State: New York
Years on RSYC: 2025-2026
Matt is a committed advocate for the environment and the inclusion of community members with disabilities.
Matt’s key project, “Healing Our Peers,” involves collaborating with the Music Academy for Special Learners to use arts education as a tool for inclusion and advocacy.
Matt used a Roots & Shoots project grant to collect, purchase and donate over 200 arts and sensory kits for community members with disabilities. He also raised more than $600 to install a sensory wall at the Developmental Disabilities Institute in his community. Matt also supports recycling initiatives and other sustainability efforts in his hometown.
A high school student, Matt enjoys cooking, listening to music, fulfilling family responsibilities, and swimming competitively. He draws inspiration from his experiences as a first-generation Hispanic American and finds personal meaning in his work as a caregiver for his sibling.
Matt’s work is guided by this Jane Goodall quote: “Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care will we help. Only if we help shall all be saved.”
