It was also through the Scouts that Matthew first learned about NGU. During one of the summers he worked at Camp Old Indian in Travelers Rest, SC, his roommate Patrick Coggins (’16) told him about his experience as a student at NGU.
“I knew this was a place where I could stay on the right track,” Matthew explains.
His freshman year, he was roommates with Coggins again — this time on campus at NGU.
Here, he’s found opportunities to continue developing as a leader, Matthew 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 Govern- ment Association.
He was also elected to serve as president of TriBeta, a national biological honor society. In this role, he hopes to help underclassmen in his major with the process of applying for graduate school.
Matthew himself plans to attend graduate school after graduation in May 2019. He hopes to go into dentistry, specifically with the Indian Health Service, serving at clinics on Indian reservations where many residents don’t have full insurance.
Matthew understands the importance of his field even more since his sophomore year at NGU, when his sister, Kristen Watson, began losing weight rapidly due to a gastrointestinal issue doctors struggled to diagnose. She had to stay in a special facility in Colorado for three months.
“It was extremely difficult for my family — knowing that any day something terrible could happen to my sister. We were living on edge,” he says.
But through the care of the doctors and the prayers of the Watson family, Kristen fully recovered.
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“God used her in a powerful way. He was able to bring healing to her,” Matthew says. “Tis experience really enriched my purpose because I know, as a Christian doctor, you can really make a difference through the care you give your patients and through praying for your patients.”
Te experience also brought Matthew and his sister closer; these days, they even swap medical books to read in their free time and then dis- cuss together.
Also in his free time, Matthew volunteers with the Greenville Free Medical Clinic. And, of course, he still makes time for the outdoors. He says that at least once on each big trip, he’ll try to stay awake all night to watch the sun set and rise again.
“Tat’s where I see God in creation: those small things where . . . it’s just you and nature and God,” Matthew smiles. “Tat’s the true heart of camping. It’s not about pitching tents. It’s not about hiking or any of that. It’s really when you can just listen to the sounds of silence and appreciate the solitude that God can offer through His creation.”
Nutiket Sachgagunummen Klamachpin. It seems to fit.
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