Behind the Billboard - Chelsea Shipman

Chelsea Shipman ’24 lights up when she talks about her 11-year-old son, Rune. A recent graduate himself—from elementary school—he has a keen way of noticing things that most people overlook.

Leave it to Rune, then, to casually sum up the past few years of his mom’s life. “You do hard things,” he told her recently.

“That moment meant more than I can actually put into words,” says Shipman. “It made me proud, not just of what I’ve accomplished, but of the fact that he saw the effort behind it.”

Hard thing number one: mustering the courage to give college a second try at the age of 30 while raising her son and working as a Patient Care Concierge at a dental office. Shipman liked the work but wanted more for herself and her family. Her first college experience ended 10 years earlier when she realized that a nursing major wasn’t the right fit.

Shipman needed a college option that was both affordable and flexible. NCC class schedules made it possible to balance school with being a parent and working full time. The PA Ready to Succeed Scholarship alleviated some of the financial pressure that comes with college.

“[NCC] felt like a place where going back to school was doable, and that made all the difference,” she says. “One of my proudest moments was graduating from NCC. It wasn’t just about earning a degree, it felt like closing a chapter I had left open for years.”

Hard thing number two: majoring in application development. Shipman wanted a career that offered room to grow and something new to learn each day. Application development checked those boxes even though she didn’t have a tech background.

“You’re doing the work as you learn, and it felt practical,” explains Shipman, who graduated with honors. “I didn’t know a lot about it going in, but it seemed like something I could figure out over time.”

Which leads to hard thing number three: advancing from intern to Vice President of Software Development at MIAC Analytics, a provider of pricing, risk management, and accounting solutions for the mortgage and financial services industries. In only two years. Shipman’s quick rise started with an internship in software development at MIAC.

“Having that hands-on experience early in my career was huge,” she recalls. “It helped me connect what I was learning to how it is used and gave me a strong foundation to continue growing at MIAC. That experience made it easier to take on more responsibility and move forward in my career.”

Her current role is both rewarding and full of opportunities to grow. The work is interesting and challenging, and there is always something new to learn. That continuous learning and problem solving are what Shipman enjoys the most, from translating business requirements into code to collaborating on practical technical solutions.

Hard thing number four: scoring billboard real estate as part of NCC’s newest campaign featuring successful alumni. “From Spartan to Software Executive” celebrates both Shipman’s professional success as well as her dedication to investing in future students and her community. Shipman is a member of NCC’s Alumni Association Board and treasurer of the Junior League of the Lehigh Valley.

“When I was figuring out my own path, having the right guidance made a real difference, and I want to offer that same support to others,” she says. “Success does not have to follow a perfect or traditional path. Sometimes, hearing from someone who has been through it makes things feel more possible.”

And that’s exactly what Shipman hopes Rune sees in all her hard things: time and effort can open doors and anything is possible.