Meet Matt Hoye '83, who went from being inside the classrooms of ASH to the press corps of Air Force One. Matt has traveled the world as a journalist, covering everything from natural disasters to U.S. presidential campaigns. In his journey at ASH, he discovered a passion for storytelling, forged lifelong friendships, and developed the resilience that would define his career. In this interview, Matt reflects on how ASH shaped his path, the teachers who inspired him, and the moments that brought him back full circle.

What is your background at ASH?

 

I arrived at ASH in fifth grade in 1975 in mid-January the day after my 10th birthday. My family had just been evacuated from Lebanon which was mired in civil war, and we thought we would only be in the Netherlands a short time before we could return to Beirut.

 

However, as the war intensified, it became clear we were not going back any time soon. In fact, we never moved back, and I wound up growing up at ASH and graduating in 1983. My older sister Eileen also went to ASH and she graduated in 1979.

 

I am sure there are students now at ASH who have experienced similar unexpected life changes, and the best part about this school is the fact that we were so small that everyone came together, everyone knew each other and everyone was welcoming. New friendships were almost instant - I remember eagerly looking forward to meeting the new students who were coming in at the start of every year. I have a funny story about that later.

 

 

Until you actually leave, you cannot realize what a special place ASH really is. The friendships that I, that we all, made at ASH have lasted my entire life. I keep in touch with so many fellow students and teachers and friends who I crossed paths with at so many points in my life. And for that, I am so grateful.

 

 

The freedom to explore so many activities from the arts to the student paper, to drama, to being on the rugby team, to trying out for track, to going out in The Hague, all helped shape me into who I am today.

 

Participating in the school paper (called “Transmare” at the time), helped me decide that I wanted to be a journalist. In fact, I built a 30-year career doing just that. And taking part in plays like ‘Guys and Dolls’ taught me to not be afraid of talking in front of large groups of people. For example, when I got my first job in television, I had to give studio tours to large groups, and from day one it felt totally natural.

 

The rugby team taught me it was okay to fail, and get up again the next day and try again. (We almost always lost, but because we had each other as teammates it really didn’t matter.) And, oh, I hated track in high school, but now I am an avid runner. I have run 10-plus marathons including the New York City Marathon twice and the Marine Corps Marathon in DC three times. I’m slow as a turtle, but I do it because I decided to try it again - years after I failed at it and I fell in love with it.

 

So I encourage every student today to try it all. If you fail, it’s okay. Your teachers and your friends will be there to help you get back up. And believe me when I say, I could not have had the career or life I’ve had without my ASH education.

 

 

The funny story I mentioned earlier about meeting people and making lifelong connections, makes me think I would be remiss to say the one standout person is Melissa Junior, who says I was the first person she met when she walked through the doors of ASH back in 1981. We stayed in touch over the years, and almost 15 years ago now, we got together and are now living happily together in the DC area with our two Dutch dogs. She loves to point out that we never dated in High School.

 

And from the school there are so many teachers to thank. Mr. Freedberg who ran the drama program, and helped build the theater at the Wassenaar campus, and is still a friend. Mr. Price who ran the school newspaper, and taught me so much about newspapering and copy editing. Mr. Maguire who taught and explained economics. And so so many others. I know these names might not mean much to most of the students today, but having met some of today’s teachers and staff who have taken over, I know the spirit of ASH that I remember so fondly lives on in their very capable hands.

 

 

I kind of always knew I wanted to be a journalist. My father and mother both worked as journalists. I decided to pursue a political science degree at University, and actually moved back to Wassenaar for my Junior year and went to Webster University in Leiden and took international relations classes there. When I moved back to Wisconsin for my senior year, I graduated and got a job at a local TV station in Milwaukee, before applying to work at CNN.

 

I started at CNN in Atlanta at the global headquarters in a very entry-evel position, and slowly worked my way up to copy editor and then producer, and then switched to work for CNN International. Again, having been at ASH and living in Europe for so many years gave me quite a leg up on others who were applying for the job.

 

Eventually, I was recruited for a job at CNN’s Washington Bureau, and spent years in the field covering everything from hurricanes and tornados, to other unbelievable tragedies. I also covered five presidential campaigns, covered the White House and Capitol Hill, and traveled the World. I even flew on Air Force One several times, including a trip with President Obama to Tokyo.

 

But the real highlight of my career came when I got to cover President Obama when he came to The Hague in 2014. He was holding a meeting with President Xi of China, and also attending the Nuclear Summit. I remember the White House press corps were staying in Leiden, and we were in th presidential motorcade racing down the Rijksstraatweg to the meetings, with sirens blaring and we passed ASH. And I told everyone that we were passing MY old high school, with such pride.

 

To this day I still reflect on how far life has taken me thanks to this little wonderful school.

 

One last note, when I traveled for work I would always try to see fellow ASHers in whatever city I was in. So much so that others in the press corps started joking that I had to meet my “handler” when I would go to places like Tokyo and meet up with former ASHer Yukiko Kobayashi, or The Hague and meet up with Allison (Boonstra) Noble, and her husband Mark, and her parents Jane and Bert Boonstra, and so many others. The joke was always “Are you going to meet a friend from High School?” I would always just smile and say “Yes, actually.”