Meet Matthew, Our IT Assistant
Matthew Merrell, a 19-year-old IT Assistant here at SEO Inc., is perseverant, intelligent, and extremely skilled with technology. However, Matthew did not walk into his success without having to overcome numerous obstacles that would cause most people to give up on their dreams and aspirations in life. Matthew was born and raised in San Marcos, California, and attended a local high school not too far down the road from SEO Inc. called San Marcos High School. Matthew also enjoys writing, gaming, reading, and most importantly, he loves helping others.
Matthew lives a life that most people will never know, or even understand. Since birth Matthew has had health challenges that range from being hard of hearing, to living with glaucoma, and even being classified by the government as legally blind. However Matthew doesn’t let these health challenges define who he is as a person, rather he uses them as motivation to reach his goals and dreams in life.
Early in life Matthew was taught how to read Braille, which was difficult for him because he is only partially blind and can still read most things to a certain degree. However his perseverant attitude and superior intelligence allowed Matthew to master reading Braille in no time.
Matthew was not satisfied with just reading Braille so he decided to utilize special computer programs as his primary resource tool for learning and working in school. He was able to learn quickly that he had a natural talent and passion for computers because of the fact that he spent so much time working with them in the disability resource programs he was apart of early on in life.
Over time, Matthew got more and more skilled with computers and technology. His skills stood out to the high school district’s visual instructor with whom he had worked with over the years, so much so that she ended up recommending him to our CEO Garry Grant for an internship here at SEO Inc. Shortly after this, Matthew was hired here as an intern. Matthew’s days as an intern wouldn’t last long, because only after about a month or so working as an intern, Matthew ended up landing himself a part time job here at the company. Matthew’s success not only benefited him and our company, but also benefited other students in the local school system with similar health challenges.
Recently, school budget cuts threatened the existence of the work-ability program that Matthew and so many other students in the school district had benefited from. However, Matthew’s visual instruction teacher stood up for the program at the budget cut meeting and told the board Matthew’s success story. Immediately after she finished telling his story, the lead board member said that he no longer wanted to consider cutting the budget for the work-ability program from the school system.
Matthew has and will keep on succeeding in life, whether it is in the field of technology, or with breaking down borders for people who struggle with blindness and other disabilities. It is clear that Matthew’s talents and abilities will take him far in life. One thing is for certain: wherever Matthew goes with his life, the people around him will continue to be blessed by him.
