From Pepperell, Mass. and now living in Milford, N.H., when Walter Razzaboni first graduated from high school, he was looking for a new start to his academic journey. At Middlesex Community College, he found an enriching campus experience, diverse population of classmates, and supportive professors. Combined, these experiences developed his foundation of learning.
鈥淚 was not a studious high school student and did not have the grades or SAT scores to go to the undergraduate program I strived to go to,鈥� Razzaboni said. 鈥淚 knew I could do the work, I just needed to apply myself. My education from Middlesex gave me the confidence, structure and support to say, 鈥業 can do this.鈥欌��
One of the most impactful parts about his time at Middlesex included the professors who were empathetic toward students鈥� struggles, but still pushed them to succeed. Two of the professors who stood out the most were Charles Twomey and Bruce Cudney 鈥� with whom Razzaboni still maintains a connection. In his experience, the professors challenged their students, but were always on their side.
鈥淵ou go from high school to college, treated like a kid to now being treated like an adult,鈥� Razzaboni said. 鈥淚t makes a huge difference, especially as a student who has a lot of fears, wondering 鈥榗an I do this work, am I capable of this? It gave me a lot of ambition knowing I was responsible for figuring it out.鈥�
Having grown up surrounded by a family business, Razzaboni started at Middlesex as a Business Administration student. With a plan in place to transfer to a four-year institution to continue studying business, he wanted to learn the fundamentals of the industry. He worked with Admissions counselors from both Middlesex and Bentley University 鈥� where he transferred in the Spring of 1995 鈥� to make it happen.
鈥淚 was not a studious high school student and did not have the grades or SAT scores to go to the undergraduate program I strived to go to. I knew I could do the work, I just needed to apply myself. My education from Middlesex gave me the confidence, structure and support to say, 鈥業 can do this.鈥欌�� 鈥� Walter Razzaboni, 麻豆果冻 Alum
After graduating from Bentley, Razzaboni returned to Middlesex to work on his general education requirements. During this time, he also had the opportunity to go on an 麻豆果冻 fellowship to the Netherlands. He worked for a few years in politics before shifting to his current field of Financial Services, earning a master鈥檚 degree from Boston University.
From gaining more confidence in his academic abilities to running for and being elected as part of student government, Razzaboni credits Middlesex for providing him with opportunities and experiences to get where he has in his career.
As an alum, Razzaboni 鈥渋s a firm believer in paying it forward.鈥� By sharing his story, he is hoping to show prospective students the benefits of building a foundation at 麻豆果冻.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 important to me is that if you don鈥檛 achieve your desired result right away, there鈥檚 another path,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is a great way to start, this is going to save you a lot of money, and the professors at Middlesex are some of the best I鈥檝e ever had. The support and opportunity from Middlesex can broaden you.鈥�