Matthew Baldacchino
It’s a pleasure to be representing the University of Glasgow’s School of Social and Political Sciences as a Cultural Ambassador – as an international and EU student, I feel this is not only an opportunity for me to get closer to the community of students within the school, but also a chance for you to find out all about my tiny home country.
My name is Matt – I am a medical doctor by trade; however, I have taken an unconventional route away from clinical work into content creation, youth and health advocacy, and climate action. I am currently pursuing a full-time MSc in Global Health right here in Glasgow, and I come from the little island nation of Malta.
For those of you who have never heard of it before, the Republic of Malta is an archipelago of islands located right in the middle of the Mediterranean, smack-dab between Sicily to the north, and Tunisia to the southwest. Picture sandy beaches, rocky cliffs, crystal-clear seas, a blend of Mediterranean and British cuisine, a mishmash of architectural styles across the islands’ 7000-year-long history, and a unique language that mixes Siculo-Arabic grammar with Romantic and Ango-Saxon linguistic influences.
When I am not in Glasgow, I spread out my time across the two islands. I originally hail from the main island (known simply as Malta) where I grew up in a tiny village called Ħal Għaxaq (the G and the Q are silent – stop me sometime and I’ll explain). The village itself is a scattering of houses and flats spread around a main road, with a gorgeous church in the heart of the village, sprawling fields, and beautiful shell-covered houses dating back centuries. My favourite thing about living there was the proximity to the countryside – just a five-minute walk until you find yourself lost in between rubble walls lining patchwork fields, while listening to the sound of cicadas, and smelling ripening oranges in the wind.
Before I moved up to Scotland however, I spent most of my time living on the island of Gozo, just a twenty-minute ferry ride off the main island; and it is here, that I fell in love with nature and hiking (which was in no small part key to picking Glasgow as a place to study). There, I lived in a tiny little flat up on the hill-top town of Nadur, filled with winding roads, unabashedly friendly retirees, and a true Mediterranean laidback lifestyle. The major selling points though were the unparalleled views of the Gozo Channel, a stretch of sea separating the two islands, and the countless beaches and countryside, all within walking distance.
In between all my gallivanting around the countryside (and looking for quiet spots by the sea to read and write), I have become heavily involved in activist spaces over the last few years. I currently serve as the Commissioner for the Youth Community with the National Youth Council of Malta, which is a non-governmental and non-partisan organisation that represents all youth and youth organisations in the country in matters of rights, advocacy, and policy. I also just got elected as a free board member to the International Youth Health Organisation (which is a sitting member of the newly formed WHO Youth Council) and I serve as an EU Climate Pact Ambassador for Malta and Gozo, where I make short, fun but informative Reels and TikToks about climate action for late-millennials and Gen-Zs.
I am incredibly proud to call myself Maltese, Mediterranean, and European – I come to Glasgow in the hope that what I learn here can help make my home country and Europe a better, more inclusive, and safer place to live in. Despite its shiny veneer, Malta itself is home to a darker underbelly of corruption and rampant neoliberal practices, press freedom restrictions, and outdated reproductive rights. My wish is to change the face of things to come, especially in terms of health and climate policy, and look to a new era.
University of Glasgow was the perfect place for me to take the next step in pursuing this dream. Not only does it hold true to many of my own personal values (including being the first university to divest from fossil fuels) but also because of its commitment to celebrating diversity and inclusion. As a queer international student, I hope to do what I can to contribute to the University.