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While attending UGA, Matt Crim has
demonstrated excellence in both scholarship and leadership.
Besides being the first UGA student to win both a Truman and
a Marshall Scholarship, he is the recipient of the Foundation
Fellowship, the university’s most prestigious undergraduate
award, and a member of various academic honor societies, including
Phi Beta Kappa and Blue Key. Through the Center for International
Trade and Security, he conducted research on biological and
agricultural security with Corrie Brown, professor of veterinary
pathology. Currently he works with Rick Tarleton, Distinguished
Research Professor of Cellular Biology, to study Trypanosoma
cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease. He is a double
major who enjoys singing with the Accidentals, an a cappella
group, and playing the piano.
Expected graduation: May 2005
Degree Objectives: B.S. in Cellular Biology
and A.B. in Political Science
University highlights, achievements and awards:
As a Foundation Fellow, I have been able to travel to many
parts of the world as well as take part in a dynamic intellectual
community here in Athens. I would like to pursue a career
in medicine and health policy, and I have thus spent the past
two summers volunteering in hospitals in Tanzania and Thailand.
On campus, I enjoy serving on the Executive Council of the
University Judiciary and in the Arch Society. I also sing
with the Accidentals, a male a cappella group, and am a brother
of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. For my dedication to public
service, leadership, and scholarship, I was awarded the Truman
Scholarship in 2004. I will participate in the Summer Institute
Internship program through the Truman Scholarship this summer.
I was recently awarded the Marshall Scholarship. This honor
will allow me to study public health and health policy for
two years at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
I am also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Blue Key, Phi Kappa
Phi, and Alpha Epsilon Delta Honor Societies.
High School: Cartersville High School
Hometown: Cartersville, Georgia
I chose to attend UGA because...
My grandfather was a devoted Georgia Bulldog football fan.
Although he did not attend UGA, Daddy Bill cultivated in me
a love for UGA that led me to truly feel at home in Athens.
After I had been offered a scholarship to attend UGA, I was
walking behind the Holmes-Hunter Academic Building one sunny
spring afternoon on a campus visit, and it just felt right.
I knew from that moment that Georgia was the place for me.
My favorite things to do on campus are...
...singing with the Accidentals, sharing meals with friends,
walking through North Campus, and attending athletic events.
When I think back on my undergraduate experience thus far,
I have so many wonderful memories. It is difficult to name
only a few of my favorite things, but these certainly top
the list. There is nothing like performing in front of an
audience with the Accidentals. Whether we are in concert at
Hodgson Hall or the Morton Theater, I always have a good time
with this group of friends. One of my passions in life is
eating, and I enjoy few things more than sharing a meal with
a good friend. Athens has so many amazing restaurants to keep
me busy. Because I have a north and a south campus major,
I spend a lot of time running from one hemisphere to the other.
The beauty of North Campus, throughout the year, never ceases
to amaze me. And I would be remiss if I did not include attending
football games as one of my favorite things.
When I have free time, I like...
...to spend time with friends and family, play sports, and
play the piano. My daily schedule remains full most of the
academic year, so I greatly value any bit of free time. When
I have the opportunity, I enjoy catching up with friends and
spending time with my family. I have played soccer my entire
life, and love to play just about any sport, particularly
involving water. I also took piano lessons from the ages of
eight to fifteen, and I still enjoy playing when I get the
chance.
The craziest thing I've done is...
While I can think of several experiences from my travels that
would be fun to share, I got the single greatest adrenaline
rush while ziplining through the cloud forest canopy in Monteverde,
Costa Rica. There were eleven separate zip lines ranging in
length from eighty to eight-hundred meters. The only specialized
equipment was a waist harness and a helmet. At each line we
would hook in, lean back, and rocket through the treetops.
One line in particular is memorable. We climbed to the top
of a tower rocking in the steady breeze. By the time we had
reached the top, we were enveloped in a thick fog and could
see nothing but the line descending into haze. As I plunged
into the oblivion, the guide shouted, "Pura Vida!"
It was an amazing experience.
My favorite professor is...
I have had far too many excellent professors to label one
as my favorite, but my experience with Loch Johnson has been
notable. Dr. Johnson is an expert in security and intelligence.
Because my father is a retired naval officer, I have always
had an interest in security issues. I took two classes with
Dr. Johnson. The first was entitled "Secrets, Mysteries,
and Spies" and was about the role of intelligence in
US foreign policy. At the conclusion of the semester, I wrote
at National Intelligence Estimate with a classmate on the
danger of biological weapons in the former Soviet Union. The
second class was a defense procurement simulation that Dr.
Johnson taught with Dr. Trey Hood. The first half of the semester,
we learned about the budgetary process and defense policy.
After midterm, we each assumed a role - I was the Secretary
of the Navy - and carried the defense procurement process
through from start to finish. Dr. Johnson is a true expert
in an exciting field with a passion for teaching.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would
love to share it with...
...President Harry Truman. Through the Truman Scholarship
process, I came to learn a great deal about the life and decisions
of Harry Truman. He was a remarkable man. A number of historical
anomalies and events brought Truman from relative obscurity
to the U.S. Presidency. He was forced to deal with some of
the most difficult issues in U.S. history, and fought against
overwhelming popular disapproval. Despite these hardships,
he has emerged as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents. I would
love to experience his famously quotable honesty.
If money was not a consideration, I would love to...
...practice medicine in the developing world. I have been
blessed with two incredible experiences volunteering in Tanzania
and Thailand. Experiencing ways of life so radically different
from my own familiar comfort has opened my eyes to the reality
that billions of people worldwide face everyday. My experiences
abroad have taught me the true meanings of community and strength.
While I would offer my education and effort, I know that I
would receive infinitely more in return.
After graduation, I plan to...
...pursue an M.Sc. in Public Health (Health Services Research)
from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and
an M.Sc. in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the London
School of Economics. I will then attend a U.S. medical school.
I hope to marry medicine and health policy in my career.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will
be...
While I was in Tanzania, I volunteered at Nkoaranga Lutheran
Hospital. Among many other tasks, I helped in the maternity
ward of the hospital. One day, I was in the labor room. The
moans of the young woman in labor chased after me as I rushed
to the corner of the dilapidated structure, frantically searching
for gauze. Returning to the bedside, I assisted as a beautiful
baby boy was introduced to the world. Strangely, however,
there remained a protrusion in the woman's abdomen. After
curiously lowering her fetoscope and searching for an explanation,
the midwife exclaimed, "Jesus, there's another one!"
Moments later, a previously unknown baby was laid to snuggle
with her twin brother.
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