Meet Mac

Imagine, if you will, a Monty Python movie starring Philip Seymour Hoffman skateboarding while doing improv and listening to Led Zeppelin. This may be a movie most people would immediately turn away from, but it is the perfect synthesis of just about everything I love in life. Somehow I already find myself in my sophomore year at Gordon College. It seems just yesterday that I, a senior in high school, felt my mind yearning to find solace and growth in a particular college. I found that solace at Gordon, and I found that mental growth in the Communications and Sociology Departments.

A difficulty I dealt with during my college search was finding a school that would complement, even further my well-roundedness. Not to brag, but I was the only kid I knew at my high school who participated in water polo, baseball, theatre, choir and honors society. Gordon has allowed me to further strengthen my passions of singing, acting and sports. Other doors have also become open to me since I have been at Gordon. I now find myself as the music director of the Campus Events Council, working to bring musical artists to the school and feature on-campus musicians at open events called Coffee Houses. I also find myself working an incredible job as a writer for the campus blog and newsletter, a major-oriented job to say the least. I hope to earn a spot on the Gordon improv troupe, “The Sweaty-Toothed Madmen,” and my way onto the cast of “Into the Woods” this fall. 

I stay busy during the week, but I love to get off campus during the weekends whenever possible. Boston, arguably the best city on the entire planet, is only a half hour away. I go to church at City Life, which calls the sixth floor of the Radisson in Boston its home. I have found a wonderful church there with incredibly diverse music and sermons that always satiate my spiritually hungry soul. I have friends from back home in Santa Barbara, California who go to school at BU, BC, and Emerson, and I love to visit them on occasion. Surrounding areas like Singing Beach, Salem and Rockport are beautiful places to frequent with friends for lunch, dinner, or some good old exploring. 

If I could sum up Gordon in one word, it would be "opportunity." I genuinely believe that anyone on campus has the power to do anything they want to here. Mr. Opportunity always knocks here, and if you let him in, you will find an incredible supportive community ready to help you get anywhere you want to go and do anything you want to achieve.

Click through the thumbnails to learn more about Mac's life at Gordon.

The sport that has always stayed with me is baseball. I played for many years on a club team and in high school. Gordon has a Division III baseball team that is a great way to continue the passion. Besides playing the sport, the Boston Red Sox games are a blast. Fenway Park has so much history—where one feels the true Boston vibe.

Gordon is a wonderful place for skateboarding. Skating around campus offers me a great study break, especially with the newly paved parking lots. There are a good number of guys on campus who love to skate and scooter, and we have a blast doing tricks. I love skateboarding in nearby areas as well. Salem is a very scenic setting for fall skating, and Boston is a dangerous yet exhilarating skate haven as well.

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston hosts an annual College Night. They throw a huge dance party with Chipotle catering, and it's all free! I love going with my friends and meeting other college students in Boston—the college capital of the country.

Running has become a huge hobby of mine since I came to Gordon. It offers me great exercise as well as some time alone with God. Last year I ran the Manchester Marathon in New Hampshire with some friends. This year we are running the Boston Half Marathon, and it is my goal to run the Boston Marathon before graduating. Gordon has amazing trails and loops if you like to run.

Intramural (IM) sports are a vital component of any athlete's college experience. IM sports offer an outlet for floor bonding and exercising without the commitment of being on a sports team. Last year the Wilson Hall team took the flag football championships! Other intramural sports I love to play are dodgeball, walleyball, innertube water polo and basketball.

Gordon offers dances about twice every quad. The Orientation dance, Midnight Madness and Winter Ball are just a few. Dances are wonderful ways for the student body to bond, and they let you express yourself whilst donning ludicrous garb.

The surrounding Wenham area offers many recreational opportunities. In this photo some friends and I had just finished a day of apple picking in Hamilton after church. The day was filled with goat feeding, hayrides, apple spice donuts and, of course, apple picking.

The Theatre Department performs two musicals a year and provides many other acting opportunities. I have stayed involved in acting as much as possible since coming to Gordon. I was a part of the Spring Shorts last semester and a theatre major's senior seminar as well. It's a fun way to meet people and become different characters.

The Campus Events Council at Gordon has been such a blessing. I serve as the music director and am responsible for organizing on-campus concerts and music in general. In this photo we're setting up a table at the Club Fair and looking for volunteers to help us with events during the year.