Where are they now: Matthew Sestak

Though Perkins County native Matthew Sestak no longer lives in Perkins County, he carries his small town past with pride, and uses his experiences to guide his life and career.

Sestak is the son of Bryan and Julie Sestak.

He grew up in Madrid, and attended school at Wheatland until the fourth grade when he consolidated to Perkins County Schools.

He graduated high school in 2014 and attended college at the University of Nebraska Lincoln where he majored in education with a focus on secondary social science. He also received an endorsement in coaching.

“I chose UNL when I was in the third grade,” Sestak said. “I love the Huskers-—that was really the main driving point toward Lincoln.”

Sestak decided on his career in high school. His art teacher Mr. Lance Wurst and English, Spanish and speech teacher Ms. Diana Tate, along with other educators who taught Sestak through the years, were the inspirations behind his career choice.

“They have really shown me what it’s like to truly value someone for who they are,” Sestak said.

He added they instilled in him the lesson to treat students as more than just students, or more than just grades, because they are human beings.

“They cared for me, and I want to provide that for someone else,” he continued. “You know, for someone to see them as a human being and treat them as a human being with emotions.”

After his graduation from UNL in 2018, Sestak moved on to his current teaching position at St. Patrick’s Catholic School in Lincoln, the smallest Catholic school in the city. This year marks his third year at the school.

St. Patrick’s is a Pre-K through eighth grade school, and Sestak teaches fifth grade students.

Because he is not teaching at a secondary level, Sestak does not focus solely on teaching social sciences. He gets to teach all subjects including math, reading, science, social studies and religion.

Initially, he viewed the position as a job, and as a way to gain experience for the future. It has become much more than “just a job,” he now realizes.

The school is located in an area of Lincoln called Havelock, which has been called “a small town within a city,” and its size reminds Sestak of his hometown.

“It was such a small school kind of like where I grew up, with class sizes around 20,” Sestak noted. 

After spending a year at St. Patrick’s, Sestak said he was humbled by the experience and he felt so much closer to the school and area.

“It’s just kind of become a part of who I am, and I take pride in that,” he said.

Sestak believes growing up in Perkins County is something that has influenced his pride in small town living.

In big cities, he said, the relationships between those who live there are different from those of people in small towns.

An example he gave is how important neighbors are in small towns, and how typically people know the people who live around them well.

In Lincoln, Sestak added, he barely knows his neighbors, and it’s not uncommon to notice people who feel isolated because while there are many people, it is harder to make the same connections small communities allow.

Sestak also believes people in larger cities don’t fully appreciate the lives that small town people have, whether it’s the hard work farmers do, the relationships people are able to build, how helpful and supportive small towns can be or even something as small as the night sky.

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