Students taste food from different countries at NECC International Festival. | NECC ObserverTo celebrate NECC’s diverse community, Student Engagement holds an International Festival where students can learn about different countries and try the foods from those countries and cultures.
The International Festival is held as a learning experience, and in keeping with NECC’s core values. According to Ari Chicklis, assistant coordinator of student activities and engagement, “One of NECC’s core values is ‘Culture of Inclusion’ and in the Student Engagement we do our best to foster this value by facilitating events that celebrate diversity.”
Chicklis also said, “NECC is made up of a vast number of cultures and each one of them deserves to be put in the spotlight so that others can absorb and understand them.”
“One of the most fun ways to experience a culture is through food and during International Festival we had tons of food,” said Chicklis.
Some of the countries that were on display were: Italy, the Italian food was ziti and meatballs; Japan, represented by sushi; India, with its chicken tiki; and a falafel bar to celebrate the food of the Middle East.
Connor Emo, an exercise science student, said, “I love the free food and trying new things. I have no problem trying new things but I hated the chop sticks.”
Stephanie Deleon, a general studies student, said, It amazes me how many different foods there really are around the world.
Deleon was also a fan of trying new things and she found the falafel bar was her favorite. “I really liked the falafel — it was like a little fried cloud from heaven. I was not sure about the falafel pickle though. The color was just too bright it seemed unnatural.”
Chicklis really enjoyed the event, seeing the students learn about other cultures while teaching others about their own. Chicklis said, “It was a joy to watch the students enjoying the cultures of themselves and their peers.”
Dina Brown, the coordinator of Student Actiivties and Engagement, was pouring Moroccan Mint Tea, which is usually made up of green tea and spearmint leaves. Brown then showed students how to pour it properly.
When the tea was ready to be poured she put the cup on the table and raised the teapot about three feet above the cup and started to pour. Brown explains that the tea is poured from up high so the leaves swirl in the bottom of the glass and let out more flavor.
Students really enjoyed the tea and watching Brown pour it. Deleon said, “This was pretty cool, I always seen them pouring the tea from up high on movies and TV shows but I never understood why — and now I do.”
As of March 31, all potential graduates have filled out and passed in their petition to graduate form. With this comes a big sigh of relief and a weight off of their shoulders. But what comes next for those soon-to-be NECC graduates? What other graduation preparations do these students have to do before their graduation day?
Students must make sure they fulfill NECCs academic requirements. Students have to keep their GPA over a 2.0 and pass all required courses to earn an associate degree in their declared major. Students who’ve busted their brains out and achieved GPAs in the 3.0-4.0 range for the fall semester 2014 will receive an award at the commencement ceremony: A GPA ranging from 3.0-3.49 will receive an honors award, while a GPA ranging from 3.5-4.0 will receive a high honors award.
Luckily for soon-to-be NECC graduates there is no graduation fee, which would have been $75 this year. Due to the college purchasing graduation hoods and invitations, the only thing students are responsible for is their cap and gown, which has a fee of $25. Potential graduates can pick up their graduation packets, which include their cap, gown, tassel, hood and invitation at both the Haverhill and Lawrence campus book stores starting Monday, April 14.
Commencement is taking place Saturday, May 16. Commencement will begin at 11 a.m. in the quadrangle next to the gymnasium on the Haverhill Campus and is scheduled to end at 1:30 p.m. that afternoon. Graduating students must arrive no later than 10:15 a.m and report to the Sport and Fitness Center on the Haverhill campus. There the students will be assembled by their programs. There will be signs directing the graduates where to go.
Many soon-to-be student graduates who have taken all the steps on the way to the commencement ceremony are now considering what’s next for them.
“I’m still deciding between UMass Amherst and Salem State,” said Nicholas Mazzone, a communication major and soon-to-be 2015 NECC graduate. “They both have good communication programs so I’m having a tough time deciding.”
Not all graduates will be transferring to 4 year schools. Other will be putting their new associate degrees to work, and plan to stick their foot in the business world with either an internship or a job.
Patrick Murphy, a Liberal Arts major from the Class of 2015, will be taking on an internship opportunity through the Great Basin Institute. An AmeriCorps position, this opportunity will see Patrick doing conservation work out in the Sierra Nevada.
“I’m excited for this opportunity I’ve been given,” Murphy said. “One of the projects I’ll be working on is helping the environments of endangered species and also doing whatever else we can do help them become less endangered.”
Whatever the 2015 NECC graduate decides to do, remember to be proud of your achievements. You will soon have an associate degree and be one step closer to attaining your goals, whatever they may be.
Individuals who graduated in August 2014 and December 2014, and those who have petitioned for May 2015 and August 2015, are encouraged to participate in the commencement ceremony. To find more information about graduating, you can visit the NECC website at http://www.necc.mass.edu.
If you have ever been into one of the women’s restrooms at Northern Essex Community College, you may have noticed a paper that describes an abusive relationship, as well as a domestic violence hotline number, and a card for the school’s mental health counselor. If you have only been into the men’s restrooms, you probably haven’t seen this paper.
Why isn’t there a domestic violence hotline number in every bathroom on campus?
According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network), about 10 percent of all sexual assault victims in the United States are male. While this number may seem slight in comparison to 90 percent of reported victims being female, men and boys are statistically less likely to report having been physically or sexually assaulted.
RAINN also states that 68 percent of sexual assaults are not reported to the police. In turn, about 98 percent of rapists are never arrested. Karen Stone, a Certified Nursing Assistant, said, “Men get abused just as much as we do. Men don’t feel they’re manly enough if they report it. Men can get raped. Doctors never ask a man if they feel safe at home, but they ask females.”
Anyone can be abused or assaulted. If it is reported to the proper law enforcement officials, an arrest or conviction of the abuser is more likely. If you are a victim of domestic violence, regardless of gender, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800)799-7233.
It may seem like a small sentiment, but something as simple as having flags from multiple cultures present on campus can help students feel welcome, said Admissions & Academic Counselor Courtney Newman.
Newman is one of three faculty members helping coordinate the new Multicultural Student Alliance, an organization dedicated to helping provide a safe space for students of all ethnicities, nationalities and cultural backgrounds.
“What we’re trying to do is bring a multitude of different students together in one space so they can connect with the college, connect with each other, experience some events and really have a support system,” said Newman.
Welcoming though the MSA may be, NECC is a place of learning. Fiona Edwards said the MSA will primarily be looking to encourage students academically. Like Newman, Edwards also works in the Career Planning & Advising Center and serves as a Designated School Official for international students.
“The MSA isn’t just geared toward being a safe space for people of different cultures,” said Edwards. “It’s a retentional tool for the student population. Statistics show that students are more inclined to stay on campus if they have some sort of extracurricular activity to do.”
Extracurricular activities generally make students feel more connected with their school and to the college experience in general. In a survey conducted by the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, 91% of respondents indicated that “participation in extracurricular activities positively contributed to their college experience.” In addition, most students who attended extracurricular activities rated their interactions with other students highly.
Edwards hopes that participation in the MSA will help prepare students for a career in their chosen field by incorporating the college’s Core Academic Skills. “Public speaking, initiatives in the community, the ability to network, the skills they will take out into their field — these will help them put these into practice.”
It’s important to note that the idea of multiculturalism is also about celebrating different ways of life. As part of this, the MSA plans to hold and attend plenty of events both on-campus and elsewhere in the area.
Currently, the off-campus events include a first generation student summit at Wellesley College that happened on March 7 and an upcoming lunch with the Haverhill Kiwanis Club on April 7. Both of these events reflect the MSA’s mission to help students learn about networking and foster inclusivity.
Newman says some of the events being considered include potluck dinners, a flag day and possibly an on-campus parade.
“I’m a movie person, so I’m hoping for a cultural movie night,” she said.
According to CPAC counselor and MSA coordinator Ana Fraden, one of the most exciting things about the MSA is its desire to collaborate with other student organizations. “We’ve been asked to collaborate with the Gay/Straight Alliance on its pride parade, and … we’re currently helping the Community Outreach Group with their bake sale,” she said. Since the values and mission statement of the MSA and many other clubs coincide, Fraden said she sees an immense amount of opportunity.
As of press time, the MSA coordinators have not yet pinned down the date of the next meeting. Students who are interested in more information on the MSA can contact Fiona Edwards at fedwards@necc.mass.edu, Courtney Newman at cnewman@necc.mass.edu or Ana Fraden at afraden@necc.mass.edu to be added to the email list.
Newman encouraged students who might be afraid to branch out to at least give the MSA a try.
“Just come once,” she said. “It’s not going to hurt anything, and if you stay, it looks great on your resume.”
The Boston Red Sox are on the verge of another season, and there are still plenty of questions that need answering as spring training wraps up and the season begins. The offense is expected to outproduce last year’s team by leaps and bounds and could even be the highest scoring offense in the league if things go well. But Boston has an inexperienced (albeit fantastically talented) leadoff hitter in Mookie Betts. Several “wait and see”-type players (Hanley Ramirez, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and Pablo Sandoval, among others) are expected to make big contributions this year. And the pitching, from the starting rotation to the end of the bullpen, is one big question mark.
Mookie Betts is an intriguing player. As a fifth-round pick in the 2011 Amateur Draft, Betts rocketed through the minor league system. Although he is a natural second baseman, he proved versatile enough to play pretty much every position on the field. And he proved he could hit.
Betts made his MLB debut on June 29, 2014 against the New York Yankees. He came up and played 52 games for Boston last year, and those games turned out to be his first interview for the big league club.
He hit .291 with five home runs and 19 RBI in his 52 games, which is very impressive for a 21-year old kid fresh out of the minors. But he really showed his value in the field. Betts made a seamless transition to centerfield and actually had a .989 fielding percentage in the outfield in 2014.
The solid performance earned him a spring training invitation in 2015. In 17 games this spring, Betts hit an eye-popping .451 with eight doubles, two triples and two home runs, as well as only six strikeouts. He showed off his speed with seven stolen bases and an improbable inside-the-park home run. All the tools a good leadoff hitter needs to have.
But the fact remains that he is a 22-year old rookie hitting leadoff for one of the marquee franchises in baseball. While most fully expect him to be able to handle the pressure, it is uncertain for now how he will respond.
Provided Betts does even an adequate job in the leadoff spot, there is still some uncertainty about hitters two through nine in the lineup. While these are all great players, there are legitimate questions about each player individually. Pedroia is coming back from offseason wrist surgery and a poor statistical season in 2014. Ortiz is 39 years old. Ramirez and Sandoval, the new additions to the team, have some questions about availability and durability. Mike Napoli looked great this spring after getting serious sleep-apnea surgery, but he was also hurt for a stretch last year. Xander Bogaerts, last year’s “can’t miss” prospect, will try to rebound in 2015 after “missing” for the most part in his rookie year.
Which brings us to pitching. Last year’s trade deadline saw the Red Sox trade away their top two starters, Jon Lester and John Lackey. That leaves perennial number-three starter Clay Buchholtz as the front of the rotation guy, which is unnerving for any Red Sox fan. There is a ton of new talent on the team, with three of the remaining four starters coming in from new teams. Rick Porcello came from the Detroit Tigers, Wade Miley from Arizona and Justin Masterson coming from Cleveland. The entire starting five is full of guys with plenty of potential, but potential might not be enough if you’re trying to win games now.
The same is the case for the bullpen. There are several new faces, and there are several players who have found themselves in different roles than on previous teams. Koji Uehara, last year’s closer, will start the season on the disabled list. This moves everyone up a spot, and puts more pressure on the bullpen as a whole. And if the bullpen can’t handle themselves, it will put more pressure on the rotation to be outstanding.
All this being said, it is a long season. There are 161 more games to be played, and a lot of things are going to happen. If everything goes right for this team, they will be one of the highest scoring teams in baseball and could win 92-95 games. If things don’t go so well, they could be looking at another 80 or so-win season.
Being a college student comes with stress and lots of it. Some people now how to handle their stress while others struggle with mental illnesses like anxiety and depression which can make it harder for them to cope with stress and makes something as simple as choosing a class to take or studying for a final extremely difficult. With the right medication and therapy, the struggles that come with having anxiety or depression can be relieved, although they will never disappear. Here are some steps students can take to cope with mental illness:
Breathe: The best thing to do when you are having a panic attack or are feeling stressed out is to breathe. Concentrate only on that by taking deep breaths and counting down from 10. When I have an anxiety attack, taking control of my breathing is key.
Realizing your triggers: Realizing what triggers your mental illness really helps prevent attacks or depression from happening. If you are someone for example who gets anxiety when they watch a horror film, to prevent yourself from having an anxiety attack it would make sense to realize that’s your trigger and to stop watching them. My triggers that set off my anxiety are caffeine and watching the news. I get decaf coffee each week and limit my watch of the news. Realizing these triggers has decreased my attacks.
Getting help: Coming to terms with your issues is hard, but in the long run it really helps you out. Many of us out there are born with a mental illness that run in our family– in my family over 70% have a cases of anxiety and depression. Many of us are on medicine and pills to help soothe the pain. If taking medication isn’t for you, there are many great therapists to talk to about your problems. Sometimes that all you need is someone to talk to.
According to the ADDA (Anxiety & Depression Association of America) more than 40 million adults over that age of 18 suffer from an anxiety disorder, 6 million people suffer from panic disorders and 7.7 million suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Having a mental illness doesn’t define you, and you are not alone. For more info or support, contact any of the following:
Crisis Call Center
800-273-8255 or text ANSWER to 839863
Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week
http://crisiscallcenter.org/crisisservices.html
Depression and Bipolar Support
800-273-TALK (8255)
Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week
David Gingerella speaks about the NECC Spurk Building renovations. | NECC ObserverThe meeting for the plans for the renovation of the Spurk Building at NECC’s Haverhill campus took place on Tuesday, April 2 in Lecture Hall A. David Gingerella was the first to speak after being introduced by college president Lane Glenn. He went into detail about the history of how the renovations came onto NECC’s sphere of possibilities.
In August 2008, the state voted for a higher education bond issue for all state colleges. $550 million was designated to community colleges and NECC was allocated $31.7 million of that. The colleges were then expected to provide a list of priorities, which for NECC was $24 million for the construction of the Allied Health Center on the Lawrence campus. This left over $7.3 million for other priorities.
“One of the things we realizes was that money prioritized for the rest of the community colleges, one college got to do one project at a time, but at the urging of the All College Assembly, specifically the chair people, President Glenn and myself were asked to meet with and get this project elevated,” said Gingerella.
“And so we were able to arrange meetings with a DCAMM commissioners, the Department of Higher Education, and the State Finance Administration. Our request was well received, the president’s done a great job with making that we communicate with them on a regular basis. However, because several other community colleges had not even started their first project, we were basically told that our project would have to wait,” said Gingerella.
Because President Glenn stayed on top of communication with DCAMM, they received a call from the Governor’s office telling Glenn and Gingerella they would release the money despite other projects for other colleges had not yet started. So NECC was granted the fund to begin the second project.
“We got together and formed a group to start talking about what we would be able to do with 7.3 million dollars — it quickly became apparent that the money that would be available would only be able to do very limited work here at the college,” said Gingerella.
After discussing the options and preliminary plans the group decided they would be able to do bathroom accessibility changes, such as wheelchair access and doors opening properly. Other changes could also be applied like a sprinkler system throughout the building for fire safety, tempered air, which means increasing ventilation on the 2nd and 3rd floors and air conditioning for Lecture Hall A and the Chester W Hawrylciw Theater.
The windows would be kept and get modified glass, and the entrances to the classrooms would be widened.
Gingerella then addressed what really needs to be done to the Spurk building. It was basically a plan with the goal of making the building functional for the next 5 to 10 years.
“We’re trying to take the spaces that we have and make them as functional as possible. We would require all life safety accessibility issues, anybody that’s been in this building knows that in the winter it can be drafty and cold and in the summer it can be hot and some of the ceilings leak in some areas. This would fix all of that — we would continue to sprinkle the entire building and maximize the accessibility changes so it would be much easier for individuals that are handicapped. The biggest thing is we would renovate and complete all the bathrooms,” said Gingerella.
This plan would entail the bathrooms being gutted and replaced.
That is the funding that is available right now, which is more than the initial $7.3 million leftover from the first project. Architect Alex Adkins is the project manager of DiMella Shaffer Architects in Boston. Adkins was hired through his firm being approved by the designer selection board to be a house doctor for DCAMM.
“We are qualified and have done a lot of work with academic buildings throughout the commonwealth, and we’re basically on call for quick response to project needs. We were contacted last summer by DCAMM to provide a study of the Spurk Building,” said Adkins.
Over September until December, the study was looked over with the billing committee and looked into what the most urgent needs of building were and what changes were required by code. The first obvious need for change was air quality and ventilation in the building, accessibility to entrances of the building, accessibility to classrooms, accessibility to restrooms and fire safety.
“Those three categories became the priority of investigation. Even just to do those was pushing us above the original 5 million dollar budget, we were successful in getting a lot more money to do that sort of baseline improvements. We since then explored that further in a lot more detail to bring us here today and today is the first time that we’re able to share with you what we anticipate happening,” said Adkins.
Adkins presented the floors plans for the renovations. Intense areas of work were outlined in green on the floor plans, which made it clear the building could not have people or classes going on with construction.
“The other thing we looked at initially was can we do this in 2 sections — could we maintain operation in half the building and do construction on the other half and a few things of grave concern emerged after setting that, a) it would extend the construction period and b) everyone was gonna have to move at least once and c) it would be noisy.” said Adkins. The idea to split construction in half was nixed, so the only viable solution would be to vacate the entire building during construction. The expected time for construction is June to June, so about 12 months. NECC is now looking into what is called “swing space,” which is basically where classes and offices would temporarily move to during construction.
A staff only bathroom and a gender neutral bathroom are in the renovation plans as well. Accessible entrance ramps will be added to the north, west and south entrances, and new airlocks which means the doors won’t open directly to outside. There will be an outside door and an interior door to stop drafts from coming inside in the winter.
In Lecture Hall A, the front of the room is going to be raised to be aligned with the first row of seating, and a small ramp will be installed to provide wheelchair accessibility to the room. The ceiling will also be redone in Lecture Hall A to allow for air conditioning and sprinklers, all new seating and work on the doors.
In the Chester W Hawrylciw Theater, renovations are also taking place. The stage is being rebuilt, new ramp and lift installed making both the back of the house and front of the house accessible by wheelchair. A back row of seating is being added to compensate for the loss of the front row.
“The entire third floor extend out beyond the face of the building, which is why the floors in many areas are cold, so we are going to apply insulation to the exterior with a metal covering so there will be some small changes to the exterior,” said Adkins.
The faculty offices will also undergo minor modifications. The offices will lose about 6 inches due to the new insulated wall being built, and there will be no more bookshelves beneath the windowsills. The offices will also get all new windows.
“In the end its going to be minor changes physically to the rooms but there will be a big difference in the comfort level and usability in all the spaces,” said Adkins.
Gingerella spoke again after Adkins, about where possible swing spaces could go. Ideas were presented such as moving the computer lab in the B Building and student lab of Bentley Library to the second floor, using parts of the Technology Center as offices or classrooms or some combination of the two, using the daycare center on campus as classrooms or offices and using parts of the student lounge in the B Building as classrooms. Other ideas like using the Riverwalk campus classrooms and the implementation of express shuttle buses were brought up and utilizing the lower level of Opportunity Works for classrooms or offices too.
None of these swing spaces have been finalized or determined — these were simply ideas for where everyone can go once renovations start.
After the presentation, attendees got the opportunity to ask questions. Some raised concerns over locking mechanisms on classrooms doors, which is a constant struggle between public safety and fire safety codes. Another idea was the potential for more online courses if there are not enough classrooms in the swing spaces to compensate for the amount of classes that will need to relocate.
Amy Callahan, Department Chair of the Journalism/Communication said, “this is more of a statement rather than a question, but I would like to put in a bid that the faculty offices remain close to where the classroom space will be so that the faculty can continue to do their work, keeping in touch with students where they can find a way to.
Erica Almonte, 21 majoring in Nursing says she’s always searching up new beauty tips and tricks to make her life a bit easier. “In between my daughter, school and work, it always seems like I never have time to pamper myself. So I’m always looking for little beauty hacks to save me some time and money.”
Almonte says she’s been wearing make-up ever since she was a freshmen in high school.
“I started experimented little by little and started to notice what works for me and what doesn’t. I think it’s important for women to understand that, like not everyone can wear a red lip.”
Almonte says she has learned a lot of great tips from the internet and is always sharing her new tricks with friends. “I learned this one trick that I swear by … Take some Vaseline and glide it across your front teeth, it stops lipstick from transferring!”
Almonte says she has always loved makeup and sees nothing wrong with adding to her natural beauty. “I don’t see the problem with enhancing your natural beauty. I love make-up!”
Michael Santiago, 21 says he enjoys seeing his girlfriend with make-up but dislikes when women use excessive make-up. “I don’t have a problem with girls wearing make-up, but if you come to school looking like you’re about to go to the club… that’s another story.” Santiago says he believes women should feel beautiful with and without make-up. “I think it’s great, when a girl can go out without make-up and still feel like she’s pretty… to me, that’s dope.”
Jennifer Castillo, 24 says make-up isn’t her thing. “I’ve honestly tried to like make-up but I just feel like it looks like I’m trying too hard. I think it has a lot to do with my personality, I’m very laid back.”
Castillo is currently studying business and is afraid her choice of career will eventually change her decision to refrain from wearing make-up. “I read an article online, more than two thirds of employers admitting they would discriminate against women not wearing makeup to work. That’s just crazy to me, but this is the world we’re living in. At the end of the day, I’d rather wear makeup than be jobless.”
The Bacon Board Gamers club has been a staple at NECC since 2011. The club was thought up by students in Mike Cross’ chemistry class at the time when one student, David Bowie, got serious and took the reins to make the club a prominent one at the school.
“My students really enjoyed the games I used in class to demonstrate various chemical principles and they wanted a chance to play them more often,” said Cross, who serves as the Bacon Board Gamers’ advisor.
The start of the club was slow but the Bacon Board Gamers didn’t give up. They applied for the Campus Catalyst program and received funding, which they mostly used to buy new games.
“We have around 100 games in a cabinet in my office and I have another 250 or so at home,” said Cross.
With the number of games they have there is a diverse set to choose from. “I love to play Cards Against Humanity,” said club secretary Colby Patrie.
Another member, David, said his favorite game to play is Werewolves.
It’s not all about the games with the Bacon Board Gamers. Members also bring in many different foods to the bi-weekly meeting.
“Despite the name, you don’t actually have to eat bacon to be part of the club. One of our members is even a vegetarian,” Cross said.
There is one special food the club always likes to have on hand though.
“We always order pizza with bacon on it,” Patrie said. Even bacon-cheeseburger pizza has made it into the mix.
Since its inception, the club has won some awards and has been recognized by some big names. During their first showcase to the Campus Catalyst program they won “Most Likely to Succeed.” They have also been awarded the President’s Cup by Lane Glenn and NECC. Local media has not failed to see the club’s successes either. The Haverhill Gazette, Eagle Tribune, Newburyport Daily News, WBZ Radio and the Boston Globe have all had feature stories on the Board Gamers.
The best part about the Bacon Board Gamers is that anyone can join.
“The Bacon Board Gamers is open to everyone – students, faculty, staff, even the general public,” said Cross.
Cross went on to talk about the club’s success and when they meet.
“Attendance at the club varies, but we probably average about a dozen people at each meeting. We have meetings the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month at 6:30 pm in E260. We meet even during the summer and school breaks. We also hold an All-Day Gaming Marathon twice a year.”
To find out more about this club and its history, they have their own website at www.baconboardgamers.com
Corina Carmona, 20, who majors in Nursing says true beauty is “a person who is confident and sure of themselves. Someone who knows their value.”
Carmona is a youth mentor at her church and says she often gives self-esteem pep talks to the women at her church.
“So many women deal with this issue. It breaks my heart to see someone who doesn’t see themselves the way God does.” Carmona says she has also dealt with this issue. “One of the exercises I have the women at my church do is to actually have them look in the mirror and tell themselves that they’re beautiful. I know its corny … one of those things you only see in movies, but it works! Words are a powerful tool.” Carmona, sees herself continuing to teach the young women at her church to be confident.
“Accepting yourself the way you are, forget what everybody else thinks. No one is perfect … you may think someone else is beautiful, but I bet you that that person also has insecurities…” says Ashely Rivera, 20 who studies Respiratory. Rivera admits she has also had self-esteem issues at one point of her life, “Every girl goes through it — it’s part of life, you know.” Rivera says she has learned to ignore other people’s negative comments on her appearance.
“People will always have something to say about you, but you gotta keep it moving. I’ve learned to not let people rain on my parade.”
Eddie Hoar, who studies journalism and communication at NECC believes true beauty is far beyond the physical.
“It’s not superficial. It’s about how you carry yourself, how you present yourself to other people.” Hoar believes the media has put too much emphasis on physical appearance. “Outer beauty should matter little or not at all. A lot of that is genetic. Either you’re lucky or you’re not. Inner beauty is always going to be with you, you know. Is Gisele (Bündchen) going to look beautiful forever? No.”
