Profiles in Courage and Ingenuity

Matt Wierzbicki, Lafayette ’21

As an EMT, Matt Wierzbicki, Lafayette ’21, loves the adrenaline rush. Even though the job requires him to see others at their worst, the rush to help and make a difference makes it all worth it. Lately, that rush has taken on a different feeling. Matt never used to worry for his own safety while on a run, just the safety of his patients. Now, with COVID-19, he does both.

Matt became a certified EMT when he was a junior in high school. As the older brother to a sister with epilepsy, he became interested in medicine at a young age watching her fight her condition. Today, Matt is a neuroscience major with hopes of medical school following graduation. He spoke to the DU Quarterly team surrounded by a stack of MCAT studying books.

Since high school, Matt has served as a volunteer EMT for his hometown Montgomery EMS in Montgomery Township, New Jersey, just outside of Princeton. As a high schooler, he used to run overnight shifts (7 p.m. – 7 a.m.) but now volunteers when he can while home from Lafayette College. As Matt headed back to Montgomery Township this spring after campus closed due to COVID-19, he knew he needed to continue to serve his community.

Between his online course load, research and MCAT studies this spring, Matt volunteered each Tuesday (typically 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.) with Montgomery EMS.

“In the beginning, I was nervous to run because fever is part of the COVID symptoms, and that would not bode well for somebody with epilepsy,” Matt said. “So, I didn't want to bring anything home to my sister, but it's really rewarding usually to run as an EMT, especially as a volunteer.”

For Matt and for first responders across the globe, having enough personal protective equipment (PPE) was essential at the beginning of the pandemic. Especially early on, each patient was treated as if they had the virus, requiring protective suits, gowns, masks and more—things an EMT, for example, would not normally wear on every run. Thankfully, Matt’s organization received a generous donation early on, and did not worry much about their stockpile of equipment. For Matt, the biggest challenges were the safety protocols put in place that, to an extent, limited patient care. For example, normally, multiple first responders may interact with a patient. However, in the time of COVID-19, that contact has been limited to one or two people on the off chance the patient has the virus.

“The human aspect is something that I really value in this volunteering experience because at the end of the day, patient care is about the patient, and I feel like that's something that is diminished when you're doing it from behind a Tyvek suit,” Matt said.

At the end of the day, Matt is just happy to make a difference by serving his community.

“In the immense pressure that this is putting on communities, you see a lot of people rising up to make a difference,” Matt said. “People volunteering to work the testing sites, people volunteering at various organizations like EMS. I think it's really, really amazing. And in some aspects and some cases, the pride of coming out and volunteering outweighs the risk associated with it."

Ryan Cobelli, Georgia Tech ’22

This spring, when many DU chapters were trying to figure out how to conduct virtual meetings and virtual chapter voting, the Georgia Tech Chapter had it covered thanks to Ryan Cobelli, Georgia Tech ’22. Ryan, who owns his own app development company, had an app for that.

Ballot Line is one of a handful of apps in Rybel, LLC’s arsenal. With the use of this app, the Georgia Tech Chapter was able to easily handle Fraternity business in a virtual setting. The chapter has used the app for voting matters, including passing their budget, reallocating money for the spring semester and pass by-laws amendments.

Ryan, a computer science major, began coding when he was in middle school. Soon, with the help of free online tutorials, he taught himself to create iOS apps and formed Rybel, LLC in 2014, when he was just a teen. What started out as an outlet for Ryan to “publish some cheesy little games,” Rybel now focuses on enterprise consulting and building custom solutions for organizations of all sizes. Today, the company has a number of clients across local government, education, entertainment and more.

“This has definitely been a better job than working in the fast-food industry like many of my friends,” Ryan joked.

Ryan created Ballot Line a few years ago at the request of a client who was looking to conduct online voting in a way that was cost effective, secure and flexible. It took Ryan about a month from pitch to launch to create the app. In the years since, he has put more time into the app to add additional features and keep the interface updated. With this work, it took Ryan no time at all to have the app ready to go for the Georgia Tech Chapter.

While unsure exactly where he hopes to land after graduation, Ryan knows he wants to work in software development. His goal is also to continue to his work with Rybel.

“At this point, I’m mostly focused on growing [Rybel’s] customer base. In fact, I’m actually running a special offer right now for the Greek community where any chapter can get access to this software at a reduced price.”

For more information about Ballot Line, visit https://ballot.rybel-llc.com. 

Matt Panzano, Florida ’11

As an AP Human Geography teacher, Matt Panzano, Florida ’11, talks about pandemics as part of his curriculum. Now, instead of just reading about how humans have reacted and adapted to pandemics throughout history, Matt and his students are living one.

For the past eight years, Matt has taught as part of Freedom High School’s Monticello Academy, a comprehensive college prep program, in Orlando, Florida. This spring, history books met real life as COVID-19 shut down schools across the globe and forced teachers, students and parents to adapt to online learning. Like so many, Matt and his school were on spring break when news of school closings hit. With little notice and not much information, he and his colleagues ended their breaks early and began to prepare.

“Our school and principal did the best job that they could with the limited resources … but it was like being stuck on a ride at Disney World for hours and hours, and possibly days,” Matt said when describing the transition. “There were long periods of time where we were just in the dark with no answers. It was just: make sure that instruction continues to the best of our ability. We all had very little turnaround time to become remote learners.”

For Matt, remote learning looked like this: Spend roughly three and a half hours each morning holding virtual “office hours” where he would host webinars and make himself available to students. Then, in the afternoon, plan lessons and research new assignments and activities that would do well in a digital setting. The rest of his day—as with all good teachers—was spent worrying and caring about his students.

In his experience, Matt has seen the toll lost jobs, childcare concerns and inadequate at-home e-learning set-ups have had on students and families during the pandemic. So, while learning to adapt to virtual instruction, Matt and teachers everywhere were left to figure out how to support students virtually, as well. To do this, Matt created motivational videos. He and other teachers even stood in the rain for a senior drive-through parade in replace of the traditional senior walk-out.

“I'm so proud to work with the people that I work with because these are people that, at the end of the day, you can try to throw any obstacle at them. It's never going to be so much of a feat that they cannot overcome it and they can't accomplish their goals,” Matt said.

Unfortunately, obstacles continue to head teachers’ way this fall. Matt’s school resumed in-person learning on Aug. 10 with the pandemic still looming. Precautions have been taken as best as they can, but the threat of illness remains. Without more funding, larger classrooms and more up-to-date resources, educators are having to make do with what they have.

For those looking to help, Matt offers the following suggestions. In the short term, donate money and supplies to teachers, schools and other programs that assist students. Items such as masks, hand sanitizers, supplies, etc. Long-term, Matt encourages everyone to vote, research candidates’ education platforms, and stay up to date with what is happening with their local school board.

“By fighting for justice for students and teachers, you are saving lives,” Matt said. “That's the most important thing, getting involved, because eventually that will come and pay you back tenfold.”