Torrance, CA (September 17, 2019): Today, Bishop alumnus Matthew Simmons '10 shared his incredible journey with Mr. Gabe Hernandez’s freshman religion classes and our football teams. Simmons, a TV actor/director, talked about the many struggles he's faced in the past decade and, despite the challenges, how his faith helped him preserver and succeed, not just on the big screen, but in his daily life. In addition to roles on CBS/Amazon Prime's S.W.A.T. and Avengers: Infinity Wars, Simmons has starred in various television commercials during his tenure in Hollywood.
Simmons was just a sophomore at BMHS when, in 2008, his father LAPD veteran Randy Simmons became the agency's first SWAT officer to die in the line of duty. The loss of Simmons Sr.-- Matthew's mentor, idol and best friend-- became almost too much for the tenth grader to bear. Sharing this tragic moment from his high school experience, Matthew reflected not only on the lessons learned from this catastrophic event, but on his deepened belief in God's plan for each of us. Simmons highlighted the importance of always trusting in God and His presence in our lives, even at the lowest points. He urged the students to acknowledge and appreciate the school community that they were a part of-- the very same one that lifted him up when he needed it most.
That incredible connection to community was evident today as his story touched not just the BMHS students, but the faculty and coaches as well: “Having attend high school with Matt and his sister Gabby Simmons ’12, I knew having Matt come and share his story was going to be very powerful and inspiring for my freshmen," says Hernandez '12. "What I didn’t realize was how perfectly it was going to fit with what we had just finished in class. Just last week, we discussed how important it was to know that God is always present-- how relevant He is in our everyday lives." Though unbeknownst to Hernandez prior to the presentation, Simmons' talk spoke to, exactly, that topic. "My favorite part about Matt's talk was how grateful he was for his Bishop Montgomery community. It was so inspiring and made me so proud to be a Knight," Hernandez shared.
Director of Football Operations Andy Marafino, who was also on staff when Simmons was a student and a football standout at BMHS, was equally inspired by his visit. "We are proud to call him a fellow Knight. He shared his story and told our players to love their families, love their friends, and love their teammates... to be themselves and to keep God in their hearts." After the post-practice inspirational talk, Simmons took the time to speak with the players individually-- answering questions about the game, about his football career at Washington State, and about the personal successes and challenges that have shaped him into the incredible man (and Knight) that he is today.
Follow Simmons and his journey on Instagram @matthewexcelsimmons or at imdb.com.