Mathew Beckman: College Today, The World Tomorrow

           At first glance, Mathew Beckman comes across as the quiet and mysterious type. In reality, he’s more closely related to the town superhero. A senior at Frostburg State, Mathew’s major of choice is liberal studies; mastering many different subjects including foreign languages, graphic design, computer science, and written language.
          In his spare time, Beckman immerses himself in different cultures around the world. He says about his travels, “I think that one of the most important things that we can do is study other people and cultures.” In his 22 years he has already traveled to Honduras, Isla Rotan, Grand Cayman, Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and all over the United States. He says, “The more we learn, the more we realize how closely related we really are”. During his visit to these exotic locations, Mathew collects a deck of cards from each; so far he has 60 decks.
          While taking a break from his travels, Beckman volunteers in his hometown of Hyndman, Pennsylvania. As an EMT in training, Mathew sits alongside medics in an ambulance helping them treat wounded victims of car crashes, physical abuse, heart attacks, or worse. He states humbly, “Volunteer work is not as prestigious as a paid medic”. However, being a volunteer is a difficult position to earn; in order to be on the rescue team, Mathew had to be recommended by numerous sources. The Rescue Squad themselves pay for his training which costs around $2,000. As far as continuing with his volunteer work after college is concerned, Mathew says he would someday like to be a real paramedic, saving the lives of helpless victims all over the state of Maryland.
          As well as becoming a paramedic, young Beckman sets his sights on teaching the English language in foreign countries after graduation. At the top of his list is teaching children English in China.
          When asked how he feels about the world, he says the biggest problem is, “In a nutshell, we’re outgrowing it… We’re pretty much a parasite to the planet”. Mathew wants to help better the planet as much as he loves traveling it. In the near future, Beckman shall be busy achieving his dreams and goals-- well, the one’s he hasn’t completed already.

 

 

 

 

 

For more information on EMT training, visit http://www.emt-national-training.com/maryland-emt.php