LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - MASSIMO GASPONI OF SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, a sophomore on the men's swimming and diving team from Katy, Texas, has been selected the SCAC's Character and Community Male Student-Athlete of the week for the week beginning April 1.
As a native of Katy, Texas in the greater Houston area, sophomore swimmer Massimo Gasponi’s move to Southwestern University provided more opportunities than just a quality education.
Having grown up in large schools his entire life, Gasponi embraced the opportunity to join Southwestern University’s smaller, tight-knit community
“It’s a lot smaller school so I felt I could get my hands in more things than if I’d gone to a bigger school,” Gasponi said.
Gasponi says he tried to join as many things as possible to learn as much as he could about himself. What he found is a valuable calling.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others,” Gasponi says. “I think it’s really great being part of something bigger than yourself and giving back.”
Athletically, that means being part of a men’s swimming and diving team that grew together all season, ending in the program’s first SCAC Championship this season. Away from the pool, it meant diving headfirst into the Georgetown community and serving the greater good.
Gasponi is the vice president of the BIG Event in Georgetown, which describes itself as a “national day of service on which the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Southwestern University can give back to the city of Georgetown through volunteer work.”
The national day of service originated at Texas A&M in the 1980s and has spread nationwide. Gasponi is also the civil service chair for his fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, organizing community service events.
“It keeps me humble and appreciative of helping others,” Gasponi said. “It something I’ve done since I was a little kid. Doing something for someone else has always meant more to me than doing something for myself.”