All posts by Katrina Manon, Correspondent

Campus Life, Home Page News Bytes

MassReconnect student: Pedro Rentas

 

Pedro Rentas is a multi talented, visionary and aspiring chef with an eye for success.

Rentas moved to the United States nine years ago from Dominican Republic, where he worked in TV and radio.

He learned English, got married and became a citizen. He has worked in the banking industry for a few years and enjoys filming cooking videos that he posts on Tiktok where he has gained a community of 128,000 followers.

Rentas, 38, decided to pursue his college degree back in 2023 when he had a hard time competing for promotions at his workplace because he lacked a college degree.

Rentas, who lives in Haverhill, visited Northern Essex Community College last summer seeking information and it is when he learned about MassReconnect, which offers free community college to any student over 25.

Rentas enrolled at Northern Essex last fall and since then has strived to get the most out of his education and make an impact. “

I’m here because of MassReconnect and I want to make the best out of this opportunity,” said Rentas.

Last month the polls opened to join the Student Government Association. Rentas decided to join the campaign and run as the student Marketing Chair Position.

“I wasn’t going to run until a few students and faculty said I was a great fit for this position” Rentas said.

Despite recommendations from Rentas close friends and professors the polls opened and NECC Students were able to vote online which meant his fate of winning the campaign was determined on the number of votes.

“I was so anxious awaiting for the results and finally I received the email confirming I won in my category and on April 25th I (was sworn in)  and accepted the Marking Chair position” said Rentas.

Congratulations to Rentas and all the other members who won and are now part of the Student Government Association.

Arts and Entertainment

All you need to know about the Met Gala

 

Those who are fond of fashion await the one event that will take place in less than two weeks. Fashion designers, their muses and some of the world’s most influential celebrities gather once a year at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for fashion’s biggest night, The Met Gala.

Historically this event takes place every first Monday of May, this year’s Met Gala will take place on Monday May 6th. The Met Gala is a fundraiser dedicated to New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute which is formally named The Anna Wintour Costume Center. The benefit was founded in 1948 by publicist Elanor Lambert to encourage donations from New York’s high society.

The Met Gala marks the opening night of the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit.

Every year it is presented with a different theme that sets the tone for the event and those who are invited must dress accordingly. The theme of this show stopping event is what makes the event special. On occasions the theme can be broad like for example 2017’s Met Gala theme was Rei Kawakubo/Commedes Garcons’ in homage to Rei Kawakubo the fashion designer of the avant-garde Japanese label, Comme des Garcons. Celebrities incorporated bright colors and the look of that night was Rihanna wearing Comme des Garcons. Rihinna stole the night wearing an all-time unforgettable look.

This year’s 2024 Met Gala theme is “Sleeping Beauties:Reawakening Fashion,” the official dress code of “the Garden of Time”. As always we can expect lavish outfits and loads of photographers trying to get an iconic shot. This year Zendaya and J Lo are two of the co-chairs therefore you can expect major looks. Mark your calendars, tell your friends and family, grab your favorite snack and tune in to watch.

News

TikTok faces ban in the U.S.

 

On Tuesday April 23 the U.S. Senate approved a bill that would ban TikTok. The United States House of Representatives already passed a bill April 20, that would give “TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance about six months to divest the U.S assets of the short video-app, or face a ban”.

The popular social media app with 150 million monthly U.S active users is known for it’s short videos that can consist of anything from funny skits to education content, dance and lip sync videos and more. 

TikTok has been a successful platform for American business owners and entrepreneurs to promote their brand and build a platform. As news of the bill surfaced all over the internet TikTok users had a few thoughts to share.

TikTok influencer and NECC student Pedro Rentas who has gained a following of 122,000 followers with his videos getting thousands of views stated, “I think it would be unfortunate if they banned TikTok because it is a great platform for content creators like me to have a voice and relate to other people”. 

Influencers like Pedro Rentas have mentioned how TikTok has helped them gain a community that feels like family where they can showcase their creativity and build a virtual connection.

TikTok has been a platform that during the pandemic helped thousands of active users keep a sane mind when lockdown measurements had taken place. 

NECC alumni student Diana Martinez stated, “I remember during lockdown I downloaded the app just to see what everyone was talking about, and I actually ended up really enjoying watching all the short videos and still till this day I enjoy it, it’s a different vibe on TikTok”.

The United States main concern with TikTok is that it opposes a national security threat because the Chinese government could use TikTok to spy on Americans and could possibly influence Americans by amplifying or suppressing certain content.

 “I mean I get it when it comes to security reasons, but I feel like this can happen with any other social media platform as well not just TikTok,” said Diana Martinez.

The Senate is set to vote on the bill later today. Now Americans wait as the future of Americans having access to the social media app is uncertain.

Arts and Entertainment

The spring and summer trends of 2024: The place of muted tones in this year’s fashion

 

Statement clothing pieces are out and discreet chic wardrobe staples that include trench coats, pencil skirts, trouser suits and light denim jeans are in.

The British Vogue 2024 spring/summer fashion show models strut down the runway in muted palettes to showcase designers’ spring and summer collection of 2024.

 As images of this year’s fashion show scouted across the internet this spring/ summer collection is the most talked about collection due to the surprise in muted colors.

Designers like Prada, Gucci, Versace, Alexander McQueen and more revealed their spring and summer styles and colored tones. 

The muted tones surprised the public as previous years spring and summer collections have been known to have a variety of vibrant color block styles.

It appears as if designers played it safe this year for spring/summer 2024 as many of their collections remained in the white, nude and black colorblock. 

As a pop of color, the color Red was one of the few tones that managed to make it through the color wheel for designers across the board. 

A few students at NECC were asked what they thought about this year’s trendy collection and color block for spring / summer 2024.

NECC student Jennifer Tejada stated that “you can’t go wrong with black or white during any time in the season.” 

Another student, Diana Martinez, had a very different opinion when it came to the muted tones and said that “spring and summer is all about sunshine, flowers and bright colors. Everyone wants to wear nude tones nowadays and that is boring.”

The designers for this year’s Vogue fashion show explained that their show was an “exploration of modern beauty” and described that “muted tones and simplicity (were) the inspiration for this year’s spring and summer 2024 collection”. If you were wondering what to wear this year it is safe to say that you probably already own most of this spring’s and summer key elements. 

All you will need is clever style with a splash of red, a crisp white shirt and black trousers. 

Ballerinas and Mary Janes are not going anywhere so keep these staples in rotation along with a well cut black blazer and your outfit will be trendy this spring and summer.

Arts and Entertainment

Usher’s Super Bowl performance exceeds expectations

 

Thousands of football fans attend the Super Bowl every year as they cheer on their favorite team in hopes for their team to win the championship but what about the fans who stay home? 

Not thousands but millions of fans back home gather around their tv, tablet, iPad, or iPhone screens to watch the Super Bowl including the most watched performance which is the Super Bowl HalfTime Show.

This year’s Super Bowl HalfTime performance was led by American singer-songwriter and dancer Usher. 

Usher is a worldwide known artist who has sold 80 million records worldwide “making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.”

In the late 90s and early 2000’s Usher was one of the most popular artists and became the most popular artist in 2004 when he released his album titled “Confessions.”

“When I found out Usher was going to be the one performing, I was excited, he’s doing it for the culture,” said Jennifer Tejada, NECC student.

Usher lit up the stage Sunday night as he performed his greatest hits “Caught Up” “U Don’t Have to Call”, “Superstar”, “Love in this Club,” and so much more. 

Usher also had a show-stopping lineup of artists that took on the stage with him throughout his performance. 

Artists like Alicia Keys, H.E.R, Ludacris and more took to the stage to assist Usher. 

“I love that he brought out Alicia Keys and all the other appearances because his old music was just a vibe,” said Diana Martinez, a NECC student.

Usher’s halftime performance was a success as it made impressive numbers with 30.1 million viewers exceeding last year’s halftime show that was led by Rihanna. 

This year’s halftime show drew in 5% more viewers than last year.”

“Imma be honest the performance was kind of mid, like it was cool for the culture, but I expected way more,” said Elijah Thibodeaux NECC Student.

If you missed it or want to relive the moment of what fans on the internet are saying is the “Legend’s Concert” the Super Bowl HalfTime show can be watched or rewatched on platforms like YouTube, Apple music and other streaming services.

Home Page News Bytes, News

Holiday cheer or end of semester fear?

 

The month of Dec. is known as the month of holiday cheer and festivities but this may not be the case for some college students. It is crunch time at Northern Essex Community
College as the Fall 2023 semester is coming to an end.

Finals week has begun, which means students may have already received their finals assignment and test due dates.

“I’m leaving on vacation on Dec.1st to the Dominican Republic so I do feel the pressure to finish early,” said Pedro Rentas, a student at NECC.

Students like Pedro who may also be traveling weeks before the end of the semester might be feeling the same pressure to complete all their work before going on vacation.

Studies say the increase in stress levels is caused by lack of time management and lack of sleep from all nighters spent studying.

“I’ve been stressed since the semester started but now thinking about all the work I need to complete is very stressful for me,” said Pedro Rentas. During finals week students are expected to produce information and exhibit results, not just receive lectures and attain them. In some classes finals are a huge percentage of the overall grade calculation which in turn can either make or break the students overall grade.

“I feel every student should have the option to take their finals in person or online regardless of the class being an online class or in person class. I feel people test very differently and there is a lot of pressure on the in person testing and the time limit so studentsshould have that option because this may help with students not being stressed,” said Jennifer Tejada, a student at NECC.

The student health services in Georgetown University states “while each person responds to stress differently, it does have a physical and emotional and
psychological impact on everyone especially during finals week.”

“I don’t like the fact that we have to take finals during the holiday season. It’s a lot of pressure but I personally do not let it get to me. My advice for other students is to study and go into a mindset to lower their stress whatever that would be. For me that is playing worship music and praying,” said Tejada.

Top tips on google search suggest tips for college students on how to do well during finals and that is rest, avoid the urge to procrastinate, and find a space that is conducive to studying

Home Page News Bytes, News

Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving?

 

The countdown for Christmas has officially started and retail stores like Home Depot have already sold out on the “Tik Tok famous Home Depot LED Christmas tree”. In the first week of Nov. many videos scattered on social media platforms with users sharing their holiday decorations which have started an unusual debate on social media platforms as to when is the appropriate time to put up your Christmas tree and Christmas decorations.

There are some people on social media who say Christmas decorations should be put up a couple weeks before Thanksgiving and others who believe Christmas decorations should be put up after Thanksgiving Day.

 “I think culture is a fact, because in the Dominican Republic we just celebrate Christmas and we decorate Christmas really early. It’s like the only holiday we decorate our homes with and that makes it so exciting” said Pedro Rentas, a NECC student.

A study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that people that decorated early for Christmas were happier and used holiday decorations to share the holiday spirit with their neighbors. “I put my Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving,” said Pedro Rentas.

If you have recently visited Retail Stores like Walmart, Target, Home Depot and much more you will have definitely noticed that they have started to put out Holiday Decorations for consumers and have the stores decorated for the Holiday Season.

Those who have decorated early for the Holiday Season have had a jump start to purchasing their holiday decorations as retail stores stock up. “Being Hispanic growing up my mother always put the tree in the second week of November” said Diana Martinez, an alum of

NECC. “No one wants to be bloated the day after Thanksgiving putting up holiday Decorations. People just need to get it out of the way and enjoy the holidays.” Diana Martinez added.

The holidays are a time for friends and family to gather and enjoy their time together. As Andy Williams said in his well known song “It’s the most Wonderful time of the Year”. As the holiday festivities are getting closer I leave you with this thought: is there even such a thing as a right time to decorate for Christmas?

Home Page News Bytes, News

AI exploration during STEM week: Is artificial intelligence a reliable source?

 

STEM week at NECC began on Oct. 16 and went through Oct. 20. STEM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, during STEM week the academic centers at NECC provide an opportunity for students to brainstorm and discuss their future academic plans, explore career opportunities, and gain exclusive knowledge in the field of Science,Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

On Tuesday Oct. 17, learners met in the Center for Liberal Arts, room C209 to learn about the benefits of AI for career exploration. 

The event was hosted by Katie Yeaton-Hromada who is the NECC Career Services and Internship Program coordinator. 

A few NECC students were asked to pass around three different colored sticky notes to every learner in the room which were used to answer three introductory questions about AI. 

The one question being what is AI and what are some examples of AI? The students were then told to put each sticky note in a different area around the room where students were able to see their peers’ answers. 

Most of the students in the room were aware of what AI is and many students had used artificial intelligence apps like ChatGPT, Alexa and Siri while a few other students had not ever thought of having the need to use it. 

“I know about it but I do not use it,” said Luna Cordero a student at NECC. 

Students were then informed of different ways of using AI, or artificial intelligence, that can be used in a beneficial way. 

For example, asking AI what are some career options a person could qualify for with an associate degree in communications? 

During the exploration it was emphasized how important it is to remember that AI shouldn’t be one’s final destination when researching for career opportunities and information. 

“AI is a starting point, not your finish line,” said Yeaton-Hromada.

Students and those who use AI should “always check for accuracy, bias information, watch out for lies and (students should ) never share personal information with any artificial intelligence data,” she said. 

At the end of the presentation students were introduced to a few reliable career exploration resources that can be used instead of AI. 

Pathful Explore is one resource shared that is a career exploration and preparation tool with informative interview videos and career assessments. 

NECC students can create a free account by using their NECC student email. 

Massachusets STEM week is organized by the Office of Education Executives and the STEM Advisory Council. STEM week is known as a statewide effort that is made to bring knowledge and interest to all students in hopes to encourage students to envision themselves in STEM education and employment opportunities. For more information on career exploration resources email and book an appointment with NECC Career Services and Internship Programs coordinator Katie Yeaton-Hromada.