WELLESLEY HILLS – When Arthur Nigro graduated from Arlington High School, he enrolled at Boston University, but after studying for three years he left BU without a degree.
“When I heard about the MassReconnect program, which allows Massachusetts residents aged 25 and older to attend community college for free, I was all in,” Nigro said.
Nigro stated that when he first heard about Gov. Maura Healey’s plan to sign free community college into the state budget he was “watching, planning, and getting ready to jump on the opportunity.” Nigro jokingly admitted that he “would call the staff in MassBay’s Student Accounts to check on the program, and I apologize if I was annoying, but I didn’t want to miss out.” He added that “as a married father who works full time, this was the only way I could realistically afford to go after my degree.”
As a student, Nigro completed his MassBay coursework fully online due to his busy schedule. “I wasn’t able to get involved in campus life like clubs or events,” he said. “I was spending nearly three hours a day commuting, and driving my kids to school and myself to work.”
He continued, “MassReconnect was the only way I could justify going back to school financially. It only cost me my time. For someone without a degree, it’s an opportunity not to miss. You can transfer credits to a four-year college, get a better job, and it’s free. Compared to $40,000 or $80,000 in tuition elsewhere, this is life-changing. And once you earn those credits, no one can take them away.”
Nigro’s journey back to the classroom was full of support from the faculty and staff. “Kathryn McGrath, my literature professor for two classes, was fantastic – organized and engaging. And my advisor, Jessica Henry, has been invaluable since day one. I met her at orientation, and she helped me navigate everything and made my transition back to college smooth. They have all been amazing,” he said.
While studying at MassBay, Nigro thrived academically. He earned a place on the Dean’s List every semester, was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society, and graduated with a 3.965 GPA. Arthur earned his Associate of Arts Degree in General Studies and plans to transfer to the University of Maine at Presque Isle to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
His career goal is to combine his passion for photography and history to work in digital archiving, ideally in a museum setting. “I’d love to handle old manuscripts, preserve historical images, and contribute to making collections accessible digitally. Being around history every day would be amazing.”
Nigro added,” I’ve taken advantage of every educational opportunity available to me as an adult. You don’t get many chances at a free education. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished at MassBay, and I’d love to help spread the word so others can do the same.”
