September 2017: Student Spotlight featuring Matthew Hughes

Hometown: Drexel Hill, PA

Major: Chemical Engineering

Activities & Involvement: Captain and Treasurer of Villanova Rugby

Career Aspiration: Executive in the Process/ Manufacturing Industry

Favorite Quote: "Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.” -John Wooden

Extraordinary Circumstances: Matt is one of three children currently in college. Medical issues have caused a financial hardship.

Work Experience: Matt has been working full time every summer since he turned 16. He has a work study job and interned for PBF Energy.

“My family and I really appreciate your generosity. Over my four years at Villanova my family’s financial aid has significantly decreased and I have taken out several student loans along with working during the school year, That being said, this scholarship means so much to my family. We can’t thank you enough.” -Matt Hughes

The Villanova University Rugby Football Club is one of the oldest collegiate rugby teams in the United States, founded in 1958 by Villanova professor Francis Coghlan. The club is currently competing in the D-1AA Keystone Conference. This will be the 3rd season for the Wildcats in this division.

The 2017 fall season started with more excitement than ever with a strong preseason. The team took convincing wins over Doylestown and the University of Penn in strong fashion. Over the course of the preseason, the team was able to able to field multiple games for both sides and this was critical to player development and camaraderie. These wins allowed the club to improve all aspects of their game heading into league play. Despite such strong early success, the wildcats have a tough road ahead on them in the competitive Keystone Conference. Looking forward to the spring semester, the team will compete in 15s and 7s, with majority of 7s play taking place in tournaments. Examples of these upcoming tournaments are the ACRC tournaments, Keystone Conference league play, City 6 tournaments, and the Collegiate Rugby Championship: Philadelphia Cup. For the club, I am the treasurer, captain and officer. I have tried to be involved as much as possible with the club over my four years here. I really enjoy the sport and being more involved has made my experience at Villanova that much better. As my Villanova career is in its final year, I’m looking to work in the process/manufacturing industry as a process engineer at a company like Exxon Mobile.