Stay informed of all the news and events at Holyoke Community College. Along with publishing the latest headlines in a variety of online publications, HCC’s Department of Marketing and Public Relations also maintains a news archives.


In person and on Facebook, HCC’s First Year Experience (FYE) seeks to engage students and ensure their success. At a recent FYE reception, new students discovered the wealth of personalized support services available to smooth their entry into college.



The David M. Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation  has undergone some major changes this summer that include an overhaul of its lighting system, new state-of-the art equipment and new passenger vans.

Holyoke Community College's Welcome Wednesdays
is a great place to begin your educational career. Every Wednesday the college admissions’ staff hosts prospective students for a one-hour information session and a personalized tour.

Popular computer software classes will be taught in Spanish this fall, providing greater access to education for area residents whose first language is Spanish. PhotoShop (beginning and intermediate), Dreamweaver, and Illustrator will be offered on Saturdays at HCC.

Among the highlights of her summer? Learning American Sign Language! Student Susan Morris-Player was one of 35 enthusiastic students who learned the fundamentals of ASL in HCC’s 10-week summer ASL I and ASL II classes, taught by professors Diane and Lee Nettles.

Alumna Onawa LaBelle ‘09 embodies the spirit of HCC’s slogan, “Futures Inspired.” Now attending Smith College, LaBelle has spent the summer interning with Dr. Rosalind J. Wright, a physician and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, at the world renowned Channing Laboratory, affiliated with Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

They learned to suture a pig’s foot and take a germ culture...and discovered that when it comes to a career in healthcare, the opportunities are as limitless as their imagination and interest.

Last year, $191,343 in Pell funds was awarded to summer students; this summer, $566,039 was disbursed. Changes enacted under the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, passed by Congress this spring, made it possible for more students to afford summer classes.

Students include those already in the healthcare field, those completing undergraduate and graduate pre-requisites, and some who are simply exploring an interest in a potential major. HCC’s  summer Anatomy & Physiology class examines the common relationship between organisms while exposing the “nuts and bolts” of human anatomy.

Preparation is the key to college success, and the students in this summer’s Bridge to ABE Transition to College and Careers program intend to enter college with the skills to open any door they wish.

Elementary school students from the Holyoke Boy’s
and Girls Club have been taking Thursday summer classes at HCC’s Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development—and loving it! Forensics, robotics, marketing, environmental science...don't call it summer school!

When it comes to the field of Early Childhood, education gives workers a strong competitive edge. After earning her Lead Teacher Certification and graduating with an Associate in Early Childhood Education, recent HCC graduate Kathleen Stark’s career soared.

“We all want to go to college. that’s why we’re here,” said a student in HCC’s summer Upward Bound program for low income high school students and those whose parents never went to college. This summer, 40 determined students are putting in the time and effort to stay on track for college.


Continuing a tradition of strong support for the annual Festival de la Familia Hispana, HCC volunteers turned out to raise funds for a scholarship, spread information about our new adult education resource, and have a great time!

Aimed at increasing the number of women
and underrepresented minorities in the field of information technology, a summer internship program gives high school students hands-on experience while they explore the wide range of career possibilities in IT.

Despite knowing little English when they arrived
in the U.S. a few years ago, HCC students Nataliya Yuzych, Shirin Apajee, and Maria Gomez-Caraballo overcame language and cultural barriers to achieve goals that few ever attain.

A center for adult learning in the heart of Holyoke
will open its doors this fall, a joint undertaking by HCC and its partners in the Juntos Collaborative.  A public-private partnership, the Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center will occupy the upper floors of the new Holyoke Multimodal Transportation Center in downtown Holyoke.

Angelo Maymi wanted to learn videography, so he
volunteered at Easthampton’s Cable Access Channel. A quick study, Maymi was soon offered a job as tv production assistant. Recently featured on a segment of Making It Here: Teenstyle on Ch 57, the budding videographer is definitely on his way.

They struggled in high school, and more than a few gave up and dropped out. Now they're completing the requirements for their high school diplomas in a college setting while earning college credit. They've truly found a Gateway to College at HCC.

Her effort to secure HCC’s participation in a program that enables disabled high school students to attend college earned Maureen Conroy the respect of her peers, and an award from the Federation for Children with Special Needs.

The 3rd Annual Diversity and Inclusion Summit drew faculty and staff from 14 Massachusetts community colleges for a full day of workshops on Friday, June 11. The annual event was hosted by HCC's Council for Community, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (CCDEI). 

To strengthen their teamwork and prepare for the occasional uphill climb, HCC’s new student senate tackled the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Outdoor toilets, no showers, and the toughest peaks in the East helped get them in shape for the challenges ahead.

HCC honors two outstanding Alumni
Kay Althoff ‘82 and Danny Eaton '74 were recipients of the Holyoke Community College 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award, presented by the Holyoke Community College Alumni Association at its 33rd Annual Alumni Award Dinner at the Log Cabin on June 8.

Vegetables and greens planted last spring are flourishing in HCC’s first organic garden. Created by students in professor Kate Maiolatesi’s Sustainable Agriculture class, the garden is a source of nutritious food and a lab for students, who this summer will continue to explore the challenges and benefits of sustainable practices.