Matthew Preston
Matt was born in Florida and raised in Texas and Indiana. He is the oldest of seven Latino siblings and has worked since the age of 15. He first enlisted in the U.S. Air Force as a loadmaster. Then he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a crew chief on Apache helicopters, where he recovered downed aircraft during a one-year combat deployment in Afghanistan. After eight years of military service, he decided to use the G.I. Bill for college.
Within two-and-a-half years, Matt graduated summa cum laude from IUPUI with a triple major in Philosophy, Political Science, and Latino Studies and a triple minor in Women’s Studies, Legal Studies, and Spanish. While at IUPUI, he founded a chapter of Iota, Iota, Iota, the only Women's Studies Honor Society in the country, and he worked as a pest-control service manager at Bugs-B-Gone, a teacher assistant for the Department of Philosophy, and a research assistant at the Institute for American Thought. After undergrad, he was the policy-analyst intern at the Indiana State Senate. Then he was admitted to the University of Michigan Law School.
At Michigan Law, among many other activities, Matt was a senior editor for the Michigan Law Review, the President of the Michigan Law Veterans Society, the Treasurer of the First Generation Law Students, an interviewer for the Faculty Hiring Committee, a student attorney for the Workers’ Rights Clinic, a competitor in the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court, an LCLD summer associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and a peer tutor to law students from disadvantaged and nontraditional backgrounds. He won the Provost's Teaching Innovation Prize, earned the Pro Bono Service Award, and graduated cum laude. On top of all that, he also maintained status as a Sentinel of Freedom, a National AMVETS Scholar, and a Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar.
Admitted to the bar in California and six federal courts, Matt currently serves as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Thomas L. Ludington in the Eastern District of Michigan, after which he will clerk for the Honorable Ralph R. Erickson in the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. He has been published in USA Today and the Belmont Law Review. He has two dogs, Socrates and Gemma. And he dedicates all his successes to his wife, Francy.
Matthew’s Veteran applicant shared some inspiring words on the impacts of his mentorship: “It was essential to my success. He helped me choose top schools that I normally would not have applied to due to self-selection. He supported me through the whole journey in every aspect of my applications. He was, and still is, a great source of encouragement and support. Without a doubt, the most professional and knowledgeable individual I have worked with during my transition from soldier to civilian. Matt's help and services are priceless.” – Matthew Rogowski, Stanford Law School, Fall 2023
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