- I was born in the Bronx in Parkchester General Hospital. Parkchester closed about 10 years after I was born. My parents, Sonia (Hernandez) and Santiago “Jimmy” Matos were born in Puerto Rico. They met in NYC where they started a family of five children (three girls; two boys). I’m the middle child. I have an older brother, an older sister and two younger sisters.
- After living and attending grade school (Public School - PS 87) in the Bronx, my family moved to Long Island. After attending Riverhead High School, I decided to attend college at SUNY Cobleskill.
- During the first week of my second year at Cobleskill, I met a young lady from Albany named Nora who was in her first year at the college. During that very same week, Nora introduced me to a college staff member as the man she was going to marry. That turned out to be a prophetic statement as we got married in 1992 and have lived in the Capital Region ever since.
- Before we had children, Nora and I traveled to Alaska. While we were in Denali National Park on an excursion to see Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley), our guide/bus driver had to pull over to rescue a hiker. The hiker at the time was unaware of a mother brown bear and her cubs approaching him from the mountain side. We were happy bears don’t bother buses.
- Nora and I are the proud parents of two Siena graduates. Our son, RJ, earned his computer science degree in 2018 and our daughter, Olivia, earned her accounting degree one year later. Working at Siena and spending time with my family allows me to be surrounded by Saints seven days a week!
- Rounding out our family is our beloved Boston Terrier, Barrett. When Barrett first joined our family, I wondered if he was a Boston “Terror” as opposed to Terrier. I don’t think a slipper or shoe survived his adjustment to our home.
- I love playing ice hockey. I started playing right after RJ was born and continue to play to this day. I passed along that passion to both my son and daughter. Olivia first started as a competitive figure skater, but we all knew she wouldn’t be able to resist the sport. Over the years we traveled to many great places to watch them train and play. They’ve skated on rinks throughout New York, New England, Pennsylvania and Canada. Our Canadian excursions saw us visit wonderful places such as Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Cornwall and Winnipeg. My favorite stop though will always be Lake Placid, NY.
- After 12 years away, I rediscovered my love for golf. Maybe all of that time away was needed because in October of 2021, I recorded my first ever “Ace” (hole in one) on the par three 17th hole at Saratoga Lake Golf Club.
- Two of my favorite traditions at Siena are the blessing of the animals and Siena’s giving tree. It’s a blast seeing so many pets and their excited owners on campus. The giving tree holds a special place in the hearts of my family. Being able to give back to families during the holidays is important to me and my family and I love to see the amount of support our community puts into it. It is something I know changes lives.
- I still have lots of family in Puerto Rico. My father had many siblings and as a result, I have cousins scattered throughout. During our last visit, my father – with the best of intentions – guided an eight-hour tour in a van for Nora, RJ, Olivia and myself. He was just visiting old places, friends and family but boy oh boy with so many beautiful beaches around, that’s a lot of time in a van!
