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Matilda Andersson '10
Matilda Andersson '10
High School: Broadneck High School, Annapolis, Md.
Major: Biology         
Minor: Environmental Studies
Campus Activities: Lacrosse, Adirondack Adventure Leader, Ropes Course and Rock Wall Facilitator, IM Soccer (Team Hotpants) and Biology Lab TA
Last Movie Seen in Theaters:Where the Wild Things Are
Favorite Movie: Almost Famous
Favorite Song:
Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac (at least according to my iTunes play count)
Places You’ve Lived on Campus: South, Bundy East, Babbitt 31, Ferguson
Last Book Read:
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Favorite Book: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Hobbies/Interests:
Anything outside and traveling
Favorite Place on Campus: Minor Field in the spring when it’s just beginning to get nice out and everyone is outside playing, no matter how much work they should be doing. 
Campus Dining Location: Opus or the Co-Op, depending on the day
Fondest Hamilton Memory: The women's lacrosse team winning the national championship my sophomore year. It was such an amazing team win, and we had so much support from the campus, which made the entire experience so much more than just another win.
Quote: "Never explain what you do. It speaks for itself. You only muddle it by talking about it." Shel Silverstein
 
Thanks to the generous support of young alumni, Hamilton is pleased to name Matilda Andersson '10 of Annapolis, Md., as its 26th GOLD Scholar. Matilda recently sat down to reflect on her Hamilton experience. Here’s what she shared.
 
What was life like where you grew up?
I grew up in a combination of places. I was born in San Francisco and have lived in Annapolis, Md., San Diego and Auckland, New Zealand, though I’ve always considered Annapolis to be my hometown.
 
Annapolis is a great place to grow up; it’s cold enough that you still get to experience snow and plenty of snow days (especially since people don't know how to deal with it). The summer, however, is the best part — we spend it sailing, boating, wakeboarding and playing outside as much as possible.
 
The great thing about having attended a public high school in Annapolis is that when I go back for breaks now all of my friends from high school are also back. I’ve found that no matter how much time we spend apart while at school we always fall back into the same great friendships we’ve always had.
 
How did you discover Hamilton?
One of my friends from high school, who also looked at NESCAC schools, suggested that I look at Hamilton. I was interested in playing lacrosse so I contacted Patty [Coach Patty Kloidt], came for an official visit, loved it, applied ED1, and here I am four years later writing my thesis and getting ready to graduate!
 
What were your first impressions of the College? 
I saw the College as a really well-balanced institution with a diversity of activities for everyone. As a prospective student, I came to visit over Halloween, at which point it had already snowed so I got a taste for the Hamilton College “snow globe” early on. Even after four years, I continue to be impressed by the interesting people I meet and breadth of activities to get involved in. Just this past year I participated in the inaugural intercollegiate canoe race, traveled to Australia and played for the lacrosse team!    
 
What do you find most rewarding about your volunteer work on the Hill?
I’ve been an Adirondack Adventure leader for the past two years. The most rewarding part is being able to walk onto a football field full of people who don’t know each other and use what Andrew [Jillings] and Sarah [Weis] have taught us to quickly facilitate friendship and trust within a group of first-years. It’s easy to get caught up in all the excitement and anticipation that the freshmen bring to campus with them and come out of the experience with a bunch of new friends; I love it.
 
What are your plans after Hamilton?  
After Hamilton I hope to get involved in an environmentally focused field. I don’t know, however, if I want to focus more on the ecological research aspect or if I want to combine everything that I have learned from being an Adirondack Adventure leader with my biology background and do biology-focused experiential education.
 
I also hope to travel and live in many different places. I loved being abroad and getting to know my little corner of Australia really well. We can learn so much by simply going outside of our comfort zone and talking to people from different backgrounds. 
 
GOLD Scholars is an initiative supported by the Annual Fund, which has always provided direct support for the College's most important current priorities, especially scholarship aid. Since 2006 gifts from the GOLD Group – Graduates of the Last Decade – specifically support students on campus. With each $15,000 increment collectively contributed, the College will select a student as a GOLD Scholar for 2009-10.
 
 

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