Winter 2016

Matt Carrasco ’05
Giving Profile
Matt Carrasco ’05 looks back on his time at Bishop
O’Dowd High School fondly. Partly, that’s because
being a proud Dragon is something that he shares
with his family – parents Al ’76 and Marianne ’78, and
siblings Jonathan ’07 and Mia ’10. More importantly,
says Matt, his O’Dowd experience had a tremendous
influence on the person he is today.
“I am still pursuing knowledge on topics I was first
introduced to at O’Dowd. Earth Science and AP Environmental
Studies classes are the first to come to
mind. They inspired me to become more connected
with the environment and the issues we face in the
world today,” he said. “When I went on to Cal Poly
San Luis Obispo as a business major, I still enrolled
in classes that addressed global issues because it was
something I was eager to pursue knowledge in.”
With his 10th high school reunion approaching, Matt
was inspired to make his first gift to O’Dowd – a $100
donation to Transforming Lives, the O’Dowd Annual
Fund.
“I wanted to make a donation as a thank you for the
lasting impact the school left on my life. I believe
strongly in the mission of O’Dowd and want to do
what I can to ensure that future Dragons have the
same experience I was provided, hopefully even
better!” he said.
The learning environment at O’Dowd can’t be
matched, Matt says. “My eyes were opened to the
world around me. I was in classes with peers sharing
Matt Carrasco ’05. Contributed Photo.
different cultures, religions, social beliefs, financial
backgrounds, and more,” he said. “This created an
amazing environment to learn, as we had such diverse
perspectives in our discussions.”
Today, Matt continues to benefit from lessons
learned at O’Dowd. “O’Dowd definitely helped me develop
a focused work ethic,” he said. “I also learned to
be generally curious. This has been valuable in sales,
since I speak with businesses in various lines of work
and have to deeply understand their needs in order
to be successful.”
Currently Matt lives in San Francisco and works as
an account executive in sales.
Winter Magazine 2016 // 37