LEWISTON — Matthew Poulin has packed a whole lot into three post-high-school years.

He’s a coach. He’s a college student. He’s a loan officer, and has been since age 18.

“One of the biggest advantages that I’ve had, I look a little older than I am,” said Poulin, 20. “I enjoy working with people one-on-one or couples or families and helping them. Getting the keys to the new car, the new house. It’s the best reward of any job.”

Poulin graduated from Lewiston High School in 2014. He worked for Cascades Auburn Fiber for six months before being hired by the Mortgage Network, which led to going for his loan originator’s license.

“I was always very good with math, and the other thing was business — I took a lot of business classes at Lewiston High School through the LRTC program, and everyone around me in my family is pretty much involved in finance,” said Poulin. “That just felt like a natural fit for me.”

He joined Mechanics Savings Bank as a consumer retail lender last year. Poulin hopes to graduate from Central Maine Community College with an associate’s degree in business administration and management in the fall of 2018, then pursue a bachelor’s degree.

He played hockey at CMCC this past year and also coaches bantam hockey with the Maine Gladiators. When the snow’s not on the ground, he’s on the Lewiston Little League board of directors and umpire-in-chief, setting schedules for baseball and softball umpires and umping games himself Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

“I don’t like sitting at home much. This is where it all stems from,” said Poulin. Youth hockey and Little League were “places that I grew up playing or coming through, so for me it was a matter of giving back and being a part of that, because I know what kind of impact it had on me. I love working with kids more than anything, just teaching them things, not just about the game, but about life, responsibility, being accountable for your actions and also understanding discipline so it betters them in a constructive way.”

Poulin said he’s made a choice to stay in the area because one person can make a difference.

“I think the commuity’s strong,” said Poulin. “We just have to continue to grow and continue to focus on ourselves and building that.”

kskelton@sunjournal.com

“Getting (a client) the keys to the new car, the new house. It’s the best reward of any job.”