Syracuse University

Student Spotlight

John Giammatteo, Anthropology and magazine journalism, class of 2011, Southbury, CT

johngiammatteo2.jpgWhy did you choose SU?
I am a Coronat Scholar here in the College of Arts and Sciences, and as part of the selection process we had to come to campus for three days of interviews. It was the spring of my senior year, so by that point I had seen a lot of colleges.  But I hadn’t felt quite as comfortable anywhere else as I felt here.  The interviews were a key moment in my decision – I met some amazingly brilliant people and engaged in a level of dialogue I had never expected from a group of college students. I loved the other finalists who were interviewing, I loved the current scholars who encouraged and engaged us. I was sold, and by the time I received the letter, my mind was already made up.

What has been your most meaningful experience so far?
Last semester I studied abroad in India. It was an eye-opening experience, and I could never have prepared myself for the intense beauty and complexity that is South Asia. As part of the program, we had to complete an internship. I’m interested in refugee studies, so I found a group of Sri Lankan refugees living in Chennai, on the eastern coast of India. Not really knowing what to expect, I signed up to live in their offices for a month and complete a study about the end of conflict in Sri Lanka.    
    
My month was spent on a bamboo mat on the floor.  I lived with about 15 other college-aged guys – all Sri Lankan Tamil, all refugees. Many had lived their much of their lives in exile, but they welcomed me. We’d play carom board (an South Asian board game), run out to get street food at night, joke about Tamil cinema and TV, watch Deal or No Deal (the Indian edition). The academics and the study were important to me, but by far what I will remember most is that even a world away I have gained a few new brothers.

What is the secret to your success at SU?
I’ve had a wonderful support system since I’ve arrived at SU, and I have tried to make the most of it.  A few key professors have greatly helped my experience – they’ve been willing to sit down with me at great length, wholeheartedly encouraged all of my plans, and gave me great guidance whenever I needed it.  These mentors have really helped shape my growth while at SU.

How have you changed since you’ve been here?
My focus has changed. I grew up in a small town; I lived there my whole life. My parents took me to Europe when I was in middle school, and I did not attend the local high school, but on the whole my focus was local. I had vague notions of working in politics, perhaps running for state legislature - something of that sort. But, starting from the summer reading we had freshman year, my whole perspective changed. I started looking out, many times across the world, to places that people in my family had never thought of traveling to, much less living there for any period of time. I found a discipline that allowed me to explore that, and an excellent set of instructors that encouraged such a global, distant focus. I haven’t regretted it since.

What do you plan to do after you graduate?
The long range goal is to go into academia. I’m fascinated by anthropology in general, and refugee studies in particular. My goal is to do some sort of academic research on migration, but always with a practical focus. In the shorter term, however, I hope to be able to spend some time in Thailand, India, or Sri Lanka - volunteering or playing whatever small part I can play among the refugees there.