{"id":23685,"date":"2021-01-14T21:12:41","date_gmt":"2021-01-15T02:12:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2021\/01\/15\/necc-grad-continues-his-education-with-a-little-help-from-oprah\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T15:18:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T19:18:38","slug":"necc-grad-continues-his-education-with-a-little-help-from-oprah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/01\/14\/necc-grad-continues-his-education-with-a-little-help-from-oprah\/","title":{"rendered":"NECC Grad Continues His Education with a Little Help from Oprah"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"Jeurys<\/a>

NECC 2020 grad Jeurys Santiago is the recipient of the Oprah Winfrey Scholarship at UMass Lowell.<\/p><\/div>\n

Television talk show host and author Oprah Winfrey is helping Jeurys Santiago, a 2020 Northern Essex Community College Business Transfer<\/a> graduate, to continue his studies at UMass Lowell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Santiago, a 2017 Lawrence High School graduate, was awarded the Oprah Winfrey Scholarship, which will provide him with $5,000 a year while he attends UMass Lowell, working on his bachelor\u2019s in business with a focus on entrepreneurship in the Honors College<\/a>. He will start this January.<\/p>\n

Santiago was nominated for the scholarship by staff in the Northern Essex PACE Program<\/a>, a federally funded student support program which he participated in. When he first received his congratulatory email, he thought it might be a joke, since he didn\u2019t know he had been nominated. \u201cI was super happy. Things like that don\u2019t happen to everyone. Who doesn\u2019t know Oprah.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scholarship was created after Winfrey spoke at a 2018 UMass Lowell event that raised $1.5 million for scholarships through ticket sales and sponsorships. Winfrey matched that figure with another $1.5 million to create a $3 million scholarship fund.<\/p>\n

Recipients of the Oprah Winfrey Scholarship are selected based on academic need and commitment to academic achievement.<\/p>\n

Santiago has always been an entrepreneur, selling bracelets and hats from his father\u2019s barber shop in New York City and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards as a kid.<\/p>\n

Last year, he started his own business, Minds with a Purpose<\/a>, a networking platform designed to bring together the Lawrence community including local businesses to do \u201cgood works\u201d in the city.<\/p>\n

He organized a \u201cgiveback challenge\u201d which encouraged good deeds that were shared on social media; \u201cA Merry Christmas Giveaway\u201d, which supplied 70 people in need with winter clothing; and \u201cMusic Mondays\u201d, events showcasing the talents of local performers.<\/p>\n

Because most Minds with a Purpose initiatives were focused on live events, he had to change course when the pandemic hit.<\/p>\n

For now, his focus is on helping business owners and performing artists market their businesses on digital channels such as social media; marketing his new clothing brand through 35 brand ambassadors located throughout the country; and launching a new podcast featuring conversations with successful entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

While at Northern Essex, Santiago participated in National Leadership Society; the Civic Scholars Program<\/a>, which provides an opportunity for students to explore and grow their civic knowledge and skills; and the Alpha Beta Gamma business honors society<\/a>. He also had an internship<\/a> with the college\u2019s Athletic Department<\/a>, where he ran the department\u2019s social media accounts and created photography and videos.<\/p>\n

Santiago is excited about the direction his life is taking.\u00a0 \u201cIt would not have been possible without Northern Essex and its amazing teachers. I don\u2019t regret not starting at a four-year college.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also happy that financial aid and scholarships covered the full cost of his education at Northern Essex.<\/p>\n

After receiving the scholarship, Santiago sent Oprah a personal thank you, sharing his goals and his desire to meet her.<\/p>\n

As Santiago has learned, anything is possible. \u201cI put out the positive energy and who knows what will happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Northern Essex offers a Business Transfer Associate Degree which can be transferred easily into bachelor\u2019s degree programs at college\u2019s such as UMass Lowell, UMass Amherst, Merrimack, Salem State, Boston University, and more. The college also offers associate degrees in Accounting, Business Management, Business Management: Healthcare Practice, and Hospitality Management was well as a Culinary Arts certificate.<\/p>\n

To learn more, visit the website www.necc.mass.edu<\/a> or contact admissions@necc.mass.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Northern Essex Community College has campuses in both Haverhill and Lawrence. It offers\u00a0approximately\u00a060\u00a0associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth.\u00a0 Each year,\u00a06,000\u00a0students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and\u00a0another 2,000\u00a0take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley.\u00a0 For more information, visit the website at\u00a0www.necc.mass.edu\u00a0or call 978-556-3700.<\/p>\n

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

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