Lisa Magiera MBA-PM ’23 often tells people: “If I had 10 kids, I would send them all to Thomas!” Both of her children currently attend Thomas – and so does she, working on pursuing her master’s degree.
“As a parent, I love that my kids are going to a school focused on their future success. Both kids are in the three plus one program. Jordan is getting her MBA, which will set her up to own her own business. Nick is in the education program (MEd) preparing to be a teacher. Both programs match their personalities. They enjoy the campus life, their friends, and the support of TRIO,” said Lisa.
Lisa has owned her own karate school and gym for almost 20 years- and she also works as a reserve police officer for her town.
“I believe combining my 25 plus years in martial arts, the MBA, and policing will lead to a place in which I can teach a high-quality risk management, de-escalation and physical defensive tactics course for police officers in Maine, New England and beyond,” she said.
Lisa said she would recommend other families to make going to Thomas a family affair: “There are some great benefits to having both kids go to the same school. The biggest is their ability to support one another at a moment’s notice.”
Lisa’s daughter, Jordan ’22, was the first of the family to attend Thomas.
“It’s been fun seeing the three of us work towards our degrees together,” said Jordan.
“I would 100 percent recommend other families to come to Thomas together. Thomas is a wonderful school and has great programs that fit everyone’s needs,” said Jordan. “Thomas’s community alone is a family and welcoming to all that aspire to join. Thomas offers a lot of help to students and allows for receiving education that more possible for families.”
Lisa’s son, Nick Mageria ’23, said knowing that his sister was already a student at Thomas definitely helped with his decision making: “I liked the idea of having someone I knew to be on campus with me. Just because home is far, and college is a big step and having someone who knew the campus and knew how the school ran didn’t sound too bad to me.”
Nick says Thomas has been a great place for him – he’s enjoyed his innovative classes in education, met friends and learned more about himself by joining the golf team, and overall, has become more social and engaged. And this coming fall, he’s taking on the new role of Community Assistant, just like his older sister.