NECC Graduate Matt Valli

When Matt Valli decided to return to college, he found the price tag on a Northern Essex education fit his budget.

The Amesbury resident says a college education seemed unattainable until he enrolled at NECC.

“Affordability was huge for me … I was living on my own and couldn’t afford much of anything. Northern Essex made a brighter future possible,” the 26-year-old says.

After assessing his life, the 2006 Pentucket High School graduate started visualizing a future beyond the unrewarding jobs and personal troubles. “I wasn’t content,” he says. “I wasn’t happy when I looked at my future. It wasn’t what I wanted. I wasn’t satisfied.”

So, he imagined a future surrounded by healthy, active people. Matt admits he never pushed himself academically in high school, but sports were a constant in his young life. He started running in earnest, which only fueled his decision to surround himself with like-minded individuals.

He applied to NECC’s General Studies: Movement Science Program with designs on becoming a physical education teacher/coach, and secured a job with the Greater Boston Running Store where he is surrounded by fellow runners.

In 2011 he started at NECC in basic developmental classes that, he says, helped him adjust to college life. He completed an internship with the NECC Sport & Fitness Center and assisted the alumni office in NECC’s Second Annual Campus Classic 5k and Fun Run.

Matt graduated in May with high honors and is transferring to Salem State University.

“Everything about NECC was right for me,” he says. “From the small classrooms to the writing center to its close proximity to home … I came here, took it slow, and excelled and built my confidence.”