{"id":23471,"date":"2022-05-03T14:51:28","date_gmt":"2022-05-03T18:51:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2022\/05\/03\/pandemic-had-a-silver-lining-for-these-two-necc-2022-grads\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T15:32:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T19:32:12","slug":"pandemic-had-a-silver-lining-for-these-two-necc-2022-grads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2022\/05\/03\/pandemic-had-a-silver-lining-for-these-two-necc-2022-grads\/","title":{"rendered":"Pandemic had a Silver Lining for These Two NECC 2022 Grads"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jenna Joseph (left) and Sydney Sampson are both graduating from the Lab Science Program with high honors and plans to transfer to UMass Lowell.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u2019s Lab Science Program<\/a> in the hopes of pursuing more stable careers.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew I wanted to go back to school, and, with the pandemic, it was my opportunity,\u201d she says. \u201cI wanted to set an example for her and also have a job where I could be working when she\u2019s in school.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jenna Joseph, 2022 Lab Science Grad<\/p><\/div>\n

Joseph has a perfect 4.0 GPA and her hard work has led to two job offers\u2014she\u2019s accepted a position working in the lab at Lowell General.<\/p>\n

Lab Science is a perfect fit for Joseph who has always been interested in the medical field, but not so much patient care. \u201cI\u2019m still helping people get a diagnosis,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

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. \u201cIt was really hard at first but it got easier,\u201d she says. \u201cI began to look forward to it. I cried when I picked up my gap and gown. I never thought I would see that day.\u201d<\/p>\n

She always loved science so, when choosing a major, that\u2019s what she gravitated toward. What clinched the decision was Pfizer\u2019s development of a COVID vaccination. \u201cTheir ability to come up with a vaccine so quickly inspired me. Working for a company like that is my ultimate goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Like Joseph, she plans to continue in the clinical lab science program at UMass Lowell and eventually go on for a master\u2019s degree.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Sydney Sampson, 2022 Lab Science Grad<\/p><\/div>\n

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. \u201cThey make sure you pass and that you understand the material,\u201d said Sampson.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

For more information, contact Dr. Kevin Mitchell, program coordinator, 978 556-3343 or kmitchell1@necc.mass.edu<\/p>\n

To learn more about the May 14 Commencement, visit the website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When their jobs in the hospitality field were put on hold in 2020, these two single parents enrolled in NECC’s Lab Science Program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":25289,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[18,20],"tags":[361,564,585],"class_list":["post-23471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlight","category-students","tag-lab-scienc","tag-stem","tag-students"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPandemic had a Silver Lining for These Two NECC 2022 Grads - 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\/2022\/05\/03\/pandemic-had-a-silver-lining-for-these-two-necc-2022-grads\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pandemic had a Silver Lining for These Two NECC 2022 Grads - 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