Matthew

I was born in the United States at Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, Louisiana. My father was in the military, so we followed him as he was stationed in Augsburg, Germany and then San Angelo, Texas, where I grew up. In August 1997, I joined the Army as a Combat Medic and spent the next twenty years moving all over the United States and the world, including assignments in Japan and Germany, as well as three combat tours – two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. I have a basic understanding of Spanish and have been able to retain some Arabic and Japanese phrases from my time spent in those respective areas of the world.

At AUP, I decided to pursue a Master of Science in International Management. After working in and with several nations over my time in the military, I felt even more compelled to understand and appreciate the nuances of global corporations and their impact upon their employees and their customers. I am very driven to understand how organizations and their respective management teams make decisions as well as help employees when affected by extreme adversity or tragedy.

So far, my favorite moments inside the classroom have been listening to my classmates discussing their thoughts and ideas about the cases that we have been studying as well as their aspirations to make the world a better place. The diversity that our University offers is a great opportunity to better understand that the world we live in is filled with people who may not think or act like us, but do want to offer a better future to the generations to follow.

My career and my own personal traumatic injury have shaped my perspective, attitude and ambition; however, I believe AUP is helping to shape the person I want to become. At AUP, I have guidance through my interactions with my peers and the faculty that give me a chance to reflect on what each member of our global society can bring to the table. To be such a small school, population-wise, yet to have citizens from over 100 countries represented on campus, is an astounding testament to the global reach of AUP.