By
Matt DeLuca
Hometown: Chatham, NJ
Major: English, minor in philosophy
Notable Activities/Achievements: Editor-in-chief of The Heights, the independent student newspaper of Boston College; Research Assistant, English Department and Office of Marketing Communications; jazz guitarist in the BC musical, “The Last Five Years.”
Post-Graduation Plans: Writing internship at Inc. magazine, New York City.
Overview: A gifted writer, researcher and editor, DeLuca found his passion chronicling Boston College’s stories during his four years of leadership positions at The Heights. Respected by faculty, administrators and students for his dedication and professionalism, DeLuca helped The Heights to continue its ascendancy to the pantheon of the best college newspapers in the United States.
Q: How have your activities influenced your four years at Boston College?
When I came to BC as a freshman, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I played jazz guitar so I thought I’d join BC bOp! I did not even go to the first Heights meeting, but I eventually agreed to take a story and I got hooked.
Writing for The Heights was a great way to meet students and others at BC. I found mentors when I was an underclassman and a community of people who were doing things that were meaningful. The Heights became a full-time job for me; it was my project, and it defined the friends I made and the career path I followed. I think it has been of tremendous value to work for a paper that is completely independent, self-funded, and where I had to make editorial decisions that were final.
Often the college learning environment is a way of saying one can make mistakes without consequences. It’s a better experience, I think, to make decisions, put out 8,000 copies of a paper, and then stand by what one decided.
Q: Which faculty members had the greatest effect on your personal development?
I was a research assistant in the English Department with Associate Professor Kevin Ohi working on several projects including Victorian poetry, free indirect narration, and the relationship between love and learning.
I also did my thesis in the English Honors Program on the poetics of Giorgio Aganben, a contemporary European philosopher, with English Professor Frances Restuccia as my advisor.
Both of them played an important role in my academic experience at Boston College.
Q: How did Boston College make a difference in your life?
BC was one of those happy accidents for me. Because I did not have an immediate love for it freshman year, I had to make it mine. Working with The Heights, doing historical research for OMC and learning about the history of the campus and BC’s own evolution became very interesting to me in a way I had not anticipated when I first came. Because of the people I met and the things I did, BC became a great experience for me. My work at The Heights and in my English classes also prepared me to do freelance work for the Dorchester Reporter, Boston Irish Reporter and the Boston Globe, which has helped me in my career ambitions.
Q: What will you miss most about BC?
I will miss the faculty, my colleagues at The Heights, and the opportunity to so easily meet such a diverse group of students who are interested in doing things for no particular gain other than their love of the subject. I hope to carry that spirit with me into the next step of my life.
For our next "Six to Remember" student profile, UGBC Senator Sarah Onori, click here.