This month we are featuring our newest employee, Matthew Tsitso who began his employment, on May 3rd. Matthew has been a valued intern and volunteer for some time. He is incredibly industrious and takes on any task that is asked of him with great diligence and he has such a pleasant disposition that it is a joy to have him with us. We look forward to working with Matthew for many years. And now let’s learn more about Matthew in his own words.
I was born in Jamestown, NY on Christmas Eve in 1999 at WCA Hospital and my parents often claim I am their favorite Christmas gift they ever received. I attended Falconer High School and graduated from it in 2018. After that I attended Jamestown Community College where I received my Associates Degree in Liberal Arts And Humanities. After that I attended Clarion University to which I received my Bachelor’s in “INTEGRATIVE STUDIES: LIBRARY AND INFORMATION STUDIES CONCENTRATION” to which I graduated with Magna Cum Laude in May of 2022. Then this year I will be receiving my Master’s Degree in INFORMATION AND LIBRARY SCIENCE.
I have been volunteering here at the Fenton Mansion and Hall House since the Middle of January. However, I am soon to be hired here as the part time Archivist which will be very exciting as this will be my first official job. However, this is all thanks to my Grandmother who told me that the Fenton was looking to hire someone for the Archivist position so that increased my attendance from attending sporadically to a more stable schedule.
I began volunteering at the Fenton as one of my classes for my Master’s Degree required that I find a museum or archives and be there for at least ten hours and then write a paper discussing what our experience was like and what we learned. After the ten hours were done, I enjoyed my experience so much I occasionally popped in to see if I could do anything to help. Additionally, this is something that I am very interested and passionate about so that made it easier to keep coming back to help out.
My specific interest area at the Fenton is our whole military collection as I am a humongous fan of all things military history and military related materials. However, one additional area that is very interesting to me is our library section within the Hall House as it contains so much information on a wide variety of topics from cemetery records, business records, and even family genealogy records as well!
When I have spare time, I commonly enjoy learning new facts and information via the local libraries and museums. I also am a big fan of walking around Bemus Point with my friends and family as I really enjoy the atmosphere there as it is so beautiful and so serene as well. Additionally, I enjoy playing mini golf, covering local high school sporting events around the area, and visiting my grandmother at her house.
A few interesting facts about myself is that I am able to name the presidents of the United States in order. Additionally, I am graduating a year early for my Master’s Degree as I was during my Bachelor’s Degree program accepted into the accelerated Master’s program which allowed me to take Master’s level courses as an undergraduate. Lastly, I am a humongous fan of the countries of the world as well as their flags and the cultures surrounding them.
