Iat Azur

Iat Azur credits her first grade teacher with teaching her to embrace learning. She credits Northern Essex with encouraging it.

Home schooled, Iat never earned her GED until she was 20 and the mother of two. Eventually she moved from Massachusetts to Florida where she worked two jobs.

What Iat lacked in education she made up for in determination. She managed to buy five houses by the time she was 22. During that heady time she also became a victim of domestic violence. She says she ran, with her children, through seven states to a domestic violence shelter and later a transitional apartment in Lawrence to flee the abuse.

Iat knew she needed a degree to overcome her situation. So, she enrolled in one course at Northern Essex and earned an A. This confidence booster led to more courses and a new dream – to be a college professor.

“I love the professors at Northern Essex. I know I can drive them crazy with my questions, but they are there for you before and after class and always return emails. They are such self-esteem boosters,” she says.

Today, Iat has authored a book of poetry, is president of the NECC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, and is a regular on the dean’s list.

“I love NECC. It’s home. It is the spring board to my future,” she says.

Her sticktuitiveness has been recognized. She is one of just a few students to be invited to apply to Columbia University’s School of General Studies for nontraditional students. Following graduation from NECC she hopes to enroll at Columbia with a dual degree in education and literature and comparative studies.

“Northern Essex taught me that at 32 I can still dream, and that’s pretty cool.”