Mardo’s making the grade on, off soccer field
Lincoln senior accepted to 10 schools, including Harvard
LINCOLN – Technically, Matt Mardo is a three-time varsity letter winner in boys’ soccer at Lincoln High School.
Referencing the impressive stack of thick envelops that’s presently taking up residence in his bedroom, Mardo came up with a different twist regarding varsity letters.
“I guess you could say I received varsity letters in the form of college acceptance letters,” Mardo said.
The 18-year-old senior applied to 10 colleges and was accepted by all of them. The list is an impressive array: Harvard, Brown, Duke, Johns Hopkins, North CarolinaChapel Hill, Boston College, Clemson, N.C. State, Bryant, and URI.
“It’s been quite the process,” he says.
All of this happened not by chance but by Mardo being intentional. He has a vision, sets goals and then works toward achieving them.
Mardo is a multi-faceted go-getter. In soccer, he served as the Lions’ team captain this past season. His academic portfolio includes a No. 2 class ranking at the end of his junior year, a 4.25 cumulative gradepoint-average, and eight Advanced Placement courses between his junior and senior years.
Yet Mardo didn’t want to be strictly defined as a bookworm, someone who obsessed about test scores to the point that it would force him to become close minded in terms of pursuing extracurricular activities that would only help to bolster the résumé.
“It’s really about time … running around to get to all these different commitments. That’s why I would use every spare minute I had to study.” – Lincoln senior Matt Mardo
Mardo has never taken a challenge lightly – whether in sports, academics or leadership. He’s very competitive, but not to the point where he loses control. He comes across as very calm and measured, two traits that have served him well during this undertaking of getting into some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country.
“Hopefully (those who work in college admissions) thought they were taking on someone who wasn’t afraid to go out and be a leader … showing myself outside the classroom,” he said.
Growing up, Mardo always pushed himself academically. That plan worked well in middle school, yet things changed upon entering Lincoln High, where he quickly noticed that a world of opportunity was begging to be tapped.
Sports-wise, Mardo spent his freshman year as an athlete for all seasons. It was junior varsity soccer in the fall ,followed by indoor track in the winter and volleyball come the spring. In the same year, he was also the school’s science fair winner and placed in the top-10 statewide.
As he progressed through his high-school years, Mardo developed a keen sense of time management. Sometimes, that meant staying up late to study and punting on sleep completely. It also meant that he had to let go of track and volleyball, even though he says he enjoyed both. He still managed to squeeze in time with the Lusitana club soccer program, which he was affiliated with all throughout high school.
“Prioritization was really big. I had to figure out what was most important to me and what I was willing and not willing to let go,” he said. “It’s really about time … running around to get to all these different commitments. That’s why I would use every spare minute I had to study.”
Rest assured there weren’t too many voids in this youngster’s life. As a sophomore, he became a cast member of Lincoln High’s Variety Show where he performed in the music and dance ensembles. Playing the guitar wasn’t a surprise as he lists it as a hobby. The shock came when Mardo worked up the courage to start dancing before a live audience while continuing to strum away.
“I had no dance experience,” Mardo says with a smile. “I just gave it a go.”
Serving as the Lions’ soccer captain gave Mardo great satisfaction. His appointment came after receiving the 2016 Rhode Island Civic Leadership Award. Along the lines of serving as an example for others to emulate, Mardo has held the office of class vice president and was also the vice president of the Rhode Island Chapter of Future Business Leaders of America.
“The physical activity and the leadership you get from pushing yourself in soccer, they don’t teach you that inside the classroom,” Mardo said. “I remember one time this past season, sitting on the bench and looking out and seeing my teammates passing the ball really well and working their way up the field. I was wowed and proud at how far we had come.”
Mardo went on three college interviews: Harvard, Brown, and Duke. There’s no doubt he provided a lot of talking points based on what he’s done. The question is, where do you start?
“It definitely gave us a lot to discuss,” he said. “They asked me questions that I was able to relate to.”
Soon Mardo will have to arrive at a final choice regarding school. Part of his April vacation was spent at colleges to take in their acceptance days.
“To be at the end is kind of amazing,” Mardo said. “It’s been rewarding along the way, but with the colleges, this is the big payoff. Luckily I was able to feel the validation of everything I put in with the hope it would be rewarded. I couldn’t feel better.”
Looking ahead, Mardo plans to major in neuro science. He’s already mapped out a plan that includes conducting research as an undergraduate. He doesn’t want to wait until graduate school before setting foot in a lab.
In short, he’s a young man who knows exactly what he wants and how to go about getting it.
“He’s mature beyond his years. He just made everything work,” said John D’Aloisio, LHS boys soccer head coach. “He came up with a plan, he worked the plan, and he’s gotten the ultimate reward.”