Salem State Student Trustee Urges Incoming Class To Embrace 'Rendezvous With Destiny'

SALEM, MA — Matthew Beckett is looking to draw on his wealth of military experience from tours across the ocean to help him serve Salem State University students as the school's student trustee for the 2025-26 school year.

The Salem resident served in the Kentucky National Guard as well as with the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division, and was deployed in Europe at the outset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

He said he was drawn to Salem following his military experience because of the school's history.

He spoke to follow students and faculty at the school's academic convocation on Sept. 2.

"The 101st Airborne has a motto that has stuck with me ever since: 'Rendezvous with Destiny,'" Beckett told the incoming class. "This motto reminds us that our future isn’t something that just happens. It's something we meet head-on.

"A rendezvous is an appointment you just simply can't miss."

Beckett is preparing for the LSAT this fall with hopes of attending the Charleston School of Law. But for now, he said his focus remains on serving the students at Salem State University.

"It won't always be easy. In fact, it will be extremely difficult," he said. "But it will always be worth it, because you're preparing not just for a career, but for a life of purpose."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)