The Answer - A blog about Education, Preparation, and Commitment.

Alumni Spotlight: Matthew Longoria, YES Prep Southeast Class of 2005

July 15, 2011 by Tenesha Villanueva

Matthew Longoria graduated from YES Prep Southeast in 2005.  He attended Sam Houston State University where he majored Public Relations w/ Sociology minor and graduated in 2009.  Matthew currently works at Houston Museum of Natural Science in the Astronomy department.   

Matthew on his experience at YES Prep…

What is your favorite YES Prep memory?

My family and I had the honor of representing YES Prep at the White House on October 12, 2001. I, along with my brother, led the nation in the Pledge of Allegiance and stood by President Bush as he signed a proclamation of higher education for Hispanic students. Afterward, we mingled with top military brass and White House officials at a reception in the State Dining Room. On top of that, we flew into a high alert DC one month after 9/11. It was truly an emotional trip and a once in a lifetime experience.

 Name the teacher/staff member who had the greatest impact on you and why.

Mr. Jason Bernal and Mr. Chris Claflin are the co-holders of this title. I always looked forward to their class. Both were so passionate about their subject and it showed both in and out of the classroom. What teacher (Bernal) can do a better job than a tour guide at a San Antonio mission? Or pull over (Claflin) on a road in Blanco, Texas, break off some blue quartz and have a geology lesson on the side of the road. They are dedicated to their profession and both personify everything a true educator should be.

 How do you feel YES Prep best ensured you were college-ready? Knowing what you know now, what one piece of advice would you give to current YES Prep students?

From the first day at Sam Houston State, I knew I was college ready. In my freshman English class, we peer edited our papers. Although it was something we did on a regular basis at YES Prep, it was new to many students in the class. We read a novel in my religious literature course that I read in 12^thgrade English. 

 But my favorite moment was in my social statistics class. It was a lecture on probability and the entire class was lost. The professor stopped; surprised that no one could get these equations in which, according to her, we should have learned back in high school. So she asked who did this in high school. Of course I’ve seen this before in Algebra II, so I raised my hand, the only one in my class to do so. My professor was amazed. She asked where I went to school and was further impressed with my answer.

With that, the advice I would give is to pay close attention. Participate in those novel discussions or hang on to those notes because you just might see it again in. That way, you’ll already know it and you can impress your professors.

Matthew on his college experience…

What was your most difficult experience/time in college?  How did you overcome it?

I took 18 hours in the fall semester of my senior year.  Now one might see that as terrifying, trying to manage 6 courses, especially heavyweights like Media Law and Supply Chain Management. But believe it or not, it wasn’t that difficult.  It was a good semester, until the week of finals. I didn’t have any final exams, but I did have 3 special projects/presentations. In addition, I had to write 2 case studies and 1 term paper, all due the week of finals and each assignment counted from 20-35% of my final grade. This brought late night group meetings and long hours at the computer lab. It was indeed a stress filled week. I was so busy that I didn’t even see my brother for almost the entire week, and he lived in the same dorm.

What got me through it? Knowing I had a month long break after as soon as that week was over and only 12 hours to go once I returned in the spring.

What two or three qualities or characteristics within yourself were most important in helping you attain your college degree?

Strong writing skills are very important. It’s essential in Public Relations. It doesn’t matter if it’s a press release or a news story or an advertisement, you have to hook your audience, that’s your goal. Creativity is a plus as well. You never know what kind of campaign you’ll have to design. It could be a promotion for Main Event or to increase student and faculty awareness of colon cancer. 

Public speaking was also very important and I had my share of presentations in my four years at Sam.  When you’re 1 out of 35 or 40, you have to set yourself apart, stand out, and I believe my speaking skills allowed me to do that. You want your presentation to be different, something that your professor will remember. I kid you not, there were times no one want to go after me, because there was “no way they could follow that.”

How did you become involved on your college campus?

At Sam, I served as Financial Chairman for PRSSA, the Public Relations Student Society of America. I was both a Houston and National member. In PRSSA, we did things such as hosted a lecture series for Mass Comm. students and organized University wide events. It was PR at its finest.

What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment since graduation from YES Prep and/or college?  Why? 

It’s too soon to reflect on accomplishments, life is still very young.  However, there have been many achievements along the way such as making the Dean’s List and getting a B or higher in every class during that 18 hour semester.

Describe your life now.  Where do you work?  What are your hobbies outside of work (if any)?  Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 

I’m with the Astronomy department at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and everyday it’s something different. I could be hosting our shows, giving presentations on the stars and the night sky or rocking out with Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.

I also work with our outreach program, the Discovery Dome, where we have put the planetarium on wheels so to speak. We travel to schools all over Texas and reached 80,000 students last year. Many of those have never been to the planetarium let alone a museum.  The kids love it and it’s a joy seeing that child’s face when we take a look at dinosaurs, fly over an erupting volcano or land on Mars.  I’m proud to be part of such a wonderful department and organization.

Is there any other information you feel should be highlighted in your spotlight?              

After Sam, I came back home and became more involved with my church, St. Alphonsus. It may be small, but it’s one of the most welcoming and hardworking parishes in the entire Archdiocese. I have the privilege of serving on the Parish Council, being an usher and part of our bazaar committee. I am also a proud teacher in our CCE program. I had the greatest bunch of 5^thgraders a first year teacher can have and I look forward to getting them back as 6^thgraders in August.

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