Matteo Hamzai

Hello, my name is Matteo Hamzai, and I am 13-years old and an 8th grader in Middle school in Virginia. I was born in Boston, MA but my family is originally from Albania, same country of origin as Mother Teresa and I am very proud of this fact.

I consider Boston my hometown and I visit my family living there multiple times a year. Most of my summers are spent at the beach in Cape Code, MA.

In my spare time, I love to read, play and watch sports, or listen to music. I listen to a variety of music, mostly country, hip hop and some classical music. I like to read books about the Civil War, World War II, and some fictional novels.

My favorite subjects in school are History, Science, and Math. I also play sports such as basketball and football. I play for my school’s varsity basketball team, and I play football out of school. Another one of my favorite hobbies is to create videos. I like to shoot videos with my friends/cousins and then editing them. My musical background includes the cello which I have played for a few years. I have grown fond of the instrument, and I hope to play it in high school.

I found out about Constituting America and their contest when they visited my school for an assembly. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I was given by the organization, I learned so much about the Constitution from the contest and I hope you too learn more about the Constitution of the United States of America.

Listen to Matt’s Winning Song Below:

Our Interview With Matteo

Was this the first time you entered the contest?
Yes

How did you hear about the contest?
They came to my school and gave an assembly.

What inspired your work?
I wasn’t very sure what I wanted to do at first, but I tried a bunch of things and I realized that I should stick with a song.

What did you learn while creating your entry?
I learned a lot more about the freedom of petition than I did in the past.

How do you plan to spread the word this year to your peers about the importance of the U.S Constitution?
I will try to teach people that I meet about the importance of the Constitution because I don’t think people understand that our country was founded and rooted from it.

How do your friends respond to history or talking about the Constitution?
When we learned about the Constitution me and my friends were very vested in learning about the Constitution and its impact on American history.

What do you love about U.S History and the forming of our government?
I love how we got through many struggles and wars as a country and still became the great nation we are today.

Which U.S. historical site would you like to visit?
I would love to go to Ellis Island in New York

Which American historical figure is most influential/inspirational to you?
Abraham Lincoln was a very inspirational character for me since he was a very smart person, made good decisions, and was a great leader.

Who is your greatest role model?
My greatest role model is Michael Jordan since he got cut from his high school varsity team as a sophomore, and now is regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time.

What in your life are you most passionate about?
I like to make music and lyrics that is why I decided to make a song

How do you spend your free time?
I like to read, play sports, and listen to music.

What are your plans for the future?
I am really sure yet. I am still a kid and I want to enjoy it as long as it lasts.

If you could do one super impactful thing to help people, what would it be?
Just to be helpful and contribute to humanity. I want to make my family proud and help the world advance.

Why is the Constitution relevant today?
It still applies to everyday life and basically sets rules so we can live in a safe country.

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