Take on a lot of debt to attend a four-year institution or attend classes closer to home and fulfill prerequisites at a fraction of the cost at a community college. That was the question facing Jacob Dooling after high school. At the urging of his mother, Dooling opted to attend Naugatuck Valley Community College—and it paid off.

“I met a ton of great people and just really felt connected here and valued and really learned a lot about myself… taking school more seriously… and trying to apply myself and challenge myself as much as possible.”

In 2013, Dooling graduated as NVCC’s valedictorian, won a Presidential Medal of Honor and received a full scholarship to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He’s due to graduate this December with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and already has a job lined up.

In January, Dooling will join a corporation in New Windsor, Maryland which designs and manufactures scientific equipment for optical radiometry. “My job will be designing, analyzing, building and testing optical radiometry equipment, which measures electromagnetic radiation for a variety of applications, including remote sensing, astrophysics and measuring solar energy to prepare for potential solar flares that would affect the power grid, GPS and telecommunications,” says Dooling. “Yes, I know it's a lot of technical stuff, but basically I'll be doing cool things!”

He credits his success at NVCC to the wide array of campus groups and activities in which he participated, including the President’s Circle, Connecticut College Scholars, The Male Encouragement Network and the WAVE (Workforce Achievers Value Education) program.

“The skills and foundation I built at NVCC let me achieve much more than I ever dreamed possible.”

Dooling notes that community college can also be an important stepping stone. “Going from high school to college is such a big transition,” he says. “Community college makes the transition smoother and you end up further along... I really felt supported here and that I could succeed.”

Meanwhile, Jacob’s younger brother Mitchell is looking to follow a similar path to academic success. He is focusing his studies on math and science for engineering, but also has an interest in chemical engineering. Mitchell hopes to earn a full scholarship at a four-year institution just like his brother. But, he’s not the only member of the Dooling family at NVCC.

Mary Dooling, mother of Mitchell and Jacob, is also enrolled at NVCC and may very well graduate in the same class as Mitchell next spring.

Mother and son were already recognized together at the 2015 Honors Night. Mary was honored for earning the top score among NVCC students at the 25^th Annual Connecticut Community College State Mathematics Contest; Mitchell took second place.

Mary says her first time in the halls of the College was when it was Mattatuck Community College, where she earned an Associate Degree in General Studies. Now, she’s back at NVCC, majoring in Accounting.

“I already have advised my friends who have kids just a little bit younger than mine, that community college is the way to go,” says Mary. “It saves a lot of money. It doesn’t close off any opportunities that a lot of people falsely think it does.”