Matthias Maier ’09 is walking his talk at Tufts, in Paris and beyond
Before heading to France to study abroad this school year, 2009 Broadalbin-Perth graduate Matthias Maier made one last stop this summer—back to his alma mater, where he was invited to speak to faculty and staff as part of B-P’s Opening Day ceremony. (View Matthias's Opening Day Speech)
Matthias (back left) and a group of fellow students took a week-long trip to New Orleans last spring to volunteer to rebuild homes that were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. In this picture, his team has demolished an unsalvageable house that was an eyesore to the community and a reminder of their pain.
Matthias discussed the importance of creating connections in a global society. His talk focused on three central points he finds integral to the act of reaching out: The importance of taking risks and learning from failure; expanding one’s world view and gaining perspectives though technology and travel; and giving back to the world from which we have learned.
And Matthias is walking the talk. He is pursuing his bachelor’s degree with a double major in international relations and history at Tufts University in Massachusetts. Matthias is currently spending his junior year studying abroad in Paris, France, to better his language skills and get first-hand experience with international relations. After he graduates in May 2013, he says he plans to pursue a master’s degree in international relations.
Matthias played Captain Hook in the B-P Drama Club’s production of Peter Pan during his senior year.
Matthias says he has definite goals he’d like to pursue, including joining the Peace Corps and then working for the U.S. State Department, with hopes to one day become an ambassador.
“I think that the main key to the success I have achieved thus far and the persistence with which I pursue my dreams is that I have goals,” says Matthias. “I believe that a dream is the most powerful inspiration for success—it is what keeps us going.”
During his years at B-P, Matthias participated in many extra-curricular activities, including sports, drama, band, choir and community service clubs.
“I achieved a well-rounded experience that allowed me to test out my interests and determine what I wanted to pursue,” he says. “Without trying so many different things, I never would have known which to pursue.”
Matthias stands on top of La Tournette in Annecy, France, where he studied French two summers ago.
Asked about the most important thing he learned at B-P, Matthias says, “How to be myself. Of course the coursework is important and our teachers work hard to help us with it, but adolescence is primarily about finding ourselves and B-P is a great community in which to do that.”
Speaking of teachers, was there a teacher at Broadalbin-Perth who influenced him the most?
“If I were to choose one, it would be Mr. Simonds, my high school English teacher,” Matthias says. “I think he taught me a very important lesson—one that I believe is often overlooked: How to argue. We are often taught how to get along, but learning how to argue well is a very good skill, and perhaps even an art. Mr. Simonds taught me that disagreeing with a teacher was alright, even welcomed, so long as I had a coherent and well-reasoned argument, which was of course presented respectfully. This skill can translate to many situations, as we will undoubtedly come across situations where we disagree with someone in a position of authority. Thus, it is important to construct these arguments with a calm, cool and collected demeanor and a well-thought-out response.”
Even as he continues his pursuit of a career in international relations, Matthias says Broadalbin, the village in which he was born and raised, will always be close to his heart: It’s where his parents and two sisters, who are currently a senior and a sophomore at B-P High School, live.
“I still come home to the family’s house in Broadalbin when my school terms end, and will return again in June,” he says.