Nabil Saleh didn’t know what to expect when he first enrolled at Northern Essex. Raised in Lebanon, he moved to the U.S. two years ago with two things in mind: the goal of becoming a successful engineer and the determination to get there. The challenge was finding the best path to success.

It was only when he enrolled in NECC’s Engineering Program that he knew he’d found it.

“I looked at a number of colleges and found that NECC was the best and most affordable option for me,” he says. “The college played a crucial part in helping me transfer and in getting me to where I am today.”

Nabil is currently enrolled as a mechanical engineering major at UMass Lowell, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the field.

“One thing I loved about NECC was how supportive the professors were. I can’t thank the faculty enough for what they’ve done.”

While a student at NECC, Nabil worked as a math tutor in the NECC tutoring center and participated in the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. A scholarship recipient with a 3.95 GPA, he took advantage of various academic opportunities, including an external ten-week research program at UMass Lowell and workshops offered through Pathways to Academic and Career Excellence (PACE), a federally-funded student support services program.

“PACE helped make the transfer process especially easy. They gave me all the resources I needed to successfully work through the application process,” he says.

Nabil advises future prospective transfer students to take advantage of as many services as possible while they’re enrolled on campus.

“If you work hard enough, you’ll achieve what you want. NECC has all the tools to prepare you for transfer, and I encourage other students to use them well.”

To learn more about enrolling at Northern Essex for the fall, visit the website or contact Enrollment Services at, admissions@necc.mass.edu or 978-556-3700.

For the fifth year, Haverhill Community (HC) Media has donated to Northern Essex Community College allowing three recent graduates of NECC’s journalism/communication program to each receive a $5,000 scholarship.

The three recipients, Shaina Richards and Kimberly Whiting, both of Haverhill and Chad Gorham of Newbury, are all transferring to four-year universities where they will pursue a bachelor’s degree. All three recipients graduated with high honors in May 2016 with an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts: Journalism/Communication.

“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.

Richards, who will attend Northeastern University in the fall, has many journalistic accomplishments to her credit including hosting a television show on HC Media’s HCTV; serving as a staff editor on NECC’s award-winning student newspaper, the “NECC Observer”; and serving as master of ceremony of the student, free-speech, and public speaking event, “Speechapalooza”.

“During her time at Northern Essex Community College, Richards has become one of the most impressive and influential students on campus,” wrote NECC Journalism/Communication Professor Amy Callahan, who nominated Richards for the scholarship. “She takes a leadership role in everything she does and has met all her increasing responsibilities with dedication, skill, and high ethical standards.”

UMass Amherst is where Whiting is headed this fall. A nontraditional student with a full course load, she

juggled a full-time job, family, wrote for the “NECC Observer”, and freelanced for the Newburyport Daily News. Her full-time job was delivering newspapers. Most notably

Whiting served as editor-in-chief of the “NECC Observer”

“The editor-in-chief guides the paper through all its practical aspects, such as organization and production,” wrote Mary Jo Shafer, faculty adviser, the “NECC Observer” and adjunct journalism instructor. In nominating Whiting for the scholarship she wrote, “The student who takes on this role must be independent, confident, self-motivated and able to lead and inspire others. Kim has done this so effectively; she has made the overall quality of the newspaper better and inspired her fellow students to rise to various challenges. This is a daunting role at any time…I have felt comfortable relying on her to get the paper done by deadline…”

Gorham is enrolled at Fitchburg State University for the fall. Also a nontraditional student, he was active with NECC student engagement, an orientation leader and community volunteer, who was involved in numerous student groups, including the Gay Straight Alliance. He also volunteered as the NECC Knight mascot. He served on the Student Senate, most recently as president. He was a member of the “NECC Observer” staff.

“Chad cares deeply about the campus and the importance of an independent student press. He has covered stories of compelling interest to the other students here and he has also discovered a deep passion for journalism and communications. It has been a joy to watch him grow and discover his talents and continue to expand his skills,” wrote Shafer, who also nominated Gorham for the scholarship.

The scholarship is just one of the many ways that HC Media is partnering with the college to enrich the experiences of its students. Several employees of HC Media currently teach communications courses on campus and at the HC Media studio, where many students go on to serve as production volunteers.

The Associate in Arts Degree in Journalism/Communication Option at NECC prepares students for careers in the fields of print and broadcast journalism, corporate communications, public relations, and more. Students may choose from one of several concentration areas. For additional information, please visit the NECC website.

“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.

Jenny Nunez, a married mother of four, always knew she wanted a career in the medical field, but after graduating from Lawrence High School in 2002, life got in the way of her dreams.

Pregnancy, a move out of state, and other challenges made it difficult for her to continue her education.

In 2011, she took a big step forward, enrolling in Northern Essex’s 10-month Phlebotomy Certificate Program (now the Healthcare Technician Certificate).

She proved to be an excellent student, and, before she even had time to look for a job as a phlebotomist, Linda Comeau, associate director of iHealth@NECC, suggested that Jenny continue on in the college’s nursing program. It didn’t take much convincing, and Jenny—then the mother of three—went on to earn an Associate Degree in Nursing with honors in 2013.

After passing her nursing boards that fall, she was working at a local nursing home. Four months later, she was hired by Holy Family’s Merrimack Valley Hospital in Haverhill as a nurse on the 17-bed senior adult behavior medicine unit where she works with Alzheimer’s patients.

Jenny sees a lot of potential in the nursing field and she wants to be sure she’s prepared for the challenges. Last fall, she enrolled in Regis North, a bachelor’s degree completion program located on NECC’s Lawrence Campus, and she’s now working on her bachelor’s degree in nursing. Eventually, she would like to work in cardiac care.

“Nurses are taking on more responsibility, which is exciting, and I want to be sure I’m ready,” she says.

To learn more about enrolling at Northern Essex for the fall, visit the website or contact Enrollment Services at, admissions@necc.mass.edu or 978-556-3700.

A June trip to Cuba may have been Northern Essex Community College Professor Ligia Domenech’ s third trip to the mysterious Caribbean country, but it most assuredly won’t be her last.

The Haverhill resident who, for six years, has been teaching various history courses at Northern Essex including Contemporary Caribbean History and authored a book on the U-boat blockade of the Caribbean during World War II, recently spent 10 days in Havana, Cuba, weaving together a trip of both business and pleasure.

As a member of the Association of Caribbean Historians Domenech presented at a poster session titled “War, Peace, and Propaganda”. Her presentation was titled “Surviving the WWII German U-Boat Blockade of the Caribbean”.

Domenech first visited Cuba in 1982 with her family. She returned last December with her husband, and was happy to be returning just six months later.

A Puerto Rican native, Domenech, has lived in Argentina and spent three months at sea teaching history to U.S. soldiers aboard a U.S. Coast Guard cutter chasing drug traffickers around Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, and El Salvador.

Fluently bi-lingual, the 50-year-old knows her way around much of the Caribbean and is now learning her way around Cuba.

In addition to attending the five-day conference, Domenech taught a course at the University of Havana to international history students; was interviewed in both English and Spanish for Radio Havana; attended a farewell party for educational experts who are restructuring Cuba’s educational system; visited with friends; and absorbed as much of the music, food, and culture as she could.

Among other things, she learned that the Cuban people are not concerned about the country becoming overrun with American franchises. They trust the government to keep outside influences in check; the government is restructuring its K through 12 education system to place a strong emphasis on teaching English, Science, and Math; Miami businessmen have wasted no time in investing in small restaurants and businesses; everyone has a cell phone even though wi-fi is spotty; tourists use Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC) and not the Cuban Peso (CUP) which natives use. One CUC is worth 25 CUPS; the government owns all the banks; and the Cuban people are magnanimous with their time and knowledge.

Domenech, who is a member of the NECC Speaker’s Bureau, will soon offer a new lecture on Cuba titled “Cuba Today”. She already offers lectures titled, “The Cuban Embargo and Why it Happened,” “The History of U.S. Immigration Policies,” “Understanding Hispanic and Caribbean Culture,” “India: It’s Not What You Think,” and “Understanding India, Land of Contrasts”.

For additional information contact Professor Ligia Domenech at ldomenech@necc.mass.edu

During the summer, Richard Padova, who teaches in Northern Essex Community College’s Global Studies Department, indulges his passion for local history and steps from the classroom to the streets of Lawrence, where he leads locals and visitors on historic walking tours and a river tour.

Offered through the Lawrence Heritage State Park through the end of August, his tours include Narrated Merrimack River Boat Tour (Sundays, 1 to 3 p.m.); Bread & Roses Strike Walking Tour (Mondays, 10:30 a.m. to noon); Robert Frost Walking Tour, Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Gateway to Lawrence Walking Tour (Wednesdays, 10 to 11:30 a.m.); Monuments & Martyrs Walking Tour (Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.).

All programs are free and open to the public, and the boat tour is the only tour that requires a reservation.

A native Lawrencian, Padova has been connected with Lawrence Heritage State Park since 2005 when he first began offering tours.  After years of research, he has a wealth of knowledge of Lawrence’s rich history and he enjoys sharing what he knows through his tours.

“The history of Lawrence as a planned industrial city is not widely known, but through my tours I hope to educate visitors not only about Lawrence’s past, but at the same time its present and future.”

In addition to his tours, Padova curated a special summer exhibit, celebrating the 30thanniversary of Lawrence Heritage State Park. Titled “Preservation and Placemaking: Lawrence Heritage State Park Turns 30”, the exhibit exploring the park’s history is on display on the 3rd floor gallery of the center which is located at One Jackson Street at Canal in Lawrence until August 15.

Padova has an MEd-School Counseling, and an MA in History. He is a graduate of Northern Essex Community College, Salem State College, Northeastern University. A longtime educator, he has been teaching history, geography and government courses at Northern Essex since January 2005.

Outside of the classroom, Padova serves on the Board of Directors of the Lawrence History Center and the Service Center of Greater Lawrence, Inc., and is also a member of the Andover Historical Society, the Friends of Memorial Hall Library (Andover), the Friends of Lawrence Heritage State Park, the American Political Items Collectors, the St. Alfio Society of Lawrence, the NECC Alumni Advisory Board, the Citizens’ Advisory Committee of the Lawrence Redevelopment Authority, and the Parish Pastoral Council at St. Augustine’s Church in Andover.

For more information on the tours or for group reservations, contact Lawrence Heritage State Park at 978 794-1655.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 70 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth.  More than 6,600 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 3,400 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley.  Northern Essex is the only state college located in the lower Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.