![Sherman and Laura Smith]()
Photo by MassBay Community College
Photography Professor
Holly Worthington
Doing everything together is nothing new for Laura and Sherman Smith, you might say they are inseparable. Married for over 25 years with three sons and two dogs, the Smiths were in the United States Coast Guard together, traveled the world together for vacations, attended MassBay Community College together, studied together, and soon, they will cross the stage to collect their associate degrees together.
After retiring from the military, Laura and Sherman decided to return to Massachusetts where they had been stationed. They wanted to attend college, but knew it would be a challenge as they had been away from the classroom for 30 plus years. They found MassBay had a veteran-friendly environment and they felt this was just what they needed to succeed in college.
“We really enjoyed the small classes and getting to know other students who were on the same path as ours,” said Laura. “We love that it is extremely veteran-friendly and the faculty really seem to care about their students. Many professors take the time to stop and say hello and ask how everything is going when you pass them in the hallways. Marie Hahs, the Veterans Coordinator, does amazing work to ensure veterans are all set with paperwork and ready for their coursework, even while deployed or traveling.”
Laura and Sheman enjoyed traveling around the United States in their fifth-wheel trailer and their love of travel never keep them in one place very long. That is partly why they live year-round in their trailer while they are attending school. “We love traveling around the U.S. and abroad. Every summer and winter break we have from MassBay, we spend traveling to see the world. Since starting at MassBay two years ago, we have gone to Mexico, Norway to see the Northern Lights, Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Italy, and have cruised to the Panama Canal, Costa Rica, the Faroe Islands and the Bahamas.”
Laura and Sherman have both made Dean’s List every semester at MassBay, they have been inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and the Alpha Beta Gamma Honor Society for Business majors at the same time. Sherman graduates with a 3.984 GPA and Laura graduates with a 4.0 GPA. Just as they started their MassBay journey, they will earn their Associate of Science degrees in General Business together on Thursday, May 23, 2019.