{"id":22441,"date":"2025-03-24T18:18:29","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T22:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2025\/03\/24\/massreconnect-student-shares-passion-for-community-engagement-2\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T13:31:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T17:31:06","slug":"massreconnect-student-shares-passion-for-community-engagement-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/03\/24\/massreconnect-student-shares-passion-for-community-engagement-2\/","title":{"rendered":"MassReconnect Student Shares Passion for Community Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Northern Essex Community College student caitlin little has only lived in Haverhill for a couple years. But in that time, she\u2019s immersed herself in the local community.<\/p>\n<p>Initially hailing from Nebraska, little is a<a href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/academics\/credit-programs\/general-studies\/\"> general studies major<\/a> and a member of NECC\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/academics\/academic-support-services\/pace\/\">PACE<\/a> program. \u201cI\u2019m a non-traditional student.\u201d little shared. \u201cThis is the first time being in school for 17 years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Similar to many, little\u2019s biggest obstacle when it came to seeking further education was cost. \u201cI thought, \u2018well if I go to school, how will I pay for it?\u2019\u201d Though she moved to Haverhill just two years ago, little knew she needed to take advantage of the <a href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/admissions\/tuition\/free-community-college-is-here\/massreconnect\/\">MassReconnect<\/a> program. \u201cI\u2019m here, I should make the best of it. So, I decided to go back to school.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_29008\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/thumbnail_At-3S-ArtSpace-.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-29008\" class=\" wp-image-29008\" src=\"http:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/thumbnail_At-3S-ArtSpace-.png\" alt=\"caitlin little on stage at the Art Space show\" width=\"300\" height=\"442\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-29008\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">caitlin little on stage at the Art Space show<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Today, little is a vibrant member of Haverhill\u2019s arts and culture scene, with her passion for community engagement influencing numerous projects and programs.<\/p>\n<p>little\u2019s move to New England came after she accepted an AmeriCorps VISTA position in arts and culture. She was drawn to New Hampshire because of the chance to contribute to a region that needed her experience and enthusiasm. Her dedication to community service quickly became evident in her roles at local organizations.<\/p>\n<p>She currently serves as the Community Engagement Director for Arts in Reach (AIR), a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering young women and gender-expansive youth through creative experiences. In her position, little is responsible for fostering connections between AIR and local communities, ensuring that the organization\u2019s programs are inclusive and accessible to all. Her work allows her to create meaningful partnerships and encourage personal development through the arts.<\/p>\n<p>But her contributions to local communities extend beyond her role at AIR. little has become a volunteer with Haverhill Promise, where she has volunteered in their book buddy program. \u201cBook buddies rules!\u201d little shared. \u201cI am really invested in literacy programs so this was really fun. This is my second year and I plan on continuing.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_29011\" style=\"width: 312px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/Clothing-drive-for-Arts-In-Reach.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-29011\" class=\" wp-image-29011\" src=\"http:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/Clothing-drive-for-Arts-In-Reach.jpg\" alt=\"caitlin adding shoes to a shoe bin for the Arts In Reach clothing drive\" width=\"302\" height=\"330\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-29011\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">caitlin participating in the Arts In Reach clothing drive.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve spent a lot of time working in accessibility particularly for the arts\u201d said little. \u201cThe arts are key to placemaking and wellbeing, and to making life cool\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This summer, little is taking on an exciting new challenge as the co-chair of both the fundraising and marketing committees for Haverhill\u2019s first-ever Pride Parade. The event promises to be a milestone for the city, and little is excited about the opportunity to help make it a success.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you would have asked me even two years ago whether I would be back in school I would say that\u2019s outrageous\u201d said little. \u201cI\u2019m a first-generation student. I dropped out of high school. I am challenging a thousand years of hurt and generational trauma. But I am doing it!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>little\u2019s enthusiasm for service and community engagement shows no signs of slowing down and hopes to inspire others to get involved. She was recently chosen as one of Essex County Community Foundation Creative County\u2019s 2025 ChangeMakers cohort members alongside Haverhill city council member Kat Everett and 10 other community members. She will also be attending Emerson College in the Fall to study writing, literature, and publishing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Northern Essex Community College student caitlin little has only lived in Haverhill for a couple years. But in that time, she\u2019s immersed herself in the local community. Initially hailing from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":26480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[15,17,19,20],"tags":[405,408,67,69,267],"class_list":["post-22441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-headlines","category-programs","category-stories","category-students","tag-masseducate","tag-massreconnect","tag-art","tag-art-space-gallery","tag-free-community-college"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>MassReconnect Student Shares Passion for Community Engagement - NECC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/03\/24\/massreconnect-student-shares-passion-for-community-engagement-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MassReconnect Student Shares Passion for Community Engagement - NECC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Northern Essex Community College student caitlin little has only lived in Haverhill for a couple years. 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