All posts by Johnna Padvaiskas, Correspondent

Slider

The season of transferring

and  

The end of the semester is nearing faster than you might expect, that also means the process of transferring is underway. 

For many students the spring semester is when they start looking to transfer to a four-year school after finishing their associate’s.

Attending a community college, such as Northern Essex is a great way to save money and to determine your major before going for your bachelor’s, and luckily there are some great programs that are available to help. 

Some of these programs include the Massachusetts Independent College Guarantee which is a partnership agreement between NECC and private colleges and universities in Massachusetts. 

After obtaining your associates at NECC you then would apply to one of the private colleges on the list and would be guaranteed admission. 

The eligibility for a student must be an associate degree from a community college and a minimum GPA of 2.5. The other option is the Mass Transfer Pathways which has three pathways you can choose from to save up to 40% on your bachelor’s degree. 

Shakira Andino, an advisor at NECC encourages students to attend community college then transfer. 

“It’s the same education, at a better cost. You have more freedom to live your life at a four-year school, but you learn to manage your money at community college. There’s such a stigma to community college, but it’s up to you to get the work done.” 

Some tips she would give would be to think about whether you want to be close to home and to visit their campus to see if you find it and the campus’s surroundings comfortable. 

Aryanna Poirier recently just transferred to UMass Lowell after attaining her associates in psychology. 

“I wanted to transfer to UMass Lowell because I knew people who went and loved it, and I knew that their psych program was good. It was also relatively close to my residence which was a plus!” 

Some advice she would offer would be to get in touch with your advisors. “Get in touch with their advisors, both from NECC and from UMass Lowell as soon as possible. They’re there to help you, and most of them are wonderful at their jobs!” 

Some other notes of advice are to know when deadlines are and what they’re application process is like as it may differ from each school. The transfer programs can be found on the NECC website under the learn tab. 

Transferring schools shouldn’t have to be difficult. Just make sure to use your resources and go wherever you think is the best fit.

Features, Home Page News Bytes

A balancing act: Alumn shares advice on juggling school, work and family responsibilities

and  

There’s a pressure to work today, especially for college students. Student debt is a fear that looms over many student’s heads, as well as the desire to move away from home and be their own person. There’s also the belief that if you have free time as a college student, especially one attending community college, then you should fill that time with a job, which isn’t always the best option for some.

The cost of living is increasing as well as student debt, and no matter what, students are scrambling to catch up to the cost of living in today’s world. Many students are also parents trying to earn a degree while raising a child. So how do they manage this pressure, and the stress that comes from being enrolled in college at the same time?

For Kelly Aleska, she found it quite stressful, but also rewarding. Aleska attended Northern Essex Community College and got her associate’s in 2018, then later transferred to UMass Lowell to earn her degree in psychology with a concentration in developmental disabilities in 2020. While she was in school, she was a waitress at Not Your Average Joes in Methuen. She also was a single mother taking care of her son.

“I took online classes whenever I could because it allowed for more flexible hours. When I had to go in person I would go while my son was at school, and I would work at night. My mother helped babysit mostly,” she said.

Balancing school, work and raising a child at the same time was difficult for Aleksa. “It was stressful to find the time to get everything done,” she said. “I found myself giving away shifts when it came close to finals even though I had rent to pay.”

Like Aleksa, many students decide to lose time during work so they can focus on school, but it’s not a decision many make lightly. Some advice Aleksa gives to other students is to use whatever resources you have. “Apply for scholarships even if you think you won’t get them, and use your time wisely,” she said.

Aleksa was also a part of the PACE program at Northern Essex Community College who helped her find scholarships. Northern Essex has a great support center from Academic Coaching, the PACE program, and even childcare services.

Home Page News Bytes, News

Russia and Ukraine: What’s going to happen? 

and  

The possibility of Russia invading Ukraine is becoming more of a reality each day, but what would that mean for us?

At the moment, it’s uncertain.

Many people are joking about World War III or being drafted, yet many don’t know what’s truly happening.

To understand why Russia has intentions to invade Ukraine we must go back to 2014 when Russia took control of Ukraine’s Crimean region after Ukraine’s President Yanukovych fled the country after protests of his decision to reject a deal for greater economic integration with the European Union.

Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, defended Russia’s actions by claiming to want to protect the rights of Russian citizens in Crimea and Southeast Ukraine, resulting in two regions of Ukraine declaring independence and siding with Russia.

This created a violent scene between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatist forces.

An estimated 10,300 people have been killed while 24,000 have been injured since April 2014, according to news reports.

In 2015 the violence ceased through the Minsk Accords giving Ukraine control over their government and throughout the conflict zone, but there has been no diplomatic settlement or resolution. Now, U.S. intelligence officials warned that Russia may be preparing an invasion of Ukraine when armor, missiles, heavy weaponry, and more than one hundred thousand troops were spotted near the border of Ukraine.

Russia had set demands stating that Ukraine cannot enter the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which the other allies have rejected. President Biden has now ordered nearly three thousand U.S. troops to Poland and Romania to be prepared in case of a possible invasion , acording to the Center for Preventative Actions’ Global Conflict Tracke).

These are just facts that have been reported. Those who are serving and who have served have their own opinions. Alex Montuori has been serving in the U.S. Navy for six years now.

“It’s an unfortunate situation that shouldn’t surprise anyone. Putin in the past has shown no regard for United Nations sanctions and policies and has a history of invading neighboring countries,” Mountuori said.

And unfortunately, Montuori believes Russia will invade.

“Recent diplomacy talks at UN meetings have not led anywhere and I think Russia will continue with their advance knowing that the United States wants to avoid large scale conflicts and most likely not defend the Ukraine if Russia were to launch a full-scale invasion.”

Montuori says that America shouldn’t interfere as we have been looked at as the peace keeping nation for too long where it has negatively affected our economy and image.

Only if the United Nation makes a group decision, then it would be acceptable for the US to intervene, Montuori said.

Alexandria Gagnes, a veteran who served for 7 ½ years in the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Electrician’s Mate as a Second-Class Petty Officer, agrees.

“As to whether the U.S. should interfere is a tough question from a veteran’s perspective. I’ll say this: it’s happened before, and it will happen again,” Gagnes said.

Gagnes points out a harsh truth. “To be honest, we are already at war and we have been at war since 2001 (this war that is). For military members, I don’t think much will change the U.S. Navy has been present in the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean for the past 30 years. I don’t believe that there will be war in the U.S. that will impact our everyday lives. However, the Sixth Fleet (U.S. Navy) will be impacted, and the sailors onboard the armada of ships will inevitably be affected in regard to longer deployments and fewer port visits.”

Talk of war is terrifying, but in reality, we’ve already been at war. We’re all so worried about ourselves, but what about the troops that are serving now? How will this affect them? History repeats itself and fighting may begin between Russia and Ukraine as it did in 2014.