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Matt ChildsMatt Childs - Invited to be the Spring 2017 Graduate Degree Hooding Ceremony Student Speaker

Matt Childs submitted an application to be UAA’s Spring 2017 Commencement Speaker but was narrowly edged out by another exceptional student. His application and speech topic captivated the selection committee, and they proactively suggested that he be awarded the opportunity to be the student speaker at the Graduate Degree Hooding Ceremony.

Being selected as the Hooding Ceremony Student Speaker is an honor, but when the honor is capped off as the first-ever student speaker for this event, it carries an unspoken responsibility of being a trendsetter. Matt, a soon to be MBA graduate, recognizes education as a gift that carries a responsibility of “being the best student I can be.” He started his academic journey at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1995. Due to the lure of a new job to the lower 48, he was not able to attend his undergraduate commencement ceremony.

Fast forward to 2014; Matt returned to the UAA College of Business and Public Policy (CBPP) to obtain an MBA with a Business Analytics emphasis. During his stint as an MBA student, he served as president of the MBA Student Association , and a CBPP Leadership Fellows Mentor. He also contributed time and effort to the CBPP/Clark Middle School Leadership Fellows Junior Program, was a guest speaker for CBPP's Introduction to Leadership classes, and served as a virtual ePortfolio mentor for a student in the Introduction to Leadership class. Besides being engaged in extra-curricular activities, he engaged in the classroom. When asked by the commencement committee “how is your speech relevant to commencement,” he responded that “as MBA students, we utilize our experiences, make sacrifices, and choices that led us to obtain the gift of education which is a responsibility.” That responsibility in his eyes is to be an engaged student by sharing knowledge, networking with students and faculty, and giving back to UAA and the Anchorage community. Moreover, Matt views the responsibility as life-long, hence it doesn’t stop when you graduate.

commencementPlease join the College in congratulating Matt Childs as the 2017 UAA Graduate Degree Hooding Ceremony Student Speaker.

Matt Childs is the Director of Data Analytics for General Communications Incorporated (GCI), Alaska's largest telecommunications company. Matt has worked with GCI for 10 years, starting out as a software developer before moving into the Business Intelligence group. Matt has worked in IT for 25 years in various industries from logistics, energy and financial institutions. He started working with data warehouses in 1998 and knew that he had found his true passion.

In addition to his B.A. in History Matt also earned a Master of Arts in Creative Writing in 2004 from Alaska Pacific University and will be receiving a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alaska Anchorage in the spring of 2017.

He’ll be happy to talk your ear off about the American Civil War, writing, astronomy, technology - or - well anything else. Matt is also a co-author of the book VBA in a Nutshell published by O'Reilly Press.