2019 - Page 14 of 24

Criminal Justice Student Receives Full Scholarship to UMass Boston

May 15, 2019/in Archive/by scomiskey

Criminal Justice major Michael Mankarios, recipient of the 2019 Foster Furcolo Scholarship

When Michael Mankarios immigrated to the United States from Egypt six years ago, he had $200 to his name, no connections, and an uncertain academic future.

Now, just a short time later, he has more than he thought possible: a full-time job, an associate degree, and – to top it all off – a full scholarship to UMass Boston.

Mankarios is the latest Northern Essex Community College student to receive the Foster Furcolo Scholarship, a highly competitive award granted each year to eligible students of Massachusetts public two-year colleges. He was selected at the recommendation of President Lane Glenn and approved by a committee of UMass Boston representatives.

Only one graduating student from each of the commonwealth’s community colleges is chosen annually for the prestigious scholarship.

“This award means everything to me,” Mankarios says, on learning of his win. “It reminds me that all that work and hardship wasn’t for nothing. This will make me so much more eager to do even more work and excel in life.”

Mankarios, who is a first-generation college student, and a recent U.S. citizen, had long been determined to earn a degree in the United States. After being approved for a visa in 2012 and subsequently moving to Haverhill, he wasted no time in searching for a funding source that would cover his eventual academic career. He found it through a series of jobs.

“When I settled here, I was working 60 to 75 hours a week to help my family back in Egypt and also create a sustainable source of income for school,” he says. “It took about three years to get established.”

By 2016, all that hard work had paid off. Mankarios soon enrolled in NECC’s criminal justice program and integrated himself into myriad campus organizations, including the Pathways to Academic and Career Excellence (PACE) program, the Criminal Justice Club, Phi Theta Kappa, and the National Society of Leadership and Success. More recently, he took on an internship position at the Lawrence District Court, which helped refine his interest in and understanding of the criminal justice field.

“My goal is to eventually work in forensics,” he explains. “I want to use my knowledge in this field to become a good role model, serve the community, and have a positive influence on my family, friends, and peers.”

With a degree and full scholarship in hand, Mankarios is certainly well on his way to doing just that. He will begin working toward a bachelor’s degree in criminology at UMass Boston this fall.

Mankarios believes that his academic success could not have been possible were it not for the support that his professors, advisors, and peers offered throughout his time on campus.

“In the end, NECC was the right choice,” he says. “The staff are just amazing – they helped me along the way. They gave me hope and encouragement when I was very down. If it weren’t for them, and for PACE especially, I know I would be lost.”

NECC offers an associate degree in criminal justice. For more information, please visit www.necc.mass.edu.

Watch Commencement Live from Anywhere, Thanks to HC Media

May 14, 2019/in Archive/by Ernie Greenslade

Do you know someone who would like to attend commencement but can’t make it to campus for the 11 a.m. ceremony on Saturday, May 18?

Thanks to our friends at HC Media, there will be two ways to watch the commencement ceremony on your computer or mobile device.

For the second time, commencement will be on Facebook Live. Just like HC Media’s Facebook page and you’ll receive a notification when the ceremony goes live.

If you don’t have Facebook, HC Media will be live streaming commencement so you can watch it live on your computer or mobile devices To watch commencement live, go to the haverhillcommunitytv.org website and click the watch live link in the upper right corner of the home page. You will be able to view the live-streamed event on channel 22.

After commencement, HC Media has volunteered to make DVD’s of the graduation available for $10. If you are interested in a copy of the ceremony, please call 978 372-8070 or email info@mediahc.org.

Want to know more about this year’s commencement? Visit the website.

NECC Athletics Hosts Awards Dinner

May 14, 2019/in Archive/by Alexis Fontaine

L to R: Spencer Brown, Andy Barrientos, Katelyn Richardson, Rachel Amiss and Kyle Scott

Northern Essex Community College Athletics hosted its 2nd annual Awards Banquet on Monday evening to honor the achievements of its student-athletes. Nearly 100 students, staff, family and college administrators were all on-hand to celebrate the many accomplishments on and off the field. The evening was highlighted by the presentation of four major awards: Faculty Staff Recognition, Unsung Hero, Scholar Athlete, and Athlete of the Year.

The Faculty/Staff Recognition Award is presented to an individual from within the campus community who works outside of the athletic program, but plays a significant role in supporting student-athletes pursuing their academic and athletic endeavors.

The recipient of the award, Linda Giampa, is the director of the college’s academic coaching program. The academic coaching program assists all students on campus become better learners. The services provided by Giampa and her staff include organizational and study skills and test preparedness for students. The services provided by the Academic Coaching program have spring boarded many student-athletes onto academic success.

The Unsung Hero Award is presented to one student who has made significant contributions to his/her team and/or within the campus community who contributions are noticed more than just statistically.

The recipient of the Unsung Hero Award was Andy Barrientos of Lawrence who was a member of both the men’s cross country and track teams. Andy was significantly impacted by the devastating explosions that rocked the Merrimack Valley in September was without access to daily necessities such as gas and electricity for the entire cross country season. Barrientos was a solid number five runner on the cross country team that went onto finish 22nd at the national championship meet held in November. As the Unsung Hero award winner, Barrientos was also presented with a new lap top computer donated by Dell Inc.

The Scholar Athlete Award is presented to individuals who have significant contributions to their respective teams while also maintaining an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

The female recipient of the award, Katelyn Richardson of Wilmington is a member of the women’s cross country and track and field teams and currently boasts a GPA of 3.80. On the track Richardson is the school record holder in the high jump and also became the first female in the history of the program to compete in the steeplechase event. She has hit the NJCAA national qualifying mark in both of the aforementioned events and will compete May 9-11 in Utica, NY at the national championship meet.

The male recipient of the award, Kyle Scott of Dracut is a second-year member of the basketball program who carries a GPA of 3.67 and had a perfect 4.00 in the fall semester. After missing the second half of his freshman campaign with an injury, Scott returned this season to appear 25 of the teams 28 games with 11 starts. He finished the season making 90% of his free throws.

The Athlete of the Year Award is presented to one male and one female student-athlete who has performed at a high level throughout the course of their season(s) while maintaining satisfactory academic progress at the college.

The female recipient of the award, Rachel Amiss of Salem, NH, was a co-captain of the volleyball team this past season and helped lead the team to 13-5 overall record, going undefeated in Region 21 play and ultimately falling one game win shy of qualifying for the NJCAA Nationals. Her .356 hitting percentage for the season was tops in the region and eight nationally for the season. She also finished second in the region in four additional statistical categories.

The male recipient of the award, Spencer Brown of Beverly is a rookie on this year’s baseball team and whose name appears near the top of every offensive statistical category in the country through games played this past week. He currently leads the nation with 17 home runs and slugging percentage at 1.132. He is also currently second in batting average at .512.

NECC 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.

Pianist Constantine Finehouse to Perform 19th Century Romantic Piano Repertoire at NECC

May 13, 2019/in Archive/by Ernie Greenslade

Internationally acclaimed pianist Constantine Finehouse will present a concert of music by the “Foremost Composers of the 19th Century Piano Repertoire,” Sunday, May 19, at the David Hartleb Technology Center on Northern Essex Community College’s Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott St.
The performance begins at 2 p.m.
The program features the music of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1822) with 32 Variations in C minor, and Sonata in C Major. Op. 2 No. 3, Frederic Chopin (1810- 1849) with Nocturne in C Minor, Op. 55/1, Ballade in A-flat Major. Op. 47, and Ballade in F Minor, Op. 52, and Robert Schumann (1810-1856) with Novelette in F# Minor, Op. 28, No. 8.

Finehouse has performed extensively throughout the United States and internationally, and has been praised for his “interpretations of depth and maturity.”

In addition to this performance, Finehouse appears regularly with the Essex Chamber Music Players, who are in residence at NECC.

“We are thrilled to have Constantine Finehouse performing solo piano in concert on our yearly series. Last year our audience was thrilled by his solo piano concert.” ECMP Artistic Director and NECC Music Professor Emeritus Michael G. Finegold said.

General admission tickets are $15. NECC students with college IDs and kids 8 to16 years old are free.

For additional information on this concert or ECMP, email Michael Finegold, ecmp314@comcast.net, or visit www.ecmp.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. Each year, 8,500 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. 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.

Decades in the Making Lawrence Man Earns Associate Degree

May 13, 2019/in Archive/by Ellen Small-Davis

Luis Estevez worked at Malden Mills for 28 years before having the opportunity to enroll at NECC.

Luis Estevez says his nearly 28 years at Malden Mills helped him earn his associate degree in business management from Northern Essex.

This dedicated employee, waited until his employer closed its doors before he took advantage of a retraining act that made it possible for him to earn a long sought-after college degree.

At 48 years old, the Lawrence resident will cross the stage on Saturday, May 18, and finally accept his diploma. However, make no mistake. He isn’t finished yet. Estevez intends to earn his bachelor’s degree before he is 50 or shortly thereafter.

The Dominican Republic native was 16 when he and his family immigrated to the United States. He enrolled at Lawrence High School – graduating in 1989. He went directly from school to work at Malden Mills and was happy to do so. For nearly 28 years, through a marriage and four children, he reported to work growing his way from union employee to technical staff to supervisor.

“I am very grateful to have been a leader for that company,” he said.

By the time the Lawrence company shuttered its operations, Estevez had more than 30 people reporting to him and was responsible for 105 machines operating for 12 hours a day.

During those working years, Estevez said, a growing family and home ownership led to 80 and 90-hour work weeks.

“Any time I had extra time, it became overtime. I did the best I could until the day they closed the door,” he said.

Once the doors closed, Estevez was looking to open new ones. He enrolled as a full-time student in NECC’s business management program. His first class was “Reading, Writing & Reasoning.”

“On the first day of class we were asked to write an essay. An essay? I thought. I haven’t been in school in 28 years. What’s an essay,” he joked.

He tackled the essay and plenty of other assignments over the next two years. He found his nearly 28 years with a large company had provided its own education. Wisdom, he said, he was allowed to share with classmates. It turns out being a supervisor has its merits in the classroom. Through hard work and collaboration, Estevez will graduate with a 3.67 GPA and membership in the Alpha Beta Gamma business honors society.

And that’s not all.

In the spring of his second year, Estevez enrolled in the internship course. In addition to earning college credit, he worked in Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini’s office as an unpaid administrative assistant helping with office tasks and constituents’ concerns. He was also able to employ his bilingual skills.

“You acquire a lot of knowledge through an internship,” he said. “More students should take advantage of it.”

Estevez hopes to continue his volunteering in the Mayor’s office over the summer while he mulls over where to attend college to earn his bachelor’s degree. He admits to being spoiled by Northern Essex.

“Northern Essex is a great family. The staff is tremendous,” he said. “From tutors to faculty to staff, everyone is helpful. I’m sad to be leaving. I always tell my children, ‘Education is power. You don’t know what doors it will open’.”

This is Luis Estevez’s story. What’s your story? #MyCommuityCollege

Haverhill Grad Transfers to UMass Lowell for Accounting

May 10, 2019/in Archive/by scomiskey

Business Transfer major Peter Orfanos

Peter Orfanos is no novice when it comes to time management. The Haverhill resident, who graduated from Northern Essex with his business transfer degree in May of 2019, managed three part-time jobs, a full-time course load, and a range of community service activities – and did it all with a can-do attitude.

“It’s definitely tough to juggle everything, but I love the challenge of it,” he says. “I try my best to compartmentalize and prioritize, working through projects one at a time rather than trying to multi-task too much.”

For Orfanos, who is the first in his immediate family to attend college, NECC had long been a part of his plans. Upon graduating from Haverhill High School in 2016, he was eager to continue his education in his hometown, which he knew would provide him with an accessible, affordable, and high-quality start to his college career.

“Attending NECC had always been in my mind,” he asserts. “I knew I wanted to go to college immediately after high school and I knew that I wanted to get my general education requirements completed at an affordable price. NECC just made sense.”

Several semesters into his education, Orfanos took an accounting course with John Sabbagh, professor emeritus, and became inspired to pursue a career in business. Sabbagh, recognizing the spark, recommended him for an accounting tutoring position on campus.

Orfanos has only continued to thrive while engaging in his studies. In addition to tutoring on campus, he held an internship at Helfrich Brothers Boiler Works, where he assisted with accounting needs, and participated as an active member of Alpha Beta Gamma and the Pathways to Academic and Career Excellence (PACE) program. Outside of campus, he also organizes parades and festivals for the Greek Orthodox Church in Haverhill and works at a family-owned pizza shop in Bradford.

His commitment to academics and service has not gone unnoticed. Before graduating, Orfanos was nominated for both the “29 Who Shine” Award and the Outstanding Student Award, two highly selective honors.

In a letter of recommendation, Sabbagh wrote “In my teaching career, I have worked with more than 10,000 students at multiple colleges and Peter ranks in the top five percent of students with whom I have worked.”

Upon graduating, Orfanos is continuing his undergraduate career in UMass Lowell’s accounting program. He expresses his gratitude for the role that NECC has played in helping him get there.

“NECC has helped me grow not only as a student, but as a person,” he says. “It really helped me evolve into who I want to be by encouraging me to extend myself and find opportunities to network. I can’t emphasize that enough.”

NECC offers associate degrees in accounting and business transfer. For more information, please visit www.necc.mass.edu.

NECC President Shares Workforce Development Solutions with Newburyport Chamber

May 8, 2019/in Archive/by Ernie Greenslade

Northern Essex Community College President Lane Glenn was the featured speaker at the Newburyport Chamber of Commerce’s Breakfast Speakers Series on May 7 and he shared good news and bad news about the labor market.

The good news is that, as of May 3 of this year, the unemployment rate had fallen to 3.6 percent, the lowest since 1969. The bad news is that there are more job openings than people looking for work (6.3 million vs 6.9 million), a challenge for area employers who need employees.

Glenn asked the audience of 70-plus local employers to share their “hiring and talent development headaches” and the responses ranged from the need for specific skills, including culinary and machining, to the importance of finding “inspired learners, people who want to advance and make a contribution.”

Their responses support a survey, which Glenn shared, indicating that employers are concerned about recruiting, retaining and developing talent.

Glenn invited local employers to work closely with Northern Essex to address these priorities.

Northern Essex has over 60 academic programs from business to computer science to engineering, and companies interested in recruiting talent are encouraged to tap into the college’s pool of students and alumni.

The college is hosting a Networking Night on May 16 for graduating students, and Glenn invited everyone to attend. He also encouraged employers to post jobs and internship opportunities on NECClink, the college’s free job posting service.

To help employers retain and develop talent, Northern Essex offers customized training and credit and noncredit professional development courses, covering business and computer skills, as well as occupational training in advanced manufacturing, certified nursing assistant, CPR, and more.

The Mass Workforce Training Fund, which provides grants for workforce training, is an excellent opportunity for local employers to secure state funding for employee training, said Glenn. “Northern Essex will work with you to write a grant and build a curriculum that is specific to your needs.” Recent grants have included Pentucket Bank ($146,000); Bradford & Bigelow ($247,000); United Electric Control ($203,000); Multigrain Breads ($198,000); 3M Touch Systems ($73,000); and Jackson Lumber ($47,000).

To learn more about opportunities to grow your workforce, contact Kathryn Ronaldson, program manager, Center for Corporate Corporate & Community Education, 978 556-3066 or kronaldson@necc.mass.edu, or Ashley Moore, director of academic, career & civic engagement, 978 556-3946, amoore@necc.mass.edu .

Student Receives Support Following Tragedy

May 8, 2019/in Archive/by Ellen Small-Davis

Lucia Rondon hopes to make a difference in her community with a public health degree.

Even before she walked across the stage to accept her associate degree in public health Lucia Rondon had already been on the receiving end of the very role for which she’s now trained.

Rondon and her entire family were supported by public and private agencies and organizations when her younger brother Leonel became the lone fatality in the Merrimack Valley Gas Explosions in September 2018. The entire Lawrence community galvanized to advocate for the Rondons who found themselves immersed in a very public tragedy.

This, said the 29-year-old, is what she wants to do…help others…educate and advocate for her community to help decrease social disparities and language barriers around health related issues.

Now, as a medical case manager at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, that is exactly what she is doing, helping others.

One day she hopes to gather all she has learned and possibly write policy and change laws and regulations to make the community better.

This Bronx, NY, native was educated in the Dominican Republic. She was a young teen when her family settled in Lawrence. Following her 2008 graduation from Lawrence High School she enrolled at Northern Essex and earned a associate degree in middle/high school education, a phlebotomy certificate and medical administration certificate. After training with the American Red Cross she worked as both a certified nurse assistant and then a medical assistant in a local physician’s office. Wanting to build on her medical knowledge and continue to work in the medical field, the now mom of two returned to NECC for her degree in public health.

“I love everything about it,” she said. “Public health is like a big umbrella. It includes so many things like environmental health, health hazards, disease prevention, and promotes and encourages healthy behavior to prolong life in the community. This degree will open more doors in my career. There are a lot of options for me to help people in their communities.”

Since January, Rondon has interned in Boston’s Public Health Department in the Community Health and Prevention Office. The experience has helped confirm she is on the right path. She hopes to extend that path to a four-year school where she will earn her bachelor’s degree in public health.

“I want to be a manager or a supervisor of community health workers,” she said. “I want to be involved with policy making and bring my ideas to the table to help make change.”

Rondon has the highest of praise about her many experiences at Northern Essex.

“I was thinking of stopping school after the explosion happened and my little brother died, but I received great support from my professors and the counseling office. There was always someone there every step of the way with me.”

Northern Essex offers an associate degree and public health and a certificate in community health worker. It is the only associate degree in public health offered in New England.

This is Lucia’s story. What’s your story? #MyCommunityCollege

To learn more about NECC’s Commencement, visit the Commencement web pages.

Communications Student Finds a Fresh Start at NECC

May 7, 2019/in Archive/by scomiskey

Journalism/Communications major Lexi Fontaine

Back in the spring of 2017, Alexis “Lexi” Fontaine found herself at a crossroads. Nearly two years into her education at a college in Connecticut, the Methuen resident had dreams of pursuing a communications career, but lacked the support and financial assistance she needed to get there.

“I wasn’t getting where I should have with my schoolwork and goals,” she says of her experience. “I felt like another number in an overcrowded student body.”

Amid mounting debt and a disappointing academic career, she decided to make a jump she was uncertain of at the time. She returned to Methuen to pursue work, refine her goals and, later, to enroll at Northern Essex Community College as a journalism/communications major.

“At the time, NECC just seemed like a convenient option,” she says. “I knew it would allow me to save up some money before transferring again.”

But what started out as a mere convenience, she notes, quickly became a life-changer. By the fall of 2018 she found herself unexpectedly immersed in a vibrant and tight-knit community, and fueled by a renewed sense of determination to work toward her goals.

“I think it’s so easy to underestimate the type of community NECC can foster as a commuter school,” she says. “But I made so many more friends here, connected with professors more, and participated in so many more opportunities than I ever would have at my four-year college.”

Fontaine is now involved in a number of campus leadership roles, serving as the opinion editor for the NECC Observer, as manager of the @knightlife_necc student Instagram account, and as a public relations assistant in the NECC marketing communications office, all while holding down two part-time jobs and maintaining a 3.73 GPA. She also recently assisted in running the 2019 Speechapalooza, a free showcase of student presentations managed by the journalism/communication department.

She notes that none of these roles would have been possible were it not for the constant guidance she received from mentors and educators along the way.

“The support I’ve received from NECC professors and staff has helped me absolutely thrive,” she says. “I wasn’t ready for the atmosphere of a four year institution when I first started my college career, but now I feel fully prepared to go back and take on the challenge.”

Fontaine will continue her education at Merrimack College this fall, where she will pursue a bachelor’s degree in communications.

NECC offers associate degrees in liberal arts: journalism/communications and in liberal arts: writing. For more information, please visit www.necc.mass.edu.

To learn more about NECC’s Commencement, visit the website.

NECC Announces Spring Concert

May 7, 2019/in Archive/by Ernie Greenslade

The Northern Essex Community College Jazz-Rock Ensemble will perform its spring concert on Saturday, May 11, at 7 p.m. in the Hartleb Technology Center on the Haverhill Campus, 100 Elliott St.

The program will feature music from Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” and Stephen Schwartz’s “Godspell” plus jazz compositions from Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, and more. An original composition by NECC Music Major Troy LaBranche, a 2015 graduate of Salem (NH) High School, will also be performed.

The jazz ensemble includes Christopher Pitcher of Georgetown, trumpet; Troy LaBranche of Salem, NH, guitar; Nate Twiss of Kingston, NH, drums; Joe Paquin of Plaistow, NH, bass; and Professor David Manuel Garcia, piano/director.

Northern Essex offers both an associate degree in music and a certificate in music technology. Both provide the foundation to pursue a career in music after graduation or for transfer to a four-year music program.

For additional information on the music program, contact Alisa Bucchiere at abucchiere@necc.mass.edu

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. Each year, 8,500 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. 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.