Matt Gaudet

Matt has been interested in his Icelandic heritage since first visiting Iceland with his family in 2004. His great-grandfather, Sig Arason, emigrated from Iceland to Manitoba in 1911 before settling in Minnesota. When Matt was younger, his mother started exploring family roots. What began with perusing old pictures and letters developed into a desire to delve deeper into family history.

In summer 2014, Matt’s passion for Iceland hit a high point when he participated in the Snorri Program. Living in Iceland for six weeks, experiencing the country, meeting new people, seeing an in-depth genealogical history, and staying with relatives was a truly life-changing experience. The family he stayed with for three weeks had a summer house near Laugarvatn, close to the farms where his ancestors came from, and he got to hike through those dramatic landscapes and see the scenery his ancestors saw. Since the Snorri Program, Matt has kept in touch with his Icelandic heritage through involvement with the Icelandic Canadian Club of Edmonton, the Icelandic National League of North America, and now Icelandic Roots.

Matt has a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing and works for an advertising agency in Edmonton, specializing in social media and digital marketing. He hopes to travel to Iceland again soon, specifically for the Iceland Airwaves music festival, and continue to explore all that the country has to offer.