Congratulations to the President’s Unsung Hero for March

As the associate director of eligibility programs at Clover Park Technical College, Fran Matz oversees the Opportunity Grant and BFET programs. Because of her work to increase student success and educational access, Matz was selected the President’s Unsung Hero for the month of March.

But Matz believes the true heroes are the students who strive to eliminate barriers to their education.

“I’ve seen their thirst for a better life and they’ve done tremendous things,” Matz said. “Those are the heroes and I just feel fortunate that I get to help them.”

The end of March marks Matz’s one year at the college, where she started as a worker retraining specialist. Previously she had been an Opportunity Grant Manager at another two-year college in Pierce County.

Matz started in her current role in Fall Quarter 2014, where she helps find resources for low-income students. The Opportunity Grant helps adults train for high-wage, high-demand careers, and the BFET program provides job-search training, educational services and skills training.

“I look at what resources they have and what resources the students need,” Matz said.

Matz enjoys her position assisting students and seeing positive transformations as a result.

“They’ve had life experiences and they come in here so unsure of themselves,” Matz said. “They set such high expectations for themselves because they know what they can do. It’s like watching them discover who they are.”