Matthew Finnerty, math teacher, is the only man on campus that can call himself an Englishman, a soldier and an educator.

For the first 14 years of his life, Finnerty grew up in London, England. From time to time, his father would take him to witness events ranging from the World Cup to a nationally publicized wedding.

“One of my best childhood memories was when my father took me to go see the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana,” said Finnerty.

Then in 1981, he and his family moved to America due to the numerous economic opportunities.

“By far the single biggest memory [of my childhood] was when I packed up, said goodbye to my family, and moved 6000 miles,” said Finnerty.

11 years later, Finnerty enlisted in the U.S. Navy, due to its disciplined environment.

“I wanted to finish my degree [in mathematics] and I wanted a good structured environment to do it in,” said Finnerty. “Plus, they were going to pay me.”

During his time serving in the Navy, Finnerty got assigned to the VX-9 Vampires. The squadron mainly worked on the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, a fighter jet, conducting high-tech experiments on its weapons system.

Separately, Finnerty accomplished many feats as a military man. He graduated Officer Candidate School (OCS), making him a full-fledged soldier, as well as Flight Crew School, which was close to 18 months.

“[One time] I had to go through survival training. Basically, a group of three to four men go out in the desert and survive. It was mainly to practice survival techniques with minimal supplies,” said Finnerty.

After completing the necessary fields, Finnerty worked as a training officer.

“Besides the flying, I worked with a lot of the junior personnel. It was my job to get them used to what was going on with the squadron and to make sure they follow procedures and proper protocol,” said Finnerty.

However, his life as a soldier came to an abrupt end when he got into a life- changing car accident.

While driving, the car windshield shattered and disseminated into shrapnel. Some of the glass had gotten into his eye, causing permanent damage. After he had surgery to remove the shrapnel, Finnerty realized that he was “grounded” and unable to fly.

“I didn’t want to stay in the Navy if I couldn’t fly, so I ended my service then. But the accident was actually a blessing in disguise. If I hadn’t gotten injured, then I probably wouldn’t have left the Navy and I would never have started teaching,” said Finnerty.

When he was discharged from the Navy, Finnerty still had the same attachment to leadership and education.

“I liked doing the training job in the military. I enjoyed showing people how to properly do things and do them the right way. It was during this time when I began to develop a passion for teaching,” said Finnerty.

After he was discharged in 2000, Finnerty began to teach in many different schools, including Irvine High School, but it was not until 2007 that he joined the BOHS staff as a geometry and precalculus teacher. In a short amount of time, Finnerty has proven himself to be an adept teacher as well as an influential role model.

Jonathon Lindenmeyer, sophomore, remarked that “He smoothed me into my second year of high school. Finnerty promotes hard work yet understands the need of relaxation.”

Finnerty has a great impact on students and tries his best to help them both on and off the clock.

“Mr. Finnerty was really good at explaining concepts to us. He is always there for extra help, before school, after school, at lunch. He also taught me live by his motto: ‘work smarter, not harder,’” said Lauren Lastra, junior.

However, Finnerty is not solely an educator, but he is also a family man. Almost immediately after the end of his military service, he proposed to his friend, Cori. A year later after their marriage in 2001, their son Andrew was born.

“I love the time I spend with my family. We create new memories with each other by traveling, enjoying California, and just basically being with one another,” said Finnerty.

Throughout his progression from soldier to teacher to father, Finnerty has led an action packed life.

“I have been all over the world and traveled so much. I am extremely lucky and blessed to be able to do so much in my life,” said Finnerty.