Tag Archives: Student life

Features

Mike Prescott, the Renaissance man

 

By Duane Sherman

Over the decades, NECC has seen many gifted athletes on it’s campus. To find one that also has the ability to sing and enjoys working with the homeless would be rare. It would make that individual a bit of a renaissance man. Meet 28-year-old Mike Prescott, who is from from North Andover.

Prescott is a man of many talents, and he shares them with all that come into contact with him.

When students pass Prescott in the halls, they have no idea that he is a gifted athlete with a shining past. He started participating in the Special Olympics at the young age of 5 years old. Since that time, he has taken home over 50 medals from the ceremonies. Prescott’s infectious smile shows his pride in winning all of them. He excels at relay races and track and field.

Prescott can also nail the 3-point basketball shots. It’s a specialty of his, and he has the gold, silver and bronze medallions to prove it. You can be certain that he keeps them all shined up.

“My participation in the games has made me happy and proud,” said Prescott. He found a girlfriend at the games as well.

Prescott is not a student of NECC, but rather a participant of a program called ‘Opportunity Works,’ that has a relationship with the college. The program helps to ready it’s participants for the real world, preparing them to understand it with real work experience.

The program allows the individual to assimilate easier into the daily tasks of life. Prescott is one of the standouts of ‘Opportunity Works.’

“This is a great fit for all of Mike’s potential,” said Jamie Nadeau, who serves as Project Search coordinator for the program. “This also helps to keep him in his peer group,” said Nadeau.

The program lasts 30 weeks, breaking individual assignments into three 10 week positions around the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses. Prescott’s first assignment was with campus security. There, he manned the security desk in the Spurk building and walked the beat of the parking lots, looking for offenders that had parked illegally, or were in a handicapped spot without a placard or proper license plate.

“Mike did an excellent job with us. He was very motivated. He just jumped right into it,” said Dan Tirone, Operations Commander for Public Safety on the NECC campus. “I wish all of my guys were as motivated as Mike.”

Prescott felt right at home in the ranks of security. He loves the law. In fact, two of his favorite shows are ‘Judge Judy’ and ‘Cops.’

When his time with security was up and he was ready for the next position, Prescott, a known prankster with a sense of humor, was given a special pizza party. The members of NECC security turned the tables and served him up a still wrapped, frozen pizza.

In all actuality, there was a stack of fresh hot ones in the next room for everyone to enjoy. Prescott felt like one of the guys and knew that they all appreciated what he had done for them.

The second assignment put Prescott in the middle of the food world, landing him a spot in Jitters Campus Cafe in the Spurk Building. This pleased him. If there is one thing that he knows, it’s his way around a kitchen.

“I’m into the culinary arts. It comes from watching Emeril Lagasse on the Food Network,” said Prescott. The TV chef brought some ‘BAM!’ into his life.

The previous program that Prescott was involved with allowed him to shop and cook for himself. Lobster, clams and scallops wrapped in bacon are on his list of seafood delights. He dreams of his own restaurant one day. Prescott has a strong enough work ethic to run one.

“I don’t sit around. I go to the cafe to work and I do whatever is asked of me,” said Prescott.

Chef Barry Towle, who is also the manager at Jitters, said, “Mike is a hard worker and he has a good head on his shoulders. He really tries at everything that comes his way.”

Previously, through the Opportunity Works program, Prescott has been able to serve meals to the homeless at an area Salvation Army shelter. This meant a lot to him. He takes great pride in his ability to serve his community in that manner.

“Mike is gracious and grateful for all that he has,” said Jamie Nadeau. “He is generous and was overjoyed to serve lunch to the homeless.”

Of course, it’s not all work for Prescott. He’s been to Fenway Park to see the Sox take on the Baltimore Orioles. That was a reward for setting a weight loss goal and achieving it. Prescott earns his way through life.

“It was incredible the first time that I walked into Fenway Park. I came up the cement stairs and there it was. It’s so big and green. I was happy that I got to see Big Papi play,” said Prescott.

A true sports fan, Prescott gets excited when he thinks about the giant confetti cannons at Gillette Stadium, where he saw his favorite player, Tom Brady play. He remembers the multicolored confetti raining down on him when Brady made a touchdown pass.

Prescott’s other hobby is something that he is equally as passionate about, music. A few years back, his mother and stepfather gave him one of his most cherished Christmas gifts. It was tickets to see the Backstreet Boys reunion show at Boston Garden. It even included a limousine ride to and from the show. He still glows when he discusses the evening out. It’s that infectious smile of his that sets you at ease.

“That was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Prescott.

Mike Prescott is not just an avid music listener, he is also a performer with a choral group called ‘Playing Among the Stars’.

“Mike thrives in the limelight,” said Nadeau. “He has no fear. He recruits others to learn about projects. He doesn’t mind speaking in public. Still, he is a sensitive individual.”

The group does performances on a regular basis. Prescott has been a member for the past 3 years and has taken part in many of the shows. The music ranges from Broadway hits to holiday music. They usually do the concerts with pre-recorded music, but have played with live musicians.

Nadeau said that Prescott will take away experience and a new found confidence when he completes the program.

“He will have made connections that could only be made here,” said Nadeau. She is uncertain where he will finish out his third 10 week assignment. He may serve it at the Lawrence campus. One thing is for certain, wherever and whatever that may be, Mike Prescott will do his best with a smile on his face.

Features, Lawrence

Meet the new library director

 

By Jessica Freeman

“There’s more paperwork now” jokes, Mike Hearn, the recently appointed Director of Library Services. Hearn said his job is now more administrative, and that he misses being able to work with students directly.

Hearn hopes to “rebrand” the library to be a more focus based experience. Hearn wants the school to have libraries that can help to meet the needs of students of NECC, whether they can spend lots of time on campus, or are more distant learners that need help even when they are off campus.

Hearn started as NECC’s Director of library Services over the summer on July 1. Before this, he worked as a librarian on the Lawrence campus for eight and a half years. When the Lawrence library staff was asked about their former colleague, they spoke fondly of working with Hearn and all agreed it was great that he was the director of library services now. The Haverhill Library staff was also enthusiastic about having a new director in charge of the library.

Hearn has a Bachelor of Arts in American/United States Studies from Washington College in Maryland and a Masters of Library and Information Sciences from the University of South Carolina.

Prior to working at NECC, Hearn also worked in college libraries at Daniel Webster College and University of South Carolina.

In his new role, Hearn recognizes the challenges of working at a community college in terms of being able to reach students, and said he “encourages students to stop in and find out everything [the library] has to offer.”

These services include access to books and DVD’s, online resources, access to research assistances to help students and being able to call or text for help, among other services.

Hearn has also helped staff that teach information literacy courses. Information literacy courses are now a requirement for all NECC students. Hearn and the other librarians have done their part to help by creating the Lib Guides that can be found on the library’s website and can help students research and evaluate sources.

As for new technology being introduced to the campus, Hearn said that students “may know that they can borrow books and DVD, but they might not know that they have access to over 3 million items” from other colleges through the NOBLE group, and that the library, “also provides many electronic sources of information, including almost 40,000 eBooks, hundreds of audiobooks, and streaming videos.”

Although, Hearn is proud of the many eBooks the library has collected, he knows there are still students who will always want a tangible, real book they can use.

Hearn is working with the Lawrence Campus to transform the library from a smaller space located in the basement to a library more accessible to students. Hearn says the college hopes to change the Lawrence library by “opening a new Information Literacy Lab on the Lawrence campus this fall, which includes a library instruction classroom and media viewing center for students.”

Hearn hopes this will help students to be able to get more directed, accessible, one on one services from the library. Hearn also said that, the library would offer the same academic technology assistance to students as in the other library.

In Hearn’s work with the library, he sees that his responsibilities are not only to his typical patrons of both students and teachers, but also that of the greater community. Hearn recognizes that the NECC libraries, play a unique role in the area by being somewhat of a public library to some residents in the communities in which the campuses are located.

It is clear that Hearn is passionate about his job of being the Director of Library Services at NECC, and despite his new projects and paperwork, Hearn is still all about wanting to help students learn and access information in the easiest way possible for them.

Interviews were conducted with Mike Hearn over email, and during an in person interview.

Features, Sports

Taylor Robin has her eyes on the prize

 

By Nicholas Mazzone

People hate working out, and can never keep up with it. They start working out and then quit a week after. What if the key to working out was social media? One fitness fanatic who uses social media to push her to keep working out and keep her eyes on the prize is Taylor Robin, a student at NECC. Taylor is fitness fanatic. She loves to working out and helping inspire people to do the same.

Robin grew up in Massachusetts her whole life. She was born on June 23, 1994 in Lawrence General with her two parents, Charlene and Tim Traynor from Methuen, Mass. She attended Timony Grammar School in Methuen, Mass.

While she was in middle school, she played softball, basketball, cross country, and she was also a cheerleader. She also did many other activities in middle school such as chorus and theater.

Robin graduated from middle school in 2008 and then attended Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Mass. While she was there, she enjoyed making new friends and also played multiple sports. She was a three year varsity cheerleader for the Raiders. She then graduated from there in 2012 and started her transition from high school to college.

After high school, Robin decided to attend NECC to help her figure out what she wanted to do in life. She is currently a student studying multimedia and hoping one day to become a big time movie producer.

While attending NECC, Robin became a fitness fanatic and has fallen in love with working out. Working out makes her feel good and helps her motivate herself to become a better person.

“I work out to become a better person, and make myself grow and become a better individual,” said Robin.

Robin looks to friends and social media for motivation. The biggest part that helps her go to the gym every day is social media. Social media plays in a big role for Robin. She has been following fitness blogs for pretty much her whole life and has always thought it would be cool to have one of her own. So one day she decided to create one, to help her achieve her workout goals.

Robin started her blog to help her motivate herself and push her to workout. She posts pictures of her daily workout, the calories she burned and her time. She does this every day to help her motivate herself and show that people can do it if they put the work into it.

Chelsea Flanagan, a student at NECC, is Taylor’s best friend and always pushes Robin to go the gym. Robin works out every day with her friends Flanagan and Nodine Webster, another student at NECC. They run and do all their workouts together.

Flanagan loves how Robin posts her workouts to social media all the time. She feels inspired by her. Flanagan said, “by posting pictures on social media it helps inspire others and also helps you stay on track and finish your workout every day, social media is great for the fitness world.”

Social media has been benefiting fitness world for many years now. Many people now have blogs to help motivate people and push them to work out. Many people struggle with trying to work out every day, but if you log onto a social media site, there is plenty of inspiration all around.

“Seeing others post pictures helped me motivate myself to do the same,” said Robin.

Robin saw all her social media friends posting work out videos and pictures of all of them getting into shape and she thought, that can be her one day. She then decided to create an account on Instagram, in which people can follow her progress, and watch her workout.

Students can follow her progress on Instagram at @trobinfitness.

NECC student Connor Emo is impressed with Robin’s progress. He sees her in the gym an said, “she’s a hard worker, and she’s in the gym all the time.”

Social media is key to working out, according to Robin.

News

Why students choose community college

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Students face a lot of pressure to make decisions about their future after high school. 

Among those choices is whether to go straight to a four-year college or university, or start with a two-year community college.

Students believe that attending community college is not the same as attending a four-year school. 

There is a significant difference between the two, but in the end students receive an education.

NECC is a catalyst for freshly graduated high schoolers, a step in receiving a new degree, and a finishing point for some. 

Some students believe that if they don’t go to a four-year college or university, then they will not be able to get a better job in the future.

“I used to think that if I didn’t go to a four-year school, then I wouldn’t compare with people that did go to them. I figured if I were consistent at a school instead of transferring, a possible job prospect would want me more, but it’s not true,” said NECC Student Olivia Lucey.

Within six years, about 62 percent of students who transferred from a two-year school in 2005 and 2006 graduated with a four-year degree. 

In addition 8 percent were still working toward a degree, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s annual Signature      Report.

Students also believe that people frown on them for attending community college. 

Today’s economy is making people turn around to see how smart community college students are. They are taking courses, to prepare for the next step.

“I started off in the fall of 2013 at NECC, and I am now attending the University of New Hampshire. I still take a math course at NECC to save money. So I have couple extra bucks in my pocket,” said Lucey.

“My loan situation in the future won’t be severe. That was my focus,” said General Studies major Maddi Wilson. 

“I enjoy community college. I transferred from Stetson University in Deland, Fla. to NECC, said Communication major Nick Mazzone.

Since attending NECC, Mazzone has interned at the Matty In The Morning Show on Kiss 108,  and now works with 100.7 WZLX beacuse of the NECC internship program.

“I fell in love with radio working at Kiss 108, which made me look for a job. 100.7 WZLX from  CBS Radio was the first tocontact me, and hired me on the spot,” said Mazzone.

Mazzone is the perfect example of a student who left a university, to attend a community college, and still be just as successful.

Also, NECC offers a newly founded internship program for journalism, communication, business, and computer  information science majors.

“If I never left Stetson University, I would have never attended NECC. I also would never had a chance to intern in one of the best radio markets in the country,” said Mazzone.

There is a determination in community college students, that is surfacing.

“My grades are much better from high school,” said Wilson.

Students academically challenge themselves to prepare for the following years when going to transfer.

 They want to prove, that even though they are in attendance at a community college,  it does not set them apart from a student attending a four-year college or university.

NECC offers a wide variety of majors, which is a perfect start for students who plan on transferring to four-year schools.

“It is good preparation. I wasn’t the best in high school, but I have a better focus now,” said Lucey.

NECC also has numerous clubs, organizations, and events happening just like any other college.

“The Haverhill Campus gives off the college vibe. The only thing is driving and dorming. It’s not a big deal,” said Lucey.

There is always something happening on the NECC Haverhill campus. 

As you turn into the front driveway, there is a lit up sign advertising upcoming events. 

When walking through the hallways between classes, there are numerous displays of flyers, and pictures of clubs, sports, schedules, and events.

In the central area of The Spurk Building there are usually clubs or organizations promoting themselves, and trying to socialize with the student body to get the word out, or to have students join.

“I like walking out of The Spurk and seeing people studying, listening to music, chatting, playing catch, or just sitting cliche under a tree. Even though it’s a community college, it doesn’t hold to it’s name. It’s a campus to me,” said Lucey.

Attending a community college is not a bad choice. It can save money, and may even be less stressful. 

Some students want to get right out there and have the “college experience.”  It’s not it is all cracked up to be. 

The simple things like missing home cooked meals, friends, family, their own pillow, bed, the couch, their own bathroom, driving, and not having to wear flip flops in the shower.

 They all add up, and some students may not be ready for that.

Some students will commute to school because they prefer having the ammenities of living at home.

 Whether it is attending a four-year college or university, or attending a community college.

Community college resolves that by being a commuting school. 

They have the freedom to go home after classes, and possibly work part time. 

 Students need to prioritize and think about how they want to go about their education after high school. 

Community colleges such as NECC offer similar course, they host events, have clubs, sports teams, and organizations. 

They have most amenities that a four-year college has, but they don’t have the title of being a four-year college.

News

Student Life holds open house to talk about services

 

On Wednesday, Oct. 1, the Student Life Department held an open-house for students to learn what services are available to them on campus.

“It’s an open house, so that people can find out what happens in student life. So we have a counseling center, we have athletics, student engagement center and new student orientation,” said Dina Brown, head of Student Engagement. 

“We’re trying to make sure students know what is happening. Most of our offices are here in this building. We want to try to make sure people know what’s available.”

Representatives from many different departments of Student Life were available, including Train Wu, an Merrimack College Graduate Fellow.

“I’m part of student life. I am a Merrimack College Graduate Fellow, doing my fellowship or internship here. My job is to help connect student with community resources that are not academic related,” said Wu. 

“For example, if someone needs housing or emergency shelter, they might not know how to navigate. So they can come to me or give me a call, and I’ll be able to direct them to, hopefully, the proper services. And I’ll be here until May of this coming year.”

“Don’t be afraid, my office is in the Lawrence campus right now, on the second floor next to the writing center. My room is 231A. Feel free to give me a call, or they can come here and talk to the counselor,” said Wu.

Donna Passamato, newly appointed President of Student Senate, was also present.

“We’re trying to get all the students and clubs together and have fun and have this be a good experience,” said Passamato. 

“We’re always here to help,” said Jasmine Polanco, another Student Senator.

“Well student life is really important. It’s really important that students get involved with something besides just going to class and doing homework,” said Stephanie Bryszkowski, head of Lawrence Student Engagement. 

“You’re supposed to have fun in college too … but, the reason we do this is to make sure everyone knows that there is a student life here and that we have clubs and organizations, we have student government association, we have varsity athletics, and we have a gym that you can work out in for free.” 

Sue MacAvoy, head of Athletics at NECC, talked to students about sports related activities they could get involved with.

“We do have are Varsity athletics program. Student athletes need to be full-time students, so it is a time commitment, but it’s very rewarding,” said MacAvoy. 

“They can be a part of a team, make friends, travel throughout New England and be very successful. It really is almost like a four year college feel here in the amount of things that students can do.”

News

Howard Dean talks at NECC

 
Howard Dean stands at the front of the room speaking to an audience.
Howard Dean speaks in the Hartleb Tech Center at NECC. NECC Newsroom

Howard Dean, former six-term governor of Vermont and 2004 Democratic primary presidential candidate, spoke to NECC students Wednesday, Sept. 24.

“This is a new program, a speakers series, ‘Movers, Shakers and Opinion makers,’ and he’s the one who inaugurated it today,” said Richard Padova, a government professor at NECC and coordinator of the series. 

“I hope to have two more, at least two more between now and April of 2015.”

William Cox, the chairman of the NECC Board of Trustees, introduced the event. Padova gave the formal introduction for Dean. 

“I looked him up on the internet, basically, and I located where he works, where he’s a consultant, sent him an email, and then made all the arrangements with his secretary. There was a lot of emails and phone calls back and forth… details had to be worked out, coming up with the day and a time,” said Padova.

Dean is known for founding the grassroots organization Democracy for America and for revolutionizing the use of the internet in campaigning. 

He graduated Yale with a B.A. in political science in 1971, and he received his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1978.

“[Padova] just wrote me out of the blue. I don’t usually do things like this, and I wasn’t going to. But then it turned out I was in Boston last night, and as soon as I realized that, and this was practically right on the way home, and I figured ‘it’s an extra two hours, so what?’” said Dean.

Dean opened the talk with optimism, and he held that optimism throughout.

“The world is actually getting better… it’s hard to see that when you’re 20 years old,” said Dean.

Dean spoke about how students of the generation often known as “millennials,” a generation Dean calls the, “first globals,” have changed society and can change society. 

“Community colleges are a big deal. We talked about this generation being disrupters in using technology. Community colleges are the disrupters of higher education.

“Higher education is much too expensive, and there’s a market solution, and it’s places like this. Kids who come here and pay like 4,000 dollars for a year’s tuition, or whatever it is — something like that, are going to force four year colleges to drop their prices. And I think that’s the way it should be,” said Dean.

Dean spoke about how the new generation uses the internet, online petitions and communication, to enact change within society. He touched on points including net neutrality, intellectual property rights, inner city education and economic systems. 

NECC students were given the opportunity to ask questions after the talk. Students brought up topics such as the Citizens United decision, U.S. prison systems, police militarization and Edward Snowden.

When speaking about how to be successful, Dean said. “I think A., you have to work very hard and B., always listen to your inner sense of right and wrong. And even that won’t be good enough. I’ve been blessed in three ways.

“I had a great mentor, all of them were women actually. I had two women chiefs of staff who weren’t afraid to tell me what I needed to do. And I had a wife who didn’t care about politics, which turned out to be a great blessing.

“She didn’t care if I succeeded in politics or not, she just wanted me to be true to who I was. And when I wasn’t quite strong enough to do that, she reminded me. And that’s a big deal,” Dean said. 

“You really need someone with you on the journey who’s going to keep you from making decisions that you might otherwise make that wouldn’t be right,” said Dean. 

“It’s pretty unusual to find somebody, and I’m not one of those somebodies, who doesn’t cut corners. Or doesn’t want to cut corners. It’s really tempting, and you’re almost always better off in the long run if you don’t.”

Arts and Entertainment

Graphic novel art show

 
An NECC art student has her hand up to an example of her work.
An NECC art student displays her work. | NECC Observer

The Haverhill Public Library is currently hosting an art exhibit featuring original graphic novels created by NECC students.

The work was produced during the spring 2014 semester class entitled “Art and Literature of the Graphic Novel,” a learning community course co-taught by professors Ginger Hurajt and Marc Mannheimer.  

In this project, students wrote and illustrated short graphic stories, which were then compiled into the first volume of “Tales From the Valley.” 

This 44 page book is a collection of 21 of these stories and was produced and published on the Haverhill campus.

“The hardest part was learning to transfer what you’ve written into a picture that still tells the same story,” said Benjamin Pintor.  

He has been doodling illustrations for as long as he can remember, though he previously had little experience with writing his own story for which to provide the illustration.  

Pintor is currently majoring in general studies with a focus on art and industrial design. He enjoyed the project and plans to pursue a career that allows him to use his artistic talent. 

Also featured is Dylan McDougall, an art major who was inspired at a very young age by a brother who was always drawing, as well as by a love for drawing, 

McDougall found poetry to be an invaluable outlet when experiencing difficult times throughout his life.  

McDougall is currently preparing to launch his own original clothing line called “Smile Just Because,” which will feature designs transferred to t-shirts and hats, for starters.  

While he is not clear about exactly what his long term career plans are, he said “my biggest goal is to change the world.”

Currently a liberal arts major, Yosmarlin Infante didn’t realize she could draw until she took a high school art class at the age of 14.  

As she improved, she began to look for ways to incorporate her love of drawing and her love of film.  

Her favorite part of the class is that she finally learned how drawing can be connected to her career plans. 

 “As an aspiring film producer, I can use my own storyboards to pitch my own ideas.” she said.  Infante plans to transfer to the film program at Fitchburg State College after graduation.

A reception was held on Sept. 11, 5 to 7 p.m. in the library’s Johnson Auditorium, allowing visitors to purchase the book and meet the artists and view the storyboards they created.  

Artwork will remain on display along the second floor gallery at the Haverhill Public Library until Sept. 30.

To purchase a book for $5, or for more information, contact Marc Mannheimer at mmannheimer@necc.mass.edu.

Features

Life after the military

 
NECC student Rob Wormald is standing in uniform
NECC student Rob Wormald served in the military before becoming a philosophy major Photo courtesy of Rob Wormald

At NECC there are many people from all walks of life and with different experiences to bring to the table.

Rob Wormald, a philosophy major, served in the United States military. Wormald was a Reconassiance Marine with the rank of Sergeant (E-5) in the Marine Corps, with 2D Reconassiance Battalion, Charlie Company. He came back to NECC after initially enrolling at age 18, and then going off to the Marine Corps.

“I got out of high school in 2005, I came here for a semester before I got into the military and it’s just funny coming back because I see how I used to be, you know when I was 18,” Wormald said.

A lot has changed for Wormald since that one semester, and after gaining a ton of life experiences in the military.

“It’s an adjustment for sure, just the way that you interact with people and like the way I could talk in the military is not the way that I could talk now — and it should be like that, too, because it’s a different animal. 

In the military you’re judged more on what you’re capable of doing and what you have done, and your presentation is really kind of on the back burner if you’re swearing all the time and stuff. “It’s like a huge locker room,” Wormald said.

On a college campus, everyone is on an even playing field — which is a huge adjustment for a sergeant, coming from a rank where respect is granted automatically. 

“It doesn’t matter what you did in the military. No one cares, and they shouldn’t. Not that they don’t care that you did it, but you chose to do it.”

Wormald said, “No one forces you, you weren’t drafted and it’s just hard coming from five years of that and I was a sergeant, I was an E-5 so you have a little bit of power as far as when you’re there. In the respect you should be back in the real world, you shouldn’t just get that (respect) just because you’re in the military.”

Because of his habits of higher rank, Wormald has had to fight a tendency to demand more respect of his peers and professors than is given to the general student body. 

He stressed that he learned many valuable life skills from his time in the military, and the good qualities he learned are a meaningful advantage in his school life. But it’s important to be able to leave the other stuff behind.

“In all honesty, anything I did in the military doesn’t really carry over as far as I’m concerned, unless you talk about work ethic, maturity, stuff like that — which is good, but I shouldn’t get an A because I was in the military.”

One of the biggest challenges Wormald has faced in coming back to NECC is some professors have not quite been understanding of the adjustment involved in coming back to civilian life. 

“I’m not gonna let someone, just because they’re a professor, think that they’re above me and show me the same respect that I’m showing you. Good professors understand that it’s how you carry yourself. They may not know you’re a veteran but the way you address them when talking to them personally ,emails and stuff. I come to school like it’s a job.”

School in many respects is preparing its students for careers, and treating school like a job is key for success. Wormald said that if he hadn’t spent time in the military before coming to NECC, “it would definitely be different. [In the military,] a lot of it is rank structure and stuff like that, and luckily the unit I was with, rank obviously mattered, but it was more about what you brought to the table to make your platoon better and your battalion better.”

This has helped Wormald cope with professors who weren’t respectful in the way he felt they ought to have been. 

“Don’t be afraid to ask them questions, don’t take what they say for face value if you have a question. Don’t be afraid to challenge them,” Wormald said.

“It’s funny, it was my first day at NECC coming back. The professor sets this table of what you think school is gonna be like. My first class, the teacher that I had for that class she had said something about wherever she was from didn’t have an army so they had no blood on their hands. And that was my first like, ‘welcome to college,’ and I’m sitting there thinking I got buddies that died.” 

Situations like this are just part of the shift from military life to that of a college student.

Both students and professors have a variety ideas, morals, and ways of thinking — and exploring those different experiences is part of what makes college both challenging and frustrating. 

Wormald said that he can usually tell within the first day of class whether a professor’s style and ideals meshes with his own. 

“How are you going to set the tone for any veteran, and obviously you’re right there I’m already gonna have my defenses up and now it’s like, ‘so that’s how it’s going to be,’ and I thought every professor was going to be like that until I really got to know them.”

Despite the rough start, Wormald is very happy at NECC. 

“I think NECC is a great school. First of all, the improvements they’ve made, when I was first here the tech center wasn’t here and all that stuff it’s a lot of what you make of it. 

I think NECC does a great job to where other than one or two professors I’ve had, they’ve all been very good as far as even if they disagree with my views they aren’t disrespectful.”

A roadblock for many students is fear of sounding unintelligent in a classroom setting or not having those skills to articulate themselves in a manner where they will be understood. 

“Just because someone can’t talk the greatest in a public setting doesn’t mean they’re not intelligent. They just don’t have those skills yet to get their point across.”

“I’ve had some classes with people that knew me outside of NECC and when they’re in class they’re like ‘wow, you’re actually pretty intelligent!’”

The GI bill is a huge help to all veterans. When a person completes their military service, they fill out the Veteran Action Form or VON app, and they are provided 36 months of school. 

The GI bill will cover many different types of schools and programs, including technical schools, community colleges and four year colleges.

The veteran then submits the Veteran Action Form. The amount a veteran gets for other things like housing depends on where they are located, but school is almost always entirely covered. Parts of the GI Bill include tuition, book stipends, and BAH or basic housing allowance depending on location. If schooling is not entirely covered by the GI bill, a veteran can contact the Yellow Ribbon Project and organizations like it for further aid in school or other services.

“I use the GI bill, so I don’t have to pay anything but do two years here, save your money and go wherever you want. I think just the environment, the people I’ve worked with as far as in classes and stuff like that, is pretty good.” 

Wormald highly recommends that any veteran returning from serving in the military should come to school, even if they don’t know what they want to do. It can help veterans reacclimate to civilian life.

“The biggest adjustment is realizing the military thing is over. Take the good stuff with you, the work ethic, the memories, the maturity; but the other stuff you gotta just leave behind. That’s the hardest part because you’re coming from somewhere you mattered if you had an opinion, people are gonna listen.

 Now it’s, like, not that people won’t listen but you’re just a student just like everybody else.” One struggle Wormald faces is watching other students in some of his classes not taking it as seriously as himself especially when it becomes distracting to his own learning experiences.

 “You gotta have respect for your instructors, and they will show it to you back. That’s the biggest thing, the way you come off. If I see someone texting or something like that near me and that’s distracting me then I’m gonna tell you, because now you’re taking away from my learning. If you don’t wanna learn go sleep in your car;  I don’t really care.” 

A turning point in Wormald’s academic career came in one of his classes where he was to give a presentation and the girl sitting near him under her breath to a friend mentioned how she was nervous to present after him.

 This is a big deal for someone who was previously not comfortable articulating his thoughts in a classroom setting or presentation. 

“It was actually pretty cool because I was in one of my classes, and I was supposed to do a presentation, and I remember one of the girls sitting behind me was like ‘oh I don’t want to go after him’ (referencing Wormald) because you know, like I said I’m able to really articulate myself. I took that as a compliment because I do realize how far I’ve come.”

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NEACAC College Fair

 

NECC will host the New England Association of College Admissions Counselors (NEACAC) College Fair on Sunday, Sept. 21 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Representatives from over 150 colleges and universities will be in the Sport and Fitness Center on Haverhill Campus with information about programs and enrollment.

Contact Jill Palermo of enrollment services at (978) 556-3735 or at jpalermo@necc.mass.edu with any questions.