Fifteen local 2011 high school graduates have been accepted to the Presidential Scholars Program at Northern Essex Community College.

In its 12^th year, the Presidential Scholars Program is designed to attract motivated high school students to Northern Essex. Students are selected based on their high school academic record and recommendations from high school guidance counselors and teachers.

“Our Presidential Scholars Program targets academically motivated high school graduates who have decided to start their college education at Northern Essex,” said Lane Glenn, president of Northern Essex. “Most plan to transfer to a four-year college or university after getting an associate’s degree from Northern Essex.”

This year’s Presidential Scholars include:

Amesbury

Tor Johannessen, Amesbury High School, General Studies

Georgetown

Nicholas Cashman, Georgetown High School, General Studies: Music Option

Haverhill

Benjamin Isaacman, Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School, Accounting
Katherine Pazzanese, Haverhill High School, Illustration

Lawrence

Heather Barrows, Greater Lawrence Technical High School, General Studies: Dental Assisting
Nina Berube, Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School, General Studies: Radiologic Technology
Oscar Carranza, Lawrence High School, Business Management
Thalia DeLaCruz, Greater Lawrence Technical High School, Liberal Arts
Lizmarie Peralta, Lawrence High School, General Studies: Nursing
Alina Santos, Greater Lawrence Technical High School, Liberal Arts

Merrimac

Robert Shaffer, Pentucket Regional High School, Liberal Arts: Computer & Information Sciences
William Shaffer, Pentucket Regional High School, Liberal Arts: Computer & Information Sciences

Methuen

Ashley Lambert, Methuen High School, Practical Nursing
Luis Urynowicz, Methuen High School, Business Management

Salisbury

Clayton Richards, Triton Regional High School, General Studies: Multi Media Option

In addition to the honor of being named to this selective program, students receive a $1,000 scholarship from the college. Presidential Scholars are also paired with an administrator from the college who serves as a mentor and are encouraged to participate in a variety of enrichment programs offered at Northern Essex, including the Student Leadership Development Program, the Student Ambassador Program, and the college’s Honors Experience.

To be eligible, students must have a minimum 2.5 grade point average in high school and be nominated by a high school guidance counselor, teacher, or principal. Each must plan to earn an associate’s degree at Northern Essex before transferring to a four-year Massachusetts state college or university.

For more information on the NECC Presidential Scholars Program, contact the Office of the Senior Vice President of Enrollment Management, 978 738-7497 or mespaillat@necc.mass.edu.

Wading in the natural hot springs at Pamukkale, Turkey, sitting on a roof-top hookah lounge in Selcuk, Turkey, climbing Cotopaxi in South America and spending the night at a 300 year-old hacienda being serenaded by a local highland band, are just a few of the experiences Northern Essex Community College students had during two separate study abroad trips offered this summer.

Kristi Arford, NECC Anthropology professor, took 10 local students to Turkey. The 10-day trip was the culmination of an archaeology class, and involved exploring some very impressive ancient sites.

“We visited Troy, well known for the historical/mythological Trojan War, where we toured ruins of the ancient city, as well as managed to see a replica of the famed Trojan Horse, which was used in the Hollywood movie, “Troy,” says Arford.  “We also visited ancient Ephesus, one of the world’s most impressive Greek/Roman empire sites, including what remains of the Temple of Artemis, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.”

In addition to these sites and some other smaller archaeological sites, the group explored some of the more recent history of Turkey through touring some of the spectacular mosques of Istanbul, and visiting the city of Konya, center of the Sufi sect of Islam.  At Konya they visited the tombs of some of the great Sufi masters, including that of the 13th-century Jelalludin Rumi (Mevlana) who is well known throughout the world for his poetry.

Meanwhile, in Ecuador, South America, 14 students, accompanied by Marcy Vozzella, professor of natural sciences and coordinator of the NECC International Studies Program, and Ken Thomas, professor of biology, were climbing Cotopaxi, a stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located about 28 km (17 mi) south of Quito. Cotopaxi is the second highest summit in the country, reaching a height of 5,897 m (19,347 ft).  The trip was part of a course titled “Field Studies in Natural Systems: BioGeology of the Andes Mountain and the Amazon Rainforest.”

“The highlights for the students were the five days in the heart of the rainforest and climbing Cotopaxi,” says Vozzella. “Interestingly enough many students reported that the night we spent at a 300-year-old Hacienda was one of the most magical of the trip. The building brought to life for them a rich history and culture.  A small local highland band played a private concert for us and we all enjoyed a night of dancing in the old halls of a historic palace. It was nothing short of amazing.”

In addition to traditional semester and year-long study abroad programs, Northern Essex offers short-term study programs which are approximately 10 days in length, giving working students the opportunity to experience studying abroad.  Students in the credit courses meet two to three times before the trip and then after they return.

NECC’s International Studies Program is working on three international courses for next year including Art in Florence, Italy; Bio-geology in Belize; and Theatre in Scotland.

For additional information on the International Studies Programs contact Marcy Vozzella at mvozzella@necc.mass.edu or 978-556-3326.

At the 64th Annual Installation Banquet of the Exchange Club of Lawrence, Dawna M. Perez, PhD, Northern Essex Community College’s associate dean of access and community building, was named Exchangite of the Year.

The National Exchange Club, a service club celebrating 100 years of service this year is composed of men and women who give their time to help make their communities better places to live. Exchangite of the Year is given to a local club member who has given a great deal of their time and talent to the Club’s charitable activities which center on youth and senior programs, community service programs, Americanism, and the national cause of child abuse prevention.

A past president of the Lawrence Club (2008-2009), Dr. Perez has been a member of the Exchange Club of Lawrence for six years, and has been working in youth development, education and workforce development programs in Lawrence for over 25 years.

Dawna Perez lives in Haverhill with her husband David and four sons: Christian, Robbie, Eric and Matthew.

For more information on the Exchange Club of Lawrence, visit the website https://www.lawrenceexchangeclub.com.

Eleven students from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland are enrolled in an intensive four-week creative writing program taught by Northern Essex Community College Professor Tom Greene on the college’s Haverhill Campus.

The students, who arrived July 15, are staying at the Comfort Suites in Haverhill.

While most are not a fan of American coffee, fast food, or public transportation, they are pleased with the class and the attitude of all they have met.

“The people have a positive attitude,” says Marta Budziak. “They are friendly and eager to help. Not only are they friendly, but they want to learn about our culture as well.”

During a recent trip to Portland, Maine, the group became disoriented, but was quickly approached by an individual eager to help the lost visitors.

The students, both graduates and undergraduates with majors ranging from law to geography to international relations, are finding their way in the classroom where they come three days a week for four hours a day.

Greene says he is teaching them the primary work involved in any creative writing class including a short nonfiction story, a short fictional story, and a collection of poems.

“It has been challenging trying to meet the needs of students studying different fields and keeping the material relevant,” says Greene.

He says he is pleasantly surprised by the level of sophistication in the responses from the Polish students.

Jan Kukulski says he finds the creative writing class very different from the university classes he takes back home.

“It is very different,” Kukulski says. “This is an interactive class between the professor and the students. We can express ourselves easily in this class. We receive feedback from each other and the professor. We will even discuss it later after we leave the classroom.”

Administrators from both Northern Essex and the Polish university are hoping to build the relationship between the two educational institutions in the future.

Located in the city of Poznan in Western Poland, Adam Mickiewicz University is one of the largest universities in Poland.