Class of 2016 Reflects as Landmark College Marks 10 Years of Bachelor's Degrees

Like many Landmark College alum, Malcolm “Mac” Migel ’16 can look back at his childhood report cards and see comments like, “Mac is very involved in class, but he’s highly distractible and inattentive.”

He was told to “try harder” — “I was trying,” he said.

And like many individuals with learning differences, his education did not take a traditional route. He first enrolled at the College in 2008 after transferring from a school in Pennsylvania. He studied at Landmark for two years before transferring to a large public university. 

Then, a mysterious medical event interrupted his studies: He randomly fainted while at home and woke up at the bottom of a flight of stairs. To this day, he said, he does not know what happened.

He sustained a traumatic brain injury from the fall, and while recovering, he received a call about a new bachelor’s degree program at Landmark College. He’d had to medically withdraw from school, and his rehabilitation involved relearning basic functions such as getting dressed and focusing his eyes without shaking.

This year, Migel is marking 10 years since becoming part of Landmark College’s inaugural class of 12 baccalaureate graduates in 2016. On Sept. 27, at Alumni Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, the College is celebrating a decade of granting bachelor’s degrees. 

“I'm super proud and I'm honored to be part of the first class of graduates in the BA program, but I'm so proud that Landmark has continued to grow,” Migel said. “It is amazing to follow along and see all these young adults coming out of Landmark, having success that they otherwise may not have had the ability to achieve elsewhere.”

Since 2016, Landmark College has issued a total of 344 baccalaureate degrees. The College announced its first bachelor’s degree in 2012 — a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies — and now offers a total of nine bachelor’s degrees, including bachelor of science options. Most recently, in 2025, the College announced the addition of bachelor’s degrees in history, health sciences, and media arts production.

“Once students experience success at Landmark, many want to stay,” said Solvegi Shmulsky, academic dean of liberal arts and professional studies and professor of psychology. Shmulsky is also the program coordinator of the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

Shmulsky noted that with the addition of bachelor's degrees, students have more opportunities for career preparation, including internships. Last year, 70 students did internships for credit, Shmulsky said.

Bachelor’s degree students also have more time to develop confidence and find friends, which leads to more opportunities on campus. These students serve as resident advisors (RAs), mentor new students, run the campus radio and TV stations, and create programming in the Centers for Diversity and Inclusion, among other roles, Shmulsky said.

“Students who come to Landmark have the same concerns and hopes as students anywhere. ‘Can I get what I need?’ ‘Who will my friends be?’ ‘Will I be successful?’” Shmulsky said. “It takes time to build confidence and friendships, but we see it all the time.”

Fay Carroll ’16, another member of the inaugural class of baccalaureate graduates, said being an RA was a way for her to give back to the community. She found Landmark College via a video tape owned by a family friend. At that time, Carroll had obtained a GED, and started taking classes at a community college, but found anxiety caused by her learning disabilities to be a roadblock.

“Funny thing, one of my mom’s friends had a Landmark VHS tape. I had tried doing community college and had dropped out at that point, and then they were like, ‘What about this place?’” Carroll recalled. “And I just shoved it into the VHS and played the tape, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll try that.’”

At Landmark, Carroll completed a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with a concentration in psychology. 

“I’m happy I was there at the right time to take advantage of that. It was always a worry of being like, ‘OK, I’ve done my two-year degree. Do I go to another college and then crash and burn?’” she said. “I’d rather stay where I know I can be successful.”

Carroll went on to earn a master’s degree in special education from George Mason University with a concentration in applied behavior analysis and is now a behavior resource associate at a school in Maryland. She works with students in crisis and those who need additional behavioral support.

Rachel Brown ’16, another member of the inaugural class of baccalaureate graduates and chair of the Alumni Advisory Board, was also an RA, along with Migel. Brown said Resident Dean John Wood was one of the people she spoke with when considering the bachelor’s degree program.

“He was a big deciding factor in having me stay,” Brown said. 

Wood died unexpectedly in November 2022 after a sudden cardiac event.

“He was, simply put, a large positive force, not only for the students, but just the general vibe of campus,” Brown said. “He really helped, and his wife as well, promote that sense of home away from home for students. Because a lot of times, Landmark is the first time that students have had to advocate for themselves without their parents or their guardians.”

Carroll spoke about Wood’s legacy.

“Coach Wood had a huge role shaping Landmark’s identity and the students he worked with, and in turn, those students are continuing to shape what Landmark is,” Carroll said.

Migel described Wood and his wife, Ellen, as his “surrogate parents” during his time living and working with them as an RA. Migel, a newlywed upon his return to Landmark, said the Wood family was supportive in helping him figure out a schedule that allowed him to be both a college student and a new husband. He calls Wood one of the most influential people in his life, and was in contact with him days before his passing.

“He was larger than life and unbelievably important to so many people,” Migel said. “Landmark should really be honored to have had someone like him there for so long.”

Along with the Wood family, he also credits Ann McCloskey, his advisor, for shaping his experience.

“They built such a strong support network around what I needed educationally and assistance-wise because it was all so new to me. It was almost like being a college student for the very first time all over again,” Migel said. “I had to not only remember everything I had learned from my time at Landmark, but I had to learn all sorts of new skills because I had this brain injury that made a lot of things quite difficult for me.”

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with a concentration in psychology. He is now the chief compliance officer of a wealth management firm and lives in Kernersville, North Carolina, with his wife, Kimmery, daughters Mackenzie and Riley, a cat, and two dogs. He is also a part-time professional firefighter.

Brown remembers Migel fighting fires as a volunteer member of the Putney Fire Department when they were both attending Landmark.

“There were a number of times where a fire alarm would go off on campus, and he would be at campus, have to go to the firehouse, change, and then come back on the truck,” she recalled lightheartedly.

Brown noted that a lot of bachelor’s degree students had leadership roles on campus. In addition to being RAs, these students were orientation leaders, on the Campus Activities Board, and played sports.

“We were already leaders in that way, and this allowed us to continue to help those coming after us,” Brown said. “It felt really special in that way, that I got to see how many more people Landmark was going to help after me when I stood up on that stage and I got my degree.”

Brown is now an admissions representative, working toward a leadership role, at Johnson & Wales University. After completing her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with a minor in communications, she earned a master’s degree in communications from Southern New Hampshire University.

She started her role as chair of the Alumni Advisory Board in January, and said the board is now working on starting local chapters in the Bay Area, New York City, and Boston. She looks forward to alumni homecoming weekend.

“All of the students understood what it meant to have a learning difference, and so the social component was a really big thing for me as well,” she said. “I still have friends that I met in 2011 and 2012 that I talk to on almost a daily basis.”

Carroll, who plans to attend the alumni homecoming event with her 1-year-old daughter, said she looks forward to what the future holds for Landmark, and hopes the College continues to ask, “Where can I go in the next 10 years?”

All alumni are invited to return to campus for the 2026 Alumni Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, taking place Saturday, Sept. 26, and Sunday, Sept. 27. Please register by Sept. 23.