Income eligible Northern Essex Community College students now have the opportunity to participate in a financial literacy pilot program called “Invest in College Success” designed to help them earn up to $1,500 for college costs and learn to save and manage their money so they are more apt to complete their education.

Northern Essex is just one of three Massachusetts community colleges selected to participate in this innovative public-private partnership aimed to serve up to 1,600 students over a two-year period. NECC already recruited 15 students last fall and hopes to involve 45 students this spring.

Klinbert Garcia of Methuen is one of these students. The 19-year-old business transfer major enrolled in the program last fall.

After receiving an email detailing the Invest in College Success Program, he met with a financial aid advisor. NECC opened a savings account for him at Citizens Bank that allows him to deposit, but not withdraw.

“I was really interested in the program and earning and saving money,” he said. “I really want to study abroad so this is what I hope to put the money toward. If that doesn’t work out, I will use it toward my studies when I transfer to UMass Boston.”

The program provides financial education classes, college advising and personal text reminders, basic coaching, matched savings, and advanced personal financial coaching.

Alexis Fishbone, NECC’s director of financial aid, says that statistically lack of financial resources is a primary reason students don’t complete their college education. According to the U.S. Department of Education, community college students are less likely to take student loans, but those who do are more likely to default.

This program shows students how to save, matches their every dollar with two dollars, and educates them on financial matters so they will be successful in college and life, she says.

The partners for this venture include The Midas Collaborative, which provides program management and support; uAspire, which provides college affordability advising and support; and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston which evaluates the impacts and outcomes of the program.

NECC students who are 18 years old and enrolled in an associate degree program, and are income eligible, will complete 12-hours of financial education that covers budgets, credit issues, college affordability planning, post-college planning, and loan and debt management. They are encouraged to save $750 over a 6 to 12 month time frame and they will earn $1,500 in matched savings. This gives them a total or $2,250 to invest in their own education. The money must be spent on qualified educational expenses including tuition, fees, books and supplies, even study abroad programs.

If students complete the Invest in College Success Program, they can participate in additional advanced financial coaching, based on the Midas Collaborative’s Financial Confidence and Coaching Program which is offered free and confidentially via Skype or phone. Participants will have access to three, one-hour coaching sessions with a Midas financial coach during which several financial barrier topics will be discussed. A pre- and post-survey will be given to coaching participants to evaluate their experiences.

NECC students interested in this program should contact Alexis Fishbone at afishbone@necc.mass.edu or call 978-556-3615.

Students can learn about the Invest in College Success Program at the following information days:  Informational Table, Friday February 5 – 11 a.m. until noon Sports & Fitness Center lobby, Haverhill; Winterfest Table February 8, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dimitry Building, Lawrence; February 10, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sports & Fitness Center, Haverhill; Informational Table Friday, February 12 – Dimitry Building, Atrium, Lawrence.

Dr. Sheila Pierre says she found the answers to life’s questions from studying sociology and says her NECC students can expect to do the same.

Young or old, rich or poor, it’s human nature to ask questions about the world around us including everything from youth and pop culture to health advancements to terrorism and social movements, she says.

Sociology, simply put, is the study of society. Or more exact, a social science involving the study of the social lives of people, groups, and societies, she says. Introduction to Sociology is one of the many behavioral sciences offered at Northern Essex.

“Studying sociology can help foster your creativity, innovation, critical thinking, and analytic problem solving and communication skills, says Pierre. All of which are skills she says, the global and technology driven 21st century labor market demands.

As a child of Haitian immigrants, questions came early to Pierre, she says. From the time she was old enough to understand, she struggled to know why certain countries and groups continue to remain the poorest and least developed in the world.

“Haiti, for example, in recent years has struggled with problems ranging from near-constant political upheaval, health crises, a racially charged discourse, and severe environmental degradation,” Pierre says.

As an undergraduate history and sociology major at Emmanuel College Pierre thought her philosophy classes might shine some light on these dark issues, but she found only abstract answers. To her surprise it was her sociology classes which shone light, high and bright to reveal that structure and culture are the reasons why countries’ political, economic, and environmental climates continue to decline.

But is sociology exciting?

“What is there not to be excited about,” she says. “I get to explore, read, examine, and research topics involving the media, globalization, ethnicity, race, youth culture, pop culture, sexuality, gender, health, poverty and family.”

The field of sociology is overarching, she says.

“I have colleagues and close friends who have gone into health services, business, publishing, teaching, social services, community work, law, and even college communities.”

The oldest of five children, Pierre holds a master’s in sociology from Humboldt State University and a PhD in sociology from the University of Connecticut.

With four siblings who attended community college, she witnessed the impact community colleges made on their lives. She knew before she earned her doctorate that she wanted to work at a community college surrounded by students like her siblings.

A former competitive tennis player, Pierre devotes her spare time now to a social movement…she says enroll in her class and she will share which one.

Deirdre Budzyna

Northern Essex Community College Professor Deirdre Budzyna of Newburyport will discuss the many ways people can display and use their intelligence in a free presentation titled “It’s Not How Smart You Are: It’s How You Are Smart.”  Free and open to the public, the presentation will take place at the Hamilton-Wenham Public Library, 14 Union St, South Hamilton on Friday, Feb. 5 at 10:30 a.m.

This presentation is appropriate for anyone interested in identifying strengths and working from a strengths based perspective, including parents, students, and teachers. Participants will identify their strongest intelligence and find out how it impacts their abilities in all aspects of their lives including school, work, and within the family.

Budzyna will cover the theory of multiple intelligences which was developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University. Gardner’s theory suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on I.Q. testing, is far too limited. Instead, Dr. Gardner proposes eight different intelligences to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults. These intelligences include word smart, number/reasoning smart, picture smart, body smart, music smart, people smart, self smart, and nature smart.

Deirdre Budzyna is a professor of Early Childhood Education at Northern Essex Community College. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in theater and education. She received her Master’s Degree from Lesley University in Creative Arts and Learning. Budzyna owns an acting studio, Acting Out, in Newburyport, Ma where she resides with her husband John and three children.

This presentation is part of the college’s speakers’ bureau which provides speakers to area nonprofits. For more information visit the website https://www.necc.mass.edu/community-engagement/speakers-bureau/ or contact Ernie Greenslade, Marketing Communications, 978 556-3862 or egreenslade@necc.mass.edu.

For more information on the presentation at the Hamilton-Wenham Library, contact Rebecca Shea, 978 468-5577 or rshea@mvlc.org.

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 7,400 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 6,700 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.