Thank You for Being an NECC Ambassador!

As one of the thousands of NECC alumni who make up our vibrant community, you play an important role in ensuring the continued success of the college and the surrounding region. Nearly 96 percent of NECC graduates remain in the Merrimack Valley, and in turn make up a large percentage of our workforce – they are our healthcare professionals, lawmakers, artists, industry leaders, and more. You have a voice in the story of your alma mater… And we thank you for sharing it!

As you move forward in your journey, we hope you will continue to stay in touch with us and spread the word about all that NECC has to offer. If you have a story to share, please email the alumni office at alumni@necc.mass.edu. We’d love to hear from you!

Close to 1,100 Graduate from NECC

Commencement Speaker Andy Vargas, Massachusetts state representative for the 3rd Essex District, extolled the virtues of Northern Essex during his remarks at Northern Essex’s 56th Annual Commencement on Saturday, May 19.

“This college is more than a traditional higher education institution; it is a treasure and creator of community and opportunity,” he said.

Student speaker Malina Popa, an engineering major with a 3.95 GPA, immigrated to the United States from Italy with her husband and two young children in 2012. The first job she could get was as an assembler for an electronics company, and she discovered she had an interest in the field. “I did not choose engineering –engineering chose me,” she told the graduates.

NECC Alumni Association Chair Bill Klueber presented the Outstanding Alumni Award to Karina Calderon of Methuen, who graduated last year and is now associate director of the Lawrence Partnership and a member of the NECC Alumni Board.

Emeritus status was given to recent retirees Terry Cargan, professor emerita of English; Ann Grandmaison, coordinator emerita of library research services; Lynne Nadeau, director emerita of tutoring services; and Bernard “Bill” Zannini, professor emeritus of business.

NECC Baseball Players Moving Up to Four-Year Colleges

Six sophomore members of the 2018 Northern Essex Knights have transferred to four-year colleges, where they will be playing baseball.

Corey Imbriano of Wakefield, MA will attend the University of Dayton, OH (DI) and Ben Irvine has committed to the University of Maryland (DI).

Nolan Stevens of Wilton, NH will attend Southern Wesleyan University, SC (DII).

Three players—Devin Carvalho of North Andover, Ryan Collins of Peabody, and Nick Musto of Londonderry, NH— have elected to stay close to home and play for Suffolk University, UMass-Boston, and Rivier University respectively (DIII).

After clinching the District F Super Regional Series, the Knights competed in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III World Series this past May, as the #6 seed in the eight-team tournament, which was held in Greeneville, TN.

Northern Essex Community College competes as a member of the NJCAA and sponsors nine varsity intercollegiate sports including baseball, men’s basketball, golf, softball, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country and men’s and women’s track and field.

Check out the all-new NECC Athletics website, www.neccknights.com, for all the latest information on the NECC Athletics program. If you are a former student athlete who has transferred to or received a degree from a fouryear institution, we want to hear from you! Please contact Director of Athletics Dan Blair at dblair@necc.mass.edu with your name, sport played, years played, and name of the college or university where you continued your student athletic career and we will include your information in the Alumni Transfer section of the website.

Our Public Health Graduates Are the First in New England

Seven of this year’s Northern Essex Community College graduates have the proud distinction of being the first in New England to graduate with an Associate Degree in Public Health.

Northern Essex has the only program in New England and there are only 11 programs offered nationwide.

Northern Essex began the program in the fall of 2016 in collaboration with the League for Innovation in the Community College, an international nonprofit organization with a mission to cultivate innovation in the community college environment.

The program supports students who want to pursue an entry-level career in public health and eventually earn a bachelor’s degree in the field.

“By providing health education and advocacy for patients, public health workers strive to improve health care outcomes,” said Jacqueline Dick, coordinator of Northern Essex’s Public Health Program. “As a result, we hope to have healthier communities which will eventually result in lower health costs.”

Northern Essex offers a Community Health Worker Certificate in addition to its Associate Degree in Public Health.