Matthew Aloysius Mullen: Thin Boy, Big Ambitions
NEIRAD enilno edition
If ever on a normal school day at Darien High School you spy an unusually thin boy over six feet tall walking down the hallway with his feet pointed inward, you have probably spotted Matt Mullen. Matt, a junior at Darien High School, is anything but ordinary.
Most would expect that the average male who is Matt’s height, 6’1’’, to weigh somewhere between 160 and 170 pounds. However, Matt, stick-thin, weighs just 108 pounds. “I usually have my pants custom fit for my unique body type,” Matt said. Although his appearance is certainly atypical, it does not define his character. Hannah Caldwell, Matt’s neighbor and close friend, proves this fact. “It's clear that he is a very skinny boy—there's no denying that—but he's always been skinny. I don't see him and see a tall, skinny boy, I just see Matt,” Hannah said.
Matt has no explanation for his extremely low body weight. He constantly defends that he loves to eat and does so in large amounts. Matt’s love for food can be seen in his frequent trips to New York City, where he enjoys the cultural cuisine of different urban restaurants. He often ventures into the city, and, after getting a “cultural experience,” eats at a new restaurant. “Each time I try to go to a restaurant better than the last,” he said.
Matt’s travel experience do not end with the Big Apple. His parents are travel agents; so roughly every year he enjoys a new travel escapade somewhere in the world. “My favorite place so far has been Iceland,” he shared.
Whether he will admit it or not, Matt Mullen is an artist. For his entire life, his talents have prevailed in creative, right-brain-operated subjects. He is profoundly talented behind the camera lens. This semester, he is currently in his second photography class at Darien High School. Next year, he is plans on to taking honors art in photography. Matt’s pictorial talent, however, is not limited to school projects. “I photograph anything that I find beautiful or interesting.” His cat, Sunday, who he describes as “fabulous and rotund,” is a common subject in his photos. “She’s such a diva,” he said.
Matt has consistently seen himself excel in yet another artistic field: writing. “Writing has always been a strength and passion of mine,” Matt noted. Ms. Ginsburg had Matt as a student first semester in Creative Writing, where she noticed Matt’s fine writing skill. “His writing was always original, sensitive, surprising, and thought-provoking. It gave strong evidence of great care and effort on his part,” Ms. Ginsburg said.
Matt is a member of Current, Darien High School’s literary magazine. Ms. Ginsburg, who is the faculty advisor of Current, commended Matt’s dedication to the magazine and “fearlessness” with his writing. “He brings to it not only a spirit of cooperation, but a great love of and talent for creative writing. He encourages and supports his fellow staff members and it is such a joy for me to work with him,” Ms. Ginsburg remarked. Matt says that he usually writes poetry for the annual publication. “It’s superfun!” he said. Based on his excellent high school experience with literature and creative writing, Matt says that he plans to pursue a writing major in college.
While you may have seen him somewhere in school, towering over groups of people, or speaking aloud to friends with his impressionable shrieking voice, which he claims can be heard from “miles away,” most of Matt’s distinguished undertakings occur outside of the school environment.
Matt is a videographer producer for TV79, Darien’s local government television channel. “I produce live air show and work the cameras,” Matt said. Matt works at the news channel usually two times a week. TV79 covers meetings at the Town Hall held by groups such as the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance, and the Planning and Zoning Commission. “Working behind the scenes is really engaging, and I love the responsibility associated with the work. I feel old!” Matt said.
Matt’s boss at TV79, Jim Cameron, noted that Matt is a very dependable employee and has adeptly learned some of the “fairly complex technology” associated with the job. However, Cameron explained that he has seen Matt’s work with TV79 go beyond the intricate technology and long meetings. Cameron recalls Matt once telling him that a side benefit of his job was obtaining an inside look at how the town government operates. “I thought Matt was going to be a good videographer, but we ended up gaining another informed citizen,” Cameron said. According to Cameron, Matt has had the privilege of viewing how the meetings at Town Hall directly effect the lives of high school students. The meetings frequently cover issues that apply to students, such as discussions of a school budget, lights on playing fields, and plans to have police officers in the public schools. “David Dever and I started TV79 with the dream of opening town hall’s inner workings to everyone,” Cameron said. By being involved and interested in the local government, Matt has brought this dream to life.
Matt also announced that soon he will be taking on another work opportunity by beginning an internship at the Daily Darien, one of Darien’s online news sources. “I’m nervous but excited to embark on yet another internship. I look forward to losing even more sleep over this!” Matt said. Matt will begin the internship by shadowing a reporter for a few weeks by helping with interviews and taking notes. He will also be an assistant photographer. After this training process, he hopes to begin writing his own stories.
Matt’s extracurricular interests do not end with his work experience. He is also an avid volunteer within Fairfield County. Twice a month he volunteers at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk. Matt particularly enjoys his experience at the aquarium because it enables him to work with children. Matt also volunteers monthly at the Pacific House, a men’s shelter that serves the homeless of lower Fairfield County.
Matt Mullen is certainly a surprising character. However, if you look closely, you’ll see that Matt is a person with passions and interests, just like anyone. Ultimately, his personality has the potential to outshine all of his other accomplishments. Long time friend Perrin Brown claims, “Matt can make anyone smile because he is simply bursting with positive energy and compliments.” With his extra-curriculars, school hobbies, and buoyant personality, Matt has truly found his place within Darien High School.
