About the Job
Matt Reyes
Passing The Torch
About the Job
Matt was born in Houston, TX, but grew up in South San Francisco. He is the youngest of 3 brothers. His father used to work double shifts as a mechanic and his mother would sell things she would sew on online marketplaces. The family would spend their Thursdays watching football and bond together through the sport: a shared language. Matt picked up a ball before he could write his own name, first for the attention at the dinner table, later because it gave structure to his endless energy. By the time he got to middle school, he was already the “next varsity starter”. Coach Duncan noticed him at a summer camp when Matt was thirteen, pulling him aside for extra drills and to talk about discipline. That mentorship gave Matt confidence through his awkward teenage years: football practices took up most of his free time, and wins filled the house with cheers. High school sharpened the pressure. His sophomore season cemented him as a local name and he had college recruiters at the gate by his junior year. But as the seasons passed, Matt noticed he was watching the clock more than the scoreboard. Electives in business and a part-time job at a friend’s family startup sparked a different fire in his heart–he enjoyed problem solving, planning campaigns, and crunching numbers. During senior year, he applied for an internship at a local, yet respected firm “just to see”. Acceptance arrived with a simple email, yet it hit harder than any trophy for Matt. It was a door to another identity. Packing away posters and trophies, he feels a sense of gratitude for the discipline that was taught to him through football, but it also aches him when he realizes the role he’s played for years is no longer enough. Matt’s loyalty to Duncan runs very deep. He credits his coach with shaping his work ethic, but he’s grown determined to define his adulthood on his own terms and not by the snowball of his football career.
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