NECC Criminal Justice faculty member Scott Joubert.

Scott Joubert may teach tough courses in NECC’s Criminal Justice Program, but at heart he is really a “helper” teaching others to be “helpers.”

This may sound simple, Joubert says, but criminal justice is anything but simple.

“While the field from the outside seems to remain static, crime is still a facet of our society. The internal changes that are taking place are truly extraordinary,” he says.

“There are so many aspects of the field that I still to this day get excited about; just ask my students. I truly love teaching and discussing topics on Domestic Violence and the Path to Extremism with my students.”

By his own admission, Joubert says he was not unlike other children who dreamed of becoming police officers. When pressed, as a teen, as to his future plans, he told his mom he wanted to “do something that helped other people” True to his word, he earned his associate degree from Quinsigamond Community College (QCC) and trained as a correctional officer for the Worcester County Sheriff’s Department.

“I knew then I was moving in the right direction,” he says.

During his 15 years is a CO at the Worcester County Jail, he learned valuable skills and information that continue to influence the way he thinks and what he teaches in the NECC classroom.

“I recognized that many of the offenders represented a segment of society that was lacking the proper attention,” he says. “With a national recidivism rate of 64% one year after release and 85% after five years, we have to be looking for qualified individuals committed to finding new ways to decrease crime and rehabilitate offenders.”

Once he began teaching at his alma mater, QCC, Joubert says he “discovered his true calling in life”.

“What better way to help and make policy changes than from within, by teaching empathy and understanding for both victims and offenders to the very people who would one day make the changes necessary,” he says.

Nationally, the growth is in the area of Homeland Security. So, it was no surprise to Joubert that when NECC began offering a course that he helped design titled “Response to Terrorism,” it was so popular an additional section had to be opened.

Joubert holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Worcester State College, a Master’s in Criminal Justice from Boston University and is enrolled in a Master’s in History program at Worcester State University.

His students find he enthusiastically teaches theoretical concepts coupled with the experience of applying those concepts in the field. What they won’t find is someone who lectures.

“I like to spend my contact hours engaging my students in open discussions, small and large groups, and debates on topics that I feel are the most critical to address each week; topics that will make them better criminal justice professionals.”

Zachary Rice never pictured himself as a college student since he was admittedly a “less than serious” high school student. When he graduated from Shrewsbury high School in 2000, he decided to forego college and concentrate instead on earning money.

NECC Lab Science Graduate, Zachary Riceadmittedly a “less than serious” high school student. When he graduated from Shrewsbury High School in 2000, he decided to forego college and concentrate instead on earning money.

Over the next 12 years, he built a successful career for himself, one in which he played a management role in a company that made and installed high-end countertops.

Zach was happy with his career choice and was doing well financially. This all ended when he woke up one morning in December of 2009 and found he couldn’t move, due to a spinal cord injury.

Immediate surgery was required, and before operating, the surgeon told Zach he may have to get used to the idea of not being able to walk. After a grueling 11-month recovery, Zach regained the use of his legs, but he knew that a career change was in order. He simply couldn’t continue with the physical challenges of his job.

Zach decided to explore his options and he began looking for a career program that would get him into a job and a new career quickly. That’s when he learned about Northern Essex’s Associate Degree in Lab Science, which prepares students for careers as laboratory technicians in the fast-growing life sciences field.

While a student in the program, Zach excelled, discovering that he loved learning. He earned a 3.7 GPA and graduated from the college’s Honors Experience, an academically-challenging program for highly motivated students.

Zach is now employed as a quality technician II for EMD Millipore, the life science division of Merck KGaA, with plans to continue his studies and earn a degree in chemistry.

Zach is so happy with his life and his new career that he calls his health crisis “the best thing that ever happened to me.” He says, “The lab science program changed my life, leading me to a new career, one that I love.”

NECC Computer & Information Science graduate Tim Fields

Tim Field knew Northern Essex would help him jumpstart his career as a software developer, he just didn’t expect it to happen so fast.

The Haverhill resident was hired at Muzzy Lane, an educational software firm in Newburyport, after working there as an NECC intern. He graduated from Northern Essex in 2014 with an Associate Degree in Computer & Information Science.

The 31-year-old Boxford native graduated from Masconomet High School in 2002. He was accepted into an engineering program at a prestigious four-year college, but realized quickly it wasn’t his dream.

For nearly 10 years he worked in retail, taking an occasional college course to see where his interests may lie.
“I realized I needed to do something different,” he says. “I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do because I had taken a summer school computer programming course.”

He enrolled in Northern Essex’s Computer & Information Science Program. Almost immediately he knew he was where he was supposed to be.

“I like the logic of programming. I find it satisfying to have the freedom that comes with it,” he says.

On his way to earning his degree, Tim participated in Northern Essex’s internship program which placed him at Muzzy Lane where he was immersed in web development. This experience, he said, confirmed he was in the right field and helped him narrow down his focus.

“What I ended up liking wasn’t what I expected,” he said. “I learned from doing. I learned by writing code. I like creating the user experience.”

Northern Essex, he said, prepared him well for his career.

“The program was great. I took higher-level computer science courses and always felt challenged. My professors had worked in the industry so they provided interesting, thought-provoking material. They didn’t just approach it from a classical academic perspective.”

Free English classes for adult, English Language Learners, who want to further their education or employment opportunities, will be offered at Northern Essex Community College beginning in September.

This 16-week program is for English Language Learners who would like to explore careers in health care, technology, engineering, or advanced manufacturing. The goals of the program is to support these learners while preparing them to further their education or training by focusing on helping them acquire the academic skills, career readiness skills, and information necessary to gain access to a career pathway. Students will improve their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and math skills as well as workplace communication and technology skills.

Individuals interested in the program are invited to attend one of the Adult Career Pathways Program Registration days held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on August 18, 20 or 25 at NECC Riverwalk, 360 Merrimack Street, Building 9, Entry K, Room 312.

To enroll in this program, individuals must possess an intermediate or higher level of English language skills. Admission is based on a placement test given at registration.

Classes, offered through NECC’s Center for Adult Education Programs and Preparation, will be held Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

For more information contact Marsha Parinussa Flynn, NECC’s ESOL & Bridge Program coordinator, at mflynn@necc.mass.edu or call 978-659-1279.

This program is funded by the Adult and Community Learning Services Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Like the character in a good library book, NECC librarian Jenny Fielding is a resourceful detective, which is just what college students want in their campus librarian – even if they don’t know it.

It’s the sleuth in Fielding that encourages students to drill down and unearth information using just a clue or hint of information. Sometimes, she says, it’s just a partial title or a germ of an idea.

“Librarians are jacks and janes of all trades, knowing a little about a lot,” she says. “We are the experts who know how to find the things that don’t show up on the first (or 10th) page of a web search. We know how to determine if a source is credible.”

As coordinator of library services on the Lawrence Campus, Fielding is not technically a faculty member, but she teaches information literacy classes in almost every subject.

Information literacy is one of Northern Essex’s new Core Academic Skills requirements.

“I love helping students make the connection between what we’re learning in the classroom and how it will apply to their coursework, as well as their lives outside of NECC,” she says.

Fielding acknowledges that the role of librarians has changed dramatically since the digital revolution, but says their new role is even more relevant.

“Where once librarians were guides and gatekeepers, now we are teachers, innovators, researchers, and curators,” she says. “The world of information has become increasingly complex. I love teaching students how to engage with and navigate this new shifting landscape both as information seekers and information creators.”

Fielding, came to the library stacks by way of the corporate world. With a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from the University of Pittsburgh, she worked in marketing for a variety of companies including a restaurant chain, an insurance company, a real estate company, and a non-profit organization. She returned to school earning a Master’s of Library Science from Southern Connecticut State University.

“To be a successful librarian you have to have an insatiable curiosity, an organized mindset, and love to work with people,” she says. “I like that every day I encounter something different.”

But her real goal, she says, is getting students involved.