During the weekdays on the USFSP campus, a young man in formal attire walks in confident strides to his classes. Students recognize him by his friendly smile, inviting disposition, and professional approach to academics. As he walks along, he runs into friends and exchanges knowledge with whole-hearted interest, diving into conversations with passion. His sincere attention is noticed and appreciated by his peers. They know him to be kind, funny, and authentic; someone with a vital energy that cannot be matched.
They know him as Gianni Bessette.
Photo Courtesy of Gianni Bessette
Gianni is from Longwood, Florida, a suburb in northern Orlando. He was drawn to USFSP due to its low student-to-teacher ratio, relatively small campus size, and the change of scenery it would bring. He believes it is a great place to pursue his major: Economics.
“I intend to major in Economics because I find that field to have a significance, not only in my own life, but in life as a whole,” Gianni said.
An active participant on campus, Gianni is a member of the Marketing Club, a contributor for The Crow’s Nest, and the secretary on the USC Hall Council. He would like to work toward a career as a financial planner or analyst while pursuing other interests, such as writing or photography.
Thus far, he has already made progress in his artistic ventures: In 2014, he published his first book of poetry, Penman’s Promise.
Courtesy of Amazon
“Penman’s Promise is a collection of selected poems I had written between 2011 and 2014 that explore various themes, some being amorous in nature while others serve to illustrate events and experiences deemed worth sharing. It is partially a joint venture between my long-time friend Kaitlin Long and I, in that we engaged in a trade-off of artistic talents to showcase what we were capable of creating,” he said.
I asked Gianni about his inspirations in creating the collection series and for writing in general.
“Many things inspire me, I find inspiration in everything around me… To me, poetry, and writing in general, is more than mere words on paper; it’s a recollection of perspectives at different times in life, and the written description of these experiences is what is to be conveyed. I also believe in poetry’s cathartic value,” he said.
Gianni explained to me that his hope is for readers to connect to his poems personally. I asked him to share a sample of his work, which reads as follows:
A Wind Entrusted in Wisdom’s Will
A wind entrusted in wisdom’s will
Swiftly sailed dreamily over broad seas
Without regard for deaf ears;
Delivering a message obscure
To strangers cast into a daze,
A choreographed monotony
Awake but not astir.
Bold and breaking rhythm
Shattered an incomplete infatuation
Long since forged in first sight,
With each rupturing minute fell apart.
The once exciting and inexhaustible route
Traveled without second thought
Is now eroding to the tune
Of a sinking full moon.
A new book of poetry is currently in the works and will be released in time.
I also asked Gianni to share some fun facts about himself.
“I’ve been known to recite Ferris Bueller’s Day Off verbatim,” he said.
Gianni is a music appreciator of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, and his favorite poet is Robert Frost.
He looks forward to the future and we can look forward to what he has in store.
Expect great things from Gianni Bessette.
HC with care,
Megan Hammer
Photo Sources:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51H94kysrEL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg