Observer Department: Features

Spotlight on Professor Isabelle Gagne

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Isabelle Gagne is a pyschology professor here at Northern Essex community college and she is a valuable part of the NECC community. Like most faculty, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges in recent years.  However, Gagne has been teaching online classes for some time now. Gagne says, “I’ve been teaching…

Center for Liberal Arts offers variety of services

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The Center for Liberal Arts is the home for all the Liberal Arts students here at Northern Essex Community College. There are many students who fall under the umbrella of liberal arts at NECC. P “There’s a pure liberal arts degree and then there are some other areas of the…

Psychology Program Coordinator Krista Titone shares her story

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Fearless Krista Titone grew up in the suburbs of Hampstead, NH, an only child, raised by both her grandparents and father. As a child she felt safe, supported and loved by her friends and neighbors. Titone says “I had the most amazing childhood and am so very very grateful to…

Reading is the new yoga

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Covid-19 gave way to new hobbies, such as reading. According to the New Yorker, reading can put people in a pleasure-like state of mind, similar to meditation. I interviewed 2 current and one previous student from NECC asking how they utilize reading to better help their mental health. Maddie Reid,…

Locals reflect on how pandemic has changed our lives

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COVID is a virus that has been affecting the whole world but when discussing with locals living in Massachusetts Jelisa Lopez, Sylvia Lopez and Angelica Ruiz, they share how COVID has affected them in ways outside of it being a virus. Life before COVID feels nothing short of a dream…

Oh, what to do with time? Pandemic inspires new hobbies

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When the world shut down in March of 2020, people were left with endless time on their hands. But what were people to do with all that time? Two current and one former NECC students tell me the intriguing new hobbies the Covid quarantine gave them. Karen Smith explains to…

Behind the scenes essential workers share their experiences during height of pandemic

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As the Covid-19 pandemic began, many people were deemed heroes as the public watched emergency room doctors, nurses, and first responders work tirelessly throughout the pandemic beginning in 2020 to present. There are endless accounts of the bravery and perseverance that these essential workers exhibited. The dedication to their careers…

Spotlight on Student Life Coordinator Stephanie Haskell

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Student Life Coordinator, Stephanie Haskell, has a lot on her plate at NECC, but she is an integral part of the Northern Essex community. Haskell is from Concord New Hampshire and has been working at Northern Essex for over three years now since September of 2018. There are many important…

Portrait of a professor: The philosophies of Meredith Gunning

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Meredith Gunning, Professor of Philosophy at Northern Essex Community College, opens up about where she came from and gives insight on her motivations and philosophies both in and out of the classroom. In the suburbs of Scarborough, Toronto, young, zany and candid Meredith Gunning grew up in a very exciting,…

Students share tips on fighting ‘seasonal slump’

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While many enjoy the weather that winter in New England brings, many others suffer to get the motivation to go about their regular routines. With the confinement indoors due to the cold, excitement of the holidays in the past, shorter days, and COVID restrictions, many people start to lose energy…