Matt Gaeta, a senior at Cathedral Prep, has a very interesting personality. Matt participates in Air Force JROTC, yearbook, and much more here at Prep. Outside of school, Matt enjoys hanging out with his friends, playing video games, and working at Dick’s Sporting Goods.
JROTC has been an interest of Matt’s since freshman year when he first enrolled in the class.
“I did JROTC at first because a lot of my friends were doing it,” Matt said, “but looking back on it now, I’m glad I made the decision I did.” Matt also participates in JROTC competitions, like dodgeball, outside of school.
Matt is an active basketball player for the Blessed Sacrament Bulldogs CYO team. He enjoys playing on the team but enjoys winning with his team even more.
From jokes in the locker room to yelling in the other team’s players’ faces when they shoot the ball, Matt plays an all-around game. All of this aside from his knack to hit three pointers in defenders’ eyes. “I played CYO because I missed playing basketball after I hurt my knee and wasn’t playing baseball anymore, so this gave me some more time to play,” Matt said.
When Matt isn’t doing schoolwork, playing basketball, or working, he is more than likely playing Xbox. This is one of his favorite things to do, and he takes it very seriously. He is level 269 on Apex Legends and very rarely loses when he plays with a squadron of friends. Alongside his favorite game, Apex Legends, he also plays NBA 2K, Madden, Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto.
His place of employment is also an important part of his life. He works in footwear at Dick’s Sporting Goods and often buys himself shoes from there with his employee discount. “I enjoy working with the people in footwear; they are all very cool,” Matt said. “I also enjoy the selection of shoes, so I can buy the newest ones when they come out.”
Photography has always been something that peaked Matt’s interest. He either likes taking pictures a lot or maybe he enjoys the free pass to the sidelines of any game he wants, courtesy of being on the yearbook staff. He really likes working on the yearbook staff and often refers to Mr. Haller as one of his favorite teachers. Matt said, “I like working on the yearbook because I know this is something that is going to last for a long time in the school’s history.”
It would be impossible to write an article about Matt Gaeta without mentioning his second home with the Leone’s and how much he loves to hangout and have a good time with his three best friends. Almost every weekend Matt will text me, Nick Leone, and Andrew Czarnecki to spend some time together.
“There are some weeks over the summer that I’m there for days at a time,” Matt said. I wish I could expand on this, but what goes on at Nick Leone’s house stays at Nick Leone’s house.
To conclude, Matt is a great kid and has a bright future ahead of him. Matt wants to attend Gannon University next year to further his educational career, and we all hope he finds success in any endeavor he chooses. Cheers to many more memories at Nick’s, wins on Apex Legends, photos taken for the yearbook, and three pointers added to his stat sheet.
