ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) – At the end of Matthew Wright's redshirt freshman campaign, the football program underwent a coaching change. For most student-athletes, this process would create some challenges, but in Wright's case, new opportunities arose.
Jovan Dewitt, who earned a dual degree in math and physics, took over special teams. Wright, a placekicker, is an aerospace engineering major. The bond was inevitable.
"It's cool to have fun conversations with him because we've both taken the same type of classes," Wright said. "We both have the same kind of background knowledge. He knows what I'm going through. If something's up with one of my classes, he understands. He's there to help me with it and help me through it."
From the coaching side, Dewitt sees how Wright's education plays a factor in his approach to football.
"He's able to get the message through a medium," Dewitt said. "When there is a mistake on his part, he's able to identify it, move on from that situation and learn from it. Some of his educational background parlays into that thought process. He's able to see and correct the error as he needs to without any overreaction to it."
The process is equivalent to a mathematical equation. Luckily, math has always been Wright's favorite subject.
"I just like knowing that there's one answer and I don't have to look for multiple ways to look at it," Wright explained. "I know there's one answer, you get that one answer and you've got the answer."
Every year on his vacation to North Carolina, he would visit the Wright Brothers – no relation – Memorial. A family trip to Kennedy Space Center also made an impression on Wright. Between the two, he decided to major in aerospace engineering.
"Engineering is similar to math and I've always been intrigued with space and travel," Wright said. "Hopefully I'll be able to land a job at NASA, or somewhere similar."
The Lancaster, Pa., native made his way to the Sunshine State for his college education. The biggest draw? UCF was established with the mission of educating engineers for Kennedy Space Center and its industry partners.
"The location was pretty big," Wright said. "The proximity makes it easier to possibly get an internship or maybe have a mentor from there."
While balancing practice, travel and a loaded class schedule can be difficult, Wright stays on top of everything with a little help.
"Being a student-athlete at UCF, there's a huge support staff," Wright said. "It just helps you every step of the way. They're there from the beginning to the end. They're looking out for your best interests the whole way through."
In March of 2017, that support system grew. Through the UCF Student-Athlete Scholarship Program, Wright received the Donald and Janice Dupuis Memorial Scholarship for Outstanding Burnett Honors College Student-Athletes. Associate Dean of The Burnett Honors College, Marty Dupuis, funded the scholarship in memory of his parents.
Wright and Dupuis met for lunch soon after, and the outing left an impression.
"Being able to put a face to who's helping me through college is huge," Wright said of the meeting. "It makes me want to work even harder, because I know there's someone there looking out for me. I want to make them happy; I want to do right by them. Knowing the person, it just makes it that much more special."
Whether it's on the field, in the classroom or in the community, his support system continues to create a special experience for Wright at UCF.