Photo courtesy of Nick Lucchetto

College is a time for many to step out of their comfort zone by living in a completely new place. Sophomore geographic information systems (GIS) major Nick Lucchetto is certainly no exception to this, as he traveled across the country to become a member of the Pride.

A native of Washington state with family ties to the New York area, Lucchetto saw many benefits of coming to Hofstra.

“A lot of my decision was based on making myself move as far out as possible within the continental United States from my beloved home, Washington state, and just seeing what I’d learn from that change,” Lucchetto said. “Being in New York, connecting with my family here and experiencing a place where you don’t need a car to get everywhere have made all the difference.”

Lucchetto is fascinated by the topics in his major, as he sees many practical applications that could benefit society as a whole.

“I’ve studied topics from urban growth to the spread of cultural landmarks,” Lucchetto said, “but at this point I’m a fanatic about walkable and livable city designs, especially how public transportation can fit the needs of the people.”

Given that he grew up in a car-dependent suburb, Lucchetto is glad to both learn about and take advantage of the numerous public transportation options available in the New York metropolitan area.

“Each of those [transportation] systems have opened up a ton of new experiences for me that I wouldn’t have had otherwise,” Lucchetto said. “I think we collectively benefit from public transportation in so many ways, and I would love to see this country more adequately embrace the cost-effective, safer and more efficient forms of getting between points A and B I’ve learned about in the past year.”

Although Lucchetto has made use of the various transportation options in the area, he believes that Hofstra could more closely incorporate them.

“The free Mineola shuttle is amazing to have,” he said, “but what if it ran through campus more often to lower the crowding at the public safety stop and make trips more convenient for everyone? Or to supplement that system, why can’t Hofstra pay the [Nassau Inter-County Express] bus fare for students, like so many universities do? We have all these bus stops already around campus – I’d love to see them become more useful to more people.”

Studying within the global studies and geography department at Hofstra has allowed Lucchetto to pursue his academic interests on a deeper level.

“[Craig Dalton’s] courses in GIS have shown me so many fascinating ways to make sense of the world around us,” Lucchetto said. “Maps can reveal patterns that have massive impacts on our lives – inequalities built into the places we live, access to basic essentials, even the health of an entire ecosystem. Dr. Dalton put maps into perspective, and as you can tell, it put my world into perspective.”

Outside the classroom, Lucchetto has a wide range of personal interests. Briefly an aspiring film production major, he still thinks very highly of the field. He also enjoys photography and spending time riding his bike to enjoy the outdoors.

As secretary of Hofstra Model United Nations (MUN), Lucchetto strengthens his academic and professional skills in an encouraging environment.

“I’m not big on traditional heated debates,” Lucchetto said, “but research and collaboration has always excited me, and it just so happens that MUN has debates that really speak to those interests of mine.”

Many people hope or expect college to be the best four years of their lives, but Lucchetto tries to stray away from that notion.

“I spent a lot of time as a kid being afraid of getting older with nothing to show for the time I spent,” Luchetto said. “Now I know that rushing to have a perfect life or to know everything this early just isn’t worth it, because my experiences in life over the next 10, 20 and 30 years will bring me a lot more wisdom about what my life should be like than I have now. So I’m enjoying my time in college – but the way I see it, if these years aren’t the best of my life, I’ve had something go very right.”