{"id":27237,"date":"2019-05-07T19:28:31","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T23:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2019\/05\/07\/lexi\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T14:14:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T18:14:39","slug":"lexi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2019\/05\/07\/lexi\/","title":{"rendered":"Communications Student Finds a Fresh Start at NECC"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Journalism\/Communications major Lexi Fontaine<\/p><\/div>\n

Back in the spring of 2017, Alexis \u201cLexi\u201d Fontaine found herself at a crossroads. Nearly two years into her education at a college in Connecticut, the Methuen resident had dreams of pursuing a communications career, but lacked the support and financial assistance she needed to get there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t getting where I should have with my schoolwork and goals,\u201d she says of her experience. \u201cI felt like another number in an overcrowded student body.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amid mounting debt and a disappointing academic career, she decided to make a jump she was uncertain of at the time. She returned to Methuen to pursue work, refine her goals and, later, to enroll at Northern Essex Community College as a journalism\/communications<\/a> major.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the time, NECC just seemed like a convenient option,\u201d she says. \u201cI knew it would allow me to save up some money before transferring again.\u201d<\/p>\n

But what started out as a mere convenience, she notes, quickly became a life-changer. By the fall of 2018 she found herself unexpectedly immersed in a vibrant and tight-knit community, and fueled by a renewed sense of determination to work toward her goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s so easy to underestimate the type of community NECC can foster as a commuter school,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I made so many more friends here, connected with professors more, and participated in so many more opportunities than I ever would have at my four-year college.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fontaine is now involved in a number of campus leadership roles, serving as the opinion editor for the NECC Observer, as manager of the @knightlife_necc<\/a> student Instagram account, and as a public relations assistant in the NECC marketing communications office, all while holding down two part-time jobs and maintaining a 3.73 GPA. She also recently assisted in running the 2019 Speechapalooza, a free showcase of student presentations managed by the journalism\/communication department.<\/p>\n

She notes that none of these roles would have been possible were it not for the constant guidance she received from mentors and educators along the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe support I\u2019ve received from NECC professors and staff has helped me absolutely thrive,\u201d she says. \u201cI wasn\u2019t ready for the atmosphere of a four year institution when I first started my college career, but now I feel fully prepared to go back and take on the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fontaine will continue her education at Merrimack College this fall, where she will pursue a bachelor\u2019s degree in communications.<\/p>\n

NECC offers associate degrees in liberal arts: journalism\/communications<\/a> and in liberal arts: writing<\/a>. For more information, please visit www.necc.mass.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To learn more about NECC’s Commencement, visit the website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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