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Mother and Daughter Graduate Together

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Daughter and Mother pose with graduation caps and gowns on

Eudania-Chucha Aquino and Eugenia Hernandez-Gomez on Graduation Day

Mom and daughter pose together

Eudania-Chucha Aquino and Eugenia Hernandez-Gomez

Haverhill, MA (May 10, 2022) – When Eudania-Chucha Aquino of Lawrence was just 8 years old, she made a bold prediction: “I said mom, we’re going to graduate college together.” Her mother, Eugenia Hernandez-Gomez wasn’t so sure “I said ‘what are you talking about?’ It was a joke.” But now, 22 years later, that prediction is coming true. This Saturday at Northern Essex Community College’s 60th Commencement ceremony, mother and daughter will walk together. Eugenia will receive her associate degree in Human Services, and Chucha will receive her certificate in the same field.

The journey to this point contained many twists and turns for both mother and daughter. Hernandez-Gomez, who is originally from the Dominican Republic, first came to NECC to get her G.E.D. when she was 19 in 1994. She then enrolled in the ESL program in 1997 but couldn’t finish due to family commitments and financial aid issues. After nearly a decade away, Hernandez-Gomez, decided to try again. She re-enrolled in the ESL program in 2006 with the goal of getting her nursing degree. Still, she struggled, especially with writing in English. “I got so frustrated because I’d been in school for a long time,” she remembered. “One time, I brought a paper to the writing center again and again. I had to do it many times.”

Hernandez-Gomez persevered, with Aquino right by her side. “She would come to me at home and say, ‘I don’t know how to read this, what do I do?’ And I was not allowing her to give up and get discouraged,” says her daughter. Aquino graduated from Lawrence High School with high honors in 2009. She was accepted to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where she planned to study to be a veterinarian. However, a health issue made her decide to stay closer to home. She enrolled at NECC as a Liberal Arts major but had trouble finding her footing. “I got into sort of the same pattern as my mom where the classes were becoming hard, dropping and withdrawing and getting incompletes became a pattern that I needed to get a hold of,” she said.

So, what changed to get them over the finish line? Both mother and daughter credit student support services and the encouragement of their professors. After taking a year off to work, Aquino came back to NECC to study to become a behavioral therapist and found her calling. “Little did I know I would meet [professors] Brian McKenna-Rice and Lisa Fabbi-Lopez who just captivated my mind in Human Services.” Hernandez-Gomez also realized her passion for Human Services and switched her major from nursing. She’s already found a job as a family advocate, which she says she loves.

Chucha poses with fellow student ambassador, points to shirt that says "if you need help, just ask"

Chucha works as an NECC Student Ambassador, helping to connect fellow students with support services.

Aquino is currently working to help other students succeed as a student ambassador. The Student Ambassador program started in the fall of 2019 and provides peer support to students when they need help with a wide range of issues. “I look at it now, had I had an ambassador when I began my journey in 2009, I would have had my degree by now.” Aquino will continue to work as an ambassador through the fall, when she will complete her associates degree in Human Services. Mom says it’s almost like she predicted this outcome: “When I was 35 years old, I thought ‘I need to work at Northern Essex, I need to help students to keep going and finish school.’ And now she’s working there helping students!”

Aquino hopes to continue helping students by working in the NECC Academic Coaching Center after she graduates. Hernandez-Gomez plans to continue her work as a family advocate but hints that she might want to pursue her bachelor’s degree eventually. For now, they’re both excited for Commencement and to celebrate their double accomplishment with their family. Said Hernandez-Gomez, “I’ve been thinking about this thing for years and years and it’s like oh my god I’m done!”

Honors Program Expands to Give Students More Options

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Haverhill, MA (May 2, 2022) – This fall, Northern Essex Community College students will have twice as many options for honors classes. Seven honors classes and one seminar will be offered, with in-person classes in Haverhill and Lawrence, and one that will meet entirely online.

Any student can register and take these classes regardless of their GPA. However, students who take three honors classes and maintain a GPA of at least 3.2 will be designated as members of the Commonwealth Honors Program. That means if they transfer to a state university, they’re automatically enrolled in the Commonwealth Honors program there, and their honors courses transfer easily. “MA is the only state that has this seamless transition from the community colleges to the state universities,” says Honors Program Coordinator Ginger Hurajt.

corner of the library building on a bright sunny day

Bentley Library, Haverhill Campus

Commonwealth Honors Program participants also get the chance to showcase their hard work at the state level. Four NECC students just presented their honors projects at the virtual Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Conference. Psychology student Emily Ellis’ project looks at how connections between brain function and the immune system can be used in the development of treatment plans for Alzheimer’s patients. “I have had a great time learning about this, though it was difficult, this research has intrigued me to study this for a career,” says Ellis.

Liberal Arts major April Richer of Dover, NH is working on two projects: the first is an oral history of Dover, documenting life during the height of the pandemic and the other examines the role of women during the January 6 insurrection. Avery Hochheiser is an Early College student, meaning she’s taking classes while still in high school. Her project looks at the use of CRISPR, a form of genetic engineering, and whether its use should be considered an ethical practice. “This is graduate level work. We’re asking a lot, and these are very ambitious students,” says Hurajt. April Richer agrees: “It has been challenging, and exhausting, however it has greatly increased my abilities as a student.”

Registration for fall classes is open now. Learn more about the honors program and class options here. Anyone with questions should contact Commonwealth Honors Program Coordinator Ginger Hurajt at ghurajt@necc.mass.edu.

 

Pandemic had a Silver Lining for These Two NECC 2022 Grads

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Jenna Joseph (left) and Sydney Sampson are both graduating from the Lab Science Program with high honors and plans to transfer to UMass Lowell.

Haverhill and Lawrence, MA (May 4, 2022)-When their jobs in the hospitality field ended abruptly in March of 2020, due to COVID-19, Jenna Joseph of Methuen and Sydney Sampson of Haverhill, both single parents, pivoted, enrolling in Northern Essex Community College’s Lab Science Program in the hopes of pursuing more stable careers.

Now, just over two years later, the two are preparing to graduate, both with high honors, jobs and internship opportunities, and plans to continue their education in the clinical lab science program at UMass Lowell.

Joseph graduated from Tewksbury Memorial High School in 2012 and she attended two colleges after high school but neither clicked. Up until the pandemic, she was working as a bartender and she and her now three-year old daughter were living with her parents.

“I knew I wanted to go back to school, and, with the pandemic, it was my opportunity,” she says. “I wanted to set an example for her and also have a job where I could be working when she’s in school.”

Jenna Joseph, 2022 Lab Science Grad

Joseph has a perfect 4.0 GPA and her hard work has led to two job offers—she’s accepted a position working in the lab at Lowell General.

Lab Science is a perfect fit for Joseph who has always been interested in the medical field, but not so much patient care. “I’m still helping people get a diagnosis,” she says.

Sampson, the mother of two boys, three and 10-years old, had been working as a cook at the Haverhill Country Club before the pandemic. She grew up in Florida and dropped out of high school her junior year, so was returning to school at 30 years old after more than a decade out of the classroom. “It was really hard at first but it got easier,” she says. “I began to look forward to it. I cried when I picked up my gap and gown. I never thought I would see that day.”

She always loved science so, when choosing a major, that’s what she gravitated toward. What clinched the decision was Pfizer’s development of a COVID vaccination. “Their ability to come up with a vaccine so quickly inspired me. Working for a company like that is my ultimate goal.”

Sampson will soon start an externship with HepatoChem in Beverly and she has been offered a full time position after the externship. She will be working with metabolites, which are necessary for the metabolic system.

Like Joseph, she plans to continue in the clinical lab science program at UMass Lowell and eventually go on for a master’s degree.

Sydney Sampson, 2022 Lab Science Grad

Both Joseph and Sampson credited the support that they received from their professors while in the program for their success. Professors Kevin Mitchell, Marguerite White-Jenneau and Kim Waligora, were so understanding and helpful, according to Joseph. “They make sure you pass and that you understand the material,” said Sampson.

The Laboratory Science Program at Northern Essex is a two-year program that prepares students for a laboratory career in a variety of fields, including biotechnology, environmental sciences, and analytical chemistry. The program includes an externship and graduates secure jobs in medical facilities, forensics, or quality control in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical manufacturing, and environmental industries.

For more information, contact Dr. Kevin Mitchell, program coordinator, 978 556-3343 or kmitchell1@necc.mass.edu

To learn more about the May 14 Commencement, visit the website.

 

 

Business Transfer Grad Headed to UMass Isenberg School of Management

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saviel, wearing a blue suit, stands smiling looking at camera

Saviel Ortiz, ’22 Business Transfer

Talking to Saviel Ortiz of Lawrence, a 2022 Northern Essex Community College Business Transfer grad, it’s hard not to be impressed.

Only 20-years old, he has worked in banking for two years, and is heading toward a career in commercial lending with an interest in helping to develop low-income communities across the Commonwealth.

A 2020 graduate of Greater Lawrence Technical School, Ortiz was a campus leader, serving as president of both the National Honor Society and his class. That year he was one of only five high school students across Massachusetts nominated as a Career and Technical Education Presidential Scholar.

When considering colleges, Joanna de Pena of Top Notch Scholars, a youth leadership organization, suggested he look at Northern Essex.

“She made me see how much I could save,” says Ortiz, who took advantage of Mass Transfer, which helps community college graduates transfer seamlessly to a state university, providing the most affordable route to a bachelor’s degree.

Graduating from Northern Essex with high honors and as one of two Northern Essex students selected for the Phi Theta Kappa All-Massachusetts Team, Ortiz has been accepted to the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, where he will be continuing his business studies this fall. He plans to eventually work toward a master’s in business.

His interest in banking started when he landed a co-op job as a bank specialist at Reading Cooperative Bank while still in high school.

After high school he began working 30 hours a week as a teller and was soon promoted to bank supervisor, traveling from branch to branch to service business clients.

The role of commercial lenders intrigued him and after shadowing one he says he found “That I really do like it.”

While Ortiz has excelled academically and in his career, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Taking classes online due to the pandemic was challenging, and he’s grateful to his academic coach Laurie Sorota, whom he met with monthly to learn time management, test taking, and organization skills. “I owe it all to her. With her advice, I did well.”

Ortiz also credits his mom, Amarilys Pena, whom he calls a “super star.” “She’s the ground and base of the family. She puts a lot of work in us, and keeps us on track.” His brother Alkenly Ortiz, who was also a Presidential Award winner, graduated from UMass Amherst with a degree in architecture and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the field.

While Ortiz was leaning toward going to a four-year college directly after high school, he’s happy now that he started with Northern Essex. “It was my best choice. Starting here alleviated a lot of the stress. I could focus on class and now I’m ready for the four-year college.”

To learn more about the May 14 Commencement, visit the website.

Northern Essex Community College has campuses in both Haverhill and Lawrence. It offers approximately 60 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth.  Each year, 6,000 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 2,000 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 necc.edu or call 978-556-3700.

Haverhill Campus

100 Elliott Street
Haverhill, MA 01830
978-556-3000

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Lawrence, MA 01840
978-556-3000

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