Montgomery County Community College Computer Networking and Cyber Security major Massimiliano Simon knew he was always a good student. He just never expected to be recognized for his performance in the classroom.

That’s why for the 20-year-old from Cheltenham, the news he’d been recently named to the All-Pennsylvania Academic Team caught him off guard.

“It feels good. I was surprised,” said Simon on being named to the Team. “I think I’ve been good academically, but I’ve never been a straight A’s guy. It’s interesting. It’s a first for me.”

The team is sponsored by Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honor society for two-year colleges, and The Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges.

This recognition honors an exceptional group of community college students who have achieved academic excellence and demonstrated a commitment to their colleges and communities. To qualify, applicants must have completed at least 36 credits and have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.

The Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges recognized Simon, Colin Hogan, Julie Kerwood and Emilio Siguenza with other award recipients during an April 8 ceremony in Harrisburg.

Growing up, Simon and his family moved frequently since his dad was in the U.S. Army for 20 years. In fact, he spent his freshman and sophomore year of high school living in Hohenfels, Germany.  

The family then moved to Pennsylvania, where both of his parents are from originally. Simon finished high school online attending the Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School and graduated in 2023. He enrolled at MCCC as a Computer Networking major the following fall.

When he arrived on the Blue Bell Campus for the first time, he very quickly felt at home.

“It was nice. I had free time between classes. It was not too structured. The campus was nice. The people were nice,” he said. “If I had questions, faculty would help. I enjoyed it. Nice spaces. I found it very welcoming.”

His initial major concentration was Cloud Computing, but he soon switched to Computer Networking. He appreciated the fact that faculty members were easily available to lend a hand when he needed them.

“All of my professors have been helpful. Anytime I’ve had something I’ve needed they’ve been there,” he said. “All of my professors are special and deserve some praise.”

He said one of the reasons he chose MCCC was for the extracurricular activities available at the College.

“Ultimately, Montco had a lot of extra stuff like Athletics,” he said, “and was a lot more appealing.”

He joined the Mustangs eSports “League of Legends” team and played for his first two semesters. He enjoyed meeting his teammates and some of the experiences he had with the team, including the online competitions.

“One tournament was an event at Arcadia University,” he said. “It was cool to sign up and do that through the school.”

In the fall of 2024, he was inducted into the Alpha Kappa Zeta Chapter of PTK. 

Outside school, Simon works part time as a retail associate.

Simon is set to graduate in the fall of 2025. As he already has a Cisco Networking industry certification from MCCC, he’s hoping to begin a career in his field afterward, and then possibly transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a bachelor’s degree. Ultimately, he’d like to become a network administrator.

“I think being a network administrator would be fun,” he said. “I think it’d be cool to be a network architect. To build out the entire network of a building that fills all the different unique needs. I think it could be interesting and a challenge. It could be fun for sure.”

Pennsylvania’s community colleges collaborate with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) universities to provide a tuition waiver to eligible All-Pennsylvania Transfer Team members at PASSHE institutions, providing two years of tuition at any PASSHE university.