Faces of NECC
Students
Gerry Vasquez
Student, Respiratory Care
At 26, Gerry Vasquez has many titles, semi-professional football player, Iraq veteran, and hospital worker. Come May, he will have a new title – respiratory therapist. A graduate of Lawrence High School, Gerry’s initial attempt at attending NECC was interrupted when he was called to military service. After a year in Iraq, his academic plan is back on track. In addition to his studies and playing semi-professional football for the New England Hawks, Gerry works part-time in Lawrence General Hospital’s Respiratory Care Department.
Drew Eramo
Liberal Arts: Political Science Option
Business Transfer 2007
A Merrimack, N.H. resident, Drew came to Northern Essex because of its nationally ranked baseball program. He stayed because he was excelling in the classroom as well as on the field. Eramo really hit a home run when he was accepted to Boston College where he is currently studying political science and business with his sights set on law school.
Lara Sablich
Student, Business Transfer
A 2006 graduate of Haverhill High School, Lara's plan is to spend two years at Northern Essex and then to transfer to Gordon College for her bachelor's in business. Choosing Northern Essex was a financial decision. "At Northern Essex, I'm getting the same education that I would get in the first two years at any college or university," she says. "The only difference is the cost. I tell all my friends they should start here."
Stephanie DeSantis
Elementary Education, 2005
The single parent of a seven-year old son, Stephanie works as a paraprofessional in the Lawrence Public School System and takes courses during the evening. After earning her associate degree, she transferred to Fitchburg State College which offers a bachelor degree completion program on Northern Essex's Haverhill Campus. Next fall, she hopes to continue her employment with the Lawrence Public Schools, this time as head of her own classroom.
Jasmin Pastrana
2007 Liberal Arts: Journalism/Broadcasting option
Jasmin Pastrana may have walked away from her education at Lawrence High School, but she walked into a promising future in journalism when she earned her GED from Northern Essex Community College. That singular step led to an associate’s degree in liberal arts with a broadcasting / journalism option.
News editor of the college’s award winning student newspaper, Jasmin is now setting her sights on a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Meredith Beikman
Student, Elementary Education
Derry, N.H. resident, Meredith Beikman is working on her sea legs as well as her associate’s degree. Beikman, 19, was accepted to embark on the maiden voyage of the Scholar Ship, a 16-week semester-long academic program aboard a dedicated passenger ship that traverses the globe as an ocean-going campus.
In the spring, she will return to NECC with a semester of college credits as well as a life time of memories.
Cheryl Sirignano
Accounting 2007
When Cheryl was laid off from her mid-level job in corporate finance two years ago, she enrolled at Northern Essex. She received her degree this May—earning a perfect 4.0 average—and immediately started her new job as a corporate accountant for a Ward Hill business. After some additional coursework at Northern Essex, she will enroll at Southern New Hampshire University where she plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Next will be a master’s, if all goes as planned!
Laurel Hall
Respiratory Care, 2007
When Derry resident Laurel Hall made the decision to change careers, she took a cue from her husband Steven, a 1995 graduate of Northern Essex Community College, and enrolled in the respiratory care program. With nearly a 4.0 grade point average Hall received six scholarships and two job offers before she graduated in May.
Brian Woodworth
Spanish Language Student
When Brian Woodworth, a graduate of the Citadel, Middlebury College, and the University of Bridgeport Law School, was looking to further his career by become proficient in Spanish, it was Northern Essex Community College that he turned to. Woodworth completed all seven Spanish language courses offered by the college. This former Green Beret now translates Spanish documents into English as part of an intelligence operation for the U.S. Army.
Willis Martinez
Student, Business Transfer
A graduate of Central Catholic High School, Willis started his college education at a four-year college but transferred to Northern Essex to play basketball. He has been accepted to the respected Eisenberg School of Business at UMASS Amherst and will start this fall. Northern Essex is a family affair for Martinez whose mother and two brothers also attend classes.
Jonathan Bennett
Student, General Studies
Catch classical and operatic vocalist Jonathan Bennett in his latest production – the 45th annual Northern Essex Community College commencement ceremony where he will not only accept his associate’s degree, but will sing the national anthem. This will be his last gig before the 21-year-old Methuen High School graduate heads off to Rome, Italy this July to participate in month-long, prestigious opera program.
Donna Johnson
Student, Engineering Science
Donna was more than a little nervous when she enrolled at Northern Essex. She worried about passing the assessment test, being the oldest person in the classroom, and how her three children, ages 11 to 14, would manage without her. After two semesters, she´s overcome all of her fears. “I have learned that I am a good student and that I love learning.”
Dave Woiceshook
Business Management, 2006
Dave was confident he had what it took to be successful in sales, but he knew he needed to further his education to be taken seriously in the corporate environment. His associate’s degree in business management from Northern Essex gave him that corporate edge. Today he is one of Best Buys top salespeople as well as a homeowner at the age of 23.
Tito Joaquin,
Student
Liberal Arts/Biology Option
Tito Joaquin’s dream of becoming a doctor of reconstructive surgery began at Northern Essex. A native of the Dominican Republic, he started with ESL courses. Tito took advantage of the college’s many support services and after graduating this spring, will transfer to UMass Amherst to pursue his next step on the road to a medical degree: a bachelor’s in psychology with a biology minor.
Meredith Burr
Student, General Studies
Meredith knew she wanted to go to college after graduating from Londonderry High School in 2005 but she wasn’t sure what she wanted to major in. By choosing General Studies at Northern Essex, she’s been able to sample courses in all academic disciplines and now her career is beginning to take shape. She plans to transfer in the fall to a four-year college and major in physical therapy.
Melissa Lovato,
Student
Engineering Science/Electronic Technology
Melissa Lovato loves creating new technology. “It’s what makes me happy,” she says. A 2005 graduate of Whittier Technical High School, she plans to transfer to a four-year engineering program after graduating from Northern Essex and eventually become a design engineer. Because she participated in the Tech Prep program and earned credits for three of the courses that she took at Whittier, she’s definitely on the fast track.
Jason Lynch
Associate Degree in Arts,
Graphic Design, 2004
Jason Lynch, the assistant advertising production manager at the Eagle Tribune Company, is himself a one-man advertisement for Northern Essex’s graphic design and internship programs.
A graduate of Andover High School, he enrolled at NECC for graphic design and had the opportunity to intern in the advertising department of the Haverhill Gazette. After earning his associate’s degree, the Gazette’s parent company hired him. He’s been climbing the corporate ladder ever since.
Chris Smith
Student,
Paramedic Technology Program
Chris wants to be a paramedic because he thrives on an adrenaline rush and likes helping people. A former U.S. Army Combat lifesaver and current EMT for Trinity Ambulance, Chris knows that the paramedic field is a good fit for him. He also knows that an associate degree will open up many doors in his field.
Alvaro(A.B.) Bido,
Student, General Studies
After graduating from high school, A.B. “never intended to go to college.” A visit to the Career Planning and Advising Center (CPAC) on the Lawrence Campus changed that. A.B. enrolled in the General Studies Program and joined the college’s baseball team which won the state’s three out of the past four years. After graduating, he plans to transfer and pursue a bachelor’s degree in athletic training or fitness.
Ricardo Giraldo Franco,
Student,
Human Services
When Ricardo lost his job as an industrial machine operator and trainer, he ended up finding his inspiration. A people person with great listening skills, he enrolled in the human service program. After earning his associate degree, Ricardo plans to continue his education and become a psychotherapist. Ricardo attends school part-time while working full-time. He also finds time to volunteer for The Samaritan’s hotline.
Alumni
Nate Proulx
Liberal arts: physical education/fitness/recreation option, 2007
Basketball standout Nate Proulx came to NECC to learn how to be a student. Beginning with basic and developmental courses he built an educational game plan that has served him well. After graduating from NECC, he transferred to UMass Boston. Today, he teaches physical education at Patrick F. Gavin Middle School in South Boston. He is currently applying to graduate schools.
Matt Schmid
Liberal Arts, 2005
Matt wasn’t ready for college when he graduated from Haverhill High School in 1999 so he joined the U.S. Marines. His four year tour of duty included time in Kosovo and the Middle East. When he returned home, he enrolled at Northern Essex under the GI Bill and graduated two years later with a near perfect GPA.
Matt went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in government from Georgetown University. Today, he attends the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University where he is working on a master’s in public administration.
Cheryl Perez,
Paralegal Studies, 2006
Cheryl found a job in her field months before graduation. For the second half of her last semester, she juggled working as a paralegal for a Newburyport attorney, with full-time classes, and caring for her two children. Because education is important to her, Cheryl continued on for her bachelor’s in the fall. The good news is that her four-year college accepted all of her Northern Essex credits.
Isa Araujo
Business Transfer and Computer & Information Sciences: Information Technology Option Graduate, 2006
Isa has good reason to be proud. She earned her degree while single parenting three children and working a variety of full and part-time jobs. She also participated fully in the college experience and found time for an internship at Lawrence City Hall. This fall, she transferred to the business program at UMASS Lowell. Her goal is to buy her own home.
Nicole Piliponis
Deaf Studies; American Sign Language, 2006
Niki worked three jobs and auditioned for American Idol while pursuing her associate’s degree at NECC.
The singing 20-year-old and Presidential Scholar heads to UMASS/Lowell this fall where she begins work on a bachelor’s in psychology. Eventually she hopes to earn a master’s in education counseling
and parlay her
sign language skills and education into the role of high school guidance counselor.
Sara Reyes,
Liberal Arts, 2006
Sara came to Northern Essex straight from high school because it was accessible, economical, and just made sense. She worked two jobs while taking a variety of classes.
Now, two years later, the 20-year-old has an associate´s in liberal arts. Sara heads off this fall to the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, where she received a $9,000 scholarship. Sara appreciates NECC.
“I found the faculty members to be very genuine people,” she says.
Mark DeMeo
Liberal Arts: Journalism/Broadcasting, 2005
Mark DeMeo wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of his education, even Hurricane Katrina. After graduating from Northern Essex he received a generous scholarship to Loyola University in New Orleans. Three days after arriving on campus, his college education was dramatically interrupted. After a semester at University of Scranton, Mark is now “happy to be back” in New Orleans.
Bruce Langton
Radiologic Technology, 2006
Bruce used to print documents. Now, he takes x-rays. When the commercial print shop, where he worked, closed, this father of two explored his options and his soul and saw his future was in health care.
Today, at 41, with a new associate’s degree to his credit, he is working full time in the Computed Tomography (CT) department at the Lawrence General Hospital.
Thang Nguyen
Engineering Science; Engineering Technology
Thang’s American Dream began 16 years ago on a 20-foot boat headed for a small Indonesian Island off the coast of Vietnam. It continues today through education.
In addition to two associate’s degrees from Northern Essex, Thang holds a bachelor’s degree from Merrimack College and a master’s degree from UMASS/Lowell - all of which have earned him the honor of NECC Outstanding Alumnus for 2006.
Ben Clemenzi Allen,
Liberal Arts, 2005
Ben was “lost and looking for direction” when he came to Northern Essex two years after his high school graduation. He is now enrolled at UMass/Amherst in the prestigious Commonwealth College Honors Program.
After earning a degree in English, he plans to continue on for a Ph.D.
Ultimately, he'd like to be a college professor.
