{"id":29401,"date":"2015-02-26T16:29:28","date_gmt":"2015-02-26T21:29:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2015\/02\/26\/northern-essex-provides-foundation-for-engineering-student\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T16:13:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T20:13:00","slug":"northern-essex-provides-foundation-for-engineering-student","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2015\/02\/26\/northern-essex-provides-foundation-for-engineering-student\/","title":{"rendered":"NECC Provides Foundation for Engineering Student"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"NECC<\/a>

NECC Engineering graduate Joanel Vasquez<\/p><\/div>\n

When Joanel Vasquez emigrated from the Dominican Republic four years ago, he dreamed of attending college and earning a four-year degree. Northern Essex gave him the opportunity to achieve his dream.<\/p>\n

The Lawrence resident says his interest in math led him to the Engineering Science Program at NECC, a major that gave him both a foundation for a high-demand field as well as a degree that transferred seamlessly into the mechanical engineering bachelor\u2019s degree program at UMass Lowell.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a student at NECC better prepared me to transfer to UMass Lowell,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Attending college in a new country was no easy feat for the now 22-year-old Joanel. In addition to learning a new language, he discovered how to balance his classes and studying with working so he could support himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really glad I started at NECC. The environment was exactly what I needed in order to get good grades and transfer. The classes are small, so you get to know your professors,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Once he started his college career, Joanel was all in, becoming a tutor for students who needed extra help in math, physics, chemistry, and computer science. He found he enjoyed teaching others and remained a tutor even after graduating from NECC in 2014 with his associate degree in engineering science.<\/p>\n

As a first generation college student, Joanel took advantage of the workshops offered through the Pathways to Academic and Career Excellence (PACE) Program. \u201cPACE helped a lot \u2026 any questions I had about transferring were always answered,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Joanel was also a member of the honor society Phi Theta Kappa (PTK). He received scholarships from both PACE and PTK.<\/p>\n

Joanel hopes to one day earn a Ph.D. in engineering.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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