December 9, 2024
Professor Matthew ‘Matt’ Wells has been an adjunct professor in the School of Communication for over ten years. Not only is he a professor, but he is also a producer for the Jared and Katie Show, a promotions director for WKZL 107.5 and WKRR Rock 92 and a co-director for the Summer Advantage Program. An Alum of High Point, Wells received his bachelor’s in electronic media studies and did the fifth-year master’s program at HPU to receive his master’s in strategic communication.
Wells started off teaching radio practicum that segued into podcasting after the pandemic hit. Now, he teaches human communication and podcasting workshop. His love for the communication field has been a constant throughout his life, a passion that has steadily grown and ultimately defined his career.
“I always knew I wanted to do something in communication. Going into my junior year, the station manager [of radio] was leaving and he asked me if I wanted to become a program director,” Wells began. “I was in the mode where I'm like don't say no to anything. So, I just took it, and I loved every second of it. I really discovered that I had a passion for entertaining people.”
This passion was encouraged with the help of the founding dean of the School of Communication, Dean Tremblay.
“Dean Tremblay taught the radio course that I was the program director for,” Wells said. “Dr. Tremblay was such a good mentor for me during that time. While I was in graduate school, I was one of his teacher's assistants for some of his classes, and I guess I did a good enough job to where when I did graduate, he reached out and said, ‘I think you'd be a good fit to come on and teach.”
“I thought so highly of him. Having him give me that confidence and proactively offer me that position… I didn't feel like I was in a position where I could tell him no. It was such an honor.”
As an alum, the transition to being a student to a professor was interesting. Wells said that he was once sitting next to his peers in class and seeing them in the cafe, but now he was grading their papers. One thing that made this easier was that he had just been in their seats, so he knew how they were feeling. The bizarre transition was becoming colleagues with those who were once his professors.
“I mean there's some colleagues that I've had that were my teachers, and that was a weird thing at first because I still want to call them doctor and get nervous around them,” Wells said.
Wells’ favorite thing about being a professor is seeing students grow. He loves to see the process of where a student started in his classes versus how they’ve grown. He enjoys seeing his students succeed, and one of his favorite things is knowing he’s made an impact on a student’s life.
“Knowing that every day I have the opportunity to make someone laugh or smile or have a positive impact on somebody; that's what motivates me. I'm not in either of these industries to become a billionaire. I get to genuinely have a positive impact on people's lives every single day, and selfishly, that makes me feel really good.”
As a communication professor and co-director of the Summer Advantage program, Wells recommends students take risks and get involved. He values interpersonal communication, and his goal as a professor is to see students prosper.
“Communication will always be valuable, and it's always going to separate you from whoever you're against,” Wells said. “If you can leave my class feeling more accomplished, feeling more comfortable and confident in that, that's a win. That's a win because you're going to have an advantage over everybody else, you're going against.”
When he’s not teaching, you can probably find Wells in the kitchen. He enjoys sharing his love of food with his wife and son, making restaurant meals at home. Wells has a show alongside some of his coworkers called The Big Foodies. On The Big Foodies, they try different foods and review them.
“I love trying different foods, cooking different things, going to new restaurants and trying signature dishes in the area,” Wells said.
Wells is also a producer and a promotions director for the Jared and Katie Show. As a producer, Matt is in charge of writing content, editing promotions, talking on the show and any behind the scenes work that may need to be completed.
As a promotions director, he gets to help plan any events that go on in the community.
Some of Wells most memorable events include the Pooch-A-Mania, trunk or treating and Breaking and Entering Christmas. Pooch-A-Mania was a dog event where dog owners showcased their dogs' most “furbulous” talents as well as had an adoption center for dogs to get adopted. This year, all the dogs got adopted. The station also hosted a community trunk or treat where over one thousand kids showed up to receive candy. Finally, they host an annual Breaking and Entering Christmas where they help collect donations for a family in need. Giving back to the community is Wells’ favorite part of the job.
“I think we take that for granted that we have such an impact on so many different people at so many different times,” Wells said. “The charitable aspect of being able to make the worst time of [someone’s] life less hard, giving them an hour to make them forget about that and smile, you can't measure that.”
From navigating the world of radio to inspiring students in the classroom, Professor Matt Wells has found the perfect recipe for a fulfilling career. His journey proves that saying yes to every opportunity and having passion for the things you love can open doors to endless possibilities, because “you don't know which yes is going to open the biggest door for you. So, if you say yes to all of them, you won't miss it.”
The Jared and Katie Show on Spotify , YouTube, and their Website