Stories
by Coach Scott Strosnider
Matthew Subish is continually greeted with smiles from students, teachers, administrators, and classified staff every time he walks on the campus of Great Oak High School in Temecula, California. And if you would pose the question to any person associated with the school as to who is the most inspiring student on campus, most of them would reply, “Matt Subish.”
Not only is Matt loved by everyone and an inspiration to a plethora of people, he does so with the disability of being born without a left hand and a part of the Resource Specialist Program at Great Oak. This disability, however, has never once hindered anything Matt has done in the past, or will do in the future. He has been playing football since he was eight years old and riding motorcycles since he was three. This year, as part of the Great Oak football team, #77 was the team captain and started as an offensive lineman for the second straight year. In addition, teammates, peers, and anyone associated with Matt will contest that he is one of the most positive people they have ever met. He always has a positive outlook on life and never says anything negative about another person or situation. Even through many difficult times in his life, such as the deaths of numerous family members and the divorce of his biological parents, he still maintains a very positive attitude.
He even continually makes jokes about his disability to those who he first meets to break the ice, and if any one ever questions him about the possibility of succeeding in doing something, he lives by his motto of “Don’t ever say you can’t do it until you try.” He also is encouraged to show others that his disability isn’t really a disability to him. When he talks to younger football players, or young kids wondering how he can be successful in everything he does, he tells them, “Don’t let it stop you; you can do whatever you want.”
Many students who have had the opportunity to meet Matt and question their own potential say, “If he can do it, so can I.” In the future, Matt would love to continue his education in college and also wants to play football at a higher level. He still has the motivation to become a professional football player or a coach, and also wants to be involved with the Native American Pala tribe’s council when he gets old enough. As his mother, Annette, summed it up, “We are all very proud of him and what he has accomplished so far.” And if you asked any of the students who know him, or any of his teammates, or any of the staff at Great Oak High School, they would definitely say the same thing.