When Matthew Riddick began his studies at Montgomery County Community College in 2006, he never imagined he would be in a position where he could give back to the College and its students. He has been able to do just that as the newest member of the College's Alumni Board of Directors and through a scholarship he created at the start of the New Year for aspiring Black business leaders.    

Riddick, a 2008 MCCC graduate who received an Associate of Arts in Liberal Studies degree, had been working for almost ten years before making his way back to MCCC.

"I had a desire to reach back and develop the next generation of leaders," he said. "Montco was my starting point of my journey to success."

Riddick also fills the roles of secretary and treasurer on the Board under the leadership of Board Chair, William J. Vitiello, Jr. He joins ten other members with a shared goal of staying connected to MCCC’s 90,000 plus alumni.

"We all come with a collective goal of trying to leave an impact on the college and drive the college overall forward," Riddick said. "We want to continue our relationship with alumni when they cross that stage and get their diplomas."

Personal journey

As for Riddick's personal journey, after graduating from MCCC he headed to Delaware Valley University where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in sports management. He reflected on the impression Montco made on him and credits MCCC for helping him continue his education.

"Montco acted as my launching pad for my academic success," he said. "The lessons I learned really helped me to move into Delaware Valley University and then onto my professional career."

Riddick, who now lives in Easton, Northampton County, drew attention to the specific factors that contributed to his positive experience at MCCC.

"The advisors giving me direction, and how I wanted to proceed with my academic studies, the professors and their teaching style, the open-door policy and welcoming attitude," he said. "It gave me confidence to be able to tackle my academic pursuits."

Since graduating from Delaware Valley University in 2011, Riddick is currently the manager of product offering at the global human data science firm IQVIA where he works in the patient access and affordability business unit to assist patients in funding their healthcare needs.

"We specialize in pharmaceuticals and our mission is to, overall, drive healthcare forward and we do that through many different styles including clinical research, analytics, technology, reporting, as well as offer services such as pharmaceutical financial assistance," he said.

Connect with alumni

Riddick's time spent on the Board over the past year has opened his eyes to fellow alumni.

"It allows me to connect with other alumni, hear the different stories of what impact Montco had on those individuals personally, and allows me to see the path forward after Montco and the roads everyone has taken," he said.

Current directives of the Board include initiatives to connect students and alumni. 

"We are working with the career and alumni engagement team, and we have ideas of alumni mixers, a fashion show, an alumni gala, a student and alumni night at a sporting event," Riddick said, adding they aim to provide continuous updates on all events on Montco's social media platforms.

In addition to serving on the Board, Riddick recently established the Riddick Black Business Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship. The scholarship provides $1,000 per year for five years.

“I will award two African American business students per academic year a monetary scholarship towards their Montco education," he said.

Riddick, who is African American, said his hope is to address the financial disparity that consistently raises issues for Black students in the pursuit of college.  

"I wanted to try and close that financial gap on the pursuit of education for African Americans,” he said

Anyone can achieve the goal

For those who want to pursue an Associate degree in Business Administration at MCCC, Riddick said his scholarship will give some African American students an opportunity to perform better in the classroom due to an alleviation of financial stress. 

"This will give them a chance to win more scholarships and grants to pursue higher education beyond Montco," he said. "Students can then give back, push and promote the next generation of business leaders coming up through Montco." 

Riddick plans to announce the first recipients of his scholarship later this year. Interested students can contact Sarah Rudich, Director of Development at the MCCC Foundation.

"To be in this position of being able to offer a scholarship is a blessing," he said. "I'm happy to reach back and give that blessing to the next generation."

The main message Riddick wishes to convey through his scholarship, is that anything is possible and that anyone can achieve the goal of being a business leader.

"One day you can come back and sit on the Board and assist the college, one day you can financially help a student, one day you can mentor a student," Riddick said.

He made it clear that he didn't create the scholarship for self-gratitude or to pat himself on the back. His motivation was to help students and inspire them.

"I want to leave the legacy and the message that if I can do it, so can you," Riddick said. "It's all possible because of Montco."