“My biggest fear in life is being considered mediocre. 80% of the people I grew up with are still in the same town, living within a 10- mile radius of the house they were born in. I knew I had to get out to be successful.” BETTING ON HIS FUTURE Besides working, sports were also a kind of escape for Matt, who adamantly followed and played football through high school. He got a football scholarship to a small, local college but flunked out after the first year. He repeated this three more times at three other undergrad colleges – landing football scholarships but then failing out of school – until he blew out his shoulder and couldn’t play anymore. He finally landed at state school Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, where he planned on getting his degree and becoming a gym teacher. Still hustling, Matt had a bartending gig in the evenings, making fistfuls of cash on the regular. Coming home with $200 after a shift
“I’ve always been told I’mnot good enough, so I always have to prove them wrong. Probably why I’ve been hustling even since grade school...”
Top: Matt with his mother, father, and sister. Bottom: Matt visits the Bethlehem Steel site in Pennsylvania.
American Consequences
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