Alumnus

FIU Student Joins Legacy of Family Graduates Pursuing Careers in Education

Bettina Gonzalez ’89, MS 97, Matthew Johnson and Betty Gonzalez Johnson ’92, MS ’97

When Matthew Johnson graduates with a degree in exercise science this December, he will be the third generation in his family to graduate from FIU’s School of Education and Human Development.

Both his mother and grandmother earned their bachelor’s and master’s degrees from FIU. Matthew grew up with them ever-present in his life while they also enjoyed successful careers in education. Their successes and work/life balance inspired Matthew to pursue a similar path.

Now, as he readies for his own graduation, he is preparing to get his teacher certification and begin working toward his dream job of becoming a high school athletic director. During his time at FIU, he has been interning at Riviera Preparatory School as a swimming, track and field, and wrestling coach. He also joined FIU’s power lifting team.

“Last year one of the students I coached in wrestling graduated and decided to pursue power lifting at FIU when he found out I was on the team,” Johnson said. “He hadn’t considered playing sports in college until he talked to me, and I introduced him to different opportunities.”

Matthew’s mother Betty Gonzalez Johnson ’92, MS ’97 is a former teacher for MDCPS and is now serving as a principal of a private school in North Carolina. She says she chose the education field because she wanted to pursue a career where she would be fulfilled and get to spend time with her children. She recalls teaching courses at FIU while pregnant with her son.

“Matthew was attending FIU before he was born,” she said. “When he was younger, he used to say he wanted to attend FIU and now to see it come to fruition is special.”

Matthew’s grandmother Bettina Gonzalez ’89, MS ’97 taught with Miami-Dade County Public Schools for 25 years before retiring. She said she is looking forward to watching Matthew, the youngest of her four grandchildren, graduate.

“Never in my wildest dreams would I think that one of my grandkids would be following in my footsteps and pursuing education as a career. When you can touch the life of a child as an educator, it means the world,” said Gonzalez.  

She’s excited to be the matriarch in the legacy of school of education graduates in her family.

And Matthew is encouraged to have a strong support system in place as he embarks upon a career that will allow him to impact the lives of children.