Viewpoints
Matt Schoenmann with a group of Viewpoints members.
It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of Viewpoints Journalism Specialist Advisor Matt Schoenmann. Matt worked at Riverside City College for the past 13 years. His dedication and passion for journalism and his students made him the backbone of our program. He was a teacher and mentor, but most of all, a friend to many who have walked into our newsroom throughout the years. His passion for journalism will live on in his name at Viewpoints.
Everyone will say that grief does not have a playbook. That is a unique analogy given that Matt and I shared a tremendous bond over our love for sports.
But a playbook that was given to me was how to work hard, find your footing, and be successful in the field of journalism. That playbook was given to me by Matt.
From the first time I met him in Feb. 2024, I knew he wouldn’t be an ordinary teacher. His passion and willingness to help students was evident from the jump. From then on, I knew I had someone I could always go to with questions about anything journalism-related and even questions about life.
One of the first compliments ever given to me by Matt was that I was “coachable.” And that’s who Matt was, a coach, in the purest form.
We would sit side by side at our desks in the newsroom and go over any story, picture, or design that I needed to be looked at. But the conversations that always stood out to me the most were the ones where we would sit and talk shop.
We would go on for hours about the sporting world and how the Dodgers are “ruining baseball” and Matt would always tell me – as a lifelong Dodger fan – that this is the way it’s always been.
We’d crack jokes and flap gums about memories of our childhoods growing up playing sports.
We’d talked about politics even though I couldn’t tell you the first thing about them, but Matt would be there to educate me on my broad opinions.
He broke out in laughter when I told him that I voted for Nick Saban in the previous election.
Our conversations weren’t just contained in the newsroom. Anytime I was out reporting the first person I would text when I had a question or just wanted to share something with was Matt. We’d frequently talk on a phone call for about an hour once a week, going over life, writing, and how we could make the program better.
When I was recently accepted to my dream school of Arizona State University Walter Cronkite School of Journalism a couple of months ago the first person, I told was Matt. He had always affirmed to me that I could be good enough to go to any of the top universities in the nation even when I didn’t believe I could.
Seeing that text back from him that said “Hell yeah! Proud of you dude!” almost brought me to tears. Matt would always rave about some of his previous top students, some of which I’ve gotten the opportunity to connect with. When he would talk about these past students in the back of my head I would think “One day I want him to talk about me like this.” The recognition of Matt was something I was always chasing.
I never thought that a teacher could be a “mentor” or leave a lasting impact on me as a person until I entered this field. First, it was Dr. Ed Rice at Moreno Valley College and then it was Matt when I joined Viewpoints.
They helped bring eyes and light to my passion for storytelling for the world of sports.
One of the things Matt always told me was to go out and report no matter what. News doesn’t just come to you; you have to go out and find it. A sentiment I’ve passed along as Editor-in-Chief and one that I will continue to pass along after I’m done at RCC.
It’ll hurt the next time I go to text you about what just happened at the baseball game. Or to ask you to edit my story or critique my design. But it will hurt most of all when I go to turn to my left towards your desk in the newsroom for a chat and you won’t be there.
In what turned out to be the final conversation I had with Matt just a couple of days ago, he told me that he hadn’t been feeling well but he was trying to make it back in for the students. I told him that I was holding things down and that I could handle anything that we needed to get done.
I didn’t understand at that time the weight in which those words would hold. I may not have a playbook on how to handle this but I was a student of Matt Schoenmann, so I know I have the playbook of success.
Don’t worry about us, Matt. I got this from here on out. Your legacy and passion will not go anywhere, I will make sure of that.
Rest in peace, my friend.