When Montgomery County Community College Alumni Association Board Member John Caperilla first had his sights set on MCCC back in 1999, he saw the potential relationship as a good economic solution in his pursuit of working in the field of engineering.  

“I was paying for my education, so it was a good first step for me to get my degree and go to a four-year college,” Caperilla said. “It saved me a lot of money in the process.” 

In addition to the affordability of MCCC, he was also a recipient of the Foundation’s Allan C. Myers Memorial Scholarship," which took even more of the financial pressure off, enabling him to attend school full-time. 

While Caperilla’s goal from the get-go was to graduate and transfer to a four-year college, he referred to his overall experience at MCCC as ‘very positive.’  

“The professors, the small class size – that was a big part of it,” he said. “In a four-year university you’re in a lecture hall packed with students.” 

Caperilla said he found that the professors at MCCC were interested in the success of each student.  

“The faculty are more invested in the students,” he said. 

MCCC partner school 

In 2001, Caperilla received an associate's degree in Engineering Science from MCCC and then headed to Temple University, an MCCC partner school, to pursue a degree in civil engineering. 

While he was a student at Temple, Caperilla did an internship, gained through his relationship with MCCC, with Allan Myers construction company. The internship turned into a full-time position as a project engineer after graduating from Temple with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. 

After working at Allan Myers for three and a half years, Caperilla, who currently lives in Perkiomenville, Montgomery County, worked at various engineering firms prior to his current position at McTish, Kunkel & Associates, based in Allentown, where he is a highway engineer project manager. 

Route to MCCC’s Alumni Board 

Caperilla’s route to MCCC’s Alumni Association Board of Directors started back in 2011 when he received a survey from MCCC, which led to him attending an informational meeting with the Alumni Association and Foundation staff. At the time, he was president of the Young Alumni Association at Temple and was able to offer valuable input at the meeting.  

A year later, he joined MCCC’s Alumni Board where he was immediately appointed to the vice chair position. After three years serving in that role, he was elevated to Chair of the Board. Caperilla currently serves as the immediate past chair in an advisory capacity.  

“We were able to navigate through a period of restructuring of the Alumni Board,” he said. “Over the years, the school has invested more in the Alumni Association and you’re starting to see that.” 

Caperilla said that, as a result, more are interested in getting involved in the Alumni Board and Alumni Association in general.  

Network with alumni 

During his time on the Alumni Board, Caperilla has enjoyed sharing the experience he has gained from being on other boards, and the opportunity it has given him to network with alumni.  

When the current Chair, Bill Vitiello, leaves his seat, Caperilla said it will be time for him to step off the board.  

“I’ve been on the board for 10 years, and it’s time for me to have other people carry the torch,” he said. 

He plans to continue his involvement in MCCC in other ways.  

“Before COVID I’ve been working with Montco’s STEM program,” Caperilla said. “We are trying to get more students involved in STEM. There are areas in engineering that I think would be helpful for the college to have growth in that program.”