Northern Essex Community College President Lane Glenn, NECC alumna Darlene Beal who is the executive director of HC Media; Jay Cleary, president of the HC Media board of directors; and Jean Poth, vice president of NECC institutional advancement.

For the sixth consecutive year, HC Media has donated to Northern Essex Community College allowing two NECC alumnae, Genevieve Scherer of Windham, NH, and Mercedez McManus of Salem, NH, of NECC’s journalism/communication program, to each receive a $5,000 HC Media Scholarship to be used over two years.

“We’ve had a really wonderful collaboration with Northern Essex for many years, and we’re thrilled to again offer this scholarship which will help local residents pursue their dreams,” says Darlene Beal, executive director of HC Media, who is herself a graduate of NECC and sits on the NECC Alumni Board.

Scherer, who is attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst has wanted to study journalism/communications since she began making home movies in the sixth grade.

“From the moment I began editing, I knew I wanted to have a career in film production,” she said. “Through attending NECC, I have been able to receive personalized mentoring from many great professors. The school has largely impacted my confidence by providing me with opportunities such as writing for the “Observer”, and interning at HC Media.”

“Genevieve is one of our most accomplished students in the Liberal Arts: Journalism/Communication Program, and she is an excellent representative of the college in many ways,” wrote Amy Callahan, a professor in the NECC English Department and coordinator of the Liberal Arts: Journalism/Communication Program.

In addition to writing for the “Observer,” NECC student newspaper, Scherer contributed to the cable show “NECC Today”.

McManus came to NECC after graduating from high school with the intent of studying journalism. After one semester she decided on a broader concentration of communication.

“This major is a perfect fit for me as I adore writing, media, current events, advertising, and of course, communicating,” she wrote.

She is now studying communications at Boston University.

While at NECC she was involved in the Commonwealth Honors Scholar Program and Student Leadership Development Program, produced and edited segments of “NECC Today” and wrote for the “Observer”. She was also a member of the NECC chapter

of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, which is an international honor society of two-year colleges and academic programs.

“She is a strong writer, an impressive public speaker, and an effective collaborator,” wrote Callahan in nominating her for the scholarship. “Most memorably, she pursued an Honors Project last semester in my Intro to Mass Communication class. Her research presentation on the correlation between Internet use and depression was polished and compelling.”

“Establishing a scholarship is a very effective way of giving back to the community since the great majority of our students are from the Merrimack Valley,” said Jean Poth, vice president of institutional advancement at Northern Essex. “Our students are deeply appreciative of HC Media and of our other generous donors.”

To establish a permanent endowed scholarship, donors must make a minimum pledge of $10,000. For more information, contact Poth at 978 556-3624 or jpoth@necc.mass.edu.

For additional information contact Lindsay Graham, director of NECC’s director of scholarships, alumni & community relations at lgraham@necc.mass.edu.