Our own graduates put a face on our mission
We love graduation season here at Granite鈥疎dvance. Every year it reminds us of why we do this work and who鈥痺e鈥檙e鈥痟ere to support. Some of us are celebrating our own graduates this year, too. Their stories show the value of taking small steps toward our goals, saying yes to opportunities, and being true to ourselves.
Madalyn 鈥淢addie鈥� O鈥橞rien鈥檚聽is graduating from Winnacunnet High School this month.聽聽Her mom,聽Kristy O鈥橞rien, Manager of Compliance Risk,聽shared these thoughts:聽聽
Madalyn 鈥淢addie鈥� was just starting first grade when I started working at Granite Edvance (then The NHHEAF Network); college planning seemed so far away.鈥� It鈥檚 been great to have the institutional knowledge to lead conversations about higher education at home throughout the years and especially helpful to use Granite Edvance鈥檚 resources as Maddie鈥檚 time in high school comes to an end. Last year Maddie completed the YouScience career assessment and learned about strengths she didn鈥檛 even realize she had; she鈥檚 even referred to her assessment to help her create her resume. I don鈥檛 think she鈥檚 going to jump right into a Compliance career (ironically one of her career matches), but I do think the assessment opened her eyes to the many directions she can go and opportunities available to her. Maddie also enjoyed attending Destination College last year. That event was the spark we needed to really get us thinking about what鈥檚 coming next.鈥�
Maddie — smart, independent, driven and extremely hardworking — is interested in the healthcare field. She hasn鈥檛 quite decided which area is of most interest yet but knows she wants to help people. Being very money-conscious and still a bit uncertain, she plans to attend community college to tackle her core classes while she explores which path most aligns with her interests and strengths. Whichever direction she chooses, anyone who knows her knows she will do great things.
North Country Pathways and Funding Specialist Carla Peacock鈥檚 son, Jasper, graduated from Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS) in May 2026, with college credits from NHTI and Vermont State University.
Earlier in high school, Jasper attended The White Mountain School (until its closure), where he discovered his affinity for experiential learning and love for whitewater kayaking and rock climbing and took a field course in ski resort management that sparked his career plans. He spent his junior year at Lyndon Institute studying Land & Resource Management and Forestry. During his senior year, he worked full-time at Franconia Notch State Park/Cannon Mountain Ski Area as Terrain Parks Crew Leader, a job that prepared him for his intended career in ski resort industry management.鈥�
Jasper also spent many hours in the last year completing requirements for his Boy Scouts of American Eagle Scout rank. For his Eagle Scout Service Project, he established a Winter Wetlands Trail on land under easement with Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust (ACT) in Sugar Hill, NH. On the same land, he worked collaboratively with ACT and the landowners to designate the Sunset Hill Golf Course and Club House as a property on the NH Registry of Historic Places and one of 2025鈥檚 Seven to Save listees.
Jasper recently began work as a Ski Operations Intern at Omni Mount Washington Resort & Spa/Bretton Woods Ski Area. In the fall, he鈥檒l attend White Mountains Community College (WMCC) for their Associate of Science in Business Administration. He plans to continue working at either Franconia Notch State Park/Cannon Mountain Ski Area or Omni Mount Washington Resort & Spa/Bretton Woods Ski area while studying at WMCC. His long-term goal is to complete his bachelor鈥檚 and then master鈥檚 in business administration.
With the help of his parents, Jasper recently rescued a black lab/mastiff/great Dane puppy, Rosie. He hopes to bring her everywhere with him in the coming years.
Katie Earle,聽daughter of聽Communications聽Director Sarah Earle,聽graduated from聽Mount聽Holyoke聽College聽in聽May聽with聽her聽degree in聽environmental聽studies.聽Sarah聽shared:聽聽
Graduation season tends bring thoughts of The Future with a capital F, but as Katie loads up her aging Camry and heads home from college for the last time, I鈥檓 not thinking much beyond summer. I鈥檓 not in denial (okay, maybe a little), I just know that Katie does things in her own way and her own time.
A runner in high school, Katie didn鈥檛 think she was fast enough to be a college athlete. But during her freshman year, the Mount Holyoke cross country and track coach kept spotting her out running in the early morning by herself. Finally, she tracked Katie down and recruited her for the team. Katie got faster, made amazing friends, built confidence, and developed grit (not to mention quite a running shoe habit).
Earning a college degree, especially a liberal arts degree, is a lot like becoming a serious athlete. You鈥檙e not just aiming for a specific goal, you鈥檙e building skills and traits that will serve you well for life. Not only can Katie outrun me these days, she can keep pace in conversations about the big issues our world is facing. Being on her own, she鈥檚 even learned practical lessons like, 鈥渨hat are lug nuts?鈥� and 鈥渨hy should I make sure mine haven鈥檛 fallen out?鈥�
College has turned Katie into the best version of her true self, and isn鈥檛 that the best we can hope for?
Rick Barnes, Database and Web Administrator, celebrated two graduations in May. His daughter, Erin, graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology. She wants to work as a counselor for adults seeking rehabilitation. Rick鈥檚 son, Noah, graduated from Fitchburg State University with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in communication. He hopes one day to direct films.
Joanna Schofield, Project Manager, was proud to watch her granddaughter, Mia Hutchison, graduate from New England College in May with her degree in criminal justice.