...particularly when talking about education. A two year degree is a good thing. The lifetime payback for a four year degree is almost double.
Albion Llewellyn, an MMA '08 Marine Transportation grad, is living proof. "When I was a kid in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, I would watch the cruise ships with awe as they maneuvered the harbor. One day I was given the opportunity to visit the bridge of one of these beautiful passenger vessels. That was the day my awe turned to ambition,” he reminisced. As soon as he was old enough, Llewellyn graduated from H. Lavity Stout Community College with a certificate of Achievement in Maritime Studies in 1998. He then became Assistant Chief Biologist in the Conservation and Fisheries Department, Tortola, BVI, and held that position for three years … but he still wasn’t on that bridge. Llewellyn then applied to and was accepted by, all the maritime colleges on the U.S. east coast. Massachusetts Maritime Academy was his first choice.
With a combination of an acceptance letter, grit, determination, savings, loans and a scholarship he signed on and graduated as Cadet Chief Mate (highest ranking Deck Cadet) in 2008. Today he is 2nd Officer and Navigation Officer on board vessels operated by Celebrity Cruise Lines.
Today Llewellyn would tell you that even though his junior college experience at HLSCC was a great one, it was not enough for him to fulfill his dream. He had to cross an ocean and put another few years under his belt to do that.
“One mentor told me that the best renewable resource one can have is education. In my case “two was not enough” to get me where I needed to go. Sometimes, your first academic choice is not what you thought or wanted it to be. In my book, change has always been a good thing. Transferring my initial credits to MMA was one of the best choices I ever made,” Llewellyn affirmed.
