Cross country newcomer Matt Osubor has already started making his mark on the team in his freshman year. But his skill belies the fact that it was not until the last few years of high school that he migrated away from soccer — his premiere sport — and gave serious consideration to running.

“I actually played soccer for most of my life, but I lost interest in high school,” Osubor said. “I started to get more involved with the track team my junior year which led to my transition into cross country my senior year.”

Besides cross country, Osubor has gotten involved in other clubs and organizations on campus. He is a member of the Model United Nations travel team. Recently he was elected alternate senator at Liberal Studies Council. In this position, which is a first-year student position, he works directly with the current LS senator to communicate with the LS Student Council Executive Board, the University Senate and the University Committee on Student Life. Osubor gives credit to all of his friends for their support in his campaign.

“I owe that to the several students here at NYU that have been inspirations for me and without their constant guidance I wouldn’t be having the extraordinary NYU experience I’ve had so far,” Osubor said. “I always wanted to get involved and I’d say that inclination was really facilitated by my first ever experience here on campus: Project Outreach.”

The NYU pre-Welcome Week program allowed the freshman to acclimate to university life, while also performing community service that helped him get in better touch with his new life here in New York.

“Project Outreach was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” Osubor said. “It’s hard to explain how effective that program was to all 100 of us. We are all still a close-knit family whether it’s through group chats, Facebook or other means of social media; we still connect with one another because that one week we spent with each other, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., was probably one of the most unforgettable experiences any one of us had yet to experience.”

A Midwest native, Osubor needed something that would allow him to quickly adjust to life in the city. Though his hometown of Cincinnati is by no means small, the lifestyle has experienced a complete overhaul.

Just halfway into his first semester, Osubor still has the majority of his college career to make a difference. His involvement in the LS student government, Model UN travel team and of course his achievements in cross country are just the start of his journey here.

“I pray that I can have an impact on this school with the same great magnitude that this school has impacted me, my friends and my family,” Osubor said.

A version of this article appeared in the Oct. 5 print edition. Email Ashley Arnold at [email protected].