LCCC Early College Success Story
WBRE/WYOU-TV Monday March 17th
By: Mark Hiller
12th graders all across northeastern and central Pennsylvania will graduate from high school in just a matter of months.
One of those high school seniors is in rare company. She will graduate with two degrees.*
Napoli's Pizza in Pittston is a busy place serving up slices, stromboli, calzone, and other dishes and desserts too.
Perhaps even busier is Maia Costagliola.
The teenager cooks, takes orders, and waits on tables but she has much more than that on her plate.
The Pittston Area High School senior is a dual enrollment student, now in her second year at Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) Pittston Center.
How does she do it?
"Basically, just faith from God to help me through with everything and I have to say the amount of support from each has been incredible, especially Luzerne, especially this Pittston campus," Maia explained.
She also puts in the work and it pays off. Not only is she on the Pittston Area honor roll, but also on the dean's list at LCCC Pittston.
Maia is poised to graduate with a high school diploma this spring as well as a college associate's degree.
"She's always in class. She's always motivated to take more classes. She's been really motivated to finish her degree while still in school," said LCCC Pittston Center director Samantha Patterson.
The LCCC staff is taking notice of Maia outside of the classroom too.
"She's always motivating students to get involved in our student activities, always motivating them to be their best, and then she's just great to our staff, great to our faculty, great to all the students who are here. So, she's hard-working but she's also a really good person, too," said Patterson.
Maia credits her parents with helping develop her drive and teaching her time management at an early age.
"I don't think I could know. I don't think I could even do this without them teaching me those skills because it was such a big part, like, trying to manage everything like, go to school in the morning, go to LCCC, go to work after, and then find time for the studying and everything. They truly helped me just manage everything," Maia explained.
"Being a college student as a high school senior. There's a lot of sacrifice. There's a lot of things she's given up and there's a lot of things she's juggled and I'm so proud of how well she has handled herself," said Maia's mother Tiffany Costagliola.
As Maia continues her work in the kitchen of her parent's business, she is focused on completing her coursework in the classroom.
She will earn a diploma at Pittston Area and an associate's degree in general studies from LCCC.
After that, you could say the world is her oyster as she pursues her dreams with every step she takes.
"Maia's future is bright. Maia can accomplish anything she sets her mind to," Tiffany said.
After Maia receives her two degrees, she will look to earn another. She will attend Misericordia University in the fall to pursue early childhood education with an emphasis on special ed.
Here's to you, Maia.