“I had very, very, very long hair,” Matt Skrzynski said simply about his first year at Colgate. “It took me a little while to realize that image matters.”

Unlike this physical adjustment, it didn’t take Matt long to find his niche here on campus. Matt has been heavily involved in a wide array of activities throughout the past few years. Many fellow students inevitably recognize him as a member of the Colgate Thirteen. Matt is also a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and serves as the philanthropy chair.

“The Greek acquisition was a challenge for me,” he remembers. “But it just made the brotherhood stronger. the community, especially the Thirteen and the fraternity life, are overwhelmingly important aspects of my time at Colgate. They have certainly enriched life for me.” Matt will miss this most, explaining that “Being part of a cohesive group is one of the best feelings in the world, and I’m not sure how much of that I will be able to participate in after Colgate.”

Apart from his extra-curricular participation at Colgate, Matt has distinguished himself academically as well. He was a member of Phi Eta Sigma, the first-year honors society. He has also received the Dean’s award successively. Matt says that the academics at Colgate have “demolished my preconceived notions” allowing his “intellectual and personal growth has flourished.”

Matt chose to study abroad during the spring semester last year at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He explains, “I wanted to go to a place where I really immersed myself in another culture, and get away from Colgate for a while.”

As Matt’s time at Colgate is approaching its end, he is preparing to enter the corporate workforce. Matt pursued a double major in philosophy and in economics. A grin stretches across his face as he clarifies himself, “I know, it’s a weird combination.” He adamantly explains that there is much “interplay between them. Economics make assumptions in regard to philosophical truths.”

Matt’s presence on stage as a member of the Colgate 13 will not be forgotten quickly and will be missed nect year. He offers the following words of advice to first years: “Take risks. Savor the present. You have your whole life to work…try and absorb as much of life as you can. This is your time.”