Name: Jeff Mejia, Jr.

Major: Business Transfer

Hometown: North Reading

GPA: 3.5

High School and Year of Graduation: North Reading High School class of 2017

Did you attend another college or university before enrolling at NECC? If so, did you earn a certificate or degree? I attended UMass Lowell for two years.

What brought you to NECC? I came to NECC for the opportunity to play baseball for my dad, Jeff Mejia, Sr., and to become a member of such an historically successful baseball program.

Why did you choose your major? I have always been interested in business, especially finance.

Were you involved in any extracurricular activities at NECC? I was a captain on the NECC Knights baseball team.

What are you planning for fall, 2020? I am planning on continuing my academic and athletic career at the University of Maine in fall 2020.

What did you appreciate most about NECC? I appreciate that NECC gave me the opportunity to become both a better student, and a better athlete. Being a member of the baseball team helped me make friendships and memories that will last a lifetime. It also gave me the opportunity to showcase my talents in front of numerous four year schools and ultimately earn offers from multiple division 1 programs.

Was there a faculty or staff member who was especially helpful? If yes, how did they help you? My dad , and head coach, Jeff Mejia helped me a lot during my time at NECC. He was constantly checking that every member of the baseball team pushed themselves to be the best student-athletes that we could be. Stephanie Wares was also very helpful during my time at NECC. She helped me pick the correct classes to enroll in, ensuring that I would receive my associate degree and also be eligible to move on to a division 1 baseball program.

What surprised you most about NECC? I was surprised with how much the athletic department pushes their student athletes to excel in the classroom.

What advice would you give an incoming NECC freshman? Go visit academic coaching on the second floor of C building. They helped me get organized and manage my time.

What would people be surprised to know about you? People would be surprised that during my time at NECC I was able to balance two jobs, baseball, and classes all while being able to maintain a 3.5 GPA.

What were the biggest challenges that you faced in pursuit of your associate degree? The biggest challenge I faced in pursuit of my associate degree was being able to wisely manage my time.

What are you long term career/education plans? My long-term plan is to play baseball for as long as I can and then become an officer in the United States Army.

Name: Mike Stellato

Major: Business Transfer

Hometown: Lynnfield

GPA: 3.9

High School and year of graduation: Lynnfield High School ’17

Did you attend another college or university prior to enrolling at NECC? I attended Endicott College/Salem State for a semester.

What brought you to  Northern Essex? I came to NECC for the opportunity to further my baseball career after shoulder surgery.

Why did you chose your major? I chose my major because I planned to earn my associate degree and then transfer to a four-year school and earn a bachelor’s degree in business finance.

Did you participate in any extracurricular activities? I was a member of Phi Theta Kappa (business honors society) and captain of the NECC Knights baseball team.

What are you planning for fall 2020? In the fall of 2020, I will continue my academic and baseball career at Bryant University.

What did you appreciate most about NECC? I appreciated the opportunity to better myself as a student, athlete, and overall person.

Was there a faculty or staff member who was especially helpful? If yes, how did they help you? Amy Joyall, my academic coach, was definitely the most influential person on campus who helped me achieve my goals. She was always there for me when I needed it the most and was constantly motivating me to be my best self in the classroom and on the field. She would constantly communicate with me to see if I needed any help on assignments and was there for me when I was choosing my next school to attend. She truly made my time at NECC more enjoyable and could always put a smile on my face.

What surprised you most about NECC? What surprised me most about NECC was how welcoming members of the faculty were, and how diverse it was as well.

What advice would you give an incoming NECC freshman? I would advise any incoming freshman to use their time at NECC wisely; with the right mindset and work ethic you can achieve whatever you want to.

What would people be surprised to know about you? I think people would be surprised to know that before I enrolled at NECC, I attended a Division 3 school for baseball and was cut during tryouts. After getting surgery on my shoulder, I made it a goal to silence all doubt and better myself. After getting an opportunity at NECC to do just so, I worked hard everyday on and off the field and achieved a long-time goal of receiving a Division 1 Baseball Scholarship. I couldn’t have done it without the help of Coach Mejia, and NECC as a whole.

What are you long term career/education plans? My ultimate long-term goal is to play professional baseball, wherever that may be. However, once the days of baseball end, I would love to start my own business.

 

Name: Vasil Zisi

Major: Business Transfer

GPA: 3.98

Hometown: Haverhill

High School and Year of Graduation: Raqi Qirinxhi High School, Korce Albania – 2017

What brought you to NECC? A lot of people recommended NECC to me because it is a great college. When I moved to the United States, I wanted to start college and I saw that I could get the credits I needed for my business degree at NECC. Also, it was close to my house.

Why did you choose your major? I choose my major because I love business and networking with people. I am invited to events and also promoted shows at different clubs and venues. It is all related to business. I love that and being a promoter is the first reason I got into the business field.

What are you planning for fall, 2020? I’m planning to transfer to a four-year school. I have been accepted to a lot of good schools so now I have to decide the one I want to attend.

What did you appreciate most about NECC? I appreciate the fact I had a lot of good professors during the time I was there. Most of them were very helpful and they build a good connection with students like me who try to do their best in school. I also appreciate all the friends I made. It was a good experience.

Was there a faculty or staff member who was especially helpful? If yes, how did they help you? Yes. Some professors really helped me to understand the lesson better by explaining it through email or in class. Also, professors would give me helpful advice anytime I asked about the schools I wanted to apply to or about my major in general.

What advice would you give an incoming NECC freshman? I would tell them to study hard and to put in more work because college is different than high school. If you don’t put in the work you will fall behind and won’t earn good grades.

What would people be surprised to know about you? They might be surprised by my English. I moved here in the summer of 2018 and started school in the Fall. A lot of people tell me that my english is very good and that I have learned very fast and a lot in just a year. However, I used to take english classes when I was in Albania because I knew that one day I would come to the US.

What were the biggest challenges that you faced in pursuit of your associate degree? In the beginning the biggest challenge for me was the language. Coming from another country is difficult. English isn’t my first language so I was shy to talk to people because I would think that what I was saying I was saying wrong and they not like my accent. As the time passed, I would raise my hand in class and answer any question that the professors would ask. I became more confident and less shy to talk in English.

What are your long term career/education plans? I want to get my master’s degree and open my own business.

What else do you want people to know about you? I’m glad I had the opportunity to win some awards from NECC such as:, Outstanding student award, student of the month and being chosen as one of the best student in Economics. Also, I had the pleasure of being one of the accounting tutors in Spring of 2020 at NECC. It was a different and beautiful experience.

Followers of the “northernessex” Instagram account may have noticed an increase in activity recently. It’s still the same informative and entertaining content, only there is more of it including an infusion of student success tips.

The “NECCnavigate” Instagram account recently merged with the “northernessex” Instagram account.
Audrey Ellis, assistant director of Student Success Management Systems, now shares her creative content on the “northernessex” Instagram.

“We want to share tips, tricks, and best practices for students so they can be as successful as possible at NECC. Balancing school, work, and life (especially during a global pandemic!) is not easy, so we hope to incorporate a sense of belonging and community in Navigate and on the NECC instagram. Let’s all come together and support each other, Even if we have to do it from afar!”

“We are thrilled to have Audrey and her team sharing the ‘northernessex’ Instagram account,” said Ernie Greenslade, NECC director of public relations. “She has great ideas, great energy, and even greater content to contribute.”

So now, followers might notice an increase in the feed’s postings. The account will continue to deliver timely, interesting, content to let everyone know what they need to know when they need to know it!

Follow us on “northernessex” Instagram to keep current with NECC happenings and find out who is doing what. You just might recognize some folks.