MHCC graduate now represents East County

Matt Wand, a former Mt. Hood Community College student and Reynolds High School graduate, has since become an Oregon state representative.

A Gresham native, Wand has spent most of his life in East Multnomah Country.

He graduated from Reynolds High School in 1993 and went straight on to MHCC where he was a student for two years before he moved on to Portland State University where he graduated in 1997 with a degree in political science.
After PSU, Wand went to graduate from Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College in 2000.

From Lewis & Clark, Wand began his career in law as a practicing attorney in downtown Portland before starting his own law firm, Wand Maddoux Preston LLC, in 2006.

Wand said that when he started his own firm, he had to rent a desk and computer, as he didn’t have his own. His wife was pregnant with their third child and they only had enough money in pocket for one month’s expenses.
“We made it work,” he added.

He then served on the Troutdale City Council from 2008-2010 and was elected to his first term in the State House of Representatives on Nov. 2, 2010, being one of nine state representatives to be sworn into Oregon’s 76th Legislative Session on Jan. 10, 2011.

Wand cites the inexpensive costs of education and location as his reasons for choosing to attend MHCC.

“I loved that it was close by, that I could work and save money by living at home,” he said.

Contrary to his career path of choice, Wand said his favorite class at MHCC was astronomy.

“My favorite class was the astronomy class with the planetarium. It was taught by Doug McCarty, who retired a couple of years ago. The guy was teaching from the day the school opened, a great guy and good professor,” he said.

Asked what were the most significant and important skills he gained while attending MHCC, he said, “Probably more than anything else it taught me much better study and writing skills than I had.”
It was these skills, he added, that helped him gain insight on his goal of a career in law.

“For the first time I had an understanding of what it would take to be successful in law school,” he said.

“I thought I was ready right after high school, but two years at Mt. Hood taught me I wouldn’t be as ready and it would negatively impact grade-wise.”
Beginning at Reynolds High School, Wand has avidly participated in speech and debate groups.

When he was a student at MHCC, he was also a part of the speech and debate team, which also provided some fond moments for him as well.

“College speech and debate was a very, very enjoyable experience,” he said.
In regards to the value of not only having establishments like MHCC, but all community colleges, Wand said, “A lot of people don’t have an understanding of why we have community colleges.

“It’s not just a stepping stone for universities, though that’s part of it, it’s not just there to re-train adults, thought that’s part of it, and it’s not there for just life-long community learning, though again that’s part of it. It’s all three of those things,” he said.

“I’m not ashamed or embarrassed of going to Mt. Hood. I’m proud of it,” he said.