Name: Cam Morose
Age: 19
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Haverhill, MA
Major: BDIC – Neuroscience and Holistic Health
Current Residence: RA in Linden
Relationship Status: Single
Zodiac Sign: Aries
HC: What do you like to do in your spare time?
Cam Morose: I have a lot of small hobbies that I like to do. I love playing games, there’s one called spike ball that’s super fast-paced. I also like to slackline in my free time, and hanging out with my friends in Central, just chilling, is great. Board games are mad fun, I played intramural soccer this past year and I’m doing jiu jitsu now.
HC: So how did you decide to combine Neuroscience and Psychology in your BDIC?
CM: I always thought, ever since I was a little kid, that I would study Neuroscience, go into a neuroscience lab and go into a brain research field because the brain’s always fascinated me. This past semester, I was in a lab one day and I realized that the lab life isn’t really for me. I have other interests in health and doing a BDIC allows me to combine these things. All these really cool practices and techniques that can improve your physical health, your mental health, and your spiritual health and I think that’s something that’s very important for a lot of people today. I walk around and I see a lot of people that are so rushed and not present or as happy as they could be. I’m really curious on how these practices can help people and they all have to do with the brain, like meditation is a great example. There’s a lot of intersections between these two fields and I’m trying to figure out how to bring them together.
HC: What do you do to keep yourself present?
CM: I try to meditate every day and I’m trying to do more yoga too, it’s been helpful for me. I’m trying to learn how to draw right now. One of the things I was talking with a friend about the other day was how important it is to have something to lose yourself in. For him, it’s painting and creating art, for another friend it’s piano, I want something you can do every day and lose yourself in. I think that is a great way of becoming present, kind of like transcending time.
HC: So I know you recently started leading meditations for the Meditation Club on campus, what drove you to do more than participate and learn to lead meditations?
CM: I would say that definitely starting at the beginning of fall semester I got to know the founder of the meditation club, Kevin Harrington, much better and from hanging out and talking to him I’ve learned a lot about leading and guiding. The biggest way that I’ve learned is just listening. I would go to meditations and at the end take notes on what helped me and look over those notes and apply what I learned from them. I never learned how to formally guide meditations, but I’m starting a class about mindfulness, meditation and leadership.
HC: What are some groups your involved with on and off campus?
CM: The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Buddhist club, the jiu jitsu club that I’ve been tying to go to more often, the meditation club, and just being an RA.
HC: The SGI club sounds really interesting, what are some teachings you’ve gained from it?
CM: The SGI is all about tapping into your own infinite potential, which I know sounds very abstract. The whole basis of the religion can be encapsulated into four words that you chant twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. The chant is Nam- myoho- renge-kyo and they all have specific meanings. Nam is about devotions, Myoho is the hardest one to understand because it refers to the mystic law that no one can ever really understand, renge is our karma so the law of any cause you make it will result in some sort of effect, kyo refers to the teachings of the Buddha and the last sutra of the Buddha specifically. I’ve been practicing and learning every day.
HC: How’s the transition from living in Baker to being an RA this semester?
CM: It’s sick being in Baker because everyone’s there no matter what floor you go to, so that’s definitely different. For my personality though, I don’t mind spending time alone so it’s cool having a single in that sense.
HC: What are your best traits?
CM: I’d say being a curious listener. I really admire my curiosity in things and my ability to truly stop and fully absorb what someone’s saying. I don’t mind letting silences drag out a little longer so I can really understand what’s been said, I like having that self control.
HC: What are things you look for in potential significant others?
CM: Being a good listener definitely, I think it’s very important to have someone that not only shares a lot about themselves but truly listens to what you have to say, and not only listens but gives you feedback and going along with that I think that a really important quality is to not just give feedback, but another step forward and challenge you. In a constructive way, but not always just nodding and agreeing and asking “why?”. Challenge me in some way or another.
HC: What would be your ideal date with this person?
CM: I don’t have an exact environment but there are aspects that I would want to incorporate. Number one, it would have to be outside. Ideally, nice weather like spring and 70 degrees and for the majority of the day to be spent outside doing a variety of activities. I would like to be somewhere kind of secluded to go on a really nice walk – I really like walks. Maybe like a legit picnic, I’ve never had one before! I definitely want to see the sunset, that’s really important too. Basically; warm weather, outside, picnic, some barefoot action, and sunset.
HC: What’s been your best experience at UMass so far?
CM: I gotta think about that for minute. So last fall, when I first came here as a freshman I lived in the Honors College but something had gotten mixed up and I was in a multi year dorm. I lived with a two seniors and a sophomore, so I wasn’t very close to anyone in my dorm. I wanted to meet freshmen, so I tried to move to Southwest because my brother had lived there and loved it, but it was full so I just decided to go to Central on a whim. I was coming down the hill and saw this kids slack lining so I joined them and asked them and they immediately told me to move to Central and I ended up in Van Meter. Over the semester I got really close with the people that are now my best friends, I honestly don’t know who or where I’d be if I didn’t move to Central.
HC: What’s the first thing on your bucket list?
CM: That’s interesting that you say that. Last night my friend was saying that she had created one and she inspired me to make one, so I have one that I made last night. I want to go on the roof of the Life Sciences building, I’m not sure how to get up there though. Another is to participate in a protest for a cause you believe.
photos courtesy of Maureen Meyer