News

Citizen of Two Countries, Not an "All-American" Boy

(Released 6/1/2010)

JAMESTOWN - Matthew Frow, a recent graduate of GTCC where he earned a two- year business degree and was Student Government Association president, looks like a typical "All-American" boy.

But he's not. Despite speaking perfect English and excelling in the culture around him, Frow is a citizen of two other countries, England and Paraguay. He wants to make the United States his home. Immensely popular with faculty and fellow students, he said he has to pay a price for not being an American citizen.

Frow, 22, who hopes to get his four-year degree in business from UNCG, has to pay out-of-state tuition costs or about double what in-state students pay. He says paying that tuition is tough for a self-supporting student. "I'm trying to work out something with UNCG about the residency requirements," he said.

Frow, who lives in High Point, has lived in America since August 2007 when he came here so his sick mother could be cared for by his sister in Greensboro. His mother, Diane Frow, recovered from her illness and returned to Paraguay.

His father Alwyn has remarried and moved to Chile, he said. Matthew Frow was born in Paraguay but also holds citizenship in England because his parents are from England.

His wife, the former Brittany Rockett of Hickory, is a special education teacher at Northeastern Middle School.

Frow won the President's Medal, the top award given annually at the GTCC graduation. "He models successful student behavior for the rest of the class and brings about a serious and thoughtful atmosphere with his obvious desire for knowledge. He regularly demonstrates initiative, enthusiasm and leadership," according to the announcement of his nomination for the award.

He won a slew of awards and was involved in many activities. Frow held several offices, including being a student ambassador and also becoming an honors student with a 3.7 grade point average. He was the curriculum award winner for the business department and recipient of the $1,000 Ray Moody Scholarship. Frow also was a volunteer with Urban Ministries.

His education hasn't come easy, he said. "Growing up in South America, my parents could not afford to send me to school. At the age of nine I was taken out of the Paraguayan school system along with my four brothers and we were homeschooled by our mother. Things got tough economically, and so my brothers and I had to find jobs to help offset our expenses.

"At age 14 I started teaching English as a Second Language to Pre-K and kindergarten. I then started teaching middle school as well as high school," Frow added.

As a high school junior, he found out that the ministry of education would not recognize a homeschooled high school diploma. He took a placement test and was "placed in the ninth grade because of my lack of knowledge of Paraguayan history and cross-cultural differences in math," Frow said.

He earned his GED at Rockingham County Community College after moving to Greensboro with his sick mother. "I immediately was able to enroll at GTCC. I came to GTCC because my sister (Maria Perrot) is here," he said.

He has taken these challenges in stride, he said. "I see everything in life as a challenge."

Frow has set goals that involve his native country and his adopted country after he earns a four-year college degree: "I want to own a hotel, and open a company to import high quality products from Paraguay; and maybe have a travel agency too," he said.

"I also want to setup a foundation so international students like myself can get help in gaining an education," Frow said.

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