7 Family Members Attended NHTI in Story of Inspiration Through Affordability
When seven members of the same family attend the same college, a legacy of achievement is created that showcases not just tradition but a proven track record of success. For the Roberts family of Northfield, NH, NHTI – Concord’s Community College is truly a family success story.
“Almost my entire family – almost my entire household – has attended NHTI,” says Marcia Roberts. As the matriarch of this blended family, Marcia has seen six of her children and her husband, William Mikels, attend NHTI.
The path began with William. At 51 years old, he’d been working as a machinist for 30 years and was told by his employer that a degree would help him achieve his goal of advancing into a management position – a promotion with a raise included. This upskilling opportunity led him to NHTI, where for the past 4 years he’s been taking one class at a time, working toward his associate degree in Manufacturing Engineering Technology – Advanced Manufacturing.
Watching William’s success, the family’s six children have followed suit. Marcia at first was concerned with cost, having spent her adult life paying back her accumulated college loans spent on her bachelor’s degree.
“One of the things I didn’t want was for my kids to have that same struggle,” she says.
With William’s decision to upskill at NHTI, Marcia got a great look at the affordability of the community college education. NHTI offers a quality education, with expert professors who’ve worked in their fields, which helps produce successful alumni with a strong sense of community. NHTI provides accessible education at the lowest cost-per-credit tuition in the state, which allows students to achieve their dreams without the burden of overwhelming student debt.
Each of the Roberts’ children – Clark, Cameron, Cody, Susan, Joy, and Caelan – has had their own unique learning experience:
- Clark attended Plymouth State University and found that taking summer courses at NHTI helped him finish his bachelor’s degree in 3 years instead of 4.
- Cameron graduated from NHTI with an associate degree in Robotics and Automation Engineering Technology in 2017 and is working with William at an engineering firm.
- Cody graduated from NHTI with an associate degree in Animation and Graphic Game Programming in 2018. He then spent three years at Southwick School as a computer teacher and currently has a video games available on Google Play.
- Susan also attended Plymouth State for two years before switching to NHTI’s Travel and Tourism
- Joy graduated early from high school and studied Environmental Sciences at NHTI. She graduated in 2020 and works as a universal banker with Meredith Village Savings Bank.
- Caelan, now just 17, also graduated a year early from high school at the top of his class. He just completed his first year at NHTI in the Robotics and Automation Engineering Technology
For Marcia, she believes NHTI is now part of her family history. She understands the value and importance of education so much that she might also end up at the college someday, too.
“I am working on my Ph.D., and I would love to teach there someday,” she says. “It’s such a nice school, and we’ve had such a good experience as a family.”
