Matthew Watson ’19

Nutiket Sachgagunummen Klamachpin. it means “Guard who Leads Quietly.” And it’s the American Indian name given to Matthew during his time in the Boy Scouts of America. Matthew’s a poster boy for the Scouts, you might say. Since first grade, he became involved in the organization when a group of recruits visited his school. He was immediately captivated by their “fancy blue uniforms,” bows and arrows, and canoes.

As time went on, Matthew rose in the ranks serving in many capacities through his college years. “I’m passionate about my work in Boy Scouts because it makes a difference in people’s lives,” he says. “It really makes an impact when [some Scout who you have no idea looks up to you comes] back years down the road and [tells] you that one conversation you had with them really changed their life. And that’s happened to me and some of my friends in national leadership.”

At NGU, Matthew found multiple opportunities to continue to develop as a leader, he confirms. He’s been involved in the Biology Club, and in the 2017-18 school year, he served as the director of student outreach for the Student Government Association (SGA). He was recently elected to serve as president of TriBeta, a national biological honor society. In this role, he helped underclassmen in his major with the process of applying for graduate school. Matthew is now in his second year of the dentistry program at the Medical University of South Carolina.