First Generation College Student Success Stories
Navigating the college experience is rarely easy, but for first-generation college students, who enter the higher education landscape with limited family guidance, the process can be downright daunting.
Luckily, thanks to Pathways to Academic & Career Excellence (PACE), NECC’s longstanding student support service funded by the U.S. Department of Education TRiO grant, first-generation college students have all the tools, customized advising, and community resources they need to find success in college and beyond.
The proof can be seen in the hundreds of PACE graduates who are achieving greatness every day. In this column, hear from three PACE alumni who share their unique stories and perspectives with the alumnecc team.
Glenda Cancel ’09
District Residency and Truant Officer for Lawrence Public Schools; Real Estate Agent, Jason Mitchell Group
At 17, Glenda Cancel was a young mother with a passion for basketball and an eye on the future.
NECC was a place she recognized early on as having a reputable athletics program alongside flexible course offerings, and she was set on going there as soon as she graduated from high school.
“Staying close to home was crucial so I could balance parenting with my education,” she says. “NECC offered the right environment for me to pursue both my academic and athletic goals during this important time in my life,” she says.
Upon entering campus she found, in her words, “a home from the start.” A member of the award-winning 2000 – 2001 women’s basketball team, which ranked in the national semi-finals and earned a place in the NECC Hall of Fame, Cancel found the discipline and community she needed to push forward. She returned to campus several years later to officially pursue a degree in criminal justice – a career path that conveniently melded her commitment to community with her appreciation for disciplined mentorship. Here, she found her calling.
“NECC offered the right environment for me to pursue both my academic and athletic goals during this important time in my life” Glenda Cancel ’09
For the next 12 years, she served in various law enforcement roles, first as a reserve police officer for the West Newbury Police Department, and later as deputy sheriff and correction officer for the Essex County Sheriff’s Department. Now, she holds dual full-time positions as the district residency and truant officer for Lawrence Public Schools, and as a real-estate agent, two roles that allow her to continue positively impacting and building community within the cities she proudly serves.
Klinbert Garcia ’17
Client Services Associate for Wisehaupt, Bray Asset Management at Hightower Advisors
It wasn’t until his senior year of high school, when he began to explore post-graduation options with his guidance counselor, that Klinbert Garcia realized college was a viable option for him.
Born in the Dominican Republic, and raised in New York and Lawrence, Garcia learned and perfected English by watching cartoons as a child, and until high school was chiefly focused on helping his family adjust to life in the Merrimack Valley.
“The conversations of ‘What do you want to be when you grow up’ or ‘I want you to become a doctor/lawyer’ was not in mind because at that time my family was just trying to survive and work hard,” he explains.
NECC stood out to him for its proximity and affordability, and he made the decision to enroll upon learning about just how beneficial it could be.
“The conversations of ‘What do you want to be when you grow up’ or ‘I want you to become a doctor/lawyer’ was not in mind because at that time my family was just trying to survive and work hard” Klinbert Garcia ’17
Garcia arrived on campus months later ready to make an impact. An active member of PACE, he became involved with the Student Leadership Development Program and the All-College Advisory Council Executive Committee and later served as the student representative to the NECC Board of Trustees. Upon earning his associate degree,
Garcia was awarded the highly selective Foster Furcolo Scholarship, a full-ride scholarship to UMass Boston, where he received a bachelor’s degree in 2019. From there his career in business and finance took off, first through roles at tech startups and nonprofits, and later in banking, where his work would take him to New York City, Florida, and beyond. Today he enjoys a rewarding career as a client services associate for an asset management firm and spends his free time exploring his artistic side through spoken word poetry.
Despite being far from the Merrimack Valley these days, Garcia says NECC remains close to home. “I represent NECC’s alumni network and whether I am in New York, Florida, or Massachusetts, I have to deliver results, all in return for the amazing experience I had with the professors and faculty at the college.”
Shayra Castillo ’19
Microbiologist
The “close and familiar” feel of NECC is what solidified Shayra Castillo’s decision to attend. The Lawrence resident, originally from the Dominican Republic, was unsure of where she wanted her life to head after high school and knew as soon as she entered campus that NECC would provide her with the direction and guidance she sought.
She found herself at home in the biology program, where she would develop formative and lasting relationships that positively impacted her throughout her academic journey.
“NECC helped me immensely, especially the professors I had,” she says. “They became mentors for me and guided me through all my years at NECC and UMass as well.” Combined with the support she found through the PACE Program, which helped her understand her post-graduation options, Castillo developed a clear vision for her future and soon graduated with an associate degree and a PACE transfer scholarship in hand, securing a path for the rest of her academic career.
“Start. Start somewhere, even if you don’t know what you’re actually trying to achieve. Just starting and showing up on the first day is enough” Shayra Castillo ’19
Castillo went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in biology from UMass Amherst, and for the past few years has enjoyed a role as a QC microbiologist for an analytical testing laboratory. Now, she has her sights set on the next step: working in the healthcare industry as a doctor.
For those who are considering higher education, but haven’t yet committed to a career path, she offers a word of sage advice.
“Start. Start somewhere, even if you don’t know what you’re actually trying to achieve. Just starting and showing up on the first day is enough.”
To learn more about the NECC PACE Program, visit www.necc.edu/pace
