Alumni

By: Lyndsay Brunstetter

For over ten years, Chris Maltezos taught Great Performances on Film at the University of South Florida for the theater department. He’s now an academic advisor for the Muma College of Business.

Maltezos was born in Chicago and lived there until he was 6 years old. He then moved to Dayton, Ohio for nine years, and then Toledo for 8. It wasn’t a traditional high school experience having had to attend four different high schools. His goal during senior year was to travel back to Florida as soon as possible because his sister and cousins attended the University of South Florida. Initially he was drawn to USF because of its location and his family members attended school there.

“I had very warm, open parents. They told me I could major in whatever I wanted. They did not judge me for anything, and I was very fortunate about that,” said Maltezos.

While attending USF, Maltezos took classes in humanities, voice, piano, and even racquetball.

“I was finding out who I was which I think is important for students at USF finding out who I am so I could transition from adolescent to adulthood and I met a lot of great friends who I am still close with,” said Maltezos.

He feels that life’s experiences and these human connections enable us to discover ourselves to ultimately become productive citizens both professionally and personally.

“I worked part-time at WUSF as a news reporter, and I did an internship with WFLAdowntown. It was a great experience, but it was also the experience that taught me I didn’t want to work in the media,” said Maltezos.

He believes that having an internship can lead to jobs but can also be self-reflective where you know if something is right for you or not.

Maltezos was a teacher assistant for a class called Great Performances on Film from 2003-2008 that his good friend, Kerry Galumph, created and taught. When Galumph left on a Full Bright Scholarship to Romania, Maltezos was promoted to be the new teacher.

Maltezos has a love for film because he believes that people can learn a lot about different cultures. It does not matter if it is the 1920s, 1940s,1980s or 2018, universally people relate to themes such as sacrifice or love because people still are attaining those goals.

“I think film and theater to some extent have helped me understand my world and USF gave me the opportunity to both teach and advise students.” said Maltezos.

Maltezos passion has been mentoring students at USF and introducing them to the world of cinema. He wants them to go after their passions and achieve any dream they set their heart on.

“We are an open campus whether your gender is male, female or transgender. We are a campus that has people from all walks of life, and I think that is healthy and I think that is a great environment,” said Maltezos.