Michael Penta NECC PROFILE

Community college changed Michael Penta’s life. Now, as a community college professor, he hopes to have the same positive impact on his students’ lives.

Before community college, Penta, a self-described “geeky” educator, cycled through a half dozen unskilled jobs before he enrolled in a basic computer class and found his passion.

Penta earned associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees and now harnesses his energy and enthusiasm for the front of the classroom. He encourages students to take risks because this is how they will best succeed.

Name: Michael Penta

Home: Lowell

Profession: Assistant professor, computer & information sciences

Hobbies: I like to make things, explore new technologies, listen to podcasts, learn about the labor movement in the United States, and regional history.

Last book read: Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919, by Stephen Puleo

Latest accomplishment: Last year I was awarded tenure. I was also nominated for the Haverhill YMCA Educator of the Year Award.

Quote: “You can’t think about thinking without thinking about thinking about something,” Seymour Papert

Profile: I am a dedicated educator and lifelong learner. I have a passion for teaching, computer science, mathematics, and design. Before NECC, I was a program developer and associate director of a center focused on hands-on, design-based learning. That informed my teaching style and laid the groundwork for my graduate studies in computer science education – my thesis focused on the role of video game programming in math education.

Why I do what I do: That early computer science course began a journey to the joy and beauty of computer science and mathematics. While pursuing my own education, I found a new passion in teaching. Community college laid my foundation, so joining the faculty at NECC seemed like a natural fit.