Finding direction through experience, Matthew Dowd, a proud member of West Haven High School’s Class of 2018, discovered purpose both on and off the field during his time as a Westie. A former member of the lacrosse team, his journey through high school, college, and now the professional world is a testament to growth, reflection, and discovering what truly drives you.
Reflecting on his time at WHHS, Matt shared how impactful certain relationships were during high school. “While I enjoyed strong relationships with all my teachers, Mrs. Poffenberger’s patience and dedication to educating me is something that is rare to find. Through my time with Mrs. Poffenberger, I learned to lead with empathy and believe in others as much as they believe in me.” Motivated by her guidance, Matt embraced new challenges and consistently put in the effort to grow both academically and personally.
When thinking about advice for current students, Matt encourages them to find their purpose early. “Figure out ‘your why’ and relate it to what you are currently doing,” he said. “Your why is critically important in anchoring your decisions, actions, and mindset to something meaningful. Once you know what drives you and pushes you beyond a paycheck you become unstoppable. Motivation tied to discipline is a recipe for success.”
If he could speak to his high school self, Matt said he’d remind himself to enjoy the moment. “I would tell myself to enjoy the times I have with family and friends around me and that life isn’t that serious,” he said. “Not to be confused with don’t take things seriously—but have a laugh as you are on your journey.”
Today, Matt is thriving professionally as a Client Delivery Manager at memoryBlue, a firm that specializes in lead generation for high-tech sales companies—from cybersecurity to fintech and SaaS. “I have the pleasure of managing my own sales team while wearing three main hats,” he explained. “I am a hiring manager, which means I conduct interviews to attract and secure top sales talent in the tech space. I am a coach for my team, which is the bulk of my day-to-day—continuing to train and develop our SDRs. Lastly, I am an Account Manager for the clients we partner with. I work alongside CEOs and C-Suite sales and marketing professionals to plan strategic initiatives and carry out success.”
The path to that career wasn’t linear. “As I was graduating college, I thought I wanted to be a project manager. I met with some of my favorite college professors and realized that sales resonated more with my values,” he shared. “In a job I crave training, growth, and culture, and I was easily able to check off those three boxes with a sales career, especially at memoryBlue.” Now, celebrating three years with the company in August 2025, Matt has earned several promotions and continues to grow.
His approach to challenges centers on mindset. “As I continued to grow both personally and professionally, I recognized the importance of my own mindset,” he said. “When I would hit a dip at work and felt a bit uncertain, that would affect the work that I was doing. If I was crushing it, then it became easy to get complacent and I’d eventually find myself back in a dip.”
He summed it up with a quote he lives by: “There are no bad days, only bad moments. Stay neutral. Don’t stay too low in the lows and don’t live too high in the highs.” For Matt, controlling and calibrating his emotions has been key to staying focused and present.
Matt’s story is a reminder that growth often comes from reflection, that mindset matters, and that finding your “why” can shape not only your career—but your entire life.