A handful of area residents, who are recent Northern Essex Community College graduates, are making their television debuts this summer in advertisements promoting the college.

The ads, produced by The Troupe, a modern media and design production company located in Windham, NH, feature Yeimy Medina and Steven Cabrera of Methuen, Abraham Batista of Lawrence, Shannon Sheltra of West Newbury, and Jessica Dick of Haverhill.

They are being aired on various cable networks including MTV, ESPN, USA, TNT, Bravo, FX, E, Fox News, Lifetime, and NECN, as well as on Red Sox broadcasts on NESN.

Abraham came to Northern Essex after graduating from Lawrence High School in 2007. He graduated in May with a certificate in computer information technology and will transfer to UMass Lowell to work toward a bachelor’s degree.

“Academics have to be the priority,” he says. “I have to focus on what’s important, my education. The support services at NECC helped me reach my academic goals as a college student.”

It was desperation that brought Shannon to NECC. After her partner and father of two of her children passed away suddenly, she lost their farm to foreclosure and was desperate for a career that would place her in the workforce quickly. She found what she was looking for in NECC’s respiratory care program. Today, this high honors grad, works as a respiratory therapist. In the fall, she will enter the biology program at Tufts University. She hopes to become a pediatric pulmonologist.

“I didn’t come to Northern Essex seeking self enrichment,” Shannon said. “I came here because I needed to pay the bills. You are just never too old to go back to college.”

After losing her job, Yeimy was lucky to find another, but the experience helped her realize education is the key to advancement in the workforce. She enrolled in the accelerated business program and graduated with an associate degree after just 19 months.

“I was only able to come to school two nights a week and then do the rest of the work online,” said Yeimy. “I think that was a great balance.”

Steven had seen his share of mischief as a street kid growing up in Lawrence. When he enrolled at NECC, he too started with fundamental classes with idea of one day working with juvenile delinquents. He is one step closer to that reality. He graduated in May with an Associate of Science degree in Criminal Justice with honors. He hopes to earn a bachelor’s degree over the next few years.

“I love that the Northern Essex professors explain the material with real life experiences. Most of my professors work in the criminal justice field so they had a lot to show us,” Steven said. “They want you to always be successful.”

A 2009 graduate of Central Catholic, Jessica has known for some time that she wants to become an English teacher and teach at her alma mater. Northern Essex is helping her realize her dream. In May she graduated with an associate degree in liberal arts wit high honors. She received the Chancellor’s Scholarship to UMass Boston where she will work toward a bachelor’s degree.

“I started at Northern Essex knowing that I would get the same education my friends are getting at four-year institutions, but I’m spending a lot less money,” said Jessica.

The new cable ads also feature the college’s new president, Lane Glenn.

To view these ads visit the college’s recently created YouTube site at https://www.youtube.com/user/NorthernEssexCC

This fall, Northern Essex Community College will expand its health care offerings with the launch of iHealth@NECC, an innovative public/private partnership, designed to prepare adults for careers in health care.

“iHealth@NECC is a new way of delivering health care programs,” according to Dr. Lane Glenn, president of Northern Essex.  “The process is streamlined so that students, especially adult students who have family and work responsibilities, can get started on a new career quickly.”

Most courses are offered online and students only need to be on campus one day or evening a week.  The programs are accelerated and most certificate programs can be completed in 12 months or less.

Programs offered this fall through iHealth@NECC will include an associate degree in general studies: health studies and certificates in phlebotomy, emergency management, health care technician, and medical billing. In addition, certification courses will be offered in advanced cardiac life support and pediatric advanced life support.  Future programs are likely to include medical coding, medical lab technician, health information technology, and LPN-to-RN nursing, according to Glenn.

Students enrolled in iHealth@NECC programs work with a designated career coach/mentor to assist them with the rigors of the online learning experience. The career coach will also facilitate access to key student support services, such as financial aid, tutoring, and technical support.

“Demand for health care programs has been high from both students and employers,” said Glenn.  “This new initiative allows us to expand what we currently offer and prepare hundreds more local residents for high demand careers.”

The college currently offers 19 certificate and associate degree programs in the health care area, ranging from an associate degree in nursing to a certificate in phlebotomy.   Because of space limitations, the college has had to cap enrollments and hold off on developing new programs in high demand fields.

The college is partnering with Health Education Partners which is providing funding to lease a new building at 222 Lowell St. in Lawrence.  The new site will feature new state-of-the-art classrooms, lab facilities, and student resources.

Massachusetts Tuition and fees for iHealth@NECC programs are $245 per credit. Additional program benefits Include credits that are transferable and the availability of financial aid for qualified applicants.

For additional information visit the iHealth@NECC  website at https://www.ihealthnecc.com/  or email ihealth@necc.mass.edu.

Shannon Sheltra lived a life that many would call charmed until her partner and the father of her children died unexpectedly six years ago.

Left alone with three young children to support, she struggled to hold on to the family horse farm, eventually losing it to foreclosure.

She knew she needed to find a job and that—with few marketable skills and just a high school education—she was going to have to continue her education.

Shannon was naturally anxious at the thought of going back to school in her mid 30s and it took “five or six visits” to Northern Essex before she had the courage to enroll. She chose the respiratory care program, based on her own struggles with chronic asthma and on the job market which was strong.

“I didn’t come to Northern Essex seeking self enrichment,” she says. “I came here because I needed to pay the bills.”

Shannon, who graduated in May with an associate degree in respiratory care, excelled academically at Northern Essex and immersed herself fully in the college experience serving as the founding president of the NECC Respiratory Care Club, as a member of the Student Senate, and as an NECC Presidential Student Ambassador. She also participated in the Honors Experience, which is an honors program designed for highly motivated students.

After a year at Northern Essex, she began supporting her family by working as a respiratory therapist with a student license at Spaulding North Shore Hospital in Salem. She plans to continue working at Spaulding after sitting for her national board of respiratory care credentialing exams this summer.

While at Northern Essex, Shannon found more than just a new career. She discovered what she calls “a vehicle to a brand new life.” In the fall, she will continue her education at Tufts University, working on her bachelor’s degree in Biology/Pre-Med, with the goal of eventually graduating from medical school and becoming a pediatric pulmonologist.

After years of teaching dance to students 3 to 23, Tracy DiJulia needed artistic inspiration. She found it at Northern Essex.

The Merrimack, N.H. resident who had been home schooled through middle school and high school, earned her high school diploma and opted to pursue a professional dance career rather than the college track.

The Tewksbury native danced one season with a New Hampshire dance company and discovered it was not the environment for her. Teaching was her talent, so she returned to the dance studio. After a few years, she says, “I started to feel stale. I needed something to refresh me.”

Familiar with the dance certificate program at NECC, she enrolled seeking new energy. She taught full time while attending school part time. Yet, something funny happened on the way to the dance studio. “I fell in love with learning again,” she says.

She also fell for the college where she expanded her talents and was cast in its production of Tartuffe and choreographed its production of Midsummer Night’s Dream.

“I loved my experiences at Northern Essex,” she says. “The faculty really care about student success. Most are willing to go above and beyond to make sure their students succeed.”

She earned her Associate Degree in General Studies: Dance Option in May 2010. She had immediate plans to transfer to a four-year college dance program but was sidelined with health issues. Eventually she will earn her bachelor’s since she wants to teach at the college level.

She is still affiliated with the college serving as the NECC Dance Club choreographer.

“I have learned that it is stimulating for my mind to work with college students,”
she says.

Many people make life-changing decisions after facing a mid-life crisis but for Scott Hume it was a “quarter-life crisis” that prompted him to give up his full-time job and re-enroll in college.

At the age of 25, Scott realized that, because he didn’t have a college degree, he had no chance of advancement in his current job. “I knew that a degree would make me so much more marketable and I was willing to take a step back to make it happen.”

Scott had attended college right after graduating from Greater Lowell Technical School in 2001 but he let Basic Algebra II discourage him for continuing. Never a fan of math, he just couldn’t seem to pass that course and, at that time, didn’t have the maturity to see it through.

His biggest fear about coming back, not surprisingly, was passing math, but luckily he met Professor Linda Murphy and with her help and the help of the college’s Math Center—he calls it one of the college’s biggest assets— he passed Basic Algebra II with an A.

With renewed confidence and the continued support of the Math Center, Scott went on to earn A’s in college algebra, statistics, and calculus. After graduating from Northern Essex with a business transfer degree in the spring of 2010 he transferred to the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst where he is in his second semester and excelling academically.

While at Northern Essex, Scott spent a semester in Orlando, Florida, as a participant in the Disney College Program, an experience that helped define his career path.

Working in merchandising for Disney and attending their courses and workshops, Scott discovered that hospitality was the perfect career fit for him. “I love to travel and I love working with people,” says Scott. “With hospitality, I can pull it all together.”

When he graduates from UMass, Scott plans to work in human resources for a large hotel chain.