Siblings pick up 2 diplomas in 2 months
NEWTON. Sam and Max Masih graduated from Sussex County Community College with associate degrees in engineering science May 17. On Friday, they will graduate from Sussex County Technical School.
Newton /
| 13 Jun 2023 | 09:01
Max Masih, 16, and his sister, Sam, 17, hold their diplomas after the Sussex County Community College graduation May 17. (Photos provided)
Hosam Masih and Joy Makich pose with their children, Max and Sam Masih, right, after they graduated from Sussex County Community College.
Last month, Sam and Max Masih of Sparta graduated from Sussex County Community College (SCCC) with associate degrees in engineering science.
On Friday, June 16, they will graduate from Sussex County Technical School.
Their mother encouraged Sam and Max at a young age to expand their education as a good path to success.
From buying workbooks for her children to taking them to computer training camp at Columbia University when they were 5 years old, Joy Makich supported and expanded her children’s academics.
Fast forward 11 years and Sam, 17, and Max, 16, graduated from community college before they were handed their high school diplomas.
“I’m very proud of them. It’s been an amazing journey to see them grow and become active learners,” Makich said. “They don’t necessarily feed off each other but rather they are very good at pushing each other to be better, and it has been joyful to watch.”
Attending Sussex Tech
Both teens spoke about Sussex Tech and SCCC with passion and enthusiasm, yet their experiences were different.
Max originally did not want to go to Sussex Tech because all of his friends were going to Newton High School. His mother told him not to let his friends choose his path in life. Those words helped Max make his decision to attend Sussex Tech.
He had a passion for electrical work but after some thought went into engineering because it allows for different opportunities down the road.
On the other hand, Sam enjoyed robotics at a young age and was on the robotics team in her middle school and at Newton High School. She then decided to enter Sussex Tech for graphic design.
Then, Sam heard that Sussex Tech had a robotics team was run by Chris Land. After some discussions, she switched to engineering.
Hectic schedule
Attending community college and high school at the same time means a hectic schedule especially when you add time for sports, family and friends.
Sam and Max both played varsity sports, attended high school and college classes, and had homework every night for both.
Despite the course load, they stayed composed and worked hard in and out of the classroom.
A struggle for both were the overlapping schedules and many times that classes and sports conflicted, so they made a lot of sacrifices in the past few years.
They had a lot of support from friends and family, especially from their mother, who drove them to where they needed to be.
This month, both will travel to Bethesda, Md., to compete in nationals for SkillsUSA on the human-powered submarine team for their school. They both took gold in the competition last year in Atlanta.
This fall, Sam will head to Boston University to study cell biology, molecular biology and genetics specialization. Her dream job is to one day work with animals as a genetic engineer.
Max will go to Purdue University Honors College this fall to study engineering. He plans to concentrate in mechanical engineering in his sophomore year. His dream job is to work in automotive engineering, but that could change, he said.