Then and Now: Matt Markham, Chaminade

HuntingtonNow.com takes a look at local high school graduates and what they’re doing now.

Name: Matt Markham

High School: Chaminade High School

Year Graduated: 2006

Comment about your high school experiences: My years at Chaminade were truly transformative.  The shy redhead who walked into school on his first day left on his last a more confident, well-rounded person.  The school newspaper, Speech and Debate team, and community service projects gave me new ways to pursue my interests and meet good friends along the way.  This is not a school with a social hierarchy – the Marianist brothers encourage each student to develop his talents and to celebrate the diverse skills of others.  I can still hear one of the brothers telling me, “if you want to be a reporter, you need to do Speech and Debate!”  Chaminade was also the first place I experienced a faith-based education aside from parish catechism, and I’ve drawn upon the spiritual lessons learned here often over the years.  There’s an indelible bond that forms between those of us who went to Chaminade.  It’s a tremendously supportive community.  One of my closest friends and I met volunteering during summer orientation for the new freshman class.  Even though he lives on the other side of the country now, we still talk all the time.

Immediate post-high school (college, gap year, work, etc.):  I graduated from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2010 with a degree in broadcast journalism.  As a student, I completed internships at KYW-TV, the CBS affiliate in Philadelphia, and WSYR-TV, the ABC affiliate in Central New York.  I also filed several stories for ABC News on Campus, a grant-funded program though which students gathered content for various ABC News television and online platforms.  After graduation, I began my career as an anchor and reporter at WBNG-TV, the CBS affiliate in Binghamton, N.Y.  In 2012, I moved to WRGB-TV, the CBS affiliate in Albany, covering news all across Upstate New York and western New England.  At WRGB, I earned an Edward R. Murrow Award and an Emmy nomination – two honors I never dreamed of receiving.  Before leaving the Capital Region, I was hired by Albany Medical Center, northeastern New York’s largest academic health sciences center, for public relations and communications.

What you’re doing now (Including where): Director of Communications, Chaminade High School

Comment about what you’re doing now: They say, “you can never go home again,” but they’re wrong!  I write and edit the school’s news magazine and manage the school’s website and social media pages.  Still working with the media, I write press releases for local stations and newspapers in an effort to share Chaminade’s story with the community.  It’s really similar to the work I’ve always done – finding and telling stories that connect people to each other and, in this case, the school.  I also handle the school’s marketing, produce videos, and support the communications needs of the alumni and development offices.  While I think my background prepared me well for this work, nothing substitutes institutional knowledge.  As an alumnus, I work hard to make sure the spirit of Chaminade is reflected as clearly as possible in everything I do.

Where do your parents or family live: Still in Huntington.  Kevin and Susan Markham have been married for 34 years – all of that time spent in town.  Mom grew up there, too, and has seen Huntington grow significantly over the years.