I graduated from Cape Cod Community College in 2009 with an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts.
Following graduation from Nauset Regional High School, I chose CCCC because I had heard many great stories from people who attended classes there regarding the professors and the curriculum. At the time, my mentor and friend Dick Golden sold me on CCCC, as he had been involved with the college for various events and described it as a first class institution. At the same time, I was playing the drums 4-5 nights a week with my grandfather, pianist Bob Hayes, and trumpeter Lou Colombo – both of whom had been fixtures on the Cape for decades – and in the case of Colombo, someone well-known on the national level. Attending CCCC allowed me to get my Associate’s Degree during the day, while essentially getting my Master’s degree in music at night, playing with some of the best musicians in the country.
When I first started classes at CCCC, I was going to the college for class and went home afterwards. As the semesters went on, I found myself spending more and more time at the college; going to class, having lunch with friends, attending meetings for the Economics Club, and playing basketball with my friends. I was able to make friends all across the Cape and my professors at CCCC were exceptional. They held us to extremely high standards and also cared a great deal about their students. My professors were always accessible and welcoming with their office hours. I remember taking Calculus II with Professor Negash Yusef, and there were four students in his class – talk about one-on-one learning from an amazing professor!
When it came time to pursue the next level of higher education, I utilized the college’s transfer program. I decided to attend Boston College, studying toward a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics – a field in which I took an interest while attending CCCC and taking Virander Gautam’s classes. BC accepted all of my credits and I am convinced my work at CCCC helped in getting admitted to BC.
After graduating from Boston College in 2011, I returned to the Cape to begin my banking career and joined Cape Cod 5 in 2015. Recently I was promoted to Mortgage Loan Officer working out of Cape Cod 5’s Hyannis Banking Center. My mentors at the Bank have taught me the elements of residential lending, and at the same time, the values of acting as a trusted financial advisor for our customers. I currently serve on Cape Cod 5’s Culture and Art Advisory Committee. Cape Cod 5 was named one of the ‘Top Places to Work’ in Massachusetts by the Boston Globe and one of the ‘Best Banks to Work For’ by American Banker Magazine in 2018.
In addition to working at Cape Cod 5, I continue to play music reguarly for various events all over Cape Cod. In the past year I have joined the Cape Cod Community College Alumni Association Board. I am so happy to bring all that I have learned back to the place where my future began.