Pushing ourselves to the limits of understanding and comprehension, we dared to believe that Matt’s rigorous years of higher education and his motivation to excel would pay unexpected dividends in ways now that we could never have imagined or envisioned before . . .

In the fall of 2001, Matt headed off to the University at Buffalo (UB). Hmm, you might say—when did that become an Ivy League college? Wasn’t that the objective? That is true, but UB offered Matt a pretty sweet deal: enrollment in the Distinguished Honors program with all expenses covered—full tuition, room, and board for four years. He was also accepted to Cornell and Brown Universities, but there was limited money backing those offers. Pros and cons of all programs were considered, not only the quality of education and post-employment rates but also the prestige factor versus the practical. If the ultimate byproduct of each were assessed to be similar, then the commiserate lower expenses could carry a higher weight.

Besides seeking the advice of his parents, grandparents, and other relatives, he spoke to previous students at the colleges of interest.  Mike and I also put Matt in contact with colleagues who were middle-income earners like ourselves to tell their stories of student debt. When they had gotten married, they each brought with them modest, unpaid student loans. They openly shared how it took more than ten years to close out those accounts, had directly impacted their living expenses, and influenced the purchase of a smaller house rather than the home of their dreams. Others explained that future job opportunities were affected less by his choice of an undergraduate school and more by the graduate school he might attend.

Although Mike initially intended to guide Matt toward Buffalo, I advised against it. If Matt chose UB, which he ultimately did for the right reasons, the onus of that decision and any potential fall-out rested squarely on his shoulders, not ours. It was his responsibility to make it work, and he did. He openly breathed a sigh of relief a year later when, unlike friends, he wasn’t faced with looming college tuition and other expenses for the upcoming semester.

Matt applied himself fully to excelling in each and every class. Although the college party scene did not appeal to him, his life wasn’t all work and no play. Buffalo had a rich and diverse pallet of other activities and events to explore, engage in, and enjoy. The student union was a hopping place centered around its food court, student clubs, activists, speakers, and others vying for attention. Matt took a Jazz Band elective in seven out of eight semesters, which ended with a small concert. He availed himself of UB’s Distinguished Speakers Series and heard Rudy Giuliani, then NYC mayor and comedian Bill Cosby, to name a few. Buffalo Chips, UB's premier all-male a cappella group, sparked a lifelong love for this genre of music. Annually, our family visited for Homecoming, which UB did on a grand scale. We took advantage of the Friday night carnival, Saturday football game (Go Bulls!), food tents, games, raffles, freebies, and the super-duper smoothies—a must for Megan, a 10-year-old back then. Out of four years, dorm life was Matt’s only complaint; fortunately, when he was an upperclassman, he moved into an on-campus apartment. UB served him well.

At Buffalo, Matt was president of the Golden Key International Honour Society and the National Engineering Society, Tau Beta Pi. He was privileged to deliver the commencement address to the Engineering and Applied Sciences College graduating class. Having earned dual bachelor of science degrees, one in computer engineering and the other in electrical engineering, Matt set his sights ever higher. Minimally, he wanted a Master’s degree but did not rule out the possibility of obtaining a Ph.D. And once again, money was not an obstacle. Exiting UB, he was honored to receive the prestigious National Science Foundation Scholarship, which was enough to cover graduate expenses for three years. Additionally, he received a Ford Family Foundation Scholarship and funding from Cornell University once he committed to the Ph.D. track, enough to cover the remaining two years of graduate studies.

Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsford, Pennsylvania, and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, received top billing as potential graduate programs. The first impressed Matt with their renowned staff, and the latter by their growing interest in and the sheer number of professors in his preferred subspecialty of computer architecture.  One particular Cornell professor wanted him there, which ultimately tipped the scale. Cornell and this professor, advisor, and lifelong friend made a good fit. Matt worked hard, published papers, and attended professional conferences—nationally and globally.

In the spring of 2010, Matt successfully defended his research dissertation on Reconfigurable Architectures for Chip Multiprocessors—the final requirement to graduate with a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering. It was a perfectly gorgeous day, and he looked stunning in his Cornell red doctoral gown with black accents, hood, and tams. Matt beamed with pride and relished having his family and grandparents in attendance. He gladly made us endure three to four different commencement ceremonies and smaller recognitions throughout the day. He took it all in and us with him as we celebrated this incredible accomplishment—the first Ph.D. on either side of the family.

Now, 8 years later, how much will he remember the knowledge he learned back then and in the ensuing years, but of equal significance, of the essential experiences that are part and parcel of his life?