Matthew Van Meter Email and Phone Number

Fresh out of the Navy, Matthew wandered into his first commercial kitchen and began to excel and move through the ranks gaining experience in a field he never expected to be part of. There, in the food service industry, he learned the importance of integrity, quality, and consistency. In this fast-paced and high-stress environment, Matthew honed his skills as a creative and analytical problem solver through innovative culinary disaster prevention, mitigation and relief. He developed the skills necessary to seek out and use high quality ingredients, make healthy food, and the importance of organic and sustainable farming practices. This experience brought him to Portland. Though Matthew made a living in the kitchen, his heart and mind longed for something more. He spent his off time learning code and software, building computers, and creating digital artwork. Working his way through online courses at codeshool.com, Treehouse, Udemy, and many books and resources, he finally decided what he wanted to do when he grew up: he wanted to be a full-stack web designer. Then the most wonderful, fortuitous thing happened to him; he was laid off from his kitchen position. Experiencing unemployment and searching for a job in what seemed to be a low point in his life, Matthew was presented with an opportunity: ReBoot Northwest. With the help of the counselors and instructors in this program, Matthew has found a new sense of purpose and a profound boost of self-confidence. The synchronicity of the events that led him to this program are remarkable. Carpe diem! Reinvested, reinvigorated, and Rebooted, Matthew is now earning a degree in Web Design and Development at Clackamas Community College. He is currently building a portfolio of working full stack JavaScript applications focused on beautiful code and artwork, and loving every minute of it.