Matthew Jennings

On the Fast Track to Change

The desire to make the world a more equitable place guides this runner’s every step.

“Often, one of the only ways I know I am fighting for progress is if it scares me half to death,” says Matthew Jennings. “That’s where real, enduring change is born.” Matthew has learned to channel his nerves and use the energy to drive himself forward, whether that’s on the track, in the classroom, or standing up against perceived injustices in his community. This ability, combined with the example his family has set by always working hard to achieve lofty goals, has Mathew starting each day “with a fiery passion, earnestly in search of the next record to break or challenge to emerge victorious from.”

Matthew has been extremely successful in his pursuit. He holds a combined seven school records in cross country and track and field as well as three district records. He’s been on the high honor roll 12 times and has been awarded numerous other academic honors. And he participates in and helps lead several school club and community events. But he is proudest of the work he is doing as a student body representative to his school district’s board of education. “This past year specifically, in the wake of America’s racial reckoning, I focused on reimagining racial-education equity in my district,” he says. The timely, ongoing work has given him the opportunity to meet with many influential people, including Senator Richard Blumenthal. It has earned him a spot on the Connecticut Association of Schools’ Student Equity Advisory Board. Most importantly, it is allowing him to make a difference for all students. “Being able to help move my state forward has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” he says.

With policy, ethical governance, and education equity as some of his greatest passions, Matthew hopes to pursue a degree in Political Science and eventually use it to open up opportunities for others to achieve their own successes. He has chosen to further his academic and athletic career at Yale University where he looks forward to meeting and learning from people with different backgrounds. “The best way to grow as an accepting and compassionate human comes from exposure to new ideas, people, and experiences,” he says. “In the next chapter of my life, I look forward to contributing my own unique story, just as I am eager to learn from others whose stories differ so widely from my own.”