Alumni Spotlight

Matt Dourant

Dourant attended the seminar in 2018 as a representative from Penobscot Valley High School and returned to MYL as a Junior Counselor in 2019. He is currently studying Sports Media at Franklin Pierce University with an anticipated graduation in 2024. He also does broadcast work for sports games on campus. 

He took the time to answer some questions about his Maine Youth Leadership experience and how it has impacted his life. Keep reading to learn more about this outstanding alum.

How would you say MYL impacted your trajectory in life? (the decisions you made, the things you did, etc.)

I was never really confident in myself. I constantly put myself down and was just in a bad place at that point. MYL was this place where everyone was positive all the time to anybody. It's led to a lot more self confidence to even go in the career path I'm going down honestly. Without MYL I wouldn't be confident enough to enter sports broadcasting as a career, and would not even have gone to college honestly, because I considered college to be like my high school where I never really fit in.

What is your fondest memory from your MYL experience?

The best memory comes from my first day of my ambassador year. When we got into our groups there was one member, I was like “he comes from the exact opposite area, and just situation than [me]”. I would never like him, felt this would never work. By the end of that day it was like we were best friends who came to this event together knowing each other. It was so weird to me at the time but now I get it, it creates a conversation when you aren't similar people, discussions are more engaging when you aren't 100 percent like each other, you find common similarities as the time goes on but at first the contrast catches interest.

How does your MYL experience impact your everyday work and/or life?

It has led to me being more conversational. I have awesome conversations with people I never would expect to talk to. MYL introduced me to people from all different types of areas and situations while my hometown is all one stereotype basically. In college now, I talk to people from all over the world and get to know more about different people.

What might someone be surprised to learn about you?

I enjoy working out to a degree. I am a big guy. This past summer I started with a look into walking more, playing more sports and even working out a bit while I was working at a summer camp as a golf specialist. I went from being over 300 pounds down to right around 240. I feel better than I ever have and am even starting to be more active around my campus to keep myself in shape. My goal is to be at around 220 pounds by the end of my second year of college.

What gets you particularly fired up?

You want to see me being at my loudest and most energetic, go to a sports game with me, whether I’m on commentary, in the stands, or watching on TV. I'm the loudest dude at the place looking to hype everyone else up.

Any fun hobbies?

Those who know me, know that golf is my sport. It is what I consider my zen at this point. I will go out and use it as a relaxation method. I have started playing disc golf on my campus with friends and doing actual competitions as well. This is my chance to be competitive with a similar structure of play until my knee heals up and I can play golf at a high level again.

If you are a Maine Youth Leadership alum and you’d like to share your story, please follow this link.

Thank you for reading!

[Published online: 10/18/2021]