Jennifer Jackson-Stevens likes to tell her respiratory care students they make a difference in the world one breath at a time.

“For me there is nothing more rewarding than teaching others how to save lives,” she says. ”Other than the pulmonologist and the anesthesiologist, no other member of a patient’s healthcare team knows more about the respiratory system and the respiratory life-saving techniques than the respiratory therapist.”

As program director of Northern Essex’s respiratory care associate degree program, Jackson-Stevens emphasizes the importance of their role as a specialized healthcare practitioner in a hospital setting.

A registered respiratory therapist for 24 years, she stays current in the field by continuing to work in the hospital setting. A second-generation therapist, she followed the path of her father, who continues to work as a respiratory therapist.

“It was nice to see that my father always had a secure job and that he always came home in a good mood because of his rewarding profession,” she said.

Jackson-Stevens is herself a graduate of a community college respiratory care program, and as such, understands and appreciates the challenges as well as the benefits of earning an associate degree in respiratory care from Northern Essex. After just two semesters in the program, respiratory care students can work in the hospital as a “student respiratory therapist” where they can earn approximately $20 an hour, gain experience, and build contacts, she says.

Training and educating the next generation of students is fulfilling to Jackson-Stevens. She has taught at NECC for 15 years – five as a clinical instructor and 10 as a full-time classroom instructor.

While Jackson-Stevens teaches a number of health classes within the program, she particularly enjoys teaching Respiratory Modalities IV one of the final course requirements.

“It allows me to share with the students all of our wonderful state-of-the-art equipment in our world class simulation center. It provides the students a very realistic, hands-on, learning experience,” she says.

Experience they will appreciate once they are in a hospital setting, she says. That is good news, since the job outlook is promising for two-year graduates.

According to the U.S. Board of Labor & Statistics, the respiratory care field is expected to grow 23 percent between now and 2026 – that is faster than the average job growth. According to Indeed.com, the average salary for respiratory therapists in Boston is $36.30 an hour, which is 12 percent above the national average.

In addition to her associate degree from Massasoit Community College, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Master of Education from Eastern Nazarene College.

She is proud of the fact that NECC’s respiratory care program just received the Distinguished Registered Respiratory Therapist Credentialing Success from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care.

“This award recognizes the program’s success in inspiring its graduates to achieve their highest educational and professional aspirations,” she says.

That could be why her favorite quote is “respiratory therapists: real life heroes”.

For more information on the program, contact Jackson-Stevens at jjacksonstevens@necc.mass.edu

 

When student-veterans walk into the Northern Essex Veterans Center they will be met by someone who is well-versed in veteran/military advising.

While Kalyn Ryll, is not herself a military veteran, she is a federally-certified career coach and job-search trainer with experience working for the U.S. Army as well as numerous private colleges and universities.

Ryll, assumed the role of veterans and military services coordinator at NECC last month. As a Haverhill native and 2003 graduate of Haverhill High School, Ryll is more than familiar with the Greater Haverhill community. A 12th generation descendant of the Spoffords, one of the original settlers in this area, she owns and lives, along with her two cats, in a home her grandparents built.

A true academic, with a strong, eclectic professional history, she was destined for a career advising military veterans. Ryll earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Business Administration & Law and Society from Clark University, followed by an MBA from Suffolk University, and a Master of Arts in Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Washington, DC.

While earning her second master’s degree, Ryll worked for the U.S. Army in the Soldier for Life Transition Assistance Program and found her work with veterans fulfilling.

In 2015, she returned to the Boston area working as a career advisor for Curry College before moving on to Northeastern University where she was a career and academic coach to the Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, and Analytics Master’s degree programs which attracted a high veterans population. This led to an assistant director position of career education services at Simmons College and finally NECC where she is a department of one.

“I have always wanted to work with veterans,” she said. “This is a fantastic opportunity for me to continue to build the Veterans Center here. I want this to be a place veterans can come for help with their benefits as well as make connections with other veterans.”

She intends to build a community around the Veterans Center, which is located on the second floor in the NECC Student Center. With more than 200 veterans or military-connected students enrolled at Northern Essex, she sees a real value to inviting representatives of other veterans’ organizations on to campus.

While Ryll said she learned a lot about the military during her time in Washington, D.C., she found the military personnel she worked with “appreciative of my experiences in civilian life. It was a mutually beneficial relationship.”

She says she has been received well by the veterans who have already visited the Veterans Center.

“I can answer their questions. Through my psychology and counseling training I’ve learned to be empathetic,” she said. Even if I haven’t lived it, I can validate their experiences.”

In addition to holding veterans events on and possibly off campus, Ryll will launch a monthly newsletter for NECC student-veterans. She is also visiting other college and university veterans centers to see what has been successful.

“I want this to be a welcoming space,” she said. “I want to put the center on the map as a destination for veterans.”

She will also survey NECC student-veterans to learn what types of support they are looking for.

“I want to make sure our veterans are receiving what they need from us,” she said.

For additional information, contact Ryll at kryll@necc.mass.edu

Eight student-athletes at Northern Essex Community College have been named to the All-Academic teams for the 2018-19 academic year by the NJCAA.

The eight selections match the record for most honorees in a single year at Northern Essex which was established a year ago. With this year’s selections, the college now has a total of 33 all-time, All-Academic selections.

To be eligible for the award a student-athlete must have  a */grade point average for the year of 3.60 or higher. Based on the overall grade-point average, student-athletes are named either First, Second or Third Team All-Academic. Three of the eight honorees were earned 2nd team Academic All-America honors, while the five others were selected to the 3rd team.

Representing the Knights on the second team are volleyball’s Christine Ortega of Haverhill, Kyle Scott of Dracut, a member of the men’s basketball team and Mike Stellato of Lynnfield from the baseball team. Third team honors went to Olivia Mullins of Plaistow, NH, and Katelyn Richardson of Wilmington, both of the women’s track and cross country teams. Rachel Amiss of Salem, NH, and Amanda Forgetta of  Malabar, FL, of the volleyball team were recognized on the third team along with baseball’s Andrew Caulfield of Malden. Richardson, Forgetta, Amiss and Caulfield are all second time honorees.

The three selections from volleyball match the most selections from any one team in a given year. Ortega boasted a 3.96 GPA for the year appearing in 10 matches at outside hitter. Amiss recorded a 3.77 GPA while appearing in all 18 matches. She finished the year tops in the region with a .356 hitting percentage that also ranked 8th nationally. She was named NECC’s Female Athlete of the Year at the annual awards banquet in April. Forgetta posted a 3.67 GPA, also appearing in all 18 matches and led the region in both kills (136) and kills per set (2.43).

Stellato led the two baseball selections with a 3.96 GPA, he appeared in 23 games this season batting .306 with 15 hits and 21 runs scored. Caulfield sported a 3.79 GPA appearing in 18 games with a .276 average and three home runs.

Richardson and Mullins were both multiple time participants in NJCAA Championships for cross country and track and field and recorded 3.77 and 3.73 GPA respectively. Richardson will leave NECC as the school record holder in the high jump and 3000 meter steeplechase where she competed in both events at this year’s national championship. Mullins, will head to Fitchburg State in the fall as the school record holder in the 1500 meter and 3000 meter events. She placed in both events at this year’s NJCAA

Championship and was also a qualifier for two cross country national championships and competed in the 1500 at last year’s NJCAA Championship.

Scott recorded a 3.80 GPA for the year and was named NECC’s Male Scholar Athlete of the Year at the awards banquet in April. He returned to the court this season after missing the second half of his freshman campaign to injury. He appeared in 25 games this past year with 11 starts and finished the season shooting 90% from the free-throw line.

Northern Essex Community College competes as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and sponsors nine varsity intercollegiate sports including baseball, men’s basketball, golf, softball, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country and men’s and women’s track and field. For more information on Northern Essex Community College Athletics please visit the official website of Northern Essex Athletics.

A Lowell native with two decades of experience in higher education marketing, fundraising, and alumni relations has been selected as the new vice president of institutional advancement at Northern Essex Community College with campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, MA.

Allison Dolan-Wilson was most recently executive director of alumni relations for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she managed a team of 31 and an operating budget of $1.36 million.

At Northern Essex, she will oversee fundraising, marketing and communications, and workforce development and corporate relations, beginning July 1 of this year.

“Allison has a phenomenal skill set, and will be a great addition to our leadership team,” said Lane Glenn, president of Northern Essex. “Most importantly, through her work with public colleges in California and the experiences of her family, many of whom attended Northern Essex and other local community colleges, Allison understands the community college mission and is passionate about what we do.”

Since 2014, Dolan-Wilson has overseen MIT’s alumni relations programs, including reunions and other events, alumni travel and education, and the parents association.  While at MIT, she created an alumni career services program that increased alumni engagement in key demographics and a graduate alumni council.

For two years, from 2016 to 2018, she served as interim executive director of the MIT annual fund, in addition to her alumni relations responsibilities.  During that time, she oversaw the first giving day program at MIT, the MIT 24-hour Challenge, which raised $3.14 million from 8,673 donors.

From 2008 to 2014, Dolan-Wilson was working in advancement at the University of California Irvine.  She was hired as associate executive director, development and alumni relations, and when she left, she was interim assistant vice chancellor, alumni relations, with responsibility for leading fundraising campaigns, raising sponsorship money, and alumni and student relationship programs.

She began her higher education career at San Diego State University (SDSU), and was there for six years, most recently as director of external relations, overseeing special projects and programs, marketing, communications, special events, advocacy and campus and community relations.

“I’m beyond excited to be joining the Northern Essex team and to get to work with our Merrimack Valley partners to help give our students the best possible experience they can have. Northern Essex is so important to the lives of not only the students, but the community it serves – and I am proud to be a part of something that has such a deep and direct impact,” said Dolan-Wilson.

Dolan-Wilson is a graduate of Emerson College, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Speech—Public Relations and Advertising, and SDSU, where she earned a Master’s of Business Administration with a marketing specialization.

She is replacing Jean Poth, the college’s longtime vice president of institutional advancement, who retired from the college, effective July 1 of this year.  Dolan-Wilson will also assume responsibility for corporate and community education, an area that was previously managed by George Moriarty, the college’s executive director of workforce development and corporate relations, who also recently retired.

Dolan-Wilson can be reached at adolanwilson@necc.mass.edu or 978 556-3624.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 60 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth.  Each year, close to 8,000 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 2,600 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley.  For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.