Matt Sharp
Grad Year: 2003
Occupation: Attorney
Came to Lee from: Northern Mississippi (Memphis)
As a 3rd generation member of the Church of God, Matt Sharp was always familiar with Lee. Several members of his family, including his older brother, attended here, but Lee wasn't originally in his college plans. “I wanted to go into architecture and had been accepted into a program at one of the big state schools,” he says. “I visited the state school with my parents, but left with a very bad feeling in my gut. It was at that point that my parents suggested I take a second look at Lee. I still remember walking down the Ped Mall after spending the day on campus and having this strong sense of peace--something that was completely missing when I visited the state school. That was when I knew that Lee was the place God wanted me to be.”
During his senior year at Lee, he began exploring the law profession and felt a clear direction from the Lord to pursue a legal career. He was accepted into Vanderbilt University Law School, where he enrolled upon graduation.
Now Matt works for Alliance Defending Freedom--a Christian law firm that defends religious liberty, life, and free speech. He has won cases for kids wanting to share their faith or start a Bible club at school. He’s authored laws that allow churches to remain open during a pandemic and that protect the right of Christian doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals to practice medicine consistent with their conscience. And he has even testified before the U.S. Congress on the importance of religious freedom.
Matt brings light in his day-to-day work, letting the joy of Christ shine to the people he encounters, but he also works to defend the rights of Americans to shine light in every part of their lives, not just in churches, but in schools, in the workplace, on the sporting field--everywhere.