Daviess County High School college and career readiness coach Matt Brannon was surprised Thursday morning with the annual Pathfinder Award from Owensboro Community and Technical College during the school’s Senior Signing Day celebration.
The award, presented by OCTC President Dr. Scott Williams, recognizes a high school partner who has gone above and beyond in encouraging students to pursue higher education opportunities.
Brannon said he was caught completely off guard during the ceremony at Daviess County High School.
“I definitely wasn’t expecting it,” Brannon said. “Mom and Dad walked in, and I thought they were there to see Maddie. I never even told them what was going on.”
The Pathfinder Award is presented annually through the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, with each campus honoring an educator, counselor, or school official who helps promote pathways into higher education through community and technical colleges.
Brannon said he was nominated earlier this spring, but did not realize the recognition would be announced publicly during the senior event.
“Paul Howard, who was our emcee, even announced that Dr. Williams was in attendance, and I’m like, ‘What’s Dr. Williams doing here?’” Brannon said. “But then to hear his words was pretty awesome, and just feel the support of the students and the people that were there was a pretty great experience.”
Brannon serves as DCHS’s college and career readiness coach, helping students navigate dual-credit opportunities, career pathways, and postsecondary planning. He said Daviess County Public Schools partners primarily with OCTC, with the vast majority of students’ dual-credit hours earned at the college.
“Daviess County Public Schools has probably the second or third largest dual credit program in the state,” Brannon said.
He said his work includes advising students on coursework aligned with career goals, helping them explore college, career, and military options, and assisting with financial aid and scholarship opportunities.
“We try to stick with predominantly general education courses that will transfer to four-year universities, but we also get students who are interested in the two-year technical trades, and we utilize those programs as well,” Brannon said.
Brannon also helps recruit students into specialized district programs, including engineering and life sciences academies, the early college associate degree program through OCTC, and the Wesleyan Academy partnership with Kentucky Wesleyan College.
He said dual credit programs are especially valuable because they allow students to gain college-level experience while significantly reducing higher education costs.
“We’re seeing students that are graduating with their associate’s degree,” Brannon said. “Between Daviess County and Apollo, there are 107 graduates this year, with 80 at Daviess County graduating with their associate’s degree.”
He said many students complete two years of college coursework for less than $5,000 through Kentucky’s dual credit structure.
“That doesn’t even touch half a semester at a four-year university,” Brannon said.
Brannon has spent 23 years in education, including two years at the Job Corps Center in Muhlenberg County and the past 21 years with Daviess County Public Schools. He began his career at the district’s alternative school before joining Daviess County High School in 2010. He stepped into his current college and career readiness role two years ago.
