Two Named to Honor Society's All-Massachusetts Academic Team

Haverhill, MA (05/10/2024) — Two Northern Essex Community College students, Samuel Kiguta Njubi of Lawrence and Haverhill's Scott Silva, were named to the 2023/2024 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) All-Massachusetts Academic Team based on outstanding academic achievement and exemplary student service. Njubi will graduate on May 18, Silva completed his degree in the fall of 2023.

Each spring, the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges (MACC) honors students selected for the academic team at a ceremony at the State House. This year's ceremony on May 9th will include local and state leaders alongside the students and representatives from their colleges.

Njubi is originally from Kenya and emigrated to the United States after high school. He started working as a licensed practical nurse in 2010, a career he says he loves and finds rewarding. During the pandemic, the father of three noticed his children were struggling with online classes. He decided the best way to help them succeed was to show them. "I started picking college prerequisite courses as a way to encourage them as they would see me doing schoolwork too," he says about deciding to enroll at NECC. "As they did their Zoom classes, I did my online classes. I was impressed by how much I learned at NECC and decided to work towards getting my RN license. I was able to get into the LPN-AND program, and I am very happy to be graduating this year."

Njubi is graduating with a 3.56 GPA and plans to continue his education at a four-year institution and eventually earn his master's degree.

Silva graduated this past fall with two associate degrees: double majoring in philosophy and psychology. He endured a lot of hard times as a child following the death of his mother when he was just 7 years old. However, he says that through it all his thirst for knowledge never wavered.

"My aspirations for this are deeply rooted in my own personal battle with mental illness, as well as the struggles within my family. I am devoted to making a positive impact in this field, both in my professional practice and on a personal level," Silva says.

Silva graduated with a 3.86 GPA, and he transferred to Boston University, where he's working toward his bachelor's degree in philosophy and psychology. From there, he plans to go to medical school to eventually become a psychiatrist.

Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) is the international honor society of two-year colleges. PTK has recognized and encouraged scholarship among community college students for 100 years while promoting the academic integrity of the associate degree program. Students with grade point averages of 3.5 or higher are invited to join Phi Theta Kappa. Fourteen NECC students were inducted into PTK at a ceremony on April 25.

For additional information, contact Professor Lisette Espinoza at lespinoza@necc.mass.edu or visit the webpage.