Westfield Native, ABC News Reporter Matt Gutman Speaks To Students

WESTFIELD, NJ — ABC News Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman spoke about his experience as a war zone reporter to students at his alma mater, Newark Academy (NA) — an independent school for grades 6-12 in Livingston — on May 8 as part of the school’s Signature Speaker Series.

Gutman, a Class of 1996 alumnus of NA, has reported for ABC from 40 countries across the globe and has been on the scene for major global and national events including the protests following the death of George Floyd, the Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand, and most recently, the Israel-Hamas war. He is the author of No Time to Panic: How I Curbed My Anxiety and Conquered a Lifetime of Panic Attacks and The Boys in the Cave.

Throughout his talk, Gutman detailed some of his most poignant experiences as a war reporter. He encouraged students to take risks in order to pursue their passions and to not be afraid of failure, because that’s how to learn and grow.

"One of the things that I hope that you allow yourself to do at some point in your lives is to allow yourself to fail a little bit. Make mistakes. I hope that you can afford yourself the opportunity to do that," he said.

During his visit, Gutman reconnected with several faculty and staff from his time as a student at NA recalling that, "NA provided a fantastic education… It was an unbelievable base that enabled me to go on … I ended up in college in a really good place."

Following the presentation, students were able to ask questions and continue the discussion through a breakout session with Gutman.

Newark Academy’s Signature Speaker Series brings distinguished individuals from around the world to address the NA community, enriching students’ understanding and broadening their intellectual horizons.