my roommate Brooke and I worked on a big project together and it was a lot of fun. In the creative sense, it’s really cool to have something you conceptualized from the beginning and take it all the way to the end and have something to show for it. I also made a lot of really good friends in that class and enjoyed everything I learned.
Favorite thing about Marymount:I really like my major. Being a Comm Arts major, all of the professors I’ve had have been specialized in their field. I feel like each one of them took the time to get to know me. I still see them in the hallway and it’s nice to have that relationship with different people in a field. I really enjoy what I do in my classes. I don’t necessarily feel like I’m going to school all the time. I can be sitting in class and really interested in something and it’s just nice to be in a place where learning comes naturally and is enjoyable.
Favorite thing about New York City:My favorite thing about New York City is just the whole magic of it all. The whole reason why anyone wants to come from wherever they are. And it’s kind of beautiful that everyone’s from other places normally. Very few people are born in Manhattan and stay in Manhattan. I like that lesson you learn in history class: New York really is a melting pot. I’ve met such a diverse group of people that I wasn’t exposed to back in Rhode Island and just with that exposure to new things I’ve gotten here, I’ve definitely grown leaps and bounds. I’ve really enjoyed my life to a much fuller potential. I feel like every day I learn something new and experience something new and I open my mind to something new and it’s really an amazing experience. I love that I’m in school doing all of this and by the time I have my degree, I’ll be familiar with this wonderful city and I’ll have made so much progress here and made so many connections. It really is just a wonderful thing.
Favorite mode of transportation:My Scooter! My friend Colin introduced me to the scooter. I have particular model called the Xootr MG. I picked this not because it’s part of a line of scooters specially made for city travel, but because of MG. My initials are MG and the scooter is named that because that’s the chemical name for Magnesium, a main material in my scooter. It’s really nice to not have to walk places or go underground on the subway all the time. The scooter is three and a half times faster than walking and of course, it’s a lot of fun.
Favorite song at the moment: Stay High by Tove LoFavorite Movie: JumanjiFavorite TV Show: The Legend of KorraFavorite Restaurant/Food: French onion soup at Jack Russells’ Pub on the Upper East Side
What do you like to do in your spare time?I like to hang out with friends. I especially like to play video games. I bought a Wii U this summer and it’s a lot of fun to have friends come over and play games as a group, like Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart 8. I also really love to go to the beach when it’s warm out. I really enjoyed taking the subway to Far Rockaway Beach all summer.
You just mentioned your Wii U. Do you have any other video games that you enjoy playing? I love Pokémon. I guess I’m the nerd that never grew up. I really enjoy the franchise and following it. I like when things I enjoyed when I was younger evolve. I loved playing Pokémon Red and Blue when I was ten and now, with the evolution of handheld devices, I can play Pokémon Black 2 on my cell phone on the subway!
What would be your dream job? I’m really interested in video production, television, film, working on sets, and the entertainment industry. I would love to hopefully do something along those lines, but I really don’t want to limit myself by thinking about what I’m going to be doing or that I’ll be something. I’d rather keep my options open.
What is your favorite thing about living with Brooke Materia?It’s nice to have my best friend in the next room.
That’s it?She’s awesome and cool and down to earth and she makes me get mac and cheese with her when I don’t want to get out of bed and she’s very helpful because we are in the same major and we have a lot of classes together.That’s better. Thank you.