The Collegian

Issue date: 10/10/06 Section: Detour

Media Credit: Amber Lister

If you are a Saint Mary's student and have a facebook.com account, there is a 95.89372% chance you are friends with a fellow that boasts four hard to pronounce names. Gorbachev Mikhail Rros Lingad brings an entirely new meaning to the word busy. Right about the time when the rest of us were getting some sun at the pool or catching up on the sleep we lost during the school year, Gorbachev, affectionately nicknamed 'Gorby,' started his mission for the summer. "I just decided to meet everyone online so I could recognize them and get to know them better later. That's actually how most of my conversations start." It's clear that the award for most social freshman this year goes to Gorby. With 263 facebook friends, most people know him as the guy from Augustine Hall who always has a smile on his face.

Born in Los Angeles, Gorby is most proud of his high school career ending on a high note. As a senior, he was involved in band, football, student council, stage crew, performing arts, campus ministry and volleyball. Whoa there, it sounds like someone deserves a break. Fortunately, he spends most Saturday afternoons hanging out with his friends like the rest of us.

If he could describe himself in one word it would be "spontaneous…definitely spontaneous." The fact that he gives his artwork to students around campus is one of the reasons he is gaining fame in Moraga. "Personally, my first real life encounter with the Facebook celeb known as Gorby was when he hand delivered four or five drawings to the girls on my floor, complete with Nutrigrain Bars, free of charge," said Rochelle Schofield '10. As you might have guessed, another of his many hobbies is "drawing for no reason."

Perhaps the most surprising fact about Mr. Lingad is that he plays the flute quite frequently. He is a talented musician and spends much of his day practicing his craft. As if his personality didn't make him colorful enough, his wordrobe consists largely of catchy phrased shirts. If the shirts don't grab your attention, maybe Gorby's proud ownership of a Cat in the Hat stuffed animal from childhood will make you do a double take. The toy lives on top of his dresser. Not many people can say their love for Dr. Seuss still reigns strong. He is definitely a passionate guy.

As far as family goes, Gorby is surrounded by a loving mother, one sister and two brothers. Sadly, his father passed away last year. Gorby continues to look toward his dad for constant strength though, and refers to his father as a hero because, "He stayed with me and gave me his time." A death of a family member can be unbearable, but Gorby's tragedy didn't end there. Maybe this is why he is such a warm-hearted individual. During his junior year of high school, he was driving a golf cart-like contraption and hit something-he doesn't remember what-head on. The accident left him in a coma for three weeks, forcing him to make a decision about whether or not to return to school. The strong willed student decided to finish out the last two months of school, all the while helping out with the school musical. Now that is courage.

The freshman Kinesiology major hopes to go into the field of physical therapy after he graduates so he can help people like his brother out. His caring nature is prevalent in the way he approaches every situation: with enthusiasm and sincerity. If he could be an animal it would "Have to be the koala because they are so cute and everyone likes them." It's not very often you run into people who are genuinely glad to meet you, so if you happen to see Gorby around school, stop and introduce yourself, you can be sure he will greet you with enthusiasm.

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