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The expression "things happen for a reason" seems apropos for BCC valedictorian Michael Morse.

With a background as an installation technician in the automotive industry, he switched up careers and went into retail, where he worked for about 11 years. Moving up from sales rep to manager, things were progressing well — until they weren't. Michael unexpectedly lost his job.

"I had kind of been looking around at that point. There's a lot of money in retail, and I could do very well, but I absolutely hated it," Michael recalls. That's when his mindset began to shift. A self-proclaimed "super nerd," Michael had always been drawn to engineering. What if he went back to school? What if he started over with a new career that matched his passion?

Enter MassReconnect, a program Michael found out about simply by searching online for ways to pay for college. He had already completed some BCC classes as a liberal arts major, but he had not found a connection with the program and ended up dropping out. Maybe this time, he told himself, he could pursue engineering — and the timing couldn't have been better, because the new Mechatronics program was just getting off the ground.

I told myself, if this MassReconnect thing happens, and I can go to school for free, that seals the deal. I'm going to do what I have to do to pursue engineering.

As it turns out, that's exactly what happened. MassReconnect would cover his tuition, but to support himself outside of the classroom, Michael started a small 3-D printing business and continued to subcontract on motorcycle work and electrical jobs.

"I talked to some people and said, hey, my interest is really engineering. I'm just trying to get my foot in the door," Michael says. "That's when I found out about mechatronics and how closely related it was to engineering."

He changed his major to mechatronics, but with a career in engineering as his future goal, he turned to Jose Colmenares, an associate professor in the engineering department, for guidance. Jose recommended which classes Michael should take to get on track for an eventual degree in engineering, and from there, things took off.

"It's complicated, but it evolved into my path. I kind of rode the wave and figured it out as I went. And what's crazy is, I started doing well, right from the beginning. That was never part of my story or my history," says Michael, who describes himself as an unmotivated student throughout most of his former academic life. He graduated from Taconic High School in 2003.

"When I was younger, school was not one of the things that was important to me. I basically almost flunked out. My priorities were a lot were a lot different then," he says.

Now, Michael has adopted the philosophy that what you put in is what you get out, and having a positive outlook is equally important.

"I'll just straight up tell my professors, ‘I'm getting an A in your class. I just need to know how to do it,'" he says, noting that the response from BCC faculty to this direct approach has been positive. "They've all been very helpful. They appreciate it when you put in the work."

Michael credits his teachers with helping him succeed, especially those like adjunct faculty member Bob Mossman, who conducted an independent study with Michael and guided him in completing the honors engineering program.

"I've talked to him about transferring to another school. Do I want to be a mechanical engineer? Do I want to be an electrical engineer? He really listens. He's a good person to call a role model," says Michael, who never expected to be named valedictorian when he decided to return to BCC.

"I didn't even know if I was going to do well," Michael says. "So, part of my journey was getting help from my professors."

That help proved critical at times. One semester, he took six classes, a situation he calls "brutal."

"At one point, Michael took an astounding 21 credits in a single semester — a workload that would challenge even the most seasoned students. He not only managed this rigor, but did so with determination, discipline and a level of organization that is nothing short of remarkable," says Shelly Armstrong, Michael's academic advisor.

With the help of Jose Colmenares, he figured out how to maximize his schedule to get in as many classes he needed for engineering as possible, still managing to maintain a 4.0 GPA.

"Jose has bent over backwards and helped me through all this. He really helped me tailor my pathway to how I wanted my education to go, which would be completing a degree in mechatronics. That's where I am now. I have basically completed a year of engineering, so I only have two semesters left, and I'll be getting my engineering degree as well," says Michael, who plans to transfer to UMass to earn his bachelor's degree.

He also names liberal arts associate professor Nell McCabe, history professor Christopher Laney, adjunct faculty member Keith Shaw and math professor Traci Dundas as some of his favorite teachers.

"Her classes are challenging, but she cares about her students, and she wants to see me succeed," Michael says of Traci. "So much of the staff have been great to me."

But there's another major factor in Michael's success: himself. With no support system close to home — his mother and twin brother live in the Midwest — Michael has been his own strongest supporter.

"It's kind of been just me. I've been on my own for some time," Michael says. "I broke the mold with a lot of things. I'm the first musician in my family, which is weird," he laughs. He plays bass in punk rock bands around the area, and he's also into martial arts.

"I have a quite a few hobbies. I like tattoos and loud music," he says.

Whatever he sets his mind to, Michael gives it "110 percent," and deciding to succeed at BCC was no different. Also, as an older, non-traditional student, he says, his experience gave him a leg up.

"I've been out there. I know what it's like to be without an education and what you have to do to get ahead. That helps, knowing what the real world is like," he says. That real-world experience only strengthened his resolve to better his life and set high expectations for himself. In the case of BCC, his goal was to earn a 4.0. Even so, his ultimate selection as valedictorian was unexpected.

"The valedictorian thing was cool. It didn't even cross my mind. But then I got the phone call," Michael says. "I guarantee I'm not the smartest person in this graduating class, but I am dedicated, and I worked very hard. I was just honored to be considered. I'm so thankful for it."

When Michael considers the advice he would give to those thinking about going or returning to school, he pauses, framing his words carefully.

"When you talk about school, you might say, ‘I'll go when I'm ready.' But I realized it's one of those things where you're never ready. If you wait until you're ready, you're just never going to do it," he says. "When I started looking into the options, I knew I wanted to be an engineer, but I didn't know how I was going to get there. So I just kind of figured it out along the way."

It's all about taking the leap, he says.

"There are all kinds of clichés about taking chances, but sometimes taking a chance might work out in your favor," Michael says. "I didn't know how I was going to do it. I didn't know how I was going to afford to do it. I just decided I'm doing it, and everything has fallen into place. So, I would say, get your foot in the door. There's free community college down the street. What's stopping you? Go do it!"