A Culture of Service

Meet alumni and students who are changing their world

World Changers Week highlights Andrews University alumni and students whose experiences bring continued growth and whose work makes a positive impact on their world. From March 15–19, visit andrews.edu each day for a new alumni feature, and join the Center for Faith Engagement each evening:

• Monday–Thursday, 8 p.m., PMC Youth Chapel
• Friday, 7:30 p.m., PMC Sanctuary

Chapel credit is available for in-person attendance. A livestream can be viewed on the Andrews University YouTube channel. Find the full schedule of events on the UniversityFaith app.

Matt Master

When did you attend Andrews and what did you study? How were you involved on campus?
I attended Andrews from 2008 until 2013 and majored in communication with a minor in English writing.

I tried to take on as many extracurricular activities as possible to make the most of my time at Andrews. I participated in many intramural sports and played for the University soccer team, volunteered at campus worships and club events, and represented the University on the Van Andel Millennial Board, a consortium of representatives from 13 private colleges and universities in Michigan. I also spent much of my time involved in music and worship at the University. I sang as a part of the University Singers, Men’s Chorus and University Chorale, played French horn for the Wind Symphony, and was an active praise leader on campus. I also had the privilege to serve in Campus Ministries as a student chaplain for my last three years of undergraduate.

Describe your current work.
Currently I work for AdventHealth, a healthcare company that focuses on whole-person care with the distinct mission of “Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ.” As an Agile Product Owner, I work with leaders in our organization to solve enterprise level problems through application development. For example, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, our organization closed all non-essential service lines to help slow the spread of the virus. This meant that many of our employees were without work, while at the same time many of our 50+ hospitals experienced surges of COVID patients. Working with key stakeholders throughout AdventHealth, our team was able to quickly build an application that would allow us to rapidly redeploy employees from closed service lines to facilities experiencing a surge. This app was crucial in providing care in the areas that needed it most while saving our organization millions of dollars in agency costs.

Why are you doing what you are doing? How are you influencing your community?
I work in healthcare because I am passionate about providing care to the caregivers. By using application development to solve organizational problems, I have the unique opportunity to really listen to our team members and provide tangible assistance in the form of custom applications. On a deeper level, I am able to live out the mission of extending the healing ministry of Christ by supporting healing within the workplace at AdventHealth.

Through work, I am able to make a difference by providing better healthcare to my community. At church, I am the minister of music and have the privilege of mentoring musicians of all ages. I am also a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) which allows me to network with other healthcare administrators to both discuss and provide solutions to real problems that affect my community.

How did your Andrews experience impact your calling or your work?
The mentors and teachers that I had at Andrews reinforced the idea that work could be a calling. Admittedly, I did not exactly know what I wanted to do as a profession when I graduated from Andrews, but my experience taught me that it was okay not to know. I learned that it is far more important to get out and do than to rely on a single plan. Not to say planning isn’t important, but learning to adjust my plans and to better myself through it all has led me to where I am in my career.

What advice would you have for Andrews students as they prepare for life after university?
Ask questions to deepen your understanding. This applies to both your interactions with others and your interactions with yourself. Treat every interaction as an opportunity to learn from another perspective and to question your own thoughts and perceptions, and you will find both your curiosity and humility will exponentially increase.

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World Changers Week: Diana Cordero Ortiz