Matt Rios (’14) is past-president of the Acadia Students’ Union. His Acadia experience has been both transformative and intense as he has had to confront challenging circumstances during his time on the ASU Executive. As Vice-Chairman of StudentsNS, Matt has worked closely with other student union presidents and the Acadia administration to ensure a proactive approach on issues such as alcohol abuse and sexual assault. 

“My family always valued the experience of going away to university, and as kids we were encouraged to look outside the province of British Columbia. I applied to a number of schools – Acadia was the first to accept me and this little school on the east coast pulled me in. Needless to say it was love at first sight, and Acadia and I have had a love affair ever since.   

“What makes Acadia special is that intangible quality that we often refer to as our sense of ‘community’. This university truly is a family, which sees its students as people with stories rather than just names and numbers. More importantly, we are all connected by a unique bond that started more than 175 years ago. We are not connected by a grad ring or by the region we call home. We are connected by a generosity of spirit that I have come to know over my time here. That characteristic defines us and makes this wonderful community a family.

“I have made friends here that I will cherish and love for the rest of my life. I am not naïve in thinking that we will always stay as close as we are now because I am cognizant that life intervenes. But they will always be in my heart and mind. What is so amazing is you have people from every walk of life, every background and, without Acadia, we never would have been friends. To me, that is Acadia: my family; my brothers and sisters. 

“I have had so many amazing professors who impacted me in different ways. People like James Britton, Heather Kitchen, Jamie Whidden, Andrew Biro, Rachel Brickner, Ian Stewart and others have shaped my academic mind. In addition, I have developed relationships with professors who didn’t teach me: Lisa Price, Barb Anderson, Barry Moody, David Duke and Darren Kruisselbrink. They have all had profound influences on my growth as a person. Our faculty members are in a class of their own, and I can never fully express my gratitude for having had them in my life.

“In closing, I have one last thought to share. I have sat through a few Acadia Convocation addresses and there is one line delivered by President Ray Ivany that captures what it means to be a graduate of Acadia University. Ray challenges all Acadia graduates 'to go out and change the world in whatever way you can.' He quotes Nelson Mandela, saying, 'There is no passion to be found playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.' This is not intended to be trite or hyperbolic; it is a declaration of the inherent expectations we as Acadia graduates must have for ourselves. I don't have a clue where I will be in 5-10 years. But I know I will be a better person because of Acadia, and I know that I will be successful because of the things I learned here. Acadia will always be part of the foundation that has made me, and I look forward to defending and supporting this institution for the rest of my life."

Written by Jim Prime (’69)