2016 - Page 9 of 23

Language Barriers Couldn’t Stop this Man from Earning a College Degree

August 26, 2016/in Archive/by review

Anthony Delgado Liberal Arts

When Anthony Delgado walked across the Northern Essex Community College stage to accept his Associate in Arts Liberal Arts degree with high honors, he carried with him two languages, two cultures, and the determination that comes with struggling to assimilate to both.

The 20-year-old Lawrence resident is off to Cornell College in Iowa in the fall where he will work toward a bachelor’s degree in math. He was one of more than 1,000 graduates to receive associate degrees of certificates during the 54th annual NECC commencement exercise on Saturday, May 21.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Delgado was six-years-old when his family moved to Lawrence. Unable to speak English, he was often reduced to tears in his first-grade classroom and his older brother would be called down to help calm his fears. Within a year, he was speaking English fluently and became an honors student.

At the end of his eighth-grade year, his family returned to the Dominican Republic to live. The little boy who couldn’t speak English found himself in his homeland unable to read, write, or speak Spanish. And to compound matters, all his assignments required cursive writing which he never learned. The A-student found himself struggling to pass his high school courses.

While the language barrier once again slowed Delgado down, it couldn’t stop him. He graduated as the valedictorian of his senior class from the small private, Catholic high school he attended, a school he credits with teaching him discipline and time management.

After graduating from high school, Delgado didn’t hesitate to return to the United States to join his older brother in Lawrence. For six months he worked three jobs and reconnected with his English language skills.

Delgado enrolled in Northern Essex’s liberal arts: math program thinking he might eventually want to pursue a degree in architecture. He was a full-time student and worked full time as a manager at an area McDonald’s Restaurant. He has since decided to study math exclusively.

“I love math,” he said. “It’s the language of nature. It’s the language of how things operate. It’s amazing that you can observe nature and transcribe it into numbers.”

As the child of parents who never earned a high school diploma, Delgado says it is an honor for his family that he is a first-generation college student and as such, has participated in Northern Essex’s Pathways to Academic and Career Excellence (PACE) Program where he attends weekly workshops, events, and college tours.

Northern Essex, Delgado says, has been a “good testing ground” for him to explore and discover his likes and dislikes. He maintained a 4.0 GPA while doing it.

When he wasn’t in class, or working, or attending PACE events, Delgado had time to join the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the Community Outreach Group which raised money for various nonprofits including Emmaus House, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA).

“That was my way of giving back to the community that gave me so much,” he said. “It was my duty.”

Eventually Delgado would like to work in the renewable energy industry.

He says his bilingual, bi-cultural foundation should serve him well in the years to come.

“I have had to learn to assimilate well,” he said. “I’ve learned you can’t have restrictive thoughts. It has made me more analytical and more humble.”

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.

Three Honored for Job Performance at NECC

August 25, 2016/in Archive/by review

The recipients of the third quarter Employee Recognition Award were recently photographed with NECC President Lane Glenn include Adrianna Holden-Gouveia, Sharon McDermot, and Ramon Suero.

The recipients of the third quarter Employee Recognition Award were recently photographed with NECC President Lane Glenn (center). NECC employees are Adrianna Holden-Gouveia, Sharon McDermot, and Ramon Suero.

Three Northern Essex Community College employees Adrianna Holden-Gouveia of Haverhill, Sharon McDermot of Amesbury, and Ramon Suero of North Andover, recently received the Employee Recognition Award for the third quarter of 2016.

The Employee Recognition Award recognizes the many and varied contributions of the college’s nearly 700 employees. Employees are selected each quarter based on recommendations from supervisors and co-workers. Recipients receive a $150 certificate to the restaurant or mall of his or her choice.

Holden-Gouveia, a professor in NECC’s computer and information sciences (CIS) program for the past 10 years, was nominated by several faculty and staff, who praised her for excellence in teaching and devotion to her students and their success.

Joyce Brody, an administrative assistant in NECC’s Division of Technology, Arts and Professional Studies, wrote “She employs her skills and knowledge to assist in creating and nurturing connections between NECC and tech workplaces that provide opportunities for our students to explore, demonstrate skills, and succeed.”

Michael Penta, computer and Information sciences professor, supported the nomination stating, “…she has demonstrated an excellence in teaching and curriculum development, a commitment to developing her craft as well as her content knowledge, and a focus on student success… Adrianna is extremely committed to her craft. She is constantly modifying curriculum and classroom procedures looking to engage students and encourage their growth… She aims to create a real pipeline for success with her work in the areas of career preparation and advising. Adrianna created a long-standing career prep day that includes mock interviews, dress for success workshops, and resume reviews.”

“As a former student of Adrianna’s, I can speak firsthand about her empathy for students,” wrote CIS instructor Jason DeCosta, who was in danger of failing her class as an undergraduate. She recognized his abilities and helped him with his deficiencies. “I got an A on the final exam and finished my first semester of college with a 4.0 GPA.”

Ashley Moore, director of career and experiential education, works closely with Holden-Gouveia. She wrote “Together we have built an academically-sound internship program from the ground up for students in the computer information science program. This endeavor has required Adrianna to dedicate hundreds of hours toward student enrollment, collaborative relationships across internal departments, and fostering external partnerships. It has also required Adrianna to demonstrate entrepreneurial skills in order to build and grow this program, tweaking it constantly to improve the program’s quality and the students’ experience.”

Holden-Gouveia earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science from Clark University and a Master of Business Administration from Rivier University.

McDermot, director of academic affairs operations, is an 18-year employee of Northern Essex. She was nominated by several staff members who all praised her for her leadership and organizational skills.

Christine DeRosa, program manager for NECC’s Center for Corporate & Community Education, wrote, “Sharon continues to amaze with her many strengths and talents in an increasingly demanding role… she has been instrumental in addressing the Spurk renovation undertaking in terms of re-locating academic personnel to other areas of the college, including to the Riverwalk campus.”

Her nomination was supported by Jane Bailey, staff assistant in academic and students affairs; Linda Fagan, administrative assistant in academic and student affairs; and Clayton Ross, facilities engineer/project manager; as well as Bill Heineman, vice president of academic and student affairs who wrote, “I could write 100 pages about why (she) deserves the Employee Recognition Award and would still be leaving out important contributions she makes to the college…Over the last year, she has carried a huge burden in organizing the movement of Academic and Student Affairs offices and classrooms from the Spurk Building to multiple other sites. In doing so she has been efficient, creative, calm, persistent, and extremely flexible as plans have evolved and developed over time. She has kept an amazingly positive attitude amidst a great deal of challenge and stress.”

She holds an Associate of Science in Business Transfer from Northern Essex, and both a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) as well as a graduate certificate in human resources.

Suero, a 20-year employee of Northern Essex and senior computer technician in IT Services was lauded for working swiftly and efficiently during the recent move of the liberal arts division as a result of the Spurk Building renovation.

“(He) and the IT staff were untiring and downright cheerful in the performance of their considerable duties during the moves related to the Spurk shutdown,” wrote Judy Zubrow, dean of liberal arts; Julie Carey, an administrative assistant in the liberal arts division; and Janice Rogers, assistant dean of liberal arts.

He earned a certificate in computerized business systems from the Computer Learning Center in Methuen.

College Grad Turns to NECC for New Career

August 24, 2016/in Archive/by review

Samantha Romano Computer & Information Sciences

Computer and information sciences student Samantha Romano expected to gain valuable experience when she accepted an internship with RMON Networks, Inc., in Plaistow, NH. She didn’t expect to be offered a full-time job which she eagerly accepted.

A Kingston, New Hampshire, resident, Sammi graduated in May 2016 with a 4.0 GPA and an Associate of Science Degree in Computer & Information Sciences and Certificates in Computer Security and Computer Networking. She already had a bachelor’s degree in physical science from Plymouth State College, where she was a three-sport athlete, when she turned to Northern Essex for a career path.

“Northern Essex was just as focused as I was in finding a career for me that I would be challenged in, excel at, and enjoy,” Sammi said. “I am overwhelmed with the opportunities offered by NECC.”

Taking a cue from her dad, who is a systems engineer, the 27 year old started imagining herself in the Computer Information Sciences Program. Imagination gave way to reality when she enrolled in just one computer class and wondered, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”

In addition to attending classes full time, Sammi continued to work 30 to 35 hours a week with disabled adults. She was also an embedded math tutor, a note-taker for a learning accommodations student at NECC, and a supplemental instructor in NECC’s Computer & Information Sciences Program.

She enrolled in the Northern Essex Internship Program and started working with RMON Networks last fall where she learned to build desktops, clean viruses, and manage servers and networks. After just five months, she was offered a full-time position as a help desk technician.

Sammi is already researching master’s programs and hopes to be enrolled in the fall.

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.

NECC ArtSpace Exhibit Explores Mystery of White Fund Paintings

August 23, 2016/in Archive/by review

"A Deathless Contract" which shows Dutch painter Rootius's "Portrait of a Boy" in storage at Boston's MFA, is part of a new multi-media exhibit at the NECC Linda Hummel-Shea ArtSpace on the Haverhill campus.

A photo, titled “A deathless contract” which shows Dutch Golden Age portrait painter Jan Albertsz Rootius’s “Portrait of a Boy” in storage at Boston’s MFA, is part of a new multi-media exhibit at the NECC Linda Hummel-Shea ArtSpace on the Haverhill campus.

Since 1911, a collection of 17 paintings valued in excess of $20 million has hung in a basement storage room of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. This collection, last owned by a Lawrence minister, is the subject of a multi-media exhibit titled “The Reverend, His Lover, Their Monet, and The Museum,” created by Danville, NH, artist Cathy McLaurin.

The exhibit will run from September 9 through October 14, at Northern Essex Community College’s Linda Hummel-Shea ArtSpace Gallery on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott St.

The unusual and complicated story of these paintings, which includes Claude Monet’s “Field of Poppies near Giverny,” which were last owned and bequeathed by the Reverend William Wolcott, is told through this exhibit using video, animation, photographs, text works, and performance.

A reception and artist talk will be held Thursday, September 15, from 3 to 5 p.m. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. Library hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

A native of Silk Hope, North Carolina, McLaurin says the exhibit is rooted in “archival research”.

Another of McLaurin’s pieces show the Wolcott paintings in storage at the MFA.

“I am fascinated and confounded by a story that combines art, history, legend and finances in what is known as “The Immigrant City,” she says.

When creating the exhibit, McLaurin considered the “personal and professional legacy” of Wolcott who was born in Belchertown, Mass. in 1852. The son of Dr. Samuel Wolcott and brother of Senator Edward O. Wolcott, who bequeathed the paintings to this brother, he attended Oberlin College and later Andover Theological Seminary in 1881. Wolcott was pastor of the Riverside Congregational Church for three years and then became the pastor of the Lawrence Street Congregational Church until his death May 12, 1911. Wolcott willed the 17 paintings to the White Fund with the intent to provide a suitable gallery in Lawrence for the local appreciation of them. Until a safe place to store the paintings could be built in Lawrence, Wolcott asked that the paintings be held at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for public exhibit. In 2007, they returned to the Merrimack Valley for the first time in 100 years when they were displayed at the Addison Gallery at Phillip’s Academy in Andover.

“This project examines the ways in which the intersection of his (Wolcott’s) philanthropic desires conflict with the institutions that have become the guardians of his legacy,” says McLaurin.

“‘The Reverend, His Lover, Their Monet, and The Museum’ considers art as currency, asking questions about the value of art. When does this art gain value? What value? Whose values?” says McLaurin. “The White Fund paintings have acquired a monetary patina or aura that frequently surrounds western art. I propose that they have also taken on an aura of controversy. How are these art works altered by controversy? How does that controversy alter the way in which we consume them? I engage in an investigative art practice in which research operates as both content and form.”

In 2013, McLaurin earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in interdisciplinary practice from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Tufts University. She graduated in 1989 from Meredith College, Raleigh, NC, with a bachelor of the arts with a concentration in studio art.

She has exhibited at numerous galleries including the Intergalactic Arts Collective, Toronto, Canada; the Power Plant Gallery, Durham, NC; the Mills Gallery in Boston; and the Boston Center for the Arts.

This exhibit is sponsored by the Art Department & the NECC Foundation. The exhibits featured in the Linda Hummel-Shea ArtSpace Gallery express the views of the artists. They do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Northern Essex Community College.

NECC offers an associate degree in general studies: art which provides a two-year degree with a focus on specific area of the arts, such as fine arts, multi-media, photography, or visual communications.

For additional information contact Patricia Kidney at pkidney@necc.mass.edu or Marc Mannheimer at mmannheimer@necc.mass.edu

All are Invited to Board Game Marathon at NECC

August 22, 2016/in Archive/by review

Mike Cross, NECC Professor and advisor to the Bacon Board Gamers’ Club, Elizabeth Bromm, and Ian Schade played a board game at a recent NECC Bacon Board Gamers’ event.

The Bacon Board Gamers Club of Northern Essex Community College will host its 8th semiannual all-day gaming marathon on Saturday, August 27, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on NECC’s Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott Street.

The event is free and open to the public.

Individuals who enjoy playing board games are invited and encouraged to attend and may either bring their own games or play those provided by the college. The marathon will feature a large and eclectic mix of new games and old favorites, tournaments, door prizes, and more. All activities are set to take place in Room E260 of the Science Building.

Door prizes have been donated courtesy of Diversions Games of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

The NECC Bacon Board Gamers Club, founded in 2011, strives to provide an environment of healthy, fun, and challenging competition for students using board games of all kinds. The club meets every first and third Friday of the month from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on the Haverhill campus.

For more information, please contact Professor Mike Cross at mcross@necc.mass.edu or at 978-556-3362 or visit the club’s website at www.baconboardgamers.com.

Transferring is a “Positive” Experience

August 19, 2016/in Archive/by review

Jannelly Gonzalez iHealth@NECC Medical Laboratory Technology

Jannelly Gonzalez always felt at home in the lab. As a former phlebotomy lab assistant at Winchester Hospital, she worked long hours testing blood samples and preparing evaluations for doctors and patients – work that, despite its challenges, she enjoyed. By 2013 she knew she was ready to explore her field further. All she needed was the right education.

“It was my supervisor who first told me about Northern Essex and the iHealth program,” she says. “Once I knew about the opportunity, that was it. I had to enroll.”

Jannelly attended Northern Essex beginning in the fall of 2013, enrolling in the iHealth@NECC Medical Laboratory Technology Program while continuing to work full time. The flexible nature of the hybrid courses, she says, is what ultimately enabled her academic success.

“I was working and commuting every day, so I was so grateful to be in a program that met the needs of working professionals.”

Most class lectures were done online – a big perk for someone living and working in the Boston area. Classroom meetings were generally reserved for laboratory practice, where students learned the basic skills needed to perform at an entry-level job in the medical laboratory field. The program also included clinicals at area hospitals like Tufts Medical Center, where Jannelly currently works.

“The many clinical experiences and partner programs were great contributions to the whole experience. They gave me exposure to the field and helped me network with others in the profession,” she says.

Jannelly graduated from the program in May of 2015 and has enrolled in a bachelor’s program online at the University of Cincinnati, where she will pursue a degree in medical science. She attributes her continued success to NECC.

“I absolutely loved my program and all the great professors I met along the way. It was challenging at times, but I found that the more work I put in the more I got out of it. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

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

New Noncredit Business Certificate Programs Offered at NECC’s Riverwalk

August 18, 2016/in Archive/by Alexis Fontaine

Several new, noncredit, business-related certificate programs will be offered through Northern Essex Community College’s Center for Corporate and Community Education this September.

They include: Individual Tax Accounting, Payroll Accounting, Career Development Facilitator, and Supply Chain Fundamentals: From Procurement to Consumer.

The career development facilitator and the two accounting programs are new certificate programs and the supply chain certificate program has been reformulated and updated.

NECC will also offer two new computer courses in September as well. They are AutoCAD 2016 and Computer Basics: The Fundamentals.

The classes will be offered in Lawrence at the Riverwalk, 360 Merrimack St., Building 9, Entry K

For additional information on cost, start dates, fees or how to register see our website or contact Dianne (Dee) Lahaye at dlahaye@necc.mass.edu or 978-659-1222 or Diane Zold-Gross at dzoldgross@necc.mass.edu or 978-659-1221.

NECC Still Accepting Registrations for September

August 17, 2016/in Archive/by review

It is not too late to register for fall courses and programs starting Wednesday, September 7, at Northern Essex Community College, and this year there will be a new certificate and two new associate degrees to choose from.

For the first time this fall, the college is offering an associate degree in public health and a community health worker certificate. These are designed for individuals interested in pursuing a career in the community health care field. In addition, the business management: hospitality program is also being relaunched. This degree focuses on the areas of hotel and resort management; travel and tourism management; and event and conference management.

Northern Essex also offers over 70 associate degrees and certificates in fields such as liberal arts, health care, criminal justice, computer science, technology and engineering, art, and much more. Classes and programs are offered days, evenings, weekend, and online. Campuses are in Haverhill and Lawrence.

Walk-in hours for interested students are available Monday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Friday noon to 4:30 p.m. in Haverhill (Behrakis One-Stop Student Services Center, 100 Elliott St.) or Lawrence (Dr. Ibrahim El-Hefni Health & Technology Center, 414 Common St.).

For more information, contact enrollment services at Northern Essex at 978-556-3700 or admissions@necc.mass.edu or visit the NECC website.

Lawrence Man Gets Serious About Education at NECC

August 16, 2016/in Archive/by review

Carlos Rivera Liberal Arts: Biology and Psychology

Carlos Rivera admits he was a less than serious student while attending Lawrence High School. The 2011 graduate enrolled at Northern Essex only because his family insisted that he go to college.

His less than stellar grades continued after he came to college, and, as a result, he was disqualified from playing on the college’s basketball team.

“I was focused on my social life,” says Carlos. “School just wasn’t important to me.”

After coasting along for a couple of years, earning some passing grades, Carlos had an epiphany. “I decided I needed to make a change,” he says.

Carlos discovered that when he applied himself to his schoolwork he could get good grades, even in challenging courses like chemistry and calculus II.

He also found he had a talent for teaching others. For the past year and a half, he has focused on tutoring his peers, both as a supplemental instructor in College Algebra and Trigonometry and as a student assistant in the Student Success Center in Lawrence, where he helps students with math, algebra, and biology.

He found his direction, combining his two passions, psychology and biology, and deciding on a career in neurobiology.

After graduating from NECC with an associate degree in liberal arts, psychology and biology, Carlos will transfer to UMass Lowell where he will major in biology and psychology.

“Northern Essex allowed me to get on track academically,” he says. “It prepared me well for transfer to a four-year university.”

After receiving his bachelor’s degree, he plans to apply to medical school. Carlos’s college journey has not been a smooth one, but he has proven through hard work and persistence it is possible to succeed.

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

Students Get Taste of STEM Options During Technology Camp

August 12, 2016/in Archive/by review

The Microscopes – campers in Engineering Professor Paul Chanley’s class give a thumb’s up at the end of their day at Technology Camp.

On Thursday they cooked s’mores in solar ovens made from shoe boxes.

Last week, students in Northern Essex Community College’s first Technology Academy, measured their carbon footprint by cooking Pop Tarts – strawberry and brown sugar cinnamon.

These are just two of the many science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) exercises that the 34 Haverhill, Lawrence, and North Andover students have participated in during the three-week technology camp funded by the STEM Starter Academy Grant.

The intent of the camp is to familiarize students in grades seven through 10 to the principles of science, technology, engineering and math, as well introduce them to a college campus and its faculty. Divided into groups with catchy STEM names like the Algorithms, the Pixels, and the Microscopes, they have attended two, 90-minute sessions with a break in between, Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m..

The grant, from the Massachusetts Department of Education’s STEM Starter Academy, which is an initiative of the 15 Massachusetts community colleges to inform, engage, recruit, retain, and graduate more students in science, technology, engineering, and math, through STEM Pathway programs leading to job placement or transfer to university STEM programs.

The attention to STEM seems to be working.

In Room 130 of the Hartleb Technology Center on the Haverhill campus, Engineering Professor Paul Chanley, wearing a straw fedora, was bent over a piece of graph paper. Campers Ryan, Ruben, and Esmerelda intently followed his red pencil as he reviewed the data they collected and plotted to find the slope to compare to Ohm’s Law.

The students, ages 12 to 15, said Chanley, are attentive and interested. The very age group the initiative is trying to target.

Ryan Brito, 13, of Lawrence, said he enjoys the camp because of the many activities.

“It makes the day fun. If I wasn’t here, I would have nothing to do,” he said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity.”

Zechariah Richardson, 15, also of Lawrence, echoed his sentiment.

“It’s been really fun,” he said. “We can’t do this kind of thing at home or anywhere in Lawrence. If I wasn’t here I would probably be sleeping.”

“This has been a great learning experience,” said Licinia Russo, 13 of Lawrence. “I’m doing things here that I would never be doing at school like using the 3D printer and processing crime scenes.”

Next door in Room 136 Engineering Professor Mike Pelletier’s campers measured the speed of sound.

“You have to be a certain kind of student to dedicate three weeks to a technology camp,” Pelletier said.

“We were looking for an opportunity to connect with this age group of kids in our service area,” said Carolyn Knoepfler, assistant dean of science, technology, engineering and advanced manufacturing. “The camp is twofold. The students are exposed to STEM ideas like 3D printing and forensic science with the opportunity to visit a real college campus and connect with faculty.”

The students were recruited for the camp via flyers distributed to area charter schools, Boys and Girls’ clubs, and YMCAs. To keep the students engaged, Knoepfler said, she hopes to arrange additional visits during the school year and hold the technology academy in July next year.

The entire camp experience including transportation by bus from the Dimitry Building in Lawrence, to supplies, and snacks is funded by the STEM Starter Academy Grant.

Students were taught by some of Northern Essex’s most seasoned faculty including Jay Fallon, Jason DeCosta, Mike Pelletier, Mike Cross, Paul Cavan, and Mike Penta with assistance by NECC student mentors.

The parents of the campers were just as excited about the Technology Camp.

“Any time you get children on college campuses is time well spent,” said Knoepfler. “It’s good for them to know what college is about and that it’s a comfortable environment to be in. They can begin to imagine ‘who they can be’.”

The camp culminates Thursday, August 18, with a magic show by Professor Mike Cross followed by a cookout.

For additional information on the Technology camp contact Carolyn Knoepfler at cknoepfler@necc.mass.edu