Name: Matthew McKenna
Year: Junior
Major: Biology
Concentration: Pre-Dental
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
What are you involved in on campus?
I’m involved in ROTC, which is the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and it’s a prepration for being an officer in the military. I’m also involved in Greek Life! I’m in the fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha, and I’m actually the president this year.
Did you join the fraternity with hopes of becoming the president one day?
Believe it or not, I didn’t envision myself as president at all! One of our former presidents, Zach Bowman, told me I should step up, so I did. I really liked internal vice president but I’m also really enjoying being president. I needed to do it for the fraternity, so I did it.
How long have you been doing ROTC for?
I’ve been doing it for three years! I got started in it by joining The National Guard and found out that Winthrop had ROTC on the campus and that they could help pay for my school and my education, so I joined.
How long do you want to do ROTC for after college?
I have training this summer and then after that I’m hoping I will be in it for another 6 years. If I do it for 25 years I can retire after that. I’d first go up to Majorand I would be in charge of battalion which means that I would be in charge of like 400 people. However, I also want to go into aviation–specifically for flying helicopters.
Has ROTC helped you at all with being president of the fraternity?
Definitely. Ever since I joined The National Guard, I’ve been forced into leadership roles which is obviously really important for being president. I was so quiet before college, so it helped me branch out and be more of a leader.
Do you have any fun facts?
Yes! I got to yellow belt in Korean karate.
Do you have any secret talents?
I actually play the saxaphone and although I haven’t played in about 2 years, I could probably pick a sax back up and play well again.
What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
Definitely Rocky Road!