PEOPLE: Southern Charmer

Paul van der Maas is the epitome of Southern charm. The lanky 6' 2" senior's hospitable personality is expressed through his boyish grin. A quick conversation leads one to think he is from "up north." But the computer science major is originally from Holland. His impeccable American English comes from growing up with an English teacher as a parent, watching American television and reading online computer programming tutorials, "One day I just started thinking in English — it was weird," Paul says. The fair-skinned video game junkie spends most of his hours indoors, studying, working and gaming, but he also loves "Votebal," which he played until he was 16. "But I played proper football where you hit the ball with your feet," he says with a playful chuckle, referring to soccer. Paul came to the U.S. in 2005 when his widower father remarried an Orange native. His education and a business venture were put on hold soon after when he found out he had a cancerous tumor on his brain. After more than a year of treatment, Paul is cancer free. His doctor said he should expect possible loss of mental agility, but it hasn't affected his studies. "I guess I had a few IQ points to spare," he said, flashing his signature grin.