Matt Fonner graduated from The College Experience in 2016. Originally from Utica, NY, today Matt is currently living independently in Albany NY with a bearded dragon lizard he has named, Spyro after having lived with his best friend from the College Experience, Henry for four years. Matt currently works at Dalsey, Hillblom and Lynn (DHL) where he has been working since June. DHL specializes in international mailing and Matt’s main duties are scanning packages and loading the trucks that are heading with the packages to John F. Kennedy Airport. He also checks the company trucks before the end of each workday to make sure that no freight is accidentally left inside the trucks.

During the fall semester of his senior year at the College Experience, Matt interned at Liberteks which provides digital and information technology (IT) services. His internship in the spring of 2016 was at Broadway Bicycle on Broadway Street in Downtown Albany. Matt says, “I like getting my hands dirty and master mechanic work while tuning up bicycles.” Most of the students take two separate internships during their senior year to gain as much experience as possible.

Today most of Matt’s social life consists of spending time with his girlfriend, Amy who is a 2017 graduate of the College Experience. Matt and Amy love to travel with their friends and family. Matt also enjoys chatting about football with his best friend, Ryan, another College Experience graduate.

Matt credits the College Experience toward helping him learn how to clean properly and grasp basic banking skills such as using the ATM card at the right bank to avoid paying a fee with another banking institution. The program also encouraged him to be more social as far as getting together with friends to go toplaces within the Capital Region. His biggest hobby these days is exercising and working out at Planet Fitness! One of Matt’s current ambitions is to become a personal trainer and help people who also have disabilities make progress.

Matt believes that the motivation for future students to give the College Experience a chance is because “The College of Saint Rose is a very nice community of college students. The College Experience will really get you to understand the concept of what you will learn as you get into it.”