At the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year, Sampson Community College (SCC) welcomed several new full-time and part-time faculty and staff members into their campus family. A graduate of SCC, Luke Matthews was recently hired as an instructor in the Industrial Systems Technology program after obtaining two associate degrees in May 2022– one in Industrial Systems Technology and one in Electrical Systems Technology.
Throughout his entire life, Matthews has worked on his family’s farm and at a local sweet potato packaging plant. There, he was responsible for electrical and mechanical maintenance on the packaging line until he was 20 years old. Afterwards, Matthews worked as an electrician at Precision Tool & Stamping for almost a year before starting at SCC.
He voiced about his return, “Coming through the two programs, I saw great people working to better us, “the students,” lives. It didn’t matter the time of day or what was going on, everyone was there to help you and watch you succeed. I wanted to be a part of the family at SCC and be able to make a difference in students’ lives like my instructors did towards me.”
Currently studying towards his Bachelor’s in Industrial Management, Matthews mentioned that both his personal and professional experiences over the years will serve as an asset to his teachings. Yielding a vast maintenance background and a former student’s perspective, Matthews remarked that he wants to create a positive learning environment at SCC, where he can teach others about what he’s learned through his mistakes and remind trainees that there is always room to improve in their craft.
Never back down from a challenge. No matter what you have in front of you, a simple problem or something big, if you ask for help there is someone that will be there for you and can help lead you into the right direction. There will be days that you will think ‘Well I can’t,’ but don’t stop there… keep pushing and researching and you will be successful.
Luke Matthews
In his free time, Matthews enjoys riding his SXS around his family’s farm and visiting different ATV parks. When asked to give a fun fact about himself, Matthews stated that his favorite part of farm work since he was a little kid has actually been working with cows. “I love cows,” Matthews mentioned, “all sorts and kinds.”
Sampson CC proudly welcomes Luke Matthews as a new full-time faculty member in the Occupational Department. The College loves seeing students give back to their community through the education they received at SCC. SCC is proud to see Matthews return and knows he will do great things in the future to help students succeed.
For more information about the Industrial Systems Technology program or job opportunities at SCC, visit www.sampsoncc.edu/industrial-systems-technology or www.sampsoncc.edu/jobs. Interested employees contact Frankie Sutter at fsutter@sampsoncc.edu or 910.900.4043.
About Sampson Community College
Sampson Community College is a member of the North Carolina Community College System, located in Clinton, NC in Sampson County. The college offers many programs to include two-year degrees, college transfer, continuing education and workforce development options and early college education.
