Flathead High School senior Matthew Groneman has taken the adversity he’s overcome as a lesson in learning the extent of his perseverance.

Dressed in a suit and tie with a backpack on his shoulders and a pair of headphones — which he’s never without — Groneman arrived at the counselor department for an interview on May 28.

“Music is a big thing for me. It always helps me calm down. ... they’re a part of me,” he said with a laugh adjusting the headphones around his neck.

Stepping into Flathead counselor Michael Sherman’s office, Groneman slid his backpack off his shoulders, setting it down. Taking a seat, the polite 18-year-old rested his hands on the arms of the chair, settling it to share a bit about his life and the importance of making it to graduation on June 4.

While high school graduation marks the transition into young adulthood, Groneman said he was forced to grow up quickly, learning to depend on himself at a young age while taking care of siblings when, at times, they were without parental supervision for days or months.

“I look at myself as a star that was dimming out, but then brightened up,” Groneman said.

Sherman described Groneman as a kind, mild-mannered and unassuming student — a feat considering the traumatic events he went through, which ultimately resulted in him and his siblings being removed from the care of a parent. They were placed in the care of a relative, but that quickly resulted in being placed in the youth home system.

Eventually, he moved into Youth Opportunities Resources, a long-term group home in Kila, and found stability, got a job at Taco Bell, where he’s worked for nearly two years, and strengthened his sense of self-motivation to work hard at school.

Groneman had become used to being “the new kid” at school, estimating he’s shuffled around seven schools before landing at Flathead halfway through his sophomore year. At FHS he’s had enough time to develop a sense of community and find his niche in art.

“Every time you have to move you have to find new friends,” he said, later noting, “I was always the lone wolf because of that type of deal until I came here to Flathead I started to become more social. I would say Flathead is the best school ever. Everyone was friendly and would say ‘hi.’ I didn’t expect that because it was such a big school.”

“Despite these difficult family circumstances and his personal learning challenges, Matthew has thrived in school and earned high academic marks,” Sherman said. “The best part of Matthew is how he has endeared himself to everyone who has had the pleasure to come in contact with him. Matthew has such an infectious positive persona and a quality character, one will certainly feel uplifted after spending a few moments with him.

Walking around the school this is evident. Teachers’ faces break into smiles when they stop to compliment or congratulate Groneman.

Special education teacher Kay Lister described what makes Groneman unique.

“He has a quick and witty sense of humor. He has grit to overcome and take the action to be successful as a human being. I am so proud of this kid in so many ways,” said Lister, who also noted he is a diligent and hardworking student, which will serve him well as he embarks on post-secondary goals.

THE DAY after graduation, Groneman planned to move into student housing at Flathead Valley Community College. His goal is to get an associate’s degree and transfer to the University of Montana after two years to earn a bachelor’s in graphic design.

His calm demeanor began to brighten as he talked about graphic design — a passion he only discovered in his senior year of high school when he took art teacher Kristin Robertson’s Graphic Design 1 class.

“Ever since I was in Graphic Design 1 I was always intrigued by it — so focused — so, you know, involved in it. I love doing art on the computer. It’s the best thing I have ever done,” Groneman said.

“I’m basically a tech nerd too,” he added with a laugh. “Gaming, coding and all that. I’m going into graphic design so I can design art for games…”

At school, he’s also taken technology theater, where he’s learned what goes into staging a production — building and painting sets, costuming, lighting and sound, for example.

Groneman said he’s always had an artistic side and knew he might have a knack for it when in middle school he painted a coyote and said it went missing from the art room and discovered it had been put on display on a bulletin board.

“I have high-functioning autism ... and I mean I just learned to cope with it. Art — the reason I like art is because of my autism. It makes me think ... When I love something my autism will help me focus on the thing I love.”

Graduation encapsulates his desire to show others he can be successful — the diploma a symbol of his perseverance to keep achieving more out of life.

“I want to show everyone that I can be successful in what I do,” Groneman said.

“We’re super proud of you Matthew,” Sherman said. “You’ve really done well here. It’s a lot from you. You have motivated yourself just like you were saying to set some goals, reach those goals, really strive for being the best student and person you can be and you’ve endeared yourself personally to everybody you’ve come into contact with.”

Groneman offered advice to other students who may be struggling personally or finding something they enjoy in life, to keep moving forward.

“If you just try and really push yourself and just try to be successful in life and eventually you will find the thing you really love to do because, for me, it took me a long, long, long time just to find what I love to do, which is graphic design.”

“Don’t give up until you’ve found what you love to do,” he said.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.