NECC Graduation
Congratulations to the NECC Class of 2021!
This site should include everything you need to know about Northern Essex Community College’s 59th Annual Commencement which will be held on Saturday, May 15, 2021, on the Haverhill Campus.
This year, due to the pandemic and continued restrictions, we will be holding five smaller socially distanced ceremonies, organized by academic area, throughout the day on Saturday.
The goal is to give all of the graduates the opportunity to walk across the stage in their cap and gown, and receive their diploma cover, along with the recognition they deserve.
Because we had to go virtual last year, 2020 graduates have also been invited to participate. The ceremonies will be held outside on the quad under a tent.
Each graduate will be allowed to invite two guests and strict protocols must be followed by graduates and guests. President Lane Glenn and academic deans will preside over the ceremonies and present the diplomas. A student speaker will be selected for each academic area, including STEM, Professional Studies, Health, Liberal Arts, and Business.
Thanks to our friends at HC Media, each of the five commencement ceremonies will be live streamed so that family and friends can watch from anywhere.
We also want to celebrate our grads on social media, and have created a contest with prizes for sharing the best photos of your graduation celebration.
If you have questions, please reach out to the registrar’s office, registrar@necc.mass.edu
It’s been a challenging year, and we are so looking forward to celebrating the talented classes of 2020 and 2021!
2020 Commencement Photos
Print View
Graduation News
Lawrence Nursing Grad will Represent NECC at Statewide “29 Who Shine” Event
A bi-lingual nursing graduate with a passion for delivering health care in Greater Lawrence has been selected to receive the “29 Who Shine” award which honors Class of 2021 graduates from each of the state’s community colleges and public colleges and universities for their service to the Commonwealth.
Yashana Rivera of Lawrence will graduate from Northern Essex Community College with high honors and an Associate Degree in Nursing in May. Nominated by her Nursing Professor Brienna Woodworth, she will be recognized at a statewide ceremony on May 13, which will be held virtually this year.
In nominating her for this honor, Professor Woodworth shared Rivera’s “drive” and “commitment to giving back to her community.” “Yashana has vocalized her passion and dedication to the city of Lawrence. She wants to address health inequities, especially among people of color.”
Rivera graduated from Notre Dame High School in 2011 and soon started working as a paraprofessional for the Lawrence Public Schools, while enrolled part time at Northern Essex.
She later served in AmeriCorps, providing more than 800 Lawrence K-6 students with social emotional learning opportunities through positive play, a transitional opportunity, linking her public education experience with her interest in health.
In the nursing program since 2019, Rivera works part time as a medical assistant providing rapid COVID testing and has also volunteered with the Movement Family, an organization that helps the homeless by delivering meals and COVID care packages. She recently began administering vaccines in Lawrence as a volunteer.
Her roots in the city of Lawrence go back to her grandparents, Rosa and Luis, who emigrated from Puerto Rico in 1981, and now have a family that includes 19 grand and great-grandchildren.
“Becoming a nurse is a life-long dream,” says Rivera. “There aren’t many Latinx or bilingual nurses, and it’s very important to me to work in my community.”
After passing her nursing boards, Rivera plans to continue her education in an accelerated master’s program with the ultimate goal of becoming a family nurse practitioner serving the Lawrence community.
In her free time, Rivera circuit and weight trains, practices yoga, and hikes. She also loves to travel and has been piraña fishing in the Amazon, climbed Macchu Picchu, and dined aboard a floating house in Lake Titicaca.
Facilitated by the MA Department of Higher Education (DHE), the “29 Who Shine” awards were created 10 years ago to highlight the special role that Massachusetts public college and university students play as engaged citizens and future leaders. The awards and the attention generated by the ceremony serve to remind the legislature, business community and the public of the important contributions that public higher education students make to their communities. The “29 Who Shine” are a visible reminder of the “dividend” that investments in public higher education can yield for the Commonwealth.
Northern Essex Community College has campuses in both Haverhill and Lawrence. It offers approximately 60 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth. Each year, 6,000 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 2,000 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu or call 978-556-3700.
College Plans for May 15 Commencement
The pandemic has had a tremendous impact on just about everything, including the way the college celebrates our graduates.
Last year, the traditional ceremony—typically held in May under a 3,000-person tent on the Haverhill Campus quad—was cancelled and replaced with a virtual ceremony and two celebration package pick-ups.
While everyone tried their best, it was clear that what graduates missed most was the opportunity to walk across the stage in their cap and gown and receive their well-earned associate degree or certificate.
With that in mind, the commencement committee put their heads together and came up with a plan for 2021 that features five small in-person, socially distanced graduation ceremonies organized by academic area.
Each ceremony will be held outside on the Haverhill Campus on Saturday, May 15, starting with the first ceremony at 9 am. A student speaker from each of the areas—STEM, Professional Studies, Health, Liberal Arts, and Business-will be selected by the academic centers to speak and President Lane Glenn will present the diplomas.
Because last year’s ceremony was virtual, 2020 graduates have been invited to participate.
All graduates will be seated 6-feet apart and policies regarding guests will be announced closer to the date, when the guidelines regarding outside events become more clear.
HC Media will be livestreaming all of the ceremonies so family and friends can watch from anywhere. Also the college will be handing out yard signs, which were a big hit last year.
The college has a commencement website that includes the latest information. Please visit that for updates.
If you have questions, reach out to the registrar, registrar@necc.mass.edu.
