Matthew Benczkowski

There are not many people in the world that will tell you they have fallen in love with bacteria and parasites, but Matthew Benczkowski (A&S ’19) is one of them.

“I hope to eventually concentrate on microbial or infectious diseases as they relate to global public health,” said Matthew who is especially interested in helping developing nations.

As an undergraduate, Matthew isolated a bacteriophage that he called Benczkowski14, which could someday combat Gordonia terrae infections in humans.

To pay for school, Matthew relied on student loans and was not sure how he would pay for his graduate studies. However, much of that concern was lifted when a large portion of his debt was paid for by Pitt’s Panthers Forward program. Launched in 2018, Panthers Forward annually pays up to $5,000 in federal loan debt for 150 qualified seniors. Participants are asked to voluntarily pay-it-forward as they are able, sustaining the program and fostering a philanthropic spirt among recent graduates.

“I saw the words ‘unique debt relief’ and ‘giving back’ and there was no question I was going to apply,” said Matthew. “I’m looking forward to paying it forward in the future.”