Brophy alumni Service corps: where are the now?
Matthew Moore ’07 (ASC 2011-12)
Q: How was your Brophy experience as a student? What made you want to come back as a member of the Alumni Service Corps?
A: Brophy played a big part in forming the person I am today. More than life skills or academics, the community taught me what it means to be a Man for Others. That’s something I still carry with me.
The service I did during my time here became part of who I am. Coming back as one of the first members of the Alumni Service Corps felt less like a decision and more like a natural next step. It was a chance to return home and give back to the community that shaped me.
Q: What impact did your time with ASC have on you?
A: Coming from a college where everyone around me was brilliant and accomplished, it was easy to lose sight of my own abilities. My time with ASC changed that. Seeing the immediate impact I had on the Loyola Academy kids showed me, in a very concrete way, that I was capable of more than I gave myself credit for. That realization has stayed with me.
Q: What are you up to now?
A: I’m a data scientist at Cedars-Sinai, the #1 hospital in California and #2 in the nation. I develop AI and machine learning applications aimed at improving patient outcomes and healthcare delivery, work that feels meaningful in a way I think Brophy prepared me for.
On the personal side, I recently bought a home in California with my wife and our young child. For anyone who knows this housing market, that felt like a real accomplishment.
Q: Do you have any advice for today’s Brophy students?
A: The first step to success is you have to see it. You have to believe it. Figure out what your purpose is in life. It might take longer than you want, or longer than your parents want. But once you find it, go get it.
Matthew Williams ’07 (ASC 2011-12)
Q: How was your Brophy experience as a student?
A: It was incredibly formative. You hear the Grad at Grad principles all the time: open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice. Then you realize later just how deeply Brophy instilled those values in you. I was struck by the quality of relationships I formed with teachers, coaches, and peers, which motivated me to attend a Jesuit college. I went to Boston College and felt well-prepared to engage with the world, question things, and act with integrity. When the Alumni Service Corps (ASC) launched, I applied instantly and was overjoyed to be selected.
Q: What impact did your time with ASC have on you?
A: My ASC year was incredibly formative. Brophy trusted me to teach AP Psychology, and while it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, I’m proud that all twelve students passed the AP exam. It was so difficult but so fun — fun to watch myself grow as a teacher and to watch my students grow alongside me. I fell in love with teaching and stayed at Brophy for three more years. My time at Brophy also led me to medical school. I had set my pre-med dream aside, but while teaching, I realized I lacked the clinical skills to fully help students struggling with depression and anxiety. That experience motivated me to pursue medicine.
Q: What are you up to now?
A: I went to medical school at Georgetown, another Jesuit institution, where I earned my MD and MBA. I then came out to UC San Francisco for my adult psychiatry residency and am about to finish my child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship. Every day, I work with children, teenagers, and their families who are going through really tough times, and it’s incredibly rewarding. I still get to do a lot of teaching along the way, which I love. On the side, I also do work in venture capital with a healthcare-focused firm. I get to meet founders who want to change the world and help patients live better lives on a grand scale, which has been really rewarding as well.
Q: Do you have any advice for today’s Brophy students?
A: Enjoy your time at Brophy. Take a mental snapshot, because the years go by quickly. Some of my Brophy friends are still my best friends today. One was the best man at my wedding, and I was the best man at his.