Matthew Allen
Studying to become a golf course superintendent
Matthew Allen, 33, enrolled in Cuyamaca in fall 2021 after overcoming some great personal
challenges.
Allen is today grounded in his church, and holds two jobs. He has saved enough money to buy a car. Pursuing an education is helping to “straighten my life out and make up for lost time,” he said.
At Cuyamaca, Allen is majoring in Golf Course & Sports Turf Management in the Ornamental Horticulture department. He also plays on the college’s golf team. He plans to develop a career as a golf course superintendent, working on a grounds crew, then as assistant superintendent, then superintendent. This will allow him to build a mastery of the grasses, trees, shrubs, and other plants that make up premier golf courses, as well as the mowers, irrigation systems, and other infrastructure that maintain them.
Allen received a $500 Tiglio Family Scholarship in spring 2022. He has used those funds, as well as a Federal Pell Grant and emergency aid from GCCCD, to keep advancing his education.
“I just feel like I’m a lot more responsible now,” Allen said. “I’m also more interested in learning because I already have quite a bit of knowledge that I didn’t have when I was younger. It makes learning more interesting.”