Emmy award-winner addresses students at NHTI

Samuel Habib, co-director of the full-length Emmy award-winning documentary “The Ride Ahead”, returned to his alma mater on September 15. As keynote speaker at NHTI—Concord’s Community College’s fall convocation event, he spoke to 350 students about his work as a filmmaker, advocate, and member of the disability community.

"While we were filming ‘The Ride Ahead’, I got great advice from one of my mentors, Maysoon Zayid. She said, ‘You are not alone. Find your community.’ That was powerful advice. I found a community at NHTI, where I felt accepted and supported,” said Habib.

While studying at NHTI, Habib served on the Student Senate and received the President’s Leadership Award—the college’s top honor—in 2024. He balanced studies with filmmaking, releasing the 22-minute documentary “My Disability Roadmap” in 2022.

Habib played this short film for the crowd of students crammed into chairs and bleachers in the college’s gym. In just a few minutes, the movie shared glimpses of living with a disability balanced with the normal experiences of early adult life—getting a tattoo, dating, and starting a new semester of college.

After watching with rapt attention, hands shot up after the movie with questions for Habib. He answered each one using a communication device connected to his wheelchair. When a student shyly asked if Habib had found a girlfriend since making the film, he added a fist pump to the air as punctuation to the computer-generated “yes”. The audience broke out into cheers.

After the keynote speech, NHTI students filed onto the quad for a BBQ and club fair. While eating burgers and cups of ice cream, they weaved between the tables of over 20 student-run organizations, following Samuel Habib’s example to get involved on campus.

NHTI offers the full college experience through its vibrant clubs and activities, a beautiful 240-acre campus, and the only on-campus housing offered at a community college in the state. Learn more at nhti.edu.