Randy P. Mathews II, Estrella Mountain Community College student, is driven and he doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon. Mathews will graduate this Friday and his parents have four reasons to be proud. Their son is a candidate for two associate's degrees in Microsoft Networking Technology and Cisco Networking Technology - and two certificates in Microsoft Product Specialist and Cisco Networking Technology.
"My parents were very supportive of my education and helped me out alot. They want me to go as far as I can," Matthews said.
The Phoenix native attended Trevor Browne High School and Metro Tech Vocational Institute of Phoenix (now Metro Tech High School). It was at Metro Tech that Mathews's interest in technology surfaced.
"I became interested in computer technology because I knew it to be a lucrative field and, at the time, the market was strong and growing, "said Mathews, 23, about why he decided to pursue a career in technology.
He studied computer aided drafting (CAD) and began working part-time during his senior year at National Exposition Services designing custom floor plans for exhibitor booths. After graduating high school in 1998, he went to work for Cox Communications and, eventually, U-Haul International, where he is currently employed.
Mathews, while working for U-Haul International, began taking classes at Estrella Mountain to advance his existing career as a computer programmer and systems analyst. The challenging work he does includes programming applications for online payment, analyzing and improving system processes and developing solutions for clients. He hopes to one day begin his own systems consulting company.
Although busy with work and school, Mathews has made it a point to develop his passion for poetry, or flowing, as he calls it. His influences are vast, yet varied, and include such names as Yeshua (Latin for Jesus), Toussaint L'Ouverture, Nat Turner, Poncho Villa, Emilliano Zapata, Marcus Garvey, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Bruce Lee, Bob Marley, Tupac Shakur, Rass Kass, and Louis Farrakhan. "My rhymes deal a lot with social consciousness and issues affecting our society such as history, domestic and foreign corruption and education," said Mathews.
"I had some obstacles along the way that temporarily caused me to stray and I had to take a semester off. But, I maintained my focus and give thanks to the Most High for allowing me to get this far," he revealed.
On May 16, Mathews donned his purple cap and gown and graced the stage with his presence. As one of two student speakers for the graduation ceremony, Mathews spoke to a crowd of over 500. The poem he recited for his fellow graduating class shadowed his own inner struggles and offered encouragement to move beyond barriers that hinder success:
"Weather the storm even if it attempts to put out your Fire, Don't let any outside forces mislead your true Desire, You have reached yet a higher plateau in your Education, Showing and proving your relentless Determination, Graduates lift your face towards the heavens and Profess, That you will never swim away from the streams of Success"