NECC Graduation
NECC Celebrates the Classes of 2020 and 2021!
Held on Saturday, May 15, 2021, Northern Essex Community College’s 59th Commencement Ceremony was celebrated differently due to the pandemic.
Rather than have one large graduation for all graduates, the college scheduled five socially distanced ceremonies, organized by academic center. And 2020 graduates were included, since their graduation was virtual last year.
Over 1,300 graduates from 2020 and 2021 were recognized and associate degrees and certificates from over 70 academic programs were awarded. Everyone was masked and there was 3 feet between graduates and 6 feet between guests, following state guidelines.
President Lane Glenn addressed each ceremony and there was a student speaker for each. Awards that are traditionally presented during commencement were spread out over the five ceremonies.
“When we were planning this year’s graduation, it was very important to us that every graduate be given the opportunity to cross the commencement platform and receive their diploma and their well-deserved spotlight,” said Glenn in his remarks. “Earning a certificate or degree is always something to celebrate, but even more so this year and last year when there were so many obstacles placed in your way as a result of COVID-19.”
For links to the student speeches, a gallery of photos, and a full list of all awards that were presented, visit the newsroom.
Here’s a full list of 2020/2021 graduates.
Next year’s commencement—the college’s 60th—will be held on Saturday, May 14, 2022, so mark your calendars now. We will be updating this site with details closer to the day so keep checking in!
Watch a Message from U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren to the Graduating Class
Click the thumbnail below to watch a message from U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren to the Northern Essex Community College graduating Class of 2021 and the Class of 2020.
View video on the NECC YouTube Channel.
Watch the Commencement Ceremonies On-Demand
Our thanks to HC Media for live streaming this year’s ceremonies, and for offering on-demand video replays of each ceremony. To watch a ceremony on your smartphone, tablet, or PC, please click the thumbnail below. Note, you will be redirected to HC Media’s website where you will be able to select your desired video.
2021 Commencement Photos
Enjoy this small window into this year’s festivities, and congratulations again to all of the 2020/2021 graduates – your grit and determination inspires us all!
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Graduation News
Lawrence City Council Recognizes 2021 Biology Grad
2021 Northern Essex Community College Biology Graduate Mariel Bloise was in the spotlight on Tuesday, June 1, when she received honors for her academic success from the Lawrence City Council, which recognizes one outstanding graduate from the city each year, based on a recommendation from Northern Essex President Lane Glenn.
Bloise, who is only 19-years old, came to Lawrence from the Dominican Republic with her family in 2015. Although she spoke no English when she came here, Bloise did well academically from the start, and she began taking college classes as a high school senior through the NECC Early College Program.
When she graduated from Lawrence High School in 2019, she decided to transfer the 12 college credits she had earned to Northern Essex. Thanks to the Lawrence Promise Program, which was supported by the city council, all costs for Bloise’s associate degree were covered, including tuition, books, and supplies.
“It was a blessing for me, and my family,” she told the city council.
Bloise graduated from Northern Essex with high honors and is transferring to UMass Lowell to continue her studies in biology. Eager to move ahead with her education, she is already taking summer courses in her major. Her goal is to enroll in physician’s assistant school after getting her bachelor’s, and she is considering dermatology as a specialty. She comes from a family of doctors (her uncle and cousins) which is what interested her in the medical field.
Bloise’s mother, Karina Tavarez was so proud to see her daughter graduate on May 15. “I am happy to have a daughter who could obtain this goal. Having the Lawrence Promise Program, helped us financially. It meant a lot to our family.”
In introducing Bloise to the city council, Councilor Jorge Gonzalez said” I am so humbled to recognize you. As a Lawrencian, I am so proud that you are moving our city forward.”
To learn more about the college’s Early College Program, contact pk12@necc.mass.edu To learn more about the Promise Program, contact promise@necc.mass.edu
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.
Recent NECC Retirees Receive Emeritus Status
As part of this year’s May 15 Commencement Ceremonies, Northern Essex Community College President Lane Glenn conferred the rank of Emeritus Status on several long time members of the faculty and staff, who have recently retired.
At Northern Essex, the rank of emeritus is an honor that recognizes sustained excellence in performance, character, and meritorious service to the college.
Stephen Fabbrucci of Atkinson, NH was named vice president emeritus of human resources. He started at the college in 1977 as director of personnel. Over the years, he was promoted to assistant dean of human resources, associate dean of human resources, dean of human resources, and, his most recent position, from which he retired in 2019, vice president of human resources and labor relations.
During his years at the college Fabbrucci worked for three presidents: John Dimitry, David Hartleb, and Lane Glenn.
In presenting the honor, President Glenn said “We all have very different styles, but one thing we had in common, was our reliance on and appreciation for Steve. No one in the community college system knew more about collective bargaining than Steve, and he was often tapped to provide leadership on this topic at the state level.”
Gail Feigenbaum of Andover was named professor emerita of early childhood education.
She joined the Early Childhood Education faculty in 1986 and has served as coordinator of that program since 2001, retiring in 2020.
Under Feigenbaum’s leadership, the Early Childhood Education Program filled a tremendous need in the community for qualified early childhood educators.
She expanded the program, making it more accessible, especially to people already working in the field who are looking for credentials.
Evening courses, online courses, and a certificate option have been added, and student diversity has been increased.
“If you visit any Early Childhood Center in the Merrimack Valley, it’s a given that you will meet passionate, caring teachers, who are Gail’s former students,” said Glenn.
Joanna Fortna of Bradford, was named professor emerita of academic preparation.
She was an adjunct faculty member for 11 years before being named a full-time developmental writing faculty member and curriculum coordinator in 1998. She retired in 2020 after 33 years of service to the college.
“Her career has been dedicated to helping students become better writers, and successful student outcomes are the focus of everything that she does,” said Glenn.
“She has revised our curriculum more than once; piloted new ways of teaching and learning, such as learning communities and accelerated developmental courses; and been a mentor to other faculty.”
Marilyn McCarthy of Andover was named professor emerita of academic preparation.
McCarthy began teaching College Reading, Philosophy, Logic and World Religions at Northern Essex in 1998 and she became a full-time developmental reading faculty member in 2001. She retired in 2020.
Successful reading skills are essential to success in most college courses, and Marilyn dedicated her career to giving her students the skills to become stronger readers.
“She was always innovative, willing to experiment with learning communities, curriculum redesigns, and learning outcomes,” said Glenn.
Suzanne Van Wert of Plaistow, NH was named professor emerita of English.
She joined the college’s English faculty in 1983 and, for many years, she was chair of the department.
Suzanne was a gifted teacher, and she also made many contributions to the college.
She led the institutional assessment of the six core academic skills, which were instituted in 2014, to ensure that students had the outcomes needed to succeed in further college studies or their careers.
She also was instrumental in building frameworks for learning assessment on campus, serving as co-chair of our Assessment of Student Learning Committee.
Those who received emeritus status but were unable to attend a commencement ceremony, included Kerin Hamidiani of Salem, NH, professor emerita dental assisting, Nancy Julin of Leominster, assistant dean emerita of health professions, Patricia Kidney of Dracut, professor emerita of art & design; and Jean Poth of Groveland, vice president emerita of institutional advancement.
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.
Lawrence Resident Receives Social Justice Award
Analuz Garcia of Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College’s assistant director of community & international relations, received the college’s Social Justice Award at the May 15 Commencement Exercises.
First presented in 2019, the Social Justice Award, recognizes individuals, groups, departments, and initiatives that promote values such as a commitment to equity and diversity or the advancement of human rights and social justice. It comes with a cash prize of $1961—in honor of the year the college was founded—that the recipient can use to enhance social justice initiatives at the college.
Garcia has had many roles at Northern Essex. She started as a financial aid counselor, was coordinator of student engagement and activities, and has been in her current position for the past 7 years.
In presenting the award, Northern Essex President Lane Glenn said “No matter what hat she is wearing, Analuz always exudes a passion for social justice and equity. Connecting people of color with educational opportunities and promoting a better understanding of cultural differences drive everything she does.”
Since 2016, she has provided leadership for PIÉS Latinos de NECC, a program that helps immigrants evaluate degrees, high school diplomas and college credits from their native countries and transfer them into credentials that can lead to careers and higher education in the U.S.
More than 900 local residents have benefited from this program since it was started.
And, in 2019, PIÉS Latinos de NECC received the 5th Annual Deval Patrick Prize for Community Colleges, which includes a $50,000 award.
In addition, every year, Garcia organizes an educational exchange. A group of Northern Essex faculty and staff spend a week in the Dominican Republic, learning about the culture and meeting with fellow educators. They return with a better understanding of and appreciation for the many Dominican students who attend Northern Essex.
Garcia also manages the NECC White Fund Lecture Series and in recent years she has brought high level speakers to Greater Lawrence, including most recently Eddie S. Glaude Jr, chair of the African American Studies Department at Princeton University, who delivered a powerful presentation on anti-racism in May of this year.
After President Glenn announced the award, Garcia showed the audience her t-shirt which read “Se Habla Spanglish”
Northern Essex Community College has campuses in both Haverhill and Lawrence. It offers more than 60 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth. Each year, more than 5,000 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 2,600 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.
NECC Celebrates the Classes of 2020 and 2021
Held on Saturday, May 15, Northern Essex Community College’s 59th Commencement Ceremony was a little different due to the pandemic, but the consensus is that everyone loved it.
Rather than have one large graduation for all graduates, the college scheduled five socially-distanced ceremonies, organized by academic center. And 2020 graduates were included, since their graduation was virtual last year.
There was a student speaker for each ceremony, President Lane Glenn addressed the grads, and the awards that are traditionally presented during commencement were spread out over the five ceremonies.
“When we were planning this year’s graduation, it was very important to us that every graduate be given the opportunity to cross the commencement platform and receive their diploma and their well-deserved spotlight,” said Glenn in his remarks. “Earning a certificate or degree is always something to celebrate, but even more so this year and last year when there were so many obstacles placed in your way as a result of COVID-19.”
Over 1,300 graduates from 2020 and 2021 were celebrated and associate degrees and certificates from over 70 academic programs were awarded. Everyone was masked and there was 3 feet between graduates and 6 feet between guests, following state guidelines.
President Glenn typically shakes the hand of each graduate, which wasn’t possible this year due to safety guidelines. Instead, each graduate received a foam hand that proclaimed “NECC Grads are #1.” As they crossed the commencement platform, they were given the option of high-fiving (by far the most popular); waving, toe tapping, or elbow bumping.
Here is some background on the graduates:
· 67.4% are women
· Close to half are first generation college students, meaning they are the first in their family to attend college
· About half are students of color, including 37% who are Latino
· 35 are veterans
· The youngest grad was 17 and the oldest grad was 69
Calling this year’s group “one of the most diverse in NECC’s history, President Glenn referred to the college’s mission—which is “to empower a diverse community of learners to meet their individual goals”—and thanked the graduates for “helping us achieve our mission.”
The five commencement speakers included:
Business and Accounting:
Shanna Guy of Newburyport
Associate of Science: Business Transfer: High Honors
Guy attended Northern Essex soon after graduating from Amesbury High School in 2011, but things didn’t go as planned. Seven years later, she came back to finish what she started. This time, she excelled. She will transfer to Merrimack College, UMass Lowell, or Bentley to continue her studies in Accounting.
Professional Studies:
Shania Berard of Methuen
Associate of Science: Elementary Education, High Honors
Berard decided on her career path as a six-year old at the Tenney Elementary School in Methuen. She has been working full time as a teacher at the Andover Little Sprouts while in college. She is transferring to Merrimack College.
Liberal Arts:
Rosanna Lara of Lawrence
Associate of Science: Public Health, High Honors
The married mother of three, Lara came to Northern Essex after she was laid off from her customer service job. She’s been hired by the college as its contact tracer case manager. She is planning to continue her studies at Regis College, which has a campus in Lawrence.
STEM:
Vladimir Ventura of Lawrence
Associate of Science: Computer Information Sciences: Computer Science Transfer Option, Honors
Ventura is graduating having completed two software engineering internships and with plans to transfer to UMass Lowell to continue his studies. Ventura is an immigrant from the Dominican Republic.
Health Professions:
Paola Sierra de Valerio of Lawrence
Associate of Arts: General Studies: Health Specialization, High Honors
A native of the Dominican Republic, Sierra emigrated from Spain in 2014 to fulfill her dream of graduating from college in the U.S.
Paola Sierra De Valerio’s Speech
Awards Presented Included:
Emeritus:
Stephen Fabbrucci, Vice President Emeritus of Human Services (2020)
Gail Feigenbaum, Professor Emerita Early Childhood Education (2021)
Joanna Fortna, Professor Emerita Academic Preparation (2021)
Marilyn McCarthy, Professor Emerita Academic Preparation (2021)
Suzanne Van Wert, Professor Emerita English (2021)
The following individuals were unable to attend a ceremony and received their Emeritus Awards in abstentia:
Kerin Hamidiani, Professor Emerita Dental Assisting (2020)
Nancy Julin, Assistant Dean Emerita of Health Professions (2020)
Patricia Kidney, Professor Emerita of Art & Design (2020)
Jean Poth, Vice President Emerita of Institutional Advancement (2020)
Outstanding Alumni Award:
Mabel Covarrubias-Doucette, Esq., ’12 (2020)
Brian Mohika, ’06 (2021)
Social Justice Award:
Analuz Garcia, Assistant Director, Community & International Relations, NECC
The ceremonies opened with the national anthem sung by graduates Alica Catalano, AA: General Studies: Music Option, High Honors, 2021, and Emily Forisso, AS: Early Childhood Education, High Honors, 2020.
Here is a full list of Commencement 20-21 Grad List of grads.
To learn more about this year’s Commencement, visit the website.
At 17, Identical Twins Have High School and College Degrees
The phrase “high-achieving students” seems inadequate to describe Sabine and Violette Smith of Groveland, 17-year-old identical twins who are not only graduating from Pentucket High School a year early but also with high honors from Northern Essex Community College with their associate degrees in liberal arts. They will graduate from Northern Essex on Saturday, May 15.
How is this possible? Through NECC’s dual enrollment program, which allows high school students to earn college credit and get an affordable head start on their college degree, thanks to tuition discounts.
“They wanted to just really gain a head start when it came to college and the plans that they had in the future,” says Josselyn Guzman, assistant director of NECC’s PK-12 Partnership and Early College program.
Sabine and Violette were looking for a new and different academic experience when they discovered the dual enrollment option at NECC.
“I think it was really interesting to try a new format,” says Violette. “The college format of the different courses was great, and I really liked all the different professors.”
In addition to stretching themselves academically, dual enrollment at NECC and taking college-level courses helped Sabine and Violette gain clarity about the careers they’d like to pursue. For instance, Sabine always thought that she might do something in the sciences but taking liberal arts classes at NECC helped her realize that she’s interested in writing, journalism, and history.
“After I took all these classes, I was much more interested in all the different writing and history classes,” she says.
After their graduations, Sabine and Violette are applying for four-year colleges for fall 2022. In the meantime, they’re taking a study abroad gap-year program in Greece that’s focused on art and writing.
“You get to get immersed in a different culture,” Violette says. “I think it’s good to be able to see things from like around the globe and be able to experience education in different places as well.”
“Students gain a sense of confidence and a sense of belonging very early on in their years as a high school student but they learn what that’s like on a college campus,” Guzman says. “That confidence skill has already been built and really helps them shine.”
Both Sabine and Violette agree.
“It like really helped prepare me, personally, for what to expect when I go to a four-year college or pursue other academic experiences,” Sabine says. “I think it also really helped me to be more independent and just really be prepared.”
Guzman says there are so many benefits to early college beyond affordability and a chance to earn college credits.
To learn more about Early College and Dual Enrollment opportunities at Northern Essex, contact pk12@necc.mass.edu
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.
NECC Announces This Year’s Student Commencement Speakers
Typically, one student is selected to speak at Northern Essex Community College’s commencement ceremony. This year, five students will be speaking, one at each of the five smaller ceremonies that will be held on Saturday, May 15.
The ceremonies are organized by academic area, and each of the five academic centers was asked to select their own speaker based on academic record and contributions to the college and the community.
Janice Rogers, commencement co-chair, organized the process and was pleased with the results. “COVID has made everything more difficult, including celebrating our graduates,” she said. “The good news is that this year we get to hear five student stories, rather than just one, and the graduates who were selected are amazing.”
Here’s who has been selected to speak:
Business and Accounting:
Associate of Science: Business Transfer: High Honors
Guy attended Northern Essex soon after graduating from Amesbury High School in 2011, but things didn’t go as planned. Seven years later, she came back to finish what she started.
Professional Studies:
Associate of Science: Elementary Education, High Honors
Berard decided on her career path as a six-year old at the Tenney Elementary School in Methuen. She has been working full time as a teacher at the Andover Little Sprouts while in college.
Liberal Arts:
Michelle Colbert-Mason of Haverhill
Associate of Arts: Liberal Arts: Journalism/Communication Option, High Honors
Colbert-Mason dropped out of Haverhill High School when she was 16, but she didn’t skip a beat, earning her GED later that year, and enrolling in college at the age of 17.
STEM:
Associate of Science: Computer Information Sciences: Computer Science Transfer Option, Honors
Ventura is graduating having completed two software engineering internships and with plans to transfer to UMass Lowell to continue his studies.
Health Professions:
Paola Sierra de Valerio of Lawrence
Associate of Arts: General Studies: Health Specialization, High Honors
A native of the Dominican Republic, Sierra emigrated from Spain in 2014 to fulfill her dream of graduating from college in the U.S.
She Arrived in the U.S. with a Suitcase and a Dream
As a girl, growing up in the Dominican Republic, Paola Sierra de Valerio, now a resident of Lawrence, dreamed of graduating from college in the U.S. one day.
On May 15, she will fulfill that dream when she receives her Associate Degree in General Studies: Health Specialization from Northern Essex Community College.
Sierra has been selected to share her story—one that she hopes will inspire other immigrants—as the student speaker for the Center for Health Professions May 15 Commencement Ceremony.
In nominating her for this honor, Sheila Corsaro, academic advisor for the college’s PACE Program, a federally funded support program for first generation college students, wrote “Paola is truly one of the most dedicated students I have ever known.”
Hearing her story, it would be hard to disagree. While working to support herself, learning the English language, becoming a U.S. citizen, and falling in love and getting married, Sierra never lost sight of her educational goal.
She graduated from high school in the Dominican Republic in 2009 and moved with her family to Spain, where she studied English.
Still holding on to her dream, she boarded a plane in 2014 headed for Miami. “I came with just my luggage and myself,” she says.
After a stay in New York, where she met her future husband, the couple moved to Lawrence in 2016.
Throughout her education, Sierra has worked full time—most recently as a patient service representative for Greater Lawrence Family Health Center—and attended college full time, earning an almost perfect 3.92 GPA.
It hasn’t been an easy journey, but Sierra wants others, especially other immigrants, to know that it is possible.
“When immigrants come to this country, the first thing they do is go to work. Learning English and further education are often forgotten,” she says. “I never lost my determination to learn and graduate.”
Soon after arriving in Lawrence, Sierra enrolled in Northern Essex’s Bridges to College and Careers program, a grant-funded program that provides a pathway for adult English language learners who want to attend college.
It was in the Bridges to Colleges and Careers Program that Sierra discovered her interest in health care and began to form an education and career path.
In the fall, she will transfer to UMass Lowell to pursue a bachelor’s in community health education or health psychology. Eventually she wants to earn a master’s in health communications and build a career as a health educator/health psychologist.
When Sierra addresses, the graduates on May 15, her husband and her mother’s friend will be in the audience cheering her on, while the rest of her family watches the livestream from Spain.
“I can’t believe it,” she says.
This year, due to the pandemic, Northern Essex Community College is holding five smaller graduation ceremonies on Saturday, May 15 on the Haverhill Campus, organized by academic center. Each ceremony will include a student speaker and traditional awards will be presented throughout the day. Students will have the opportunity to cross the commencement stage and receive their well-earned associate degree or certificate.
With Two Internships, This Computer Science Grad is Well Prepared for the Future
Vladimir Ventura of Lawrence is graduating from Northern Essex Community College on May 15 with an Associate Degree in Computer Information Science and a resume that includes two software engineering internships.
An immigrant from the Dominican Republic, he is well prepared for further education in computer science and a career as a software developer, and he credits Northern Essex, saying “there is so much I appreciate about the college.”
Based on recommendations from his faculty members, Professor Ethel Schuster and Professor Jay Termini, Ventura has been selected to deliver the student speech at the STEM Center Commencement Ceremony.
Ventura had to “start from scratch” after arriving in Lawrence with his family in 2016. He had a high school diploma but had to learn a new language and work part time to support his family while in college.
In September of 2018, Ventura landed a fellowship with Hack.Diversity, a program that helps high-performing individuals, primarily those who identify as Black or Latinx, to launch careers as software engineers, IT professionals, and data analysts within the innovation economy.
Hack.Diversity led him to his first internship, during the summer of 2019, with Solaria Labs, an innovation incubator formed by Liberty Mutual. This experience “changed his life”, introducing him to software, such as React, Express, and Django, and helping him hone his problem solving and social skills.
The fellowship also pushed the admittedly shy Ventura to go beyond his comfort zone. “I was put in situations where I had to socialize and talk about myself,” he says. “It helped me not only in my career but also to develop myself better as a person.”
He must have impressed his supervisors at Liberty Mutual because he was hired by Liberty Mutual again for the summer of 2020 and is expecting to be back working for them this summer.
Ventura is transferring to UMass Lowell to continue his studies this fall, and his hope is that he will be able to continue working at Liberty Mutual part time while continuing his college education.
His interest in the computer industry is fueled by the fact that it is constantly evolving. “There’s always something new to see, or learn. It never stops, stalls, or goes backwards,” he says, a description which could apply to him.
This year, due to the pandemic, Northern Essex Community College is holding five smaller graduation ceremonies on Saturday, May 15 on the Haverhill Campus, organized by academic center. Each ceremony will include a student speaker and traditional awards will be presented throughout the day. Students will have the opportunity to cross the commencement stage and receive their well-earned associate degree or certificate.
From High School Drop Out to High Honors College Grad
Michelle Colbert-Mason dropped out of Haverhill High School when she was 16, but she didn’t skip a beat, earning her GED later that year, and enrolling in college at the age of 17.
On May 15, Colbert-Mason, now 20, will graduate from Northern Essex Community College with high honors and a degree in Liberal Arts: Journalism/Communications Option, and plans to transfer on for a bachelor’s in communications. She has been selected to be the student speaker for the Center for Liberal Arts Commencement Ceremony.
While her high school experience was challenging—she experienced bullying—she doesn’t dwell on it. “You can’t let setbacks hold you back,” she says. “I’ve found that anything is possible if you set your mind to it.”
Colbert-Mason’s goal is to become a broadcast journalist—Oprah Winfrey is an inspiration—and she plans to continue her studies in communication at Boston University, Northwestern, Northeastern, Simmons, Emerson, or UMass Amherst. She’s applied to all and is waiting to compare financial aid packages, since she’s paying for college herself and affordability is important.
Even before the pandemic, Colbert-Mason took most of her courses online, and because of her success with that format, she was hired as a student ambassador this year to help students new to online learning.
Students who are struggling are referred by faculty to Colbert-Mason and the other student ambassadors, who help connect them with tutoring and other support services.
At Northern Essex, Colbert-Mason also participated in Phi Theta Kappa, a national honor society; worked in the Liberal Arts Academic Center; and was in PACE, a federally-funded academic support service for first generation college students.
All in all, Colbert-Mason has had an overwhelmingly positive experience at Northern Essex.
“I’m so happy to have found Northern Essex and stuck with it,” she says. “I met great people, learned a lot about myself, and found more responsibility.”
This year, due to the pandemic, Northern Essex Community College is holding five smaller graduation ceremonies on Saturday, May 15 on the Haverhill Campus, organized by academic center. Each ceremony will include a student speaker and traditional awards will be presented throughout the day. Students will have the opportunity to cross the commencement stage and receive their well-earned associate degree or certificate.
She Had a Career Plan in First Grade
Shania Berard decided on her career path as a six-year old at the Tenney Grammar School in Methuen.
She admired her teacher, Miss Ata, so much that she adopted her mannerisms. “She would walk around with her hands in her back pockets and I started to do that,” says Berard. “I knew as a first grader that I wanted to be a teacher.”
Now, 14 years later, she is on the path to having her own elementary school classroom.
After graduating from Methuen High School in 2019, Berard enrolled in the Elementary Education Program at Northern Essex Community College, which transfers into bachelor’s degree programs at four-year colleges and universities.
With an almost perfect 3.95 GPA, Berard has been selected to be the commencement speaker for the commencement ceremony for the Center for Professional Studies Graduation Ceremony, which includes educational studies, criminal justice, human services, American Sign Language studies, and early childhood education.
While in college, Berard has been working as a teacher at the Andover Little Sprouts, an experience which has affirmed her career decision.
“I love my job. My students are my world; they teach me everything,” she says. “I’m so thankful to be 20-years old and wake up and love my job.”
In the fall, Berard will transfer to Merrimack College and complete her bachelor’s degree in elementary education.
She has two older sisters and is the first in her family of five to attend college.
Being a participant in the PACE Program, a federally funded support program for first generation college students has helped her navigate college. “I’m a first generation college student so I didn’t know how everything worked. They taught me everything,” she says. “Led me to scholarships, broke down my financial aid, helped with transfer. If it wasn’t for the PACE Program, I wouldn’t know what I was doing.”
Berard is paying for college herself, so affordability is important. An excellent student in high school, she felt that starting at Northern Essex would be the most affordable route to her teaching degree.
“I’m proud to be a student from NECCO,” she says. “Starting here really put me on track for a bright future.”
Her parents are also “extremely proud” and plan to be there cheering her on at the May 15 Commencement Ceremony. “It was a huge thing, to know that I’m going to walk the stage and give a speech. It is so crazy. I am honored.”
This year, due to the pandemic, Northern Essex Community College is holding five smaller graduation ceremonies on Saturday, May 15 on the Haverhill Campus, organized by academic center. Each ceremony will include a student speaker and traditional awards will be presented throughout the day. Students will have the opportunity to cross the commencement stage and receive their well-earned associate degree or certificate.
This Business Grad is Finishing What She had Started 10 Years Ago
Shanna Guy’s first attempt at college didn’t work out well, but she has certainly redeemed herself the second time around.
She enrolled at Northern Essex after graduating from Amesbury High School in 2011, but flunked out after two semesters, which she attributes to the 40 to 60 hours a week she spent waitressing and her young age.
The Newburyport resident is graduating from Northern Essex Community College with an Associate Degree in Business Transfer and a 3.70 GPA on May 15, and she’s been selected by her business and accounting professors as the student speaker for Center for Business & Accounting graduates, based on her academic success and leadership skills.
“I just didn’t know myself; my sense of responsibility was different,” she says, when explaining her first college experience.
Over the summer of 2018, after waitressing at Pat’s Diner in Salisbury on and off for 14 years, starting at the age of 12, she was ready for a change and enrolled in one course at Northern Essex. “I wanted to take it slow. I was determined to finish what I started,” she says.
Once she passed English, a course she had failed twice in the past, she was well on her way. “It gave me a sense of confidence. This was my time to do it right.”
And do it right she did. She soon enrolled full time, using the money she had saved over her years waitressing, to support herself while she focused on school.
While at Northern Essex, Guy was actively involved in Alpha Beta Gamma, an honors society for community college business majors, serving as president of the college’s chapter.
She recently won two national awards from Alpha Beta Gamma: the Dr. Mary Bone Memorial Essay Award for her essay entitled “What Alpha Beta Gamma Means to Me” and the Hausman Siegel Distinguished Chapter Student President Award, which recognizes the top chapter president.
In the fall, Guy plans to transfer and continue her business studies at either Merrimack College or UMass Lowell, where her mother is a Public Health professor.
She loves math, so accounting may be in her future, but, as a peer tutor, she’s also discovered that she gets a great deal of satisfaction from helping people learn.
“It would help make me the happiest person in the world if my future job gave me the chance to help others grow into the best version of themselves,” she says.
Guy’s story proves that failure can have a happy ending.
Since she made the decision to enroll at Northern Essex for the second time, Guy says her whole life has turned around. “I never would have thought I would be here. I had no idea of the opportunities I would find myself in.”
This year, due to the pandemic, Northern Essex Community College is holding five smaller graduation ceremonies on Saturday, May 15 on the Haverhill Campus, organized by academic center. Each ceremony will include a student speaker and traditional awards will be presented throughout the day. Students will have the opportunity to cross the commencement stage and receive their well-earned associate degree or certificate.
Three Local 2021 Grads Named to PTK All-Massachusetts Academic Team
Three Northern Essex Community College students, Jay Anaya of Lawrence, Michelle Colbert-Mason of Haverhill, and Cathalina Eisan of Rowley, were named to the 2021 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) All-Massachusetts Academic Team based on outstanding academic achievement and exemplary student service. All will be graduating from Northern Essex on May 15 with high honors.
Each spring, the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges (MACC) honors students selected for the academic team at a ceremony at the State House. This year, students will be honored virtually during “PTK Community College Excellence Week”, which runs from Monday, April 26 to Friday, April 30.
“It’s been a stressful year, and all three of these students deserve special recognition for having achieved such high levels of academic success despite all the challenges,” said NECC President Lane Glenn. “If they can excel like this in the midst of a pandemic, I can’t wait to see what they will do in the future.”
Jay Anaya, a Lawrence, MA native, is graduating with a perfect 4.0 GPA and an associate degree in criminal justice. She has already begun taking courses at UMass Lowell, while enrolled at Northern Essex, and she anticipates that she will graduate with her bachelor’s in criminal justice with a legal studies minor in just one year. A master’s degree is definitely in her future.
Anaya’s short term goal is to be a juvenile probation officer and long term she plans to become a criminal justice professor.
She says that because of her experience growing up in an urban area, she would most like to work with youth who may be troubled or at risk.
Anaya has volunteered in her community in the past, and, most recently, she has committed 400 hours as a crisis counselor at Crisis Text Line, helping those in need.
Michelle Colbert-Mason had to drop out of high school for health reasons. After getting her GED, she has excelled academically at Northern Essex, earning her associate degree in liberal arts: journalism/communications with high honors.
She also has been active on campus, serving as a student ambassador, helping other students with online learning; as a member of Phi Theta Kappa; and participating in the PACE (Pathways to Academic and Career Excellence) Program, a federally funded program for first generation college students.
A Haverhill resident, Colbert-Mason gives back to her community as a volunteer and member of Junior Board of the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston.
Her goal is to be a journalist and she has applied to bachelor’s programs at Northwestern, Northeastern, Simmons, UMass Amherst, Boston University, and Emerson.
She has been selected to the student speaker at the Liberal Arts Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 15.
Eisan’s goal is to be an interpreter for the Deaf, and her passion is working with Deaf children.
After earning her associate degree in American Sign Language studies in May, she plans to return to Northern Essex for her sign language interpreting certificate, an intensive program which will help her hone her signing skills.
When she graduates with the certificate in 2022, she plans on pursuing her interpreting license and eventually landing a position in a school system.
Eisan has a 3.71 GPA and she’s been working part time at TJ Maxx to pay for her schooling.
A resident of Rowley, she spent her early years in Derry, NH and graduated from high school in California.
Here is a link to a video featuring President Lane Glenn honoring the three scholars.
For additional information contact Professor Lisette Espinoza at lespinoza@necc.mass.edu
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.
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.
The Virtual Awards Ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 13 at 2:00 pm and here’s a link.
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.
