UNCO Bears,
This week I had the wonderful privilege to adventure into the mind of the proud alumn, Ryan Malaty. Ryan graduated UNCO in December of 2011 with a Marketing Degree from the Monfort College of Business. While being a UNCO Bear, one of his favorite experiences was joining Sigma Chi as a freshman. Ryan explained, “I’m also proud to say that both of my little brothers, Brandon and Connor are now attended UNCO and have joined Sigma Chi as well. Greek life was a blast and I’d recommend it to anyone who’s looking for an adventure in college.” One of Ryan’s biggest achievements here at UNCO was starting the Campus Comp Card when he was a junior because he always wanted to be an entrepreneur and it seemed like a great way to connect the students with the local business community. Ryan hopes that he was able to do as much for the UNCO campus as it did for him. For those of you who do not know or never got the privilege of meeting Ryan you may recognize him as one of the winners of the new hit MTV series: “Are you the one?”
HC: What made you apply to be on “Are you the one”?
Ryan: I had just gotten out of a two-year relationship that left me pretty broken hearted. After graduating, I didn’t know what my next step should be. Should I start my career in marketing? Write a book? Then MTV came along and made the decision pretty easy.
HC: After it is all said and done, was this experience worth putting your heart on the line to find your match?
Ryan: The whole experience was emotionally taxing, but it was more than worth it. I learned a lot about myself, and how I handle relationships. I wanted to find my diamond in the rough, and you know what they say: no pressure, no diamonds.
HC: What was the craziest thing you witnessed while in the house?
Ryan: It’s hard to name just one…the whole trip was pretty crazy. But my Top 3 would be seeing my ex-girlfriend step off the bus, Brittany, and the entire ‘White Party.’
HC:What was the best and worst thing that happened while on the show?
Ryan: But of course the best thing that happened was winning the $1,000,000! It justified all the drama and emotional hardship we went through. The worst was when Kayla had her breakdown. It’s hard for me to see people hurt like that, and I did truly care about her.
HC: What does it feel like watching yourself every week?
Ryan: It’s a little weird seeing myself on television; it’s like hearing the sound of your own voice times a thousand. And I was always nervous to relive certain moments, but a good nervous. A happy nervous.
HC: Do you feel like you found your true match after everything was said and done?
Ryan: There’s no doubt my match’s personality is compatible with mine. We share a bond that was forged through our experience on Kauai, and we just seemed to have a natural chemistry that you don’t find every day.
If you loved the series the best is still to come! There is a reunion episode to let the audience know who stayed together, hooked up, broke up, etc. Thank you Ryan and CONGRAGULATIONS on winning the first season of Are You The One?