Coming from an eighth grade graduating class of 20, Matthew Cartwright, freshman, finds himself as if without gravity in the halls of NHS, unsure how to navigate a universe completely new to him.

Transitioning from three classrooms to hundreds is intimidating for Matthew as he stands on Tullar’s curb.  Anxiety over walking through the halls and arriving to classes on time occupy Matthew’s thoughts on his first few days, but as his routine continues he begins to feel more comfortable, realizing that NHS is not a ginormous galaxy, only a newly discovered planet that he is destined to explore.

While on such explorations, Matthew finds that understanding the contents of this strange new world is simple compared with connecting to the alien inhabitants of NHS.  He feels unsteady and uncomfortable with the vernacular, resolutions and actions of his peers.  

Because of this, Matthew does not understand why they make certain choices, knowing their decisions are unhealthy and unwise.  Therefore, finding friends is harder than he originally anticipated.  Faced with the the need to survive on an unknown planet, Matthew feels completely lost and utterly alone.

In reality, he is not alone.

It is fifth mod., a class dedicated to helping him learn the foreign ways of this world, when, Matthew recalls that one of the LAUNCH Leaders took him aside and said: “We’re here for you.”  

“It was a really good uplifter, to find out that LAUNCH Leaders do care about me, and they want me to be successful in this high school.”

Because of this experience, Matthew wants to become a LAUNCH Leader too, to help freshman navigate a school that may seem like an uncharted universe.  Matthew aspires to take one small step of kindness in order to make a giant leap for NHS — forming NHS into a place where everyone is proud to be a Rocket.