Some people can move around without being detected or barely being noticed. These people can travel across a crowded room and a busy path without doing as much as picking their head up from their phone, iPod or whatever distracting device that’s currently at their disposal.
Communications Studies Professor Dr. Loran Lewis said that he always knows when, Communications Studies Senior Matt Gaines is on the greenway for a simple undeniable reason, his laugh. Lewis said that he can hear his laugh from his third floor office of Capin Hall as clear as a bell.
Gaines is clearly not one of these previously mentioned invisible people. When Gaines takes to the greenway it is more easily likened to a promotional club appearance than a walk to class, filled with laughter and greetings from all sides

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One of the reason’s Gaines seems to be such a man of the people would be his constant positive outlook on life and his ability to see the bigger picture to keep that perspective.
“Bad stuff is always going to happen, but much worse stuff is happening all over the world, just because you are a college student and you are a little flustered, overwhelmed because of a workload that doesn’t really mean anything,” said the senior communications major.
Gaines went on to count his blessings and talk about how he sees his situation as extremely positive no matter whether or not the school work is piling up or he just a bad day, “There are people around the world that don’t even have shoes on their feet, or food in their stomachs, people who are dying at young ages so you have to think about how good you have it.”
Keeping on the point of how good he has it and just to reiterate how he has kept his perspective Gaines spoke about how he just wants to see the world as it is, “And I really do have it good, what it all comes down to is seeing the world for what it is and then looking in the mirror and appreciating what you have.”
Gaines also noted the simple things. Not to sound too poetic, he emphasized the importance of a smile and how little common courtesies have helped him build up a great amount of friends at the university and just throughout life in general.
“All it takes is a smile and kind words to make anyone’s day a little brighter. And everyone has something to say at some point or another so I’ll provide them with the ears to listen,” Gaines said.
With this simple idea, Gaines attributed that as the way he essentially knew everyone he came in contact with. The positivity that Gaines was emulating throughout the interview was astounding.
So to try to get a sense of how Gaines was like when he was in his natural environment his longtime roommate and friend Justin Franiak commented about what he is like when at home. “There is always laughter, there’s always music playing, and he NEVER leaves the couch.”