Alumni Story: Matthew Kyler

Though the curriculum at Eleanor Roosevelt College is designed to teach students where they fit into the world community–through MMW (the mandatory two year world culture course), the study of a foreign language, and other mandatory courses in arts and cultures–the classroom was just the beginning of my education at UCSD and ERC.

In my second year when a friend of mine suggested that my organizational skills could be helpful to CORE, I hardly imagined that later that year I was going to be taking part in UCSD’s first ever alternative spring break where ten students and an advisor traveled to the Dominican Republic to volunteer at a local orphanage.  This project, which was Dara Walsh’s brain child, opened my eyes to a reality which cannot be taught in a classroom.  Working in a developing country made me appreciate the things I was fortunate enough to have, led me to realize how happy people are to have the simple things in life and has molded my decisions on where to take my life.  Dara’s dream was so strong and it caught on so well that this year over 100 UCSD students participated in some type of alternative spring break.  It also helped fuel the formation of other student groups such as the budding Engineers Without Borders chapter at UCSD. 

At ERC another wonderful benefit is that it seems almost abnormal not to study abroad.  As an undergraduate I spent the academic year of 2002-2003 studying and doing a restoration internship in Italy.  As most the University of California study abroad programs are full immersion they are some of the only university programs which yield students who are completely fluent in the language when they finish a year.  To be forced to express myself in a language which was not my own taught me to think while I speak, choose my words carefully, and to be certain that the person who I am speaking to understood what I said before I go on.  When I was separated from everything which I know and love I learned to appreciate the simple things which I never realized I loved so much: calling my mom whenever I want, walking alone in a forest, or having carpet on the floor of my house so I can walk barefoot.  Then there were other things which I learned I could live without such as fast food, cars, and a complete wardrobe. 

Now, after finishing my degree at UCSD in 2005, I am back here in Italy getting a masters degree in earthquake engineering at a research center built to attract both students and professors from around the world.  I am learning the technical aspects of designing structures against earthquakes and I am making friends from around the world.  When I talk to these friends they are surprised at how much I know about their country and their religion, and are comforted by the fact that I am capable of asking them intelligent questions about their religion or home country.  My years at ERC are gone but the lessons I learned are with me every day. 

Through my years at UCSD I was very lucky because my parents always gave me the emotional support I needed to get through the hard times.  When I decided it was more important for me to go to Italy for the summer language program instead of working and saving money my parents supported my decision to take out a student loan.  Of course they were careful to remind me to consider the future and not to live above my means while still considering that student loans are regarded as a good investment in ones future. I am lucky that my parents were there to share wisdom as to what I should do but never orders as to what I must do: the decision was mine to make as a maturing adult.