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  <Page ID="x83" Name="SectionFrontPage" Link="News" Target="" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories" Schema="NewsIndexPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="" FileName="x83.xml" Title="News Stories" Abstract="The HCC Marketing &amp; Communications Department operates its own news bureau and regularly publishes stories on the college website about programs and people at HCC.   " ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" label="Section Front Page" UID="c5fa4275b01f4fb7a38350879cca5f2f"></Page>
  
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  <SiteControl ID="x5" Name="SiteControl" IsComponent="true" Changed="20260424T19:42:25" Created="20161109T22:28:15" Published="20260506T07:36:59" SiteBaseUrl="http://hcc.edu" Locale="" XPowerPath="/Site Control" Expanded="20260608T08:49:15" Type="Component" Embedded="false" UID="cbf579110ba54987a68f5d7d3d5890c3" ComponentName="Site Control" label="Site Control"><IGX_Categories Count="0" CategoryIds="" /><LingualMaps />
  
  <Logo type="Image" UID="e090a79584764e29b2212ccde1b23248" label="Logo" readonly="false" hidden="false" required="false" indexable="false" openByDefault="false" Asset="a/14730" AssetTypes="Image|Binary" Width="153" Height="93" Border="" HSpace="" VSpace="" Alignment="" AlternateText="HCC Logo Links to homepage" CIID="" RequireAltText="" IsAsset="true" ID="a/14730" Schema="Image" Changed="20240802T05:11:48" CategoryIds="" Locale="">/images/Redesign%20Images/HCC-LOGO.png</Logo><Page ID="x2" Name="LogoLink" Link="Homepage" Target="" URL="" Schema="Home" Locale="" Changed="20260604T12:38:20" CategoryIds="" FileName="x2.xml" Title="Home" Abstract="Holyoke Community College on the web" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" label="Logo Link" UID="fffda99dbdfa4194a1cc997754fa4325"></Page><Page Link="myHCC" Target="" URL="https://experience.elluciancloud.com/hcc739/" Name="Link" UID="4c8895c9297b7659f496a503d5f55b41" /><Page ID="x12223" Name="Link" Link="Students" Target="" URL="students" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260331T17:35:08" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12223.xml" Title="Students" Abstract="Find resources, links, and support for current HCC students." BodyCopy="&lt;!-- &lt;div class=&quot;ticker&quot;&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;list-style-type: none;&quot;&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40; font-size: 16px;&quot;&gt;Registration is now open for winter &amp;amp; spring classes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40; font-size: 16px;&quot;&gt;For mental health support &amp;amp; resources, &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/mental-health-counseling-and-stress-mgmt&quot; title=&quot;Link to mental health page&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40; font-size: 16px;&quot;&gt;For bookstore hours &amp;amp; info,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;Link to bookstore page&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40; font-size: 16px;&quot;&gt;For on-campus dining hours &amp;amp; info, &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/food-on-campus&quot; title=&quot;Link to food on campus page&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt; --&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;top links&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;10&quot; cellspacing=&quot;10&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: 394px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 238px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; height: 238px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;link to bookstore page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of a storefront that says SHOP&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/bookstore_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;link to bookstore page&quot;&gt;Bookstore&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; height: 238px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot; title=&quot;Link to admissions page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of apple on a pile of books&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/admissions-reg_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot; title=&quot;Link to admissions page&quot;&gt;Admissions/&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot; title=&quot;Link to admissions page&quot;&gt;Register for Classes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; height: 238px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar&quot; title=&quot;link to student records &amp;amp; registrar&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of forms&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/stdt-records_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar&quot; title=&quot;link to student records &amp;amp; registrar&quot;&gt;Student Records &amp;amp; Forms&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; height: 238px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-calendar&quot; title=&quot;link to academic calendar page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of calendar page&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/acad-calendar_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-calendar&quot; title=&quot;link to academic calendar page&quot;&gt;Academic Calendar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 156px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; height: 156px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/course-finder&quot; title=&quot;link to course finder page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of a teacher and students in a classroom&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/course-finder_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/course-finder&quot; title=&quot;link to course finder page&quot;&gt;Course Finder&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; height: 156px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/help-desk&quot; title=&quot;link to it help page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;graphic of headphones with microphone&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/helpdesk_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/help-desk&quot; title=&quot;link to it help page&quot;&gt;HCC Help Desk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; height: 156px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/advising&quot; title=&quot;link to advising page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of two silhouettes with an arrow from one to the other&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/advising_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/advising&quot; title=&quot;link to advising page&quot;&gt;Advising&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; height: 156px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library&quot; title=&quot;link to library webpage&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;graphic of a building with columns&quot; height=&quot;120&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/library_icon_800x%280%29.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;120&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library&quot; title=&quot;Link to library webpage&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Library&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring&quot; title=&quot;link to tutoring page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of a head silhouette with an open book&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/tutoring-acad-supp_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring&quot; title=&quot;link to tutoring webpage&quot;&gt;Tutoring&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;links a-z&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;10&quot; cellspacing=&quot;10&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-calendar&quot; title=&quot;link to academic calendar page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of calendar page&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/acad-calendar_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-calendar&quot; title=&quot;link to academic calendar page&quot;&gt;Academic Calendar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services&quot; title=&quot;link to disability and deaf services page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of a person in a wheelchair&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/wheelchair_zippy_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services&quot; title=&quot;link to disability and deaf services page&quot;&gt;Accessibility&lt;br /&gt;Resources&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot; title=&quot;Link to admissions page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of apple on a pile of books&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/admissions-reg_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot; title=&quot;Link to admissions page&quot;&gt;Admissions/&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot; title=&quot;Link to admissions page&quot;&gt;Register for Classes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/adult-learner&quot; title=&quot;Link to adult learner page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A line graphic of a person using a laptop&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/adult_student_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/adult-learner&quot; title=&quot;Link to adult learner page&quot;&gt;Adult Supports&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/advising&quot; title=&quot;link to advising page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of two silhouettes with an arrow from one to the other&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/advising_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/advising&quot; title=&quot;link to advising page&quot;&gt;Advising&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness&quot; title=&quot;link to athletics page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of two silhouettes with an arrow from one to the other&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/athletics_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness&quot; title=&quot;link to athletics &amp;amp; fitness page&quot;&gt;Athletics&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/bartley-center&quot; title=&quot;Link to Bartley Center webpage&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A line graphic of two weights&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/Bartley_Center_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/bartley-center&quot; title=&quot;Link to Bartley Center webpage&quot;&gt;Bartley Center (Gym)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;link to bookstore page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of a storefront that says SHOP&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/bookstore_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;link to bookstore page&quot;&gt;Bookstore&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/visit-hcc/getting-here&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of open map&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/bus-map-park_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/visit-hcc/getting-here&quot; title=&quot;Link to getting here page on hcc website&quot;&gt;Bus, Maps&lt;br /&gt;&amp;amp; Parking&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://fed.hcc.edu/adfs/ls/?SAMLRequest=fZLLTsMwEEX3fEXkfR5OUhBWEqm0QlQqELWBBRvkOk5rybGDxy7w9yQpjyJEt%2BN75s6dcQa0lR2ZOrtTK%2F7iOFjvrZUKyPiQI2cU0RQEEEVbDsQysp7eLkkcRKQz2mqmJTpCThMUgBsrtELeYp6j5%2FM0wclFk%2FjxhF74KU4an2I88RlNNmndsDjaJMh75AZ6Jkd9ix4EcHyhwFJl%2B1IUxz7GfpRWOCVpTCaXT8ib9zmEonakdtZ2QMKw4XWwYyzgtQtp3UAoIUTe9GukmVbgWm7W3OwF4w%2Br5Q%2FKqNpT%2BKal3goVDnGRV34u4UqoWqjt6fybgwjITVWVfnm%2FrlCRDX3ImMoUg%2BFfv0ERZ%2BGxMDsc7q63WMxLLQV79661aan9fwIc4LEiar8ZpcQp6DgTjeB1vwkp9evMcGp5jqxxHIXFwfT3BynOPgA%3D&amp;amp;SigAlg=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2F09%2Fxmldsig%23rsa-sha1&amp;amp;Signature=eRkFznCw0sSTMz%2FzORLE8VqLj4DnuSaZVPzWliLXXIeA5mQ78FUZhad8UW5q7weq1TL9dw5bqB5yuERRAcrh9OYyjgUg43q%2Bns%2BFfGPQYj52R2wv2ofMyt96Zdyr8hXew7vU8soAfpb3y7%2F74uKTuLGhwW%2FXnSntHAeZcSPPjhxZ7qX%2BYtDvqTHQo7lebJwD0qup6TlsvpoAGh6gC1NBXP%2FfvxutXI2MAVv1ph4iZQe3SHx85TPsOjLr14Llg8G8SzcR%2FHg7S%2FDcyd6ruP%2BcqgcgN6oqLAs5USddsWha47sST7xAhkJ8IkFJMdPmw0ElQnEbEzA4oPQdPVDxbf6zdg%3D%3D&quot; title=&quot;link to canvas&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of two gears&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/degreeworks_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://canvas.hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;link to canvas&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Canvas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/career-services&quot; title=&quot;link to career center page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of person leaping from block to block&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/career-svcs_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/career-services&quot; title=&quot;link to career center page&quot;&gt;Career Services&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/course-finder&quot; title=&quot;link to course finder page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of a teacher and students in a classroom&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/course-finder_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/course-finder&quot; title=&quot;link to course finder page&quot;&gt;Course Finder&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/directory&quot; title=&quot;Link to directory&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A graphic icon of an address book&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Directory.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/directory&quot; title=&quot;Link to directory&quot;&gt;Directory&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mail.hcc.edu/&quot; title=&quot;link to hcc email&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of an envelope with a piece of paper emerging&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Images/Students/email_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mail.hcc.edu/&quot; title=&quot;link to hcc email&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Email&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources&quot; title=&quot;link to student resources page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A graphic of a lifesaver&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/essential_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources&quot; title=&quot;link to student resources page&quot;&gt;Essential Services&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/food-on-campus&quot; title=&quot;link to food on campus page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;graphic of hamburger and cup with straw&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/food.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/food-on-campus&quot; title=&quot;Link to Food on Campus page&quot;&gt;Food on Campus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/help-desk&quot; title=&quot;link to it help page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;graphic of headphones with microphone&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/helpdesk_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/help-desk&quot; title=&quot;link to it help page&quot;&gt;HCC Help Desk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library&quot; title=&quot;link to library webpage&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;graphic of a building with columns&quot; height=&quot;120&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/library_icon_800x%280%29.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;120&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library&quot; title=&quot;Link to library webpage&quot;&gt;Library&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/mental-health-counseling-and-stress-mgmt&quot; title=&quot;link to mental health support page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of head with heart inside&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/Mental%20Health%20Icon.png&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/mental-health-counseling-and-stress-mgmt&quot; title=&quot;Link to mental health support&quot;&gt;Mental Health Support&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.navigate.eab.com/&quot; title=&quot;Link to EAB Navigate for Students&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The EAB Navigate logo&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/navigate.png&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.navigate.eab.com/&quot; title=&quot;Link to EAB Navigate for students&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Navigate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ban.hcc.edu/prodssb/twbkwbis.P_GenMenu?name=homepage&quot; title=&quot;link to online services&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of open laptop with person outline&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/online-svcs_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ban.hcc.edu/prodssb/twbkwbis.P_GenMenu?name=homepage&quot; title=&quot;link to online services&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Online Services&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/billing-and-refund&quot; title=&quot;Link to billing and refund webpage&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A line graphic of a checkbook&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/pay_your_bill_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/billing-and-refund&quot; title=&quot;Link to billing and refund webpage&quot;&gt;Pay Your Bill&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;graphic of bag of money and coins&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/fin-aid_icon_800x.png&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid&quot; title=&quot;link to tuition and aid page&quot;&gt;Paying for College&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/HCC%20Version_Student%20Code%20of%20Conduct%20Revised_2-18-20.pdf&quot; title=&quot;link to PDF of student code of conduct&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;graphic of a book&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/shb_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/HCC%202025%20Student%20Code%20of%20Conduct%202025.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of student code of conduct&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Student Code of Conduct&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Image of one hand extending and another hand receiving money&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/EmergenC_Fund_icon_800x.png&quot; title=&quot;Link to Student Emergency Fund&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/presidents-student-emergency-fund&quot; title=&quot;Link to Student Emergency Fund&quot;&gt;Student&lt;br /&gt;Emergency Fund&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/publications&quot; title=&quot;link to publications page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;graphic of a book&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/shb_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/publications&quot; title=&quot;Link to publications page&quot;&gt;Student Handbook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar&quot; title=&quot;link to student records &amp;amp; registrar&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of forms&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/stdt-records_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar&quot; title=&quot;link to student records &amp;amp; registrar&quot;&gt;Student Records &amp;amp; Forms&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wd10NAk0fZZY16c1pufxP4NyUOYSRgqkO6MNFhqjEPE/edit?usp=sharing&quot; title=&quot;Link to student self registration guide&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Laptop with Arrows pointing left and right&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/Student_Guidebook_Square_200x200_d4.png&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSfBDr_js0CRnZXGW2gV-35Z_tCxooE37Yz2Lxrax9kbCz47YQz9w15t6xMWLVqM5bRg-_Kaj1gWFc6/pub&quot; title=&quot;Link to Student Self Registration Guide&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Student&lt;br /&gt;Self-Registration&lt;br /&gt;Guide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer&quot; title=&quot;link to transfer page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of two black arrows&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/transfer_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer&quot; title=&quot;link to transfer page&quot;&gt;Transfer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring&quot; title=&quot;link to tutoring page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of a head silhouette with an open book&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/tutoring-acad-supp_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring&quot; title=&quot;link to tutoring webpage&quot;&gt;Tutoring&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC's zoom&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The Zoom logo&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/cib-zoom.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC's zoom&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Zoom&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" UID="8c18fffd76d43677bd3ba4d4bdf1beb5"></Page><Page ID="x314" Name="Link" Link="Faculty &amp; Staff" Target="" URL="faculty-and-staff" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260416T16:18:46" CategoryIds="" FileName="x314.xml" Title="Faculty &amp; Staff" Abstract="Learn about benefits and college policies, check the schedule for the next Staff Council meeting, locate a colleague, or join a committee." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;Following, you'll find links to information about benefits, college policies, textbook adoptions, how to request media services, and more!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;news for faculty &amp;amp; staff&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;ticker&quot;&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;Stay up-to-date on professional development in the &lt;a href=&quot;/faculty-and-staff/the-learning-collaborative&quot; title=&quot;Link to the Learning Collaborative&quot;&gt;Learning Collaborative&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;All the tech tools you need in one place: check out&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/faculty-and-staff/remote-resources-for-faculty-and-staff&quot;&gt;Remote Resources for Faculty &amp;amp; Staff&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;useful links&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/people-and-talent/employment-opportunities&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke community college employment opportunities&quot;&gt;Employment&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/assessment/home&quot; title=&quot;Link to GEAC google site&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;General Education Assessment Internal Site&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.curriculog.com/&quot; title=&quot;HCC Curriculog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;HCC Curriculog&lt;/a&gt; - Curriculum Management&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.campus.eab.com/&quot; title=&quot;HCC Navigate Staff&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;HCC&amp;nbsp;Navigate Staff&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/people-and-talent&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke Community College human resources&quot;&gt;People and Talent (HR)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ems.hcc.edu/virtualEMS/&quot; title=&quot;Learning Collaborative&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/faculty-and-staff/the-learning-collaborative&quot; title=&quot;Link to center for excellence page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Learning Collaborative&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Faculty-Staff/Model_Release_2014.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Model Release&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Model Release Form&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hccprofdev.blogspot.com/&quot; title=&quot;HCC space reservation&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/a/hcc.edu/new-adjunct-orientation/&quot; title=&quot;New Adjunct Orientation&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;New Adjunct Orientation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/visit-hcc/getting-here&quot; title=&quot;Parking at HCC&quot;&gt;Parking&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.monday.com/forms/b3eed717d13611b356b604aac422473f?r=use1&quot; title=&quot;Link to design request form on wrike website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Project Request Form&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/religious-holidays&quot; title=&quot;Link to Religious Holidays page on HCC website&quot;&gt;Religious Holidays&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://events.hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;HCC space reservation&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Reserve a Room or Vehicle&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/hccsharedgovernance?usp=sharing&quot;&gt;Shared Governance Internal Site &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.registerblast.com/holyoke/professor/enroll&quot; title=&quot;Exam Upload (Testing Center)&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Testing Center Exam Upload&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;| &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Faculty-Staff/4.2018%20%20REGISTER%20BLAST%20PROF%20INSTRUCTIONS.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Exam Upload Instructions&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Instructions&lt;/a&gt; |&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/testing-and-workforce-certification-center&quot; title=&quot;Testing Center&quot;&gt;Testing Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://fast.ecampus.com/school/hcc &quot; title=&quot;Link to AIP portal&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Textbook Adoption &amp;amp; Insight Portal&lt;/a&gt; (log in with your HCC email credentials)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfY70lDYhEhfKXzT17wkKwHrM8lMe8EORMxyC2x3T9_niKTEA/viewform&quot; title=&quot;Video request form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Video Request Form&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" UID="edfb9122c4c8fe65bcfc971213567425"></Page><Page ID="x315" Name="Link" Link="Alumni &amp; Friends" Target="" URL="alumni-and-friends" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251002T13:50:52" CategoryIds="" FileName="x315.xml" Title="Alumni &amp; Friends" Abstract="We hope you'll visit often, and keep up with the latest news and events." BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.monday.com/forms/8668cd457520e5313b68fe56759596fa?r=use1&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Submit Alumni Class Note&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;alumni pics&quot; height=&quot;362&quot; src=&quot;images/Alumni-Friends/Website%20Image%201%20-%20May%202024%20Refresh%20-%201193%20x%20509%20px.png&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whether you walked the halls of HCC as a student or are part of our large network of family and friends, thank you for being a part of our community! Here you'll find a place to connect to HCC: read the latest issue of &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/publications&quot;&gt;The Connection&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;(formerly known as the &lt;em&gt;Alumni Connection&lt;/em&gt;), learn about recent&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;News &amp;amp; Events&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;from campus, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/13339/donations/new?donation_type=general&quot; title=&quot;Make a gift&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;make a gift to support the College&lt;/a&gt;, or get in touch with the &lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/alumni-association&quot;&gt;Alumni Association&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;TRIO students with president&quot; height=&quot;509&quot; src=&quot;images/Alumni-Friends/Website%20Image%202%20-%20May%202024%20Refresh%20-%201193%20x%20509%20px.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 15px 15px;&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" UID="53d42f38113e87d329d2c6354034cf49"></Page><Page Link="Give" Target="" URL="https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/79810/donations/new" Name="AltQuickLink" UID="51a415aecb2a4abe97f91ddce210bc7c" /><Navigation Type="Children" Name="MainNavigation" label="Main Navigation" UID="f0d056b74872413cb195fc81314fa8eb"><Page ID="x100" URL="courses-and-programs" Schema="SectionFrontPage" Locale="" Changed="20240808T13:56:08" CategoryIds="" FileName="x100.xml" Name="Courses &amp; Programs" Thumbnail="/images/Courses-Programs/coursesandprograms.png" Title="Courses &amp; Programs" Abstract="Whether you want solid preparation for transfer to a four-year college or university, or skills you can use to enter the workforce immediately, HCC will take you where you want to go." ThumbnailAltText="Two HCC nursing students work with a patient simulator" IntroCopy="HCC will take you where you want to go." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Whether you want solid preparation for transfer to a four-year college or university, or skills you can use to enter the workforce immediately, HCC will take you where you want to go. Outstanding faculty, small class size, flexible day, evening, Saturday, and&amp;nbsp;online classes, and comprehensive&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support&quot; title=&quot;academic support&quot;&gt;academic support&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;ensure your success. Not seeking a a degree? Our&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development&quot; title=&quot;Business &amp;amp; Community Services division&quot;&gt;Business &amp;amp; Community Services division&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;offers a wealth of personal enrichment and professional development classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC&amp;nbsp;offers&amp;nbsp;two degrees: an Associate in Arts (A.A.) and Associate in Science (A.S.), plus numerous certificate options and a&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer/transfer-after-hcc&quot; title=&quot;BA option at Elms College&quot;&gt;BA option at Elms College&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Associate degrees can be completed in as little as two years full time, or part time at a pace that suits you. Degrees prepare you for a career or transfer to a four-year college or university, and require completion of at least 60 credits, usually specific major-related courses and a flexible choice of electives. And when you're ready to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer&quot; title=&quot;transfer&quot;&gt;transfer&lt;/a&gt;, HCC's joint admissions and transfer agreements make it easy for you to continue your education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Certificates can be completed in as few as two semesters full time, or part time at a pace you choose. They are designed to provide expertise in a particular field so you can launch a new career, strengthen current skills, or pursue an interest. Certificates often require the completion of nine or more related courses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whatever you choose, you'll find a supportive community of teachers and learners at HCC. Want to dive deeply into a subject you're passionate about? HCC offers&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/learning-communities&quot; title=&quot;learning communities&quot;&gt;learning communities&lt;/a&gt;, small groups of students who explore a theme through the lens of multiple disciplines. Want to gain hands-on experience in a particular career field?&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/community-based-learning&quot; title=&quot;Service-Learning program&quot;&gt;Service Learning&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;allows you to use what you've learned in class to contribute to the community, and&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/career-services&quot; title=&quot;Career Services&quot;&gt;Career Services&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;will help you find an internship or discover the career that is just right for you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;explore areas of study&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;h4&gt;I like...&lt;/h4&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x4997" URL="courses-and-programs/college-catalog" Schema="CoursesProgramsPage" Locale="" Changed="20240917T14:29:06" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4997.xml" Name="College Catalog" Title="College Catalog" Abstract="A complete list of the degree and certificate programs offered at Holyoke Community College." ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x164" URL="courses-and-programs/course-finder" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260327T19:30:46" CategoryIds="" FileName="x164.xml" Name="Course Finder" Title="Course Finder" Abstract="Here you will find a list of fall, intersession, spring, and summer classes." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic displaying course modalities&quot; height=&quot;255&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/HCC_Online_Courses_Icons_SP23_d3.png&quot; width=&quot;800&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;View PDFs for each semester in the Registration Booklet section on our &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/publications&quot; title=&quot;Link to publications page&quot;&gt;Publications&lt;/a&gt; page. This following information pertains to credit classes only; you can also check out information about our non-credit&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development&quot; title=&quot;hcc professional development&quot;&gt;professional development&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/personal-enrichment&quot; title=&quot;hcc personal enrichment classes&quot;&gt;personal enrichment&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;1000&quot; name=&quot;Class Schedule&quot; frameborder=&quot;no&quot; scrolling=&quot;auto&quot; src=&quot;https://ban.hcc.edu/StudentRegistrationSsb/ssb/term/termSelection?mode=search&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20932" URL="x20932.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20260305T13:18:28" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20932.xml" Name="Degree &amp; Certificates" Title="Degree &amp; Certificates" Abstract="Degree &amp; Certificates" CustomURL="https://catalog.hcc.edu/content.php?catoid=13&amp;navoid=562" IsComponent="true" /><Page ID="x163" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-calendar" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260323T13:18:11" CategoryIds="" FileName="x163.xml" Name="Academic Calendar" Title="Academic Calendar" Abstract="All the important dates you need to know." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 152px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 152px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 50%; height: 152px; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: top;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jNM4Ii9XTRE94KF2_InOe9Umf_Ksx1BU/view&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of Printable Academic Calendar 2025-2026&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Printable Academic Calendar 2025-2026&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/17Bg1bVq_3pRHaWLdSu3zg6tfXdpiC3n0/view&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of Printable Academic Calendar 2026-2027&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Printable Academic Calendar 2026-2027&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BZUGezy572hBXTLWfix9U9kd4j_BRkcO/view&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of Printable Academic Calendar 2027-2028&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Printable Academic Calendar 2027-2028&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 50%; vertical-align: top; height: 152px;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/media/documents/About/Offices-Administration/Student%20Records-Registrar/SP206_POT_10.1.2025.pdf&quot;&gt;Add/Drop &amp;amp; Withdrawal Dates for Spring 2026 &lt;br /&gt;and Wintersession&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fdrive.google.com%2ffile%2fd%2f1Tn4yX4tZ6Nm6_Wm1qwPyG318lKnHl42a%2fview%3fusp%3ddrive_link&amp;amp;c=E,1,RCRN856VzoxJXpaoV7m8pV-B7TcJ4Uo8bjAjJPPkdBLApYSaQqqO363chmjvLI5Z8y_X3et0yq-D3UkV-9zQxGzYVAmeZ4tD6iE3xzlHNbV9ShMdmSjJ5EU,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fdrive.google.com%252ffile%252fd%252f1Tn4yX4tZ6Nm6_Wm1qwPyG318lKnHl42a%252fview%253fusp%253ddrive_link%26c%3DE,1,RCRN856VzoxJXpaoV7m8pV-B7TcJ4Uo8bjAjJPPkdBLApYSaQqqO363chmjvLI5Z8y_X3et0yq-D3UkV-9zQxGzYVAmeZ4tD6iE3xzlHNbV9ShMdmSjJ5EU,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1774357768510000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1W4C_KLarhzXcwUP3n-dgU&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fdrive.google.com%2ffile%2fd%2f1Tn4yX4tZ6Nm6_Wm1qwPyG318lKnHl42a%2fview%3fusp%3ddrive_link&amp;amp;c=E,1,RCRN856VzoxJXpaoV7m8pV-B7TcJ4Uo8bjAjJPPkdBLApYSaQqqO363chmjvLI5Z8y_X3et0yq-D3UkV-9zQxGzYVAmeZ4tD6iE3xzlHNbV9ShMdmSjJ5EU,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fdrive.google.com%252ffile%252fd%252f1Tn4yX4tZ6Nm6_Wm1qwPyG318lKnHl42a%252fview%253fusp%253ddrive_link%26c%3DE,1,RCRN856VzoxJXpaoV7m8pV-B7TcJ4Uo8bjAjJPPkdBLApYSaQqqO363chmjvLI5Z8y_X3et0yq-D3UkV-9zQxGzYVAmeZ4tD6iE3xzlHNbV9ShMdmSjJ5EU,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1774357768510000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1W4C_KLarhzXcwUP3n-dgU&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Add/Drop and Withdrawal Dates for Summer 2026&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fdrive.google.com%2ffile%2fd%2f1GiP2YGEFt2Yj-P5C8sBvvP_jJBbD347g%2fview%3fusp%3ddrive_link&amp;amp;c=E,1,8h7-lrHuciFHQPrhbJL-MkQoStAmISiJtVWStC4ahzxlp4eUbxhkbNOC1DqfiJzOv-PhJEARWGhTu7XSzKL43khCyQ_UmR9tr9vjQaTf7HLBGzhNdIM,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fdrive.google.com%252ffile%252fd%252f1GiP2YGEFt2Yj-P5C8sBvvP_jJBbD347g%252fview%253fusp%253ddrive_link%26c%3DE,1,8h7-lrHuciFHQPrhbJL-MkQoStAmISiJtVWStC4ahzxlp4eUbxhkbNOC1DqfiJzOv-PhJEARWGhTu7XSzKL43khCyQ_UmR9tr9vjQaTf7HLBGzhNdIM,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1774357768510000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0ZK5fcpwYoLfe8n5sYq5u0&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Add/Drop and Withdrawal Dates for Fall 2026&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;800&quot; height=&quot;600&quot; style=&quot;border-width: 0px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; src=&quot;https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?showTitle=0&amp;amp;height=600&amp;amp;wkst=1&amp;amp;bgcolor=%23FFFFFF&amp;amp;src=hcc.edu_if5v166jpae9olrsn1bc0rfqlk%40group.calendar.google.com&amp;amp;color=%23000000&amp;amp;ctz=America%2FNew_York&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on &quot;add to Google Calendar&quot; in the lower left corner of the calendar above to add these important dates to your Google calendar!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x5290" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-calendar/final-exam-schedule" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260209T19:04:21" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5290.xml" Name="Final Exam Schedule" Title="Final Exam Schedule" Abstract="Final Exam Schedule" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Below are links to HCC's final exam schedules. Please note that one is for English 101 &lt;em&gt;only.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For classes having both lecture and lab, the exam time is based on the lecture meeting time. A student having more than two final exams scheduled on the same day may ask instructors for arrangements to limit exams to two per day. A student needing further assistance making such arrangements should see the appropriate division dean(s).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Evening classes have their exams on the same night as the class meets. See the&amp;nbsp;Health, Education, Culinary Arts &amp;amp; Human Services Division for the Nursing, Practical Nursing, and Radiology exam schedule.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fdrive.google.com%2ffile%2fd%2f1enKj99DlyLNvQ_dnyCRZFNQM8k__g6An%2fview%3fusp%3ddrive_link&amp;amp;c=E,1,OvkpqtJSFs8ow61IPD1XnvJWVPM17yxHbzX7XCtplYBkvaK7GYOAeI7mNZQhD1C1axmQkn1NrzAOLMaKspkQWGQyf8t6cm2kB4bvtC6y5wnFHvs,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fdrive.google.com%252ffile%252fd%252f1enKj99DlyLNvQ_dnyCRZFNQM8k__g6An%252fview%253fusp%253ddrive_link%26c%3DE,1,OvkpqtJSFs8ow61IPD1XnvJWVPM17yxHbzX7XCtplYBkvaK7GYOAeI7mNZQhD1C1axmQkn1NrzAOLMaKspkQWGQyf8t6cm2kB4bvtC6y5wnFHvs,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1770749867210000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1CQ82n6eU6sjGrFjupvJcc&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Spring 2026 English 101 Only&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fdrive.google.com%2ffile%2fd%2f1Be0EdSUB_UUrQOHH1U1uXx5o2RZ4GrdL%2fview%3fusp%3ddrive_link&amp;amp;c=E,1,1aXv8kTa23rr8KKEqWrRqLR0NmeUaMR0Of0DGddpKS3AzRyDGuVKF4JRGForx6Arqo5gOu33LL00OcXichj9fKTOgbI-96WGLiNaXerSyyS6WQ,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fdrive.google.com%252ffile%252fd%252f1Be0EdSUB_UUrQOHH1U1uXx5o2RZ4GrdL%252fview%253fusp%253ddrive_link%26c%3DE,1,1aXv8kTa23rr8KKEqWrRqLR0NmeUaMR0Of0DGddpKS3AzRyDGuVKF4JRGForx6Arqo5gOu33LL00OcXichj9fKTOgbI-96WGLiNaXerSyyS6WQ,,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1770749867210000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1Yio2MA93LuuGKdGP91y9b&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Spring 2026 Final Exam Schedule&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x132" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-support" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241031T16:36:19" CategoryIds="" FileName="x132.xml" Name="Academic Support" Thumbnail="/images/Homepage/Featured%20links/academicsupport.jpg" Title="Academic Support" Abstract="HCC offers a multitude of support programs for students." ThumbnailAltText="A student and advisor sit at a table together." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;An advisor works on a paper with a student&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Support/support_intext%20copy.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;CAPS Tutoring - HCC provides a range of academic support services to help our students succeed.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x152" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-support/alana-men-in-motion" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260529T14:07:04" CategoryIds="" FileName="x152.xml" Name="ALANA Men in Motion" Title="ALANA Men in Motion" Abstract="ALANA Men in Motion is a student success program that fosters academic achievement, leadership development, and a sense of belonging for students seeking community, mentoring, and cultural identity exploration." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A brotherhood built on mentorship, cultural pride, and the pursuit of academic and personal success.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;ALANA Men in Motion&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt; is a student success program that fosters academic achievement, leadership development, and a sense of belonging for students seeking community, mentoring, and cultural identity exploration. The program centers the experiences of African American/Black, Latino/x, Asian, and Native American men, while welcoming all eligible students committed to personal growth and collective support.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Participants are matched with a professional ALANA Mentor who provides individualized guidance, connects them to campus resources, and supports their academic and social development. Students can also meet with a Learning Coach to strengthen their study skills and build academic confidence. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;All ALANA participants have access to &lt;strong&gt;The Fort&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;mdash;a welcoming and inclusive resource room for studying, peer connection, and transformative student experiences.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;PRIMARY SERVICES&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Personalized mentorship for college success&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Academic coaching and skill-building workshops&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Support with financial aid, scholarship searches, and academic resources&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Student group meetings and community-building events&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Educational and cultural enrichment experiences&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Leadership development and service opportunities&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Support toward graduation, transfer, and career goals&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;WHO CAN JOIN:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Students who are eligible to join ALANA Men in Motion include:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Certificate or degree-seeking students&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;First-time and continuing students&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Part-time and full-time students&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;English language learners&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Students with developmental coursework in English or math&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span&gt;Note: The program is not available to non-degree students&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;CONTACT US:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Have questions or want to get involved? Reach out &amp;mdash; we&amp;rsquo;d love to connect with you!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Email&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:alana@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;alana@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Call:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt; 413.552.2244&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Visit:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt; Frost building, Room 224&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Hours:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt; Monday&amp;ndash;Friday | 8:30 a.m. &amp;ndash; 4:30 p.m. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span&gt;In-person or virtual appointments available&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;STUDENT FORMS:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fforms.gle%2fDB3f9KQt1w1eGVrZ6&amp;amp;c=E,1,MsfuWTQeiq6wx9Cokg3ShHLxt_niM7qmpvg1QVVZsY5xHFdIXl9oCbqkWESa4Oi0g1jbYV3_ryy0MaB3HUaiFWCc_WK2Qgduvk1o3aUBt6Or&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;ALANA Student Interest Form&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fforms.gle%2fu3jxRMirWq6dcHBBA&amp;amp;c=E,1,z4AeIMFqMRVT4EEGM5ihpsh-epiHFjPlylncPFxR0iz79YzAYYqpOF3heNswlBr6pwvHerzriwwdmgcUChhEjJazpzDU9yh8hZHMriSfY2iQDmwfe_argiqrOS0F&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;SUCCESS Learning Coach Request Form&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;FACULTY &amp;amp; STAFF FORMS:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fforms.gle%2fwUV45k92p8weAMNKA&amp;amp;c=E,1,ypZruxrTI55iExWHaYsuC4APMgZXB1IZ13JyAkfbdtXNHhHMxbMnNvTBna_qtp8j-F1stKvfkHbyfYlm7dxEBtFTi2S77Jf_A7ASIKKLD4nfxkz6Hwr26jfDs8AXlQ,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;ALANA Student Referral Form&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13300" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-support/el-centro" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260327T19:40:54" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13300.xml" Name="El Centro" Title="El Centro" Abstract="El Centro provides culturally responsive guidance and support to enable Latinx students to achieve academic success" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Words El Centro in black on white background&quot; height=&quot;159&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Student%20Resources/El_Centro_Logo_K_d1.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; title=&quot;El Centro graphic&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/el-centro/el-centro-en-espanol&quot;&gt;Traducci&amp;oacute;n al espa&amp;ntilde;ol&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;El Centro&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;El Centro aspires to provide a Hispanic thriving learning community to meet the needs of Latinx and Spanish speaking students, where they can receive culturally responsive guidance and support essential to achieve academic success, advancement, and a sense of belonging.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Services Offered&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Bilingual (English/Spanish) services for students and their families&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Academic advising and one-on-one support&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Holistic wraparound support services&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;FAFSA application support and Financial Literacy&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Cultural events and celebration&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Support towards graduation, transfer or career&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GET IN TOUCH&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Location:&lt;/strong&gt; Campus Center (CC) building, Room 248&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Phone:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2052&quot;&gt;413.552.2052&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Email:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:elcentro@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link elcentro@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;elcentro@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We are open for drop in service or appointments.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Students:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/f1d8SMG1tHJp2qL79&quot; title=&quot;Link to El Centro form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt; to connect with El Centro.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Staff:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/AkFKxr8QYGKcy5fC7&quot; title=&quot;Link to El Centro referral form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to refer a student to El Centro.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;our staff&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sintique Carrillo&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Interim Director&lt;br /&gt;CC248B&lt;br /&gt;413-552-2250&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:scarrillo@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;scarrillo@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Arelis Whitaker&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Clerk IV&lt;br /&gt;CC 248&lt;br /&gt;413-552-2052&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:awhitaker@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;awhitaker@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ximena Ruiz Roman&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Student Financial Services Clerk IV&lt;br /&gt;CC248D&lt;br /&gt;413-552-2257&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:xruizroman@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;xruizroman@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sullynette Ortiz&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Academic Counselor&lt;br /&gt;CC 248C&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-5552-2539&quot;&gt;413.552.2539&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:sortiz@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;sortiz@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Naiomi Robles&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Student Success Counselor&lt;br /&gt;CC248A&lt;br /&gt;413-552-2843&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:nrobles@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;nrobles@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x13389" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-support/el-centro/el-centro-en-espanol" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260327T19:42:44" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13389.xml" Name="El Centro en español" Title="El Centro" Abstract="El Centro en español" BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The words El Centro and a sun with rays in black on a white background&quot; height=&quot;159&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Student%20Resources/El_Centro_Logo_K_d1.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; title=&quot;El Centro graphic&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h5&gt;EL CENTRO&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;El Centro aspira a proporcionar una comunidad de aprendizaje pr&amp;oacute;spera para satisfacer las necesidades de los estudiantes latinos o que hablen espa&amp;ntilde;ol, donde puedan recibir orientaci&amp;oacute;n y apoyo culturalmente apropiado lo cual son esenciales para lograr el &amp;eacute;xito acad&amp;eacute;mico, el progreso y un sentido de pertenencia.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;SERVICIOS OFRECIDOS&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Servicios biling&amp;uuml;es (ingl&amp;eacute;s / espa&amp;ntilde;ol) para estudiantes y sus familias&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Asesoramiento acad&amp;eacute;mico y apoyo individual&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Servicios de apoyo integral hol&amp;iacute;stico&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Apoyo a la solicitud de FAFSA y educaci&amp;oacute;n financiera&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Eventos culturales y celebraciones&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Apoyo hacia la graduaci&amp;oacute;n, transferencia universitaria o carrera&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5 dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h5 dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;PONGASE EN CONTACTO&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Visite nuestra oficina en el edificio Campus Center, n&amp;uacute;mero 248&lt;br /&gt;Tel&amp;eacute;fono: 413.552.2052&lt;br /&gt;Correo electr&amp;oacute;nico:&amp;nbsp;elcentro@&lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://hcc.edu&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1662741383185000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw3IdjMrbLixn7o6L8no812s&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;iexcl;Vis&amp;iacute;tanos! No necesitas cita.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Estudiantes: &lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/f1d8SMG1tHJp2qL79&quot; title=&quot;Link to El Centro info form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Haga clic aqu&amp;iacute; &lt;/a&gt;para conectarse con El Centro&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/AkFKxr8QYGKcy5fC7&quot; title=&quot;Link to El Centro referral form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Haga clic&amp;nbsp;aqui&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;para referir a un estudiante a El Centro&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sintique Carrillo&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Directora Interina&lt;br /&gt;CC248B&lt;br /&gt;413-552-2250&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:scarrillo@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;scarrillo@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Arelis Whitaker&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Oficinista&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CC 248&lt;br /&gt;413-552-2052&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:awhitaker@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;awhitaker@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ximena Ruiz Roman&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Asistente de Servicios Financieros Estudiantil&lt;br /&gt;CC248D&lt;br /&gt;413-552-2257&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:xruizroman@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;xruizroman@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sullynette Ortiz&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;Consejera Acad&amp;eacute;mica&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CC 248C&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-5552-2539&quot;&gt;413.552.2539&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:sortiz@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;sortiz@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Naiomi Robles&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Consejera de &amp;Eacute;xito Estudiantil&lt;br /&gt;CC248A&lt;br /&gt;413-552-2843&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:nrobles@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;nrobles@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;scribe-shadow id=&quot;crxjs-ext&quot; data-crx=&quot;okfkdaglfjjjfefdcppliegebpoegaii&quot; style=&quot;position: fixed; width: 0px; height: 0px; top: 0px; left: 0px; z-index: 2147483647; overflow: visible; visibility: visible;&quot;&gt;&lt;/scribe-shadow&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x9224" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-support/esl-support" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260116T13:51:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9224.xml" Name="ESL Support" Title="ESL Support" Abstract="ESL Support" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;HCC offers a comprehensive AESL curriculum in a supportive environment. Free tutoring services are available with or without appointment. Supplemental instruction is provided in reading and writing classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is committed to respecting individual cultural and linguistic diversity, and to providing equal access and opportunity to all prospective students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CONTACT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please contact&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:gmontero@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Gladys Montero&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2553&quot;&gt;413.552.2553&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mkorchevska@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Mariya Korchevska&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2234&quot;&gt;413.552.2234&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for more information.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x156" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-support/first-year-experience" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260116T13:51:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x156.xml" Name="First Year Experience" Title="First Year Experience" Abstract="The first year of college is exciting and challenging. It also lays the foundation for future success, which is why we think it's so important to ensure that you have the tools you need to flourish." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The first year of college is exciting and challenging. It also lays the foundation for future success, which is why we think it's so important to ensure that you have the tools you need to flourish.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We've put together a collection of resources that we call our First Year Experience Toolkit, and we hope you'll find it useful. FYE resources are designed to help you successfully transition to HCC, and achieve your academic goals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Academic Resources&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Researching and writing papers, working through algebra assignments, and preparing for tests &amp;ndash; you CAN do it! HCC's &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring&quot; title=&quot;Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS)&quot;&gt;Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS)&lt;/a&gt; offers tutors, study groups, workshops, and a boatload of practical tips and information to help you conquer your classes and stay on track.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Support at HCC&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC offers a multitude of support programs for students, from ALANA men to young mothers and veterans. &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support&quot; title=&quot;hcc academic support&quot;&gt;Check them out&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; one may be just right for you!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Campus Resources&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wonder where to park, eat, buy books, or find childcare? &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources&quot; title=&quot;hcc student resources&quot;&gt;We'll tell you!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Career Center&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;What will you do with the knowledge and skills you gain while you're at HCC? What careers are the best fit for your interests and personality? What jobs are growing? Find the answers at the &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/career-services&quot; title=&quot;Career center&quot;&gt;Advising, Career &amp;amp; Transfer Center&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Student Wellness&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Struggling to manage the stress of juggling college and life? HCC offers free, comprehensive support services &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/mental-health-counseling-and-stress-mgmt&quot; title=&quot;link to Mental Health Support page&quot;&gt;through CHD&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Health Services&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;You have to stay healthy if you want to keep up at college. Visit &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/health-education&quot; title=&quot;hcc health services&quot;&gt;Health Services&lt;/a&gt; for vaccinations, first aid treatment, medical referrals, and information on how to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle. We also have an assortment of colorful band-aids to dress up those paper cuts!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Disability &amp;amp; Deaf Services&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wonder how many disabled and Deaf students have attended (and excelled) at HCC? Thousands! HCC's &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services&quot; title=&quot;Office for Students with Disabilities &amp;amp; Deaf Services&quot;&gt;Office for Students with Disabilities &amp;amp; Deaf Services&lt;/a&gt; will make sure you have the resources and support you need to concentrate on your education and be a superstar.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Student Records &amp;amp; Registrar&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Where do you go to add or drop classes, update your address, and get your transcript? Who evaluates transfer credits and scrutinizes degree and certificate requirements to make sure you're on track for graduation? If you guessed the &lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar&quot; title=&quot;HCC Student Records &amp;amp; Registrar&quot;&gt;Student Records &amp;amp; Registrar's office&lt;/a&gt;, you're right!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Veterans&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get help applying to HCC, locating veteran's resources, and connecting with other vets at HCC's veterans center. &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/veteran-services&quot; title=&quot;support for veteran students at hcc&quot;&gt;HCC welcomes veterans&lt;/a&gt;, and is committed to helping our veteran students make a successful transition to college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;You Need to Know!&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;What happens if the campus is closed? What are HCC's safety and crime statistics? Are my grades private? When is spring break? Discover &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/important-information&quot; title=&quot;hcc important information&quot;&gt;everything you need to know&lt;/a&gt; about emergency alerts, student policies, consumer (hint: that's you!) information, and more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Activities &amp;amp; Events&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Throughout the year, we offer first year experience-focused activities such as our Hitting the Wall resource expos, financial literacy workshops, pop-up advising, career counseling, and much more. Check the &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/events&quot; title=&quot;hcc events calendar&quot;&gt;events calendar&lt;/a&gt; and the &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-engagement/week-at-a-glance&quot; title=&quot;hcc Week at a Glance email&quot;&gt;Week at a Glance&lt;/a&gt; email sent each Monday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;First Year Experience is funded by a Strengthening Institutions Grant fully funded by the United States Department of Education.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x154" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-support/marieb-adult-learner-success-center" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260526T12:39:00" CategoryIds="" FileName="x154.xml" Name="Marieb Adult Learner Success Center" Title="Marieb Adult Learner Success Center" Abstract="Marieb Adult Learner Success Center serves students age 24 and older, parents, and veterans, including those who have been out of school for many years." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;At HCC, we believe it's never too late to achieve your educational goals. The Marieb Adult Learner Success Center is here to support adult learners (24+) and student parents throughout their educational journey and beyond.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mission:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Marieb Adult Learner Success Center seeks to support adult learners and student parents in building the skills, knowledge, and perseverance needed to thrive academically, personally and professionally.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vision:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Marieb Adult Learner Success Center strives to foster a vibrant and inclusive environment for adult learners and student parents by providing a transformative educational experience that inspires a life-long love of learning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Services include:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Enrollment counseling&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Holistic advising&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Career services&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Referrals for internal and external support&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Programming that fosters academic success&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Family-friendly events and parent support groups&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Interested in working with us? Please take a moment to fill out one of the forms below and we will reach out to you shortly!&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeuB6JI_tlKCtXjFlPBpCd378327MAv_iybWapAoNmkJtfjmg/viewform?usp=sf_link&quot;&gt;Student Interest Form&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScPtBT0bQR8C8gduRt_n40SCKa-irWZCir2MlXZRNq0YjRkEw/viewform?usp=sf_link&quot;&gt;Faculty/Staff/Community Referral Form&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScPtBT0bQR8C8gduRt_n40SCKa-irWZCir2MlXZRNq0YjRkEw/viewform?usp=sf_link&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Location:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Frost 264&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hours:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Starting the week of February 3, 2025 we will be offering extended hours:&lt;br /&gt;Monday 8:30 AM-5 PM&lt;br /&gt;Tuesday&amp;nbsp;-Thursday 8:30 AM-6 PM&lt;br /&gt;Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amy Woody&lt;br /&gt;Coordinator, Marieb Adult Learner Success Center&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:awoody@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;awoody@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;413-552-2413&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x155" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-support/trio-programs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250915T12:27:29" CategoryIds="" FileName="x155.xml" Name="TRIO Programs" Title="TRIO Programs" Abstract="TRIO Programs offer an array of support services for students who are first generation to college, low-income, or have a documented disability." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;get in touch&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;TRIO Program Academic Counselors are available via phone or email Monday &amp;ndash; Friday, 8:30 a.m. &amp;ndash; 4:30 p.m. Flexible appointments can be scheduled in advance. Call &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2505&quot;&gt;413.552.2505&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/trio-programs#contact&quot;&gt;email one of our staff directly&lt;/a&gt;. Leave your name and contact information, and one of our staff will be in touch within 24 hours.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TRIO Student Support Services and TRIO STEM &amp;amp; Health Sciences Student Support Services&lt;/strong&gt; are designed to assist students who are first generation to college (neither parent or guardian has received a bachelor's degree), have a financial need (low-income), and/or have a documented disability. Our overall goal is to increase college retention and graduation rates for program participants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;TRIO SSS and TRIO STEM-HS promote and encourage academic excellence and success among their participants through a vast range of ongoing academic support services. We strive to motivate, engage, and empower students to become aware of their academic potential and future success!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Services offered&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Academic, career, financial aid, and transfer counseling&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;STEM H-S academic, career, financial, transfer counseling&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Assistance in course selection&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Designated TRIO classes designed to provide a supportive learning environment&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Mentor program&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Workshops on academic skills, scholarships, self-improvement, and financial literacy&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Math tutor, writing tutor, and learning coach&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;STEM H-S Tutors and Learning Coaches&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Transfer trips to four-year institutions&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Cultural enrichment activities, events, and FUN!&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;To be eligible for&amp;nbsp;TRIO SSS and TRIO STEM-HS&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Students must be enrolled in three or more classes (9 credits or more)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;For TRIO STEM-HS, students must be in a STEM major (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) or Health Sciences major. Examples include, but are not limited to, Biology, Foundation of Health Transfer or Career, Nursing, Technology, Radiology Tech, Vet Tech&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Demonstrate academic need&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Be likely to earn a degree and transfer to a bachelor's degree program within four years of acceptance to TRIO&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Be a citizen or national of the United States or meet the residency requirements for Federal student financial assistance&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Note: Eligibility does not guarantee acceptance into TRIO SSS or TRIO STEM Health Sciences&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;How to Apply&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students must fill out the TRIO application forms&amp;nbsp;to determine eligibility for the program. Eligible students will meet with a&amp;nbsp;TRIO Counselor for an interview.&amp;nbsp;Space is limited to 224 students for TRIO SSS and 120 students for TRIO STEM-HS per academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdznadjb_ONaZT_7bokE7kTb0YabJh2tnr3Vmi7Msw3z-T47Q/viewform?vc=0&amp;amp;c=0&amp;amp;w=1&amp;amp;flr=0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;APPLY TO TRIO SSS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfIRhC_o1fFidAd7FLK-EOLtI4Y1rVt4TvQxeKewRipJ7TRVQ/viewform?vc=0&amp;amp;c=0&amp;amp;w=1&amp;amp;flr=0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;APPLY TO TRIO STEM HS&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hours of Operation&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;TRIO Programs operate Monday&amp;ndash;Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Our main office is located in Donahue Building, Room 240. The office main phone number is &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2505&quot;&gt;413.552.2505&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/trio-programs/first-generation-students-resources-and-support&quot; title=&quot;Link to first generation students resources and support page&quot;&gt;First Gen Resources &amp;amp; Support &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;contact&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Contact&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elsie Rodriguez-Garcia&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Program Director&lt;br /&gt;DON 209&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2610&quot;&gt;413.552.2610&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:erodriguez@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;erodriguez@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monica Ovalles&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;SSS &lt;/span&gt;Academic Counselor&lt;br /&gt;DON 235&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2044&quot;&gt;413.552.2044&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:movalles@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link movalles@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;movalles@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Derek Estrella&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;STEM-HS Program Coordinator &lt;br /&gt;DON 233&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2593&quot;&gt;413.552.2593&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:destrella@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;destrella@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chaitali Newman&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;STEM-HS Academic Counselor&lt;br /&gt;DON 237&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2731&quot;&gt;413.552.2731&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:cbrahmbhatt@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link cbrahmbhatt@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;cbrahmbhatt@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Xandria Sotomayor-Wright&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;SSS &lt;/span&gt;Academic Counselor&lt;br /&gt;DON 233&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2295&quot;&gt;413.552.2295&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:xsotomayorwright@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link xsotomayorwright@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;xsotomayorwright@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Felix Vazquez&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;SSS &lt;/span&gt;Academic Counselor&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;DON 231&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:4135522624&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;413.552.2624&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:fvazquez@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;fvazquez@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Chariliz Alicea&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Clerk III&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;DON 240&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:4135522505&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;413.552.2505&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:calicea@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;calicea@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x4698" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-support/trio-programs/academic-progress-report" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260116T13:51:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4698.xml" Name="Academic Progress Report" Title="Academic Progress Report" Abstract="Academic Progress Report" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Please fill in this form as to what is relevant for &lt;strong&gt;EACH&lt;/strong&gt; TRIO SSS student enrolled in your course. &amp;nbsp;An email was sent to you with the list of your students per course. &amp;nbsp;The contents of the form will then be emailed right to the TRIO SSS office. &amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Please note: contents from this report may be shared with your student.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;320&quot; height=&quot;240&quot; style=&quot;height: 1025px; width: 99%; border: none;&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://forms.zohopublic.com/kchampagne/form/STRIVE/formperma/97M1h36948Gfem8J2a9k37705&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11390" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-support/trio-programs/first-generation-students-resources-and-support" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260116T13:51:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x11390.xml" Name="First-Generation Students Resources &amp; Support" Title="First-Generation Students Resources &amp; Support" Abstract="First-generation students, find resources and support on this page." IntroCopy="First-generation students, we are here for you." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Many students at HCC are first-generation college students, meaning they are the first people in their families to go to college. But did you know many of our faculty and staff were first-generation students too?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Explore this page for &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/trio-programs/first-generation-students-resources-and-support#resources&quot;&gt;resources&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;that will help you succeed as a first-generation college student at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;zoom background&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;virtual backgrounds&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Download a &lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12JzNCy4sgxBTn0ErS-cy1zniBqDRTMDR?usp=sharing&quot; title=&quot;Link to google drive folder of virtual backgrounds&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;first-generation student background&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to Use a Virtual Background&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Sign in to Zoom desktop client&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Click Settings&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Click Virtual Background&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Click on an image to select the desired virtual background or add your own image by clicking +Add Image&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;To disable Virtual Background, choose the option None&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;To learn more about Zoom virtual backgrounds, visit the &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/210707503-Virtual-Background&quot; title=&quot;Link to zoom help center&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Zoom Help Center&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;resources&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;hcc resources&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thrive Center&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Thrive student resource center offers an array of free services for students and community members facing non-academic barriers like houselessness or food insecurity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/thrive-center&quot; title=&quot;Link to thrive center webpage&quot;&gt;thrive center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS) provides free assistance to all HCC students through tutoring, writing, ESL, and math centers, study groups, ongoing study skills workshops, and more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring&quot; title=&quot;link to tutoring webpage&quot;&gt;CAPS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TRIO Student Support Services&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;TRIO Student Support Services is a federally-funded program designed to assist students who are first generation to college (neither parent or guardian has received a bachelor's degree), have a financial need (low-income), and/or have a documented disability. Our overall goal is to increase college retention and graduation rates for program participants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/trio-programs&quot; title=&quot;Link to trio student support services webpage&quot;&gt;trio&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC Library&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learn about the location and staff of the HCC Library, plus frequently asked questions (and printing information).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library&quot; title=&quot;Link to library webpage&quot;&gt;Library&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Financial Aid&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than half of HCC students receive financial aid. Find out if you're eligible!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/x280.xml&quot; title=&quot;Link to financial aid page&quot;&gt;Financial Aid&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Valley Opportunity Council&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. is dedicated to eliminating poverty by providing the opportunity for low- and moderate-income community members in the Greater Hampden County area to achieve greater independence and a higher quality of life. Read about &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.valleyopp.com/youth-programs/college-access&quot; title=&quot;Link to college access programs on valley opportunity council page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;college access programs here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://www.valleyopp.com/&quot; title=&quot;link to valley opportunity council website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;voc&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x148" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240912T12:57:50" CategoryIds="" FileName="x148.xml" Name="CAPS Tutoring" Title="Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS)" Abstract="The Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS) provides free assistance to all HCC students through tutoring, writing, ESL, and math centers, study groups, ongoing study skills workshops, and more." IntroCopy="An empowering learning environment." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;CAPS is a hub of tutoring centers and academic support programs dedicated to student success.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We offer one-on-one tutoring, study groups, Learning Coaches, and Supplemental Instruction through the Tutoring Center, Math Center, Writing Center, and English as a Second Language (ESL) Center. Additionally, we assist students with math placement test preparation, writing college transfer essays, and writing scholarship essays throughout the year.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x7643" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring/tutoring-center" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250923T11:50:27" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7643.xml" Name="Tutoring Center" Thumbnail="/images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Support/CAPS/tutoring.jpg" Title="Tutoring Center" Abstract="Ready to get started? Here you'll find access to tutoring in most HCC courses, as well as learning coaches and ALANA mentors." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The Tutoring Center is one of the four centers within the CAPS hub. Each center (Tutoring, Math, Writing, and ESL) provides tutoring services to all HCC students free of charge. The Tutoring Center can assist students with a wide range of subjects from A to Z which means they cover a broad spectrum of academic disciplines including Accountancy to Zoology and everything in between. This type of service can be invaluable for students seeking help with their courses and wanting to improve their academic performance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PpncmzUXnYtqPdzWutA-JN5JjKsFJGykrwbC8k-v1a4/edit?usp=sharing&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Tutor Schedule&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Available on campus and online, Monday - Friday, along with some evening and Saturday hours, which vary.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Supplemental Instruction&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Supplemental instruction offers academic assistance in the critical first six weeks, and throughout the semester to students in traditionally challenging courses. In informal peer-directed study sessions, students compare notes, discuss course content, develop organizational skills, and share test-taking strategies.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LUJgY68Mp9KgG-9inLjEJYQRjJfRpyhi3eZHoDckt8k/edit?tab=t.0&quot; title=&quot;Link to google drive file of SI schedule&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;SI Schedule&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Learning Coaches&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Feeling overwhelmed by your coursework? You may benefit from weekly sessions with a learning coach: a specialist who teaches you strategies to improve reading comprehension, math problem solving, and writing skills. Your coach will focus on time management, note-taking, organization, test anxiety, study skills, and critical thinking. With this level of one-on-one support, you can easily stay on track and succeed academically.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSddZOfQbjUREBX_hl5j7GrlXHsz0N6xNKoPz6lO3jaU1lAAcQ/viewform&quot; title=&quot;link to google form to request learning coach&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSddZOfQbjUREBX_hl5j7GrlXHsz0N6xNKoPz6lO3jaU1lAAcQ/viewform&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1631108361721000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEpHLgNbBW6u54O0yA1GBSqqEeepA&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Request a Learning Coach&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Workshops &amp;amp; Seminars&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Small group instruction is offered throughout the academic year on topics designed to improve a student's progress at the college. Topics include stress management, assertiveness, note-taking, and test preparation. Schedules and announcements for these events are posted on college bulletin boards.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CONTACT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monica Archibald&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;DON 244&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2102&quot;&gt;413.552.2102&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:marchibald@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link marchibald@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;marchibald@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7635" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring/math-center" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260408T15:31:57" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7635.xml" Name="Math Center" Thumbnail="/images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Support/CAPS/math.jpg" Title="Math Center" Abstract="Access tutors, math learning coaches, METS mentors, and resources for mathematics, engineering, physics, robotics, and astronomy." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Welcome to the Math Center!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Our Philosophy &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Everyone is capable of doing mathematics. We believe that all students have talents and skills in mathematics.&amp;nbsp; By setting and pursuing academic goals supported by the Math Center, students develop their math abilities and increase their math esteem.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/SEM/MathCenter.png&quot; width=&quot;512&quot; height=&quot;236&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Math Center provides tutoring to all HCC students in the area of mathematics and physics.&amp;nbsp; If you require help you can visit the Math Center (DON 246). You can reach us via e-mail, Zoom, and phone. Please call &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2552&quot;&gt;413.552.2552&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or email&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:caps@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;caps@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for assistance. We are here for you!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vhSMbK9IKWx4Yd17D_IwL4gbCGJfQPlVPtERbVmymNw/preview&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Math Center Schedule&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;We offer the following services upon request:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;We provide Tutoring.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;We provide Math Learning Coaches (Request Form below)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;We provide handouts, books &amp;amp; software.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Provide practice for final exams.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;We can facilitate study groups &amp;amp; workshops in Math.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;We provide math placement test prep materials &amp;amp; developmental math prep classes.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;We build math confidence and help learners reduce anxiety.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;MATH LEARNING COACH&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;A math learning coach is a specialist who provides strategies with math problem-solving, study skills, organization, and critical thinking as well as math tutoring. With this level of one-on-one support, our students can easily stay on track and succeed academically! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSerceChH_GC6OrpB2Xiea6bUezDaNds17STkBUlRe0Z68ECsw/viewform&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSerceChH_GC6OrpB2Xiea6bUezDaNds17STkBUlRe0Z68ECsw/viewform&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1612473881480000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNHZmlYcl5373zyhHWcrnuhA9dVKyA&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSerceChH_GC6OrpB2Xiea6bUezDaNds17STkBUlRe0Z68ECsw/viewform&quot; title=&quot;link to google form for math learning coach request&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSerceChH_GC6OrpB2Xiea6bUezDaNds17STkBUlRe0Z68ECsw/viewform&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1612473881480000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNHZmlYcl5373zyhHWcrnuhA9dVKyA&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Math Learning Coach Request&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Math Mini Prep Program&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is it?&lt;/strong&gt; The Program provides free online Math Mini Prep courses that are self-paced modules designed to help students with the Placement Test and Developmental Math (DM). The Program is especially helpful because it includes pre-and-post assessments to gauge progress in improving learning techniques.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Who is the Math Mini Prep Program for?&lt;/strong&gt; The program is intended for current registered students preparing for their upcoming DM class or wanting to retake the Placement Test for a higher score.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How do I get started?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/hYz1uz4vimdp3iwh9&quot;&gt;Complete this form&lt;/a&gt; and a link will be sent to get you started.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Quick Math Prep Program&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is it?&lt;/strong&gt; The Quick Math Prep class provides a 2-hour intensive&amp;nbsp;review of college math. The four areas that are covered are&amp;nbsp;basic math, Pre-Algebra,&amp;nbsp;Introduction to Algebra, and Intermediate Algebra.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Who is this for?&lt;/strong&gt; The program is designed for New Students entering the college in preparation to take the Math Placement Test (MPT). Students will review questions that are commonly found on the MPT and gain insight into answering those questions. Classes are throughout the year, so whether you are starting in September or November we have you covered. How do get started? Please &lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/hYz1uz4vimdp3iwh9&quot;&gt;fill out the form&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and a schedule of the dates and times will be provided.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kDEf9fHgSPa_uc6sMkkl1rfftYdy9xlN/view?usp=sharing&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;More information for Quick Math Prep&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Mathematics, Engineering, Technology &amp;amp; Science (METS)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;METS is a mentoring program that provides academic and personal support to women and minority students who are pursuing or exploring careers in mathematics, engineering, technology and science.&amp;nbsp; The program offers support in the following areas: tutoring, mentoring, networking, information and career issues.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Contact&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gail Hilyard&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Math Center Coordinator&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2552&quot;&gt;413.552.2552&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:ghilyard@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;ghilyard@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7634" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring/writing-center" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241202T17:30:34" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7634.xml" Name="Writing Center" Thumbnail="/images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Support/CAPS/writing.jpg" Title="Writing Center" Abstract="All students can write -- we'll show you how!" IntroCopy="All students have the ability to write!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Our Writing Center staff believe that all students have the ability to write, and have the potential to develop skills needed to become competent writers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Located in DON 238 and online, the William Dwight Jr. Writing Center offers students free walk-in or drop-in consultation and assistance with all college course writing assignments, college application essays, scholarship application essays, and more. Professional and peer tutors will help organize materials for your paper, work through the stages of drafting, assist with research and documentation, assist with formatting, and much more. Holyoke Community College provides online tutoring support for all HCC students. In addition to tutoring, the Writing Center also provides handouts, texts, and computer-aided instruction to help with grammar and drafting strategies. The Writing Center is open weekdays on campus and online with reduced online hours on Saturday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Writing Center Hours:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ON CAMPUS:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday--Thursday from (9:00 a.m.--4:00 p.m.)&lt;br /&gt;Friday (9:00 a.m.--2:00 p.m.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ONLINE:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;You access the online tutoring and the overall tutor schedule through the CAPS (Center for Academic Program Support) Canvas page which is loaded into your Canvas page as a class. &lt;br /&gt;The online tutors' names appear in&amp;nbsp;blue because they are hyperlinked. If you click&amp;nbsp;on their name, you will see their zoom link. Just click on it and you will enter their Waiting Room.&lt;br /&gt;Monday, Weds. &amp;amp; Thurs. (4:00 p.m.--8:00 p.m.)&lt;br /&gt;Tuesday (4:00 p.m.--9:00 p.m.)&lt;br /&gt;Friday (9:00 a.m.--2:00 p.m.)&lt;br /&gt;Saturday (10:00 a.m.--3:00 p.m.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;CAPS Tutoring:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; Follow &lt;a href=&quot;https://canvas.hcc.edu/courses/4477&quot;&gt;this link&lt;/a&gt; to connect with a tutor. You must be logged in to Canvas. &lt;strong&gt;After-hours tutoring&lt;/strong&gt; via tutor.com is also available on our Canvas page.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.83em;&quot;&gt;contact&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Frank Johnson&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2599&quot;&gt;413.552.2599&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:fjohnson@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;fjohnson@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x12838" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-support/student-ambassador-and-mentorship-program" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260116T13:51:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12838.xml" Name="Student Ambassador &amp; Mentorship Program " Title="Student Ambassador &amp; Mentorship Program" Abstract="Student Ambassador &amp; Mentorship Program" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12562" URL="courses-and-programs/academic-support/core-at-hcc" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250826T12:12:24" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12562.xml" Name="CORE at HCC" Title="CORE @ HCC" Abstract="Western Mass CORE was founded in 2019 by HCC professors Mary Orisich and Nicole Hendricks during a joint sabbatical." IntroCopy="If you or a member of your immediate family have been impacted by the criminal legal system, CORE @ HCC is here to help with services and assistance tailored for formerly incarcerated students and those closest to them." BodyCopy="&lt;h6&gt;&lt;b&gt;Our Origins&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Western Mass CORE was founded in 2019 by HCC professors Mary Orisich and Nicole Hendricks during a joint sabbatical. The program, whose name stands for Community, Opportunity, Resources, and Education, was born out of their experiences in the classroom working with students who were impacted by incarceration, as well as their commitment to justice and liberation. The initial goal was to create a pathway for incarcerated students to transition into higher education. This goal expanded to serve formerly incarcerated students and their families across western Massachusetts. In 2024, Western Mass CORE moved from Holyoke Community College to the community, and the on-campus program became CORE @ HCC.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;mission&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;CORE @ HCC is dedicated to supporting justice-impacted individuals and their families through access to transformative education, tailored pathways, and holistic support services. We foster community engagement and collaboration to empower people, break down barriers, and create opportunities for success in education and beyond.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;vision&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;CORE @ HCC envisions a community where justice-impacted individuals are fully supported in their pursuit of education and personal development. We aim to be a leader in reentry education, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed in college and beyond. Through collaborative efforts, we aspire to break the cycle of incarceration and contribute to a more just and equitable society. Our vision is to create an inclusive and supportive environment that empowers students to overcome barriers, achieve their academic and career goals, and lead fulfilling lives.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;b&gt;Services Offered by CORE @ HCC:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Assistance with enrollment and financial aid processes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;An on-campus community of mentors and peers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Individualized academic and career advising&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Referrals to essential services, including housing, food assistance, and counseling&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Office:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Frost 160&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Student Lounge:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Frost 158&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;b&gt;Contact Information&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Program Contact information:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span&gt; core@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x170" URL="courses-and-programs/adult-education" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:38:42" CategoryIds="" FileName="x170.xml" Name="Adult Education" Title="Adult Education" Abstract="Our Adult Education programs provide basic skills instruction in math, writing, and reading to adult learners in order to prepare them for their High School Equivalency Certificate, jobs, or higher education." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A tutor working with an adult student&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Adult%20Basic%20Education/abe_intext.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College's Adult Education programs provide basic skills instruction in math, writing, and reading, or English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) to adult learners in order to prepare them for their&amp;nbsp;High School Equivalency Certificate&amp;nbsp;(through the HiSET or GED test), jobs, or higher education. These programs can be found on the HCC campus and at the &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/adult-education/picknelly-adult-and-family-education-center&quot; title=&quot;Picknelly Adult &amp;amp; Family Education Center&quot;&gt;Picknelly Adult &amp;amp; Family Education Center&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;in downtown Holyoke, the &lt;a href=&quot;/x5469.xml&quot; title=&quot;Ludlow Area Adult Learning Center&quot;&gt;Ludlow Area Adult Learning Center&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/about/visit-hcc/other-locations&quot;&gt;Education to Employment (E2E)&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;in Ware, the &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/adult-education/english-for-speakers-of-other-languages/english-classes-(esol)&quot; title=&quot;Link to Springfield Adult Learning Center page&quot;&gt;Springfield Adult Learning Center&lt;/a&gt;, and several other locations.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x172" URL="courses-and-programs/adult-education/ged-and-hiset" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250404T12:44:00" CategoryIds="" FileName="x172.xml" Name="GED &amp; HiSET" Title="GED &amp; HiSET TESTING" Abstract="Information about taking high school equivalency exams at HCC." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;HCC's Testing &amp;amp; Workforce Certification Center offers two high school equivalency exam options: the GED and the HiSET.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://vimeo.com/251570555&quot; title=&quot;Link to video about high school equivalency tests&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;more information&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://www.sabes.org/hse-Spanish&quot; title=&quot;Link to Spanish video about high school equivalency tests&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;en espa&amp;ntilde;ol&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The GED test consists of 4 subjects:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The HiSET test consists of 5 subjects:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Reasoning Through Language Arts&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Mathematical Reasoning&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Social Studies&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Science&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Language Arts: Reading&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Language Arts: Writing&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Mathematics&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Social Studies&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Science&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ready to learn more, create your GED account, access study materials, earn college credit, and schedule your test?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ged.com/&quot; title=&quot;Link to GED website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ready to learn more, create your HiSET account, prepare for the test, and schedule your appointment?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hiset.ets.org/&quot; title=&quot;Link to HiSET website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;h2&gt;TEST PREPARATION&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;If you would benefit from preparation courses to build your reading, writing, and math skills before you take the test, click &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/pafec&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;here&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;. These classes are free and open to all. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;need to know&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the day of your test, please bring a government-issued photo/signature ID (like a driver's license or passport).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your personal belongings will be stored in a locker during the test. These include, but are not limited to:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Coats, hats, and scarves&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Cell phones&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Calculators&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Electronic devices&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Watches/FitBits&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Books&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Papers&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Food and drink&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;The testing center will provide everything you'll need in order to take the test.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;details&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The testing center is located in room 204 of the Kittredge Center. Please park in &lt;a href=&quot;/about/visit-hcc&quot; title=&quot;Link to page with parking information and campus map&quot;&gt;Lot D&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hours&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;width: 433px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 250.234px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 175.766px;&quot;&gt;9 a.m. &amp;ndash; 2 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please contact the testing center for Saturday and summer hours.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;contact&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Testing &amp;amp; Workforce Certification Center&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2112&quot;&gt;413.552.2112&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12759" URL="courses-and-programs/adult-education/english-for-speakers-of-other-languages" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251106T13:43:11" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12759.xml" Name="English for Speakers of Other Languages" Title="English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)" Abstract="HCC offers a variety of free programs for adults learning English!" IntroCopy="Welcome! !أهلا بك Bem-vindos! Hoş geldiniz! Hoan nghênh! Bienvenidos! Byenvini!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;HCC offers a variety of free, grant-funded programs for adults learning English! (You need to live in Massachusetts to participate in these opportunities.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Find the right program for you below:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table cellpadding=&quot;10&quot; class=&quot;table&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3%;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/adult-education/english-for-speakers-of-other-languages/english-classes-(esol)&quot; title=&quot;Link to Springfield adult learning center webpage&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A white line drawing of a teacher pointing to a blackboard on a green background&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;images/HCC_Classroom_Icons_500x500_d1.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3%;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/adult-education/english-for-speakers-of-other-languages/rise-esol-for-employment&quot; title=&quot;Link to Springfield adult learning center webpage&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A white line drawing of a teacher pointing to a blackboard on a green background&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;images/HCC_Classroom_Icons_500x500_d2.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3%;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/adult-education/english-for-speakers-of-other-languages/accelerated-career-english-program-(ace)&quot; title=&quot;Link to accelerated career English program webpage&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Line drawing of intersecting speech bubbles in white on green background&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;images/HCC_Convo_Icons_500x500_d2.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3%; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/adult-education/english-for-speakers-of-other-languages/english-classes-(esol)&quot; title=&quot;Link to English Classes (ESOL)&quot;&gt;English Classes (ESOL)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Morning and evening classes&lt;br /&gt;Beginner &amp;ndash; advanced levels&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3%; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/adult-education/english-for-speakers-of-other-languages/rise-esol-for-employment&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;RISE ESOL for Employment&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Intensive ESOL classes for unemployed and underemployed english learners&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3%; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/adult-education/english-for-speakers-of-other-languages/accelerated-career-english-program-(ace)&quot; title=&quot;Link to Accelerated Career English program webpage&quot;&gt;Accelerated Career English&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Online classes&lt;br /&gt;Professional English, career exploration and essential skills, preparation for training or college&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/nurse-aidehome-health-aideesol&quot; title=&quot;Link to nurse aide ESOL program webpage&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;White line drawing of stethoscope on green background&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;images/HCC_Stethoscope_Icons_500x500_d1.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/esol-culinary-arts&quot; title=&quot;Link to culinary and hospitality ESOL webpage&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;White line drawing of cooking implements on green background&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;images/HCC_Cooking_Icons_500x500_d2.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/nurse-aidehome-health-aideesol&quot; title=&quot;Link to nurse aide ESOL program webpage&quot;&gt;ESOL Nurse Aide&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Hybrid (online and in-person) nurse aide/home health aide program designed for English learners&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/esol-culinary-arts&quot; title=&quot;Link to culinary ESOL program webpage&quot;&gt;ESOL Culinary&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Hybrid (online and in-person) culinary training for English learners&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;more opportunities&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to these opportunities, English learners may want to explore &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/academic-english-as-a-second-language-(aesl)&quot; title=&quot;Link to academic ESL page&quot;&gt;Academic ESL&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/career-pathways-grant-for-early-childhood-educators&quot; title=&quot;Link to free CDA webpage&quot;&gt;Child Development Associate Plus&lt;/a&gt; (offered in English or Spanish), &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/preparing-for-college/transition-to-college-and-careers&quot; title=&quot;Link to Transition to College &amp;amp; Careers page&quot;&gt;Transitions to College &amp;amp; Careers&lt;/a&gt;, and other &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs&quot; title=&quot;Link to free job training programs page&quot;&gt;free workforce training programs&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We look forward to helping you achieve your language, employment, education, and community goals!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;questions?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do you have questions or need help? Please call us at &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2999&quot;&gt;413.552.2999&lt;/a&gt; and leave a message.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;stay in touch&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;To receive periodic updates and announcements from HCC ESOL program, please sign up for our &lt;a href=&quot;https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/gjQnwrB&quot; title=&quot;Link to Constant Contact sign-up form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;email list&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x12761" URL="courses-and-programs/adult-education/english-for-speakers-of-other-languages/accelerated-career-english-program-(ace)" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250915T12:43:02" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12761.xml" Name="Accelerated Career English Program (ACE)" Title="Accelerated Career English Program (ACE)" Abstract="Improve your English language skills to prepare for the next step in your career!" IntroCopy="Improve your English language skills to prepare for the next step in your career!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Menuka Katwal&quot; height=&quot;534&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Adult%20Basic%20Education/Menuka-Katwal-op.jpg&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin: 5px; vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;800&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ACE &lt;/strong&gt;is a&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;career-focused English as Second Language (ESL) Instruction &amp;amp; Advising&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Program&lt;/strong&gt; where you can start a new career in the U.S. or build upon your previous professional/work experience! The Accelerated Career English (ACE) program offers you opportunities to:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Build your professional language skills&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Explore, determine, and advance on your &lt;strong&gt;career path&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Enter &lt;strong&gt;training&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;employment&lt;/strong&gt;, or &lt;strong&gt;college&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ACE classes include:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;English skills such as listening, speaking, reading, writing&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Computer skills (Canvas, Google Drive)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Job readiness and a career portfolio including resume writing&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Job search and interview skills&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;College preparation and workforce training&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Career coaching&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;This&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;free&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;program is open to adult English learners who live in Massachusetts and have high-intermediate or advanced English proficiency levels. Students should be unemployed or underemployed to participate in the program. U.S. work authorization is required.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classes meet three times per week by Zoom. Each ACE course is 12 weeks long, and we will work with you upon conclusion until you meet your career and education goals.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;Class Schedule&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sample morning class schedule&quot; height=&quot;282&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Adult%20Basic%20Education/sample-morning-class-schedule.png&quot; style=&quot;margin: 1px;&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sample evening class schedule&quot; height=&quot;282&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Adult%20Basic%20Education/sample-evening-class-schedule.png&quot; style=&quot;margin: 1px;&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12760" URL="courses-and-programs/adult-education/english-for-speakers-of-other-languages/english-classes-(esol)" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251201T16:04:56" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12760.xml" Name="English Classes (ESOL)" Title="English Classes (ESOL)" Abstract="HCC ESOL Programs offer free, grant-funded English classes for adults through Springfield Adult Learning Center (SALC) and Ludlow Area Adult Learning Center (LAALC)! " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;HCC ESOL Programs offer &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;free&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;, grant-funded English classes for adults through &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Springfield Adult Learning Center (SALC)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Ludlow Area Adult Learning Center (LAALC)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;! You need to live in Massachusetts to participate in these classes.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students join HCC ESOL programs to improve their English language skills for college, careers, and community engagement. Students range in age from 17 to 70+ and come from over 55 countries. Everyone is welcome!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;In these classes, students develop their English skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. In addition to classroom instruction, students are supported by an advisor to work towards their goals, such as going to college, entering workforce training, or building digital literacy skills.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Level&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The ESOL program offers four levels of ESOL classes: Levels 1-4 (from true beginner to advanced) as well as Literacy/Reading Development classes.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Location &amp;amp; Modality&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The ESOL program offers classes in person or online (on Zoom). Most in-person classes are held at Springfield Technical Community College. Some classes are also held in West Springfield and Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Schedule&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The ESOL program offers classes in the morning or the evening. Most classes meet 3 times a week and some meet 2 times a week.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;table&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 191px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Sample Morning Schedule&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 407px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday, Tuesday &amp;amp; Thursday from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 191px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Sample Evening Schedule&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 407px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday, Tuesday &amp;amp; Thursday from 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Attendance Expectations&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Coming to class helps you learn English! We expect all students to attend classes consistently and communicate in case of absence. If a student misses too many classes, they may be removed from the program.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22078" URL="courses-and-programs/adult-education/english-for-speakers-of-other-languages/rise-esol-for-employment" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251106T13:34:16" CategoryIds="" FileName="x22078.xml" Name="RISE ESOL for Employment" Title="RISE ESOL for Employment" Abstract="HCC ESOL Programs offer free, grant-funded English classes for adults through Springfield Adult Learning Center (SALC) and Ludlow Area Adult Learning Center (LAALC)! " BodyCopy="&lt;h2&gt;&lt;b&gt;Want to learn English and get a better job?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wkf.ms/4m8TYtO&quot;&gt;Apply today&lt;/a&gt; for the FREE &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;RISE &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;ESOL Program&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;for Employment.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Learn English and prepare for a career in the United States in a free, intensive ESOL for Employment program! RISE is a free program for English learners who are unemployed or underemployed and want to improve their English to get a new or better job. RISE students will:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Learn beginning and intermediate English skills,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Build a resume and career skills,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Develop digital skills and earn NorthStar certifications, and&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Enter job training or employment.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Readiness, Integration, Skills, and Employment&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; (RISE) program is a partnership between Holyoke Community College, Way Finders, The Tech Foundry, and MassHire Springfield, and is funded through the Commonwealth Corporation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Class Schedule and Location&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;RISE is an intensive program. Classes meet on the following schedule:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Classes are held in Springfield.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Flexible online instruction is also available.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Eligibility&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;This &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;free&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; program is open to adult English learners who live in Massachusetts. Students should be unemployed or underemployed. Work authorization is required. To qualify, RISE students should be caregivers for children 21 years and younger, or have enrolled in the Emergency Assistance shelter system since April 30, 2024.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;To Apply&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Please complete the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wkf.ms/4m8TYtO&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;RISE Application&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;. We will contact you for an English assessment and prepare you for classes.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Questions?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Please contact:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Neissa Mentor, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:nmentor@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;nmentor@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; (English/Creole)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Pesha Black, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:pblack@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;pblack@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;, 413-552-2245 (English/Spanish)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x605" URL="courses-and-programs/adult-education/adult-learning-center" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250404T11:40:45" CategoryIds="" FileName="x605.xml" Name="Adult Learning Center" Title="Adult Learning Center" Abstract="The HCC Adult Learning Center is a free evening high school equivalency preparation program that offers classes September through June." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The HCC Adult Learning Center is a free evening high school equivalency preparation program that offers classes September through June.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Programs&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ALC offers small, supportive classes for adults of all ages and backgrounds who want to get their high school equivalency (GED or HiSET). Our classes are free and open to all. Many ALC students are parents and workers as well as ALC students, some speak English as a second language, some have disabilities, some have been away from school for a few months, others have been out of school for a few decades.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students are placed in classes that are the right level for their skills. We help you learn reading and writing, math, science, and social studies. When you're ready, we can help you sign up to take the &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/adult-education/ged-and-hiset&quot; title=&quot;Link to GED and HiSET page&quot;&gt;HiSET or GED&lt;/a&gt; and plan for your next steps whether you're pursuing a job, college, training, or another path.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Free Services Offered&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;All ALC services are free to all students, and include:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;In-class tutoring&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Career and academic counseling&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Referrals to partnering agencies&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/preparing-for-college/transition-to-college-and-careers&quot; title=&quot;Transition to College &amp;amp; Careers&quot;&gt;Transition to College&lt;/a&gt; support services&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Field trips and special &quot;elective&quot; courses&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Schedule &amp;amp; Location&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are located at the &lt;a href=&quot;/about/visit-hcc/other-locations&quot; title=&quot;Picknelly Adult &amp;amp; Family Education Center&quot;&gt;Picknelly Adult &amp;amp; Family Education Center&lt;/a&gt; on the upper floors of the Holyoke Transportation Center in downtown Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Picknelly Center&lt;br /&gt;206 Maple St.&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Transportation &amp;amp; Parking&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;All Holyoke buses go to the Transportation Center located below the PAFEC. There is also garage parking and metered street parking nearby. A fee is charged until 5 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;To Sign Up&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Adlyn Col&amp;oacute;n&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2927&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;413.552.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2990&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;2927&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:acolon@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;acolon@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5470" URL="courses-and-programs/adult-education/picknelly-adult-and-family-education-center" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260331T14:45:20" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5470.xml" Name="Picknelly Adult &amp; Family Education Center" Title="Picknelly Adult &amp; Family Education Center" Abstract="HCC offers high school equivalency preparation and testing, Adult Basic Education, and English for Speakers of Other Languages classes, tutoring and mentoring, career counseling, workforce development classes, transition to college programs, and credit college classes taught by HCC instructors." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Located in downtown Holyoke, the Picknelly Adult &amp;amp; Family Education Center (PAFEC) is home to the Juntos Collaborative, providing free adult education, training, and support services.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Juntos Collaborative is committed to the vision of a thriving community where college education, expanded career options, civic engagement, and long-term prosperity are promoted, sustained, and attained by all.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The following programs are available at PAFEC:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Adult Basic Education &amp;amp; High School Equivalency&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: Earn your diploma! Free day and evening classes to improve your basic reading, writing, math, and prepare for the HiSET or GED exams. These programs are offered by Holyoke Public Schools Opportunity Academy and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/adult-education/adult-learning-center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College Adult Learning Center&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;. Apply for classes &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxrc0mE5KJ-cD7hj2whKAf1WDw1A11bj5aPflI02B9L7lSpg/viewform&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;here&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Spanish HiSET/GED&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: Develop your skills! Free day and evening classes, including educational counseling and referral services are available through the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cepholyoke.org/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Community Education Project&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;. Call &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;(413)296-1113 for more information.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;MassSTEP Nurse Aide/Home Health Aide&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: This is a free, daytime training program for English learners who want to become Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) in Massachusetts. Learn more about HCC&amp;rsquo;s free program and apply &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/nurse-aidehome-health-aideesol&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;here&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Basic Computer and Software Skills&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: Tech Hub offers basic computer and software workshops that are free and open to the public. Topics include how to use your devices, Google Suite skills, Microsoft Office 365, cloud storage, internet &amp;amp; internet safety, email, and much more. Individual support is also available. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Learn more and access workshops and services &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://techhubmass.net/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;here&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Head Start Early Childhood Center&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: Access childcare and support services for young children and their families. Learn more and apply &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcsheadstart.org/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;here&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Picknelly Adult &amp;amp; Family Education Center&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;206 Maple Street&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Holyoke, MA&amp;nbsp; 01040&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;Contact&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;For more information, please call 413.552.&lt;span&gt;2927&lt;/span&gt; or &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:pafec@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;email&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; us.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxrc0mE5KJ-cD7hj2whKAf1WDw1A11bj5aPflI02B9L7lSpg/viewform&quot; title=&quot;Link to google form to inquire about adult education programs&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Apply for adult education&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x131" URL="courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260415T17:28:25" CategoryIds="" FileName="x131.xml" Name="Advising and Transfer Center" Title="Advising and Transfer Center" Abstract="Advising and transfer support – all in one place." ThumbnailAltText="A student being tutored" IntroCopy="Advising and transfer support – all in one place." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A student being tutored&quot; height=&quot;475&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Advising%2C%20Career%2C%20Transfer/act_intext.png&quot; width=&quot;844&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Advising Sessions&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;Current students are strongly encouraged to make appointments with their assigned advisor throughout the spring and fall semesters. You can find your advisor&amp;rsquo;s contact information in Navigate, DegreeWorks, or MY HCC.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Drop-In Advising &amp;amp; Course Registration&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;The Advising Center offers limited drop-in advising services for newly accepted students, available both in person and via Zoom, when registration first opens for each term.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;Full drop-in availability for both current and new students typically begins in May for Summer/Fall advising and in November for Winter Session/Spring advising. D&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;rop in days&amp;nbsp; are subject to change, so make sure to contact the Advising Center for the most up-to-date information.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Please note:&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;Current students who are already assigned a professional advisor through a support program&amp;nbsp;at the college will be encouraged to connect directly with their assigned advisor.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To meet with us on Zoom,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fhcc-edu.zoom.us%2fj%2f94439429102%3fpwd%3deitPRkhzQVBQVXJTTTNyWUxBcVYyZz09&amp;amp;c=E,1,nTiORgqpO_O_ZDzIcIKb_983BXKDBOkh4qS-Evv4FOACiRb-iX0GLzCLRz37pVXgHLSzacto__zfxA9Yst433KMmY_fudP7mMWf_30OL4wy75RBaRw,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC advising zoom&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For in-person advising, come see us in the Campus Center, room 102.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Be sure to check our hours below before dropping in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hours&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Monday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tuesday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Wednesday&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Thursday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Friday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Self Registration&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Did you already meet with your advisor to discuss your academic plan? Then it's time to self-register! See instructions&amp;nbsp;below for how to build your schedule in your MyHCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jHKLej8FfHgXUoLdamBDYUqSUJ8AA0A28zxcxhT-aYk/preview&quot; title=&quot;Link to google doc of self registration instructions&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Self-Registration Instructions&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hours&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Monday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tuesday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Wednesday&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Thursday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Friday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Contact Us&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please call&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2722&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;413.552.2722&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;For general advising questions, email us at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:advisingcenter@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link advisingcenter@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;advisingcenter@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;. (&amp;nbsp; No Appointment requests via email please)&lt;br /&gt;If you call or email after hours, please&amp;nbsp;leave your name and contact information,&amp;nbsp;and we'll get back to you. We look forward to connecting with you soon!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;WHERE TO FIND US:&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;We're in the Campus Center, first floor, room 102.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x133" URL="courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/advising" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260414T16:25:55" CategoryIds="" FileName="x133.xml" Name="Advising" Thumbnail="/images/Courses-Programs/Advising%2C%20Career%2C%20Transfer/advising_thumbnail2.png" Title="Advising" Abstract="Advising offers walk-in service for Holyoke Community College students." ThumbnailAltText="An advisor working with a student" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Advising Sessions&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;Current students are strongly encouraged to make appointments with their assigned advisor throughout the spring and fall semesters. You can find your advisor&amp;rsquo;s contact information in Navigate, DegreeWorks, or MY HCC.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Drop-In Advising &amp;amp; Course Registration&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;The Advising Center offers limited drop-in advising services for newly accepted students, available both in person and via Zoom, when registration first opens for each term.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;Full drop-in availability for both current and new students typically begins in May for Summer/Fall advising and in November for Winter Session/Spring advising. D&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;rop in days&amp;nbsp; are subject to change, so make sure to contact the Advising Center for the most up-to-date information.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Please note:&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;Current students who are already assigned a professional advisor through a support program&amp;nbsp;at the college will be encouraged to connect directly with their assigned advisor.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To meet with us on Zoom,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fhcc-edu.zoom.us%2fj%2f94439429102%3fpwd%3deitPRkhzQVBQVXJTTTNyWUxBcVYyZz09&amp;amp;c=E,1,nTiORgqpO_O_ZDzIcIKb_983BXKDBOkh4qS-Evv4FOACiRb-iX0GLzCLRz37pVXgHLSzacto__zfxA9Yst433KMmY_fudP7mMWf_30OL4wy75RBaRw,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC advising zoom&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For in-person advising, come see us in the Campus Center, room 102.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Be sure to check our hours below before dropping in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hours&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Monday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tuesday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Wednesday&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Thursday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Friday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Self Registration&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Did you already meet with your advisor to discuss your academic plan? Then it's time to self-register! See instructions&amp;nbsp;below for how to build your schedule in your MyHCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jHKLej8FfHgXUoLdamBDYUqSUJ8AA0A28zxcxhT-aYk/preview&quot; title=&quot;Link to google doc of self registration instructions&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Self-Registration Instructions&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hours&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Monday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tuesday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Wednesday&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Thursday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Friday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Contact Us&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please call&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2722&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;413.552.2722&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;For general advising questions, email us at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:advisingcenter@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link advisingcenter@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;advisingcenter@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;. (&amp;nbsp; No Appointment requests via email please)&lt;br /&gt;If you call or email after hours, please&amp;nbsp;leave your name and contact information,&amp;nbsp;and we'll get back to you. We look forward to connecting with you soon!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;WHERE TO FIND US:&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;We're in the Campus Center, first floor, room 102.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x136" URL="courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260313T13:30:05" CategoryIds="" FileName="x136.xml" Name="Transfer" Thumbnail="/images/Homepage/Featured%20links/transfer.jpg" Title="Transfer" Abstract="You can go anywhere with an HCC education. Explore 85-plus transfer opportunities to four-year schools." ThumbnailAltText="A college rep talks with an HCC student at a transfer fair" IntroCopy="Did you know? HCC is the largest community college feeder to UMass and Westfield State!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Want to cut your college costs almost in half? Start your education at HCC! With small class sizes, affordable tuition, and&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer/transfer-after-hcc&quot; title=&quot;HCC transfer programs&quot;&gt;transfer agreements&lt;/a&gt; with public and private four-year colleges and universities that provide you with guaranteed admission and lower tuition, HCC is the smart way to start your college education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC grads transfer to a range of colleges, from highly selective to open access. Popular choices include UMass, Westfield State, Elms, AIC, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Amherst, Cornell, and many others: check out our list of&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer/transfer-after-hcc/articulation-agreements&quot;&gt;articulation agreements&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC offers transfer counseling and hosts regular visits from regional colleges each semester. Email or call and make an appointment to discuss your transfer plans. It's never to early to start planning!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To assist you with your transfer planning, here are three forms that you may find helpful:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Transfer/Copy%20of%20College%20Comparison%20Worksheet.pdf&quot; title=&quot;College Comparison Worksheet&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;College Comparison Worksheet&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Transfer/Transfer%20Checklist.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Transfer Checklist Transfer&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Transfer Checklist Transfer&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Transfer/Application%20Dates%20Checklist.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Application Checklist&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Application Checklist&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get in touch&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Want to speak to one of our transfer counselors? Please call&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2498&quot;&gt;413.552.2498&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mbroadbent@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link mbroadbent@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;email our office&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and leave your name and contact information, and one of our staff will be in touch within 24 hours.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;If you would like to schedule an appointment with Transfer Counselor Mark Broadbent, please use this&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.campus.eab.com/pal/RVCKyu4nE2&quot; title=&quot;Link to Mark Broadbent's calendar&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://hcc.campus.eab.com/pal/RVCKyu4nE2&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1634154961847000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFkxvzOtBtk5FDJWAL4i3FvYVOcIA&quot;&gt;calendar&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;if you are a current student. If you are not currently enrolled at the college, please&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://calendly.com/transfer-counselor&quot; title=&quot;Link to calendly webpage&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://calendly.com/transfer-counselor&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1634154961847000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNE9aBFMcKr6neOuv1Q3I5pQI1aEDg&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;We look forward to helping you find the right transfer fit for you!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x137" URL="courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer/transfer-after-hcc" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250310T15:45:54" CategoryIds="" FileName="x137.xml" Name="Transfer After HCC" Title="Transfer After HCC" Abstract="HCC has relationships with four-year colleges and universities that range from a formal agreement to an understanding that increases transfer opportunities for HCC students." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;It's never too soon to plan for transfer! HCC has relationships with four-year colleges and universities that range from a formal articulation agreement to an institutional understanding that increases transfer opportunities for HCC students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;What's the difference?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer/transfer-after-hcc/articulation-agreements&quot; title=&quot;Articulation agreements&quot;&gt;Articulation agreements&lt;/a&gt; are between two college or university departments and specific degree programs. The agreement specifies courses a student should take at Holyoke Community College and the transferability of those courses to the four-year college degree program. An articulation agreement addresses the transferability of one degree to another degree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer/masstransfer&quot; title=&quot;MassTransfer&quot;&gt;MassTransfer&lt;/a&gt; links associate degree programs at community colleges with four-year baccalaureate programs at Massachusetts state universities. MassTransfer offers guaranteed admission, transfer of credit, plus 1/3 off the cost of in-state tuition for students who graduate with a 3.0 grade point average or higher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer/transfer-after-hcc/course-equivalency-guides&quot; title=&quot;Course Equivalency Guides&quot;&gt;Course Equivalency Guides&lt;/a&gt; are course-by-course listings developed by the four-year college or university of every Holyoke Community College course and its transferability to that specific institution. This guide addresses course equivalency only. It does not address how a course applies to a four-year degree plan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Institutional understanding characterizes the relationship between HCC and institutions such as Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and other selective liberal arts colleges that welcome and give special consideration to HCC students. Students who are interested in transferring to these colleges are encouraged to contact the &lt;a class=&quot;intLink&quot; href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/pathways&quot;&gt;Pathways program&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x138" URL="courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer/on-campus-visits" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241211T12:49:01" CategoryIds="" FileName="x138.xml" Name="On-Campus Visits" Title="On-Campus Visits" Abstract="Find out when representatives from four-year colleges and universities will be visiting HCC." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Please use the calendar below&amp;nbsp;to explore virtual college visits from four-year colleges and universities. Click on an event to register or access the Zoom link.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;800&quot; height=&quot;600&quot; style=&quot;border-width: 0px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; src=&quot;https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?showTitle=0&amp;amp;height=600&amp;amp;wkst=1&amp;amp;bgcolor=%23FFFFFF&amp;amp;src=hcc.edu_uk7gllgeabmisis2i8gmltf7t8%40group.calendar.google.com&amp;amp;color=%230D7813&amp;amp;ctz=America%2FNew_York&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x139" URL="courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer/masstransfer" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250528T14:32:16" CategoryIds="" FileName="x139.xml" Name="MassTransfer" Title="MassTransfer" Abstract="MassTransfer is a collaboration between the Commonwealth's community colleges, state universities, and the University of Massachusetts." BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students who have completed an associate&amp;rsquo;s degree with a GPA of at least 2.5 and who are applying for admission to a Massachusetts state university or University of Massachusetts campus may complete the MassTransfer Application on the individual colleges transfer admission pages.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;For contact information, visit the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fwww.mass.edu%2fmasstransfer%2fabout%2fcontact.asp&amp;amp;c=E,1,SJQrFw_7t95ZJOatMonYDiZltpYOfxLixCb5Oz60OkhMRwAIAnTuJUF0_jc3qO2UcY1a7aHrbVKtBO6NiOOEC6K6VSA4AFijars8teXh7U5lDPAXfRuq_u97&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;Public Campuses &amp;amp; Transfer Contacts&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;page.&amp;nbsp;Students applying to the University of Massachusetts Amherst should use the MassTransfer application on their&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.umass.edu%2fadmissions%2fundergraduate-admissions%2fapply%2fmasstransfer%2fapplying-masstransfer-student&amp;amp;c=E,1,8olSWyJWrvhN3Zgh4fVikozsiSzhP4Npg-bEWxjanEVUKA_eiQJBz2-RFy1lYFdn04pySUZBiDA0HUZPVkAwowCawKcoYXDL8oooXIuTeH98vbpTYieAq4g7&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;admission website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Participating State Colleges/Universities:&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Bridgewater State University&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Fitchburg State University&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Framingham State University&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Massachusetts College of Art &amp;amp; Design&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Massachusetts Maritime Academy&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Salem State University&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;University of Massachusetts Amherst&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;University of Massachusetts Boston&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;University of Massachusetts Dartmouth&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;University of Massachusetts Lowell&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Westfield State University&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Worcester State University&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;MassTransfer consists of the following:&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x594" URL="courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer/commonwealth-commitment" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260302T15:19:13" CategoryIds="" FileName="x594.xml" Name="Commonwealth Commitment" Title="Commonwealth Commitment" Abstract="The Commonwealth Commitment offers a freeze on tuition and fees for all four years. Find out how to enter the program." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Commonwealth Commitment logo&quot; height=&quot;331&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Advising%2C%20Career%2C%20Transfer/ComCom-for-web.gif&quot; width=&quot;720&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;STUDENTS COMMIT TO:&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Begin at HCC&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Complete associate degree within 2.5 years&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Transfer to one of Massachusetts' State Universities or UMass campuses&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Complete bachelor's degree within 2 more years&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Maintain full time, continuous enrollment and a cumulative 3.0 GPA&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Students must &lt;a href=&quot;https://powerforms.docusign.net/1d41225b-9f29-4d97-842d-c3aed48863a6?env=na3&amp;amp;acct=85719f50-879b-4bbb-95a0-1a49cc2ab490&amp;amp;accountId=85719f50-879b-4bbb-95a0-1a49cc2ab490&quot; title=&quot;Link to Commonwealth Commitment Participation Form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;sign up&lt;/a&gt; to participate before they earn 15 credits (excluding developmental credits)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;COMMONWEALTH COMMITMENT TO STUDENTS:&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;A freeze on tuition and fees for all four years upon entry into the Commonwealth Commitment program, until student graduates or leaves program.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A reduction in tuition and mandatory fees: A 10% rebate off tuition and mandatory fees payable via check or bookstore voucher at the end of every successfully completed semester&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;An additional MassTransfer tuition credit once student enrolls in bachelors program&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Average savings over four years...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;HCC to State University&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$4,402&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Overall Average&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$5,090&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;HCC to UMass&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$6,640&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;To sign up for the Commonwealth Commitment Program, please complete this&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fna3.docusign.net%2fMember%2fPowerFormSigning.aspx%3fPowerFormId%3d1d41225b-9f29-4d97-842d-c3aed48863a6%26env%3dna3%26acct%3d85719f50-879b-4bbb-95a0-1a49cc2ab490%26v%3d2&amp;amp;c=E,1,gX4Srohf1aqY24DI5E7aqzEsAnUTUWiz4pIxSV5zM2xOT5MD8WYjtjclYwLnBb7WnRN-Dj6NN1gGySOb3HySvNMMdRzdo6uhAFsYU4yU&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fna3.docusign.net%252fMember%252fPowerFormSigning.aspx%253fPowerFormId%253d1d41225b-9f29-4d97-842d-c3aed48863a6%2526env%253dna3%2526acct%253d85719f50-879b-4bbb-95a0-1a49cc2ab490%2526v%253d2%26c%3DE,1,gX4Srohf1aqY24DI5E7aqzEsAnUTUWiz4pIxSV5zM2xOT5MD8WYjtjclYwLnBb7WnRN-Dj6NN1gGySOb3HySvNMMdRzdo6uhAFsYU4yU%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1772550995765000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1Z3Cmtlh2bIQJl1RqfCWAr&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Participation form&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Find more information on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.Mass.edu/MAComCom&quot; title=&quot;Commonwealth Commitment&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Commonwealth Commitment website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21039" URL="x21039.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20241211T12:50:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21039.xml" Name="Pathways" Title="Pathways" CustomURL="https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/pathways" IsComponent="true" /></Page><Page ID="x135" URL="courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/career-services" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260415T17:10:33" CategoryIds="" FileName="x135.xml" Name="Career Services" Thumbnail="/images/Courses-Programs/Advising%2C%20Career%2C%20Transfer/careerthumbnail2.png" Title="Career Services" Abstract="We're here to help you navigate the process of determining your academic and career goals." ThumbnailAltText="A female student looking through a microscope" IntroCopy="For students, alumni, and employers. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Career Services is a free resource to help students and alumni plan for their futures and advance their careers. We assist with career exploration and decision-making all the way through to strategizing how to successfully achieve career goals.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We will help you to:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Define your career goals and develop a career plan&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Decide on an appropriate major, education path and/or training program&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop effective job search skills (resume, cover letter, interviewing, and networking)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Identify and apply to employment and career-related opportunities and events&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Build career readiness competencies for a successful transition to employment&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Everyone has different life experiences and career goals! We're here to help support you on your career preparation journey!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x165" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251028T12:11:30" CategoryIds="" FileName="x165.xml" Name="Areas of Study" Title="Areas of Study" Abstract="Learn about the different academic divisions at Holyoke Community College." IntroCopy="Start here; go anywhere. With 80+ degrees and certificates, HCC is the smart choice for everyone." ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x166" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/arts-and-humanities" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T16:22:50" CategoryIds="" FileName="x166.xml" Name="Arts &amp; Humanities" Title="Arts &amp; Humanities" Abstract="The division Arts &amp; Humanities is home to programs that explore the multi-dimensional forms of communication, from language to the creative expression of human thought and emotion." BodyCopy="&lt;h4&gt;about arts &amp;amp; humanities&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;The division of Arts &amp;amp; Humanities is home to programs that explore the multi-dimensional forms of communication, from language to the creative expression of human thought and emotion. Our emphasis is on helping students cultivate critical and creative thinking skills as well as technical proficiency within their discipline.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;contact&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kim Hicks, dean&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:khicks@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Link to Kim Hicks email&quot;&gt;khicks@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2279&quot; title=&quot;Link to Kim Hicks phone&quot;&gt;413.552.2279&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Departments&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/communication-media-and-theater-arts&quot; title=&quot;Communication, Media &amp;amp; Theater Arts at holyoke community college&quot;&gt;Communication, Media &amp;amp; Theater Arts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/deaf-studies&quot; title=&quot;Deaf Studies&quot;&gt;Deaf Studies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/english-and-creative-writing&quot; title=&quot;English/Creative Writing at HCC&quot;&gt;English/Creative Writing&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/academic-english-as-a-second-language-(aesl)&quot; title=&quot;English as a Second Language&quot;&gt;English as a Second Language&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/language-and-latinx-studies&quot; title=&quot;link to language and latinx studies page on hcc website&quot;&gt;Language &amp;amp; Latinx Studies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/music&quot; title=&quot;Music at hcc&quot;&gt;Music&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/visual-art&quot; title=&quot;Visual Art programs at HCC&quot;&gt;Visual Art&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x167" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/business" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251110T13:15:44" CategoryIds="" FileName="x167.xml" Name="Business" Title="Business" Abstract="Learn about business programs at HCC." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Discover your potential and shape your future with your choice of degree or certificate from our Business Department. Whether you&amp;rsquo;re a high school student, a working professional, or a lifelong learner ready for a new challenge, HCC&amp;rsquo;s Business Department offers dynamic programs in Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resource Management, Marketing, and Sports Management. Our flexible certificates and degrees are designed to help you enter the workforce with confidence or seamlessly transfer to top universities. Guided by experienced faculty who are invested in your success, you&amp;rsquo;ll gain the skills, knowledge, and connections to thrive in today&amp;rsquo;s ever-evolving business world. Your journey toward success starts here&amp;mdash;at HCC Business Department!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Elizabeth Breton&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:ebreton@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;ebreton@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2436&quot; title=&quot;Link to Elizabeth Breton's phone&quot;&gt;413.552.2436&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;areas of study&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/business/accounting&quot; title=&quot;Accounting&quot;&gt;Accounting&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/business/business&quot; title=&quot;business administration at hcc&quot;&gt;Business Administration&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/culinary-arts&quot; title=&quot;Hospitality &amp;amp; Culinary Arts&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Human Resource Management&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/culinary-arts&quot; title=&quot;Hospitality &amp;amp; Culinary Arts&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/business/marketing&quot; title=&quot;Link to marketing webpage&quot;&gt;Marketing&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Sport Management&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x4777" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/business/accounting" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T16:25:14" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4777.xml" Name="Accounting" Title="Accounting" Abstract="HCC offers an associate degree in Accounting and an Accounting Certificate." IntroCopy="Our accounting programs encompass foundational business courses as well as specialized accounting courses. " BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;An HCC student works at a computer lab desk&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Business-Technology/Accounting/accounting%280%29.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do you have a way with numbers? Are you looking for a way to work with businesses large and small? Explore HCC's accounting programs to prepare for entry to the workforce, or transfer to a four-year school.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC offers an &lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1493&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to accounting in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;associate degree in Accounting&lt;/a&gt;, and an &lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1582&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to Accounting Systems Certificate in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Accounting Certificate&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;programs&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4778" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/business/business" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T16:30:03" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4778.xml" Name="Business" Title="Business" Abstract="Information about the business programs offered at Holyoke Community College." IntroCopy="Whether you want to launch a business, manage a non-profit, or climb the corporate ladder, HCC offers a pathway to your future." BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A student posing with a business presentation&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Business-Technology/Business%20Administration/business.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Degrees within the business administration department prepare students for a wide range of careers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Program graduates gain a strong foundation in the business principles and reasoning skills necessary for success. You will learn how to interpret, prepare, and analyze basic financial statements; weigh the legal, social, and economic impact of business decisions; and understand the role that business plays in different societal and economic systems.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;Degrees &amp;amp; certificates&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1493&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to accounting in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Accounting Degree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1582&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to accounting certificate in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Accounting Certificate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1598&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to business admin option in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Business Administration Option&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1503&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC Business Administration MassTransfer Career Option in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Business Administration MassTransfer Option&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1570&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC Human Resource Management Degree in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Human Resource Management Degree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1571&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC Human Resource Management Certificate in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Human Resource Management Certificate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1518&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to marketing degree info in college catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Marketing Degree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1567&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to marketing certificate info in college catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Marketing Certificate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=3&amp;amp;poid=319&amp;amp;returnto=83&quot; title=&quot;HCC Paralegal Transfer Option&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1549&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to HCC Sport Management in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Sport Management Degree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9566" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/business/marketing" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T16:31:20" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9566.xml" Name="Marketing" Title="Marketing" Abstract="Essential prep for careers in marketing management, advertising, and retail management." IntroCopy="HCC's marketing programs offer essential prep for transfer to a four-year program, or entrance directly into careers in public relations, advertising, brand management, digital marketing, media buying, and more!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A student uses a laptop in the campus center&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Business-Technology/Marketing/marketing%280%29.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marketing is the driving force in most businesses and organizations! It's a broad field, which can include designing, packaging, pricing, advertising, selling, distributing, and servicing a product in domestic or international marketplaces.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's certificate and degree programs will help you gain the knowledge and skills you need to take the first step towards a career in the marketing field, where you'll be able to combine your creative and analytical sides to design and execute strategies to help build business.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the marketing classes, you'll learn to identify and understand target markets, develop effective marketing strategies, and create profitable relationships with your customers.&amp;nbsp; The study of marketing includes marketing principles, personal selling and sales management, advertising, customer service, and marketing strategy. These courses are designed to provide our students with the knowledge and skills needed to understand the function of marketing in business and in society, and to become effective decision-makers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once you finish the program, you'll be qualified for positions that include supervisor of retail sales workers, market research analyst and marketing specialist, sales representative, advertising sales agent, wholesale and retail buyer, demonstrator and product promoter, sales manager, merchandise displayer, and more!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;programs&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1518&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to marketing degree info in college catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Marketing Degree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1567&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to marketing certificate info in college catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Marketing Certificate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x168" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241118T14:34:15" CategoryIds="" FileName="x168.xml" Name="Health Sciences" Title="Health Sciences" Abstract="Information about health sciences programs at HCC, like nursing, vet tech, and rad tech." IntroCopy="There's never been a better time to enter the field of healthcare, and there's no better place to learn than HCC!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Special Event&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;ticker&quot;&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt; Health, human services, and animal science careers open house Nov. 15 &lt;a href=&quot;/x19151.xml&quot; title=&quot;Link to open house notice&quot;&gt; Register Now&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A rad tech student uses an X-ray machine&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Health%20Sciences/healthsciences.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whether you seek a solid foundation for transfer or preparation for immediate entry into the workforce, HCC will help you realize your goals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;What sets HCC apart?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Small class size, advisors who offer ongoing guidance, and faculty who put teaching first&amp;mdash;plus the opportunity to learn using the same technology you'll find in hospitals and clinics.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;HCC's Center for Health Education is equipped with state-of-the-art patient suites, radiology, skills labs, sophisticated medical dispensing systems and high tech patient simulators.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ready to learn more? Attend an &lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/healthinformationsession/start-here&quot; title=&quot;Link to google site for health info sessions&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;online information session&lt;/a&gt;, or contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dean:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:abrandt@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link abrandt@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Amy Brandt&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Our selective programs are all accredited/approved by state and national agencies.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;departments&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x4794" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/foundations-of-health" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T16:35:04" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4794.xml" Name="Foundations of Health" Title="Foundations of Health" Abstract="The Foundations of Health program is designed for students pursuing a career in a health-related field." IntroCopy="The Foundations of Health program is the starting point for HCC students pursuing a career in a health-related field." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A healthcare student works on a patient simulator while an instructor looks on&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Health%20Sciences/Foundations%20of%20Health/foh.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1524&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot;&gt;Explore the Foundations of Health, A.S&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Foundations of Health prepares students for transfer to a university.&amp;nbsp; With a Foundations of Health degree, you can pursue a career in Public Health or many other exciting health careers.&amp;nbsp; Explore the many &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/advising-career-and-transfer-center/transfer/transfer-after-hcc/articulation-agreements&quot;&gt;transfer options available&lt;/a&gt; to you with a degree in &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/advising-career-and-transfer-center/transfer/transfer-after-hcc/articulation-agreements&quot;&gt;Foundations of Health&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Foundations of Health also gives you the opportunity to complete the pre-requisite coursework required for the various selective admission program.&amp;nbsp; If you are interested in learning more about a selective program and its requirements, please click one of the links below.&amp;nbsp; If you wish to pursue one of the selective programs below, please meet with your advisor as soon as you are able.&amp;nbsp; They will assist you with selecting the courses you take while in the Foundations of Health major, ensuring all the courses you take prepare you to apply to the selective program of your choice.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;selective admissions&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/nursing-(associate-and-practical)&quot; title=&quot;HCC Nursing&quot;&gt;Nursing&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/radiologic-technology&quot; title=&quot;link to rad tech page on hcc website&quot;&gt;Radiologic Technology&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/veterinary-and-animal-science&quot; title=&quot;link to vet tech page&quot;&gt;Veterinary Technician&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4791" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/nursing-(associate-and-practical)" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250213T16:47:52" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4791.xml" Name="Nursing (Associate &amp; Practical)" Title="Nursing" Abstract="HCC's nursing programs prepare professionals to care for people in all aspects of health." IntroCopy="Looking for a career that is exciting and in high demand? Want to be challenged and inspired?" BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Click the button below to explore our nursing programs, and learn how to apply!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/nursingprograms/home&quot; title=&quot;Link to nursing google site&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;learn more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's nursing programs prepare professionals to care for people in all aspects of health. Students learn in the state-of-the-art Center for Health Education's multimedia-equipped classrooms and &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/che-and-simulation&quot; title=&quot;link to simulation suite page on hcc website&quot;&gt;high-fidelity simulation labs&lt;/a&gt;. Our faculty members are skilled practitioners, teachers, and mentors who are dedicated to your success. Our community-centered approach combines liberal and technical education both within the college and in hands-on practicums at regional healthcare facilities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;contact&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot; id=&quot;m_-3119899784229599851gmail-h.g05azxwuc9on_l&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Application questions?&lt;/strong&gt; Please email: &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Advising questions?&lt;/strong&gt; Please email: &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:advisingcenter@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;advisingcenter@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:advisingcenter@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;To review the HCC&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nursing Program options,&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/nursingprograms/home &quot; title=&quot;link to hcc nursing google site program options page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;To review the Nursing Programs&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;application steps,&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/nursingprograms/application-steps-admissions-policy?authuser=0: &quot; title=&quot;link to hcc nursing google site application steps info&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;For information about the Nursing Program(s) health requirements&lt;/span&gt;, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/nursingprograms/health-requirements&quot; title=&quot;link to hcc nursing google site complio page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/nursingprograms/health-records?authuser%3D0%23h.h3xttsgjpurg&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1664386607224000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw39WHa_fGc9rKJ1zb38a-y8&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;For the Nursing Programs approval status and accreditation information&lt;/span&gt;, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/nursingprograms/home/approval-accreditation?authuser=0&quot; title=&quot;link to google doc with accreditation info&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/nursingprograms/home/approval-accreditation?authuser%3D0&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1664386607224000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw2Zi7tZUPCItiDlXysFJLp-&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Scholarships Available&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.edu/osfa/programs/ccnursingprogram.asp&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Community College Nursing Scholarship Program &amp;rarr;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4789" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/radiologic-technology" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T16:41:42" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4789.xml" Name="Radiologic Technology" Title="Radiologic Technology" Abstract="Radiologic technologists are key members of the healthcare team who create images used to diagnose patient injury or illness." IntroCopy="Radiologic technologists create images used to diagnose a patient's injury or illness." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Radiologic technology students use an X-ray machine&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Health%20Sciences/Rad%20Tech/radtech.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Radiologic technologists, also known as radiographers, are key members of the healthcare team who create images used to diagnose a patient's injury or illness. They use sophisticated equipment to produce radiographic images, or x-rays, of the human body at the request of a physician.&amp;nbsp;With new advances in medical technology and a shortage of healthcare workers, career opportunities abound for radiologic technologists across the country!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;our program&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC radiologic technology program prepares graduates to immediately enter the workforce as a professional in the field of diagnostic medical imaging. Students who successfully complete the program will receive an &lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1560&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to rad tech program page in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Associate of Science degree in radiologic technology&lt;/a&gt;. This fulfills one of the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.arrt.org/earn-arrt-credentials/requirements&quot;&gt;primary pathway requirements&lt;/a&gt; to become a registered radiologic technologist in radiography.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Curious about what kind of career you can have with a radiologic tech degree? Explore these links:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul id=&quot;docs-internal-guid-3f74426b-7fff-1412-65a3-fad0c774fc51&quot;&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.arrt.org/about-the-profession/learn-about-the-profession&quot;&gt;American Registry of Radiologic Technologists&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.asrt.org/main/career-center/careers-in-radiologic-technology&quot;&gt;American Society of Radiologic Technologists&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/radiologic-technologists.htm&quot;&gt;U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;To learn more about HCC's radiologic technology program, check out the links on this page.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/health-career-programs-info-sessions&quot;&gt;Information sessions&lt;/a&gt; are also a great way to learn more about the program and application process! (Prospective students are required to attend an information session within one year of the application due date of February 1.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not sure where to start? Current HCC students should contact their assigned academic advisor. Prospective HCC students can contact admissions at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;email link admissions@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;student handbook&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Access the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Health%20Sciences/Rad%20Tech/RadTechHandbook2025_2026%20-%20Google%20Docs.pdf&quot; title=&quot;link to PDF Rad Tech program handbook&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;radiologic technology program handbook&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;online.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4787" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/veterinary-and-animal-science" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260513T15:30:46" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4787.xml" Name="Veterinary &amp; Animal Science" Title="Veterinary &amp; Animal Science" Abstract="Passionate about animal care and interested in a healthcare profession dedicated to the well-being of animals?" IntroCopy="Passionate about animal care and interested in a healthcare profession dedicated to the well-being of animals?" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Vet tech students examine a dog who is lying prone on an examination table&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Health%20Sciences/Vet%20Tech/vettech.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;With HCC's Veterinary &amp;amp; Animal Science Department, you can begin your career as a Veterinary Technician or Veterinary Assistant!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;HCC offers a two-year program that results in an &lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1538&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot;&gt;Associate of Applied Science degree with a Veterinary Technician option&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;HCC also offers a one-year, part-time &lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1596&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot;&gt;Veterinary Assistant Certificate program&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;A Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) is trained to handle many of the same responsibilities that a Registered Nurse (RN) and other professionals perform alongside physicians. Veterinary technicians serve roles as animal anesthetists, surgical technicians, radiology technicians, medical laboratory technicians, and veterinary dental hygienists. Veterinary technicians employed in specialty practices may become technician specialists in a variety of disciplines such as anesthesiology, internal medicine, nutrition, ophthalmology, emergency and critical care, dentistry, and zoological medicine, among others. These veterinary technician specialists are often involved in teaching and training other veterinary technicians and assistants as well as veterinary medical students during their clinical rotations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Veterinary assistants support the veterinarian and the veterinary technician in their provision of healthcare and are trained to perform multiple tasks under the supervision of veterinarians and veterinary technicians. The veterinary assistant is trained to assist veterinarians and veterinary technicians in the provision of preventative healthcare, in the collection and preparation of laboratory samples, in the restraint and handling of animals, in the feeding, exercise, and care of animals in the clinic, in keeping medical records, in client communication, and in the preparation of equipment and supplies for medical and surgical procedures.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Both veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants can work in a variety of animal healthcare settings, including small animal clinical practices, equine or large animal facilities, in zoo or wildlife medicine, in laboratory animal medicine, or in veterinary referral hospitals and specialty practices. &lt;span&gt;According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of both veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants is projected to grow &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;9 percent from 2024 to 2034&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;, much faster than the average for all occupations&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The logo for the CVTEA&quot; height=&quot;149&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Health%20Sciences/Vet%20Tech/CVTEA_accredlogo_PRINT.jpg&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;HCC's Vet Tech Program has been accredited by the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.avma.org/professionaldevelopment/education/accreditation/programs/pages/default.aspx&quot; title=&quot;Link to AVMA website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.avma.org/professionaldevelopment/education/accreditation/programs/pages/default.aspx&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1585786235032000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGty1ZivuVY_6YUsjz1uZvyM6xAsg&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;American Veterinary Medical Association&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;since 1989&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;NAVTA Approved Veterinary Assistants logo&quot; height=&quot;239&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Health%20Sciences/Vet%20Tech/NAVTA_Logo_AVA.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;HCC's Vet Assistant Program is approved by the &lt;a href=&quot;https://navta.net/&quot;&gt;National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7734" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/che-and-simulation" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T16:43:26" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7734.xml" Name="CHE &amp; Simulation" Title="Center for Health Education &amp; Simulation" Abstract="HCC's Center for Health Education &amp; Simulation supports healthcare programs through hands-on clinical learning experiences using current technology, medical equipment, and human patient simulators. " IntroCopy="HCC's Center for Health Education &amp; Simulation supports healthcare programs through hands-on clinical learning experiences using current technology, medical equipment, and human patient simulators. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;HCC's Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation provides realistic, risk-free, hands-on clinical learning experiences using current medical technology and equipment, human patient simulators, task trainers and other high and low tech simulation equipment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The approximately 10,449 square foot space includes classrooms that can be converted into large lab spaces, student study space, a radiology suite with mock equipment, a large radiology image library and an image critique room. Two debrief rooms, 4 private patient simulation rooms, two semi private patient simulation rooms, three control rooms, prop storage, prep spaces and two larger multi-bed lab spaces can be transformed into acute (Medical Surgical, OR, ER, Women's Health) or community (home, outpatient medical office, street) environments in which students advance their education and skill.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our highly-trained simulation staff work directly with faculty in every program to allow students to develop clinical, interpersonal and inter-professional skills within the context of simulation activities. Our approach is multidisciplinary, with all departments in the center utilizing labs for a variety of skill-building exercises. Departments who take part in simulation labs include AS and PN nursing, Radiologic Technology, Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Assisting, Home Health Aid, Community Health Worker and Emergency Medical Technician.&amp;nbsp;These labs provide opportunities to collaborate with community partners to promote advanced communication skills, while also promoting inter-professional teamwork, multiple patient management, as well as crisis resource management (CRM) skills, communication, and collaboration.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to the space and its advanced equipment, a wealth of digital learning resources are available in the center, including&amp;nbsp;a digital recording system from Education Management Solutions that captures learning activities in real time. Using this technology, students are able to self-evaluate by observing their experiences at a later date.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4786" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/health-career-programs-info-sessions" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T16:45:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4786.xml" Name="Health Career Programs Info Sessions" Title="Health Career Programs Info Sessions" Abstract="Find out how to attend special information sessions for our nursing, radiologic technology, veterinary technician, and Foundations of Health programs." BodyCopy="&lt;h5 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Please Note:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Attending an info session is &lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;required&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; for all nursing, radiologic technology, and veterinary technician applicants!&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/healthinformationsession/start-here&quot; title=&quot;Link to google site for health info sessions&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;attend an online info session&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;A health career programs information session provides an overview of pathways to a career in healthcare. Information sessions are offered, in person, virtually over Zoom, and online. Learn how our&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hcc.edu%2fcourses-and-programs%2fareas-of-study%2fhealth-sciences%2ffoundations-of-health&amp;amp;c=E,1,6RhkCaw9WRS6wHdFiCXd2eaRM2pHH4CFlD4Z92m54Qtu78dJEGAcq8jjQ8FFAs_89UpT1FwCTUQKpIHBi-L2yVTLd77pfPq0h30F_Sjh3sBHiBezbA,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; title=&quot;Link to foh page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hcc.edu%252fcourses-and-programs%252fareas-of-study%252fhealth-sciences%252ffoundations-of-health%26c%3DE,1,6RhkCaw9WRS6wHdFiCXd2eaRM2pHH4CFlD4Z92m54Qtu78dJEGAcq8jjQ8FFAs_89UpT1FwCTUQKpIHBi-L2yVTLd77pfPq0h30F_Sjh3sBHiBezbA,,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1726922231772000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0j38ZD0HymXL3iVmvdW8LM&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Foundations of Health (FOH)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;program prepares you for a wide range of careers or transfer opportunities in healthcare, such as earning certification as a nurse's aide (CNA), graduating with a&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fcatalog.hcc.edu%2fpreview_program.php%3fcatoid%3d8%26poid%3d882%26returnto%3d292&amp;amp;c=E,1,ldc6vb2Bzk01plT7DzqjSNGdZlUsPaCFPeSIHHIqDGIDP8anXEjkKz0XEBWMmMkXBabcs0ICNf7sIpR9gALY_X_WWhkzr0yTIAVsjVynm9uSSGYTnjjqwlvkyuM,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; title=&quot;link to DIRECT CARE WORKER CERTIFICATE in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fcatalog.hcc.edu%252fpreview_program.php%253fcatoid%253d8%2526poid%253d882%2526returnto%253d292%26c%3DE,1,ldc6vb2Bzk01plT7DzqjSNGdZlUsPaCFPeSIHHIqDGIDP8anXEjkKz0XEBWMmMkXBabcs0ICNf7sIpR9gALY_X_WWhkzr0yTIAVsjVynm9uSSGYTnjjqwlvkyuM,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1726922231773000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1jsypE4wESjD8U_0Kk6BJ1&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Direct Care Worker&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fcatalog.hcc.edu%2fpreview_program.php%3fcatoid%3d8%26poid%3d907%26returnto%3d292&amp;amp;c=E,1,IeOoAkOsK5jQD05Z91aeZe-Sb0j2KDbxPEfddHfNEOLOdJ3rKwLm45x7kLfy9csHgqQqzM7pl65DjpLTZkm3yZ34ZC4AbEgZ9bI4PRpW0JZ4qbJMOIgYD_Gd1A,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; title=&quot;link to Community Health Worker certificate in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fcatalog.hcc.edu%252fpreview_program.php%253fcatoid%253d8%2526poid%253d907%2526returnto%253d292%26c%3DE,1,IeOoAkOsK5jQD05Z91aeZe-Sb0j2KDbxPEfddHfNEOLOdJ3rKwLm45x7kLfy9csHgqQqzM7pl65DjpLTZkm3yZ34ZC4AbEgZ9bI4PRpW0JZ4qbJMOIgYD_Gd1A,,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1726922231773000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw3mDJ8n9gEv41c1svnMnRRR&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Community Health Worker certificate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;or a Foundations of Health degree.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you're planning to apply to one of our selective or space-limited programs in nursing, radiologic technology, veterinary technician, you will also have the opportunity to learn more about program requirements and admission processes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Attendance at a program-specific information session is mandatory for students applying to nursing, radiologic technology, or to the veterinary technician program. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Selective admission programs in healthcare at HCC:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/nursing-(associate-and-practical)&quot; title=&quot;Link to nursing page&quot;&gt;Nursing&lt;/a&gt; (RN and PN)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/radiologic-technology&quot; title=&quot;Link to radiologic technology page&quot;&gt;Radiologic technology&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/veterinary-and-animal-science&quot; title=&quot;link to vet tech page&quot;&gt;Veterinary and animal science&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(Veterinary technician)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, call&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2321&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;413.552.2321&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp;or send an email to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link admissions@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;If you have a documented disability and require accommodation in order to fully participate in this information session, please contact the Office for Students with Disabilities &amp;amp; Deaf Services at &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2417&quot;&gt;413.552.2417&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:OSD@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link OSD@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;osd@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x4780" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/culinary-arts" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260313T13:26:54" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4780.xml" Name="Culinary Arts" Title="Culinary Arts" Abstract="HCC's Culinary Arts program prepares students for careers in a varied and exciting field." IntroCopy="Learn from top chefs in our beautiful state-of-the-art facility. Featuring four full-service kitchens, a bakery, hotel lab, and student-run dining room, it's the perfect place to launch your career!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Are you passionate about food? Ready to turn that passion into an exciting career? The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute is the place to start! You'll learn from industry professionals who are dedicated to your success. Whether you want to make a name as a chef, start your own restaurant, or build a career in travel and tourism, you'll graduate with the skills you need to transfer to a four-year institution or enter the workforce right away.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Culinary arts students work in the kitchen lab&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/culinary.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Explore our&amp;nbsp; culinary arts degree and certificate options:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1590&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to culinary arts degree in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Applied Science Degree in Culinary Arts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1510&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC Culinary Arts Certificate in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Culinary Arts Certificate&lt;/a&gt; (can be completed part-time &lt;span&gt;and is&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Fall Start only&lt;/span&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions about these programs? Contact Admissions at &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2321&quot;&gt;413.552.2321&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;location&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute is centrally located at 164 Race St. in downtown Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions about our state-of-the-art space? Please call&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2823&quot;&gt;413.552.2823&lt;/a&gt; or send an email to &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:cai@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;cai@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;. View information about space rentals&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/space-reservations&quot; title=&quot;Link to space reservations page on hcc website&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;See what's cooking&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9393" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/liberal-arts-and-science" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T16:50:24" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9393.xml" Name="Liberal Arts &amp; Science" Title="Liberal Arts &amp; Science" Abstract="Students in the Liberal Arts Option choose from a range of courses in the arts and humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, gaining broad knowledge of cultural and scientific concepts while also exploring areas of interest in-depth." IntroCopy="A liberal arts education prepares individuals to reason well and think critically and creatively. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Two students are seated in a classroom smiling&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Liberal%20Arts-Science/liberalarts%280%29.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students in HCC's Liberal Arts Option choose from a range of courses in the arts and humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, gaining broad knowledge of cultural and scientific concepts while also exploring areas of interest in-depth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;preparation for transfer&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's Liberal Arts &amp;amp; Science Option meets the freshman and sophomore requirements of most colleges and universities, and equips students to think clearly, communicate effectively, and solve complex problems across a variety of disciplines.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;preparation for career&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;No matter what career you choose, employers seek employees with strong analytic and problem-solving skills, and the ability to apply them to the problems of a diverse, complex, and changing world.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;preparation for life&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;A liberal arts degree from HCC fosters:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Critical thought&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Adaptability&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Communication&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Problem-Solving&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Teamwork&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Leadership&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;Ready?&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Review options in the college catalog:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1483&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;A link to the Liberal Arts &amp;amp; Science Option page in HCC's catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Liberal Arts &amp;amp; Science Degree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Explore HCC resources for &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer/transfer-after-hcc&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC transfer program page&quot;&gt;transfer&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/academic-internships&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC career center webpage&quot;&gt;career exploration&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;Irma Medina&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;Director of Integrative Learning&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:iimedina@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;imedina@hcc.edu/&lt;/a&gt; DON 270&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x169" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250224T17:16:19" CategoryIds="" FileName="x169.xml" Name="Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities" Title="Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities" Abstract="An overview of the social sciences programs available at HCC. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities is a multi-disciplinary Division where students can explore the many dimensions of the human experience, from language, to the creative expression of human thought and emotion, to the analysis of individual and societal behaviors.&amp;nbsp;&lt;span class=&quot;gmail-Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Our faculty is dedicated to helping students learn to think critically, solve complex problems, and gain the skills to become effective professionals in their area of interest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Contact&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kim Hicks&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:khicks@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Link to Kim Hicks email&quot;&gt;khicks@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2279&quot; title=&quot;Link to Kim Hicks phone&quot;&gt;413.552.2279&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Departments&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;copy ol-wrapper&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/arts-and-humanities/communication-media-and-theater-arts&quot; title=&quot;Communication, Media &amp;amp; Theater Arts at holyoke community college&quot;&gt;Communication, Media &amp;amp; Theater Arts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/criminal-justice&quot; title=&quot;Criminal Justice at Holyoke Community College&quot;&gt;Criminal Justice&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Critical Social Thought&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/arts-and-humanities/deaf-studies&quot; title=&quot;Deaf Studies&quot;&gt;Deaf Studies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/arts-and-humanities/english-and-creative-writing&quot; title=&quot;English/Creative Writing at HCC&quot;&gt;English/Creative Writing&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/arts-and-humanities/language-and-latinx-studies&quot; title=&quot;link to language and latinx studies page on hcc website&quot;&gt;Language &amp;amp; Latinx Studies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/arts-and-humanities/music&quot; title=&quot;Music at hcc&quot;&gt;Music&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/arts-and-humanities/visual-art&quot; title=&quot;Visual Art programs at HCC&quot;&gt;Visual Art&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x4711" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/communication-media-and-theater-arts" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T16:57:58" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4711.xml" Name="Communication, Media &amp; Theater Arts" Title="Communication, Media &amp; Theater Arts" Abstract="Learn about our communication, electronic media, theater arts, and integrated studies programs." IntroCopy="From the stage of the Leslie Phillips Theater..." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;...to the digital labs of the Media Arts Center, HCC students work and learn in an environment that is innovative, collaborative, and multidisciplinary. CMTA programs are designed to foster critical thinking and creative problem-solving, while ensuring that students have the technical expertise they need to be successful after graduation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC theater students perform In the Heights on stage&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Arts-Humanities/CMTA/cmta.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;what will you do in cmta?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Polish your communication skills while you investigate the impact of media on society and individuals&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Explore emerging media and technology, and master the digital tools&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Express yourself in one-act and full-length productions on the stage of the Leslie Phillips Theater&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Create your own program of study, drawing from communication, media, theater, and other disciplines&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ability to communicate, collaborate, and creatively solve problems are valued skills in any career field. CMTA students acquire these skills through hands-on, student oriented classes that nurture critical thinking, encourage creative problem solving, and impart effective communication principles.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The CMTA department offers three areas of study: the &lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1485&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to Communication option in the catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;communication option&lt;/a&gt;, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1539&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to Theater Program in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;theater option&lt;/a&gt;, and the &lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1486&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC integrated studies option in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;CMTA integrated studies option&lt;/a&gt;. Students follow a flexible course of study to prepare them for transfer to a four-year institution or immediate entry into the job market.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;the skills you need are at hcc&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4799" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/criminal-justice" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260501T14:18:57" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4799.xml" Name="Criminal Justice" Title="Criminal Justice" Abstract="A criminal justice degree lays the foundation for a wide range of career options, including law enforcement, forensics, corrections, and social work." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Members of the criminal justice association pose at a coat drive&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Social%20Sciences/Criminal%20Justice/cj.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A criminal justice degree lays the foundation for a wide range of career options, including law enforcement, forensics, corrections, and social work.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;mission&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The mission of HCC's criminal justice program is to foster a challenging environment that provides a solid knowledge of the criminal justice system as well as a broad background in the liberal arts through high-quality instruction.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The department will prepare students to undertake further studies at four-year institutions, and will promote the development of professionals who possess a commitment to public service, ethical consciousness, and leadership abilities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;student learning outcomes&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Graduates of this program will:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Demonstrate an understanding of the American criminal justice system and relevant legal, theoretical, and public policy issues.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop effective and professional communication skills, both orally and in writing.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Articulate an awareness of issues of diversity, including but not limited to: race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, social class, disability, and religious belief.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Demonstrate an understanding of the primary data sources and methods used to measure practices in the criminal justice field and criminal behavior.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Identify, locate, evaluate, and responsibly use appropriate legal, sociological, and other sources in papers and assignments.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Recognize the importance of ethics and ethical behavior in the achievement of justice.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;h5&gt;classes&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Explore criminal justice classes in &lt;a href=&quot;http://catalog.hcc.edu/content.php?filter%5B27%5D=CRJ&amp;amp;filter%5B29%5D=&amp;amp;filter%5Bcourse_type%5D=-1&amp;amp;filter%5Bkeyword%5D=&amp;amp;filter%5B32%5D=1&amp;amp;filter%5Bcpage%5D=1&amp;amp;cur_cat_oid=10&amp;amp;expand=&amp;amp;navoid=397&amp;amp;search_database=Filter#acalog_template_course_filter&quot; title=&quot;link to hcc online catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;the HCC online catalog&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1535&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to criminal justice page in hcc college catalog site&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;criminal justice degree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;learn more&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5616" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/deaf-studies" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T17:00:55" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5616.xml" Name="Deaf Studies" Title="Deaf Studies" Abstract="Deaf Studies program options at Holyoke Community College." IntroCopy="Welcome to Deaf Studies." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The Deaf Studies curriculum provides students with the opportunity to explore the cultural, social and linguistic contributions of Deaf and hard of hearing people. Students will acquire an understanding of the history of the Deaf community, the role of education and the use of American Sign Language (ASL), while gaining the cultural knowledge and skills required to work with Deaf and hard of hearing individuals.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A deaf studies student signs during class&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Arts-Humanities/Deaf%20Studies/deaf.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;programs&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1534&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to Deaf Studies in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Deaf Studies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1487&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to Deaf Studies Certificate in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Deaf Studies Certificate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;explore&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4712" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/english-and-creative-writing" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T17:11:45" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4712.xml" Name="English &amp; Creative Writing" Title="English &amp; Creative Writing" Abstract="Through the breadth, depth, and variety of its course offerings, the English Department pursues its comprehensive mission of fostering a love of learning and literacy." IntroCopy="The HCC English Department offers associate degree options in literature and creative writing." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A student writes in a notebook in class&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Arts-Humanities/English-Creative%20Writing/writing.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC English Department offers associate degree options in &lt;a href=&quot;http://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=11&amp;amp;poid=1272&amp;amp;hl=english&amp;amp;returnto=search&quot; title=&quot;Link to English in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid%3D6%26poid%3D666%26returnto%3D211&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1562180487037000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFiFzY4rEqlTFkTX63VOoFt_D7NLQ&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;English&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=11&amp;amp;poid=1282&amp;amp;hl=creative+writing&amp;amp;returnto=search&quot; title=&quot;Link to Creative writing in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid%3D6%26poid%3D676%26returnto%3D211&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1562180487037000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEkcbC5UPEihpOjurJmeMx0_RcapQ&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Creative Writing&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;If you love to read...&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Consider the &lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1526&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to English in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid%3D6%26poid%3D666%26returnto%3D211&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1562180487037000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFiFzY4rEqlTFkTX63VOoFt_D7NLQ&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;English Option&lt;/a&gt;, particularly if you intend to pursue a B.A. in English at a four-year institution. You'll study great works of literature &amp;ndash; from a range of diverse sources &amp;ndash; and you'll hone your analytical and critical skills. &lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1526&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to English in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid%3D6%26poid%3D666%26returnto%3D211&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1562180487037000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFiFzY4rEqlTFkTX63VOoFt_D7NLQ&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here for more info&lt;/a&gt; and a list of required courses.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;If you love to write...&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Consider the &lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1536&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to Creative writing in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid%3D6%26poid%3D676%26returnto%3D211&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1562180487037000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEkcbC5UPEihpOjurJmeMx0_RcapQ&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Creative Writing Option&lt;/a&gt;, which transfers well into four-year programs in English, Creative Writing, or any Liberal Arts area. You'll explore fiction, poetry, drama, screenplays, and creative nonfiction. Students get to know each other easily in creative writing classes, and you don't have to be in the degree option to take them. Everyone is welcome. &lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1536&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to Creative writing in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid%3D6%26poid%3D676%26returnto%3D211&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1562180487037000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEkcbC5UPEihpOjurJmeMx0_RcapQ&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here for more info&lt;/a&gt; on the program, the &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/clubs-and-organizations/interest-clubs&quot; title=&quot;Link to interest clubs webpage&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/clubs-and-organizations/interest-clubs&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1562180487037000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGAEtgcKPYX_Z3LczSjXp37vbB-4Q&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Creative Writing Club&lt;/a&gt;, and our literary magazine, &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://pulpcity.wordpress.com/&quot; title=&quot;Link to Pulp City website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pulpcity.wordpress.com/&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1562180487037000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNH2OmdZXMvOWZHUXgw4lUEiszUp0w&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Pulp City&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x171" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/academic-english-as-a-second-language-(aesl)" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250224T17:14:20" CategoryIds="" FileName="x171.xml" Name="Academic English as a Second Language (AESL)" Thumbnail="/images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Support/CAPS/esl.jpg" Title="Academic English as a Second Language (ESL)" Abstract="Students: Ready to improve your academic English language skills to succeed in college and beyond?" IntroCopy="Students: Ready to improve your academic English language skills to succeed in college and beyond?" BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A student dances the Bachata in the HCC courtyard&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/aesl.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://forms.gle/XAPCKBk1mzq7Fksw5&quot; title=&quot;link to pdf of welcome letter&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;letter of interest (english &amp;amp; espanol)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;ABOUT AESL&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The Academic ESL Program has four levels of classes (Levels 2, 3, 4, and 5).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;The Academic ESL classes include reading, speaking, and listening, writing and grammar.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Level 2 classes are free and non-credit. Levels 3, 4, and 5 classes offer college credit that can be used toward a college degree or certificate.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Academic ESL students taking level 4 and level 5 classes can take other college courses like math, computer applications, and more.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Students in our program can use up to 15 ESL college credits toward their degree or certificate. To learn more about the requirements for your specific program of study, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; or speak with your advisor.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Free of charge, all Academic ESL students receive tutoring, student success advice, academic advising, and more. &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PtAnm4dC9R4HNgGoxpxhIZPdDCX-ZuUgIvptriVNp70/edit?usp=sharing&quot;&gt;Click here for the tutoring schedule.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;560&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; src=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/KMLneMRfKts?si=5TvLmWa48UFRZGWx&quot; title=&quot;YouTube video player&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allow=&quot;accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share&quot; referrerpolicy=&quot;strict-origin-when-cross-origin&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;allowfullscreen&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x5376" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/academic-english-as-a-second-language-(aesl)/esl-traduccion-en-espanol" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250224T17:16:56" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5376.xml" Name="ESL Traduccion en Español" Title="ESL: Inglés como Segundo Idioma" Abstract="ESL Traduccion en Español" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;El Departamento de Ingl&amp;eacute;s como Segundo Idioma (ESL), ofrece cuatro niveles acad&amp;eacute;micos para estudiantes que desean lograr un grado asociado o certificado en HCC. Los cursos que se ofrecen son: Gram&amp;aacute;tica, Escritura, Lectura y Conversaci&amp;oacute;n. Los cr&amp;eacute;ditos de ESL pueden ser usados como electivos requeridos para graduaci&amp;oacute;n en algunos programas de estudio. &quot;Learning Community&quot; es una clase intensiva que combina el nivel 5 de escritura y lectura con Ingl&amp;eacute;s 101. Esta clase se ofrece a algunos estudiantes avanzados.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC ofrece un excelente curr&amp;iacute;culo de Ingl&amp;eacute;s como Segundo Idioma, adem&amp;aacute;s de apoyo acad&amp;eacute;mico dentro de un ambiente acogedor. Los servicios de tutor&amp;iacute;a est&amp;aacute;n disponibles de forma gratuita. Instructores suplementarios est&amp;aacute;n disponibles en clases de lectura y escritura.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Las clases de ESL tienen un curr&amp;iacute;culo acad&amp;eacute;mico con cr&amp;eacute;ditos, el cual no es apropiado para aquellos estudiantes que s&amp;oacute;lo est&amp;aacute;n pensando adquirir conocimientos b&amp;aacute;sicos en el idioma Ingl&amp;eacute;s. Aquellos estudiantes interesados en clases de Ingl&amp;eacute;s sin cr&amp;eacute;ditos, pueden llamar a 413.552.2990 para obtener mayor informaci&amp;oacute;n.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC est&amp;aacute; comprometido al respeto de la cultura de cada individuo as&amp;iacute; como la diversidad ling&amp;uuml;&amp;iacute;stica, adem&amp;aacute;s de proveer acceso e igualdad de oportunidades a cada estudiante. La ubicaci&amp;oacute;n en las clases de ESL es determinada por un examen que indica qu&amp;eacute; destrezas de Ingl&amp;eacute;s el individuo necesita. Si necesita m&amp;aacute;s informaci&amp;oacute;n, llame a Gladys Montero al 413.552.2553.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x4713" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/language-and-latinx-studies" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T17:13:30" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4713.xml" Name="Language &amp; Latinx Studies" Title="Language &amp; Latinx Studies" Abstract="Find information about Latinx Studies and French or Spanish programs offered at Holyoke Community College." IntroCopy="Holyoke Community College's mission underscores the goal of educating global citizens equipped to thrive in diverse cultural contexts." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Three HCC students pose holding Latinx Studies brochures&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Arts-Humanities/Language%20Studies/latinx.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;latinx studies&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC offers an&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1583&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC catalog page for Latinx studies&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;associate degree in Latinx Studies&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;with a&amp;nbsp;curriculum that provides a critical civic engagement, understanding, and appreciation of the language, culture, literature, and creative (art, dance, drama, film, music) accomplishments of Latinx communities. The degree is appropriate for anyone planning to work with diverse communities and cultures. Latinx Studies draws from and is informed by the humanities and social sciences and prepares students for jobs in a range of fields and for transfer to four-year baccalaureate programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Latinx Studies program prepares students for&amp;nbsp;transfer or careers in:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Law &amp;amp; advocacy&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Community arts&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;City &amp;amp; urban planning&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Environmental justice&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Counseling&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Youth work&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Policy analysis&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;International relations&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;languages&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;First-year language students acquire proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing the language of their choice. Second-year students continue building language proficiency while being introduced to the culture and more specialized topics in history, culture, and literature of the countries in which the language is spoken.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our department is a nurturing and stimulating place to grow intellectually, and discover the significant opportunities in Hispanic and Francophone Language Studies to make possible your professional advancement. Students can choose from a variety of courses to satisfy elective and program requirements in the Liberal Arts &amp;amp; Sciences AA option as well as other programs. Students who are seeking to transfer to a four-year institution that has a foreign language requirement, such as UMass Amherst, should consider starting their coursework at HCC. Because our Spanish and French courses are taught by expert educators, students can take advantage of our department's high quality of instruction and more affordable tuition and fees.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WHY STUDY FOREIGN LANGUAGES?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;To understand how the world is changing all around us:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;You should learn a foreign language to be able to speak with the people all over the world , to do business overseas and in the U.S., to read Cervantes and Voltaire and Goethe, to sing with Juanes and dance with Celia Cruz, to chat with your neighbors, to be a citizen of the 21st century. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;To thrive in a global economy:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;In today's global environment, the knowledge of other languages and cultures is an absolute necessity. In Western Massachusetts, for example, Spanish has become an essential language in the business, legal, and medical communities, and the demand for bilingual Spanish-English speakers is ever-increasing in both the local and global economy. There has been a French-speaking community in the Holyoke area for over a century, and this region's ties to the Qu&amp;eacute;bec province for both business and pleasure have never been stronger.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;To keep your mind young and agile:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Studies have proven that there are multiple cognitive advantages to learning a foreign language. You can become a better overall student and even advance your English skills by mastering another language.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;To open doors in your academic and professional future:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;The Foreign Languages department offers an array of courses to choose from: basic language, heritage language learners, advanced courses on literatures and cultures, and specialized courses for different professions. The study of foreign language will open many doors for you in your academic and professional future. Join us!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;http://catalog.hcc.edu/search_advanced.php?cur_cat_oid=10&amp;amp;search_database=Search&amp;amp;search_db=Search&amp;amp;cpage=1&amp;amp;ecpage=1&amp;amp;ppage=1&amp;amp;spage=1&amp;amp;tpage=1&amp;amp;location=33&amp;amp;filter%5Bkeyword%5D=french&quot; title=&quot;Link to french classes in the Hcc catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;French&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;http://catalog.hcc.edu/search_advanced.php?cur_cat_oid=10&amp;amp;ecpage=1&amp;amp;cpage=1&amp;amp;ppage=1&amp;amp;pcpage=1&amp;amp;spage=1&amp;amp;tpage=1&amp;amp;search_database=Search&amp;amp;filter%5Bkeyword%5D=spanish&amp;amp;filter%5B3%5D=1&amp;amp;filter%5B31%5D=1&amp;amp;filter%5B1%5D=1&amp;amp;filter%5B28%5D=1&amp;amp;filter%5B30%5D=1&quot; title=&quot;Link to spanish classes in the hcc catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Spanish&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4714" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/music" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260409T19:34:16" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4714.xml" Name="Music" Title="Music Department" Abstract="Love music? Whether you are enrolled in the degree program, the certificate program, or taking some courses for interest and enrichment, we will make your experience exciting and rewarding." IntroCopy="Love music? Whether you are enrolled in the degree program, the certificate program, or taking some courses for interest and enrichment, we will make your experience exciting and rewarding." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Get involved in HCC's dynamic music program, which offers both a transfer associates of arts degree and a performance certificate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A jazz group performs&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Arts-Humanities/Music/music.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1556&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to music program in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Music Program &amp;ndash; A.A. in Music&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1555&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to music performance in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1555&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to music performance in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Certificate&lt;/a&gt; in Music Performance&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1607&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot;&gt;Certificate in Music Production and Recording&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students of all majors are encouraged to participate in music ensembles, so if you performed in a vocal or instrumental group in high school, you can continue here at HCC. If you choose to major in music, you'll learn all the fundamentals and work on the latest technologies in music.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Graduates are prepared for further study in:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Music education&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Performance (classical or jazz)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Music business&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Music theater&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Composition and arranging&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Sound recording&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Music therapy&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;And more!&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Explore your career in music with our dedicated professors, accomplished musicians who will prepare you to transfer to any four-year music school.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Holyoke Community College is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Arts-Humanities/Music/music%20student%20handbookupdated2024.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of Music Student Handbook&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Music Student Handbook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Arts-Humanities/Music/Fall%202025%20Music%20Events%20Final%20%282%29.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Fall 2025 Music Events&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Upcoming Events&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;music programs&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5617" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/visual-art" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T17:19:39" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5617.xml" Name="Visual Art" Title="Visual Art" Abstract="The Holyoke Community College Visual Art Department offers an Associates Degree in two areas of concentration: Visual Art and Graphics. A one-year Graphics Design Certificate is also offered." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A masked student uses a pottery wheel&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Arts-Humanities/Visual%20Art/visualart.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Visual Art Department offers an Associates Degree in two areas of concentration: &lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1491&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to visual art catalog page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Visual Art&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1489&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to graphics option in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Graphics&lt;/a&gt;. A one-year &lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1517&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to Graphic design certificate in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Graphic Design Certificate&lt;/a&gt; is also offered.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The department&amp;rsquo;s two degree options and certificate share a foundation of study that emphasizes the fundamental concepts of basic art and design. Each option provides a self-contained path of study that enacts the college&amp;rsquo;s general education goals, and promotes student learning outcomes that equip our students with the habits of mind and general competencies of an educated person. We guide our students to become thinking individuals who are adaptable to today&amp;rsquo;s changing environment; we prepare our students for transfer to four-year institutions or professional achievement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visual Art students enter our programs with various goals that range from completion of the Graphics Design Certificate in order to begin new careers, to attaining an A.S. degree in order to transfer to four-year art programs. Some focus strictly on portfolio development for transfer, while others are in search of personal enrichment. Non-art majors take art courses to fulfill their Humanities (C) electives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students who do transfer to four-year institutions are regularly admitted into some of the country&amp;rsquo;s most prestigious art schools, colleges, and universities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;DEPARTMENT GOALS&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;To provide a foundation for reasoned, systematic, and critically rigorous thinking about the practice and history of art and design.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Foster visual literacy among all students enrolled in studio and lecture art courses, that will enable students to access, develop, and use information effectively to accomplish specific needs within the art and design practice.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Make visual art accessible and rewarding to the general student body of HCC.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop in students the knowledge and skills necessary for success in college, transfer, and the workplace.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Provide students with technical and conceptual skills necessary for advanced study and careers in or related to the visual art field.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Foster cultural literacy among all students and a familiarity with the seminal monuments of Art History (students learn to trace visual sources; observe the influence of tradition, convention, purpose, audience, and self-expression; consider works of art as products of specific hands, patrons, and cultures; identify and evaluate period styles, regional styles, personal styles, and phases of an artist&amp;rsquo;s development).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Encourage an awareness of the role the visual arts play within the human experience.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Promote life-long commitment to the arts.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;To see examples&amp;nbsp;of student work in Visual Art or Graphics, follow the department's Instagram page&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.instagram.com/hcc.visualartgraphicdesign/&quot; title=&quot;Link to hcc visual art graphic design on instagram&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;@hcc.&lt;wbr /&gt;visualartgraphicdesign&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;mission&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Visual Art Department at Holyoke Community College operates on the principle that art drives culture, and that throughout history, world societies have been qualified based on the art that they produce. We recognize and celebrate that human innovation and the development of progressive ideas is based on creative thought and practice, and that the instruction of visual art provides a necessary catalyst for the advancement of society. Visual practice allows us to understand perspectives other than our own, leading to arenas of social change, technological achievements, and the drive for societal equity. Our department exists to help students find and express their own individual voices through personalized instruction and preparation for academic transfer or entry into the workforce.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;degrees &amp;amp; certificates&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x4781" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20230201T16:15:27" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4781.xml" Name="STEM" Title="Science, Technology, Engineering &amp; Mathematics" Abstract="The STEM division prepares students for transfer or career paths in some of the most in-demand fields." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A student wearing protective eyewear works with a flame over a bunson burner&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/SEM/stem.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; title=&quot;A student wearing a hijab and safety goggles uses a pipette in a lab&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The STEM division prepares students for transfer or career paths in some of the most in-demand fields.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;contact&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elizabeth Breton&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:ebreton@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Link to Elizabeth Breton email&quot;&gt;ebreton@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2436&quot; title=&quot;Link to Elizabeth Breton phone&quot;&gt;413.552.2436&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;departments&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/biology&quot;&gt;Biology&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/biotechnology&quot; title=&quot;Link to biotech page on HCC website&quot;&gt;Biotechnology&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/chemistry&quot; title=&quot;chemistry at hcc&quot;&gt;Chemistry&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/computer-information&quot; title=&quot;Link to computer information page on HCC website&quot;&gt;Computer Information Science&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/chemistry&quot; title=&quot;chemistry at hcc&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/engineering&quot; title=&quot;Engineering at hcc&quot;&gt;Engineering&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/mathematics&quot; title=&quot;Mathematics at hcc&quot;&gt;Mathematics&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/physics-and-astronomy&quot; title=&quot;Physics &amp;amp; Astronomy at hcc&quot;&gt;Physics &amp;amp; Astronomy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x4796" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/biology" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T17:22:00" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4796.xml" Name="Biology" Title="Biology" Abstract="Biology students enjoy the use of the college greenhouse, an extensive nature trail system, and seven dedicated laboratories." IntroCopy="Biology is the study of life in all of its forms. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Two students examine a human skull model in a lab&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/SEM/Biology/bio.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From microbes to mammals and fungi to flowering plants, biologists examine the details of the amazing diversity of life on Earth. Modern biologists study life processes that are too small to be seen even with a powerful microscope, up through life events too grand to be viewed over a century. The biology department at HCC offers courses spanning this entire range. Biology students enjoy the use of the college greenhouse, an extensive nature trail system, and seven dedicated laboratories.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The biology department offers a variety of courses to meet your interests and needs, no matter your major or your career plans. Whether you're interested in courses for majors or non-majors, check the current offerings of biology courses in the &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/course-finder&quot; title=&quot;link to hcc course finder&quot;&gt;online course finder&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;programs&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;For students preparing for a four-year degree or career in life sciences, HCC offers these options:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1499&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to biology in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Biology&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1500&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to biotech page in hcc catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Biotechnology&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9537" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/biotechnology" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T17:22:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9537.xml" Name="Biotechnology" Title="Biotechnology" Abstract="Biotechnology is the use of living organisms or systems to make a variety of products." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Two HCC students work with lab equipment &quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/SEM/Biotechnology/biotech.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;what is biotechnology?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Biotechnology is the use of living organisms or systems to make a variety of products. Examples of this can be the use of bacteria to produce insulin for use in humans, the alteration of plant DNA to create more robust plants, or the development of gene therapy to replace damaged or missing DNA that would otherwise result in a disease-state.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why Study Biotechnology?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Massachusetts is one of the biggest hubs for biotechnology in the United States&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Employment by Massachusetts Biopharma employers has shown steady growth of 28% over the last 10 years (see the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.massbio.org/why-massachusetts/industrysnapshot&quot; title=&quot;Link to MASS Bio website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2018 Industry Snapshot released by the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Be a part of an industry that is helping others through the production of medical treatments or medical devices or by being part of the organizations that support this industry!&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;biotech at hcc&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students in HCC's biotechnology program develop a base in biology along with the ability to apply that knowledge to ways to make products that are beneficial to humans. They develop the fundamental laboratory skills needed to succeed in the field of biotechnology, as well as in many areas of life science research. Upon completion of the program, students are prepared to enter medical device, biomanufacturing, or related fields, or transfer to a four-year institution.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Describe the basic biological principles that underlie the field of biotechnology&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Perform common laboratory techniques and calculations relevant to biotechnology&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Collect and analyze experimental results&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Use laboratory equipment safely and properly&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Follow Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and proper documentation guidelines&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Collaborate with others to complete tasks&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Apply critical thinking skills to troubleshoot issues that arise in the lab&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;classes&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Explore biotechnology classes in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=9&amp;amp;poid=990&amp;amp;returnto=330&quot; title=&quot;link to biotechnology in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;online catalog&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;learn more&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4783" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/chemistry" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T17:24:27" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4783.xml" Name="Chemistry" Title="Chemistry" Abstract="Study what matters: the science of change." IntroCopy="Chemistry is the science of change." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chemistry students work together at a lab counter&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/SEM/Chemistry/chem.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chemistry is the study of the composition, behavior (or reaction), structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions. Gain unique insight into areas that are central to biology, geology, materials science, medicine, environmental science, and many branches of engineering.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A degree in chemistry will allow students to transfer to a four-year program offering either a B.A. or B.S. degree in chemistry or related science. HCC's degree in chemistry also leads to work as a laboratory technician in such areas as biotechnology, environmental studies, and food technology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;A chemistry degree can lead to career paths in...&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Medicine&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Pharmacology&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Agriculture&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Chemical engineering&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Forensic science&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Biochemistry&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;...and more!&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;contact&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Moira Flanagan&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2433&quot;&gt;413.552.2433&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mflanagan@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mflanagan@hcc.edu &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;programs&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1504&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot;&gt;Chemistry Option, Arts and Science, A.A.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1608&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot;&gt;Chemistry Option, Arts and Science, A.S.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4779" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/computer-information" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T17:26:57" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4779.xml" Name="Computer Information" Title="Computer Information Systems" Abstract="Learn about HCC's computer information programs." IntroCopy="Get prepared to compete in today's information technology environment." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A student uses a laptop&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/SEM/compsci.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Computer Information Systems programs provide students with the technical skills necessary to compete in today's information technology environment. The quality of our programs is maintained by updating the content of existing courses, adding new courses, and purchasing state-of-the-art computer equipment and software.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We offer degree opportunities for people interested in computer hardware repair, networking, and computer programming. In addition, we offer a degree program designed for students interested in transferring to a four-year degree program at another institution.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions? Contact Admissions at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2321&quot;&gt;413.552.2321&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;programs&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4785" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/engineering" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T17:27:50" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4785.xml" Name="Engineering" Title="Engineering" Abstract="Solve technical problems with math and science." IntroCopy="Solve technical problems with math and science." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A robot on a table&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/SEM/engineering.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are you interested in high tech? Reach for a career as an engineer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Engineering is essentially solving problems by using science to design applications. It is practical and scientific. It differs from some of the other sciences &amp;ndash; biology, chemistry, physics &amp;ndash; but there is considerable crossover.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Constructing straw towers or building and racing human-powered paper vehicles are just a couple of things you might find yourself doing as an HCC engineering student. Innovative teaching methods such as team building, design emphasis, project assignments, and creative problem solving are utilized extensively in the engineering curriculum.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;learn more&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1528&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to engineering degree in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Engineering&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1527&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to engineering science degree in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Engineering Science&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4795" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/environmental-science-and-technology" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T17:30:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4795.xml" Name="Environmental Science &amp; Technology" Title="Environmental Science &amp; Technology" Abstract="HCC's Environmental Science &amp; Technology program provides students with a strong, comprehensive education in environmental science and prepares them for transfer to a four-year college or university or to work within the field of environmental science." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Two environmental science students examine a beaker&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/SEM/esci.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's Environmental Science &amp;amp; Technology program provides students with a strong, comprehensive education in environmental science and prepares them for transfer to a four-year college or university or to work, upon graduation, within the field of environmental science. The program educates students efficiently and effectively in all aspects of environmental science and environmental technology. Graduates possess superior knowledge and skills to meet the needs of an evolving environmental workforce.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The central mission of the Environmental Science &amp;amp; Technology program is to educate students in environmental science theory and train them in the practice of environmental technology so they may work in concert with environmental consulting firms, environmental laboratories, governmental agencies, and in general industry to help find solutions to complex environmental problems.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For students planning a career in Environmental Science &amp;amp; Technology, the department oversees the Associate in Arts and Science degree with these options:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1514&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to environmental science transfer option in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Environmental Science Transfer Option&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1545&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to environmental science field tech option in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Environmental Science Field Technician Option&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1528&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to geoscience transfer option in hcc catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Geoscience Transfer Option&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1589&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to natural resources studies option in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Natural Resources Studies Transfer Option&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, the department manages HCC's Pre-Forestry &amp;amp; Environmental Science (a liberal arts option) program. This option is primarily intended for students to transfer to the environmental science program at the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science &amp;amp; Forestry. The department also offers a Natural Resources transfer option. This degree option prepares students to transfer seamlessly to the University of Massachusetts Amherst for the completion of a bachelor's degree program in natural resources. In addition, the Environmental Science &amp;amp; Technology Department oversees the Department of Earth Sciences curriculum (earth science, meteorology, and oceanography courses).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Contact&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Laurel Carpenter&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES&lt;br /&gt;Business &amp;amp; STEM&lt;br /&gt;Marieb&amp;nbsp;321&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2263&quot;&gt;413.552.2263&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(Tel)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:lcarpenter@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;lcarpenter@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4784" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/mathematics" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T17:31:51" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4784.xml" Name="Mathematics" Title="Mathematics" Abstract="Mathematics is an essential base to hundreds of professions in hundreds of industries." IntroCopy="Learn the foundation of hundreds of professions." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A student sitting in a classroom smiles&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/SEM/math.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mathematics is an essential base to hundreds of professions in hundreds of industries. CEOs, lab technicians, interior designers, retail store owners, and construction site supervisors all rely on mathematics every day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;No matter where you plan to go after HCC, our Mathematics Department is committed to providing excellence in instruction and a positive learning environment. We want you to succeed as you pursue studies in a variety of certificate programs, allied health professions, and general education as well as math, science, and engineering.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Learn more&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1604&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to math transfer in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Mathematics General Transfer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1604&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to math masstransfer in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Mathematics MassTransfer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4782" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/physics-and-astronomy" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T17:32:50" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4782.xml" Name="Physics &amp; Astronomy" Title="Physics &amp; Astronomy" Abstract="The study of physics is both the most basic and farthest reaching branch of science." IntroCopy="Challenge your imagination with science." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Two physics students work with a ruler and weights&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/SEM/physics.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The study of physics is both the most basic and farthest reaching branch of science. Physicists are analytical problem-solvers who use chemistry, astronomy, and algebra to try to understand our world...from the smallest atomic particle to the farthest ends of the universe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;learn more&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1546&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to physics in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Physics&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1547&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;link to physics masstransfer in catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Physics MassTransfer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5611" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/stem-equity-programs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T17:34:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5611.xml" Name="STEM Equity Programs" Title="STEM Equity Programs" Abstract="Are you interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)? Want to know more about STEM disciplines, studies, and careers? Want to join a community of students, staff and faculty that are excited about STEM?" BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Are you interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)? Want to know more about STEM disciplines, studies, and careers? Want to join a community of students, staff and faculty that are excited about STEM?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Join the FREE STEM Equity Programs!&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;WHAT IS THE STEM Equity Program?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;In 2014, HCC and other community colleges received a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education to establish the&amp;nbsp;STEM Equity Program at each of the 15 community colleges across the state. Our mission is to increase the diversity and the total number of students in STEM. We support students as they navigate their educational pathways and meet you where you are right now!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Our program is here to help you every step of the way:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Applying to HCC and don't know what steps to take?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Want to find out about science, technology, engineering, and math?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Wondering what kind of jobs are available in STEM?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Curious about transfering to other schools and continuing on to a bachelor degree or beyond?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;What type of course should I take to help me be most successful in my next school or my next job?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;I need help studying, or navigating my classes.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;We can help you every step of the way.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;WHAT ARE CURRENT STUDENTS SAYING?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;560&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/rudO4IX4vCU&quot; title=&quot;YouTube video player&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allow=&quot;accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong style=&quot;font-size: 10px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/STEM/STEM%20Connect%20Days%202020%20.pdf&quot; title=&quot;link to pdf of stem starter academy connect days presentation&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Presentation from Connect Days&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;What we offer:&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Summer&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;FREE Introductory STEM Exploration Course for incoming STEM students or those interested in learning about STEM&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;FREE math courses for those already at HCC and wanting to accelerate their math skills.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Individual scholarships to select courses STEM students need to graduate&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fall &amp;amp; Spring&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Individual scholarships to courses for STEM students&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Peer mentoring in math, engineering, computer science, and science&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Internships in STEM&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Learn how to make 3D-printed objects in our Innovation Lab&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Transfer info and tours (Join us as we take trips to other campus or find out more about transfer schools!)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Workshops&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Speakers from STEM industries&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;FREE Summer Bridge courses at your next school (UMass, Westfield State, etc.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;How to Enroll&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;1.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:benyong@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link benyong@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Email the director to find out more!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Schedule an appointment&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Find out how we can help you succeed&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;2.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.elluciancrmrecruit.com/Apply/Account/Login&quot; title=&quot;link to ellucian to apply to hcc&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Apply to HCC&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Take a placement test for reading and math (you'll receive an&amp;nbsp;appointment&amp;nbsp;by mail)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Upon completion of your placement test, you will be directed to meet with an advisor. Let them know you're interested in the free&amp;nbsp;STEM Equity Program courses.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are you a high school/dual enrollment student?&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/admission/high-school/dual-enrollment&quot;&gt;Learn more!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x11856" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/human-services" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260408T14:58:55" CategoryIds="" FileName="x11856.xml" Name="Human Services" Title="Human Services" Abstract="Learn about degree and certificate options in human services, and certificates in addiction studies, developmental disabilities direct care support, and mental health studies." IntroCopy="Are you looking for a career path that allows you to make a difference in the world? Are you a natural helper, advocate, or change agent? Have you built a career in the helping professions and are ready for the next level? " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A student and a counselor sit at a table, talking over a laptop and notebook&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Social%20Sciences/Human%20Services/humanservices.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ready to explore Human Services at Holyoke Community College? According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, the wide-ranging field of Human Services is booming. &quot;Employment&amp;nbsp;of&amp;nbsp;social&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;human service&amp;nbsp;assistants is projected to grow 17% from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. A growing elderly population and rising demand for&amp;nbsp;social services&amp;nbsp;are expected to drive demand for these workers.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are you ready to take the first steps towards a meaningful professional path? Browse below to see which program is right for you. Need a little more information, or have questions? Read and fill out our &lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/f25Lzqy3oHHkC5Xt8&quot; title=&quot;Link to Human Services info form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;info request form&lt;/a&gt;, and we'll get back to you quickly!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;programs&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10637" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/psychology" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T17:41:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10637.xml" Name="Psychology" Title="Psychology" Abstract="Want to pursue a career in social work, human services, law enforcement, personnel administration, counseling, and more? The psychology program at HCC is designed to prepare you to transfer and achieve academic success at four-year colleges and universities." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Two HCC students discuss in a classroom setting&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Social%20Sciences/Psychology/psych%280%29.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are you interested in understanding why people think, feel, and act the way they do? While earning an A.A. Degree in the Psychology Option at HCC, you'll explore the complexities of human behavior from a scientific standpoint. The ideas, principles, and theories you learn as a psychology major will serve you in all areas of life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many HCC psychology students continue their college journey by working toward a Bachelor's degree and, perhaps, an advanced graduate degree. The psychology option is designed to prepare students to transfer and achieve academic success at four-year colleges and universities.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In HCC's psychology program, you'll develop:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;A knowledge base in psychology&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Scientific inquiry &amp;amp; critical thinking skills&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Ethical &amp;amp; social responsibility in a diverse world&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Communication skills&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Professional skills&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1559&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to psychology page on catalog site&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;psychology&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1591&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to behavioral neuroscience page on catalog site&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;behavioral neuroscience&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7282" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/education" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T17:49:04" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7282.xml" Name="Education" Title="Education" Abstract="Create the foundation for a rewarding career in education." IntroCopy="Create the foundation for a rewarding career in education." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;An education student smiles as they create a posterboard display&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Social%20Sciences/Education/education.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Were you inspired by a teacher? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of young people? Whether you dream of a career teaching students in pre-school or high school, HCC's degree programs are the place to start. HCC will prepare you to transfer to a four-year college or university, or go directly to work in early childhood education, elementary education, or secondary education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's experienced faculty can guide you from fostering your interest in working with children all the way through obtaining your certification as a teacher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions? Contact Admissions at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2321&quot;&gt;413.552.2321&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;free cda!&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Early childhood educators, want to get your CDA for free? &lt;a href=&quot;/career-pathways-grant-for-early-childhood-educators&quot; title=&quot;Link to free cda for early childhood educators webpage&quot;&gt;Click here to find out how!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;programs&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10627" URL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/sociology" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260309T17:50:03" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10627.xml" Name="Sociology" Title="Sociology" Abstract="Sociology is the study of society and human behavior. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A student wearing glasses pays attention in class&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Divisions/Social%20Sciences/Sociology/soc.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sociologists use scientific methods to study various aspects of society and human behavior using a humanistic approach that centers equity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In HCC's sociology program, you'll learn to value intersectionality, embrace diversity, and openly support gender inclusivity. Sociology is a constantly evolving area of study due to the fluid nature of the social world. Subjects include equity, inequality, and social hierarchy, as well as religion, sexuality, law, technology, education, social problems, the environment, and health. Our classes also delve into techniques used while doing research such as social network analysis, content analysis, and other combined qualitative and quantitative research methods.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The career possibilities for a student with an associate degree in sociology are quite diverse. In addition to teaching or conducting field research, some of the more common employment sectors include work in social services such as rehabilitation, case management, and/or work in the non-profit sector. However, many also choose to pursue careers in other areas such as law enforcement, human relations, real estate, marketing, STEM, art, social entrepreneurship, and journalism.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&amp;amp;poid=1561&amp;amp;returnto=562&quot; title=&quot;Link to sociology page in college catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;sociology degree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x141" URL="courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260506T16:20:22" CategoryIds="" FileName="x141.xml" Name="Disability &amp; Deaf Services" Title="Disability &amp; Deaf Services" Abstract="If you are a disabled or Deaf student, OSDDS will help you access needed accommodations and support services." BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?HolyokeCC&amp;amp;layout_id=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button&quot; title=&quot;Request Accommodations Here&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Request Accommodations Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mission&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Office for Students with Disabilities and Deaf Services (OSDDS) is committed to ensuring that students with disabilities and Deaf/hard of hearing students have equal access to the full range of programs and services at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vision&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;OSDDS collaborates with faculty, staff, and students to support a college environment where all students feel valued and can fully participate. This includes:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Respecting Diverse Communication Styles:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;OSDDS acknowledges and accommodates various ways students communicate, ensuring everyone can participate effectively in the college environment.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fostering Self-Advocacy:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;OSDDS empowers students to understand their needs and advocate for themselves within the college environment, supporting them in accessing necessary resources and accommodations.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Valuing Neurodivergent Perspectives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;OSDDS recognizes and appreciates the unique thinking styles and strengths of neurodivergent students, promoting a culture where these perspectives are seen as valuable assets.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Celebrating Student Differences:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;OSDDS actively highlights and celebrates the diversity of students' backgrounds, experiences, and identities, fostering a sense of belonging for all.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Building a Sense of Belonging:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;OSDDS works to create a positive and inclusive campus community where students feel valued, accepted, and supported.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Providing Inclusive Teaching Strategies:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;OSDDS collaborates with faculty to implement Universal Design instructional practices, ensuring all students have opportunities to succeed.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What We Do&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our staff works with students with disabilities or Deaf/Hard of hearing students to identify personalized strategies and reasonable accommodations to remove barriers in the college environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To ensure effective access, we engage in the &lt;em&gt;Interactive Process&lt;/em&gt;, a &amp;ldquo;deliberative and collaborative process that is responsive to the unique experience of each individual, as advised by the ADA&amp;rdquo; (&lt;em&gt;Supporting Accommodation Requests: Guidance on Documentation Practices, October 20212, Association on Higher Education and Disability&lt;/em&gt;).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;A person with a disability is someone who:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities,&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;has a history or record of such an impairment (such as cancer that is in remission), or&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;is perceived by others as having such an impairment (such as a person who has scars from a severe burn).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;If a person falls into any of these categories, the ADA protects them. Because the ADA is a law, and not a benefit program, you do not need to apply for coverage.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Introduction to the&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ada.gov/topics/intro-to-ada/&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Americans with Disabilities Act&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division)&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have a disability or suspect you have a disability and believe you may benefit from accommodations and services, we encourage you to submit a&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?HolyokeCC&amp;amp;layout_id=1&quot;&gt;Student Inquiry Form&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;once you are accepted to HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Request Accommodations and Services&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The first step in the accommodations process is to submit an online request using the&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?HolyokeCC&amp;amp;layout_id=1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Student Inquiry Form&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;. Supporting documentation is not required at the time of submitting the inquiry form.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Within five business days, OSDDS will send additional guidance and next steps to the student&amp;rsquo;s HCC email address. Supporting documentation may assist in the process to identify access barriers in the college environment and determine solutions. Documentation will vary from student to student, and we will work with you to get the information we need.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each semester, students with an approved accommodation agreement should request their services by completing the forms on the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services/request-your-services&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Request Your Accommodations and Services&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;page.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WHERE TO FIND US&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;OSDDS is located at the HCC main campus, on the first floor of the Donahue building (DON 147). You may contact us at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:osd@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;osd@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or call 413.552.2417, or (VP) 413.650.5502.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We suggest visitors explore&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/visit-hcc/getting-here&quot;&gt;Getting Here&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;on the HCC website for information on driving directions, public transportation, and parking.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EVERY STUDENT DESERVES COMMUNITY AND SUPPORT&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Office for Students with Disabilities &amp;amp; Deaf Services believes in supporting each student seeking community and support. Our Main Office, Donahue 147, is a safe and welcoming space for any student seeking information and resources.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our commitment to community means that we also open our spaces to students:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;DON 140, OSDDS Low Sensory Testing Space and Study Area&lt;br /&gt;DON 147, Main Office for OSDDS&lt;br /&gt;DON 150, OSDDS Meeting Room&lt;br /&gt;FROST 105, Sensory Space&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The following programs are examples of the many resources at HCC to support your learning, wellness, and success:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/alana-men-in-motion&quot;&gt;ALANA Men in Motion&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring&quot;&gt;Center for Academic Program Support&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/academic-support/marieb-adult-learner-success-center&quot;&gt;Marieb Adult Learner Success Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/clubs-and-organizations/student-ambassador-and-mentorship-program&quot;&gt;Student Ambassador and Mentorship Program (SAMP)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/academic-support/trio-programs&quot;&gt;TRIO&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/academic-support/el-centro&quot;&gt;EL CENTRO&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/caring-for-yourself/mental-health-counseling-and-stress-mgmt&quot;&gt;CHD Clinical Services&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/student-resources/thrive-center&quot;&gt;THRIVE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/student-engagement&quot;&gt;STUDENT ENGAGEMENT&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x142" URL="courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services/assistive-technology-center" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251017T12:00:16" CategoryIds="" FileName="x142.xml" Name="Assistive Technology Center" Title="Assistive Technology Center" Abstract="The Assistive Technology Center offers assessment, training, and access to a variety of academic computing programs." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://hcc.campus.eab.com/pal/zwv7Sy4bOj&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC campus on EAB&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Schedule an Assistive Technology Training Appointment&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Assistive Technology Center offers students and faculty information, training, and guidance on technologies used to remove barriers to learning and engagement in the classroom or online.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to providing students access to the approved assistive technology in their accommodation agreement, the ATC offers:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Assistive Technology for removing barriers for students taking exams in the Testing Center.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Assistive Technology that may support non-academic skills, such as time management, organization, and tracking progress.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&amp;ldquo;Train the Trainer&amp;rdquo; workshops for student support program staff and peer mentors.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Collaboration with faculty to remove accessibility barriers in course materials and exams.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;LOCATION&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Assistive Technology Center is located in DON 149.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See the &lt;a href=&quot;/about/visit-hcc/campus-map&quot; title=&quot;HCC campus map&quot;&gt;campus map&lt;/a&gt; for building information.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;HOURS&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Assistive Technology Center is currently taking appointments for individual sessions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more opportunities to learn with the ATC Staff, check your HCC email account for the &amp;ldquo;Week-at-a-Glance&amp;rdquo; events and announcements.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x144" URL="courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services/request-your-services" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250401T12:37:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x144.xml" Name="Request Your Services" Title="Request Your Services" Abstract="To receive accommodations and services, you must register with our office." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Do you have your Accommodation Agreement and are you ready to request your approved services? The following accommodations require the submission of an online request each and every semester:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?HolyokeCC&amp;amp;layout_id=8&quot; title=&quot;Accessible text request form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Accessible Text&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(Visit our&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/student-life/college-store&quot; title=&quot;HCC College Store&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;amp;q=http://www.hcc.edu/student-life/college-store&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1532023905541000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNE3b5o5pfCagkPUzyEPvDWiucZJ2A&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;College Store page&lt;/a&gt; to learn more about ordering books and book advances.)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?HolyokeCC&amp;amp;layout_id=9&quot; title=&quot;Accessible furniture request form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Accessible Furniture&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?HolyokeCC&amp;amp;layout_id=12&quot;&gt;Assistive Technology&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeH3WM2q9LgmdtM3YmNxAczCWY8woOjM7oi1fm7kostyNo3rA/viewform?usp=sf_link&quot;&gt;Schedule an Exam&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have questions about how to use this page or these forms, please get in touch with the OSDDS main office email &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:osd@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;osd@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or by calling &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2417&quot;&gt;413.552.2417&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x145" URL="courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services/maipse" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260501T14:34:28" CategoryIds="" FileName="x145.xml" Name="MAIPSE" Title="MAIPSE" Abstract="Massachusetts Inclusive Post-Secondary &amp; Higher Ed provides dual enrollment opportunities for transition-aged students, 18–21, with intellectual disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorder." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MAIPSE Program at HCC&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The MAIPSE (Massachusetts Inclusive Post Secondary Education) program at HCC is a student-centered, experiential learning initiative designed for adults with intellectual disabilities and/or autism. Rooted in inclusion and guided by the ThinkCollege model, MAIPSE empowers students to become lifelong learners, engaged workers, and independent critical thinkers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students in the program benefit from full access to inclusive academic, vocational, and social experiences that support the achievement of personal and professional goals. The learning environment emphasizes dignity, community integration, and social value.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MAIPSE at HCC supports individuals at different stages of their educational journey by offering two tailored pathways:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For young adults aged 18&amp;ndash;21&lt;/strong&gt;, the program collaborates with partnering school districts to provide transition services that blend academic enrichment, career exploration, and social development&amp;mdash;all within an inclusive college environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For adults aged 22 and older&lt;/strong&gt;, the program focuses on continuing education, life skills, and vocational training, offering opportunities for personal growth, community engagement, and increased independence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each path is thoughtfully designed to meet students where they are and support them in reaching their unique goals, whether that's preparing for employment, building social connections, or pursuing lifelong learning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC School District Partnerships:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Agawam, Amherst, Belchertown, Easthampton, East Longmeadow, Hampden Wilbraham, Hampshire Regional, Holyoke, Ludlow, Monson, Northampton, SCIS, South Hadley, Ware, Westfield, West Springfield, Tantasqua&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC partners with the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) for students 22 and older. Private Pay options may be considered on an individualized basis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Newsletter&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Don't miss &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.canva.com/design/DAHCoCJQ9b4/zM90XO3-h0qF_NEADdFcyQ/view?utm_content=DAHCoCJQ9b4&amp;amp;utm_campaign=designshare&amp;amp;utm_medium=link2&amp;amp;utm_source=uniquelinks&amp;amp;utlId=h6d7cadae19&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.canva.com/design/DAHCoCJQ9b4/zM90XO3-h0qF_NEADdFcyQ/view?utm_content%3DDAHCoCJQ9b4%26utm_campaign%3Ddesignshare%26utm_medium%3Dlink2%26utm_source%3Duniquelinks%26utlId%3Dh6d7cadae19&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1772888845136000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw3UkKood4pfSM9F_5hBmhIu&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; title=&quot;Link to our latest newsletter&quot;&gt;our latest newsletter!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Schedule a MAIPSE Information Session&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?HolyokeCC&amp;amp;layout_id=14&quot;&gt;Request MAIPSE Info Session&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learn more about Massachusetts Inclusive Higher Ed and the state's historic legislation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.edu/strategic/maicei.asp&quot;&gt;MAIPSE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.massadvocates.org/news/gov-baker-signs-new-law-opening-the-doors-to-inclusive-higher-education-for-individuals-with-intellectual-disabilities-and-autism&quot;&gt;Gov. Baker Signs New Law Opening the Doors to Inclusive Higher Education for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://spanmass.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Supplemental-Appropriation-to-Support-Transition-Services-for-Young-Adults.pdf&quot;&gt;Coordinated Pandemic-Related Transition Services&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x147" URL="courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services/resources" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250422T12:04:46" CategoryIds="" FileName="x147.xml" Name="Resources" Title="Resources" Abstract="Following are resources, both on campus and in the community, that may be of use." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Looking into your eligibility to receive accommodations while at HCC? Begin by calling the OSDDS main office at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2417&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;413.552.2417&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or come into DON 147. View more information about&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services&quot; title=&quot;registering with OSDDS&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;amp;q=http://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1532096782777000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFgZngPz6D-w2tJ1Vkv_B5RFEViFw&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;registering with OSDDS&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;COMMUNITY RESOURCES&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Association for Autism &amp;amp; Neurodiversity (AANE)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;mission%20is%20to%20help%20Autistic%20and%20similarly%20Neurodivergent%20people%20build%20meaningful,%20connected%20lives.%20We%20provide%20individuals,%20families,%20and%20professionals%20with%20education,%20community%20and%20support,%20in%20an%20inclusive%20atmosphere%20of%20validation%20and%20respect.&quot;&gt;AANE&lt;/a&gt; mission is to help Autistic and similarly Neurodivergent people build meaningful, connected lives. They provide individuals, families, and professionals with education, community and support, in an inclusive atmosphere of validation and respect. AANE offers services supporting college students and has experience supporting students at HCC.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easter Seals Massachusetts&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.easterseals.com/ma/programs-and-services/assistive-technology/&quot;&gt;Easter Seals Assistive Technology Services&lt;/a&gt; uses clinical expertise to help people with disabilities expand their independence by using devices to achieve greater access to education, employment, and their community. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) specifically focuses on providing devices and tools for individuals who have difficulty using speech for communication.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.easterseals.com/ma/programs-and-services/college-navigator/&quot;&gt;Easter Seals College Navigator Program&lt;/a&gt; provides individualized services to college students with disabilities based on&amp;nbsp;their&amp;nbsp;goals, strengths, and needs. Navigators&amp;nbsp;assist students in identifying barriers, advocating for the student's needs, and accessing college services and resources to successfully reach graduation.  Services are delivered in person, virtually, or blended to&amp;nbsp;meet the&amp;nbsp;student&amp;rsquo;s&amp;nbsp;needs. College Navigators are experienced working with students attending classes at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Learning Ally&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Formerly known as Recording for the Blind &amp;amp; Dyslexic, Learning Ally serves those who cannot read standard print due to blindness, visual impairment, dyslexia, or other learning disabilities. Learning Ally provides a collection of more than 65,000 digitally recorded textbooks and literature titles that downloadable and accessible on mainstream as well as specialized assistive technology devices. Eligible individuals may be able to receive financial support for&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learningally.org/&quot;&gt;membership&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;fees from certain referring agencies.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MassAbiliity (formerly Mass Rehabilitation Commission)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massability&quot;&gt;MassAbility&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;provides resources and services to assist individuals with disabilities in their efforts to enter gainful employment. Many HCC students receive support from the Commission in their academic preparation for employment. Contact MRC by calling&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-736-7296&quot;&gt;413.736.7296&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf &amp;amp; Hard of Hearing&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;The&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/mcdhh/&quot;&gt;Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf &amp;amp; Hard of Hearing&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;provides services that include sign language interpreter referral service and emergency interpreter service. They can be reached at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:617-695-7500&quot;&gt;617.695.7500&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-788-6427&quot;&gt;413.788.6427&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(v/TTY).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Massachusetts Commission for the Blind&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;The&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/mcb/&quot;&gt;Massachusetts Commission for the Blind&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;offers assistance for individuals in educational, work and home settings. They provide evaluations for technology and support services to eligible individuals with sight-related disabilities. They can be reached at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-781-1290&quot;&gt;413.781.1290&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:800-392-6450&quot;&gt;800.392.6450&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-department-of-mental-health&quot;&gt;The Department of Mental Health&lt;/a&gt;, as the State Mental Health Authority, assures and provides access to services and supports to meet the mental health needs of individuals of all ages; enabling them to live, work and participate in their communities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Partners for Youth with Disabilities&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://pyd.org/&quot;&gt;Partners for Youth with Disabilities&lt;/a&gt;, through innovative programs we break down barriers, providing the support and resources needed to increase participation and inclusion for disabled youth and forward-thinking organizations.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stavros&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.stavros.org/&quot;&gt;Stavros&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;works to give people with disabilities the tools to take charge of their life choices, act on their own behalf, and overcome situations that reduce their potential for independence. Stavros advocates/peer counselors will work with any person with any disability who is facing a challenge to their independence.&amp;nbsp;General Contact Number:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:1-800-804-1899&quot;&gt;1.800.804.1899&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;Information and Referral Line:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:1-800-804-1899&quot;&gt;1.800.804.1899&lt;/a&gt;, ext. 201 or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:info@stavros.org&quot;&gt;info@stavros.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x146" URL="courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services/guidance-polices-and-forms" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250929T13:17:02" CategoryIds="" FileName="x146.xml" Name="Guidance, Polices, and Forms" Title="Guidance, Polices, and Forms" Abstract="Want to request services from OSDDS? Begin by scheduling a meeting at 413.552.2417 or come into the office in Donahue 147." ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x159" URL="courses-and-programs/integrative-learning" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251031T17:33:33" CategoryIds="" FileName="x159.xml" Name="Integrative Learning" Title="Integrative Learning" Abstract="The Integrative Learning programs at Holyoke Community College promote integrative teaching and learning across the general education curriculum." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Integrative Learning programs at Holyoke Community College&quot; height=&quot;475&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Integrative%20Learning/Integrative%20Learning.png&quot; width=&quot;800&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Integrative Learning programs at Holyoke Community College&amp;nbsp;offer a&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;holistic approach&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;to teaching and learning in the general education curriculum. This approach provides students with the opportunity to make connections between their classroom work, their life experiences, and their community. Our faculty and students work together to establish these&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;meaningful connections&lt;/strong&gt; with local businesses, nonprofits, other colleges and universities, to help bring academic work to life so that students can see the relevance of their school work.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In today's rapidly changing and interconnected world, integrative&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;learning builds bridges between the student, their classroom, and the world&lt;/strong&gt;. These bridges are critical in the achievement of&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;personal success,&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;social responsibility, and civic engagement&lt;/strong&gt;. Students will enhance their academic and professional potential by participating in these programs while positively impacting their communities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our integrative courses at Holyoke Community College offer hands-on learning experiences that encourage&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;students to think independently, find their voice, and feel empowered&lt;/strong&gt;. Our faculty experts create curricula that promote learning across different subjects, helping students to make sense of the world and their place in it. Take advantage of our academic programs, explore diverse themes, and develop valuable skills that will set you apart as you&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;pursue your career and transfer goals.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Discover the benefits of integrative learning at HCC today by speaking with someone in the Integrative Learning Program Office.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="true" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x161" URL="courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/honors" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260306T16:10:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x161.xml" Name="Honors" Title="Honors" Abstract="The Honors Program offers opportunities for intellectual challenge to students in every discipline. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;560&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/VSchPkf5lgM&quot; title=&quot;YouTube video player&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allow=&quot;accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;allowfullscreen&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1vAHdLkp-FPd1BiRNl7rZoXXIZ6rdDQwmK7TLmNmb0r8/edit&quot; title=&quot;HCC honors program student survey&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FWZHGW3&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1543513142640000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGWbTftUmr4c54KC9d2kQVrQEQzew&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC honors logo&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;images/HCC_Honors_Logo_BLK_600x600_d1.png&quot; style=&quot;float: left; margin: 10px;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;HCC Honors Program Student Survey&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Integrative%20Learning/Honors/Honors%20Classes%20FALL%202026.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Honors Fall 2026&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Honors Courses&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Honors Program wants YOU. The Honors Program is for the student who excels academically, plans to transfer to a 4 year college or university, and/or is interested in gaining critical skills for the workplace.&amp;nbsp;The Honors Program provides challenging courses with a strong emphasis on reading, writing, and critical thinking across and within disciplines.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Liberal Arts Major: All honors courses fulfill your six credit hours of Integrative Learning Experience. Also, Honors courses can satisfy general education requirements.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;CREATING KNOWLEDGE, TOGETHER&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Honors Program provides the following benefits to motivated students:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;smaller class sizes,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;1 or more free books,&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;more accessible faculty,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;seminar-style courses,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;writing and reading intensive, creative thinking and problem solving skills building,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;space to engage in constructive dialogue and grow as knowledge producers, scholars, and global citizens,&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;access to unique scholarships not offered to traditional students.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ideal honors student strives:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;To be intellectually honest and courageous;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;For authenticity and integrity in all areas of their life;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;To be open minded and inquisitive as well as questioning and critical;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;To be well-rounded - both a scholar and an activist.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Note: Honors students and the Honors Program have never been - nor will they ever be - all these things all the time. What sets the program and its students apart, above all else, is &lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;the willingness to consistently attempt great things&lt;/span&gt;, whether or not the mark is hit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A graphic depicting a series of overlapping circles that read, &amp;quot;members of a learned community,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;fearlessly communicative,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;active readers,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;critical thinkers,&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;creative risk-takers.&amp;quot; The circle in the middle of the group reads, &amp;quot;HCC HONORS.&amp;quot;&quot; height=&quot;540&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Integrative%20Learning/HONORS%20STUDENT%20HCC%20visual.png&quot; width=&quot;960&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x160" URL="courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/learning-communities" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260430T12:54:41" CategoryIds="" FileName="x160.xml" Name="Learning Communities" Title="Learning Communities" Abstract="A Learning Community is usually a combination of two courses organized around a common theme." IntroCopy="Work with other students as you explore a topic through a multi-disciplinary lens" BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Integrative%20Learning/Learning%20Communities/Updated%20FALL%202026%20LCs%20-%20with%20descriptions%20%281%29.pdf&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Fall 2026 LC Classes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;What is a Learning Community?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;A learning community (LC) is usually a combination of two courses organized around a common theme. The connection between the subject matter in each course is emphasized so that information and skills learned in one of the courses can be applied to the other courses in the learning community. The same students enroll in all the courses in a learning community and the instructors team teach. Students learn collaboratively and assignments are integrated. At the end of the semester, each student gets a grade and credit for each of the courses that are part of the learning community. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Who should enroll in a Learning Community?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;New, continuing, returning, or transfer student who are interested in being connected, supported, challenged, and excited during their time at HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Why should you join a Learning Community?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Improve your chances for academic success&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Earn higher grades&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Complete two or more requirements for your degree at one time&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Connect your learning across courses in collaborative and active ways&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Enjoy smaller class sizes&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Improve your critical thinking skills by sharing and connecting topics, ideas, and assignments between classes&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop a supportive network of peers, faculty, and staff&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Enjoy closer, more supportive working relationships with professors in and outside class&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop more confidence in your own abilities&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Practice team-building and communication skills that are transferable to your daily life&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Make new friends by spending more time with students from different cultures and majors&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Make studying easier with ready-made study groups&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Coordinate your homework to save time and stay on schedule with assignments&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Get better connected with helpful resources on our campus like the Writing Center, Math Center, Pathways, and tutoring&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Prepare for transfer and the possibility of scholarships&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Have fun participating in a wide variety of group, campus, and community activities&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;what are the outcomes of participating in a learning community?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop academic skills that will enhance core competencies, including: critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, information literacy, effective communication, and knowledge of diversity&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Integrate your learning &amp;ndash; across courses (and disciplines), over time, and/or between the classroom, campus, and community&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Construct knowledge using the methods, tools, and conventions from two or more disciplines, perspectives, information sources, media, and technologies&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Understand and appreciate human diversity, with a focus on the analysis of issues including but not limited to race, gender(ed) constructions, ethnicity, sexual orientations, age, social class, disabilities, and religious sectarianism.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Learn actively and collaboratively both in and out of class&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x162" URL="courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/community-based-learning" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260116T13:51:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x162.xml" Name="Community-Based Learning" Title="Community-Based Learning" Abstract="Community-Based Learning is an educational initiative in which students complete a project in the community that directly relates to the objectives of a course and meets the needs of a community-based organization." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING (CBL)Community-Based Learning is a powerful teaching approach that allows students to engage in hands-on activities that address real-life challenges faced by communities. By partnering with local organizations, faculty can provide an enriching learning experience that benefits students and helps them to see themselves as community contributors. This mutually beneficial relationship between the academic and local communities can foster a deeper understanding of societal issues and inspire students to become agents of change. Join us in embracing this impactful teaching method that empowers students to impact the world around them positively.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is a Community-Based Learning Course?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;By taking a Community-Based Learning Course, you'll gain valuable knowledge and the opportunity to create and implement projects or conduct research in collaboration with a local community organization. This hands-on experience will provide insights and skills to help you stand out in your field. &lt;strong&gt;Don't miss out on this chance to make a real difference in your community while advancing your education.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Benefits of Community-Based Learning (CBL)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This program provides students with:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;a unique opportunity to broaden their horizons and reach their full potential. This is done by engaging in hands-on coursework that supports the needs of a community organization.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;a deepening of their understanding of the course content and objectives while also gaining valuable work experience in their field of study.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;a potentially long lasting community relationships that could lead to internships, jobs, and future careers while also strengthening their r&amp;eacute;sum&amp;eacute; and transfer application.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;information about how concepts in texts are revealed (that a-aha moment) in our lived communities&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;encouragement to be active change-makers in their community.Choose CBL AND, unlock your potential, and positively impact your community!&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Choose CBL AND, unlock your potential, and positively impact your community!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x19322" URL="courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/community-based-learning/cbl-resources-for-students" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260116T13:51:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19322.xml" Name="CBL resources for students" Title="CBL resources for students" Abstract="CBL resources for students" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Community-Based Learning Practicum&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Community-Based Learning Practicum (SSN 102) is a one-credit course available to students that can be added on to any course with a service-learning component. Faculty receive an added credit to their course load, and students pay for the extra credit.&amp;nbsp; Students interested in this opportunity should meet with CBL coordinator to discuss this opportunity.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19321" URL="courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/community-based-learning/the-history-of-cbl-at-hcc" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260116T13:51:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19321.xml" Name="The History of CBL at HCC" Title="The History of CBL at HCC" Abstract="The History of CBL at HCC" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Here are some of the articles written about Faculty CBL projects, formerly Service Learning.&amp;nbsp; Faculty, take a look and envision your next CBL idea coming to life!&amp;nbsp; Students, join a CBL course - you will not regret it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;●&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-blog/november-2023-news-blog&quot;&gt;Itsy Bitsy More&lt;/a&gt; (Nov 2023)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;●&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-blog/september-2023-news-blog&quot;&gt;Planting Ideas&lt;/a&gt; (Sept 2023)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;●&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-blog/april-2023-news-blog&quot;&gt;On Display&lt;/a&gt; (April 2023)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;●&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-blog/march-2023-news-blog&quot;&gt;Spring Cleaning&lt;/a&gt; (March 2023)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;●&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/finding-the-words&quot;&gt;Screen Time&lt;/a&gt; (Jan 2023)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;●&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-blog/december-2022-news-blog&quot;&gt;All Hands on Deck&lt;/a&gt; (Dec 2022)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;●&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/urban-trees-slp&quot;&gt;Botany on the Beat&lt;/a&gt; (Oct 2022)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;●&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hcc-75th&quot;&gt;Celebrating 75&lt;/a&gt; (May 2022)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;●&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/martinez-award&quot;&gt;Civic Minded&lt;/a&gt; (Jan 2022)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;●&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/newman-fellowship&quot;&gt;Activist Scholar&lt;/a&gt; (Mar 2021)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;●&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hungry-caterpillar&quot;&gt;Caterpillar Action&lt;/a&gt; (May 2019)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;●&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/engaged-scholar&quot;&gt;Engaged Scholar&lt;/a&gt; (Feb 2019)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;●&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/jasmine-errico-news&quot;&gt;Mother of Inspiration&lt;/a&gt; (Apr 2017)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;●&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/future-teachers-test-lessons&quot;&gt;Future Teachers Test Lessons&lt;/a&gt; (Nov 2016)&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19320" URL="courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/community-based-learning/service-learning-projects-and-partners" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260116T13:51:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19320.xml" Name="Service Learning Projects &amp; Partners" Title="Service Learning Projects &amp; Partners" Abstract="Service Learning Projects &amp; Partners" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Community-Based Learning is an educational initiative in which students complete a project in the community that directly relates to the objectives of a course and meets the needs of the community-based organization.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING COMMUNITY PARTNERS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Projects are created collaboratively with a community partner - any project is possible!&amp;nbsp; Here are just a few of our community partners.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wistariahurst.org/&quot;&gt;Wistariahurst&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nuestras-raices.org/&quot;&gt;Nuestras Ra&amp;iacute;ces&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.voicesfrominside.weebly.com&quot;&gt;Voices from Inside&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://holyokemedia.org/&quot;&gt;Holyoke Media&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hbgc.org/&quot;&gt;Holyoke Boys &amp;amp; Girls Club&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.girlsincholyoke.org/&quot;&gt;Girls INC&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.carecenterholyoke.org/&quot;&gt;The Care Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reachoutandread.org/whereweare/site_list.aspx&quot;&gt;Reach Out &amp;amp; Read&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.springfieldschoolvolunteers.org/&quot;&gt;Springfield Schools Volunteers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.juntoscollaborative.org/index.php?option=com_content&amp;amp;view=article&amp;amp;id=23&amp;amp;Itemid=3&amp;amp;lang=en&quot;&gt;MSPCC/Halo Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wmeldercare.org/&quot;&gt;Western MA Elder Care&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.geriatricauthority.org/&quot;&gt;Geriatric Authority&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.provministries.com/&quot;&gt;Kate's Kitchen/Margaret's Pantry&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gandaracenter.org/&quot;&gt;Gandara Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thetrustees.org/&quot;&gt;The Trustees of Reservations&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING PROJECTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some examples of HCC Community Based Learning projects done at HCC:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;● A Spanish heritage speakers course that has students learn to podcast and create a podcast using Spanish and English on topics related to Latinidad&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;● An Earth Science course in which students test CT River waters for nitrates and report/present their findings to the Connecticut River Valley Watershed Council&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;● An English and human services Learning Community course in which students learn about writing as a tool for healing and self-discovery, and then work with teen mothers studying poetry at the Care Center&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;● A web design course during which students design new websites for community-based organizations in Holyoke&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;● An English and sociology Learning Community on teen pregnancy in which students learn about poetry alongside teen mothers studying at the Care Center, and design an assessment tool for a teen pregnancy prevention program at the Holyoke Boys &amp;amp; Girls Club&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;● A robotics course in which students instruct the youth at the Holyoke Boys &amp;amp; Girls Club in the designing, building, and programming of robots&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;● A nutrition course in which students create an activity, a healthy recipe, and content for a lesson plan that teaches a nutritional concept to children at the Holyoke and Westfield Boys &amp;amp; Girls Clubs&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;● A marketing course in which students break into teams. One team completes a much-needed marketing plan/strategy for developing a new retail store run by Providence Ministries, the other team creates a much-needed survey for the Holyoke YMCA&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;● A nursing course in which students partner with the Holyoke Health Center's initiative that links literacy and health under Reach Out &amp;amp; Read&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;● An online anthropology course where students gain hands on experience with oral history and participate in building an archive of Holyoke resident and worker experiences during the COVID pandemic&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19319" URL="courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/community-based-learning/community-based-learning-for-faculty" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260116T13:51:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19319.xml" Name="Community-based Learning for Faculty" Title="Community-based Learning for Faculty" Abstract="Community-based Learning for Faculty" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FACULTY FELLOWS PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This professional development opportunity for faculty exists to support the creation of a CBL component to a new or existing course.&amp;nbsp; At the core of this work, projects (big and small) emanate from community needs and knowledge while also being guided by course materials.&amp;nbsp; Self reflection of all members of the process (community, faculty and students) becomes critical to the development of this work. Faculty receive a course reassignment or stipend to develop a community based learning project for a course in a cohort setting over the course of year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_cWD4Mi5xZoLUGi0w72cMyFmGtMbb-Ks_0MdoaL0Cfc/edit&quot;&gt;Click here for an application&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CONTINUING FACULTY FELLOWS PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A professional development opportunity for former CBL faculty fellows who want to engage with more intentionality on CBL using a culturally responsive and anti-racist pedagogical lens. Culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) is a teaching strategy that engages faculty to self-reflect, engage, be inclusive and culturally humble in revising not just &lt;em&gt;what they teach,&lt;/em&gt; but also &lt;em&gt;how they teach and advise students&lt;/em&gt;.&amp;nbsp; To be actively anti-racist means to understand and work against racism as a systemic problem that can be confronted, challenged and dismantled with action.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Faculty are asked to investigate the ways in which their teaching may privilege some forms of knowledge and some student communities, while ignoring, devaluing and/or stigmatizing other ways of knowing or students. &amp;nbsp;This Title III funded initiative provides space for CBL faculty to share personal and professional experiences, questions, and resources.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Take out the section on &lt;strong&gt;Community-Based Learning Practicum from this tab.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;This will be moved to a separate tab marked: CBL resources for students&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x7409" URL="courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/academic-internships" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250918T15:57:49" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7409.xml" Name="Academic Internships" Title="Academic Internships" Abstract="Want to gain hands-on experience in your career field before you graduate? Start with an academic internship." IntroCopy="Want to gain hands-on experience in your career field before you graduate? Start with an academic internship!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College's Academic Internship Program is the perfect gateway for students eager to dive into their chosen careers or seeking to explore the possibilities. Academic internships offer valuable hands-on experiences and practical skills to transition to the real world or to further your education. Don't just learn about your dream job - live it with HCC's Academic Internship Program.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Explore the links below to learn more!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x7410" URL="courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/academic-internships/for-students" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260116T13:51:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7410.xml" Name="For Students" Title="For Students" Abstract="What's an academic internship? Who is eligible? Why should you do one?" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Explore the information below to learn more!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7412" URL="courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/academic-internships/for-faculty" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260116T13:51:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7412.xml" Name="For Faculty" Title="For Faculty" Abstract="You can become a Faculty Sponsor for a student intern. Learn about your role, time commitment, and compensation." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Explore the information below to learn about academic internships at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7413" URL="courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/academic-internships/for-internship-community-partners" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260116T13:51:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7413.xml" Name="For INTERNSHIP Community Partners" Title="For INTERNSHIP Community Partners" Abstract="Learn about benefits to your organization, how to design an internship program, and why you should sponsor an HCC student intern." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Explore the information below to learn about academic internships at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9632" URL="courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/academic-internships/important-documents" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260116T13:51:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9632.xml" Name="Important Documents" Title="Important Documents" Abstract="Important documents for those involved in academic internships." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Internships/MCC%20Handbook%20Formatted%20FINAL%20without%20date.pdf&quot; id=&quot;E1400&quot; title=&quot;MCC Experiential Education: Internships &amp;amp; Cooperative Education, A Handbook for Practitioners &amp;amp; Administrators&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MCC Experiential Education: Internships &amp;amp; Cooperative Education, A Handbook for Practitioners &amp;amp; Administrators&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;For Students&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Internships/Risk%20and%20Consent.pdf&quot; id=&quot;E1406&quot; title=&quot;PDF of Acknowledgment of Risk &amp;amp; Consent Form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Acknowledgment of Risk &amp;amp; Consent Form&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Academic%20Internships/Academic%20Internship%20Learning%20Agreement%2010282018.docx&quot; id=&quot;E1410&quot; title=&quot;PDF of Academic Internship Learning Agreement&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Learning Agreement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;For Community Partners&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ExLAA&quot; id=&quot;E1403&quot; title=&quot;PDF of Memorandum of Understanding&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Memorandum of Understanding&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8YP8B38&quot; title=&quot;PDF of Academic Internship Assessment&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Academic Internship Assessment&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x19095" URL="courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/pathways" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241016T14:22:48" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19095.xml" Name="Pathways" Title="Pathways" Abstract="Pathways Program is a transfer support program that helps promising high-achieving students the ability to succeed at HCC and explore transfer opportunities to selective liberal arts colleges such as Mount Holyoke, Smith, Amherst, Williams, and others. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Armanis Fuentes is wearing a Williams College tshirt and standing outside on the campus of Holyoke Community College&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Advising%2C%20Career%2C%20Transfer/armanis_web.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Pathways wants you to dream&amp;nbsp;big!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Pathways Program is a transfer support program that helps promising high-achieving students the ability to succeed at HCC and explore transfer opportunities to selective liberal arts colleges such as Mount Holyoke, Smith, Amherst, Williams, and others. The program intentionally fosters student relationships utilizing the holistic approach to offer academic and personal support such as advising, workshops, hosting transfer information sessions with selective college representatives, conducting college visits and assists with the transfer process to selective colleges for high-potential students, especially from underrepresented backgrounds.&amp;nbsp;If you love learning,&amp;nbsp;we&amp;nbsp;welcome you to have exploratory conversations about select&amp;nbsp;colleges' transfer admissions processes, majors and course selections,&amp;nbsp;and GPA requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Majors&amp;nbsp;Served:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Liberal Arts&amp;nbsp;Astronomy&lt;br /&gt;Biology&lt;br /&gt;Chemistry&lt;br /&gt;Sustainability&lt;br /&gt;Theater&lt;br /&gt;Latinx Studies&lt;br /&gt;Visual Arts&lt;br /&gt;Critical Social Thought: Economics, Politics, History, Anthropology/Sociology &amp;amp; Philosophy&lt;br /&gt;Biology (STEM Majors)&lt;br /&gt;English&amp;nbsp;Education&lt;br /&gt;Math&lt;br /&gt;Physics&lt;br /&gt;Computer Science&lt;br /&gt;Psychology/Behavioral&lt;br /&gt;Neuroscience&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Are you interested in the Pathways Program, please complete the&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_-Z8cyS8QzvILX3sKbJPTXzRIq9Xk1VxBVx4EV9ZIKjPPpA/viewform?usp=pp_url&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Interest/Appointment Form&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Schedule &amp;amp; Location&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Programming and services are offered Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pathways is located in Room 283 of the Donahue Building. Want to know more? Please get in touch with Camille for an appointment to talk about the possibilities!&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Interested in exploring UMass, Westfield State, Elms College, or another institution? Check out our main&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer&quot;&gt;transfer&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;page!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Camille Close,&lt;br /&gt;DON 283&lt;br /&gt;Email:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:cclose@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;cclose@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Phone:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2277&quot;&gt;413.552.2277&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fax: 413.552.2045&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x182" URL="courses-and-programs/personal-enrichment" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260313T13:22:10" CategoryIds="" FileName="x182.xml" Name="Personal Enrichment" Title="Personal Enrichment" Abstract="Express your creativity, learn a new skill, get fit or organize your finances: HCC's personal enrichment courses offer something for everyone at an affordable price." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Student playing guitar&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Personal%20Enrichment/personalenrichment_intext.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;personal enrichment&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Express your creativity, learn a new skill, get fit, or organize your finances: HCC's &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/media/documents/Publications/BCS/HCC_BCS_Spring2026_web.pdf&quot;&gt;personal enrichment courses&lt;/a&gt; offer something for everyone at an affordable price. These courses don't have grades or exams &amp;ndash; just the opportunity to learn in a fun, &quot;small-class&quot; environment with people who have similar interests. Open to learners of all ages, our classes are taught by qualified instructors and conveniently scheduled to allow working people to participate.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.coursestorm.com/&quot; title=&quot;Register for non-credit classes at HCC&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Register online today!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A sampling of our classes:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Arts&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Baking&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Bartending&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Expression&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Food (Cooking Confidently &amp;amp; Dining Out)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Health &amp;amp; fitness&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Home &amp;amp; garden&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Languages&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Legal&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Lifelong Learning (55+)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Money &amp;amp; investment&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Outdoors &amp;amp; leisure&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/personal-enrichment/youth-programs&quot; title=&quot;Youth Programs&quot;&gt;Summer Youth Programs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;We'd love to hear from you about our courses! If you have comments, would like to suggest a course, or are interested in teaching, contact Arvard Lingham at &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2320&quot;&gt;413.552.2320&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:alingham@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link alingham@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;alingham@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x5427" URL="courses-and-programs/personal-enrichment/youth-programs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260511T13:58:36" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5427.xml" Name="Youth Programs" Title="Youth Programs" Abstract="Register now for summer 2026 youth programs" IntroCopy="Looking for a way to nurture your child's curiosity and creativity? HCC is offering a variety of options!" BodyCopy="&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 1.5em;&quot;&gt;Summer 2026 Youth Programs&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Cooking-Summer-Youth-2025-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Summer 2026 &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Youth Programs&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blackrocket.com/online/hol/&quot;&gt;Online tech education here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 6-10:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cooking without Borders with Chef Marangelly Vargas-Gonzalez (ages 9-16): &lt;/em&gt;In this lively hands-on camp, young chefs will team up to chop, stir, and create tasty dishes from around the world. Each day brings a new theme and a chance to discover fresh ingredients, cool cooking techniques, and the joy of working together in the kitchen. By week&amp;rsquo;s end, they&amp;rsquo;ll walk away with new cooking skills, delicious recipes to show off at home, and plenty of tasty memories. (9 a.m. &amp;ndash; 3 p.m., $425)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fun Bites with Chef Diana Swanigan (ages 9-16):&lt;/em&gt; Join us for an exciting week of hands-on culinary fun, where young chefs will discover the joy of cooking delicious, easy-to-prepare meals to share with family and friends. Participants will work together to chop, season, cook, and taste a variety of recipes &amp;ndash; all made from scratch. Each day introduces new menu themes, ingredients, and techniques designed to build confidence in the kitchen. (9 a.m. &amp;ndash; 3 p.m., $425)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 13-17:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cooking without Borders with Chef Marangelly Vargas-Gonzalez (ages 9-16, 9 a.m. &amp;ndash; 3 p.m., $425)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fun Bites with Chef Diana Swanigan (ages 9-16, 9 a.m. &amp;ndash; 3 p.m., $425)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;ROBLOX Coders (ages 8-10; 11-14): &lt;/em&gt;Discover the Lua coding language while designing experiences in ROBLOX, an online universe where you can create anything you dream of. New developers will learn to use ROBLOX&amp;rsquo;s Studio software to reimagine the popular game genres with their own custom code. Instructor Brittany Pietskowski. (9 a.m. to noon for ages 8-10; 1 to 4 p.m. for ages 11-14, $199)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 20-24:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Around the World with Chef Diana Swanigan (ages 9-16):&lt;/em&gt; Cuisine around the world serves as a universal language that unites people across cultures through shared flavors, traditions, and stories. Learn to prepare full-course meals from Asia, Puerto Rico, Greece, Italy, and New Orleans. (&lt;em&gt;9 a.m. &amp;ndash; 3 p.m., $425)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Make Your First Video Game (age&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;s&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt; 8-10&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;; 11-14&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;: &lt;/em&gt;Go beyond the limitations of traditional 2D game design classes and create an immersive 3D world. Students will learn the physics behind 3D games, explore beginner event scripting, level design, controlling the flow of gameplay, and storytelling. Instructor Brittany Pietskowski. (9 a.m. &amp;ndash; noon for ages 8-10; 1 &amp;ndash; 4 p.m. for ages 11-14, $199)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Passport to Flavors with &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chef &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Marangelly &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Vargas-Gonzalez (&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;a&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;ges 9-16)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;:&lt;/em&gt; This hands-on cooking camp takes kids on a delicious journey across global cuisines, exploring flavors, techniques, and ingredients that make each culture unique. Dive into fun daily themes like diner classics, Mexican favorites, Mediterranean feasts, Filipino street bites, and southern comfort food, all while building confidence one tasty dish at a time. (9 a.m. &amp;ndash; 3 p.m., $425)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 27-31:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Around the World with Chef Diana Swanigan (ages 9-16, 9 a.m. &amp;ndash; 3 p.m., $425)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Minecraft Designers (&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;a&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;ge&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;s&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt; 8-10&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;; 11-14&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;: &lt;/em&gt;Learn how to create a custom map, design structures to share between worlds, build with Redstone and Command blocks, and create custom textures for you to import at home or share with friends. Instructor Brittany Pietskowski. (9 a.m. &amp;ndash; noon for ages 8-10; 1 &amp;ndash; 4 p.m. for ages 11-14, $199).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Passport to Flavors with &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chef &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Marangelly &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Vargas-Gonzalez (&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;a&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;ges 9-16&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;, &lt;/em&gt;9 a.m. &amp;ndash; 3 p.m., $425&lt;em&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;August 3-7:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Python Programmers (age&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;s&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt; 8-10&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;; 11-14): &lt;/em&gt;Learn the world's fastest-growing programming language favored by Google, NASA, YouTube, and the CIA. Learn how to code with Python to create engaging apps and games. Instructor Brittany Pietskowski. (9 a.m. &amp;ndash; noon for ages 8-10; 1 &amp;ndash; 4 p.m. for ages 11-14, $199).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://hcc.coursestorm.com/category/2026-summer-youth-programming&quot; title=&quot;Link to Coursestorm to register for summer youth prgorams&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;View Details, Dates, Times and Register for in-person programs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x173" URL="courses-and-programs/preparing-for-college" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20180222T17:30:07" CategoryIds="" FileName="x173.xml" Name="Preparing for College" Title="Preparing for College" Abstract="Programs for high school students and adult students who are preparing for college." IntroCopy="Explore programs for high school students and adult students who are preparing for college." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Smiling Gateway to College graduates&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Preparing%20for%20College/preparing_intext.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="true" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x175" URL="courses-and-programs/preparing-for-college/transition-to-college-and-careers" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251109T14:45:32" CategoryIds="" FileName="x175.xml" Name="Transition to College &amp; Careers" Title="Transition to College &amp; Careers" Abstract="Transition to College &amp; Careers is a free non-credit program offered both days and evenings that helps adult students 18+ prepare for college and identify a career path." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Three HCC students pose outside with the HCC Cougar mascot&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Preparing%20for%20College/Transition%20to%20College-Careers/tcc_web.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Transition to College &amp;amp; Careers (TCC) is a free program offered both days and evenings designed to help adult students prepare for college and identify a career path. We offer free versions of developmental English &amp;amp; Math to help students get to college level. We also offer a variety of content courses each semester (Public Speaking, Introduction to Health Careers, Criminal Justice, Sociology, etc) as a way for students to explore courses and strengthen skills. In addition to this, the program offers College Success which is a group that focuses on strategies to be successful in college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;About TCC&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Supportive Learning Community&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;College Success&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Intensive Advising&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Group Advising&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Cohort Style Classes&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Flexibility&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Day &amp;amp; Evening Options&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Daytime In person or Evening remote on zoom&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Courses Offered (cohort style)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;English: 085, 095&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Math: 011, 012, 013&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Content Courses: Public Speaking, Introduction to Health Careers, Introduction to Sociology, Intimate Relationships, Introduction to Criminal Justice.&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(The cohort classes are offered in a non credit format, making them free and lower risk than traditional credit bearing courses. TCC has articulation agreements with the various departments so students can obtain credit for prior learning after earning a C- or better in the course.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;College Success&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Strategies to be successful in college (example: Time management, Self Care, Goal Setting, Effective Study Habits, Self Advocacy, College Navigation, Problem Solving, Motivation, Basic Technology, etc.)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Introduction to resources available on campus&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Assistance with applying to college, financial aid, scholarships, and Mass Reconnect.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;After Completion of TCC, Students will:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Have some courses under their belt with credit for prior learning (CPL).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Have applied for college &amp;amp; financial aid.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Understand how to access resources on campus&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Know how to navigate the college system.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Have the tools necessary to feel confident and achieve academic self&amp;nbsp;sufficiency.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Be ready to enter into a degree or certificate program.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x174" URL="courses-and-programs/preparing-for-college/gateway-to-college" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260428T12:14:34" CategoryIds="" FileName="x174.xml" Name="Gateway to College" Title="Gateway to College" Abstract="Gateway to College is a dual enrollment program at Holyoke Community College in which high school students who have dropped out (or are at risk of dropping out) take college classes for credit in both high school and college." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;get in touch&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Please email &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:sglenn@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;sglenn@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;or complete this &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdVAOrFA958rCzkF6vclIjyN7al1IBETbiQOX-QwIdBIxfw_w/viewform?usp=sharing&amp;amp;ouid=110209538418722727070&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;interest form&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Gateway at a Glance&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Gateway to College is an early college program at Holyoke Community College designed to help students rediscover their path to success. The program supports high school students who are ready for a fresh start&amp;mdash;whether they&amp;rsquo;ve stepped away from traditional high school or would benefit from a more supportive, personalized learning environment. At Gateway, students take courses that count toward both their high school diploma and future college goals, building confidence, independence, and momentum along the way.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;This is not a high school equivalency program; students who complete Gateway earn a high school diploma from their home district while also having the potential to graduate with college credits, putting them on a strong path toward continued education and career success.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;As part of a &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://achievingthedream.org/gateway-to-college/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;national network&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; of 31 programs across 18 states, HCC&amp;rsquo;s Gateway to College program has earned recognition for its powerful impact on student success. More than 700 students from 14 local school districts have graduated from Gateway, each with a story of resilience and growth. Many students enter the program ready for a fresh start, and through personalized support and high expectations, they build strong academic habits and confidence in their abilities.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;While in Gateway, students earn their high school diploma with the potential to earn an average of 12 college credits. Most graduates continue their education in college, carrying forward the momentum they built at Gateway and taking the next steps toward their future.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Student Support&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students complete an in-depth application process with Gateway, including essays, testing, and a personal interview. The two most critical pieces of the application process are the genuine desire to finish high school, and a commitment to the changes necessary to become successful college students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gateway is rigorous. Students take a fulltime course load, with classes that match their high school requirements, MCAS needs, and career interests. They may attend classes in five terms: fall, intersession (January), spring, Maymester (May), and summer. They need to meet the same standards as students on federal financial aid: successful completion of 67% of attempted courses, with a minimum GPA of 2.0.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Innovative Teaching &amp;amp; Learning&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gateway students are college students, and have a flexible college schedule. Gateway applicants need to have the maturity to handle this flexibility, as well as the rights and responsibilities of college life. Attendance is a key component of college success, as students may be withdrawn from classes after just three absences.&amp;nbsp;Gateway is an amazing opportunity, but it requires tremendous effort and commitment. Gateway asks each student to move beyond their high school identities and begin a new chapter in their lives. Gateway students are college students who transform into scholars and leaders who fully expect to make a difference in their communities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Our Students&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gateway is open to students ages 16-20 years of age. Interested students MUST attend an information session to start the application process. Upcoming sessions are listed below. Students must come from school districts with a contract with Gateway to College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;How do you apply?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Attend info session&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Complete HCC application&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Submit Gateway application&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Interview&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Take the College Placement Test&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Information Sessions&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Please email &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:sglenn@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;sglenn@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;or complete this &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdVAOrFA958rCzkF6vclIjyN7al1IBETbiQOX-QwIdBIxfw_w/viewform?usp=sharing&amp;amp;ouid=110209538418722727070&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;interest form&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information about upcoming virtual information sessions.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x176" URL="courses-and-programs/preparing-for-college/mount-tom-academy" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260116T13:51:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x176.xml" Name="Mount Tom Academy" Title="Mount Tom Academy" Abstract="Mount Tom Academy at Holyoke Community College is an alternative learning program for high school students at risk of dropping out of school." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Mount Tom Academy at Holyoke Community College is an alternative learning program for high school students at risk of dropping out of school. The program is specifically designed to serve students who have been unsuccessful in traditional high school settings and may benefit from alternative placement. Students placed in the program will eventually return to their sending schools, or finish their high school work at Mount Tom Academy and then graduate from their sending school.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program offers an open, diverse environment that challenges students while providing a high level of support. It employs self-directed learning methods that engage reluctant learners in their own educational process, removes students' objections to studying and learning, and promotes achievement among students who would otherwise be likely to drop out of school.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Students&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;To learn more about our curriculum and success rates, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.collaborative.org/programs/alternative-education/mount-tom-academy/information-students&quot; title=&quot;About Mount Tom Academy&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Guidance Counselors&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;To learn more about the populations we serve and answers to common enrollment questions, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.collaborative.org/programs/alternative-education/mount-tom-academy/information-guidance-counselors&quot; title=&quot;Guidance counselor information about mount tom academy&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Parents&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;To learn more about applying to Mount Tom Academy, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.collaborative.org/programs/alternative-education/mount-tom-academy/information-parents&quot; title=&quot;parent information about mount tom academy&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;more information&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;For additional questions related to the Mount Tom Academy program, please contact:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.collaborative.org/programs/alternative-education/mount-tom-academy&quot; title=&quot;Collaborative for Educational Service&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Collaborative for Educational Service&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 97 Hawley St.&lt;br /&gt; Northampton, MA 01060&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-586-4900&quot;&gt;413.586.4900&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x179" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251219T19:26:49" CategoryIds="" FileName="x179.xml" Name="Workforce Development" Title="Workforce Development" Abstract="Whether you're an employer in need of workforce training, or an individual seeking to polish your resume or take your career in a new direction, HCC can help." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A Kittredge Center classroom full of adult students&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/workforce_intext.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;get in touch&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Please call &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2500&quot;&gt;413-552-2500&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;a&lt;/span&gt;nd leave your name and contact information, and one of our staff will be in touch within 24 hours.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whether you're an employer in need of workforce training, or an individual seeking to polish your resume or take your career in a new direction, HCC can help. We offer a wide range of options, from credit degree and certificate programs to professional certifications and resume-building courses for current and new employees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;For individuals&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Love the field you're in but want to advance? HCC offers &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/BCS/HCC_BCS_Spring2026_web.pdf&quot;&gt;courses and certificates&lt;/a&gt; that allow you to sharpen your skills and enhance your resume. Thinking of going in a different direction? HCC can help you start a new career in one of a variety of fields.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.coursestorm.com/&quot; title=&quot;Register for non-credit classes at HCC&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Register online today!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A few of the programs we offer:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Emergency medical technician (EMT) training&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Essentials of supervision&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Performance appraisals&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Managing &amp;amp; resolving content&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;ABCs of management&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;CEUs for K-12 teachers&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bootcamp.hcc.edu/&quot; title=&quot;Link to online coding and UX bootcamp&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Coding Or User Experience Design&lt;/a&gt; (online bootcamps)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Microsoft Office skills&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Cisco network training&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Real estate agent prep&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Grant writing&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Business administration&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Accounting&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Commercial drivers license&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ready to get started? &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/bce&quot; title=&quot;Register for workforce development classes&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Register today!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;cannabis training&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Start a new career in this growing field visit the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cannabiseducationcenter.org&quot; title=&quot;Link to cannabis education center&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Cannabis Education Center&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;website for more information!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Responsible Vendor Training for Cannabis Industry Employers&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Comprehensive training covers Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission regulations, compliance practices, health, and safety standards. Visit the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cannabiseducationcenter.org&quot; title=&quot;Link to cannabis education center&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Cannabis Education Center&lt;/a&gt; for detailed information.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;For Employers&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC offers affordable, custom employee training and organizational planning and assessment, serving for profit and non profit businesses in the Pioneer Valley.&amp;nbsp; Services include&lt;span&gt;:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Employee training &amp;amp; coaching skills&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Supervisor &amp;amp; management training&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Customized workforce training&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Organizational planning&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;online workforce programs&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ed2Go logo&quot; height=&quot;63&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/ed2go.png&quot; style=&quot;float: left; margin: 10px 30px;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; Online Workforce Courses&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Offered in collaboration with&amp;nbsp;Ed2go, courses range from accounting and finance to writing and publishing. Led by expert instructors, many of whom are nationally known authors, the courses are affordable, fun, fast, convenient, and geared just for you.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ed2go.com/holyoke/&quot; title=&quot;Ed2Go&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;amp;q=http://www.ed2go.com/holyoke/&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1525783056563000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNHMyCcAvbS4DJsV-X8WGPACg2ParQ&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Explore our catalog!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For specialized career training in some of today's most lucrative careers,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://careertraining.ed2go.com/holyoke/&quot; title=&quot;Specialized career training&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;check out these offerings&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;*&lt;em&gt;*Students considering specialized career training are strongly advised to consult with your state's certification and/or credentialing authorities for that profession prior to selecting coursework.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;MindEdge logo&quot; height=&quot;50&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/Mindedge.png&quot; style=&quot;float: left; margin: 10px 30px;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; Online Workforce Certificate Programs&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Looking for effective, affordable certificate programs for supervisors, managers and business leaders?&amp;nbsp;MindEdge&amp;nbsp;offers certificates in business communications, project management, effective presentations, grant-writing and more.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.mindedge.com/hcc&quot; title=&quot;Link to MindEdge Online&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;amp;q=https://hcc.mindedgeonline.com/partner/courses/index.php&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1525783056563000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGnMdoho4HYueuziQg6BmisqWHbEQ&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Explore your options!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;VESi logo&quot; height=&quot;91&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/VESi_logo.png&quot; style=&quot;float: left; margin: 10px 30px;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; Online Continuing Education for K-12 Educators&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Earn Massachusetts PDP's with accredited, self-paced, user-friendly courses from&amp;nbsp;VESI. Packed with practical applications for the classroom, courses are offered in both undergraduate (UPDL) and graduate (GPDL) professional development levels.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.virtualeduc.com/holyoke&quot; title=&quot;Earn MA PDP's&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;amp;q=http://www.virtualeduc.com/holyoke&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1525783056563000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNHcWij2mdx_prwsNEEepxr8oZyUzw&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Register today!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Upright logo&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/Upright.png&quot; style=&quot;float: left; margin: 10px 30px;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; Online Tech Training&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Upright, a workforce training company,&amp;nbsp;offers online job-ready training in high-tech fields, including software development and design.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bootcamp.hcc.edu/&quot; title=&quot;Link to Upright HCC landing page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Learn more.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Digital Marketing&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Data Analytics&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Software Development&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;UX/UI&amp;nbsp;Design Bootcamp&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x178" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/testing-and-workforce-certification-center" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260108T15:37:54" CategoryIds="" FileName="x178.xml" Name="Testing &amp; Workforce Certification Center" Title="Testing &amp; Workforce Certification Center" Abstract="The HCC Testing &amp; Workforce Certification Center is a state-of-the-art testing site that provides HCC students, area businesses, and the community at-large with the optimal testing experience. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;HCC's Testing &amp;amp; Workforce Certification Center is a state-of-the-art testing site that provides HCC students, area businesses, and the community at-large with an optimal testing experience.&amp;nbsp;The center offers a range of testing and test preparation services, ranging from high school equivalency exams to occupational analyses. Testing can help you evaluate the skills you have&amp;mdash;and need&amp;mdash;to advance your academic and career goals. It also is essential for licensure and certification in many fields.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our mission is to ensure that all test candidates are treated with respect and dignity, and are provided with national test vendor-required accommodations in a clean, quiet, and accessible space that offers flexible testing hours. Our testing center staff strives to consistently provide informative, accurate, and friendly customer service to all, and strictly adheres to the Professional Standards and Guidelines as set forth by the National College Testing Association (NCTA).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;NCTA logo&quot; height=&quot;70&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/Testing-Workforce%20Development/ncta.jpg&quot; width=&quot;160&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img alt=&quot;NCTA logo&quot; height=&quot;70&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/Testing-Workforce%20Development/ncta.gif&quot; width=&quot;131&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img alt=&quot;Consortium of College Testing Centers logo&quot; height=&quot;70&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/Testing-Workforce%20Development/participant.gif&quot; width=&quot;131&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Hours &amp;amp; Location&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Testing &amp;amp; Workforce Certification Center is located in Room 204 of the Kittredge Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hours&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote type=&quot;cite&quot; class=&quot;clean_bq amz_quote_hidden&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday&lt;br /&gt;8:30 a.m. &amp;ndash; 2:30 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;Monday, Friday, and Evening hours as requested&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;contact&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Email:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:testing@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;testing@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Phone:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:4135522112&quot;&gt;413.552.2112&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Satisfaction Survey&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;In order to help us improve the quality of our testing center services, please complete&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf1f8Jry261NjHiOzwz9by6WxbQbh7OCJ6VeZekAiNRR9WJ8g/viewform&quot; title=&quot;HCC Testing Center Survey&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;this anonymous survey&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;Tests Offered&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5991" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260227T14:44:49" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5991.xml" Name="Free Job Training Programs" Title="Free Job Training Programs" Abstract="Explore free classes and training programs for people who are currently unemployed or underemployed." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;These grant-funded short-term programs lead directly to a job, and are offered at no cost to participants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;display: none;&quot;&gt;Please fill out &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScv98pdANdP8q1j_EhnH3Xqx6ZXcVdaajM5tFqYdXqz37DpDg/viewform?vc=0&amp;amp;c=0&amp;amp;w=1&quot; title=&quot;Link to google form for workforce trainings&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;this form&lt;/a&gt; for more information!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x21172" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260526T12:24:43" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21172.xml" Name="Clean Energy &amp; Green Jobs Training" Title="Clean Energy &amp; Green Jobs Training" Abstract="Get trained in the growing industries of green construction, solar technology, electrical vehicle charging technology, weatherization, energy auditing and more! " IntroCopy="Explore our free, hands-on, clean energy and green job training programs and launch your new rewarding career today! " BodyCopy="&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 615px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 205;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/CEGJ_Program_Solar2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 205;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/CEGJ_Program_EV.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 205;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/CEGJ_Program_Green_Construction1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;GET IN TOUCH&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Please complete &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wkf.ms/3XiKcfq&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;this general interest form&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; and our staff will be in touch with you within 24-48 hours.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Current Programs&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;table&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 652px; height: 506px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 253px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 259px; height: 253px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training/weatherization-training&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/CEGJ_Program_Weatherization2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 393px; vertical-align: top; text-align: center; height: 253px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Weatherization Training&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Length: Spring Cohort: 11 -16 weeks&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Instruction: In-Person&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Training Hours: 98 -150 hrs&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;b&gt;Next Class/Cohort Spring 2027:&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training/weatherization-training&quot;&gt; Learn More&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 259px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/HCC_Manufacturing%203%20New.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Introduction to Manufacturing &amp;amp; Clean Energy Applications&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 393px; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Introduction to Manufacturing &amp;amp; Clean Energy Applications&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Length: Spring Cohort: 9 -16 weeks&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Instruction: In-Person &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Training Hours: 82 -150 hrs&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Next Class/Cohort Spring 2027:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training/introduction-to-manufacturing-and-clean-energy-applications&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hcc.edu%252fcourses-and-programs%252fworkforce-development%252ffree-job-training-programs%252fclean-energy-and-green-jobs-training%252fweatherization-training%26c%3DE,1,FZ4vzqxiUs-2LrW74BkpLBW-arG6GDoqklx3e434XLmxgRcJXaV7dSVcASyzjPE-IyGpcCnptTQelZa5Ex4xuiL_j1v2IhAFaedRXFidjZJt%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1773316901869000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1OU3HznQeB0WxTAKnq6w36&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Learn More&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 253px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 259px; height: 253px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training/weatherization-training&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/CEGJ_Program_EV2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 393px; vertical-align: top; text-align: center; height: 253px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;EV Charger Installer Training&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Length: Spring Cohort: 4 weeks&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Instruction: In-Person &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Training Hours: ~ 45 hrs &lt;br /&gt;May 12 - June 12, 2026&lt;br /&gt;Mondays - Thursdays &amp;amp; &lt;br /&gt;Select Fridays, 5:30 - 8 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;Next Class/Cohort Spring 2027&lt;/span&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training/ev-charger-installer-training&quot;&gt;Learn More&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 253px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 259px; height: 253px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training/introductory-training-in-construction-electricity-and-clean-energy-systems&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/Intro_CE_Training.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 393px; vertical-align: top; text-align: center; height: 253px;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Introductory Training in Construction, Electricity &amp;amp; Clean&amp;nbsp; Energy Systems&lt;/b&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Length: Fall Cohort: 10 Weeks&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Instruction: In-Person&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Training Hours: 100 hrs&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Now Enrolling: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training/introductory-training-in-construction-electricity-and-clean-energy-systems&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Learn More&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 259px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training/introductory-training-in-construction-electricity-and-clean-energy-systems&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/HCC_Clean_Energy_Solar_Tech3.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 393px; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Solar Tech Training&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Length: Spring Cohort: 16 weeks&lt;br /&gt;Instruction: In-Person&lt;br /&gt;Training Hours: 150 hrs&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Next Class/Cohort Spring 2027: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training/solar-tech-training&quot;&gt;Learn More&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;OUR PARTNERS&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A grant from the Massachusetts&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.gov/orgs/executive-office-of-education&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Executive Office of Education funds these programs&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; They are carried out with these community partners, as well as other organizations and employer partners.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 789px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 148.453px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/MA%20Executive%20Office%20of%20Education.jpg&quot; width=&quot;125&quot; height=&quot;125&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 148.453px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/cee_logo_final.png__700x350_subsampling-2.png&quot; width=&quot;125&quot; height=&quot;76&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 145.75px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/CTESEAL-1.png&quot; width=&quot;125&quot; height=&quot;86&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 125px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/Springfield-Works-Logo-Full-Color.jpg&quot; width=&quot;125&quot; height=&quot;42&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 205.344px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/MassHire%20Hampden%20County%20Workforce%20Board%20Logo.png&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;60&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://robertdanielwallace.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bt2energy.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.browningthegreenspace.org/&quot;&gt;Browning the Green Space&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.eandbcollaborative.com/&quot;&gt;Entrepreneurial &amp;amp; Business Collaborative&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.maequitableeconomy.org/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Coalition for an Equitable Economy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://springfieldworks.net/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Springfield WORKS&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/o/dean&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Dean Tech High School / Holyoke Public Schools&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://masshirehcwb.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://socialfinance.org/what-we-do/workforce-education-investments/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Social Finance&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hged.com/smart-energy/clean-energy/default.aspx&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;HG&amp;amp;E&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.greencrestnrg.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Green Crest Energy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://balphaconstruction.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;B Alpha Construction&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://pvsquared.coop/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;PV Squared&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.solablock.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;SolaBlock&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.energiaus.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Energia&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://robertdanielwallace.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Robert Daniel Wallace Consulting&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bt2energy.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Better Together Brain Trust&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x22008" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training/solar-tech-training" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260311T12:43:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x22008.xml" Name="Solar Tech Training" Title="Solar Tech Training" Abstract="APPLY FOR OUR FREE HANDS-ON WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAM" IntroCopy="Solar Tech Training" BodyCopy="&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 73.1221%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 25%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/HCC_Clean_Energy_Solar_Tech1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 25%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/HCC_Clean_Energy_Solar_Tech2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 23.1257%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/HCC_Clean_Energy_Solar_Tech3.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Are you a hands-on learner?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Do you want to upskill &amp;amp; earn more in a new career?&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Apply today &amp;amp; be part of MA&amp;rsquo;s transition toward clean energy &amp;amp; healthier communities!&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR FREE 16-WEEK HANDS-ON WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAM&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;WHEN: Spring 2026&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Enrollment: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Now Open&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;This program is 100% in person&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Program Dates: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Jan 7, 2026 - May 1, 2026&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Days &amp;amp; Times: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday - Thursday &amp;amp; Select Fridays, 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Duration: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;16 weeks hands-on training&amp;nbsp; (150 hours total)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;This application is closed for Spring 2026. Please fill out our General Interest Form below, and we will notify you when enrollment opens again in the future. Thank you for your interest!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wkf.ms/3XiKcfq&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;GENERAL INTEREST FORM&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;WHERE&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Offered through Holyoke Community College (HCC), this program will take place at these two locations:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Mondays - Thursdays:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Dean Technical High School &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Rooms: Electrical &amp;amp; Carpentry Workshops&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Address: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;1045 Main St, Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Fridays:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College Campus&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Room: Kittredge Center (KC), Room: TBD&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Address: 303 Homestead Avenue, Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;WHAT&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;In this FREE 16-week/150-hour, hands-on program&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;, you&amp;rsquo;ll earn your OSHA 30 Safety Credentials while learning fundamental electrical and construction skills. You&amp;rsquo;ll also learn how these skills are applied in solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, sales, design, installation, operation, and maintenance. Upon completion, you&amp;rsquo;ll be prepared to apply to competitive solar installer and electrical apprenticeship programs, entry level positions in the building trades, or clean energy jobs with a&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;verage wages starting at $22+.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;START YOUR NEW CAREER WITH THESE FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ OSHA 30 Credentials / Workplace Safety&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Safety Standards Related to Solar &amp;amp; Storage&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Electrical Energy Fundamentals&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Construction Fundamentals&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems/Applications&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Solar Sales &amp;amp; Economics&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Solar PV Design&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Site Evaluation &amp;amp; Installation&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Operation &amp;amp; Maintenance&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Job Readiness &amp;amp; Career Development&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;ELIGIBILITY&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;To be considered for this program, applicants must meet the following requirements:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ 18+ yrs of age and authorized to work in the U.S.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Have a high school diploma or GED/HiSET&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Willing and able to seek and start PT/FT work in the clean energy or building trades fields following training or in an apprenticeship program&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Have graduated from one of our Clean Energy programs and maintained 1:1 Career Counseling Sessions &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;OR &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;have basic knowledge of construction and electricity&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Willing and able to attend regular virtual 1:1 sessions with career development counselor during and after the program (for up to a year) to advance employment opportunities&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Have OSHA 10 Construction Safety Credentials (or be willing to obtain prior to class at &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.careersafeonline.com/courses/osha-10-hour/construction&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;CareerSafeOnline.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Participate in intake exams and interviews&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Pass a sex offender background check (SORI)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;**Priority will be given to applicants who demonstrate a clear commitment to seeking an apprenticeship or part-/full-time work in the clean energy or building trade fields, for example: solar or EV tech, construction, electrical, weatherization, home efficiency, flooring, welding, masonry, etc. **&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Space is limited to 20 people. Applications are reviewed in order of submission. &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;This application is closed for Spring 2026. Please fill out our General Interest Form below, and we will notify you when enrollment opens again in the future. Thank you for your interest!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wkf.ms/3XiKcfq&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;GENERAL INTEREST FORM&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;MORE INFORMATION&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Besar Bacaj, Career Development Counselor&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;bbacaj@hcc.edu &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ1peNeIirIsG-G4Sxd-NE01E7LetcnupV1Dh_ouswsDuxxcDb7e-0eNktzKlbTdpa234_4NYSbG&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Schedule an Appointment&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21233" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training/weatherization-training" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260316T15:11:55" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21233.xml" Name="Weatherization Training" Title="Weatherization Training " Abstract="APPLY FOR OUR FREE 11-WEEK HANDS-ON WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAM" BodyCopy="&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 73.1221%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 25%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/Weatherization_1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 25%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/Weatherization_2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 23.1257%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/Weatherization_3.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Are you a hands-on learner?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Do you want to upskill and earn more in a new career?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Apply today and gain practical skills in a rapidly growing field!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wkf.ms/3XiKcfq&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;APPLY&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; FOR OUR FREE 11-WEEK HANDS-ON WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WHEN: SPRING 2026&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Enrollment: Now Open!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;This program is 100% in person&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Program Dates: March 18 - June 4, 2026&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Days &amp;amp; Times: Mondays - Wednesdays; Select Thursdays, 5:30 - 8 p.m. &amp;amp; Three Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Duration: 11-week hands-on training&amp;nbsp; (98 hrs total)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Please see full schedule below&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WHERE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Offered through Holyoke Community College (HCC), this program will take place at these two locations:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mondays - Wednesdays:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Dean Technical High School &lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rooms: &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Metal Lab Workshop&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Address:&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;1045 Main St, Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Select Fridays &amp;amp; Saturdays:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Holyoke Community College Campus&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Room:&lt;/strong&gt; Kittredge Center (KC) Room tbd&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Address: &lt;/strong&gt;303 Homestead Avenue, Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WHAT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Learn the skills and knowledge you need to enter the fields of Weatherization and Energy Efficiency! In this 11-week/98-hr, free, hands-on training program, develop foundational skills in air sealing, weather stripping installation, insulating, moisture control, and building ventilation. Gain professional skills, using tools and props to install cellulose and foam insulation in the basements, attics, and walls of homes. Learn how these weatherization steps reduce energy costs by increasing the energy efficiency of buildings, while improving health and safety. Gain your OSHA 10 construction safety credentials, job readiness skills, career counseling, and connections to exciting career opportunities.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;START YOUR NEW CAREER WITH THESE FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Workplace Safety&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Job Readiness &amp;amp; Career Development Skills&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Hand &amp;amp; Power Tools&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Air Sealing &amp;amp; Venting&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Weather-Stripping&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Cellulose Insulation&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Spray Foam Insulation&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Moisture Control&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Energy Efficiency &amp;amp; Cost Reduction&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Home Health &amp;amp; Safety&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Space is limited to 15 people. Applications are reviewed in order of submission. Apply soon!&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wkf.ms/4qxp9Bg&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;APPLY TODAY&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Schedule&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;ORIENTATION WEEK: March 18 - 20 &amp;nbsp; @ HCC&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;March 18: Orientation* &amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;1.5 hrs (5:30 - 7 p.m.)&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;March 19: Resume Workshop I*&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2 hrs &amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;(5:30 - 7:30 p.m.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;March 20: Resume Workshop II*&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2 hrs &amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;(5:30 - 7:30 p.m.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;*Orientation and resume workshops are mandatory for all students, depending on resume review. Students will not be able to progress in the course unless this requirement is met.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 1: March 23 - 26 &amp;nbsp; (Monday - Thursday)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;March 23 - 25: Weatherization Training @ Dean Tech &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2.5 hrs/day&amp;nbsp; (5:30 - 8 p.m.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;March 26: Career &amp;amp; Life Skills @ HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2.5 hrs&amp;nbsp; (5:30 - 8 p.m.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 2: March 30 - April 1; April 4&amp;nbsp; (Monday - Wednesday &amp;amp; Saturday)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;March 30 - April 1: Weatherization Training @ Dean Tech &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2.5 hrs/day (5:30 - 8 p.m.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;Saturday, April 4:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Wx Skills Class @ HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;3 hrs (10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 3: April 6 - 9 (Monday - Thursday)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;April 6 - 8: Weatherization Training @ Dean Tech &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2.5 hrs/day (5:30 - 8 p.m.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;April 9: Career &amp;amp; Life Skills @ HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2.5 hrs&amp;nbsp; (5:30 - 8 p.m.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 4: April 13 - 15 (Monday - Wednesday)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;April 13 - 15: Weatherization Training @ Dean Tech &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2.5 hrs/day (5:30 - 8 p.m.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 5: April 22 - 23 (Wednesday &amp;amp; Thursday)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;April 22-23: Career &amp;amp; Life Skills @ HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2.5 hrs/day (5:30 - 8 p.m.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;No Wx Classes Due to Dean Tech Spring Break&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 6: April 27 - 29 (Monday - Wednesday)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;April 27 - 29: Weatherization Training @ Dean Tech &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2.5 hrs/day (5:30 - 8 p.m.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 7: May 6 &amp;amp; 7 (Wednesday &amp;amp; Thursday)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;May 6 &amp;amp; 7: Career &amp;amp; Life Skills @ HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2.5 hrs/day (5:30 - 8 p.m.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 8: May 11 - 16 (Monday - Wednesday &amp;amp; Saturday)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;May 11 - 13: : Weatherization Training @ Dean Tech &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2.5 hrs/day (5:30 - 8 p.m.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;May 16: Weatherization Skills Class @ HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;3 hrs (10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 9: May 18 - 21 (Monday - Thursday)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;May 18 - 20: Weatherization Training @ Dean Tech &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2.5 hrs/day (5:30 - 8 p.m.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;May 21:&amp;nbsp; Career &amp;amp; Life Skills @ HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2.5 hrs (5:30 - 8 p.m.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 10: May 26 - 30 (Tuesday - Wednesday &amp;amp; Saturday)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;May 25: Memorial Day Holiday - No Class&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;May 26 - 27: Weatherization Training @ Dean Tech &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2.5 hrs/day (5:30 - 8 p.m.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;May 30: Weatherization Skills Class @ HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;3 hrs (10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 11: June 1 - 4 (Monday - Thursday)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;June 1 - 3: Weatherization Training @ Dean Tech&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2.5 hrs/day (5:30 - 8 p.m.)&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;June 4: Graduation Celebration @ HCC &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;1.5 Hrs &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;TOTAL PROGRAM HOURS = 98 hrs&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Weatherization Training:&amp;nbsp; 74 hrs&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Career &amp;amp; Life Skills Training: 21 hrs&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Orientation &amp;amp; Graduation Events: 3 hrs&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;OSHA 10 Online Course (done independently outside of class ~ 15 hrs) &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;CAREER OPPORTUNITIES&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;While the program does not guarantee employment placement, you&amp;rsquo;ll receive training in resume and cover letter writing, job application and interview preparation, as well communication and collaboration skills. You&amp;rsquo;ll also be connected to employers, trade apprenticeships, and advanced training opportunities, helping you embark on a new career with average entry-level wages between $18 and $23 per hour (based on experience and performance). View potential career paths:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Entry Level Install Technician&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Entry Level Spray Foam Technician&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Insulation Assistant Technician&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Energy Technician&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Weatherization Crew Leader&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Weatherization Field Manager&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Energy Efficiency Auditor&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;View Sample Job Postings at:&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://homeworksenergy.hrmdirect.com/employment/job-openings.php?search=true&amp;amp;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;HomeWorks Energy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.energiaus.com/careers&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Energia,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.callrevise.com/join-our-team/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Revise&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;View Sample Advanced Training &amp;amp; Certifications at &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.aeecenter.org/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Association of Energy Engineers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.aeecenter.org/energy-efficiency-practitioner/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Energy Efficiency Practitioner &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;(EEP)&amp;nbsp; and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bpi.org/resources/certifications/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Building Performance Institute&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;ELIGIBILITY&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ At least 18 yrs of age&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Authorized to work in the U.S.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Have a high school diploma or GED/HiSET&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Willing to seek employment in weatherization, energy efficiency or related clean energy fields&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Able to start PT/FT work following training&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Able to complete online OSHA 10 Construction Safety Training outside of class with course license and laptop access provided&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Participate in 1:1 Career Counseling during and after the program for up to 1 yr&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Participate in intake exams and interviews&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Pass a sex offender background check (SORI)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Space is limited to 15 people. Applications are reviewed in order of submission. Apply soon!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wkf.ms/4qxp9Bg&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;APPLY TODAY&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;MORE INFORMATION&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mike Blasco, Career Development Counselor&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;mblasco@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;413.552.2802, Ext. 2802&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;Past Cohorts&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;SUMMER 2025 (No Longer Enrolling; Cohort Filled)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Enrollment: Full; This program is 100% in person&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Program Dates: July 21 - Aug 15, 2025&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Days &amp;amp; Times: Mondays - Thursdays, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.; Fridays 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Duration: 4 weeks hands-on training&amp;nbsp; (approximately 120 hrs total)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21174" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training/introductory-training-in-construction-electricity-and-clean-energy-systems" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260601T13:23:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21174.xml" Name="Introductory Training in Construction, Electricity &amp; Clean Energy Systems" Title="Introductory Training in Construction, Electricity &amp; Clean Energy Systems" Abstract="FREE 10-WEEK HANDS-ON WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAM" BodyCopy="&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 73.1221%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 25%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/CEGJ_Program_Solar2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 25%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/CEGJ_Program_EV.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 23.1257%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/CEGJ_Program_Green_Construction1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Are you a hands-on learner?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Do you want to upskill &amp;amp; earn more in a new career?&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Apply today and be part of MA&amp;rsquo;s transition toward clean energy and healthier communities!&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR FREE 10-WEEK HANDS-ON WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAM&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;FALL 2026&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Enrollment: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Now Open&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;This program is 100% in person&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Orientation Program Dates: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;September 1 - 11, 2026 (2 Wks/15 Hrs)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Training Program Dates&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: September 14 &amp;ndash; November 20, 2026&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Days &amp;amp; Times: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mondays - Thursdays &amp;amp; Select Fridays, 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Duration: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;10 weeks hands-on training&amp;nbsp; (approximately 100 hrs total)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.monday.com/forms/c14e110f62a900792f954c867df413d0?r=use1&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Apply Now&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;WHERE&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Offered through Holyoke Community College (HCC), this program will take place at these two locations:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Mondays - Thursdays:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Dean Technical High School&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Rooms: 203; 2nd Floor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Address: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;1045 Main St, Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;Select &lt;/span&gt;Fridays:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College Campus&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Room: Kittredge Center (KC), &lt;span&gt;Room &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;#TBD&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Address: 303 Homestead Avenue, Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;WHAT&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;In this FREE 10-week, hands-on program, &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;you&amp;rsquo;ll earn your OSHA 10 Construction Safety Credentials while learning the fundamentals of construction, hand and power tool use, and electrical concepts and circuitry. Learn how these skills are applied in solar photovoltaic (PV) and electrical vehicle (EV) charging systems. Gain career and life skills, explore career pathways, make connections with trade unions, diverse employers, and advanced training opportunities.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;START YOUR NEW CAREER WITH THESE FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ OSHA 10 Credentials / Workplace Safety &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Hand &amp;amp; Power Tools&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Measurements &amp;amp; Diagrams&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Wall Framing Installation &amp;amp; Maintenance&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Electrical Concepts, Circuitry &amp;amp; Calculations&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Applications in Solar Photovoltaic (PV) &amp;amp; EV Charger Systems&lt;br /&gt;+ Career &amp;amp; Life Skills&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ELIGIBILITY&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ At least 18 yrs of age&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Authorized to work in the U.S.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Have a high school diploma or GED/HiSET&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Willing to seek employment in clean energy or related building trades fields&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Able to start PT/FT work following training&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Able to complete online OSHA 10 Construction Safety Training outside of class with course license and laptop access provided&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Participate in 1:1 Career Counseling during and after the program for up to 1 yr&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Participate in intake exams and interviews&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Pass a sex offender background check (SORI)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.monday.com/forms/c14e110f62a900792f954c867df413d0?r=use1&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Apply Now&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;ONE PROGRAM. THREE PATHWAYS.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Upon program completion, choose from three pathways:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;1) Apply to our &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;FREE &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training/solar-tech-training&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Spring 2027 Solar PV Installer / Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship program&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; and/or connect to other advanced training opportunities.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Apply to enter an entry-level position in the building trade or clean energy fields:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; carpentry, construction, electricity, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;maintenance,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; flooring, roofing, siding, general labor, solar PV construction labor, energy efficiency, etc.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2) Apply to a competitive, paid apprenticeship program with a trade union or non-union company to become a licensed electrician, carpenter, or laborer.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Orientation is limited to 20 people. Of those 20, 15 students will be selected for the 10-week training program. &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Applications are reviewed in order of submission. Please fill out our &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Application Form&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wkf.ms/3XiKcfq&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt; &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;below and we will be in touch when enrollment opens!&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.monday.com/forms/c14e110f62a900792f954c867df413d0?r=use1&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Apply Now&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;Past Cohorts&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;SPRING 2025&amp;nbsp; (No Longer Enrolling; Cohort Filled)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Enrollment: &lt;/b&gt;Full&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;This program is 100% in person&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Program Dates: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;March 31 - May 23, 2005 &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;(Please note: no training will be held the week of April 21st-25th)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Days &amp;amp; Times: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mondays - Fridays, 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Duration: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;7 weeks hands-on training&amp;nbsp; (approximately 80 hrs total)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;SUMMER 2025 &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;(No Longer Enrolling; Cohort Filled)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Enrollment: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Full&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;This program is 100% in person&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Program Dates: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;July 21 - Aug 15, 2025&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Days &amp;amp; Times: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mondays - Fridays, 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Duration: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;4 weeks hands-on training&amp;nbsp; (approximately 80 hrs total)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;Fall 2025&amp;nbsp; (No Longer Enrolling; Cohort Filled)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Enrollment: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Full&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;This program is 100% in person&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Program Dates: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;September 8 - October 31, 2025 &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;(Please note: no training will be held the week of October 13 - 17th)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Days &amp;amp; Times: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mondays - Fridays, 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Duration: &lt;/b&gt;7 weeks hands-on training&amp;nbsp; (approximately 80 hrs total)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22217" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training/introduction-to-manufacturing-and-clean-energy-applications" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260327T14:20:31" CategoryIds="" FileName="x22217.xml" Name="Introduction to Manufacturing and Clean Energy Applications" Title="Introduction to Manufacturing and Clean Energy Applications" Abstract="FREE 10-WEEK HANDS-ON WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAM" BodyCopy="&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 73.1221%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 25%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/HCC_Manufacturing%201%20New.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 25%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/HCC_Manufacturing%202%20New.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 23.1257%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/HCC_Manufacturing%203%20New.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Are you a hands-on learner?&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Do you want to upskill and earn more in a new career?&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Apply today and gain practical skills in a rapidly growing field!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wkf.ms/40UW2gT&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;APPLY&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; FOR OUR FREE 9-WEEK HANDS-ON WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAM&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;WHEN: SPRING 2026&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Enrollment: &lt;strong&gt;Now Open! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;This program is 100% in person&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;Program Dates: April 7 - June 12, 2026&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Days &amp;amp; Times: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Select Fridays 5:30 - 8 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Duration: 9-week hands-on training&amp;nbsp; (82 hrs total)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Please see the full schedule below.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;WHERE&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Offered through Holyoke Community College (HCC), this program will take place at these two locations:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mondays, Tuesdays &amp;amp; Thursdays at Dean Technical High School&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Room: Manufacturing Workshop&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Address:&amp;nbsp; 1045 Main St, Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Select Fridays at &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College Campus&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Room: Kittredge Center (KC) Room tbd&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Address: 303 Homestead Avenue, Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;WHAT&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Learn the skills and knowledge you need to enter the fields of Manufacturing and Clean Energy! In this free, 9-week/82-hr, hands-on workforce training program, develop foundational manufacturing skills, including industry safety (OSHA 10), shop math, industrial blueprint reading, measurement with gauges, calipers, and micrometers, quality control, as well as metal-parts production with Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling machines.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Learn how these skills can be applied to the advanced manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries and car parts, solar photovoltaic panels, turbines, and other clean energy systems to improve performance and efficiency. Gain job readiness training, 1:1 career counseling, and connections to employers, paid apprenticeships, and advanced manufacturing training.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt; This program prepares graduates to enter the field as an Apprentice Machinist.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;START YOUR NEW CAREER WITH THESE FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;OSHA 10 General Industry Workplace Safety Credentials&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Industrial Blueprint Reading&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Shop Math&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Metrology (machining measurement with gauges, calipers, micrometers)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;CNC Milling Machining (fundamentals)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Clean Energy Applications&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Job Readiness Skills&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Quality Control&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Process Planning&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;ELIGIBILITY&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;18+ yrs of age and authorized to work in the U.S.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Have a high school diploma or GED/HiSET&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Willing and able to seek employment in manufacturing or clean energy fields&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Able to start PT/FT work following training&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Participate in 1:1 Career Counseling during &amp;amp; after the program; up to 1 yr&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Participate in intake exams and interviews&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Pass a sex offender background check (SORI)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Space is limited to 15 people. Applications are reviewed in order of submission. Apply soon!&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;PROGRAM SCHEDULE&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;ORIENTATION WEEK: April 7 - April 9, 2026 @ HCC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tuesday, April 7 - Orientation, 5:30 - 7 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Wednesday, April 8th - Resume Workshop I, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Thursday, April 9th - Resume Workshop II, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;*Orientation and resume workshops are mandatory for all students, depending on resume review. Students will not be able to progress in the course unless this requirement is met.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;All classes below are held 5:30 - 8 p.m., unless otherwise noted.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wkf.ms/40UW2gT&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;APPLY TODAY&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 1: April 13, 14, 16 &amp;amp; 17&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday, Tuesday &amp;amp; Thursday: Manufacturing Class @ Dean Tech&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Friday:&amp;nbsp; Career &amp;amp; Life Skills Class @ HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 2:&amp;nbsp; April 22 &amp;amp; 23&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;*No Manufacturing Classes This Week&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Wednesday &amp;amp; Thursday: Career &amp;amp; Life Skills Class @ HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 3: April 27, 28 &amp;amp; 30&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday, Tuesday &amp;amp; Thursday: Manufacturing Class @ Dean Tech&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 4: May 4, 5, 7 &amp;amp; 8&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday, Tuesday &amp;amp; Thursday: Manufacturing Class @ Dean Tech&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Friday: Career &amp;amp; Life Skills Class @ HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 5: May 11, 12, 14 &amp;amp; 15&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday, Tuesday &amp;amp; Thursday: Manufacturing Class @ Dean Tech&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Friday: Career &amp;amp; Life Skills Class @ HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 6: May 18, 19 &amp;amp; 21&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday, Tuesday &amp;amp; Thursday: Manufacturing Class @ Dean Tech&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 7: May 26, 27*, 28 &amp;amp; 29&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday: Memorial Day - NO CLASS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tuesday &amp;amp; Thursday: Manufacturing Class @ Dean Tech&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;*Wednesday: Possible Manufacturing Class @ Dean Tech&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Friday: Career &amp;amp; Life Skills Class @ HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 8: June 1, 2 &amp;amp; 4&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday, Tuesday &amp;amp; Thursday: Manufacturing Class @ Dean Tech&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 9: 10, 11 &amp;amp; 12&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday, Tuesday &amp;amp; Thursday: Manufacturing Class @ Dean Tech&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Friday: Graduation @ HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wkf.ms/40UW2gT&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;APPLY TODAY&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;CAREER OPPORTUNITIES&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;This program prepares graduates to become an Apprentice Machinist. &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;While the training does not guarantee employment/apprenticeship placement, you&amp;rsquo;ll receive training in resume and cover letter writing, job application and interview preparation, as well communication and collaboration skills. You&amp;rsquo;ll also be connected to employers, trade apprenticeships, and advanced training opportunities, helping you embark on an exciting new career!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Next Step Careers (with more advanced training):&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;CNC Operator&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Quality Control Technician&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mechanical Engineer&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;CNC Programmer&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tool and Die Maker&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Product Tester&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Industrial Engineer&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Product Engineer&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wkf.ms/40UW2gT&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;APPLY TODAY&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;MORE INFORMATION&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mike Blasco, Career Development Counselor&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;mblasco@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;413.552.2802, Ext. 2802&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22276" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training/ev-charger-installer-training" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260422T16:58:37" CategoryIds="" FileName="x22276.xml" Name="EV Charger Installer Training" Title="EV Charger Installer Training" Abstract="For people working toward their electrical licensure" IntroCopy="For people working toward their electrical licensure" BodyCopy="&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 73.1221%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 25%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/HCC_EV1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 25%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/HCC_EV2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 23.1257%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/CEGJ/HCC_EV3.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Are you a hands-on learner?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Do you want to upskill &amp;amp; earn more in a new career?&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Apply today and be part of MA&amp;rsquo;s transition toward clean energy and healthier communities!&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR FREE 4-WEEK HANDS-ON WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAM&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;SPRING 2026&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Enrollment: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Open&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;This program is 100% in person&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Program Dates: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;May 12 - June 12, 2026&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Days &amp;amp; Times: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mondays - Thursdays &amp;amp; Select Fridays, 5:30 - 8 p.m. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Duration: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;4 weeks hands-on training&amp;nbsp; (approximately 45 hrs total)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;WHERE&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Offered through Holyoke Community College (HCC), this program will take place at these two locations:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Mondays - Thursdays:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Dean Technical High School &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Rooms: 203; 2nd Floor&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Address: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;1045 Main St, Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Fridays:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College Campus&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Room: Kittredge Center (KC), Room #222&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Address: 303 Homestead Avenue, Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;WHAT&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;In this FREE four-week, 45-hour, hands-on training program, &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;develop the knowledge and skills needed to safely install commercial and residential EV chargers. You&amp;rsquo;ll learn how to construct and fireproof a garage bay, then build both ground and wall-mounted EV Level II &amp;amp; III chargers. This course is designed for students who are pursuing electrical licensure.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wkf.ms/42jL5WX&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;APPLY TODAY&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;START YOUR NEW CAREER WITH THESE FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ OSHA 10 or 30 Safety Credentials&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Construction of Garage Bay&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Codes, Standards &amp;amp; Regulations&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Electrical Energy Supply &amp;amp; Circuits&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Electrical Schematics &amp;amp; Diagrams&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Electric Vehicle Battery Fundamentals&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ EV Charging Station Fundamentals&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Installation of Ground &amp;amp; Wall Mounts&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Job Readiness Skills&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;ELIGIBILITY&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ At least 18 yrs of age &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Authorized to work in the U.S.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Have a high school diploma or GED/HiSET&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Willing to seek employment in electrical and clean energy fields&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Able to start PT/FT work following training &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Able to complete online OSHA 10 or 30 Safety Training outside of class with course license and laptop access provided&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Participate in 1:1 Career Counseling during &amp;amp; after the program (up to 1 yr) &amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Participate in intake exams and interviews&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;+ Pass a sex offender background check (SORI)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Space is limited to 15 people. Apply today!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wkf.ms/42jL5WX&quot;&gt;APPLY TODAY&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;PROGRAM SCHEDULE&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;ORIENTATION WEEK: May 12-14, 2026 @ HCC&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tuesday, May 12th - Orientation, 5:30 - 7 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Wednesday May 13th - Resume Workshop I, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Thursday, May 14th - Resume Workshop II, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;*Orientation and resume workshops are mandatory for all students, depending on resume review. Students will not be able to progress in the course unless this requirement is met.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;All classes below are held 5:30 - 8 p.m., unless otherwise noted.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 1: May 18 - 22&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday - Thursday: EV Charger Installation Class @ Dean Tech&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Friday: Career &amp;amp; Life Skills @ HCC&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 2:&amp;nbsp; May 26 - 29&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday: Memorial Day - No Class&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tuesday - Friday: EV Charger Installation Class @ Dean Tech&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 3: June 1- 5&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday - Thursday: EV Charger Installation Class @ Dean Tech&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Friday: Career &amp;amp; Life Skills @ HCC&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WEEK 4: June 8 - 12&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday - Thursday: EV Charger Installation Class @ Dean Tech&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Friday: Graduation @ HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;MORE INFORMATION&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mike Blasco, Career Development Counselor&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;mblasco@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;413.552.2805&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x5994" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/esol-culinary-arts" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250918T16:02:10" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5994.xml" Name="ESOL Culinary Arts" Title="ESOL Culinary Arts" Abstract="Training in job skills and language skills for individuals whose first language is not English." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;MassSTEP logo&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/MassSTEP%20Logo_Vertical.png&quot; style=&quot;float: left; margin: 10px;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;Get the skills and certifications you need to begin a career in the culinary/hospitality sector! Students earn ServSafe Food Handler and Manager and other workplace certificates, in addition to knife skills and culinary fundamentals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This program is designed for people learning English who are at an intermediate level, and English skill instruction is built into the program to help you succeed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;180-hour training program leading to jobs like:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Food preparer&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Line cook&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Server&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Bartender&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Host/hostess&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Hotel worker&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;when&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Evening trainings (5-9pm) beginning in January 2024&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Daytime training in July-August 2024&lt;strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;where&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute&lt;br /&gt;164 Race Street&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke, MA&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;requirements&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Open to adult residents of Massachusetts who are learning English. We're looking for students who are ready to enter employment in culinary/hospitality at the conclusion of the program, and are ready to actively participate in an exciting, hands-on experience!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;job placement assistance&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are currently working with over two dozen local employers eager to hire qualified graduates!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;certificates earned&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;ServSafe for Managers and Food Handlers; ServSafe Alcohol (for safe service); Allergen Awareness. Includes 90 hours of English language/career preparation instruction.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;contact&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill out&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.monday.com/forms/d148d165c403de4adbb2a65cc5c43ebf?r=use1&quot; title=&quot;Link to google form for workforce trainings&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;this form&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for more information or view a printable flyer in&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/Free%20Classes/HCC_ESOL_Culinary_Flyer_SP22_d1.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to PDF of Culinary/ESOL program flyer&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;English&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/HCC_ESOL_Spanish_Culinary_Flyer_SU22_d1.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of Spanish ESOL flyer&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Spanish&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College&lt;br /&gt;Business &amp;amp; Workforce Development&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2561&quot;&gt;413.552.2561&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:workforce@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link workforce@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;workforce@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Offered through a grant from the MA Department of Elementary &amp;amp; Secondary Education, Adult &amp;amp; Community Learning Services.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12772" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/emt-basic-training" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260319T19:03:48" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12772.xml" Name="EMT Basic Training" Title="EMT Basic Training" Abstract="HCC is offering this free, in-person training in partnership with NCTI at AMR. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;NCTI-AMR Springfield has partnered with Holyoke Community College to offer an Emergency Medical Technician training course through a workforce development grant. This program is a 12-week interactive lecture/practical with the latest in materials and information provided by an experienced instructor, as well as teaching adjuncts who actively provide patient care at an EMT or Paramedic level. Courses are usually held on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 12pm-6pm, with 2 additional Saturdays from 9am-6pm.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Students must possess a valid driver's license, have a high school diploma and/or equivalent and pass a background check.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;A background check and drug screening will be secured by the applicant following the interview process at the student's expense. Textbooks and tuition will be covered by the grant and Holyoke Community College. Students are responsible for all other costs, including state/national licensing fees and practical testing.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At this time there are no future classes planned.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12808" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/hospitality-and-hotel-training" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260113T15:51:46" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12808.xml" Name="Hospitality and Hotel Training" Title="Hospitality and Hotel Training" Abstract="Free Hospitality and Hotel Training." BodyCopy="&lt;h3&gt;Introduction:&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;Are you ready to work in the Hospitality industry?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Gain valuable hands-on front desk, room attendant and customer service skills&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Day and evening programs available&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;In-person classes at the state of-the-art HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in our Hotel Training Suite&amp;nbsp; &lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;QUALIFICATIONS&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;100% class attendance and participation&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Enjoy working with people&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Able to start working in the field immediately upon completion&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Willing and flexible to work different shifts; evenings, weekends, and holidays&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Authorization to work in the United States&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;No high school diploma or GED/HiSET required&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;BENEFITS&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Apply for quality employment in the hospitality industry&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Learn up to date knowledge of the hospitality industry&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Earn your ServSafe Alcohol and Allergen Certification&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Gain workplace professionalism, resume building, interviewing, and job search skills&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Make important connections to local employers waiting to hire you&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;For More Information: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span&gt;Call &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:4135522500&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;413.552.2500&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;, or complete the Inquiry Form at &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1vNCTbuDXd2gjpKJ5X3MvGnhTjvGHrvsYCHvHEw7FIM4/viewform?edit_requested=true&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;. An HCC representative will contact you.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Printable flyer in &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/Free%20Classes/2025/HCC_Hotel_Training_Flyer_FA25.pdf&quot;&gt;English&lt;/a&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/Free%20Classes/2025/HCC_Hotel_Training_Flyer_FA25_Spanish.pdf&quot;&gt;Spanish&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5990" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/jump-start" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251203T16:54:49" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5990.xml" Name="Jump Start" Title="Jump Start" Abstract="Jump Start Short-term training programs and job placement." IntroCopy="Jump Start: Your Pathway to a New Career Begins Here!" BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jump Start logo&quot; height=&quot;202&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/Jump%20Start/JumpStartLogo.png&quot; style=&quot;margin: 10px;&quot; width=&quot;598&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Get in touch&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;We&amp;rsquo;d Love to Hear from You!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Have questions about our programs or eligibility? Complete our &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdvxYrTdYmMkLHb9ksjk5ilMSkf3RqNWT5roWH9wrXE4eDSZw/viewform&quot;&gt;Inquiry Form&lt;/a&gt;, and our team will reach out within 1&amp;ndash;2 business days.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;program options&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;table&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; width: 250px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/jump-start/certified-nursing-assistant&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/jumpstart/CNA.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; width: 250px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/jump-start/pharmacy-technician&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/jumpstart/PT.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; width: 250px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/jump-start/customer-service&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/jumpstart/CS.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/jump-start/customer-service&quot; title=&quot;Link to customer service webpage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; width: 250px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/jump-start/medical-assistant-program&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/jumpstart/Medical%20Assistant.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; width: 250px;&quot;&gt;&lt;h4 class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/jump-start/other-programs&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/jumpstart/Other.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/jump-start/pharmacy-technician&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; width: 250px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x18577" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/jump-start/certified-nursing-assistant" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260304T14:40:07" CategoryIds="" FileName="x18577.xml" Name="Certified Nursing Assistant" Title="Certified Nursing Assistant" Abstract="Become a Certified Nursing Assistant!" BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A medical student examines a patient simulator with an instructor&quot; height=&quot;417&quot; src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/jumpstart/Certified-nursing.jpg&quot; width=&quot;625&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Program&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Jump Start Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Program prepares students for a rewarding career in healthcare by providing the knowledge, skills, and credentials needed to work in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and home-health environments. This comprehensive program also includes certifications in CPR/AED &amp;amp; First Aid, Home Health Aide (HHA), and Alzheimer&amp;rsquo;s &amp;amp; Dementia Care.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Program Overview&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Program Length: 5 weeks&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Schedule Options: Day and Evening sessions available&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mode of Instruction: Hybrid (combination of classroom and clinical training)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tuition:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Free of charge for students currently receiving SNAP, TAFDC, or other eligible benefits*&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;$2,880 for students not receiving benefits (bank check or credit card accepted)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Location: Holyoke Community College &amp;ndash; Jump Start Program&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Employment Support: Upon successful completion, students receive job search assistance and career resources to help secure employment in the CNA field.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;State Exam: Graduates are eligible to take the Massachusetts CNA State Exam to obtain their CNA license. Jump Start staff will assist with the testing and licensing process.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Disclaimer: Program information is subject to change. Please contact the Jump Start office for the most up-to-date details&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get Started&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Ready to take the next step?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;👉 Complete the Jump Start Inquiry Form &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdvxYrTdYmMkLHb9ksjk5ilMSkf3RqNWT5roWH9wrXE4eDSZw/viewform&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;here&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Certifications Earned&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students who successfully complete the program will receive the following credentials:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Certificate&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;CPR/AED &amp;amp; First Aid Certification&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Home Health Aide (HHA) Training Certificate&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Dementia &amp;amp; Alzheimer&amp;rsquo;s Care Certification&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Program Requirements&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;To enroll in the CNA program, students must meet the following eligibility criteria:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Be 18 years of age or older&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Be a Massachusetts resident (valid, unexpired ID/ Driver&amp;rsquo;s license)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Be fully vaccinated for COVID-19&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Provide &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;all &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;required medical documentation (see below)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Acceptable CORI/SORI results&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Pass a drug screening&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Achieve an acceptable score on the WorkKeys English and Math assessments&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Medical Documentation&lt;/b&gt; Requirements&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students must submit all of the following medical records prior to starting the program:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Proof of full COVID-19 vaccination&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tuberculosis (TB) test results&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Flu vaccination&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Physical examination&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Complete immunization records&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Failure to submit required medical documentation will result in withdrawal from the program.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CNA Program Technical Requirements&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students must have their own technology. Students will need either a PC, Laptop, Mac, or Chromebook to participate&amp;nbsp; in the CNA program as classes will be held via Zoom on specific days.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Classroom &amp;amp; Clinical&lt;/b&gt; Requirements&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;To earn your CNA certification, students must:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Maintain 100% punctuality (no more than one absence permitted)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Successfully complete CPR and Dementia/Alzheimer&amp;rsquo;s training&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Pass all written and hands-on skills exams&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Complete the required clinical rotation&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Career Outlook&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Graduates of the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program are prepared for entry-level positions in healthcare facilities that provide direct patient care. CNAs are essential members of the healthcare team, assisting patients with daily living activities and supporting nurses in both clinical and long-term care environments.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Common Job Titles:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Patient Care Assistant&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Resident Care Aide&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Home Health Aide (HHA)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Personal Care Attendant (PCA)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Employment Settings:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Hospitals and rehabilitation centers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Nursing homes and assisted living facilities&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Home health agencies&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Hospice and long-term care settings&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Job Outlook:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Employment for Certified Nursing Assistants is projected to grow faster than average in the coming years due to an aging population and increased demand for long-term care services. CNAs who continue their education can advance into roles such as Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or Registered Nurse (RN).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18572" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/jump-start/pharmacy-technician" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260304T13:35:28" CategoryIds="" FileName="x18572.xml" Name="Pharmacy Technician" Title="Pharmacy Technician" Abstract="21 weeks of extensive study and preparation for the national Pharmacy Technician Certification Board exam." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A pharmacy tech hands a customer an item&quot; height=&quot;416&quot; src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/jumpstart/Pharmacy-Tech.jpg&quot; width=&quot;625&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Pharmacy Technician Program&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Jump Start Pharmacy Technician Program at Holyoke Community College prepares students for success in one of the fastest-growing healthcare professions. This program combines classroom instruction and lab experience to equip students with the skills and knowledge required to sit for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) national exam and begin a rewarding career in pharmacy services.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Program Overview&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Program Length: 10 weeks&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Schedule: Monday&amp;ndash;Friday 9:00 AM &amp;ndash;2PM&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mode of Instruction: Hybrid at Holyoke Community College&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tuition:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Free of charge for students actively receiving SNAP, TAFDC, or other eligible benefits&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;$2,800 for students not receiving benefits (bank check or credit card accepted)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Employment Support: Upon program completion, students receive career guidance and resources to help secure employment in the pharmacy field&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Certification Preparation: Includes administrative support for:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Massachusetts Pharmacy Technician in Training application&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;PTCB exam registration and scheduling&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Massachusetts Pharmacy Technician License application&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Disclaimer: Program details are subject to change. Please contact the Jump Start office for the most up-to-date information.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get Started&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Ready to begin your journey as a Pharmacy Technician?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;👉 Complete the Jump Start Inquiry Form&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdvxYrTdYmMkLHb9ksjk5ilMSkf3RqNWT5roWH9wrXE4eDSZw/viewform&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; here&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Program Description&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;This intensive 10 week program provides comprehensive training for individuals seeking to become Certified Pharmacy Technicians. The curriculum blends lectures, lab sessions, and hands-on learning to prepare students for both the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) exam and real-world pharmacy environments.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Key areas of study include:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Fundamentals of pharmacy operations and medical terminology&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Drug classifications and dosage forms&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Federal and state pharmacy laws and regulations&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Prescription entry and processing&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Quality assurance and medication safety&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Pharmaceutical calculations&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Inventory control, insurance billing, and recordkeeping&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Professional communication and customer service in healthcare settings&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Throughout the program, students complete structured class and lab hours to gain practical experience and develop the technical and administrative skills needed for pharmacy practice.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Certifications Earned&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students who successfully complete the program will be eligible to:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Sit for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) Exam&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Apply for a Massachusetts Pharmacy Technician License&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Program Requirements&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;To enroll in the Pharmacy Technician Program, students must:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Be 18 years of age or older&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Be a Massachusetts resident&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Hold a High School Diploma, HiSET, or GED&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Acceptable CORI/SORI background results&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Pass a drug screening&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Achieve a Level 5 score or higher on the ACT WorkKeys Assessments (Math, English, and Graphic Literacy)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Pharmacy Technician Program Technical Requirements&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students must have their own technology. Students will need either a PC, Laptop, Mac, or Chromebook to participate in the Pharmacy Technician program.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Classroom &amp;amp; Attendance Requirements&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;To earn certification through Jump Start, students must:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Maintain 100% punctuality&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Have no more than four absences during the program&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Maintain a minimum class average of 80%&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Successfully complete all required lab hours and coursework&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Career Outlook &amp;ndash; Pharmacy Technician Program&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Graduates of the Pharmacy Technician program are prepared for national certification and entry-level employment in both retail and clinical pharmacy environments. Pharmacy Technicians play a critical role in ensuring safe and accurate medication dispensing under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Common Job Titles:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Pharmacy Assistant&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Retail or Hospital Pharmacy Technician&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Compounding Technician&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Inventory Specialist&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Employment Settings:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Community and retail pharmacies (CVS, Walgreens, etc.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Hospitals and health systems&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Long-term care and rehabilitation centers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Specialty or mail-order pharmacies&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Pharmaceutical companies and research labs&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Job Outlook:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The demand for Pharmacy Technicians continues to rise steadily as pharmacies expand their clinical services and healthcare needs increase. Certification and hands-on training through Jump Start provide a competitive advantage in the job market.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18573" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/jump-start/customer-service" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260304T13:36:14" CategoryIds="" FileName="x18573.xml" Name="Customer Service" Title="Customer Service" Abstract="This five-week course is a professional refresher in providing superior customer service in a variety of consumer based settings." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Two customer service representatives work behind a desk&quot; height=&quot;416&quot; src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/jumpstart/customer-service.jpg&quot; width=&quot;624&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Customer Service Program&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Jump Start Customer Service Program is designed to strengthen professional communication, problem-solving, and workplace readiness skills for individuals pursuing careers in customer relations, retail, hospitality, healthcare, and other service-based industries. Participants will develop the confidence and expertise needed to deliver exceptional customer experiences and succeed in a variety of professional environments.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Program Overview&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Program Length: 4 weeks&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mode of Instruction: Online (via Zoom)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Schedule: Monday-Friday 9AM-12PM&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tuition:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Free of charge for students actively receiving SNAP, TAFDC, or other eligible benefits&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;$2,600 for students not receiving benefits (bank check or credit card accepted)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Employment Support: Upon successful completion, students receive career guidance, resume-building assistance, and job search support&amp;nbsp; in the customer service field&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Disclaimer: Program details are subject to change. Please contact the Jump Start office for the most current information.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get Started&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Ready to enhance your professional skills and open new career doors?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;👉 Complete the Jump Start Inquiry Form &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdvxYrTdYmMkLHb9ksjk5ilMSkf3RqNWT5roWH9wrXE4eDSZw/viewform&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;here&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Program Description&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;This four-week professional training course offers a practical refresher on providing high-quality customer service in diverse workplace settings. Through interactive online learning, participants explore key topics such as:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Professional etiquette and workplace behavior&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Verbal and non-verbal communication strategies&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Effective questioning and active listening techniques&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Conflict resolution and problem-solving skills&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Consumer engagement and relationship-building&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Delivering customer satisfaction in both in-person and virtual environments&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students participate in daily live Zoom sessions combined with independent assignments, ensuring immediate, real-world application of new skills.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Administrative and employment support are integrated throughout the program, preparing students for smooth entry or advancement in customer-facing roles.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Program Requirements&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;To enroll in the Customer Service Program, students must:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Be 18 years of age or older&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Be a Massachusetts resident&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Hold a High School Diploma, HiSET, or GED&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Achieve an acceptable score on the WorkKeys English and Math assessments&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Customer Service Program Technical Requirements&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students must have their own technology. Students will need either a PC, Laptop, Mac, or Chromebook to participate in the Customer Service program as classes will be held 100% online via Zoom.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Career Outlook &amp;ndash; Customer Service Program&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Customer Service Program prepares participants for diverse opportunities in industries where communication, professionalism, and customer care are essential. Graduates leave the program ready to provide exceptional service, manage client relationships, and support business operations in both in-person and virtual environments.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Common Job Titles:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Customer Service Representative&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Call Center Associate&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Front Desk Coordinator&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Administrative Assistant&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Sales or Retail Associate&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Patient Services Representative&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Employment Settings:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Corporate offices and call centers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Retail and sales organizations&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Healthcare facilities and insurance companies&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Hospitality and travel industries&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Government and nonprofit agencies&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Job Outlook:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Customer Service remains one of the most in-demand skill areas across multiple industries. Strong communication, technology, and conflict-resolution skills open doors to entry-level positions and potential opportunity for&amp;nbsp; advancement into supervisory or administrative roles.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18576" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/jump-start/other-programs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251203T17:01:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x18576.xml" Name="Other Programs" Title="Other Programs" Abstract="Learn about other programs offered by Jump Start." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/jumpstart/Other%20Programs.jpg&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; height=&quot;334&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jump Start can refer you to another department at Holyoke Community College for the following programs:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;Hi-Set/GED Program&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;Culinary Arts/Line Cook Program&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;Hospitality Program&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;Para-Educator/EEC Program&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;CDL-B program&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;If interested, please complete the Jump Start Inquiry Form &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdvxYrTdYmMkLHb9ksjk5ilMSkf3RqNWT5roWH9wrXE4eDSZw/viewform&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21205" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/jump-start/medical-assistant-program" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260429T11:46:57" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21205.xml" Name="Medical Assistant Program" Title="Medical Assistant Program" Abstract="Learn about Medical Assistant Program offered by Jump Start." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/jumpstart/Medical%20billing.jpg&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; height=&quot;334&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;b&gt;Medical Assistant (MA) Program&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Jump Start Medical Assistant Program at Holyoke Community College provides students with the knowledge, hands-on experience, and professional credentials to begin a career in clinical and administrative healthcare settings. This comprehensive program prepares students to take the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) exam and gain employment in physicians&amp;rsquo; offices, hospitals, and community health centers.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;Program Overview&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Program Length: 16 weeks&lt;/span&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;12 weeks of in-class instruction&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;4 weeks of clinical externship&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Schedule: Monday&amp;ndash;Friday | 9:00 AM &amp;ndash; 4:30 PM&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mode of Instruction: In-person at Holyoke Community College&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Employment Support: Upon successful completion, students receive career guidance and job search resources to help secure employment in the medical assisting field.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Certification: Graduates are eligible to sit for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) exam. Jump Start staff will assist with the registration and certification process.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Disclaimer: Program details are subject to change. Please contact the Jump Start office for the most current information.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;Certifications Earned&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students who successfully complete the program will earn:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) Certification&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;CPR/AED &amp;amp; First Aid Certification&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;Program Description&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Jump Start MA Program includes 140 hours of classroom instruction followed by a 160-hour supervised externship. Students gain clinical and administrative skills essential to today&amp;rsquo;s healthcare settings, including:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Understanding the role of a Medical Assistant in clinical and office environments&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Medical terminology and anatomy of body systems&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Patient care procedures, infection control, and safety practices&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Legal and ethical responsibilities in healthcare&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;HIPAA compliance and patient confidentiality&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Measuring and documenting vital signs&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Performing phlebotomy procedures (venipuncture and capillary sampling)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Conducting 12-lead EKGs and waveform interpretation (P, Q, R, S, T)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Assisting with medical exams and minor surgical procedures&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Administering oral and injectable medications&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Applying sterile dressings and maintaining aseptic techniques&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Collecting and testing non-blood specimens&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Effective communication and patient interaction skills&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students must complete all classroom hours before beginning their externship, where they apply their training in real healthcare environments under professional supervision.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;Program Requirements&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;To enroll in the Medical Assistant Program, students must:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Be 18 years of age or older&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Be a Massachusetts resident (valid, unexpired ID/Driver&amp;rsquo;s license)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Hold a High School Diploma, GED, or HiSET&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Be fully vaccinated for COVID-19&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Submit all required medical documentation (see below)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Acceptable CORI/SORI results&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Pass a drug screening (Note: marijuana use is not permitted)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Achieve a Level 5 or higher on the ACT WorkKeys Assessments (Math, English, Graphic Literacy)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Medical Assistant Program Technical Requirements&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students must have their own technology. Students will need either a PC, Laptop, Mac, or Chromebook to participate in the Medical Assistant program.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Software Requirements:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;PC: Windows 8 or later.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mac: macOS 12 or later.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is preferred. Microsoft Edge is also compatible.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/free-office-online-for-the-web&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Microsoft Word Online&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://get.adobe.com/reader/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Adobe Acrobat Reader&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Other:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get Started&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Ready to launch your career in healthcare?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;👉 &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Complete the Jump Start Inquiry Form&lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdvxYrTdYmMkLHb9ksjk5ilMSkf3RqNWT5roWH9wrXE4eDSZw/viewform&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt; here&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Medical Documentation Requirements&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;All students must submit the following prior to enrollment:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Proof of full COVID-19 vaccination&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tuberculosis (TB) test results&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Flu vaccination&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Physical examination&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Complete immunization records&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Failure to submit all medical documentation will result in withdrawal from the program.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;Classroom &amp;amp; Attendance Requirements&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;To successfully complete the MA program and earn certification, students must:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Maintain 100% punctuality&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;No more than four absences permitted&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Pass all classroom and skills examinations&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Complete all required class hours and externship&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Pass drug tests&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Acceptable CORI/SORI results and drug screening prior to class start and externship placement&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;b&gt;Career Outlook &amp;ndash; Medical Assistant (MA) Program&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Graduates of the Medical Assistant Program are equipped with the clinical and administrative skills needed to work alongside physicians and healthcare professionals in a variety of medical settings. Medical Assistants play a vital role in patient care &amp;mdash; performing both front-office and back-office duties that keep healthcare facilities running efficiently.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Common Job Titles:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Medical Office Assistant&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Patient Care Technician&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;EKG or Phlebotomy Technician&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Administrative Medical Assistant&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Employment Settings:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Physician offices and outpatient clinics&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Hospitals and urgent care centers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Community health centers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Specialty practices (pediatrics, cardiology, orthopedics)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Diagnostic and laboratory facilities&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Job Outlook:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Employment for Medical Assistants is projected to grow much faster than average nationally as the healthcare industry expands and providers rely on support staff to deliver quality care. Graduates with NHA certification (CCMA) have a strong advantage in securing positions immediately after completion. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x7587" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/free-line-cook-training" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260205T18:19:00" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7587.xml" Name="Free Line Cook Training" Title="Free Line Cook Training" Abstract="Cooks! Food prep workers! Are you ready to take your skills and career to the next level?" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Earn your Line Cook Certification!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is offering a free training program to quickly upgrade your current culinary skills, or help you start a new career. Upon successful completion, you will be awarded a Line Cook Certification. Additional certification training and testing will be included in areas such as ServSafe Manager or Food Handler, ServSafe Alcohol, and ServSafe Allergen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;This program is offered to anyone who is:&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Passionate about cooking&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Interested in starting a new career or advancing their current culinary skills&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Fully committed to completing all classes&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Ready to begin working immediately upon completion&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;Authorization to legally work in the U.S.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;No High School diploma or GED/HiSET required&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;You will gain skills in:&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Improved knife techniques&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Preparing stocks, soups, sauces, desserts, poultry, fish &amp;amp; meat&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Culinary math &amp;amp; measurements&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Moist/dry heat cooking methods&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Workplace soft skills, resume building, searching for rewarding jobs&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classes are in-person at the state-of-the-art HCC MGM Culinary Art Institute at 164 Race Street in Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;ServSafe books and full chef uniforms (except black shoes) will be provided free of charge.&amp;nbsp;Potential to earn college credits towards an HCC Culinary Arts Certificate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;More information&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Complete the Free Line Cook Training Inquiry Form.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScFWWDbvAWt-PdYmm8f3naqc8ef_uYjnhZDYUNumDRWDqjRFA/viewform&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RypoqHXM2NQ465OnaK_fo-Ox6qHIb5LS9HA2xGoC7WI/edit&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1724939025031000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw2Ea33GZs9Hw2vo-coq3bWs&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Line Cook Training Inquiry Form&lt;/a&gt;. Upon completion, you will receive an immediate prompt for your next steps in the application process.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2500&quot;&gt;413.552.2500&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Printable flyer in &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/Free%20Classes/2025/HCC_Line_Cook_Flyer_FA25_d1.pdf&quot;&gt;English&lt;/a&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/Free%20Classes/2025/HCC_Line_Cook_Flyer_FA25_d1_SPANISH.pdf&quot;&gt;Spanish&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12773" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/medical-interpreting" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250918T16:02:36" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12773.xml" Name="Medical Interpreting" Title="Medical Interpreting" Abstract="Help others in a healthcare setting – become a medical interpreter." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Medical interpreters are in great demand! Interpreters can work for a hospital, school, or state agency, or as contractors with agencies throughout the country. They can work in-person or remotely from home via video or phone, where they can work independently and make their own hours.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Offered by Holyoke Community College in collaboration with TransFluenci EDU, this 60-hour course is open to all languages and designed for those preparing for entry-level careers as medical interpreters, as well as for working interpreters preparing for the National Board Certificate exam.A language assessment is required prior to registration.This program meets the National Board for Medical Interpreter Certification training requirement and prepares you to pass the national certification exam. Upon successful completion of the course, students will receive a certificate of completion from HCC and may elect to apply for national certification. Certification fees are not included.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students must:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Possess a high school diploma or equivalent&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Be fully bilingual and fluent in English and one other language&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Register at least two weeks in advance to allow for the required language assessment&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students are also required to attend all classes which meet via Zoom &lt;span&gt;Mondays &amp;amp; Wednesdays&lt;/span&gt; 6 p.m. &amp;ndash; 9 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;All available seats have been filled and applications are now closed for this program.&amp;nbsp; Should additional seats become available, this page will be updated.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5992" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/nurse-aidehome-health-aideesol" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250929T14:55:48" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5992.xml" Name="Nurse Aide/Home Health Aide/ESOL" Title="Nurse Aide/Home Health Aide/ESOL" Abstract="Holyoke Works and HCC are offering classes for non-native speakers of English to improve language and math skills, and prepare to pass the MA Nurse Aide Certification Test." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;MassSTEP logo&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/MassSTEP%20Logo_Vertical.png&quot; style=&quot;float: left; margin: 10px;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;Learn the knowledge and skills to become a nursing assistant or home health aide, while improving your English language skills, in this &lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;free&lt;/span&gt; program! Prepare to pass the MA Nurse Aide Certification Test and enter employment as a nurse aide or home health aide.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;View a program flyer in &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/media/documents/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/Free%20Classes/HCC_ESOL_Aide_Flyer_SP22_d4.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;English&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/media/documents/Courses-Programs/HCC_ESOL_Aide_Flyer_FA22_d1%20%281%29.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Spanish&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;CLASS SCHEDULE &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;AND LOCATION&lt;/b&gt;:&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Friday, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;9am-2:30pm&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The program is three months long, and runs &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;multiple &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;times per year. Apply any time, and we'll get you ready for the next class session! The program is three months long, and runs three times per year. Apply any time, and we'll get you ready for the next class session!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Classes are held in person at the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/visit-hcc/other-locations&quot; title=&quot;other hcc locations&quot;&gt;Picknelly Adult &amp;amp; Family Education Center&lt;/a&gt;, 206 Maple St., Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;eligibility&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;High to intermediate/advanced English skills&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Able to pass CORI/SORI background check&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Must be ready to work in healthcare upon completion of the program, and be authorized to work in the U.S.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;All books and materials are free.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Program advisors and instructors will partner with you to attain employment in the healthcare field upon completion. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13270" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/para-educator-training" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250918T16:02:45" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13270.xml" Name="Para Educator Training" Title="Para Educator Training (Teaching Assistant)" Abstract="Looking for a career in education with advancement opportunities? This program might be for you!" BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;WHEN&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Enrolls in Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;9 a.m. - 1 p.m., Monday - Friday&lt;br /&gt;Seven-week training&lt;br /&gt;100% online 7 Week Course&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;WHERE&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Offered through Holyoke Community College, this program is fully online.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;WHAT&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;For those interested in working family-friendly hours as a para educator (also called a teaching assistant), this program can lead directly to an&amp;nbsp;internship or employment with the Springfield Public Schools or other public school districts starting in the fall. The program also includes a job readiness and career exploration component.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You will:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Gain education-specific knowledge, skills and qualifications necessary to be a Para-educator in Massachusetts public schools&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Get help preparing to pass the PCTA exam&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Have mentors to help you plan and achieve your goals and support your success.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;For DTA qualified applicants, you may also&amp;nbsp;earn a stipend of $125/week throughout the training and internship.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;To be eligible you must:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Have a high school diploma or GED/HiSET&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Pass a CORI/background check/ fingerprints&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Be authorized to work in the United States&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Be able to pass the PCTA exam.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;STIPEND ELIGIBILITY&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;To be eligible for a paid DTA Stipend, you must meet all the above requirements, and you must also:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Receive TAFDC&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://forms.gle/dwo9wuBiFG6mM35X6&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Apply&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;In partnership with Department of Transitional Assistance, Springfield Federation of Paraprofessionals, Springfield Public Schools and Springfield Works.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/HCC_Para-Ed_Flyer_SP24.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to PDF of para flyer&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt; for a program flyer.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22193" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/sie-success-program" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260227T14:46:34" CategoryIds="" FileName="x22193.xml" Name="SIE Success Program" Title="SIE Success Program" Abstract="The SIE Success program offers Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam preparation and job preparation" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The SIE Success program offers Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam preparation and job preparation, designed for adults approximately ages 20-45 who are interested in pursuing licensed financial services roles.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;SIE Success Program &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNKd-ST0RTq8hp1Sb-DVf7KFadTZ4EA6MuzmuVY9zN2LUegg/viewform&quot;&gt;Expression of Interest&lt;/a&gt; Form&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Program Overview&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Start Date: Rolling&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cost: No charge&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stipend: Candidates who reach exam-ready criteria within 16 weeks can earn $500&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Curriculum:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull; Week 1 is a short prep course compiled by Support to Succeed which provides&lt;br /&gt;foundational information and a simulation of exam content&lt;br /&gt;&amp;bull; After completing week 1, candidates will receive access to an SIE prep platform,&lt;br /&gt;which contains readings, videos, and practice questions, as well as an instructor&lt;br /&gt;&amp;bull; After learning the content for the first time, candidates will also receive access to the&lt;br /&gt;Kaplan SIE question bank which contains thousands of practice questions&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;# Weeks: 16&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Synchronous Sessions Per Week (primarily virtual with periodic in-person sessions):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;2-hour cohort and career education session, scheduled during a weekday evening:&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Community building&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Individualized coaching&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Guest speaking from industry representatives&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Career education and job search coaching&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;2-hour instructional session, scheduled during a weekday evening or weekend&lt;br /&gt;morning&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Asynchronous Study Per Week: &lt;/strong&gt;8-15 hours self-study is required, outside of the above&lt;br /&gt;synchronous sessions. Less than 8 hours of asynchronous study per week is unlikely to&lt;br /&gt;lead to a successful outcome. 10-12 hours is recommended.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cohort Size: &lt;/strong&gt;10 - 15 trainees&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Admissions Criteria &amp;amp; Your Commitment to the Program&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;This program is provided free of charge &amp;ndash; it is an investment in our candidates. However, in&lt;br /&gt;exchange, we expect full commitment from our participants. To be admitted to the&lt;br /&gt;program, you must meet the following criteria:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;✔ Be pursuing either a new role or promotion into a licensed pathway within the next&lt;br /&gt;12 months&lt;br /&gt;✔ Demonstrate that you are part of our target population&lt;br /&gt;✔ Demonstrate qualities and/or experiences that make you a good fit for a&lt;br /&gt;client-facing financial services career path (ex: excellent customer service, examples&lt;br /&gt;of taking initiative, a strong interest in finance)&lt;br /&gt;✔ Have a schedule that allows you to attend the synchronous sessions (4 hours per&lt;br /&gt;week) and complete the asynchronous study expectations (8-15 hours of self-study&lt;br /&gt;per week)&lt;br /&gt;✔ Demonstrate your ability to develop and stick to a plan with support, by completing&lt;br /&gt;the Week 1 prep course&lt;br /&gt;✔ Demonstrate upfront and ongoing commitment&lt;br /&gt;✔ Confirm that you understand and are comfortable with the background and credit&lt;br /&gt;check requirements for working in license finance roles&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You&amp;rsquo;ll be asked to sign a commitment form that outlines the program expectations&lt;br /&gt;To demonstrate ongoing commitment, you&amp;rsquo;ll be expected to:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;1. Attend synchronous sessions and demonstrate that you are present and actively&lt;br /&gt;participating (video on, regularly participating)&lt;br /&gt;2. Communicate in advance if you cannot attend a session. Missing more than a couple&lt;br /&gt;of sessions may jeopardize your place in the program.&lt;br /&gt;3. Reschedule any cancelled coaching session within the same week and ideally within&lt;br /&gt;24 hours&lt;br /&gt;4. Respond to any communication from Support to Succeed within 24 hours&lt;br /&gt;5. Demonstration full effort in your SIE self-study&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You&amp;rsquo;re going to be joining a community, and you are an important piece of the community.&lt;br /&gt;You&amp;rsquo;ll be asked to treat your cohort as you would close friends or family. That means that&lt;br /&gt;the following are expected if you choose to leave the community:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Before making your decision to leave, speak with the group and/or the program&lt;br /&gt;facilitator, to discuss your reasons and try to problem-solve through them&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Communicate with the group to explain your reasons for leaving (no &amp;ldquo;ghosting&amp;rdquo;!)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please find here a &lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PcDrWLO7sQai_uBVWYdzn0cCTvNA700Q/view?usp=sharing&quot;&gt;program overview&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7294" URL="courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/snap-path-to-work" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250918T16:02:51" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7294.xml" Name="SNAP Path to Work" Title="SNAP Path to Work" Abstract="Individuals receiving non-cash SNAP benefits through the MA Department of Transitional Assistance are eligible to apply. Programs are free and include advising &amp; employment support services." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A logo that reads SNAP Path to Work&quot; height=&quot;128&quot; src=&quot;images/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/Free%20Classes/image_3.png&quot; style=&quot;float: left; margin: 10px;&quot; width=&quot;337&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Individuals receiving non-cash SNAP benefits through the MA Department of Transitional Assistance are eligible to apply.&amp;nbsp;Programs are free and include advising &amp;amp; employment support services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Culinary&amp;nbsp;Program&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Entry-level training in the Culinary/Hospitality sector in both front of house and back of house positions (front desk receptionist, host/hostess, counter attendant, food server, food preparer, line cook, culinary cook, etc.). The training also provides a solid foundation in basic customer service and job readiness. Participants are guided through the fundamentals of the hospitality and restaurant industry, and the importance of customer service. ServSafe certification included. 140 hours of training over seven weeks.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Customer Service&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Designed to empower the student with self confidence and professional demeanor necessary in providing a superior level of customer service in a variety of consumer based settings. Emphasis is on business etiquette, communication skills, effective questioning techniques and active listening with real world customer service application and life skill development.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nursing Assistant program&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;This program provides students with the classroom, laboratory, and clinical training to become a Nursing Assistant. Four clinical days have been scheduled at local nursing homes with a special&amp;nbsp;8 a.m. &amp;ndash; 1:30 p.m. schedule. You'll be prepared to take the Massachusetts Nurse Aide Certification Exam with the American Red Cross and be ready to enter employment immediately after successfully completing training. Upon completion of the class, students will be eligible for structured job search to aid in finding employment.&amp;nbsp;Requirements include a high school diploma or GED, acceptable scores on an assessment test, and CORI/SORI background and drug tests.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pharmacy Technician program&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learn the skills needed to become a Pharmacy Technician and prepare to take the national certification exam (PTCE) and apply for state licensure. After a twelve-week course, qualified students&amp;nbsp;may be eligible for an internship and job placement assistance. Requirements include a high school diploma or GED, acceptable scores on an assessment test, CORI/SORI background and drug tests.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;hiset test prep&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Designed for individuals who never completed high school and are seeking better career opportunities, HCC's HiSET preparation program prepares candidates in the five core areas covered by the HiSET exam:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Language Arts (Reading)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Language Arts (Writing)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Mathematics&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Science&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Social Studies&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Test-taking strategies and the development of good study skills are also emphasized.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For more information, please contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Yvette Jackson&lt;br /&gt;PROGRAM ASSISTANT&lt;br /&gt;Jump Start Program&lt;br /&gt;Kittredge Center&amp;nbsp;322&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2496&quot;&gt;413.552.2496&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(Tel)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:yjackson@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;yjackson@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please fill out&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/p1Ue3knR4zjUimM76&quot; title=&quot;Link to google form for snap path to work&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;this form&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for more information!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Courses-Programs/Workforce%20Development/SNAP%20-%20Justice%20For%20All%20poster.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to Justice for All flyer&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Justice For All&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.usda.gov/non-discrimination-statement&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff0000; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;USDA Nondiscrimination statement&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page></Page></Page><Page ID="x129" URL="admission" Schema="CoursesProgramsPage" Locale="" Changed="20240919T16:10:46" CategoryIds="" FileName="x129.xml" Name="Admission" Title="Admission" Abstract="Whether you're just starting your college education, interested in changing careers, or looking for classes to enrich your life, HCC can help you achieve your goals!" BodyCopy="&lt;h4&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000; background-color: #fcdd00;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;font-size: 0.75em;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Choose your classes&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;font-size: 0.75em;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Go to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001sMA4ncNw3a4GA10xU7_rLkiPyRp95jIUaGvS4rUEXj4ydGcPuEUE4j9DYJ91mipWlPlSHgyjpa1ZMixiQ-pmthN4Wv3jPRVBqex5hVe7t5kG5T3KaiTm_Qx_Cx-WFKJrXGIUnjpQjYk0VueFfdmVgufQNStvi0nbkb6PdNA1Cnil8MzGvoU0NLDXsSWyVyLoRH42bh-E30VQ_yzOvYprmg==&amp;amp;c=PSZQQDYkyCFQ8E9at5FdVVe8yB3fTlkEcG-N2ffkF1ttUzarD8GghA==&amp;amp;ch=NbtJ9tl47us5axH2maTMgT8Gmk_E3a_bV9m-tANZH_OMmnsau4nLvA==&quot; shape=&quot;rect&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f%3D001sMA4ncNw3a4GA10xU7_rLkiPyRp95jIUaGvS4rUEXj4ydGcPuEUE4j9DYJ91mipWlPlSHgyjpa1ZMixiQ-pmthN4Wv3jPRVBqex5hVe7t5kG5T3KaiTm_Qx_Cx-WFKJrXGIUnjpQjYk0VueFfdmVgufQNStvi0nbkb6PdNA1Cnil8MzGvoU0NLDXsSWyVyLoRH42bh-E30VQ_yzOvYprmg%3D%3D%26c%3DPSZQQDYkyCFQ8E9at5FdVVe8yB3fTlkEcG-N2ffkF1ttUzarD8GghA%3D%3D%26ch%3DNbtJ9tl47us5axH2maTMgT8Gmk_E3a_bV9m-tANZH_OMmnsau4nLvA%3D%3D&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1609347596699000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNH_ATIpm8LqnOC2fWJnYKGx-d9hAA&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Courses &amp;amp; Programs / Course Finder&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or go to the&amp;nbsp;Registration&amp;nbsp;Bulletin on the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001sMA4ncNw3a4GA10xU7_rLkiPyRp95jIUaGvS4rUEXj4ydGcPuEUE4i0BrSrdwlcvT0h161NBUWUkkCur4XWY0D38Oua4uStYcDh-g0muWVeosVZCb1MTXGdKEvWUP-cb0UL18dL2PapVca41ITlOS0_wFZgll4D-5xpp2LuMLa5g0p1zIsOxg_OeciD-yXJ0i79A8aXSYo-0lbf5nF5-kjx_yNpl5xmo&amp;amp;c=PSZQQDYkyCFQ8E9at5FdVVe8yB3fTlkEcG-N2ffkF1ttUzarD8GghA==&amp;amp;ch=NbtJ9tl47us5axH2maTMgT8Gmk_E3a_bV9m-tANZH_OMmnsau4nLvA==&quot; shape=&quot;rect&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f%3D001sMA4ncNw3a4GA10xU7_rLkiPyRp95jIUaGvS4rUEXj4ydGcPuEUE4i0BrSrdwlcvT0h161NBUWUkkCur4XWY0D38Oua4uStYcDh-g0muWVeosVZCb1MTXGdKEvWUP-cb0UL18dL2PapVca41ITlOS0_wFZgll4D-5xpp2LuMLa5g0p1zIsOxg_OeciD-yXJ0i79A8aXSYo-0lbf5nF5-kjx_yNpl5xmo%26c%3DPSZQQDYkyCFQ8E9at5FdVVe8yB3fTlkEcG-N2ffkF1ttUzarD8GghA%3D%3D%26ch%3DNbtJ9tl47us5axH2maTMgT8Gmk_E3a_bV9m-tANZH_OMmnsau4nLvA%3D%3D&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1609347596699000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFGxoDFXTqhWiYgTw-uAO1fg_U7FA&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Publications&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;page.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Need assistance?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Contact us at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;font-size: 0.75em;&quot;&gt;HCC offers&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;65+&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://catalog.hcc.edu/content.php?catoid=10&amp;amp;navoid=394&quot;&gt;degree and certificate options&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support&quot; title=&quot;HCC academic support programs&quot;&gt;Extensive academic support&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Flexible online and on-campus class schedules&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Adult-focused programs such as &lt;a href=&quot;/x140.xml&quot; title=&quot;Link to Pathways landing page&quot;&gt;Pathways&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/marieb-adult-learner-success-center&quot; title=&quot;Marieb Adult Learner Success Center&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Marieb Adult Learner Success Center for Adult Learners&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/veteran-services&quot; title=&quot;Veteran Services&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Veterans Services&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission/credit-for-prior-learning&quot; title=&quot;Credit for prior learning&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;College credit &lt;/a&gt;for work/life experience.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/chromebooks-hotspots-and-calculators&quot; title=&quot;Link to laptop hotspot loan page&quot;&gt;Laptops and WiFi hotspots to borrow &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/chromebooks-hotspots-and-calculators&quot; title=&quot;Link to laptop hotspot loans&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/food-pantry&quot; title=&quot;Link to Food Pantry web page&quot;&gt;Student Food Pantry&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/presidents-student-emergency-fund&quot; title=&quot;Link to Student Emergency Fund web page&quot;&gt;Student Emergency Fund&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/itsy-bitsy-child-watch&quot; title=&quot;Link to Itsy Bitsy Child Watch&quot;&gt;Drop-in child watch&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;get in touch&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Have questions? &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Ask us via &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fvm.providesupport.com%2f1lr6dhp2guwx218xq66c5ratog&amp;amp;c=E,1,O-b-U96qaXEF5nG4dJWDq4h-rD42zaxogy66WJOl8s8CeFN7wIxwH2gRFbaEnoIStDhAJTZE4bA3-UaO5w0bI3mlGpiE1lPqbXTBYnZWerLTZNmMLue22h3Cuw,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Chat Now&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Prefer to call or email? Contact us at &lt;a href=&quot;tel:4135522321&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;413.552.2321&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;email &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;our office and leave your name and contact information and one of our staff will be in touch within 24 hours.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;The Admissions office is typically open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Fridays from 1 pm - 4:30 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Before the start of each semester extended hours are Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; class=&quot;gmail_signature&quot; data-smartmail=&quot;gmail_signature&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;becoming a student&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x21013" URL="x21013.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20241119T14:01:26" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21013.xml" Name="Apply Now" Title="Apply Now" CustomURL="https://hcc.elluciancrmrecruit.com/Apply/Account/Login" CustomURLTarget="_blank" IsComponent="true" /><Page ID="x451" URL="admission/accepted-students" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260427T13:13:56" CategoryIds="" FileName="x451.xml" Name="Accepted Students" Title="Accepted Students" Abstract="Wherever you want to go, HCC can help you get there! Learn how to apply." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;Steps to becoming a student&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations on choosing Holyoke Community College! We recommend you complete the following steps in the order you see them below to make sure you're ready to start strong with us. Required steps are marked with an asterisk (*).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Are you a current student interested in registering for classes? &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/advising&quot; title=&quot;Link to advising page&quot;&gt;Click here!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Still need to apply? &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.elluciancrmrecruit.com/Apply/Account/Login&quot; title=&quot;Link to Ellucian apply website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x13282" URL="admission/accepted-students/accepted-students-day" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260504T18:37:37" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13282.xml" Name="Accepted Students Day" Title="Accepted Students Day" Abstract="Check off your to-do list and get ready for the first day of the semester at Accepted Students Day!" IntroCopy="Applied and accepted to HCC, but not sure what to do next? " BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;560&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; src=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/hbexsoUdNTI?si=1g_0O6Ayb2KDQuc8&quot; title=&quot;YouTube video player&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allow=&quot;accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share&quot; referrerpolicy=&quot;strict-origin-when-cross-origin&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;allowfullscreen&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Applied and accepted to HCC, but not sure what to do next?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Accepted Students Day will help you check off your to-do list and get you ready for the first day of the semester. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;If you're a student who&amp;rsquo;s also a parent, we now offer &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/student-resources/itsy-bitsy-child-watch&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;free drop-in child watch&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; while you're on campus&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;. All children must be &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://schools.mybrightwheel.com/sign-in?redirect_path=forms/a37ca2f0-1e76-4ada-ba47-5aeb6d9d8177/self-service&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;registered&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; before they can visit Itsy Bitsy Child Watch. &amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Before the first day of classes, to-do list required steps are marked with an asterisk (&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;*&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;):&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Activate your&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1haKhanVeBbpfaOh9LbPb-dd8ACUFXnsQ-ZXPNZHajgY/edit?usp=sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; myHCC account&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Fill out the 2026-27 &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/how-to-apply&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; or follow-up with the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/tuition-and-aid/financial-aid&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Financial Aid office&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; to answer questions you may have.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/TxPPC3keHEPmbv8E6&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Take the placement test*;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;span&gt;Learn more about additional&amp;nbsp;documents you can submit to try to &lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hcc.edu%2fadmission%2fcourse-placement%2fwaiving-course-placement&amp;amp;c=E,1,DnUrGsL7bvRrzp6McxrErNzos2gLHReVFiEj2D-ZUc01R02q1PjsAxkTIRmzqqnu-MEYcTFMe93LkiEUCr7wlWL8X9ihaTIiZTm-83osd8dz2Rk2Gg,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;waive course placement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/advising-career-and-transfer-center/advising&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Register for classes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;*&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;After you register for Classes:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Learn about resources at HCC; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/academic-support&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Academic Support&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/student-resources&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Essential Services&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Get your &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/student-ids&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Student ID&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Check to see what &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.bncollege.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Books &amp;amp; Supplies&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;* you may need&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Pay your &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/tuition-and-aid/billing-and-refund/payment-options&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;student bill and explore payment options&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Get a &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/admission/visit-campus&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Campus Tour&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/tuition-and-aid/health-insurance&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Waive Health Insurance Fee&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; if you have comparable insurance&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Let us know you are coming and get a personalized to-do list!&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Check everything off your list and also attend student led sessions on Campus Resources.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Accepted Students Day is a family-friendly event!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;We warmly welcome you to bring your parents, guardians, partners, and children to join in the fun. While childcare is not provided &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;unless r&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;egistered through &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/student-resources/itsy-bitsy-child-watch&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Itsy Bitsy,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; we will have some child-friendly activities available throughout the day, including a scavenger hunt and free books for children.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. If you are Deaf or have a disability and need accommodations to fully access your courses, testing, or technology, make sure that you connect with the Office for Students with Disabilities and Deaf Services (OSDDS). To obtain accommodations, please contact OSDDS at&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:osd@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; osd@hcc.edu &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;immediately following your acceptance to the college and before scheduling your placement testing. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Registration for Accepted Students Days&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;scribe-shadow id=&quot;crxjs-ext&quot; data-crx=&quot;okfkdaglfjjjfefdcppliegebpoegaii&quot; style=&quot;position: fixed; width: 0px; height: 0px; top: 0px; left: 0px; z-index: 2147483647; overflow: visible; visibility: visible;&quot;&gt;&lt;/scribe-shadow&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12072" URL="admission/accepted-students/navigate360" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241113T19:25:06" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12072.xml" Name="Navigate360" Title="Navigate360" Abstract="Navigate360 is a mobile advisor that gets you from acceptance to graduation." BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;560&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; src=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/jHmYXEiOCZk?si=7WNJE_PxF5YM7MDK&quot; title=&quot;YouTube video player&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allow=&quot;accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share&quot; referrerpolicy=&quot;strict-origin-when-cross-origin&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;allowfullscreen&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fhcc.navigate.eab.com%2f&amp;amp;c=E,1,6ZxQ87Htoqn8ZUlhILFt49KNTIxTzMfxWwvBUkw6StfRg2VuOOma-JWa0m_T7V5-se74BqIuuR5V3ea1ThNyVWJHLTJaDk3a37NQvVioXZiRd2XWa64,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; title=&quot;Link to log in to navigate&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Navigate360 student login&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;What is Navigate360?&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Navigate360 is a mobile advisor that gets you from acceptance to graduation! The app helps you choose the right major, Navigate360 requirements from financial aid to course registration, and stay on top of important dates and deadlines &amp;ndash; all in the palm of your hand.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Navigate360 has made staying on top of the things you need to do and making the important decisions of college easier. It's the ultimate guide to build a path to graduation &amp;ndash; and stay on that path.&amp;nbsp;Want to see what it looks like? Check out our&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1EXNGvz2rbroewD0j8dEf_QCAV_DqosGN2Ax1gvRD6R8/edit?usp=sharing&quot; title=&quot;link to google presentation about navigate&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Student Quick Start Guide&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know When Important Milestones Are Coming Up:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;From attending orientation to preparing for finals, now there's a clear timeline of what you need to do. Within each task, Navigate360 connects you to the links and resources you need to get things done.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Find the Right Fit:&lt;/strong&gt; Navigate360's Major Exploration tool connects your interests and goals to the right major &amp;ndash; fill out a short survey and see which programs match!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Learn How to Get the Most Out of College:&lt;/strong&gt; Navigate360 provides all the steps to start college on the right foot. Get handy tips and tutorials on everything from getting involved in student organizations to paying for college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Connect to the Support You Need &amp;ndash; Faster:&lt;/strong&gt; Have questions or run into a problem? Navigate360's appointment scheduler gets you facetime with the people who can help. Best of all, the appointments sync with your phone's calendar.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Navigate360 provides an array of self-service features, including:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Features for Students:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Alerts and notifications for important &quot;to-dos&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Views of important milestones to stay on track and encourage progress&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Easy access to advisors, faculty, and other resources when help is needed&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Ability to see a personalized calendar of appointments and milestones&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;A way to set and achieve clear goals&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12807" URL="admission/accepted-students/registration-express" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250522T15:19:55" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12807.xml" Name="Registration Express" Title="Registration Express" Abstract="Get ready for Fall! Join us for Registration Express!" BodyCopy="&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Join us for Registration Express!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;table&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 650px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 325px; background-color: #bfedd2;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;h5 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Wednesday, June 18th 2025&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h4 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;1 p.m. to 5 p.m.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 325px; background-color: #ecf0f1;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;h5 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Wednesday, July 9th 2025&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h4 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;9 a.m. to 1 p.m.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;HCC Campus Center&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;303 Homestead Avenue&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;You'll be able to complete the steps necessary to become a student, including:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.elluciancrmrecruit.com/Apply/Account/Login&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Applying for admission&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfs3rqRG7zHv4IyO_i8ZltU57Y1XMQ5-g3gUvTXdHKplXsiYA/viewform&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Complete course placement&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/advising-career-and-transfer-center/advising&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Meeting with an academic advisor&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Registering for classes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/how-to-apply&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Setting up financial aid&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;HCC staff will be available to help you in person or virtually &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/j/94439429102?pwd=eitPRkhzQVBQVXJTTTNyWUxBcVYyZz09&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;through Zoom&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;FIND YOUR CLASSES&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Visit our &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/course-finder&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Course Finder &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;to choose your classes for the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/media/documents/Edited%201-14-2025%202025-2026%20Academic%20Calendar.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Summer 2025 and Fall 2025 semester.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Summer 2025 Session 1 classes begin Tuesday, May 27th&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Summer 2025 Session 2 classes begin Monday, July 14th&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Fall 2025 classes begin Tuesday, September 2nd&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;HCC also has Flex Start dates&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x20180" URL="x20180.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20240802T12:04:57" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20180.xml" Name="Advising &amp; Registration" Title="Advising &amp; Registration" Abstract="Advising &amp; Registration" CustomURL="courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center" IsComponent="true" /><Page ID="x5608" URL="admission/ap-exam-credit" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250812T11:47:09" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5608.xml" Name="AP Exam Credit" Title="AP Exam Credit" Abstract="The College Board Advanced Placement Program (AP) provides participating high schools the opportunity to offercollege-level coursework to students in a variety of subject areas. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The College Board Advanced Placement Program (AP) provides participating high schools the opportunity to offer college-level coursework to students in a variety of subject areas. Upon completion of an AP course, the high school student may take an AP examination. AP scores range from 1 to 5 points. AP scores of 3, 4, and 5 are commonly acceptable as the equivalent of college-level course work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;AP exam scores &amp;amp; transfer credit awarded by HCC&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;table&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 650px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr class=&quot;table&quot; style=&quot;background-color: #2dc26b;&quot;&gt;&lt;th class=&quot;table&quot; style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;SUBJECT&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&lt;th class=&quot;table&quot; style=&quot;width: 58.8125px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;SCORE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&lt;th class=&quot;table&quot; style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;HCC COURSE(S)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&lt;th class=&quot;table&quot; style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;CREDIT&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;2D Art &amp;amp; Design&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;ART 125&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3D Art &amp;amp; Design&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;ART 126&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;African American Studies&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;HIS 001 elective&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Art History&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;ART 001 elective&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drawing&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;ART 001 elective&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Biology&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;BIO 101&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Biology&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;BIO 107&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Calculus AB&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;MTH 113&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Calculus BC&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;MTH 113 and MTH 114&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;8 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chemistry&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;CHM 121&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chemistry&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;CHM 121 and CHM 124&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;8 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chinese Language and Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;LAN 101 and LAN 102&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;6 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chinese Language and Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;LAN 101, LAN 102 and LAN 201&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;9 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chinese Language and Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;5&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;LAN 101, LAN 102, LAN 201 and LAN 202&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;12 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Comparative Government&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;and Politics&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;POL 150&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Computer Science A&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;CSI 106&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Computer Science Principles&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;CSI 111&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;English Language and Composition&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;ENG 101&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;English Literature and Composition&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;ENG 101&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;English Lang/Comp and English Lit/Comp&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;ENG 101 &amp;amp; ENG 001 elective&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;6 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Environmental Science&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;ENV 120&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;European History&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;HIS 101 and HIS 102&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;6 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;French Language and Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;FRH 101 and FRH 102&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;6 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;French Language and&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;FRH 101, FRH 102 and FRH 201&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;9 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;French Language and Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;5&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;FRH 101, FRH 102, FRH 201 and FRH 202&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;12 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;German Language and&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;LAN 101 and LAN 102&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;6 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;German Language and Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;LAN 101, LAN 102 and LAN 201&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;9 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 216.188px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;German Language and Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.8125px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;5&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 242.922px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;LAN 101, LAN 102, LAN 201 and LAN 202&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 103.078px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;12 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;table&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 650px; height: 1676px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Human Geography&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;GEO 110&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Italian Language and Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;LAN 101 and LAN 102&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;6 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Italian Language and Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;LAN 101, LAN 102 and LAN 201&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;9 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Italian Language and Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;5&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;LAN 101, LAN 102, LAN 201, and LAN 202&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;12 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Japanese Language and Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;LAN 101 and LAN 102&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;6 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 84px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 84px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Japanese Language and&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 84px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 84px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;LAN 101, LAN 102 and LAN 201&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 84px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;9 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Japanese Language and Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;5&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;LAN 101, LAN 102, LAN 201 and LAN 202&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;12 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Latin&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;LAN 101 and LAN 102&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;6 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Latin&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;LAN 101, LAN 102 and LAN 201&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;9 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Latin&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;5&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;LAN 101, LAN 102, LAN 201 and LAN 202&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;12 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Macroeconomics&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;ECN 101&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Microeconomics&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;ECN 102&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Music Theory&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;See Music Dept. Chair&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;TBD&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Music Theory&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;See Music Dept. Chair&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;TBD&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Physics 1&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHS 101&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Physics 2&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHS 102&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Physics C: Electricity &amp;amp; Magnetism&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHS 112&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Physics C: Mechanics&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHS 111&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Precalculus&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;MTH 108&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Psychology&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;PSY 110&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Research&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not available&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;N/A&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Seminar&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not available&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;N/A&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spanish Language and Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;SPA 101 and SPA 102&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;6 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spanish Language and Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;SPA 101, SPA 102 and SPA 201&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;9 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 84px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 84px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spanish Language and&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 84px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;5&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 84px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;SPA 101, SPA 102, SPA 201 and SPA 202&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 84px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;12 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spanish Literature and Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;SPA 211 and SPA 212&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;6 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Statistics&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;MTH 142&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;United States Government and Politics&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;POL 110&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 68px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;United States History&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;HIS 111&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 218.156px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;World History: Modern&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 58.0625px; text-align: center; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 241.953px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;HIS 001 elective&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 102.828px; height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 credits&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Admission/AP%20CHART%20Final%208.6.25.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of AP scores chart&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click to view a PDF of this chart.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x184" URL="admission/course-placement" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250923T12:49:45" CategoryIds="" FileName="x184.xml" Name="Course Placement" Title="Course Placement" Abstract="Learn about HCC course placement." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A female student writing in a notebook&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Admission/Placement%20Tests/testing_intext.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact Us:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfs3rqRG7zHv4IyO_i8ZltU57Y1XMQ5-g3gUvTXdHKplXsiYA/viewform&quot;&gt;Please fill out this form&lt;/a&gt; to receive more information about Course Placement. For further questions, email&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:assessment@hcc.edu&quot;&gt; assessment@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or call 413.552.2015. On the day of the assessment, you will need to provide a valid photo ID. The Assessment Center is located in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://map.hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Campus Center&lt;/a&gt; in room 164. &lt;span&gt;Testers should show up at least 1 hour before the posted closing time in order to begin testing.&amp;nbsp; The Center may close up to 45 minutes early if there are no testers. Prior to starting the assessment, all wearable and portable smart devices must be removed from your person. This includes, but is not limited to, smartphones, smartwatches, smart glasses, fitness trackers, wireless earbuds, and any other connected or recording-enabled technology.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;After you've been admitted to HCC, the next step is to determine if you are ready to take college-level Math or college-level English courses. Many students do this by taking our course assessment, but there are other ways to prove college readiness through multiple measures.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission/course-placement/waiving-course-placement&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Check if you need to take the Course Placement (Test)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;Taking the Course Placement&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfs3rqRG7zHv4IyO_i8ZltU57Y1XMQ5-g3gUvTXdHKplXsiYA/viewform&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfs3rqRG7zHv4IyO_i8ZltU57Y1XMQ5-g3gUvTXdHKplXsiYA/viewform&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfs3rqRG7zHv4IyO_i8ZltU57Y1XMQ5-g3gUvTXdHKplXsiYA/viewform&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1755610939765000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw08zqjn8tyNddY_3kSdZDw-&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Please fill out this form&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;to receive more information about course placement. For further questions, email&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:assessment@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;assessment@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;or call at 413.552.2015. On the day of the assessment, you will need to provide a valid photo ID.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;It's important to put your best foot forward and prepare for your assessment! This assessment will determine which course you should start in so you can be the most successful.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact the&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hcc.edu%2fcourses-and-programs%2fdisability-and-deaf-services&amp;amp;c=E,1,Vd111uueuX1-Uq3lB2fbHI5JsedY4VtTmDQmIzAKEv0hERUBi1nX5tgovAWqwQa1E0U6jIVY6kQ3OouKkul08PdnVSdsjEH_bqWr01QCA0R_9v2wG2fgcph0Jw,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hcc.edu%252fcourses-and-programs%252fdisability-and-deaf-services%26c%3DE,1,Vd111uueuX1-Uq3lB2fbHI5JsedY4VtTmDQmIzAKEv0hERUBi1nX5tgovAWqwQa1E0U6jIVY6kQ3OouKkul08PdnVSdsjEH_bqWr01QCA0R_9v2wG2fgcph0Jw,,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1755610939765000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw02dIog_b6ZA9mttEoH3CdQ&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Office for Students with Disabilities and Deaf Services&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fcm.maxient.com%2freportingform.php%3fHolyokeCC%26layout_id%3d11&amp;amp;c=E,1,1oTTp2Wn05A9BoYyiJ2WtZETSi28IUNryinPgaWL7MSEi2Jtoiqd1-iK2aOgKR1dpRxkyzFiKcOE7WjQIP9wIY5iIwgjQ2CxfdrYnXnEtzY,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fcm.maxient.com%252freportingform.php%253fHolyokeCC%2526layout_id%253d11%26c%3DE,1,1oTTp2Wn05A9BoYyiJ2WtZETSi28IUNryinPgaWL7MSEi2Jtoiqd1-iK2aOgKR1dpRxkyzFiKcOE7WjQIP9wIY5iIwgjQ2CxfdrYnXnEtzY,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1755610939765000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1EM7XyZXHLe8edVbDSqQgk&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;request course placement accommodations&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;. To fill out the request form you will need to log in using your HCC email address.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1haKhanVeBbpfaOh9LbPb-dd8ACUFXnsQ-ZXPNZHajgY/edit#slide=id.p1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1haKhanVeBbpfaOh9LbPb-dd8ACUFXnsQ-ZXPNZHajgY/edit%23slide%3Did.p1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1755610939765000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw23JOigmrQ4uJiN98fmAN_c&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Use this guide&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;for help setting up your HCC email address.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Students planning to complete both the English and Math placement tests should allow for up to three hours to complete all sections.&amp;nbsp; The English portion contains both a timed and an untimed section and may take approximately two hours.&amp;nbsp; Math is untimed and typically takes an hour.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;The Center may close up to 45 minutes early if there are no testers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Prior to starting the assessment, all wearable and portable smart devices must be removed from your person. This includes, but is not limited to, smartphones, smartwatches, smart glasses, fitness trackers, wireless earbuds, and any other connected or recording-enabled technology.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;PREPARING FOR THE Course Placement&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The assessment is computerized and is untimed except for one section.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;English Section&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Reading (untimed)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;20 multiple choice questions&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;To study, create an account for the ACCUPLACER study app &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://practice.accuplacer.org/login&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;by clicking here&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; (Make sure to select the ACCUPLACER Reading option)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Essay Portion (timed)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;You will be given 60 minutes to write a response to a prompt&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The essay is not based on factual knowledge, but rather your ability to write a composed and organized essay&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;You are expected to write 3-5 paragraphs with a thesis statement, supporting arguments, introduction, and conclusion&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;To prepare for the essay, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accuplacerpracticetest.com/writeplacer-essay-guide/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Math Section (untimed)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;For math assessment, you will take up to four assessments, each section has 10 questions:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Arithmetic&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Introductory Algebra&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Intermediate Algebra&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Advanced functions&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;You can prepare for this assessment by using HCC's free Math Prep Programs. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/hYz1uz4vimdp3iwh9&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Register online&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; with HCC's Math Center to get started! To fill out the request form you will need to log in using your HCC email address. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1haKhanVeBbpfaOh9LbPb-dd8ACUFXnsQ-ZXPNZHajgY/edit#slide=id.p1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Use this guide&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; for help setting up your HCC email address.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;MATH SELF-PLACEMENT&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;There is an optional math self-placement assessment for students who are looking to be placed into math classes up to Statistics (MTH 142) and Math 013. Practice through&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.myopenmath.com%2fforms.php%3faction%3dnewuser&amp;amp;c=E,1,1_H7RQYitR9jMy45BuXc64tSM871gz9KcsJt9c9tIpRBPk0EhJzXMHKrXNWn9oS3-mRuc3to5aAB6uvTH4xfQNZPlwpLONagfJDvs1nQ331XKwRseg,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.myopenmath.com%252fforms.php%253faction%253dnewuser%26c%3DE,1,1_H7RQYitR9jMy45BuXc64tSM871gz9KcsJt9c9tIpRBPk0EhJzXMHKrXNWn9oS3-mRuc3to5aAB6uvTH4xfQNZPlwpLONagfJDvs1nQ331XKwRseg,,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1732713276406000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw2x1Wd-bS4UyXzfUOifTVG-&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;MyOpenMath.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Course ID 71658&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;and the&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Enrollment key of YouGotThis!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/document/d/10jvmkGXpGtb_yhJRDmQ98Z3xNxUmIPmv6E_ys_drkc0/edit?usp=sharing&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/document/d/10jvmkGXpGtb_yhJRDmQ98Z3xNxUmIPmv6E_ys_drkc0/edit?usp%3Dsharing&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1732713276406000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw2fKIRee3QCO8dkxfdTGfFP&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Step-by-step directions for enrolling in MyOpenMath&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;.&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;A link for the self-placement assessment will be provided when you complete the practice in MyOpenMath.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;You can only take this self-placement assessment option once and your first attempt will be used for placement. Once completed, you will receive your recommended math placement through your HCC email and you can contact the ACT Center to go over your scores.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;*Please note that this self-placement is not for students who wish to be placed into College Algebra or higher.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/accepted&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;After Course Placement Enrollment Steps&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x20990" URL="admission/course-placement/waiving-course-placement" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250107T14:04:11" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20990.xml" Name="Waiving Course Placement" Title="Waiving Course Placement" Abstract="Learn about Waiving Course Placement tests." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400; font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;You can send official or unofficial copies of the documents below to &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; to see if you can waive the assessment.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table width=&quot;600&quot; height=&quot;202&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 309.031px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Multiple Measures for English&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 1.29688px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 279.672px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Multiple Measures for Math&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 309.031px;&quot;&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;High school transcript&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;SAT/ACT/AP scores&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;GED English scores&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;HiSET writing&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;essay scores&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;College transcripts&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 1.29688px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 279.672px;&quot;&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;High school transcript&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;SAT/ACT/AP scores&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;GED Mathematics&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Reasoning Score&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;HiSET math scores&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;College transcripts&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students may be exempt from course placement based on the multiple measures listed below. Please see each section for detailed information about each type of document HCC will accept as proof of placement to waive course assessment through multiple measures.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hcc.edu%2fadmission%2fhigh-schooldual-enrollment&amp;amp;c=E,1,8aPV0l2SC6UzAKBPoDOC1Mrnly816FWMBDRMqkCK-bBhi3H_eDRqTnFtGfni8Es5rSAE8UNvSzKK66NohUEyXUfEw7Z61KBNaEdwCfl9hi2ixTk-eVd28hmJ2r4,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Dual Enrollment&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt; students may only waive course placement with SAT or ACT scores - use of the high school transcript requires a final (after graduation) gpa.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21006" URL="admission/course-placement/biology-placement-exam" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241113T19:34:25" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21006.xml" Name="Biology Placement Exam" Title="General Biology Prerequisite Placement Exam" Abstract="Students have a unique opportunity to take a General Biology (BIO 107) placement exam in the Assessment Center that allows students to waive the prerequisite of General Biology" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;General Biology Prerequisite Placement Exam&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students have a unique opportunity to take a General Biology (BIO 107) placement exam in the Assessment Center that allows students to waive the prerequisite of General Biology and become eligible to register for General Biology II: Diversity of Life on Earth - BIO 108, Human Anatomy &amp;amp; Physiology I - BIO 217,&amp;nbsp; Microbiology - BIO 229, Genetics - BIO 243, or Anatomy and Physiology of Domestic Animals I - VET 133.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Exam Information&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The exam is free of charge&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Passing this placement exam will not award credit hours for General Biology (BIO 107)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;100 multiple choice questions&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Pass/fail grade (75% is passing)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;You may take the test up to two times in a 6 month period&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfs3rqRG7zHv4IyO_i8ZltU57Y1XMQ5-g3gUvTXdHKplXsiYA/viewform&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Please fill out this form&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; to receive more information. For further questions, email &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:assessment@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;assessment@hcc.edu &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;or call 413.552.2015. On the day of the assessment, you will need to provide a valid photo ID. The Assessment Center is located in the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://map.hcc.edu/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Campus Center&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; in room 164.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21350" URL="x21350.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20250818T14:03:40" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21350.xml" Name="Transfer Credits to HCC" Title="Transfer Credits to HCC" CustomURL="https://tes.collegesource.com/publicview/TES_publicview01.aspx?rid=c7a20415-2fe5-4692-9d37-7e5315b08c9e&amp;aid=b458a706-2ae5-4444-aa4d-0cab4ee61b4e" CustomURLTarget="_blank" IsComponent="true" /><Page ID="x22309" URL="admission/course-placement/request-accuplacer-scores" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260529T14:12:01" CategoryIds="" FileName="x22309.xml" Name="Request Accuplacer Scores" Title="Request Accuplacer Scores" Abstract="If you have taken the ACCUPLACER assessment at Holyoke Community College, there are two ways of requesting your scores. Please note that the Math course placement is not the Accuplacer assessment; it is an HCC Math Department-developed assessment, and may not be accepted at a different institution. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Request Accuplacer Scores&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;If you have taken the ACCUPLACER assessment at Holyoke Community College, there are two ways of requesting your scores. Please note that the Math course placement is not the Accuplacer assessment; it is an HCC Math Department-developed assessment, and may not be accepted at a different institution.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;You can request your scores to be shared with another institution through &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://studentportal.accuplacer.org/scoreReport&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Accuplacer&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;. If you are able to find your profile, click Send Reports, and they will email you a link to view and print your test results. If you cannot remember your Student ID, please contact us at the Assessment Center by email, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:assessment@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;assessment@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;, or by phone, &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2015&quot;&gt;413.552.2015&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The second option is to complete the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/4rLMFgvJhuTGuDgy7&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Request Accuplacer Scores form&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;, and we will send a copy of your scores to another institution or elsewhere.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;If you have any further questions about your assessment scores, contact us.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Assessment Center&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:assessment@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;assessment@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;413.552.2015&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x185" URL="admission/credit-for-prior-learning" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250113T13:40:22" CategoryIds="" FileName="x185.xml" Name="Credit for Prior Learning" Title="Credit for Prior Learning" Abstract="Did you know? You can take exams to earn college credit." IntroCopy="Life experience equals knowledge. College credit equals opportunity." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSce4Dx1uvcoxHW9woCxCsE5xcwF_e7ZsOL4G65fl0AgQkJI7w/viewform&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Credit for Prior Learning Inquiry Form&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;An adult student with white hair is in a classroom, working at a desk.&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/cpl_web2.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your life experience is valuable. Now you can apply that know-how towards earning your certificate or college degree on campus or online. With Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), we can potentially reward the knowledge you've gained over the years by translating those learning experiences into college-level coursework. Save money and complete your degree faster by demonstrating what you already know through workplace experience and training, military service, professional certifications, or volunteer service!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To explore whether you might qualify for credit for prior learning, &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentrecords@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link studentrecords@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;contact Student Records&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20174" URL="x20174.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20240730T12:52:30" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20174.xml" Name="Free College" Title="Free College" Abstract="Free College" CustomURL="admission/masseducate" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x20166" URL="admission/masseducate" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250416T15:08:01" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20166.xml" Name="MassEducate" Title="MassEducate" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is now Free! No matter your age or income: community college is now free in Massachusetts!" IntroCopy="Holyoke Community College is now Free!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission/masseducate/masseducate-es&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;espa&amp;ntilde;ol&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;MassEducate &lt;/strong&gt;and&lt;strong&gt; MassReconnect &lt;/strong&gt;programs allow all Massachusetts residents who have not yet earned a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree to attend Holyoke Community College for free.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;No tuition. No fees&lt;/strong&gt;. And both programs include an allowance for books and supplies for certain students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;*To be eligible for MassEducate or MassReconnect, you must:&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Complete the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa&quot;&gt;Free Application for Federal Student Aid&lt;/a&gt;(FAFSA)&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;If you are not eligible to complete the FAFSA and are an approved &amp;ldquo;High School Completer&amp;rdquo; under the Massachusetts &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.edu/tuitionequity/home.asp&quot;&gt;tuition equity law&lt;/a&gt;, you can complete the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.edu/tuitionequity/home.asp&quot;&gt;Massachusetts Application for State Financial Aid&lt;/a&gt;(MASFA) and still attend for free.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Apply to Holyoke Community College and enroll in an approved program of study. Applications are open all year long and there&amp;rsquo;s never an application fee. Classes start September 3&lt;sup&gt;rd&lt;/sup&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Have physically resided in Massachusetts for at least one year, as of the start of your first enrolled term.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Have earned a high school diploma or the equivalent (GED/HiSET)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Are enrolled in at least six credits (usually two classes) per semester in an approved program of study leading to an associate degree or certificate.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Maintain satisfactory academic progress in accordance with the Holyoke Community College's &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/documents/Publications/SHB/HCC_StudentHandbook_2024-25_JulyRevision_Web_2.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learn more about how Free Community College in Massachusetts works in our &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/admission/masseducate/masseducate-faq&quot;&gt;Student FAQ&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MassEducate and MassReconnect are last dollar financial aid grant awards that are applied to a student&amp;rsquo;s account after all other state and federal financial aid and grants are applied.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All students are subject to program guidelines and must maintain eligibility throughout the course of their studies to continue to receive financial aid through MassEducate and MassReconnect. Full program guidelines will be forthcoming.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Students who receive MassEducate or MassReconnect awards who are later found to be ineligible, for any reason, may be billed for disbursed funds.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;text&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;text&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Courses and Programs&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/content.php?catoid=11&amp;amp;navoid=459&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;degrees and certificates&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x20170" URL="admission/masseducate/masseducate-faq" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240917T14:10:14" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20170.xml" Name="MassEducate FAQ" Title="MassEducate Student FAQ" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is now Free! No matter your age or income: community college is now free in Massachusetts!" IntroCopy="Learn more about MassEducate and MassReconnect and apply to Holyoke Community College today!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What are MassEducate and MassReconnect?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MassEducate &lt;/strong&gt;and&lt;strong&gt; MassReconnect &lt;/strong&gt;allow Massachusetts residents who have not yet earned a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree to attend any of the state&amp;rsquo;s 15 community colleges and pay &lt;strong&gt;no tuition or fees&lt;/strong&gt;. Both programs include an allowance for books and supplies for certain students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;table&quot; cellpadding=&quot;10&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 360px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MassEducate&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 366px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MassReconnect&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 360px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;For any student with no previously earned bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 366px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;For students 25 and older with no previously earned associate or bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 360px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Covers all course-related tuition and fees for eligible courses&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 366px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Covers all course-related tuition and fees for eligible courses&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 360px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Provides an allowance of up to $1200 per academic year towards books, supplies, and other expenses, based on household income.*&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 366px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Provides an allowance of up to $600 per semester towards books and supplies, regardless of household income.*&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Actual allowance amount varies by enrollment.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Who is eligible for MassReconnect and MassEducate?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These programs are available to students who:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Physically reside in Massachusetts for at least one year, as of the start of the enrolled term&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Are either:&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;A U.S. Citizen, permanent legal resident, or &lt;a href=&quot;https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/eligibility/requirements/non-us-citizens&quot;&gt;non-citizen eligible under Title IV regulations&lt;/a&gt;, or&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;An approved &amp;ldquo;High School Completer&amp;rdquo; per the Massachusetts &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.edu/tuitionequity/home.asp&quot;&gt;tuition equity law&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Have earned a high school diploma or the equivalent (GED/HiSET)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Are enrolled in at least six credits (usually two classes) per semester in an approved program of study leading to an associate degree or certificate&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Maintain satisfactory academic progress in accordance with the college's requirements. For more information, visit Holyoke Community College&amp;rsquo;s &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/financial-aid-policies/satisfactory-academic-progress&quot;&gt;SAP policy&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eligibility for books and supply allowances may differ between programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students who wish to earn credit for past work experience or life skills should refer to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/documents/Publications/SHB/HCC_StudentHandbook_2024-25_JulyRevision_Web_2.pdf&quot;&gt;Student Handbook&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All students must complete the current &lt;a href=&quot;https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa&quot;&gt;FAFSA&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.edu/tuitionequity/home.asp&quot;&gt;MASFA&lt;/a&gt; to be considered eligible for these programs. &lt;strong&gt;For the Fall 2024, Spring 2025 and Summer 2025 semesters, students must complete the 2024-2025 form&lt;/strong&gt;; a new financial aid application must be submitted each academic year for continued funding.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How do I know for sure which program I&amp;rsquo;m eligible for?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Complete your enrollment steps and we&amp;rsquo;ll take it from there! All residents of Massachusetts who meet the above eligibility criteria have access to tuition- and fee-free community college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How do I enroll?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Complete the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa&quot;&gt;Free Application for Federal Student Aid&lt;/a&gt;(FAFSA)&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;If you are not eligible to complete the FAFSA and are an approved &amp;ldquo;High School Completer&amp;rdquo; under the Massachusetts &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.edu/tuitionequity/home.asp&quot;&gt;tuition equity law&lt;/a&gt;, please complete the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.edu/tuitionequity/home.asp&quot;&gt;Massachusetts Application for State Financial Aid&lt;/a&gt;(MASFA).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Apply to Holyoke Community College and enroll in an approved program of study. Holyoke Community College accepts applications throughout the year and there is never an application fee.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If I&amp;rsquo;ve already paid for the fall 2024 semester will my costs still be covered?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Final awarding guidelines from the Department of Higher Education are still pending. All eligible students who are enrolled for the fall 2024 semester will have their costs covered. Students who have already paid some or all of their bill will receive a refund for eligible costs according to college policy and individual student circumstances.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;_________________________________________________&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MassEducate and MassReconnect are last dollar financial aid grant awards that are applied to a student&amp;rsquo;s account after all other state and federal financial aid and grants are applied.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All students are subject to program guidelines and must maintain eligibility throughout the course of their studies to continue to receive financial aid through MassEducate and MassReconnect. &lt;u&gt;Full program guidelines will be forthcoming&lt;/u&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Students who receive MassEducate or MassReconnect awards who are later found to be ineligible, for any reason, may be billed for disbursed funds.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21015" URL="admission/masseducate/masseducate-es" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241119T15:05:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21015.xml" Name="MassEducate-es" Title="MassEducate" Abstract="No importa tu edad o tus ingresos, el community college ahora es gratis para los residentes elegibles de Massachusetts que no tengan un grado de bachillerato." IntroCopy="¡Ahora Holyoke Community College es Gratis!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Los programas &lt;strong&gt;MassEducate&lt;/strong&gt; y &lt;strong&gt;MassReconnect&lt;/strong&gt; permiten a todos los residentes de Massachusetts que a&amp;uacute;n no hayan obtenido un grado de bachillerato asistir gratuitamente a Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sin matr&amp;iacute;cula. Sin cuotas&lt;/strong&gt;. Y ambos programas incluyen un subsidio para libros y materiales para ciertos estudiantes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Para ser elegible para MassEducate o MassReconnect, debes:&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Completar la Solicitud Gratuita de Ayuda Federal (&lt;a href=&quot;https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa&quot;&gt;FAFSA&lt;/a&gt;, por sus siglas en ingl&amp;eacute;s)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Si no eres elegible para completar el FAFSA y has completado los requisitos de escuela secundaria (&amp;ldquo;High School Completer&amp;rdquo; aprobado), bajo la ley de &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.edu/tuitionequity/home.asp&quot;&gt;equidad de matr&amp;iacute;cula de Massachusetts&lt;/a&gt;, puedes completar la Solicitud de Ayuda Financiera Estatal de Massachusetts (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.edu/tuitionequity/home.asp&quot;&gt;MASFA&lt;/a&gt;, por sus siglas en ingl&amp;eacute;s), y de esta manera asistir de forma gratuita.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Solicitar admisi&amp;oacute;n a Holyoke Community College e inscribirte en un programa de estudio aprobado. Las solicitudes est&amp;aacute;n disponibles, libre de costos, durante todo el a&amp;ntilde;o. Las clases comienzan el 3 de septiembre.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Haber residido f&amp;iacute;sicamente en Massachusetts por lo menos un a&amp;ntilde;o a partir del inicio de tu primer semestre matriculado.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Haber obtenido un diploma de escuela secundaria o su equivalente (GED/HiSET).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Estar matriculado en al menos seis cr&amp;eacute;ditos (usualmente dos clases) por semestre en un programa de estudio aprobado que conduzca a un grado asociado o a un certificado.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Mantener un progreso acad&amp;eacute;mico satisfactorio de acuerdo con las regulaciones de Holyoke Community College.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Puedes obtener m&amp;aacute;s informaci&amp;oacute;n sobre c&amp;oacute;mo funciona el Free Community College en Massachusetts en nuestra secci&amp;oacute;n de &lt;a href=&quot;/admission/masseducate/masseducate-faq&quot;&gt;Student FAQ&lt;/a&gt; (Preguntas Frecuentes para Estudiantes).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MassEducate y MassReconnect son becas de ayuda financiera que se aplican a la cuenta del estudiante despu&amp;eacute;s de que se aplican todas las dem&amp;aacute;s ayudas financieras estatales y federales solicitadas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Todos los estudiantes est&amp;aacute;n sujetos a las reglas generales del programa y deben mantener la elegibilidad durante el transcurso de sus estudios para continuar recibiendo ayuda financiera a trav&amp;eacute;s de MassEducate y MassReconnect. Pr&amp;oacute;ximamente se publicar&amp;aacute;n las reglas generales completas del programa.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Los estudiantes que reciben becas de MassEducate o MassReconnect y que luego se determina que no eran elegibles, por cualquier motivo, se les podr&amp;iacute;a facturar por los fondos desembolsados.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;text&quot;&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;&quot; vs=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;&quot; vs=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;text&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;text&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Courses and Programs&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://catalog.hcc.edu/content.php?catoid=11&amp;amp;navoid=459&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Degrees and certificates&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x18911" URL="admission/massreconnect" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240802T12:05:15" CategoryIds="" FileName="x18911.xml" Name="MassReconnect" Title="MassReconnect" Abstract="MassReconnect is a state program that offers free community college for adults 25 and older who do not already have a college degree. Studernts who apply now can qualify for Fall 2023 semester." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;MassReconnect logo&quot; height=&quot;246&quot; src=&quot;images/Admission/MassReconnect-Page-Banner.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;Free Community College for Adults 25+&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is MassReconnect?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MassReconnect is a program is to fund &lt;strong&gt;free&lt;/strong&gt; community college for adults 25 and older who do not already have a college degree. The program begins with the Fall 2023 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Who is eligible?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Massachusetts residents 25 years of age or older can take advantage of this opportunity to earn an associate degree or certificate for &lt;strong&gt;free&lt;/strong&gt; at any of the Commonwealth's 15 public community colleges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See guidelines &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Admission/MassReconnect%20Guidelines.pdf&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Eligible individuals must:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Be 25 or older on the first day of classes for the fall semester&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Have been a permanent legal resident of the Commonwealth for at least one year at start of the enrolled term&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Have not previously received an associate or bachelor's degree or the equivalent&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Enroll in at least six credits per semester in an approved program of study leading to an associate degree or certificate&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Maintain satisfactory academic progress according to the college's requirements&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Complete the &lt;a href=&quot;https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa&quot;&gt;24-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid&lt;/a&gt; (FAFSA)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to Enroll&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Complete and file the&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fstudentaid.gov%2fh%2fapply-for-aid%2ffafsa&amp;amp;c=E,1,oNvowM9wJDvyOgC0KGJZt5-oFPVBWxfJdkQjmyQ8id3C83mop_kD749TYgFPTekiPHeplMfeyLg-oCOizJaukPQL2GnJ5Z-0ktTnIMZsIV2ooGUGrwYfe3oK&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fstudentaid.gov%252fh%252fapply-for-aid%252ffafsa%26c%3DE,1,oNvowM9wJDvyOgC0KGJZt5-oFPVBWxfJdkQjmyQ8id3C83mop_kD749TYgFPTekiPHeplMfeyLg-oCOizJaukPQL2GnJ5Z-0ktTnIMZsIV2ooGUGrwYfe3oK%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1692287245621000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1IGKvW2ZdSZbxuVOPCauVh&quot;&gt;24-25 FAFSA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hcc.edu%2fcourses-and-programs%2fadvising-career-and-transfer-center&amp;amp;c=E,1,a8yDhiQwHEWJSY9HkH3NIEKPqUUtm4DwSFGHytLFNpCCYpTndK_PzUVXuQPL0uqwSxQaE0EQmrzHPKWeUcPBfjlmLMhW9erw9KLAuOnACa_W&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hcc.edu%252fcourses-and-programs%252fadvising-career-and-transfer-center%26c%3DE,1,a8yDhiQwHEWJSY9HkH3NIEKPqUUtm4DwSFGHytLFNpCCYpTndK_PzUVXuQPL0uqwSxQaE0EQmrzHPKWeUcPBfjlmLMhW9erw9KLAuOnACa_W%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1692287245621000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0Ic9hbjSiH5s4fC51r757u&quot;&gt;Meet with an advisor&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;if you have been a student at HCC in the last year&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fhcc.elluciancrmrecruit.com%2fApply%2fAccount%2fLogin&amp;amp;c=E,1,VvSvGg6QfoCtvrMMj7HdqLhpCHeQy-h-4JKljO5Ewwc9U9EL6qPBw9KlsOi2US9X3DeVJLSOQ-YApyMCXmLRaMTd76aWqwmXDNEbXcJPa5XDIog8HE8,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fhcc.elluciancrmrecruit.com%252fApply%252fAccount%252fLogin%26c%3DE,1,VvSvGg6QfoCtvrMMj7HdqLhpCHeQy-h-4JKljO5Ewwc9U9EL6qPBw9KlsOi2US9X3DeVJLSOQ-YApyMCXmLRaMTd76aWqwmXDNEbXcJPa5XDIog8HE8,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1692287245621000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw30kVsllS9-PUPok4IsjDrO&quot;&gt;Apply to HCC&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;if you are a new student or have been away from HCC for more than a year&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;MassReconnect funds will be disbursed in accordance with the MassReconnect guidelines.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Have questions? &lt;a href=&quot;https://vm.providesupport.com/1lr6dhp2guwx218xq66c5ratog&quot;&gt;Chat with us&lt;/a&gt; live!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Recipients who are later determined to be ineligible for MassReconnect may be billed for disbursed funds.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x19250" URL="x19250.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20240802T12:05:15" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19250.xml" Name="Grant Supported Programs" Title="Grant Supported Programs" Abstract="Grant Supported Programs" CustomURL="/admission/#" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x19252" URL="x19252.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20240802T12:05:15" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19252.xml" Name="HCC Career Pathways Program" Title="HCC Career Pathways Program" CustomURL="https://www.hcc.edu/career-pathways-grant-for-early-childhood-educators" IsComponent="true" /><Page ID="x19253" URL="x19253.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20240802T12:05:15" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19253.xml" Name="Human Services Grant" Title="Human Services Grant" CustomURL="https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences/human-services/human-services-grant" IsComponent="true" /><Page ID="x19254" URL="x19254.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20240802T12:05:15" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19254.xml" Name="DDS Grant Application" Title="DDS Grant Application" CustomURL="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf1kau_c19s4EhoNdoyadQ-7EC8MHDaYNOnBkTLTGPVO2xSnQ/viewform" IsComponent="true" /></Page><Page ID="x21123" URL="admission/selective-programs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T18:27:48" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21123.xml" Name="Selective Programs" Title="Selective Programs" Abstract="Selective Programs" BodyCopy="&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;The programs listed below at HCC are all known as selective programs. This means there are separate applications, required supplemental materials, and a review process for each applicant.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Not all applicants will be accepted into these programs. It is important to review each requirement for each program in your &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fhcc.edu%2fapply&amp;amp;c=E,1,iJ6FxSJif07m295d3UvyfcGDhFyM_YNWat0BouoXQMdVtd4u878npzC-XiaXeGH85CJYGHDCSQQIr3GYRLqL3SbIyw9E2WbPwDnHxCeII1PbG9QaMo-Es1w,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;online applicant portal &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;under Applications and Supplemental items.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Explore the information on each of our programs&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hcc.edu%2fcourses-and-programs%2fareas-of-study%2fhealth-sciences%2fnursing-%28associate-and-practical%29&amp;amp;c=E,1,sC_ENQARXNEp9Q1rTimXJVzBXoI8XGjOk0Gy0FxYG8vPKbyRpnnWfjmgOi1O5yXe-d3zW1gdqsAx67iZukxjIhLGqsKyoSPY8kcpv75KzLaT-77eIfnuDThR&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Nursing (Associate &amp;amp; Practical)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hcc.edu%2fcourses-and-programs%2fareas-of-study%2fhealth-sciences%2fradiologic-technology&amp;amp;c=E,1,6D58Bc0OA2APLgScMhwrBo6L5knxvg0vqOI7bZJ97uimeh7VlcEhZxUkmVIORQwzT6sOO-dB45DNGcgylgoO46Jqm7W0RnZGAXViUctQog,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Radiologic Technology&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hcc.edu%2fcourses-and-programs%2fareas-of-study%2fhealth-sciences%2fveterinary-and-animal-science&amp;amp;c=E,1,bCOGBN95QdmHljIIrOQzQFMBEAj37zCHiiQzVPNu1bca1boG_NKmJlXFCCFgtyBX9JxucfYbv09tVifgCoyds5AK69jw3lUSTAsSu8AK&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Veterinary &amp;amp; Animal Science&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hcc.edu%2fcourses-and-programs%2fareas-of-study%2fhealth-sciences%2fveterinary-and-animal-science&amp;amp;c=E,1,XsSD9y6BsftXqmbUF4d-m_5pq69mP9zypQTvYRBhcrUTzZru1sybGVle_yYwnWbZw2wR4JnkI-gMenhPIkj29-3KcUNhYkwMjR_0Me07dazVwXX6YpUtfUIixg,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Veterinary Assistant&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fcatalog.hcc.edu%2fpreview_program.php%3fcatoid%3d11%26poid%3d1263%26returnto%3d459&amp;amp;c=E,1,-Ev0i_wcx8L4A6LjsgLKv9QUhCKCSv2AaGLU9Mm6pLad5Wj3lMtU-gPBW30x1vsgoADicqVfy-THVki_5iWTtbAzSEH_9O8-nieMwnK_ffq0QBw,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Graphic Design Certificate&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hcc.edu%2fcourses-and-programs%2fareas-of-study%2fculinary-arts&amp;amp;c=E,1,K94JLhOlr4buPsVpbRxvlwX8gMA8qPXQTXQaZZbBgxRWympQsOkjRkMDU2al9j6HCunXPaHMVyE9P6L2uKS5f1d57gm1pRoRdbqJkRgeKJe81A,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Culinary Arts Certificate&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Ready to learn more about health career selective programs? Attend an &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/healthinformationsession/start-here&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;online information session&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span id=&quot;gmail-docs-internal-guid-d541741d-7fff-c6fc-3046-fee430189cc0&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Contact Admissions for any application questions at &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x19198" URL="x19198.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20250214T13:11:13" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19198.xml" Name="Admissions Forms" Title="Admissions Forms" Abstract="Admissions Forms" CustomURL="https://www.hcc.edu/admission/forms" IsComponent="true" /><Page ID="x19200" URL="x19200.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20250214T13:11:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19200.xml" Name="Nursing (Associate &amp; Practical)" Title="Nursing (Associate &amp; Practical)" Abstract="Nursing (Associate &amp; Practical)" CustomURL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/nursing-(associate-and-practical)" IsComponent="true" /><Page ID="x19202" URL="x19202.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20250214T13:11:28" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19202.xml" Name="Radiologic Technology" Title="Radiologic Technology" Abstract="Radiologic Technology" CustomURL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/radiologic-technology" IsComponent="true" /><Page ID="x19203" URL="x19203.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20250214T13:11:32" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19203.xml" Name="Veterinary &amp; Animal Science" Title="Veterinary &amp; Animal Science" Abstract="Veterinary &amp; Animal Science" CustomURL="courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/veterinary-and-animal-science" IsComponent="true" /></Page><Page ID="x21014" URL="x21014.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20250107T14:45:56" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21014.xml" Name="Student Records" Title="Student Records" CustomURL="https://www.hcc.edu/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar" CustomURLTarget="_blank" IsComponent="true" /><Page ID="x188" URL="admission/visit-campus" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260212T14:27:37" CategoryIds="" FileName="x188.xml" Name="Visit Campus" Title="Visit Campus" Abstract="Information about visiting Holyoke Community College." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A group of male students talking outside on the campus of holyoke community college&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Admission/Visit%20HCC/visit_intext.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;GETTING STARTED&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;One-on-One Meetings with an Admissions Counselor:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Admissions staff are available to meet one-on-one!&amp;nbsp;Fill out the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6fVBbqgnyL7VEewZTP0fsj3hLPN6jJff6m21FRQcKVCpl2A/viewform&quot; title=&quot;link to google form to request an appointment with admissions&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;appointment request form&lt;/a&gt; and a counselor will respond to you within one business day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;On-Demand How-to Admissions Videos:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; The Admissions Office has created a series of videos for prospective students that are available on-demand so you can find out (on your time) what it takes to become a student at HCC. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGWuc8hU68c&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGWuc8hU68c&quot; title=&quot;link to youtube video on how to apply to hcc&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Learn how to apply&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1Eogity-IE&quot; title=&quot;link to youtube video of Tips for navigating course options&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Tips for navigating course options&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/health-career-programs-info-sessions&quot; title=&quot;link to health career programs info sessions page&quot;&gt;Health Careers Program Information Sessions&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt; On-demand informational videos for students interested in nursing, radiologic technology, veterinary technician, medical assisting, and Foundations of Health programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;CAMPUS TOURS &amp;amp; INFORMATION SESSIONS&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Campus tours and information sessions with HCC admissions counselors are a great way to get to know us! Held every other Wednesday at 11 a.m. &amp;amp; 5 p.m. in&amp;nbsp;the Campus Center, these 30-minute information sessions and 45-minute tours offer prospective students the opportunity to meet with an admissions counselor in a group setting, and learn about the admissions, financial aid, and transfer process. Come enjoy&amp;nbsp;a wonderful opportunity to also meet current HCC students to ask questions and discover what makes HCC the community's college.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Advanced registration for information sessions is requested, but not required.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.elluciancrmrecruit.com/Apply/Events&quot; title=&quot;Link to Ellucian to register for information sessions&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fhcc.elluciancrmrecruit.com%252fApply%252fEvents%26c%3DE,1,UAkK3QR5CgKHkSEPKSuL2Jxaxnhyb1V4e42usbbhpHN7d1UYGqQUGjH_-Jlu0APZsdUcxem-Z9D5wkwSSNdgT3Po9UZQ5hNTtP5CMJ939KdD%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1680284901541000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw2WI1lOCt3ewGSRaI9XmoD6&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;See a list of available dates and sign up here!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;If you would like to schedule a tour without an information&amp;nbsp;session,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fforms.gle%2faNsE3RvveJCNTbQs9&amp;amp;c=E,1,Lk9DkWUV6bf3Jsxm8eIukNkz_IXiT8HNgfzAphugaZFtX3mcIDtPvJ4gt3Tw1__u8lPe2wPFVdFi83c8LmMOkA2Ig3SD3nzDNqOwTjXtyJCMVr9POg,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fforms.gle%252faNsE3RvveJCNTbQs9%26c%3DE,1,Lk9DkWUV6bf3Jsxm8eIukNkz_IXiT8HNgfzAphugaZFtX3mcIDtPvJ4gt3Tw1__u8lPe2wPFVdFi83c8LmMOkA2Ig3SD3nzDNqOwTjXtyJCMVr9POg,,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1770992578542000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0-w_wpIfDeKrRQz3lhz9TB&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;complete this form&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;. Admissions will contact you to schedule a tour.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;If you have a documented disability and require accommodation in order to fully participate in this campus tour, please contact the Office for Students with Disabilities &amp;amp; Deaf Services (OSDDS) at &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2417&quot;&gt;413.552.2417&lt;/a&gt; or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:OSD@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link OSD@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;OSD@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;GETTING HERE&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;The beautiful 135-acre &lt;a href=&quot;/about/visit-hcc/getting-here&quot; title=&quot;link to getting to hcc page&quot;&gt;HCC campus&lt;/a&gt; is conveniently located and easy to get to. In addition to plenty of parking, we are accessible by public transportation and a shuttle bus. &lt;a href=&quot;/about/visit-hcc/getting-here&quot; title=&quot;Link to getting here page on hcc website&quot;&gt;Get directions, parking information, and more.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x130" URL="tuition-and-aid" Schema="CoursesProgramsPage" Locale="" Changed="20220602T15:40:41" CategoryIds="" FileName="x130.xml" Name="Tuition &amp; Aid" Title="Tuition &amp; Aid" Abstract="Holyoke Community College offers an outstanding education at fees that are among the lowest in the Commonwealth." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;As the cost of college continues to soar, more and more students are choosing to begin their college careers at a community college. Holyoke Community College offers an outstanding education at fees that are among the lowest in the Commonwealth&amp;mdash;and scholarships can bring the cost even lower. On these pages you'll find everything you need to know about the cost of attending HCC, as well as information about applying for financial aid, the different types of aid, payment plans and more. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have questions or need assistance at any time, we're here to help! Contact us at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:financialaid@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;financialaid@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2150&quot;&gt;413.552.2150.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x192" URL="tuition-and-aid/billing-and-refund" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260416T14:03:22" CategoryIds="" FileName="x192.xml" Name="Billing &amp; Refund" Title="Billing &amp; Refund" Abstract="How to pay your bill, how to get a refund, and how to withdraw." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Looking for your bill? HCC does not mail bills, but you can find your statement and links to your payment plan online. Go to &lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fmy.hcc.edu%2f&amp;amp;c=E,1,42CbHNdNROQ1iYSo60Lo0CuBlek1UpHR9N-tmEex4hEkr0fCDvoq8lmNJFp5uCgUdm29YAw6bqe0NwXE1w9ykW56k-1aEXlxqTg9cJoI3q_K&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fmy.hcc.edu%252f%26c%3DE,1,42CbHNdNROQ1iYSo60Lo0CuBlek1UpHR9N-tmEex4hEkr0fCDvoq8lmNJFp5uCgUdm29YAw6bqe0NwXE1w9ykW56k-1aEXlxqTg9cJoI3q_K%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1738846748619000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw3R1dQnzjy5JXIV33BAj3g0&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;my.HCC.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;portal and u&lt;span&gt;nder my Student Resource Card click the link to my Student Bill. &lt;/span&gt;Don't forget: Billing reminders and other important messages will be sent to your HCC email address, so be sure to check it regularly. Questions? Contact us at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentaccounts@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;studentaccounts@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;studentaccounts@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/Billing-Refund/BillSched4_WinterandSP2026_Sched_Back_E1_10272025.pdf&quot; title=&quot;bill schedule&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Billing Schedule &amp;amp; Refund Policies for Credit Courses - &lt;span&gt;Wintersession/Spring 2026&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Offices-Administration/Student%20Records-Registrar/bill_sched_for_back_of%20sched_Sum_Fall%2026__040826.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to PDF of Billing Schedule &amp;amp; Refund Policies for Credit Courses &amp;ndash; Summer/Fall 2026&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Billing Schedule &amp;amp; Refund Policies for Credit Courses &amp;ndash; Summer/Fall 2026&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/Billing-Refund/BillSched4_WinterSP2023_Sched_Back_E1_10242022%20%281%29.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of Billing Schedule &amp;amp; Refund Policies for Credit Courses &amp;ndash; Wintersession/Spring 2023&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/Billing-Refund/bill%20sched%20for%20back%20of%20sched%20%28sum_fall%2021%29%20061421.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of billing schedule and refund policies for summer/fall 2021&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once you have registered for your classes, the Bursar's Office (Student Account Services, located in Frost 221) will upload an e-bill statement, listing charges (such as tuition and fees) and credits (such as financial aid or other payments).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Be sure to make your payments by your billing due date!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students are responsible for any charges incurred that are not addressed in a payment plan or covered by financial aid. Students will be responsible for charges incurred if courses are not dropped during the add/drop period.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Enrollment in the Payment Plan is online through &lt;a href=&quot;https://my.hcc.edu&quot;&gt;my.hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;. (Under my Student Resource Card and the link to my Student Bill)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Incomplete paperwork can delay payment to your account, so be sure that your financial aid application, veteran or other tuition waivers, and/or online payment plan have been completed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you are receiving financial aid or other type of tuition assistance/payment, the College must provide students with a copy of their billing statement. The email notice and the online Bill Statement will show a negative amount due (e.g. Amount Due -$100.00) when your anticipated aid exceeds tuition and fees.&amp;nbsp; Financial aid surplus will be converted into a book advance to purchase book and supplies.&amp;nbsp; Any remaining surplus of financial aid, tuition assistance or overpayment will be refunded to the student by the College for financial aid within 14 days upon receipt and within 7 days upon request by student for other overpayments.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If, before classes start, you make a schedule change that affects the amount you owe, the due date for your first payment remains the date indicated on your original bill. Although the College will adjust the amount owed, no new bill will be issued. You will still need to make payment or arrange a payment plan by your originally scheduled payment due date.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;Withdrawal&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;If, after registering, you decide not to attend HCC, immediately notify the Student Records Office to withdraw from your classes. This can be done by calling Student Records at &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2319&quot;&gt;413.552.2319&lt;/a&gt;, or by completing and submitting a withdrawal form at the the Student Records Office (FR 223).&amp;nbsp;Please be aware that non-payment of your bill does not constitute withdrawal from the College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;Hours&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;General&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Monday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tuesday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Wednesday&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Thursday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Friday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contact us at &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2101&quot;&gt;413.552.2101&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:jlebron@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentaccounts@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;studentaccounts@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x193" URL="tuition-and-aid/billing-and-refund/payment-options" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250725T17:02:15" CategoryIds="" FileName="x193.xml" Name="Payment Options" Title="Payment Options" Abstract="How to pay your bill." BodyCopy="&lt;h5 dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;Online Payments&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;To make an online payment (debit card with bank logo, credit card, or personal check), sign in to your&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fmy.hcc.edu&amp;amp;c=E,1,e_QprMvYquy53eh0sV6VkdYtuFgX8KR2mKLElXy5r50PECkVYCUhZHJGbFiwFNlD_5WDOVtqHl20O85rnC7Ex7lXJfa_FVp1xcZ1SuWtk62mMFoj8tfa1o4,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fmy.hcc.edu%26c%3DE,1,e_QprMvYquy53eh0sV6VkdYtuFgX8KR2mKLElXy5r50PECkVYCUhZHJGbFiwFNlD_5WDOVtqHl20O85rnC7Ex7lXJfa_FVp1xcZ1SuWtk62mMFoj8tfa1o4,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1753548875773000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0LKKL_SjovI1nTOjYISVw-&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;myHCC Dashboard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;, go to the&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;My Student Resources&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;card, and scroll to My Student Bill:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Go to &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fmy.hcc.edu&amp;amp;c=E,1,xuYOke8C_mj1ZDEGvPMgnAGWIZETDgsksKbpbeEQqA6dyK5ZRixbx2LBJk1fCENkhKoUYFO-Plgvq6SscA2huZVRLVa09AJYG-6SMuyXHVrN8g,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fmy.hcc.edu%26c%3DE,1,xuYOke8C_mj1ZDEGvPMgnAGWIZETDgsksKbpbeEQqA6dyK5ZRixbx2LBJk1fCENkhKoUYFO-Plgvq6SscA2huZVRLVa09AJYG-6SMuyXHVrN8g,,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1753548875773000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0Elr7XolC0jOYAnoms8cbP&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;my.hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt; and sign in with your HCC Account&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My Student Resources&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt; &amp;rarr; My Student Bill&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Questions or need help?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Contact&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hcc.edu%2fabout%2foffices-and-administration%2fcollege-offices%2fstudent-accounts&amp;amp;c=E,1,MOSFFHYjnRGDs8Bb_ETFmsSKAEBYpVuGq3Phn4HwldhipNdhpWwINHwLZV5AyTotTxxKUgVAzyD6hW29N2Zp_mlxDNIjmwyQXFumBZJ_snVM5OjX7U5_EAbyJAn4&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hcc.edu%252fabout%252foffices-and-administration%252fcollege-offices%252fstudent-accounts%26c%3DE,1,MOSFFHYjnRGDs8Bb_ETFmsSKAEBYpVuGq3Phn4HwldhipNdhpWwINHwLZV5AyTotTxxKUgVAzyD6hW29N2Zp_mlxDNIjmwyQXFumBZJ_snVM5OjX7U5_EAbyJAn4%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1753548875773000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1pdi11m9QeeklpN6GurazZ&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Student Accounts&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;by phone at 413.552.2101 or email at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentaccounts@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;studentaccounts@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monthly Payment Plan&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College offers its students a way to pay tuition and fees on a monthly basis during the semester, rather than all at once before the start of classes. After setting up a payment plan, students can log in to Online Services and:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;View a list of charges, credits, and financial aid eligibility&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Make payments online using a credit card or personal check (also includes option to set up automatic monthly payments)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Receive email notifications as your plan adjusts to changes in your account status&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Assign an &quot;Authorized User&quot; (e.g., a parent is paying your account)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;To enroll in HCC's Monthly Tuition Payment Plan, go to MyHCC, then Online Services and&amp;nbsp;follow the steps above for Online Payments, and select the Payment Plan tab.&amp;nbsp;Enrollment in the plan must be processed online and is only complete when accompanied by the initial payment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Paperwork for Financial Aid applications, the online payment plan, and veteran or other tuition waivers must also be completed.&amp;nbsp;To avoid cancelled registration, be sure to pay your bill by your payment due date.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If, after registering, you decide not to attend HCC, immediately notify the Student Records Office &lt;strong&gt;in writing&lt;/strong&gt; to have your classes and bill canceled. Non-payment of your bill does not constitute withdrawal from the college. If, before classes start, you make any schedule changes which affect the amount you owe, you will not receive a revised bill. Your first due date remains the deadline for paying any amount currently due.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7717" URL="tuition-and-aid/billing-and-refund/refund-options" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:43:43" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7717.xml" Name="Refund Options" Title="Refund Options" Abstract="Learn about how you will receive your refund. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College delivers your refund with BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc. Visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://bankmobiledisbursements.com/refundchoices/&quot;&gt;BankMobile Disbursements&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to learn all about your refund choices.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;what kind of money you might receive&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;The most common type of money&amp;nbsp;BMTX, Inc. disburses to students are funds left over from financial aid awards, loans, or grants after tuition has been paid. Students receiving these funds have usually requested this additional support to help with books and living expenses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other types of money may include reimbursement for tuition overpayment or a dropped class.&amp;nbsp;BMTX, Inc. uses the term &quot;refund,&quot; but HCC may have another name for these funds, such as a disbursement, residual, or a stipend.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To get easy answers any time, use our online &lt;a href=&quot;https://bankmobile.custhelp.com/app/home&quot;&gt;FAQ database. &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x10905" URL="tuition-and-aid/cares-act-emergency-aid" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:43:33" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10905.xml" Name="CARES Act Emergency Aid" Title="CARES Act Emergency Aid" Abstract="Information about emergency financial aid provided by the CARES Act" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The CARES Act provided federal funds to students to offset the expenses they might have incurred when their college switched from face-to-face to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Expense might include having to buy a computer, buying or upgrading internet access, or increased utility costs from being home, among other expenses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;CARES Act funds were distributed through an application process and later through block grants to eligible students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Other Sources of Funds&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you are a student who is not eligible for CARES Act money but was still financially impacted by COVID-19 and in need of assistance, we encourage you to apply for a grant from the &lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships/presidents-student-emergency-fund&quot; title=&quot;Link to president's student emergency fund page&quot;&gt;President&amp;rsquo;s Student Emergency Fund&lt;/a&gt;. This is aid that does not have to be paid back.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please also read our &lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/cares-act-emergency-aid/cares-act-reporting&quot; title=&quot;Cares Act Reporting page&quot;&gt;CARES Act Report page.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;faq's&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x10944" URL="tuition-and-aid/cares-act-emergency-aid/cares-act-reporting" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240710T20:17:42" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10944.xml" Name="CARES Act Reporting" Title="CARES Act Report" Abstract="CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Report" IntroCopy="This page provides information on HCC's CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, including the amount received by the college, its use and method for distribution." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Following is information related to Holyoke Community College's CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) award, and its use of to make emergency grants to HCC students. The information is provided in accordance with U.S. Department of Education guidance, which stipulates:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;An acknowledgement that the institution signed and returned to the Department the Certification and Agreement and the assurance that the institution has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;The total amount of funds that the institution will receive or has received from the Department pursuant to the institution's Certification and Agreement [for] Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Student.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;The total amount of Emergency Financial Aid Grants distributed to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act as of the date of submission (i.e., as of the 30-day Report and every 45 days thereafter).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;The estimated total number of students at the institution eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;The total number of students who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;The method(s) used by the institution to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants and how much they would receive under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Any instructions, directions, or guidance provided by the institution to students concerning the Emergency Financial Aid Grants.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Acknowledgement&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College submitted the signed certification and agreement form for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) to the U.S. Department of Education and certifies that no less than 50 per cent of the funds received will be used to provide emergency grants to students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Funding&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will receive&amp;nbsp;$10,495,019 from HEERF.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Distribution&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;As of December 31, 2023, $10,495,019 of the&amp;nbsp;HEERF&amp;nbsp;funds have been paid to HCC students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Number of Eligible Students&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The total number of students eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and are therefore eligible to receive an emergency financial aid grant is 8,008.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Number of Recipients&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;As of December 31,&amp;nbsp;2023, 8,008 students have received an emergency financial aid grant from the&amp;nbsp;HEERF&amp;nbsp;Student Portion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aid Distributed Directly to Students&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;As of December 31, 2023, $10,495,019 of the&amp;nbsp;HEERF&amp;nbsp;funds have been paid directly to HCC students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Method of Determination&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;1. A block grant to all eligible students based on an estimated minimal incremental cost resulting from disruptions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic based on:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 30px;&quot;&gt;a. increased technology cost required to transition to distance education&lt;br /&gt;b. creating a learning space in the home to participate in online classes&lt;br /&gt;c. the cost of procuring services, supplies, and materials previously provided by the college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2. An application process where students could submit requests for reimbursement costs incurred related to the COVID- 19 disruption that exceeded the amount distributed as block grants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Quarterly Report&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/00217000_HEERF_Q22024_07102024.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of March 2023 HEERF report&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;June 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/00217000_HEERF_Q12024_04092024.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of March 2023 HEERF report&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;March 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/00217000_HEERF_Q42023_011024.pdf&quot; title=&quot;December 2023&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;December 2023 (Revised)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/00217000_HEERF_Q42023_011024_1.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;December 2023&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/00217000_HEERF_Q30701_09302023_Revised.pdf&quot;&gt;September 2023 (Revised) &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/September%202023%20Quarterly%200701_09302023.pdf&quot;&gt;September 2023&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/00217000_HEERF_Q20401-06302023Updated_04182024.pdf&quot;&gt;June 2023 (Revised/Updated)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/June%202023_HEERF_Quarterly_Reporting_Form_Updated_10042023.pdf&quot;&gt;June 2023 (Updated)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/June%202023_HEERF_Quarterly_Reporting_FormRevised09252023.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Jun 23 Revised&quot;&gt;June 2023 (Revised) &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/June%202023_HEERF_Quarterly_Reporting_Form.pdf&quot;&gt;June 2023&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/00217000_HEERF_Q10101-03312023Updated_04182024.pdf&quot;&gt;March 2023 (Revised/Updated) &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/March%202023_HEERF_Quarterly_Reporting_Form_Updated_10042023.pdf&quot;&gt;March 2023 (Updated)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/March%202023_HEERF_Quarterly_Reporting_FormRevised09252023.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Mar 23 Revised&quot;&gt;March 2023 (Revised)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/March%202023_HEERF_Quarterly_Reporting_Form.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of March 2023 HEERF report&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;March 2023&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;December 2022 (Revised/Updated)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/December%202022_HEERF_Quarterly_Reporting_Form_Updated_10042023.pdf&quot;&gt;December 2022 (Updated)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/December%202022_HEERF_Quarterly_Reporting_FormRevised09252023.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Dec 22 Revised&quot;&gt;December 2022 (Revised)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/December%202022_HEERF_Quarterly_Reporting_Form.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of december 2022 report&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;December 2022&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/00217000_HEERF_Q30701-09302022Updated_04182024.pdf&quot;&gt;September 2022 (Revised/Updated)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/September%202022_HEERF_Quarterly_Reporting_Form_Updated_10042023.pdf&quot;&gt;September 2022 (Updated)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/September%202022_HEERF_Quarterly_Reporting_Form_Revised09252023%280%29.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Sep 23&quot;&gt;September 2022 (Revised)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/September%202022_HEERF_Quarterly_Reporting_Form%20%284%29%280%29.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Sep 22&quot;&gt;September 2022&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/00217000_HEERF_Q20401-06302022Updated_04182024.pdf&quot;&gt;June 2022 (Revised/Updated)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/June_2022_HEERF_Quarterly_Reporting_Form_07082022_Updated_10042023.pdf&quot;&gt;June 2022 (Updated)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/June_2022_HEERF_Quarterly_Reporting_Form_07082022_Revised_09252023.pdf&quot;&gt;June 2022 (Revised)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/June_2022_HEERF_Quarterly_Reporting_Form_07082022.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to CARES Act quarterly rpt&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;April 1, 2022 - June 30, 2022&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/opeidheerfq32021101021Quarterly_0101_03312022.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to CARES Act Qtryl Rpt_Jan-Mar 2022&quot;&gt;January 1, 2022 - March 31, 2022&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/opeidheerfq32021101021Quarterly_1001-12312021.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to PDF of October to December Quarterly CARES act report&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;October 1 - December 31, 2021&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/opeidheerfq32021101021Quarterly0701_09302021.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to CARES Act Report&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;July 1, 2021 - September 30, 2021&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/heerf-quarterly-reporting-4th%20qtr%2003012021_06302021.docx&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;April 1 - June 30, 2021&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/heerf-quarterly-reporting-3rd%20qtr%2001012021_03312021.pdf&quot; title=&quot;link to pdf of December 31, 2020 &amp;ndash; March 31, 2021 report&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;December 31, 2020 &amp;ndash; March 31, 2021&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/heerf-quarterly-reporting-2nd%20qtr%20100120_123120%20revised%2002082021.docx&quot; title=&quot;Link to CARES Act Second Quarter Report&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;October 1 &amp;ndash; December 30, 2020&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/CARES%20Act/heerf-quarterly-reporting%20Inception%20to%2009302020%20revised%2002082021.docx&quot; title=&quot;Link to quarterly CARES Act report_inception to 9-30-2020&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Inception - September 30, 2020&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Annual Report&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://covid-relief-data.ed.gov/profile/entity/878042548&quot;&gt;Annual Report&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Instructions &amp;amp; Guidance&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;December 11, 2021,&amp;nbsp;an email was sent to students providing&amp;nbsp;information about&amp;nbsp;CARES&amp;nbsp;Act&amp;nbsp;grant payments and eligibility.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;June 28, 2021,&amp;nbsp;an email was sent to students providing&amp;nbsp;information about&amp;nbsp;CARES&amp;nbsp;Act&amp;nbsp;grant payments and eligibility.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;May 17, 2021,&amp;nbsp;an email was sent to students providing&amp;nbsp;information about&amp;nbsp;CARES&amp;nbsp;Act&amp;nbsp;grant payments and eligibility.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;October 27, 2020 an email was sent to students providing&amp;nbsp;information about&amp;nbsp;CARES&amp;nbsp;Act&amp;nbsp;grant payments and eligibility.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;June 4, 2020 another CARES Act reminder was sent in the Need to Know newsletter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;May 21, 2020, a reminder email was sent to HCC students directng them to the CARES Act page on the HCC website.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;May 7, 2020, HCC established a &lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/cares-act-emergency-aid&quot; title=&quot;Link to CARES Act information&quot;&gt;CARES Act web page&lt;/a&gt; with comprehensive information for students regarding eligibility and steps to apply for aid. An email was sent to HCC students pointing them to this page and information.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;April 30, 2020, a student town hall was held to provide information and answer student questions regarding the CARES Act.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x195" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240919T16:06:42" CategoryIds="" FileName="x195.xml" Name="Financial Aid" Title="Financial Aid" Abstract="The Financial Aid Office is here to help you complete and submit your paperwork." IntroCopy="More than half of all HCC students receive financial aid from federal, state, and private sources. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Staff person helping student at desk&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/Offices-Administration/academicsupport_intext.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;get in touch&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Have questions? &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Ask us via &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fvm.providesupport.com%2f1lr6dhp2guwx218xq66c5ratog&amp;amp;c=E,1,VkdCDh6CK6jNwHNOF9ksL37ly69qFQ5W-rTRoNq9Rs1SbOMeW7TLhcwgOhPNLur9BYBLQ7neT9XAX4rgzMDIxpyNO_e702MFMRARPbhuYgPBERCHCCmG_EQxWlM,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Chat Now.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Prefer to call or email? Contact us at &lt;a href=&quot;tel:4135522150&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;413.552.2150&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:financialaid@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;email&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt; our office and leave your name and contact information and one of our staff will be in touch within 24 hours.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;The Financial Aid office is typically open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Fridays from 1 pm - 4:30 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Before the start of each semester extended hours are Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;The Financial Aid Office is here to help you complete and submit your paperwork. You can even apply and submit federal financial aid forms directly from our office.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;The vast majority of financial aid funds at Holyoke Community College come from Federal and State programs for which eligibility is need-based. Students applying for financial aid are considered for a wide variety of aid Programs. Students must reapply for this aid each academic year. State funded programs require the student (and parent) to have been Massachusetts residents for at least one year before the start of the school year. All awards are subject to the availability of funds and changes in Federal, State, and College regulations, policies and procedures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;contact&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:financialaid@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;financialaid@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2150&quot;&gt;413.552.2150&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x196" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/how-to-apply" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260319T19:55:40" CategoryIds="" FileName="x196.xml" Name="How to Apply" Title="How to Apply" Abstract="Applying for financial aid is easier than you think – and the HCC Financial Aid Office is here to help." BodyCopy="&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The 2026-27 FAFSA form is expected to be released on October 1, 2025. Use the 2026-27 form to apply for financial aid for courses beginning Fall 2026, Spring 2027, and Summer 2027.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use the 2025-26 FAFSA form to apply for financial aid for courses beginning in Fall 2025, Spring 2026, and Summer 2026.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Applying for financial aid is easier than you think &amp;ndash; and the HCC Financial Aid Office is here to help! Now is the time to fill out the 2025-26 Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA). Ready to start?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;1.&lt;/span&gt; Fill out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid):&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Your FAFSA is the key to all financial aid. It doesn't matter whether the aid is state or federal, a grant, loan, student employment, or a combination of these &amp;ndash; HCC will use the information on your FAFSA to determine what type of and how much aid you will receive. All financial aid applicants must submit a properly completed FAFSA every year. The FAFSA is submitted electronically through&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa&quot; title=&quot;Link to FAFSA website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;FAFSA online&lt;/a&gt;. HCC's Federal School Code&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;002170&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;must be included on the FAFSA.&amp;nbsp;You can complete your FAFSA on-campus or virtually! Here are some helpful tips to get started:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:financialaid@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link financialaid@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Email&lt;/a&gt;, call, or &lt;a href=&quot;https://vm.providesupport.com/1lr6dhp2guwx218xq66c5ratog&quot; title=&quot;Link to ChatNow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;chat with us&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to set up an appointment. Appointments are first come, first serve and are only in-person on Mondays. Virtual appointments are available Monday through Friday.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/how-to-apply/financial-aid-labs&quot; title=&quot;Link to financial aid labs page&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt; to sign up for a FAFSA lab, where our staff can help you with any FAFSA questions.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;To access information on&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://studentaid.gov/&quot; title=&quot;Link to student aid website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;studentaid.gov&lt;/a&gt;, you and a parent must &lt;a href=&quot;https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch&quot; title=&quot;Link to create FSA username and password&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;create FSA User IDs&lt;/a&gt; and passwords. This process takes about 15 minutes, and is &lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;required&lt;/span&gt; to electronically sign the FAFSA. (For students and parents who already have electronic PINs, doing this will link your PIN to your FSA User ID and password. For step-by-step instructions on how to create FSA User IDs,&amp;nbsp;please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Documents/Tuition-Aid/Financial%20Aid/HowtoCreateanFSAID.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to PDF with FSAID instructions&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;click&amp;nbsp;here&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;2.&lt;/span&gt; Meet Deadlines:&lt;/strong&gt; In order to meet both HCC's priority deadline and the state MASSGrant deadlines, your FAFSA must reach the federal processor before May 1, 2025 for the school year starting in Sept. 2025. In addition to meeting the May 1 deadline, to receive the most possible aid, you should also submit all other required documentation to the Financial Aid Office by June 30, 2025. Students who miss the May 1 FAFSA deadline should apply as soon as possible to receive the best possible aid package!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;3.&lt;/span&gt; Don't Forget!&lt;/strong&gt; Promptly respond to all requests for additional information; make sure you apply for admission and are accepted to a degree or certificate program; preregister for your classes as early as possible; answer award offers by accepting or declining awards on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://my.hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;HCC Online Services&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;my.hcc.edu Portal;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and notify the Financial Aid Office&amp;nbsp;about any funding from another source (like a scholarship organization).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;4.&lt;/span&gt; Incomplete Applications:&lt;/strong&gt; If your application is selected for verification, you will need to provide additional documentation, like verification worksheets. These need to be submitted to the Financial Aid Office within two (2) weeks of the date that you find out you need to send them. If we do not get the documents within that time frame, the file is incomplete and we can't take further action on the application until the documents are provided. If the documents are submitted &lt;em&gt;after&lt;/em&gt; the two-week period, it's possible we may be able to take action on the application. If corrections to the application are needed, HCC will make the corrections on our computer system and submit the corrections to the federal processor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;5.&lt;/span&gt; Additional Application Requirements:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Entrance Counseling:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;All first-time loan borrowers at HCC are required to do a student loan entrance interview. To complete this requirement, we use the online entrance counseling tutorial at studentaid.gov. First-time borrowers are also required to complete an electronic Master Promissory Note (MPN) at the studentaid.gov website.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Exit counseling&lt;/span&gt; &amp;ndash; Prior to finishing your HCC education (or dropping below half-time), all borrowers must also do a loan exit interview. This can also be done on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://studentaid.gov/&quot; title=&quot;Student loans website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;studentaid.gov&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;website.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x5277" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/how-to-apply/financial-aid-labs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260507T18:26:30" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5277.xml" Name="Financial Aid Labs" Title="Financial Aid Labs" Abstract="We're here to help! Gather your information and join us for one of our upcoming Financial Aid labs where we can help with FAFSAs. FSA IDs, and loan requirements." BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;We're here to help! HCC's Financial Aid Office is holding workshops to help HCC students.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Gather your information and join us for one of the sessions so you can receive expert assistance with:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;FSA ID Creation&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Filing FAFSA for&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;2026-2027&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Loan Requirements: Entrance counseling, master promissory notes, and loan requests&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;HCC Online Services: View, accept, and decline awards&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please check the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/deadlines&quot;&gt;financial aid deadlines&lt;/a&gt; to ensure that your application is submitted at the best possible time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;Financial Aid Labs&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot; height=&quot;69&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 97.0307%;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3333%; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DATE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3333%; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TIME&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 52.9165%; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTER LINK&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3333%; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;FRIDAY, MAY 22ND&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3333%; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;3:00PM - 4:00PM&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 52.9165%;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/Sexq54FlQDCFFUvh5U7nPA&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fhcc-edu.zoom.us%252fmeeting%252fregister%252fSexq54FlQDCFFUvh5U7nPA%26c%3DE,1,JjrpGJEqeYyN8IX506E5uyHUMTO3e4P0lCSqqfUe2zoI1_FhxBhK3uNmixkq-1EAF_LhEIkc3nAOIYM_JFvvoOkba57T4o9SsQ2pD0HCwTlG5IAQscPw%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1778257085468000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0JZaGmhkF_Lskum8wpwDRA&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; class=&quot;extLink&quot; title=&quot;FAFSA LAB 5/22/2026 FROM 3PM-4PM&quot;&gt;https://hcc-edu.zoom.&lt;wbr /&gt;us/meeting/register/&lt;wbr /&gt;Sexq54FlQDCFFUvh5U7nPA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3333%; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;WEDNESDAY, MAY 27TH&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3333%; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;10:00AM - 11:00AM&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 52.9165%;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fhcc-edu.zoom.us%2fmeeting%2fregister%2fw4zJqzdZSTKwtbrkdF4dVg&amp;amp;c=E,1,BV0kq1zzrDvR4UBlDQ1pKKrEs4-aj5cFzPxVK1zl5ujnplN-ulUp2Bfuv5-UgH6WDG0yMBl68P5htlvA8UloBInCYuRtz0Q1BfVl6l0NI_-T1GGQhJZFkCbZ&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fhcc-edu.zoom.us%252fmeeting%252fregister%252fw4zJqzdZSTKwtbrkdF4dVg%26c%3DE,1,BV0kq1zzrDvR4UBlDQ1pKKrEs4-aj5cFzPxVK1zl5ujnplN-ulUp2Bfuv5-UgH6WDG0yMBl68P5htlvA8UloBInCYuRtz0Q1BfVl6l0NI_-T1GGQhJZFkCbZ%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1775046968378000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1_EVl0-Q-1rM8WSBLQ0m8c&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; class=&quot;extLink&quot; title=&quot;Wed April 22nd 10-11am FAFSA LAB REGISTRATION&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/DuqAksEvTEqCYIgJFSBSag&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fhcc-edu.zoom.us%252fmeeting%252fregister%252fDuqAksEvTEqCYIgJFSBSag%26c%3DE,1,0j2OEKKjODCPCEI8X8OGsqHMhvuOMqDSNnMkjHXbSiatBEm3p_K7o-p_0KxlaPqOJAwCsx0FUyAUR4LThq4XSBHYvxBvbnH5s1zZS3x_vtp5Waxn%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1778257085468000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1zHE7_2froN8zj7e1LMl-E&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; class=&quot;extLink&quot; title=&quot;FAFSA LAB 05/27/2026 FROM 10AM-11AM&quot;&gt;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/&lt;wbr /&gt;meeting/register/&lt;wbr /&gt;DuqAksEvTEqCYIgJFSBSag&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3333%; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;TUESDAY, JUNE 9TH&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3333%; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;10:00AM - 11:00AM&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 52.9165%;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/Fs31TcefRQugBQwTNKjPKQ&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fhcc-edu.zoom.us%252fmeeting%252fregister%252fFs31TcefRQugBQwTNKjPKQ%26c%3DE,1,MxJ3WlMMrLIuAMUVxejWrByRE_FU0SKWgaS8OSSZKYoXY3pNJFuyqAF4tg2Pr_bv1WYTSLhnFF0eD9Xvu3SjQaJ_UJ50qBhoA_HggBhk1AL5Rs09l58,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1778257085468000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0-R6uCpusRsE0vJAns4Jp4&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; class=&quot;extLink&quot; title=&quot;FAFSA LAB 6/9/2026 FROM 10AM-11AM&quot;&gt;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/&lt;wbr /&gt;meeting/register/&lt;wbr /&gt;Fs31TcefRQugBQwTNKjPKQ&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3333%; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;FRIDAY, JUNE 26TH&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.3333%; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;3:00PM - 4:00PM&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 52.9165%;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/8BkTMBeMRxe7Z3dZxnS66Q&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fhcc-edu.zoom.us%252fmeeting%252fregister%252f8BkTMBeMRxe7Z3dZxnS66Q%26c%3DE,1,vwWT15UYotFofmLcu-Z3K_nzPjHjx-G_DTe8j39Ro3qbhqFdtAB4mOwoasjVky8mwQosZrBJI5GqKx18Op3QpvK1RMas7uA9s9fPT-ZCcbc,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1778257085468000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw2hgIstjhiI6F67PYrbPNhs&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; class=&quot;extLink&quot; title=&quot;FAFSA LAB 6/26/26 FROM 3PM - 4PM&quot;&gt;https://hcc-edu.zoom.&lt;wbr /&gt;us/meeting/register/&lt;wbr /&gt;8BkTMBeMRxe7Z3dZxnS66Q&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;Checklists&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The checklists below will help you determine what you need with you when you attend a lab.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FSA ID Checklist&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;❏ &amp;nbsp;Your FSA ID: Please create an FSA ID 2-3 days before joining the FAFSA lab. Follow this link to create an FSA ID: &lt;a href=&quot;https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Students, parents, and spouses (of student or parent *if applicable) need their own individual FSA IDs.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If already created, log-in to &lt;a href=&quot;http://studentaid.gov&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;studentaid.gov&lt;/a&gt; and verify user and password are correct.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*Note: not completing the FSA ID 2-3 business days before trying to file your FAFSA application may prevent you from completing the FAFSA application.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Items Needed for FAFSA Lab:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;❏ &amp;nbsp;Your social security number and your parent's Social Security number, Date of Birth, and email address if you are providing parental information&lt;br /&gt;❏ &amp;nbsp;Your alien registration number if applicable&lt;br /&gt;❏ &amp;nbsp;Federal tax information or tax returns including IRS W-2 information, for yourself (and spouse, if you are married), and for your parents if you are providing parental information.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;If you are filling out the 2026-2027 FAFSA, you will need 2024 tax information.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;❏ &amp;nbsp;Records of untaxed income, such as child support received for yourself (and spouse, if you are married), and for your parents if you are providing parental information&lt;br /&gt;❏ &amp;nbsp;Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including rental properties; and business and farm assets for yourself (and spouse, if you are married), and for your parents if you are providing parental information&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;HCC's Financial Aid Office encourages those students who are providing parental information to be accompanied by at least one parent.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Want to do it yourself? Go to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://studentaid.gov/&quot; title=&quot;FAFSA&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://fafsa.ed.gov/&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1551893833741000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGwzSrHPJIhWyIz0CPMZ530NtWRxw&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;www.studentaid.gov&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FAFSA Video Guide&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EE8ss6aqhZHwmmn2CuSxEYaZEVTfbxwN/view?usp=sharing&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;extLink&quot; title=&quot;Student Video Guide&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Student&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wUbC0bDY6RgFs-1GMD11-njfoSINHOSK/view?usp=sharing&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;extLink&quot; title=&quot;Student Spouse Video Guide&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Student's Spouse (if Married)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zKA5_Bl_At4wDMdfU65T2dGXsi68pvgu/view?usp=sharing&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;extLink&quot; title=&quot;Parent(s) Video Guide&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Parent(s)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Loan Requirement Checklist&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;❏ &amp;nbsp;Your verified FSA ID login information. You must be able to access your FSA ID to complete the Entrance Counseling and Loan Agreement/MPN.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC Online Services Checklist&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;❏ &amp;nbsp;You will need your&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;HCC ID:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Your nine-digit HCC ID number located on your HCC ID card, and&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;PIN:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Default/temporary pin is: An uppercase &quot;H&quot; + lowercase &quot;cc&quot; + the last six digits of your HCC ID number. For example, if the last six digits of your HCC ID are 123456, your password would be Hcc123456.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x197" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/check-your-status" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250124T13:37:19" CategoryIds="" FileName="x197.xml" Name="Check Your Status" Title="Check Your Status" Abstract="Log in to review the status of your application, download missing requirements, check on your Satisfactory Academic Progress standing, and much more." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Students can review up-to-date financial aid information online with the &lt;a href=&quot;https://my.hcc.edu&quot;&gt;my.HCC Dashboard&lt;/a&gt;. Under My Tuition and Aid card - look for for My Financial Aid to review the status of your application, download missing requirements, check on your Satisfactory Academic Progress standing, and much more.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13268" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/how-need-is-determined" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250220T18:58:26" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13268.xml" Name="How Need is Determined" Title="How Need is Determined" Abstract="Wonder how your financial aid award is calculated? Find out here!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Understanding Cost of Attendance and Determining Financial Need&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is Financial Need?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Financial need refers to the gap between the cost of attending college (Cost of Attendance - COA) and the amount your family is expected to contribute (Expected Family Contribution - EFC). This is determined by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Formula:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Financial Need = COA - EFC&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Factors Affecting COA:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Housing:&lt;/strong&gt; Living arrangements significantly impact costs. On-campus housing is generally cheaper than living off-campus.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;State Residency:&lt;/strong&gt; In-state students pay lower tuition fees compared to out-of-state students.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Enrollment Status:&lt;/strong&gt; The number of credits taken per semester affects tuition and fees.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cost of Attendance (COA)&lt;/strong&gt;: This is an estimated annual expense for a full-time student (15 credits per semester) living with parents or away from home at Holyoke Community College for the 2023-24 academic year. &lt;strong&gt;Please note:&lt;/strong&gt; This is an estimate and may vary based on individual circumstances.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sample Cost of Attendance:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table&gt;&lt;colgroup&gt;&lt;col width=&quot;210&quot; /&gt;&lt;col width=&quot;207&quot; /&gt;&lt;col width=&quot;207&quot; /&gt;&lt;/colgroup&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Category&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Living with Parents&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Living Away from Home&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tuition&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$720&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$720&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Fees&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$6,170&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$6,170&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Books &amp;amp; Supplies&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$1,200&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$1,200&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Food &amp;amp; Housing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$3,570&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$10,400&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Transportation&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$2,096&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$2,096&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Miscellaneous&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$1,640&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$3,280&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Total Estimated Expenses&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$15,396&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;$23,866&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additional Notes:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Loan fees, program fees, and licensure fees might be added to the COA based on your specific program and needs.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Dependent care, disability-related expenses, study abroad costs, and cooperative education expenses can also be factored into the COA if applicable.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt; This information is for illustrative purposes only. It's crucial to complete the FAFSA to determine your specific financial need and eligibility for financial aid.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x198" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/eligibility" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250220T18:58:26" CategoryIds="" FileName="x198.xml" Name="Eligibility" Title="Eligibility" Abstract="The requirements that must be met for a student to receive financial aid." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;In general, to receive financial aid, students must meet the following requirements:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Have a high school diploma, General Educational Development (GED) certificate or State equivalent test, or have completed a high school education in a home school setting that is recognized as a home school or private school under the law.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Enroll in an eligible program of study as a regular student seeking a degree or financial aid eligible certificate.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Be registered with Selective Service, if required (in general, this applies to males age 18 through 25).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Meet satisfactory academic progress standards at the school.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Are not in default on a federal student loan or owe money on a federal grant.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Have certified that the financial aid will be used only for educational purposes.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Have not been convicted of a drug offense that occurred while enrolled in school and receiving federal financial aid.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;How Aid is Determined&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The types and amount of financial aid that a student is eligible to receive is determined by the Financial Aid Office based on the following factors:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Date of application&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;State of legal residence&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Income and assets reported on the FAFSA&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Number of people in the household as reported on the FAFSA&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Number of college students in the household as reported on the FAFSA&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Enrollment status (full-time, three-quarter-time, half-time or less-than-half-time)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Restrictions &amp;amp; Ineligibility&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOGs) are normally just for students with Expected Family Contributions (EFC) of zero.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;College grants based on need are not reduced by private scholarships unless required by regulation.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Students who are simultaneously enrolled in high school and HCC are not eligible for financial aid.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Students with bachelor's degrees are limited to loans and jobs.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Students enrolled in a study abroad program that has been approved by the college should contact the Financial Aid Office for information about financial aid eligibility for the program.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Students convicted under any federal or state law for the possession or sale of illegal drugs for any offense that occurred while receiving federal student aid are ineligible for aid for a period of time based on the type and number of convictions.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x199" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/types-of-aid" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250818T14:49:35" CategoryIds="" FileName="x199.xml" Name="Types of Aid" Title="Types of Aid" Abstract="Learn about federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Students applying for financial aid are considered for a wide variety of federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs. To learn more, follow the links below!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x201" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/types-of-aid/federal-work-study" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260325T16:28:29" CategoryIds="" FileName="x201.xml" Name="Federal Work Study" Title="Federal Work Study" Abstract="The Federal Work Study program provides part-time jobs for students with financial need to help them pay for their college-related expenses." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The Federal Work Study program provides part-time jobs for students with financial need to help them pay for their college-related expenses.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x1867" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/types-of-aid/federal-work-study/federal-work-study-jobs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260528T14:23:56" CategoryIds="" FileName="x1867.xml" Name="Federal Work Study Jobs" Title="Federal Work Study Jobs" Abstract="The positions listed below are available for students who have been awarded Federal Work Study as part of their financial aid award." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The positions listed below are available for students who have been packaged with Federal Work Study as part of the financial aid award. Please check your award status on myHCC for Federal Work Study eligibility. Contact the Financial Aid Office at &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2150&quot;&gt;413.552.2150&lt;/a&gt; or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:financialaid@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;financialaid@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; if you have questions regarding your eligibility for Federal Work Study. Please click &lt;a class=&quot;extLink&quot; href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/types-of-aid/federal-work-study&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC Federal Work Study page&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more information about HCC's Federal Work Study program, including the Student Employee and Supervisor Handbooks.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The positions listed as &lt;strong&gt;open&lt;/strong&gt; are currently accepting applications. Click each job title to view the position's description. Positions will be updated to an open status as they become available.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x202" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/types-of-aid/loans" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250220T18:58:26" CategoryIds="" FileName="x202.xml" Name="Loans" Title="Loans" Abstract="Learn about federal loans that can help you pay for your education." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Learn about federal loans that can help you pay for your education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Federal Direct Stafford Loan&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Federal Direct Stafford Loan is a low-interest loan of up to $5,500 per year for freshmen and $6,500 for sophomores. Independent students can borrow up to $4,000 more if needed. You don't have to start paying this loan back until six months after you've stopped being an HCC student at least half-time. If subsidized, you will not be charged interest while enrolled at least half-time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Subsidized student loans are limited to 150% of the length of the student's academic program for new borrowers on or after July 1, 2013. The 150% limit means that students enrolled in a two-year program will be eligible for subsidized loans for the equivalent of three years. After that time students would only be eligible for unsubsidized student loans.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;This loan for parents helps pay the cost of education for their undergraduate children. More information on loans is available at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.studentaid.ed.gov/&quot; title=&quot;Student loan resources&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;student aid.ed.gov&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x203" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/deadlines" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260319T19:52:22" CategoryIds="" FileName="x203.xml" Name="Deadlines" Title="Deadlines" Abstract="Mark your calendar: These are important financial aid dates." BodyCopy="&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2025-26 Deadlines&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FAFSA Deadline&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your completed FAFSA is due no later than your last date of enrollment for 2025-26.&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MASSGrant Deadline&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;In order to meet the State MASSGrant deadline, the student's FAFSA must reach the federal processor before July 1, 2025.&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC Priority Deadline&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;To receive the most money for fall, students need to submit the FAFSA by July 1, 2025, and send in all other required info to the Financial Aid Office by June 30, 2025. HCC usually has funding available to award the most aid to new students who are starting in spring. New students starting school in spring 2026 should complete the FAFSA before November 15, 2025 and complete all other requirements by January 16, 2026. (These deadlines are subject to change.)&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Verification Deadline&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Documents should be submitted within two weeks of the initial request. The latest that verification can be completed is published in the Federal Register. This deadline for 2025-26 will be in mid-September 2026, or 120 days after the last day of the student's enrollment, whichever is earlier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Verification is complete when the student has submitted all requested documentation, and the school has received a complete FAFSA. This includes the processing of any corrections that may be needed to the FAFSA data. The corrections deadline is also published in the Federal Register and is generally earlier than the verification deadline, so in some cases it may be too late to submit corrections when the verification documents are received.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Completing verification is important!&amp;nbsp;Failure to do so will result in the following:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;No additional financial aid will be processed or paid to the student.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Federal work-study funding will be terminated.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Any grant aid paid to the student for 2025-26 will be forfeited and the student will be required to return the funds.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Federal Direct Loans not yet paid to the student will be canceled.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Loan Deadline&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;A student loan must be started with the Federal Department of Education before the student drops below half-time. Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Notes should be completed while the student is still in attendance at least half time. (There may be situations when a loan can still pay when these are finished after the student's enrollment ceases or drops below half time, but it depends on a lot of factors. Contact a financial aid counselor to talk it through.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Payment Deadline&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Generally a student is not eligible for financial aid once they're no longer enrolled. In some cases the school can pay financial aid to a student who is no longer enrolled, if the conditions for a late disbursement are met.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Deadline&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The deadline for a student to submit a satisfactory academic progress appeal form in a term they are attending is two weeks before the semester is scheduled to end.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Federal Work-study&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Federal work-study is usually awarded to students who meet HCC's priority deadline and who are otherwise eligible. Students interested in beginning work during summer 2025, and who are not enrolled in that summer 2025 term, must complete their 2025-2026 FAFSA before the priority deadline to ensure availability of funds. Students enrolled in summer 2025 need to have a 2024-2025 FAFSA on file.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;font-size: 0.83em;&quot;&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Deadline for Request for Re-evaluation Due to Unusual Circumstances&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;font-size: 0.83em;&quot;&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;If your family experiences a loss of income or other changes in financial circumstances, you can submit an appeal to have your financial aid re-evaluated. The request for a re-evaluation (and required documentation) must be submitted while the student is enrolled for the 2025-26 academic year. Please complete &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/Financial%20Aid/2024-25/Appeal%20for%20Financial%20Changes%202425.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to PDF of re-evaluation form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;this form&lt;/a&gt; and submit via our secure &lt;a href=&quot;https://nextcloud.hcc.edu/index.php/s/DYnYkzYmSAK8L5z&quot; title=&quot;Link to NextCloud upload portal&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;NextCloud upload portal&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x204" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/forms" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260515T20:27:32" CategoryIds="" FileName="x204.xml" Name="Forms" Title="Forms" Abstract="Here you'll find forms that may be required by the Financial Aid Office as part of your application for financial aid." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The following are forms that may be required by HCC's Financial Aid Office as part of your application for financial aid, or as follow-up documentation. The Financial Aid Office will let you know we need these forms by posting the requirement in your Online Services. You can access the forms directly through Online Services or by clicking on the links below. You only need to complete the forms specified to you in Online Services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Due to COVID19, our office is working remotely and we are not able to receive documents by mail or fax.&amp;nbsp; Department of education regulations require students to upload all documents to a secure server.&amp;nbsp; We cannot accept emailed images of your documents.&amp;nbsp; To access the upload link, please login to your online services at hcc.edu/onlineservices.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tips for successful submission&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;ul type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;Make sure all forms are legible.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Do not leave any question blank unless stated.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Complete forms in blue or black ink.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Make sure your HCC student ID is on each submitted page.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Documents that require a signature &lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;must have a&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;handwritten signature&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Please be sure to include both sides of all 2-sided documents.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Files must be in .pdf, .doc, .docx, or .jpg format.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Please save document as your Last name and last four digits of your Student ID.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; If you have any questions about the forms below, please feel free to contact the Financial Aid Office by phone at &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2150&quot;&gt;413.552.2150&lt;/a&gt;, or by email at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:financialaid@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;financialaid@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x205" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/financial-aid-policies" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250502T13:36:49" CategoryIds="" FileName="x205.xml" Name="Financial Aid Policies" Title="Financial Aid Policies" Abstract="The policies and rules that guide our financial aid office and operations." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;General Policies&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Access a complete statement of the &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/Financial%20Aid/HCC%20R2T4%20Policy%20and%20Procedures.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke Community College Return of Title IV Funds/Refund Repayments Policy &amp;amp; Procedures&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College Return of Title IV Funds/Refund Repayments Policy &amp;amp; Procedures&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;There is a limit to the amount of financial aid that can be used for developmental coursework.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Developmental classes are those with course numbers below 100, such as Math 075. The Financial Aid Office is only allowed to pay a student up to 30 credits of developmental coursework. ESL courses are not counted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;There is a limit to how long a student can receive a Pell Grant.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students are restricted to a lifetime limit of 12 full-time semesters of Pell Grant. This limit became effective July 1, 2012, and is retroactive, meaning that all semesters in which a student received a Pell Grant in the past are counted toward the 12-semester limit. Pell Grants received for part-time enrollment are counted toward the limit on a pro-rated basis. For example, a Pell Grant received for half-time enrollment would be counted as one-half of a full-time semester of eligibility.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Repeat Policy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Financial aid can only pay for one repeat of a previously passed course. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Financial aid is based on the student's enrollment status.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The amount of financial aid a student can receive is based on their enrollment status:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Full-time (taking 12 or more credits)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Three-quarter-time (9 to 11 credits)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Half-time (6 to 8 credits)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Less-than-half-time (1 to 5 credits)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your enrollment status is determined on an assigned &quot;census date.&quot; This census date usually&amp;nbsp; falls right after the first add/drop period of the semester. Intersession and spring semester have the same census date, right after the first add/drop period of the spring semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the student's grant award happens after the census date, their enrollment status is based on the number of credits the student is enrolled in when the grant award gets calculated by the Financial Aid Office.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the student's loan award happens before the census date, their enrollment status is based on the number of credits the student was taking on the census date. Sometimes, the student may not be enrolled in classes until after the census date has passed. In this case, enrollment status is based on the number of credits the student is enrolled in at the time the loan is awarded. Students must always be enrolled in at least six credits at the time the loan is processed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have any questions about how course withdrawals can affect financial aid, please contact the HCC Financial Aid Office at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:financialaid@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;financialaid@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; and make an appointment to speak to a financial aid counselor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A student cannot receive financial aid for a course he/she never attended.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If an instructor reports that a student never attended a course, the student's financial aid is canceled for that course.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Not all academic programs are eligible for financial aid.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All degree programs are eligible for financial aid but certificate programs require special approval from the Federal Department of Education. Certificate students should consult with the Financial Aid office to determine if their program of study is approved. In addition, to receive financial aid, students must be taking courses required for their program of study.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Book Advance&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students who have anticipated financial aid that exceeds their tuition and fee charges may draw on that in the form of an advance for the purpose of purchasing books. Approximately three weeks before the start of a semester, a student's eligibility for a book advance is calculated based on the student's billed charges minus pending financial aid. Once calculated, it is posted to the student's account and electronically forwarded to the bookstore. The amount can be viewed on the student's record on HCC online services.&amp;nbsp;Book advances are available through the first three weeks of the semester. After the three-week period, the bookstore notifies the school's Student Accounts Office of the actual amount of book charges that should be placed as a charge on the student's account. If a student uses the book advance to purchase course materials, the student is considered to have authorized the use of financial aid funds to pay these expenses, and no additional written authorization is required.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Financial aid cannot be used to pay for health insurance without student permission.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The student must sign an authorization form in the Student Account Services office (Frost 201) before financial aid can be used to pay for the health insurance charge on the student's bill (assuming the student has enough financial aid to cover this charge). If the student has comparable health insurance coverage, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gallagherkoster.com&quot; title=&quot;waive health insurance charge&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;the health insurance charge can be waived&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A student does not have to be a full-time student to receive financial aid.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most financial aid programs require a student to be at least half-time (six credits or more), but in some cases a student can receive a Pell Grant for just one course.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A student with a bachelor's degree is not eligible for financial aid grants.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once the student has earned a bachelor's degree, the student is no longer eligible for grant aid, even if the student did not receive grant aid to earn the bachelor's degree and even if the bachelor's degree (or equivalent) is from another country.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A student cannot receive financial aid for audited courses.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A student must be taking a course for credit to receive financial aid for the course.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A student can receive a student loan, even if the student did not demonstrate &quot;need&quot; on the FAFSA.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A student is eligible for an unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan regardless of the need calculation from the FAFSA, assuming the student meets all other eligibility criteria.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A student may receive more financial aid than the cost of tuition, fees and books.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Financial aid can be used to help cover educationally related out-of-pocket expenses such as room and board, transportation, lunches, and daycare. If the student is awarded financial aid in excess of tuition, fees, and books, the student will &lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/billing-and-refund/refund-options&quot; title=&quot;hcc financial aid refund&quot;&gt;receive a refund&lt;/a&gt; from the college after charges on the student's account have been paid.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Financial aid can be re-evaluated if the student's situation changes.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the student's family experiences unusual circumstances that could affect their ability to pay for school, the student should notify the Financial Aid Office immediately. With proper documentation from the family, the student's financial aid may be adjusted to reflect this change in circumstances. Examples of change in circumstances would be loss of employment or the death of a parent or spouse.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Note that this request for re-evaluation must be submitted while the student is enrolled for the appropriate academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Estimates of financial aid awards for students who are not yet processed.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The financial aid office may estimate awards for students who are not yet processed, and prepare a Temporary Payment Extension (TPE) to inform the Student Account Services office of the amount of the student's expected financial aid.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Students must notify the Financial Aid Office of the receipt of any outside scholarship.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the student receives any financial aid from any other sources, such as a scholarship organization, the student must inform the Financial Aid Office immediately.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Students must apply for financial aid each year.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year. The FAFSA can be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fafsa.gov&quot; title=&quot;FAFSA&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;completed online&lt;/a&gt; beginning October 1 of each year. For example, the 2020-21 FAFSA was available on October 1, 2019.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Paper copies of all Financial Aid policies, forms, instructional brochures, etc. are available in the Financial Aid Office. Please feel free to visit us in Frost 201 and we would be happy to provide you with a hard copy of what you need.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x206" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/financial-aid-policies/withdrawal" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241206T15:51:51" CategoryIds="" FileName="x206.xml" Name="Withdrawal" Title="Withdrawal" Abstract="Are you thinking about withdrawing from HCC? Learn about how that impacts your financial aid." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Are you thinking about withdrawing from classes? Please read the following about what happens to your financial aid.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Financial aid is awarded with the expectations that you will attend your classes the entire semester. Never attending, dropping, or withdrawing can have both long-term and short-term consequences on your eligibility to receive financial aid you have been awarded.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Scenarios&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Complete Withdrawals:&lt;/strong&gt; When a student withdraws from all of his or her classes, the amount of financial aid that he/she is allowed to keep is determined on a pro-rated basis. For example, if the student completed 30% of the semester, the student is allowed to keep 30% of his or her financial aid. The remaining 70% must be returned to the federal and/or state financial aid programs. Once a student has completed more than 60% of the semester, the student is allowed to keep 100% of his or her financial aid. Please note: Withdrawing from all classes before the 60% point of the semester requires the school to return a portion of financial aid funds that were used to pay the school bill. This will result in unpaid charges on the student's account.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Partial Withdrawals:&lt;/strong&gt; Federal rules require schools to reduce financial aid when a student withdraws from a single course if the student is not attending any other courses at the time of the withdrawal and the student has not provided written confirmation of his or her intention to attend other courses that begin later in the same semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Unofficial Withdrawals:&lt;/strong&gt; If a student stops attending and fails to officially withdraw from classes, the school uses the 50% point of the term as the withdrawal date, although a different date may be used if the school has received a last date of attendance from an instructor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Consider the following&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you withdraw from a class, in most cases your tuition charges will remain the same; however, your financial aid may be reduced or eliminated. You may be asked to pay back money you received in a financial aid payment because you withdrew from all your classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You might find you are not eligible for financial aid in future terms because you have withdrawn from too many credit hours in past terms.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These situations can leave you having to pay tuition bills and other school expenses out of your own pocket.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you do decide to withdraw, consult with an Academic Advisor and a Financial Aid Counselor to be sure you understand the consequences of your decision.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information can be found &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/Financial%20Aid/R2T4%20Policy.pdf&quot; title=&quot;withdraw from hcc&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x1866" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/financial-aid-policies/satisfactory-academic-progress" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250407T13:19:42" CategoryIds="" FileName="x1866.xml" Name="Satisfactory Academic Progress" Title="Satisfactory Academic Progress" Abstract="Satisfactory Academic Progress is the minimum standards required to maintain financial aid eligibility for federal and state programs." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the minimum standards required to maintain financial aid eligibility for federal and state programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Federal and state financial aid is intended to assist students as they make successful progress toward completing a degree or certificate. Therefore, each student carries the responsibility to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A review of satisfactory academic progress will be completed at the conclusion of each semester (fall, spring, summer) for all degree and certificate students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are multiple components of the SAP policy and it is the student's responsibility to read and understand the components.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A complete statement of the Holyoke Community College policy on satisfactory academic progress is available in the Financial Aid Office, Frost 201. You can also download &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/Financial%20Aid/SAP%20policy%280%29.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Satisfactory Academic Progress&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;the policy&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students may also find it helpful to download &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/Financial%20Aid/SAP%20Brochure%280%29.pdf&quot; title=&quot;SAP brochure&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;this brochure&lt;/a&gt; as a reference.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Qualitative Standard (Grade-Based)&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;To meet the qualitative standard a student must maintain a cumulative grade point average high enough to avoid academic probation or dismissal according to Holyoke Community College's academic standards, specified below using the financial aid GPA*:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cumulative Quality Hours&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cumulative Financial Aid GPA Required&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Below 9&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;No minimum&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;9 &amp;ndash; 30&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1.75&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Above 30&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2.0&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;*A student may have a different financial aid GPA than their&amp;nbsp;College GPA due to the inclusion of both pre- and post-Fresh Start grades and the inclusion of final grades from remedial/developmental courses in the calculation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Quantitative Standard (Completion-Based)&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The quantitative standard, which has two aspects, is based on the U. S. Department of Education requirement that recipients of federal student aid complete degree or certificate requirements within 150% of the normal time frame. The limit of the maximum time frame is one aspect of the quantitative standard; the complementary pace standard requires that the student make reasonable progress toward earning the degree or certificate within that time frame as they attempt coursework along the way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pace Toward Program Completion&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For a student to meet the pace standard they must earn semester hours at HCC equal to at least two-thirds of the cumulatively attempted semester hours (calculated at 0.67). For example, a student with 48 attempted credits must successfully complete 33 credits (48 x 0.67= 32.16 and rounded up to the nearest whole credit is 33).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maximum Time Frame&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The maximum time frame for students in both degree and certificate programs is stated in terms of attempted semester hours. Students must complete their program of study within 150% of the published number of semester hours (credits) required to complete the program at HCC. A student is ineligible to receive financial aid once they have reached the 150% limit or it becomes clear that they will not be able to complete degree requirements within the 150% time frame. For example, a student in an Associate Degree program involving 60 semester hours (some may require more) would need to complete degree requirements before attempting 90 semester hours. Likewise, a student in a 24 semester hour certificate program would need to complete certificate requirements before attempting 36 semester hours.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The time frame can be automatically extended without requiring an appeal for up to 36 semester hours of attempted ESL coursework.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Satisfactory Academic Progress Statuses&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Financial Aid Warning&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This period is a one time, one semester warning period for students who fail to meet the GPA and/or pace toward program completion standards for the very first time. Students in these categories will be warned of their failed status but will not lose their financial aid for that one semester. Students exceeding the maximum time frame do not receive a warning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Financial Aid Suspension&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This status occurs when a student did not meet SAP standards while in Financial Aid Warning or Financial Aid Probation status, or it is determined that the student will not be able to graduate within 150% maximum time frame limit, or a student on a Financial Aid Academic Plan fails to follow the plan. A student is not eligible to receive financial aid while on Financial Aid Suspension.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Financial Aid Probation&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This status is only granted upon the approval of an appeal. A student on financial aid probation will be eligible to receive financial aid for one semester. To remain eligible following an appeal approval, the student must meet normal SAP standards and/or fulfill the requirements of an academic plan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Appeals Process&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students who do not meet the SAP standards will not be eligible to receive financial aid. Students who are no longer eligible to receive financial aid due to one or more of the standards, and believe that documented extraordinary circumstances prevented them from meeting the satisfactory academic progress standards, may submit an appeal to the Financial Aid Office.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The deadline for a student to file a completed SAP appeal for financial aid in a term is two weeks prior to the scheduled end of the semester they are attending.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For complete appeal information and instructions, please view the &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RTKrRc1OeEeolwht7FvE02jgeq6PMuSG-70D6KLJduw/edit?ts=626aeea7&quot; title=&quot;Link to Google SAP Appeal Form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SAP Appeal Form&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Resources for Students&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college wants you to succeed. If you are concerned about your academic progress then we encourage you to learn about resources available on campus that may assist you with improving your academic performance. It is highly advised that you seek assistance before your financial aid is cancelled. To view a list of campus resources available to assist students &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/Financial%20Aid/FA%20warning%20resources.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Financial aid warning resources&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;please click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC provides &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/mental-health-counseling-and-stress-mgmt&quot; title=&quot;link to Mental Health Support page&quot;&gt;mental health support services&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to all students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;*Paper copies of all Financial Aid policies, forms, instructional brochures, etc. are available in the Financial Aid Office. Please feel free to visit us in Frost 201 and we would be happy to provide you with a hard copy of what you need.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x208" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/financial-aid-policies/summer-and-intersession" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250220T18:58:26" CategoryIds="" FileName="x208.xml" Name="Summer &amp; Intersession" Title="Summer &amp; Intersession" Abstract="Learn about financial aid policies that impact summer and Intersession (January) learning." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;Summer&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Summer is considered the same award year as the Fall and Spring that come after it. The financial aid office evaluates a student's eligibility for summer aid &lt;em&gt;after&lt;/em&gt; registration occurs. A complete financial aid application is required!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students who are Pell-eligible will be awarded any remaining eligibility that they may have; however, students may not have any left if they used their full Pell award in the fall and spring semester. Also, Pell eligibility is determined based on a student's &quot;expected family contribution&quot; and the number of credits they enroll in for a given semester. Some students may find that they are not eligible for Pell if they enroll in fewer courses over the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students who do not have remaining Pell eligibility, or don't otherwise qualify for Pell, may request a student loan. Students should fill out a Summer Loan Request form and return it to the Financial Aid Office. The request will then be evaluated and loan funds will be awarded if you are eligible. (Students must be enrolled in a minimum of six credits to be eligible for a student loan.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We provide book advances for use with the HCC online bookstore over the summer. If you have enough financial aid to cover billed charges, then a book advance will be created. Students will be notified via their HCC email address when their book advance has been processed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Summer can be confusing because it's not a traditional term. We encourage students with questions or concerns to contact the financial aid office &amp;ndash; we're happy to assist you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A review of academic progress (based on the prior spring grades) takes place at the end of May/beginning of June. If you're not meeting the standards, your financial aid for the summer semester may be canceled after you've started classes and incurred charges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Intersession&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;When it comes to financial aid, intersession is considered part of the spring semester that follows it. The number of credits you take during intersession is combined with the number of credits you plan to take during the following spring semester &amp;ndash; together, that determines your spring financial aid award.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you decide to withdraw from an intersession class, that class may not be counted in your financial aid for the spring semester, and your financial aid may be reduced.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For financial aid purposes, if you drop your spring classes, it's best to drop them while you're still enrolled in your intersession class.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can't receive a Pell Grant from more than one school per semester. If you are transferring to another school for the spring semester, you may want to consider declining your Pell Grant award for HCC's intersession.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The review of academic progress (based on your grades from the preceding Fall semester) will take place in early January. If you're not meeting the standards, your financial aid for the spring semester (including intersession) may be canceled after you've started classes and incurred charges.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x209" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/financial-literacy" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250519T16:41:16" CategoryIds="" FileName="x209.xml" Name="Financial Literacy" Title="Financial Literacy" Abstract="Students need to understand basic money management skills, such as living within a budget, and handling credit and debt." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;College is a time of newfound freedom for many students. That can spell trouble if that freedom applies to personal finances, too. Students need to understand basic money management skills such as living within a budget and handling credit and debt. A solid financial foundation can lead to a lifetime of financial success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x12008" URL="tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/financial-literacy/student-loan-summary-letters-faqs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250220T18:58:26" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12008.xml" Name="Student Loan Summary Letters FAQs" Title="Student Loan Summary Letters FAQs" Abstract="Did you receive a student loan summary email letter from our vendor partner Inceptia? Here's what it's all about." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Have you received a student loan summary letter via email from our partner Inceptia? You might have questions; we have answers!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Receiving student loan summaries each semester teaches you about your borrowing record, monthly payments, repayment options, and total borrowing caps for federal loans.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;No action&lt;/strong&gt; is needed of you, but we hope you'll find this info helpful as you make borrowing choices and plan for your loan repayment.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page></Page><Page ID="x210" URL="tuition-and-aid/health-insurance" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250804T13:16:24" CategoryIds="" FileName="x210.xml" Name="Health Insurance" Title="Health Insurance" Abstract="State law requires that all students taking nine or more semester hours have health insurance." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;State law requires that all students taking nine or more semester hours have health insurance (Massachusetts General Law Chapter 15A, Section 18). A charge for health insurance will be added to the student's tuition bill unless proof of comparable insurance is provided, or unless all classes are taken online*. If you are currently taking blended courses, the waiver is required. The insurance charge can be paid with financial aid if there are enough funds remaining after tuition, fees and books have been paid. To authorize the use of your excess financial aid to purchase the insurance, request a form from Student Accounts at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentaccounts@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link studentaccounts@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;studentaccounts@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*A &quot;blended&quot; course is one that requires you to log in and participate with the class at a specific time each week. Your course will meet on the specified day indicated on your schedule via videoconferencing, using Zoom, WebEx, Google Meet, etc. An &quot;online&quot; course is one that does not require you to log in at a particular time, although there will be due dates and deadlines assigned to you by your professor.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;WAIVING THE FEE&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;The health insurance fee may be waived if the student has comparable coverage through personal, parental, or spousal insurance (including qualified coverage through the Massachusetts Health Connector Benefit Plan or MassHealth, with the exception of certain MassHealth programs). Free health care (treatment provided at a local hospital or clinic) is not considered comparable coverage. To request a fee waiver, please visit the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gallagherstudent.com/hcc&quot; title=&quot;Link to Gallagher Insurance landing page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Gallagher web page for HCC students&lt;/a&gt; and follow the instructions provided.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;FEE REFUNDS&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Refunds are available only for those who withdraw from college prior to 4:30 p.m. on the last day of the add/drop period. No refund of the insurance fee will be granted for withdrawals after the last day of the add/drop period.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;ABOUT COLLEGE HEALTH INSURANCE&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Detailed information regarding the student accident and sickness insurance plan &lt;a href=&quot;https://gallagherstudent.com/hcc&quot; title=&quot;link to gallagher webpage for hcc students&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.gallagherstudent.com/students/student-home.php?idField%3D1200&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1620214535420000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEbmdBHVGn0eEuFJqOpY5wAtBaHbA&quot;&gt;can be found online&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x191" URL="tuition-and-aid/tuition-and-fees" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260423T14:28:14" CategoryIds="" FileName="x191.xml" Name="Tuition &amp; Fees" Title="Tuition &amp; Fees" Abstract="Here you'll find information about the general cost of attending HCC." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A teacher raising her hand before a classroom full of students&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Tuition-Aid/tuitionfees_intext.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All tuition, fees, and expenses are subject to state and legislative action,which means sometimes they might change. The college reserves the right to make such adjustments in these charges as may from time to time be required by the Board of Higher Education or the Board of Trustees. Students acknowledge this by applying or by registering for classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;tuition &amp;amp; mandatory fees&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/Tuition-Fees/Tuition%20and%20Fees%20Calculation%20Charts%20Summer%202026%20JL%2004162026.pdf&quot;&gt;Summer 2026&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/Tuition-Fees/Tuition%20and%20Fees%20Calculation%20Charts%20Spring%202026%20-%20Rvd%2007112025.pdf&quot;&gt;Spring 2026&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;Documents/Tuition-Aid/Tuition-Fees/Tuition and Fees Calculation Charts Spring 2020 - estimate JL 05212019.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of spring 2020 tuition estimate document&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x364" URL="tuition-and-aid/tuition-and-fees/residency" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240312T14:57:50" CategoryIds="" FileName="x364.xml" Name="Residency" Title="Residency" Abstract="Residency status is a determining factor in calculating tuition and educational service fees." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Residency status is a determining factor in calculating tuition and educational service fees. The Board of Higher Education for Massachusetts Colleges has established the following residency classifications:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In-State Status&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;U.S. citizen or permanent resident who has lived in Massachusetts for at least six continuous months prior to the first day of the semester for which they apply and who intend to continue living in Massachusetts indefinitely.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;New England Regional Student Program Status (NERSP)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;U.S. citizen or permanent resident who has lived in one of the New England states for at least six continuous months prior to the first day of the semester for which they apply, and meets NERSP program requirements including those relating to the student's program of study and the distance from the student's residence to the college (determined by the Office of Admissions) and may qualify a student for eligibility.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Out-of-State Status&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;U.S. citizen or permanent resident who does not reside in Massachusetts or who has lived in Massachusetts less than six continuous months prior to the first day of the semester for which they apply.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;International Students&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you are required to complete an&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission/international&quot; title=&quot;International student steps to apply&quot;&gt;International Student Admission Application&lt;/a&gt;, submit statements of financial support, and transcripts of secondary education and college, if applicable, officially translated into English. Transcripts must be evaluated by an outside credential-evaluating agency. A Test of English as a Foreign Language&amp;nbsp;(TOEFL)&amp;nbsp;score of 550 is required for admission to all programs, unless supplemented by an English as a Second Language program. International Student Application deadlines are November 1 for Spring semester and May 1 for Fall semester. International student tuition is billed at the non-resident rate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Change in Residency Status to Massachusetts Status&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students originally registered under the out-of-state status or New England Regional Student Program Status (NERSP) who qualify to change their residency status with the college may do so through the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/admissions-onboarding-and-financial-aid-services&quot; title=&quot;HCC admissions office&quot;&gt;Admissions Office&lt;/a&gt;. Proof of permanent residency in Massachusetts and effective date are required.&amp;nbsp;You can print the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Tuition-Aid/Change%20of%20Residency%20Form%20August%202019%280%29.pdf&quot; title=&quot;link to pdf of  Change of Residency form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;change of residency form&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or contact the Admissions Office at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2321&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;413.552.2321&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to have the form sent to you.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x200" URL="tuition-and-aid/scholarships-and-grants" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20231206T17:54:25" CategoryIds="" FileName="x200.xml" Name="Scholarships &amp; Grants" Title="Scholarships &amp; Grants" Abstract="Institutional grants, access grants, talent grants, and scholarships: Money for your education that you don't have to pay back." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;There are many ways to fund your education at HCC. Institutional grants, access grants, talent grants, and scholarships are all money for your education that you don't have to pay back.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x99" URL="student-life" Schema="SectionFrontPage" Locale="" Changed="20250821T14:07:03" CategoryIds="" FileName="x99.xml" Name="Student Life" Title="Student Life" Abstract="Explore all of the clubs, activities, and trips HCC has to offer." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;CLUBS&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;With &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-engagement&quot; title=&quot;activities and clubs at hcc&quot;&gt;30 active clubs&lt;/a&gt; to choose from, HCC students have plenty of opportunities to connect, share interests, and organize events. Clubs run the gamut from interest (anime, chess) to identity (Muslim, LBGTQ) to academic (business, psychology). Don't see the club you're looking for? &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/clubs-and-organizations/new-club-information&quot; title=&quot;Start a club at hcc&quot;&gt;Start one!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;ACTIVITIES&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you aren't on the soccer field or getting together with club members, you can have fun at Spring Fling or Welcome Back Barbeque, or sit back and enjoy the speakers and entertainers that come to HCC each semester. Want to get out of town? The Student Clubs &amp;amp; Activities office organizes &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-engagement/day-trips&quot; title=&quot;hcc student activities trips&quot;&gt;regular trips&lt;/a&gt; to New York City to catch a Broadway play, shop, visit galleries, or just enjoy a change in scenery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;ATHLETICS &amp;amp; FITNESS&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/bartley-center&quot; title=&quot;Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation&quot;&gt;Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation&lt;/a&gt;, you'll find a three-court gymnasium, fitness center, multipurpose studio, steam and sauna facilities, and classes in everything from aerobics to Zumba. Looking for athletic competition? HCC is&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness&quot; title=&quot;HCC athletic programs&quot;&gt;serious about sports&lt;/a&gt;, including baseball, basketball, volleyball, golf, cross-country, and soccer. A member of the National Jr. College Athletic Association NJCAA and the Massachusetts Community College Athletic Conference, our teams compete at both the state and regional levels.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x573" URL="student-life/achievements" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260519T15:02:33" CategoryIds="" FileName="x573.xml" Name="Achievements" Title="Student Achievements" Abstract="Find out about recent academic achievements, like who's on the Dean's List." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Smiling female student outside on the Holyoke Community College campus&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/achievements_intext.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;explore achievements&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/deans-list&quot; title=&quot;HCC dean's list&quot;&gt;Dean's List&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/honors-and-awards&quot; title=&quot;Honors &amp;amp; Awards&quot;&gt;Honors &amp;amp; Awards&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x18952.xml&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x20097.xml&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/scholarship-awards-2026&quot; title=&quot;Scholarship Awards 2025&quot;&gt;Scholarship Awards&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x12141.xml&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/phi-theta-kappa-sp26&quot; title=&quot;PTK Induction 2025&quot;&gt;PTK Induction&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;merit&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College uses a service called Merit to recognize student achievements. These achievements are awarded in the form of &quot;badges,&quot; like the one below, and collected on &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.meritpages.com&quot; title=&quot;HCC on merit pages&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;HCC's Merit Page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC's merit badge&quot; height=&quot;110&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/HCC_achievement_badge%20copy.jpg&quot; width=&quot;124&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The badges and the stories that accompany them are designed to showcase student success, such as making the Dean's List, joining a student club or athletic team, landing an internship, earning a scholarship, graduating from HCC or transferring to a four-year college or university.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participation in Merit is not required and students can opt out at any time by sending an email to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:communications@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;hcc communications email&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;communications@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;More questions?&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://help.meritpages.com/&quot; title=&quot;Merit Help &quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or send an email to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:communications@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;hcc communications email&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;communications@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="true" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x1891" URL="student-life/achievements/deans-list" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260519T16:45:03" CategoryIds="" FileName="x1891.xml" Name="Dean's List" Title="Dean's List" Abstract="Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. Full-time students who have earned a grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 or better and who have earned at least 12 semester hours of work in a semester are awarded the distinction of having their names placed on the Dean's List. Students in the current term carrying fewer than 12 attempted hours are considered part-time students for the Dean's List. Upon the completion of each increment of 12 semester hours, those part-time students who have a GPA of 3.2 or higher shall be recognized for academic achievement by being placed on the Dean's List. There can be no carry-over of credits.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Note: Developmental courses and credits earned in S/U (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) courses are not counted towards determination of the Dean's List.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x1892" URL="student-life/achievements/honors-and-awards" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260520T15:47:30" CategoryIds="" FileName="x1892.xml" Name="Honors &amp; Awards" Title="Honors &amp; Awards " Abstract="Honors and Award Recipients" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22295" URL="student-life/achievements/scholarship-awards-2026" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260519T15:03:07" CategoryIds="" FileName="x22295.xml" Name="Scholarship Awards 2026" Title="HCC Foundation 2026-2027 Scholarship Awards" Abstract="The Holyoke Community College Foundation awards hundreds of endowed scholarships each year to deserving students." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships each year to deserving students. These scholarships, for new, current and transferring students, have been made possible through the generosity of alumni, friends, faculty, trustees and community-minded corporations. Congratulations to all of the recipients below for earning scholarships for the 2026-2027 academic year:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table width=&quot;861&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;121&quot;&gt;Alanie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;305&quot;&gt;Castellano&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;435&quot;&gt;Adeline M. and Jacob L. Barowsky Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Khalil&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Melendez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Adeline M. and Jacob L. Barowsky Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Katherine&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Martinez-Taveras&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Al Perusse Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alec&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Donahue&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alan Taupier '55 Alumni Achievement Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rebecca&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dixon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alan Taupier '55 Alumni Achievement Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chad&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Correia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alfred C. Loomer Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Charles&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Machmud&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alfred C. Loomer Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Savannah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Soja&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alphabet Soup Childcare Center Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alondra&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Vazquez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alumni Association Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Caitlin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Blaney&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alumni Association Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hayden&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Platten&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alumni Association Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kadiann&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Townsend&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alumni Association Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jamil&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Navarro&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amy Loved Animals Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Josephine&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roman&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amy Loved Animals Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Angie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Marquez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Anabel B. Murphy Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tolly&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Stark&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Anabel B. Murphy Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kayla&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Santos-Bermudez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Angela and Joseph Wright Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Marqueli&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lopez Argueta&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Angela and Joseph Wright Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Arthur&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mazzu&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ann '81 and Jim '80 Shevlin Scholarship Fund&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jeremy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rodriguez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ann '81 and Jim '80 Shevlin Scholarship Fund&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nathalie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chavez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ann '81 and Jim '80 Shevlin Scholarship Fund&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Isabella&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Perez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Anna Fitzgerald and Ruthann Bagshaw Fulton Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Melissa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Drago&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Anna Fitzgerald and Ruthann Bagshaw Fulton Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Caridad&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Vega-Ramos&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Anne-Marie Darcy Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Judeliz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rodriguez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Anne-Marie Darcy Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Arianna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gonzalez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Arthur W. Knapp Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Caden&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Heffner&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Arthur W. Knapp Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cari&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Avalone&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Barbara I. Murray/Kathryn C. Root Radiologic Technology Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Briesalie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cabrera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Baystate Health Careers Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Danielle&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Johnson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Be the Light Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Aidyl&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Melendez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Berkshire Bank Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ariana&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Fitzpatrick&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Berkshire Bank Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kseniia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dromova&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Berkshire Bank Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Xiana&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Medina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Berkshire Bank Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kaitlyn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sheehan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bess Kaplinsky Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Merlin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Manzanarez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bess Kaplinsky Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dugas&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bill and Eleanor Messner Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Danielle&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Seibles&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bill and Eleanor Messner Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Haley&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Corrigan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bill and Eleanor Messner Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kyle&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Philleson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bill and Eleanor Messner Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lisa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Delvalle&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bill and Eleanor Messner Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amber&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gubitose&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bill Wieliczka Jr. Arts and Theater Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennifer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Byrd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Billie Foster and Bertha Weinberg Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nashabel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Martinez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Billie Foster and Bertha Weinberg Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gaia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ciano&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bobby Wright Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chloe&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Goodnough&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bonnie B. and Edward H. '71 Germain Veterinary Technician Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cameron&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Loranger&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bruce V. Quagliato Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Christopher&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Daehne&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Captain Paul H. Racine Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Esat&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cayan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carol Hardy Business Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Yuliia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Honhalo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carol Hardy Business Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alex&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hicks&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carolyn Fontaine Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Julian&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Vann&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carolyn Fontaine Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lauren&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Yates&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carolyn Fontaine Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Somnang&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ren&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carolyn Fontaine Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hailey&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bowen&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chicopee Savings Bank Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jesamei&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gutierrez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chicopee Savings Bank Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Keisha&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chretien&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chicopee Savings Bank Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Molly&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Menard&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chicopee Savings Bank Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lexi&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amburgey&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;City of Holyoke Gas and Electric Department Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mason&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Barile&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;City of Holyoke Gas and Electric Department Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rafael&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rivera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;City of Holyoke Gas and Electric Department Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sammy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rosa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Claire Gingras Doherty Award in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Zoe&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bisbing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cloud 9 Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Isabella&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gitana&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Connors Scholars Award&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elizabeth&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sanchez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cynthia A. Sutter '90 Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mayrangelique&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rojas De Leon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cynthia A. Sutter '90 Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Celine&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Fleming&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Danna Niedzwiecki '08 Lockwood Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alexander&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Soto&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;David and Bette Bartley Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Luz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Pizarro&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;David Killeen Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alicia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Knapp&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Deborah Ferriter Memorial Scholarship in Veterinary Technology&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alek&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Milov&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Delaney House Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tiff&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mackey&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Delaney House Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alison&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Granfield&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Donald Taber Art Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brandon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lewis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Donald Taber Art Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Isabella&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jones&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Donald Taber Art Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hajar&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bint Farooq Carter&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Doris M. Kemble Scholarship in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jolene&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alexander&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Doris M. Kemble Scholarship in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Martha&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cobb&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Doris M. Kemble Scholarship in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Almodovar&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Doris M. Kemble Scholarship in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ngawang&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tsetan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Doris M. Kemble Scholarship in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Raemiah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Whitaker-Brown&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Doris Rathbun Knight Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Anthony&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ekmalian&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dr. Anthony J. Pellegrino Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Scott&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dr. Janet G. Polvino Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ian&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cartmill&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dr. Miriam Taylor Sajkovic Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Felix&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Vazquez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dr. Richard Leon Provost Psychology Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Scott&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Edward and Verdenal Johnson Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Aidan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Stark&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Edward F. and Catherine C. Moriarty Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sam&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chevalier&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Edward H. '71 and Bonnie B. Germain Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Xayavong&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Phetmany&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Edward H. '71 and Bonnie B. Germain Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hannah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hurler&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Edward J. and Ruth Daly Family Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cedric&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ayvazian&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Edwin Perez Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Savannah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Comstock&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Edwin Perez Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nellie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nedeoglo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Eleanor V. Burns Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tyler&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bonilla&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Eleanor V. Burns Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rose&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Luciano&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elena and Frank Cataldo Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Zachary&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cote&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elena and Frank Cataldo Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dawn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Butz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elizabeth Ella Provost Memorial Nursing Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alfonso&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Izzo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ellen Lynch Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Heidey&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Santos Roman&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ellen Lynch Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alicia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Booth&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Erma J. (Provost) Shepard Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Julius&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dixon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Erma J. (Provost) Shepard Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Andrew&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Daniels&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;First Niagara Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dj&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Melendez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;First Niagara Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Josh&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mongillo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;First Niagara Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Agnes&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Centeno&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Fontaine Family Fund Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ilana&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dieterle&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Fontaine Family Fund Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Richard&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Damon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Fontaine Family Fund Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Yarilis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Conde Estremera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Fontaine Family Fund Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Christina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nguyen&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Frances H. Gosselin Scholarship in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Zachary&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Young&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Frances H. Gosselin Scholarship in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Eithan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ortiz Viera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Franklin Morris O'Connell Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jacob&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rodriguez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Franklin Morris O'Connell Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Melissa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sepulveda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Franklin Morris O'Connell Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;David&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Abramchuk&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Frost Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alyshah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Perez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Fund a Future Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Aiden&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Therrien&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gary Brochu '62 Transfer Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Erykka&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rocha&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gary Brochu '62 Transfer Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Josh&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carrier&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gary Brochu '62 Transfer Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lauren&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Pari&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gloria G. Lomax Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Natalie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mangan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gloria G. Lomax Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nathan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Szukala&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Green Key Honor Society Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rhylissa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Doxzen&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Green Key Honor Society Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mostaffa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Saleh&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hampden Paper Company Inc. Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Celina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sumler&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hasbro Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Franchesca&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carattini&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hasbro Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Genesis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Torres&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hasbro Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Eliot&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Papadakos&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hasbro Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jackie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Escobar&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hasbro Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Max&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Berrios Rivera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hasbro Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nathan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Barnard&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hasbro Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nessalyn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Neth&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hasbro Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Neysha&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Diaz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hasbro Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Southep&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Phetmany&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hasbro Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Luis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rivera-Alicea&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hazen Paper Company Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Vadim&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Savitskiy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hazen Paper Company Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nadia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Folegnani&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Helen M. and James E. Izatt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Natalie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sliwa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Helen M. and James E. Izatt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kathryn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Guinn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Henry S. '71 and Carol Andrus Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Eduardo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cardenas&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Holyoke Water Commissioners Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jerika&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Santana&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Holyoke Water Commissioners Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shakira&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Colon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Holyoke Water Commissioners Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Vivian&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rodriguez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Holyoke Water Commissioners Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lopez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Israel and Matilda Goldberg Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Timo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kukharchuk&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Israel and Matilda Goldberg Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Angelou&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cardoza&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James D. Moriarty Music Fund&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Abigail&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brenzel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Acianna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bethea&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alexa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Turgeon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alyssa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jost&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Beatrice&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Parent&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brittanie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Larzazs-Rule&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Christina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Surner&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cristal&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;LaSanta&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dasia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jones&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Emma&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Pelletier&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Estefany&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Duron Mejia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Heather&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Martin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ilayshia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Negron&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jenney&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cheever&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kenna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rainville&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Melainie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Miranda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Miranda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Krauza&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nicole&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rivera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James F. Connors Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Richard&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gula&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James J. Long '63 Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Anna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Teng&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James Joseph O'Connell Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Samantha&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Diaz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;James Joseph O'Connell Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sagrario&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Turner&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jan Alicia Nettler Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dinmariel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ferrer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jean Armitage Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Odaliz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cancel Acevedo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennings V. Rud, Jr. &amp;amp; Tech Sergeant Patrick &quot;Gunny&quot; Rud Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Suzanne&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Williams&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessica Gill Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Marie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Robinson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;John &quot;Jack&quot; Doyle Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Miranda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brown&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;John &quot;Jack&quot; Doyle Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lyara&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rodriguez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;John and Anne McHugh Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mariely&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ramos&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;John and Anne McHugh Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Raysha&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rivera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;John and Anne McHugh Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Scarlett&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mendes&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;John and Anne McHugh Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tanayri&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Figueroa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;John and Anne McHugh Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nyia-Marie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forbes&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;John DiNapoli Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kristen&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Renta-Vazquez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;John E. Berger (JEB) Photography Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Idaisha&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rosemond&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;John E. Taupier Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Yanitza&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Torres&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;John E. Taupier Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bonnie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gauthier&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;John Sullivan Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Karina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Romero&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jolayne Hinkel Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Katelyn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roque&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jolayne Hinkel Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Breana&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rynn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Joseph V. Gosselin Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Douglas&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Moore&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Joseph V. Gosselin Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Joselyne&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Matos&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Joyce Agnoli Scholarship for Transfer Students&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Todd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Therrien&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Judith Kramer Goldberg Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sarom&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Toum-Rivera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kathryn F. &quot;Kitty&quot; Broman Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ethan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ortiz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kenneth J. Murphy Sr. Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Malali&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kabir&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kenneth J. Murphy Sr. Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Andrew&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ashlock&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Laurie Jean Hunter Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Stephanie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cross&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Laurie Jean Hunter Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alicia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Booth&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Leo Arthur and Marietta Gifford Provost Education Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gabrielle&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carey&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Leo Arthur and Marietta Gifford Provost Education Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Janisieski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Leona R. (Provost) Richards Taylor and Dorothy Provost Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Annalisa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rizzo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Linda Howes Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nahida&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mahamane&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Linda Howes Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Neremy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Babu&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lisa Ann Baker '93 Nursing Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Branden&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Learned&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;LouEllen Dabbs Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sarah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Herlihy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;LouEllen Dabbs Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Genezaret&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Morant-Gonzalez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Louis F. and Virginia W. Oldershaw Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Akilah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carter&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Aneilys&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cruz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carolyne&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Concepcion&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Christian&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jean&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Crystal&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Coulson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Donnellia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jackson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elizabeth&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Guerinot&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jailene&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Delgado&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kayla&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dagenais&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Liubov&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gun&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Logan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Allen&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Luz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mendoza&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Michelle&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Boucher&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rebecca&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cookson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rebecca Leigh&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Guertin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shaina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Colon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Steven&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hoynoski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Suleika&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Concepcion&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Yesenia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cancel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Serena&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chen&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucille Gill and Thomas Gill, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alek&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Milov&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mark Giannini '19 Good Character Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tiff&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mackey&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mark Giannini '19 Good Character Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jenna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Baranowski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mark Mozgala Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nataly&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gonzalez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mary M. Naro '78 Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kimberly&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Burke&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maureen D'Amico Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Norma&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Moreno&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maureen D'Amico Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Corey&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Blinn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maurice A. Donahue Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Eliani&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gonzalez Rivera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maurice A. Donahue Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gavin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Fabiani&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maurice A. Donahue Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Milana&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mukha&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maurice A. Donahue Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mohammed&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Al Anssari&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maurice A. Donahue Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Morgan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Justin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maurice A. Donahue Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mya&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sandoval&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maurice A. Donahue Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Olivia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gryszowka&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maurice A. Donahue Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rafael Alfonzo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Guarema Ramirez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maurice A. Donahue Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Yahaira&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Diaz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maurice A. Donahue Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sidney&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Valentin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maurice and Peggy Ferriter Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jeff&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gougeon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Michael J. Kittredge, III Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Karie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rosa Rodriguez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mickey and Jennie Jedziniak Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sheila&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Warren&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mickey and Jennie Jedziniak Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brenda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carrier&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Milton and Raymond Provost Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Natalie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Pelletier&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mischa D. Barowsky Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;AJ&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jones&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Moira Maguire Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Donatien-Takeys&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cooke&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;MSgt. James J. Tierney Memorial Scholarship Fund&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sanai&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hale&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;MSgt. James J. Tierney Memorial Scholarship Fund&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Misterna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Isaac&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nathan Kaplinsky Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brianna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Coughlin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Neil and Mary Sheehan Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennifer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Labaw&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Neil and Mary Sheehan Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lyra&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Schaffer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Neil and Mary Sheehan Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Melissa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Wing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Neil and Mary Sheehan Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jacquelyn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bazelow&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;New Directions Scholarships&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Savanna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Machado&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Pamela K. Reed Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Anita&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rotar&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Panitch Family Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Caleb&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;White&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Panitch Family Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elizabeth&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kudrya&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Panitch Family Transfer Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brett&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Russell&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Patricia L. Bonnett '82 Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Briana&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Liswell&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Patrick J. and Margaret V. Sheehan Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kody&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chamberlain&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Patrick J. and Margaret V. Sheehan Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Christopher&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Walczak&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Paul Buckwalter Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Joshua&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Correa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Paul Buckwalter Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Wanda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Torres&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Paul Buckwalter Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Keilani&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tirado&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Health Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;MB&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gowins&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Health Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sook Yew&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tang&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Health Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amber&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Coley&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Anthony&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mendoza&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brandon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Malave&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brian&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sutter&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Deysie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Isaac&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ellie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kaimi&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gale&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Arroyo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Joseph&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gonzalez Marrero&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Karena&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Linzi&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kayla&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Saunders&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kevin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rodgers&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Meghan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kennedy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Patrick&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Assenga&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rachel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hanscom&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sawyer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kirley&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sharilynn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bertrand&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peg and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Son&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;PeoplesBank Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Narya&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Waring&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;PeoplesBank Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Suzanne&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Williams&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peter M. Railsback Memorial Scholarship for Music&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;James&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Barnhart&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;PIMA Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Aleena&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Valentin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;PODEMOS Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carla&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Zhingre&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;PODEMOS Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Celines&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nieves Ramos&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;PODEMOS Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;chloe&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rosario&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;PODEMOS Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jesenia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lopez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;PODEMOS Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rivera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rivera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;PODEMOS Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;John&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;De Jesus-Reyes&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;PODEMOS Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Keianna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rios&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;PODEMOS Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Selena&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Reyes&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;PODEMOS Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sheynalie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Delgado Ramos&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;PODEMOS Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Annastacia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dixon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Police Chief Thomas P. McNamara Jr. Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Pacey&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gauthier&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Police Chief Thomas P. McNamara Jr. Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennifer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Reynolds&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Providence Hospital Medical Staff Scholarship in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nicole&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lazio&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Providence Hospital Medical Staff Scholarship in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ruth&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lucien&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Providence Hospital Medical Staff Scholarship in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Evelina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Moses Sanchez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Raymond J. and Helen T. Deshaies Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Doucette&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Raymond J. and Helen T. Deshaies Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alexis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rivera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Richard Leon Provost Art Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Emily&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lozinski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Richard R. and Janice D. Nickerson Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hailee&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mason&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Richard R. and Janice D. Nickerson Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Deshaun&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Malave&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Richardson Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maria&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rolon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Robert and Constance Gilbert Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nathan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Szukala&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Robert and Constance Gilbert Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Barenda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bandara&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roger and Caroline Putnam Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elishama&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jean&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roger and Caroline Putnam Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Giannie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Collins&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roger and Caroline Putnam Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Isabel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lopez Castro&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roger and Caroline Putnam Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jemima&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kitsa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roger and Caroline Putnam Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Josephine&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roman&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roger and Caroline Putnam Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Liushka&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Borrero Ramos&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roger and Caroline Putnam Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Luis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rivera-Alicea&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roger and Caroline Putnam Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rebeca&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cuba&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roger and Caroline Putnam Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Renata&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Fabelo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roger and Caroline Putnam Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sophia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hallo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roger and Caroline Putnam Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tawana&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Walter&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roger and Caroline Putnam Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tyler&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bonilla&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roger and Caroline Putnam Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Vincent&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bonilla&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roger and Caroline Putnam Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Zephaniah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Langley&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roger and Caroline Putnam Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Eurene&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carabuena&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rosemarie Cataldo Fitzpatrick Scholarship in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennifer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Buri Yunga&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rosemarie Cataldo Fitzpatrick Scholarship in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sarah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nicholson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rosemarie Cataldo Fitzpatrick Scholarship in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Yahia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ajam&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rosemarie Cataldo Fitzpatrick Scholarship in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Samantha&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lowe&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rosetta Jacque Aldrich Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Derek&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rolon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rozalia and Gladys Szczur Scholarship in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ethan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lamore&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ruth McIntyre Scholars Award&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lila&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Goodrich&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ruth McIntyre Scholars Award&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Graham&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ruth McIntyre Scholars Award&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Viktoria Livchin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Livchin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ruth McIntyre Scholars Award&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Olivia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Labonte&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ruth McIntyre Transfer Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sandra&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rhoden&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sgt. Brian M. Burns and Cindy A. Sabourin Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brea&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Johnson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sheila Donohue '81 Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elian&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ortiz Viera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sheila Donohue '81 Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alexis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rivera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shirley and John Fallon Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Angie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Martinez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shirley and John Fallon Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brenda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carrier&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shirley and John Fallon Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Charlie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bridges&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shirley and John Fallon Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gabriel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ibekilo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shirley and John Fallon Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gracyn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shanahan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shirley and John Fallon Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kenyce&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Crump&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shirley and John Fallon Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kristen&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Renta-Vazquez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shirley and John Fallon Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Leo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Russell&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shirley and John Fallon Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lionel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Resto&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shirley and John Fallon Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maevince&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dorotan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shirley and John Fallon Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maschil&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Morgan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shirley and John Fallon Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Samantha&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Melnik&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shirley and John Fallon Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Skylar&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nyt&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shirley and John Fallon Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Aslin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cadiz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sobon Family Fund Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Celina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Almendarez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sobon Family Fund Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Daliza&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Burgos&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sobon Family Fund Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Matthew&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Vinces&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sobon Family Fund Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Melissa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Barnhart&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sobon Family Fund Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Todd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Van Mourik&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Social Justice Award&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gavin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sawabi&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Spencer C. Bridgman Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kyrah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Morgan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Spencer C. Bridgman Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brooklyn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ingellis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sr. Bernice Lebel Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Katelyn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kelley&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sr. Bernice Lebel Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Stephanie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Huynh&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sr. Bernice Lebel Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nick&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sylvester&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;SSG Clint J. Storey &quot;Pay a Good Deed Forward&quot; Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Vincenzo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dandridge&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Stephen Pollock Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Araba&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Murray-Adoboe&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sue Ellen Panitch Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Emma&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carvalho&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sue Ellen Panitch Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kate&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;O'Donnell&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sue Ellen Panitch Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sebastian&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Pacheco&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sue Ellen Panitch Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dorah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rains&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Suzanne Teitelbaum Courchesne Memorial Nursing Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Aaliyah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;O'Dean&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ted and Barbara Hebert Teddy Bear Pools Scholarship for Working Students&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ahiritza&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Robles Marrero&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ted and Barbara Hebert Teddy Bear Pools Scholarship for Working Students&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chloe&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Phillips&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ted and Barbara Hebert Teddy Bear Pools Scholarship for Working Students&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dayannette&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Pabon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ted and Barbara Hebert Teddy Bear Pools Scholarship for Working Students&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kass&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Velasquez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ted and Barbara Hebert Teddy Bear Pools Scholarship for Working Students&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Luis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ruiz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ted and Barbara Hebert Teddy Bear Pools Scholarship for Working Students&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lydia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Iheanacho&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ted and Barbara Hebert Teddy Bear Pools Scholarship for Working Students&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Naileah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Soler&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ted and Barbara Hebert Teddy Bear Pools Scholarship for Working Students&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nakisha&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Williams&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ted and Barbara Hebert Teddy Bear Pools Scholarship for Working Students&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;TY&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Spencer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ted and Barbara Hebert Teddy Bear Pools Scholarship for Working Students&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ana&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Estien&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;The StandOutTruck.com Celeste Berger Annual Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nijiah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gamble&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Timothy Michael Thompson '00 Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Heather&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Wrona&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Unity Humanitarian Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kyra&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Caballero-Staples&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Van Werkhooven Family Annual Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Patricia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Richardson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Van Werkhooven Family Annual Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shamira&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Davis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Van Werkhooven Family Annual Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Angelis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Vargas&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Victor E. and Mariellen Quillard Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ariana&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Navarro&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Victor E. and Mariellen Quillard Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Athena&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lebron&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Victor E. and Mariellen Quillard Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cristian&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lopez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Victor E. and Mariellen Quillard Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Luis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Medina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Victor E. and Mariellen Quillard Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Christopher&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Fondakowski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Victor E. Thomas Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jamal&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cumberbatch&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Victor E. Thomas Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Michael&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Navarro&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Victor E. Thomas Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sam&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lacus&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Victor E. Thomas Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Camila&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Reyes&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Westfield Bank Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Keith&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hajjar&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Westfield Bank Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Suzette&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Appiah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Westfield Bank Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Emmanuel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rojas&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Yadavendra Sharma Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lexyanna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rivera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Yadavendra Sharma Memorial Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Finn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Evans&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Yvette E. Laporte Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Marlowe&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Washington&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Yvette E. Laporte Scholarship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;table width=&quot;751&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x213" URL="student-life/student-engagement" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:12:54" CategoryIds="" FileName="x213.xml" Name="Student Engagement" Title="Student Engagement" Abstract="We provide student-led and engaging co-curricular programming, as well as diverse opportunities that encourage active and meaningful participation by all members of the campus community." IntroCopy="Student Engagement provides student-led and engaging co-curricular programming, as well as diverse opportunities that encourage active and meaningful participation by all members of the campus community." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Two smiling students wearing party hats&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/activitiesclubs_intext.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Our Mission&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Student Engagement&lt;/span&gt; seeks to support student success at HCC by providing student-led and engaging co-curricular programming, as well as diverse opportunities that encourage active and meaningful participation by all members of the campus community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;explore&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-engagement/week-at-a-glance&quot; title=&quot;HCC Week at a Glance&quot;&gt;Week at a Glance&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/clubs-and-organizations&quot; title=&quot;HCC Student Clubs &amp;amp; Organizations&quot;&gt;Student Clubs &amp;amp; Organizations&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-engagement/activity-period&quot; title=&quot;HCC Activity Period&quot;&gt;Activity Period&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/clubs-and-organizations/student-government&quot; title=&quot;HCC Student Government&quot;&gt;Student Government&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-engagement/day-trips&quot; title=&quot;HCC Day Trips&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Day Trips&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Contact Us&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Student Engagement Office&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Campus Center 227&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:4135522418&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;413.552.2418&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentengagement@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;studentengagement@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2418&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x341" URL="student-life/student-engagement/week-at-a-glance" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250806T19:07:37" CategoryIds="" FileName="x341.xml" Name="Week at a Glance" Title="Week at a Glance" Abstract="HCC's Week at a Glance is the weekly campus newsletter. Events, deadlines, announcements, celebrations, and opportunities are all explained in one place. Week at a Glance comes out every Monday morning via HCC email." IntroCopy="Events, deadlines, announcements, celebrations, and opportunities are all explained in one place." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Events, deadlines, announcements, celebrations, and opportunities are all explained in one place.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College's weekly e-newsletter, Week at a Glance (W@G), is filled with important dates, events, and opportunities happening on campus. The W@G is published every Monday morning during the academic year and summer session.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Add W@G to Your Calendar&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=studentengagement%40hcc.edu&amp;amp;ctz=America%2FNew_York&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Click here to add&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; the W@G Google Calendar to have all of the week's events automatically added to your HCC Google Calendar and never miss an event!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Submit an Event(s)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Staff and faculty can submit anything to be included in the W@G Newsletter and Google Calendar by &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSePN_0PbafBu4iSURxoBjY8yOci6fRbEiMxgj0_q8nRIXYp5g/viewform?usp=header&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;completing this Google Form&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Submission Deadline&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;All events must be submitted by &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Thursday at 5 p.m.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; to be included in the following Monday&amp;rsquo;s W@G email.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Submissions received after the deadline will &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;not&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; appear in the newsletter, but can still be added to the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;W@G Google Calendar&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Questions?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Contact Student Engagement at &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentengagement@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;studentengagement@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x215" URL="student-life/student-engagement/activity-period" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x215.xml" Name="Activity Period" Title="Activity Period" Abstract="Activity Period is every Wednesday from 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. The entire campus community is encouraged to attend." IntroCopy="We believe in community!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A smiling student creates a bowl using a pottery wheel&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Activities/Activity%20Period/activityperiod.jpg&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Activity Period is every Wednesday:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;11 a.m. &amp;ndash; 12:15 p.m.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During Activity Period, the entire campus is encouraged to take a break from classes to attend community events and club meetings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See the events coming up each week in &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-engagement/week-at-a-glance&quot; title=&quot;HCC Week at a Glance&quot;&gt;Week at a Glance&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x218" URL="student-life/student-engagement/day-trips" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x218.xml" Name="Day Trips" Title="Day Trips" Abstract="Student Activities sponsors bus trips open to all students, faculty, staff, and their friends and families. New York City, Broadway, Salem, and Boston are common destinations, but new places are added based upon requests." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Student Activities sponsors bus trips open to all students, faculty, staff, and their friends and families!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x426" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness" Schema="NewsIndexPage" Locale="" Changed="20260113T15:39:19" CategoryIds="" FileName="x426.xml" Name="Athletics &amp; Fitness" Title="Athletics &amp; Fitness" Abstract="HCC is serious about sports, including baseball, basketball, volleyball, golf, cross-country, and soccer." ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x248" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/bartley-center" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250127T17:52:46" CategoryIds="" FileName="x248.xml" Name="Bartley Center" Title="Bartley Center" Abstract="Holyoke Community College's spectacular athletics facility." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The spectacular David M. Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation features a three-court gymnasium, full fitness center, steam and sauna facilities, multipurpose studio, assessment room, and locker rooms. The &quot;BC,&quot; as it is known, also features classroom and office space, as well as a lounge where students meet, socialize, and study.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Open to students, faculty, staff and community groups, the Bartley Center offers an ongoing schedule of activities and events. BC staff manage scheduling, building operations, programming and event consultation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bartley Center Business Hours:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;Monday-Friday&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;6am-9pm&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;Saturday&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;8:00am-12pm&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;Sunday&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;Closed&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x237" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/athletic-interest-form" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:52" CategoryIds="" FileName="x237.xml" Name="Athletic Interest Form" Title="Athletic Interest Form" Abstract="Fill out this form if you're interested in joining a sports team at HCC. " BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;Eligibility Requirements Per The NJCAA&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;In order to participate in varsity athletics, all student-athletes must be enrolled as a full-time student, taking at least 12 credits during the semester of their sport.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the form will not &quot;accept responses&quot; please email Sports Information Director Rob Galazka with your full name and the sport you wish to participate in at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:rgalazka@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;rgalazka@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.83em; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt; Returning Students Must:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Have a minimum 2.0 GPA and passed 12 credits during the previous semester of full-time enrollment&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Have a minimum 2.0 GPA and passed an average of 12 credits for every semester enrolled as a full-time student&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;640&quot; height=&quot;1675&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeUAvy1NpCBFBb_ntMw7h2bbgVN3lOtHAkancZkKBO1tLm5HA/viewform?embedded=true&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x1888" URL="x1888.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:52" CategoryIds="" FileName="x1888.xml" Name="Athletics news" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x18784" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/new-athletics-website" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:53" CategoryIds="2" FileName="x18784.xml" Name="New Athletics Website" Thumbnail="/images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Primary%20Logo.png" Title="New Athletics Website" Abstract="Visit the new HCC athletics website." ThumbnailAltText="HCC cougars logo" Date="2023-03-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Visit our new athletics website at &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcccougars.com/landing/index&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC Cougars website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;HCCcougars.com&lt;/a&gt;!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x226" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:24" CategoryIds="" FileName="x226.xml" Name="Teams" Title="Athletic Teams" Abstract="Holyoke Community College athletic teams" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Join a sports team at HCC. Start the process by filling out the &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/athletic-interest-form&quot; title=&quot;HCC Athletic Interest Form&quot;&gt;Athletic Interest Form&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x227" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x227.xml" Name="Women's Soccer" Title="Women's Soccer" Abstract="The Lady Cougars were crowned New England Champions for eight consecutive years from 2012 to 2019 and in 12 of the last 15 seasons. They have advanced to the National Elite Eight seven times over those years, finishing as high as third in the nation. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;WSOC '22 team photo&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/2022%20WSOC%20team%20phost%20Best.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Lady Cougars are coached by former Holyoke Community College All-New England goalkeeper&amp;nbsp;Rob Galazka. Galazka played for the Cougars from 1996 to 1997 and enters his 18th season as our Women's Soccer Head Coach in 2022. The Lady Cougars were crowned New England&amp;nbsp;Champions for eight consecutive years from 2012 to 2019 and in 12 of the last 15 seasons, advancing to the National Elite Eight seven times over those years. HCC made its first ever appearance&amp;nbsp;at the National Women's Soccer Final Four in 2008 and had its best finish at a National Tournament in 2013 where they finished third in the Nation. HCC boasts 16 All-Americans, all under Galazka. This year the Cougars welcome back three athletes who were part of last year's season. Coach Galazka is looking forward to another tremendously successful season on the pitch.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you are interested in playing for the Lady Cougars this season, please contact head coach&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:rgalazka@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Rob Galazka&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and fill out the &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/athletic-interest-form&quot; title=&quot;HCC Athletic Interest Form&quot;&gt;athletic interest form&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/womens-soccer-photos&quot;&gt;2022 Photos - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/meet-our-team-2022-womens-soccer&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2022 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/meet-our-team-2021-womens-soccer&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2021 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/meet-our-team-2019-womens-soccer&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2019 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/meet-our-team-2018-womens-soccer&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2018 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/meet-our-team-2017-womens-soccer&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2017 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/lady-cougars-soccer-all-time&quot;&gt;Lady Cougars Soccer All-Time - Click Here&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/womens-soccer-photos&quot;&gt;Photos from 2016-2022 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;Photo: 2022 Lady Cougars Soccer&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x7527" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/womens-soccer-coaches" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7527.xml" Name="Women's Soccer Coaches" Title="Women's Soccer Coaches" Abstract="Lady Cougars Soccer" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Rob Galazka women's soccer coach and SID&quot; height=&quot;226&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/me3.jpg&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sara McMurray assistant women's soccer coach&quot; height=&quot;290&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Murr%20pic.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7323" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/womens-soccer-photos" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7323.xml" Name="Women's Soccer Photos" Title="Women's Soccer Photos" Abstract="Photos from 2016-2021 Seasons" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/eUUtXtd4oEDCWZU38&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2022 Women's Soccer Season Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/izrW8gqp9XFuNb6z6&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2021 Women's Soccer Season Action Photos&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/Bfz32GCoxVaF7BiAA&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2021 Women's Soccer New England Championship &amp;amp; Semi-Final&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/SimtayZfGYvH1iaJ9&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2021 Women's &amp;amp; Men's Soccer Non-Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/9W3zPRuJUhSTUMyq5&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2019 Women's Soccer Season Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/H2ELzSQhbhspPFAt7&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2019 Women's Soccer New England Championship &amp;amp; Semi-Final&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/3WHqHj8wZt6kU1iZA&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2019 Women's &amp;amp; Men's Soccer Non-Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/hasA78K3ck4m42ea6&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2018 Women's Soccer Season Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/4MCaFdSCrsrTLAEM8&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2018 Women's Soccer New England &amp;amp; District Championship Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/2D8RRKyjjVYPHp3r7&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2018 Women's Soccer National Championship Tournamenet Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/mgWL3v6mdrtAHPne9&quot;&gt;2018 Women's and Men's Soccer Non-Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/_dZprv5TJUk&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2018 Women's Soccer National Championship Tournament Video by Assistant Coach Javi Cruz&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/evgBqHz3iexC2ncm2&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2017 Women's Soccer Season Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/mnoTUAU0i4f7YNJL2&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2017 Women's Soccer New England Championship Photos&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/jRq4SKXZLxlvudU22&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2017 Women's Soccer Non-Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/7foYgH3UMdrTXCVC6&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2016 Women's Soccer Season Action Photos&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/Jx35J8q8JZGzZMLq9&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2016 Women's Soccer New England Championship Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/BjcFN1pdFpTyESUa6&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2016 Women's Soccer District Championship Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/4FMjAwEu327A7u819&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2016 Women's and Men's Soccer Season Non-Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5933" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/lady-cougars-soccer-all-time" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5933.xml" Name="Lady Cougars Soccer All-Time" Title="Lady Cougars Soccer All-Time" Abstract="HCC Women's Soccer All-Time" BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;NJCAA soccer logo &quot; height=&quot;172&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/NJCAA-Soccer-Logo-R.gif&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px; vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;211&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino;&quot;&gt;Lady Cougars All-Time&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&quot;Lady Cougars All-Time&quot; honors the special student-athletes that have left their mark on the Holyoke Community College Women's Soccer Program. The Lady Cougars have been playing soccer at HCC since 1983 and have built a winning tradition through teamwork and dedication. This &quot;All-Time&quot; section lists All-New England and All-American recipients as well as HCC All-Time scoring leaders and overall program records and statistics.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/lady-cougars-soccer-all-time/womens-soccer-all-time-all-new-england-and-all-american-recipients&quot;&gt;ALL-TIME ALL-NEW ENGLAND &amp;amp; ALL-AMERICAN RECIPIENTS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/lady-cougars-soccer-all-time/womens-soccer-all-time-scoring-leaders&quot;&gt;ALL-TIME SCORING LEADERS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/lady-cougars-soccer-all-time/womens-soccer-all-time-records&quot;&gt;ALL-TIME RECORDS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/lady-cougars-soccer-all-time/womens-soccer-all-time-player-list&quot;&gt;ALL-TIME PLAYERS LIST&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x5935" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/lady-cougars-soccer-all-time/womens-soccer-all-time-all-new-england-and-all-american-recipients" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5935.xml" Name="Women's Soccer All-Time All-New England &amp; All-American Recipients" Title="Women's Soccer All-Time All-New England &amp; All-American Recipients" Abstract="HCC Women's Soccer All-Time  All-New England &amp; All-American Recipients" BodyCopy="&lt;table frame=&quot;box&quot; rules=&quot;all&quot; style=&quot;width: 550px; height: 1634px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;*All-New England*&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;*All-New England*&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;*All-New England*&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;*All-New England*&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Name&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Position&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Team&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Year(s)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Julie Peltier&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1990&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Aimee Loudfoot&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1998-99&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Deborah Korytoski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1998&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gina Loudfoot&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2000&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Isable Soares&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2000-01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sabina Lynskey&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2001&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jeanelle Zick&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2001&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennifer Cyr&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Goalkeeper&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2001/03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nicole Hebert&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2001&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Christina Rossi&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;HM&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2001&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Johanna McCarthy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2002&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Katie Kissel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;HM/2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2002/04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kristen Knurek&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2003&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Megan McCue&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2003&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda McDonald&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2003&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sarah Granfield&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2003&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Megan Murphy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;HM/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2003-04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessica Gibby&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2004&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lauren Montano&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Goalkeeper&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2004&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jaime Walsh&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2004-05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Andre Sepp&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2004-05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dominique Finkley&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Goalkeeper&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2005&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rachel Colby&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2005-06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elyse Campbell&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2005-06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Corin Marsh&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2005-06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maria Merritt&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2006-07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nicole Pollard&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2006&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennifer Godbout&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Goalkeeper&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2006&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Samantha Wohlers&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Goalkeeper&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2007&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rebeca Dee&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2007-08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sarah Jaskula&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2007-08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alison Pirog&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2007&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alicia Domino&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd/2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2007-08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jenee King&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder / Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2008-09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Valeria Cuesta-Ortiz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2008&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sara McMurray&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2009&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda Martins&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2009&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kelly Omasta&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Goalkeeper&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2009&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hannah Miller&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2009&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Grace Santiago&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2009&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Casi Nunez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2010&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Angie Kelley&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2010&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jenna Seymour&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2010&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alicia Carter&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2010-11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda Cummings&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2010-11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda Grant&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2010-11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennifer Galindo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2011/16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Laura Masciotra&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2011-12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Regan Teixeira&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2011-12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Arianna Martineau&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2012&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Leigh Strycharz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2012&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brittany McCarthy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2012&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kara Peters&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2012&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nicole Callini&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2013-14&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Devon Wolfenden&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2013&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kristina Mullin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2013-14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessica Teodore&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2013-14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kristy Cominoli&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2013&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Taishla Lopez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2013&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda Olson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2014&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kaley Donovan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2014&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Allyson Everett&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2014&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Natalie Galindo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2015-16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hattie Wilder Karlstrom&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2015&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Olivia Neiswanger&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2015-16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alexandria Stuetzel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2015-16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Reilly Jodoin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2015&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rebekah Herring&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2015&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;McKenzie Wilson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2016-17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Allison Zollo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2016-17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessica Patruno&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder / Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2017-18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cassidy Snyder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2017&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Emma Gomes&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2017&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Catherine Hotham&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2017&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shannon McCarthy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2018&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Samantha Tersavich&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2018&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Karina Little&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2018-19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Miranda Grochowski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2018&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gabrielle Petlock&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd/2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2018-19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hannah Garon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Goalkeeper&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2019&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessica Payne&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2019&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kayla LaFortune&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2019&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elizabeth Zollo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2019&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Madison Grabowski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder / Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2021&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Karina Volpe&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2021&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rosalie Pagnoni&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender / Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2021&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gabriella Robert&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2021&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Makayla Santos&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2022&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Donna Viel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Goalkeeper&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2022&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carin&amp;eacute;h Santana&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2022&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;*All-American*&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;*All-American*&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;*All-American*&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;*All-American*&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Name&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Position&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Team&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Year(s)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Megan Murphy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&amp;nbsp;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2004&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jaime Walsh&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2005&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rachel Colby&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2006&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elyse Campbell&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2006&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maria Merritt&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2007&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rebecca Dee&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2008&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jenee King&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2009&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alicia Carter&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2010-11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda Grant&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2010&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda Cummings&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2011&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Laura Masciotra&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2012&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nicole Callini&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st/1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2013-14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessica Teodore&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Forward&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2014&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Natalie Galindo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2015&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennifer Galindo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Midfielder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1st&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2016&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessica Patruno&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Defender&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2nd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2018&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Updated: December 2022&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5936" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/lady-cougars-soccer-all-time/womens-soccer-all-time-scoring-leaders" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5936.xml" Name="Women's Soccer All-Time Scoring Leaders" Title="Women's Soccer All-Time Scoring Leaders" Abstract="HCC Soccer All-Time Scoring Leaders" BodyCopy="&lt;table frame=&quot;box&quot; rules=&quot;all&quot; style=&quot;width: 586px; height: 1086px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Name&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Points&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Goals&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Assists&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Games Played&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Year(s)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessica Teodore&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;99&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;36&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;27&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;40&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2013-14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nicole Callini&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;93&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;36&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;40&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2013-14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alicia Carter&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;89&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;34&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;33&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2010-11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maria Merritt&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;88&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;37&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;38&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2006-07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rachel Colby&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;84&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;29&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;26&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;35&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2005-06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Natalie Galindo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;80&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;30&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;20&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;41&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2015-16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda Grant&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;76&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;28&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;20&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;33&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2010-11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tai Lopez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;74&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;32&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;45&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2012-13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cassidy Snyder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;70&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;33&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;4&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2017-18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Aimee Loudfoot&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;62&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;27&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;24&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1998-99&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Olivia Neiswanger&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;60&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;41&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2015-16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sarah Jaskula&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;55&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;20&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;36&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2007-08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennifer Galindo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;53&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;37&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2011 &amp;amp; 16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Meaghan Murphy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;52&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;27&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2003-04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Julie Peltier&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;49&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;23&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;3&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1990&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessica Patruno&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;48&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;20&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;41&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2017-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;18&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Laura Masciotra&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;46&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;40&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2011-12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sara Winters&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;45&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1993-94&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shannon McCarthy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;44&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;41&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2017-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;18&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Megan McCue&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;44&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;28&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2002-03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Valeria Cuesta-Ortiz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;43&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2008&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nikki Hebert&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;43&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;30&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2000-01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brittany McCarthy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;42&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;6&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;40&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2011-12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Becky Dee&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;42&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;38&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2007-08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessica Gibby&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;42&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;24&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2003-04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Katie Kissel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;42&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;32&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2002 &amp;amp; 04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gina Loudfoot&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;41&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;26&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2000-01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Reilly Jodoin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;40&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;35&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2015-16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Miranda Grochowski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;39&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;41&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2017-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;18&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Allison Zollo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;38&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;40&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2016-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;17&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Leigh Strycharz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;34&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;40&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2011-12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kara Peters&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;34&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;24&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2012&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sara McMurray&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;34&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2009&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda McDonald&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;33&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;3&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;28&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2002-03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amy Lantigua&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;32&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;40&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2009-10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elyse Campbell&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;32&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;35&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2005-06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Katie Warner&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;32&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2006&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jaime Walsh&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;32&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;32&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2004-05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Samantha Tersavich&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;31&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2018&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Emma Gomes&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;31&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;39&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2016-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;17&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alexandria Stuetzel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;31&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;41&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2015-16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jenee King&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;31&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;42&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2008-09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Meagan Allen&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;31&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;5&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;24&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1997-98&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gabriella Robert&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;30&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;6&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;32&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2019 &amp;amp; &lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;21&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Allyson Everett&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;30&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;35&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2014-15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amy Desmarais&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;30&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1992-93&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gabrielle Petlock&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;29&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;41&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2018-19&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tamara Nicholson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;29&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lauren Jaskula&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;29&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;3&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;23&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2012&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Corin Marsh&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;29&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;35&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2005-06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;McKenzie Wilson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;28&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;38&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2016-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;17&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alison Pirog&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;28&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;40&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2006-07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bethany Walbridge&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;27&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;4&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1996&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Devon Wolfenden&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;26&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2013&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kristi Cominoli&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;26&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;43&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2012-13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sabina Lynskey&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;26&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;6&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2001&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sandra Malvezi&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;26&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;6&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;20&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1995-96&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sarah Casagrande&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;25&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;30&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2001-02&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Taydrah Clinton&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;24&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;4&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;26&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2015-16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Norma Reyes&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;23&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;5&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;40&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2014-15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ashley Piccirilli&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;23&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;40&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2006-07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lauren Willett&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;6&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;41&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2007-08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda Kowal&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;6&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1993-94&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Karina Little&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;39&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2018-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;19&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda Cummings&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;3&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;33&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2010-11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda Martins&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;5&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;20&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2009&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Makayla Santos&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;20&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;0&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;2022&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mary Glasheen&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;20&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;6&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2018-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;19&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elizabeth Zollo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;20&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;6&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2018-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;19&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alyssa Eaton&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;20&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;30&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2001-02&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jill Stevens&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;20&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;6&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1990&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sophia Hess&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;20&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;4&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;2015&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Updated: Nov. 2022&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5937" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/lady-cougars-soccer-all-time/womens-soccer-all-time-records" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5937.xml" Name="Women's Soccer All-Time Records" Title="Women's Soccer All-Time Records" Abstract="HCC Women's Soccer All-Time Records" BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WOMEN'S SOCCER ALL-TIME RECORDS&lt;br /&gt;(TEAM &amp;amp; INDIVIDUAL)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TEAM RECORDS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Wins in a Season: 21&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2012),&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;15&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2016 &amp;amp; 2009),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;14&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2017, 2013, 2010, 2008 &amp;amp; 2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;13&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2018, 2011),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;12&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2015, 2014 &amp;amp; 2001),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;10&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2019, 2007),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;8&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;(2004),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;7&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(1998)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Consecutive Wins: 12&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;(2016),&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;11&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;(2012),&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;8&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;(2017),&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;7&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2011 &amp;amp; 2010),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;6&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2014, 2009, 2008, 2001)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Consecutive Games Unbeaten&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;12&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2016),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;11&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2012 &amp;amp; 2001),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;9&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2009),&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;8&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;(2019,&amp;nbsp;2017&amp;nbsp;&amp;amp; 2014),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;7&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2015, 2013, 2011 &amp;amp; 2010),&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;6&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2008 &amp;amp; 2006)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fewest Losses in a Season&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;1&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2012),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;3&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;(2001),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;4&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2017, 2015 &amp;amp; 2011),&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2013, 2010, 2009 &amp;amp; 2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;6&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2019, 2016, 2014)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Goals in a Season: 105&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;(2012),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;89&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;86&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2016),&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;82&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2017&amp;nbsp;&amp;amp; 2013),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;68&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2015),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;61&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2001),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;59&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2014, 2010 &amp;amp; 2008),&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;56&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2018),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;53&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2007),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;52&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2004),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;51&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2009),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;49&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2019),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;48&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(1990),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;46&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2011),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;45&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2002)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Highest Goals Per Game Average: 4.45&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;4.38&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2012),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;4.36&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(1990),&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4.32&lt;/strong&gt; (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;4.10&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2016),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;3.9&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;(2013),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3.81&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2001),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;3.40&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2015),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;3.25&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(1998),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;3.11&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2014 &amp;amp; 2010),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;3.06&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2004),&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.81&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2008),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;2.71&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2011),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;2.65&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2007), &lt;strong&gt;2.58&lt;/strong&gt; (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2019&lt;/span&gt;)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;2.55&lt;/strong&gt; (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2018)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lowest&amp;nbsp;Goals&amp;nbsp;Allowed Per Game Average&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;0.58&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2012),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;0.65&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2011),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;0.95&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2019&lt;/span&gt;, 2009, 2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1.00&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt; &amp;amp; 2016),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;1.03&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;(2013),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;1.05&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2015, 2007),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;1.07&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;(2001),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;1.16&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2014 &amp;amp; 2010),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;1.27&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2005),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;1.62&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2008), &lt;strong&gt;1.72&lt;/strong&gt; (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2018&lt;/span&gt;)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;1.79&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2000)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fewest Goals Allowed in a Season:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;11&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2011),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;14&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2019&lt;/span&gt;, 2012),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;15&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2001),&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;19&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;, 2006 &amp;amp; 2005),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;20&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2009),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;21&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2016, 2015, 2007),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;22&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2014, 2013 &amp;amp; 2010),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;24&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(1993)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Shutouts in a Season&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;14&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2012),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;12&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2015),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;11&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;, 2016 &amp;amp; 2001),&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;10&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2019&lt;/span&gt;, 2013, 2009 &amp;amp; 2006,),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;9&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2018&lt;/span&gt;, 2011),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;8&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2010 &amp;amp; 2007),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;7&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2014 &amp;amp; 2004),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;6&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2008),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;5&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2000 &amp;amp; 1996)&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Consecutive Shutouts in a Season: 10&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2001),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;7&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2015),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;5&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;, 2016, 2011, 2000 &amp;amp; 1996),&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2019&lt;/span&gt;, 2017, 2013 (twice), 2012 (twice), 2009 &amp;amp; 2008),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;3&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;(&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;2022&lt;/span&gt;, 2019, 2018&lt;/span&gt;, 2007, 2006 &amp;amp; 2004)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Ties in a Season&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;4&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2015),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;3&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2019),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;2&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2021, 2013, 2012, 2007 &amp;amp; 1999)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most&amp;nbsp;Overtime Games in a Season&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;5&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2007),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;4&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2018,&amp;nbsp;2015, 1999),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;3&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(2019, 2016, 2012)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Goals Scored in One Game: 16&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;vs. Bunker Hill (2013),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;16&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;vs. Manchester&amp;nbsp;(2012),&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;15&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;vs. Bristol (2011),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;15&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;vs. Briarwood (2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;14&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;vs. Bristol (2012),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;14&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;vs. Manchester (2001), &lt;strong&gt;13&lt;/strong&gt; vs. Quinsigamond (2016)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;13&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;vs. Briarwood (2007),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;13&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;vs. Bunker Hill (2002),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;12&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;vs. Bunker Hill (2015),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;12&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;vs. Bristol&amp;nbsp;(2013),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;12&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;vs. Mass Bay (2008),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;12&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;vs. Briarwood (2004),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;11 &lt;/strong&gt;vs Bunker Hill (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;),&amp;nbsp;vs. Bristol&amp;nbsp;(2013),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;11&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;vs. Massasoit (2012),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;11&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;vs. Bristol (2009),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;11&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;vs. Bunker Hill (2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;11&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;vs. Hampshire (1990)&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;INDIVIDUAL RECORDS: FIELD PLAYERS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Goals in a Season:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;27&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Cassidy Snyder (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;25&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Jessica Teodore (2014),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;23&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Julie Peltier (1990),&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;22&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;-Nicole Callini (2013), Maria Merritt (2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;21&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Alicia Carter (2010), Aimee Loudfoot (1998),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;18&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Amanda Grant (2010), Sarah Jaskula (2008), Meaghan Murphy (2004),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;17&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Rachel Colby (2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;16&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Tai Lopez (2013, 2012), Valeria Cuesta-Ortiz (2008),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;15&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Natalie Galindo (2016, 2015), Maria Merritt (2007), Sara Winters (1994),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;14&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Jessica Patruno (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;), Nicole Callini (2014), Brittany McCarthy (2012), Jessica Gibby (2004),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;13&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Laura Masciotra (2012), Lauren Jaskula (2012), Alicia Carter (2011),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;12&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;-Jennifer Galindo (2016),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Reilly Jodoin (2016),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Olivia Neiswanger (2015), Rachel Colby (2005),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;11 -&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Jess Teodore (2013),&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;(min 11)&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Goals in a Career:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;37&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Maria Merritt (2006-07),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;36&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Nicole Callini (2013-14), Jessica Teodore (2013-14)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;34&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;-Alicia Carter (2010-11),&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;33&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Cassidy Snyder (2017-18), &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;32&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Tai Lopez (2012-13),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;30&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Natalie Galindo (2015-16),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;29&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Rachel Colby (2005-06),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;28&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Amanda Grant (2010-11), &lt;strong&gt;27&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Aimee Loudfoot (1998-99),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;23&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Julie Peltier (1990),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;22&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Olivia Neiswanger (2015-16), Meaghan Murphy (2003-04),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;20&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Jessica Patruno (2017-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;18&lt;/span&gt;), Sarah Jaskula (2007-08),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;19&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Sara Winters (1993-94),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;18&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Brittany McCarthy (2011-12),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;17&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Becky Dee (2007-08), Gina Loudfoot (2000-01),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;16&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Jennifer Galindo (2011/16), Reilly Jodoin (2015-16), Valeria Cuesta-Ortiz (2008),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;15&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Allison Zollo (2016-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;17&lt;/span&gt;), Laura Masciotra (2011-12), Jessica Gibby (2003-04), Megan McCue (2002-03), Amanda McDonald (2002-03),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(min 15)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Goals in a Game&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;5&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Tai Lopez (2012), Julie Peltier (1990),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;4&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Makayla Santos (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;2022&lt;/span&gt;), Cassidy Snyder (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;), Jessica Teodore (2014), Nicole Callini (2013), Brittany McCarthy (2012), Alicia Carter (2010), Valeria Cuesta-Ortiz (2008), Maria Merritt (2007), Jessica Gibby (2004), Sarah Casagrande (2002),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(min 4)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Assists in a Season&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;19&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Rachel Colby (2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;18&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Kara Peters (2012),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;17&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Jess Teodore (2013),&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;16&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Sara McMurray (2009),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;14&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Miranda Grochowski (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;), Alicia Carter (2010),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;13&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Samantha Tersavich (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2018&lt;/span&gt;), Jennifer Galindo (2016), Jenee King (2008),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;12&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Emma Gomes (2017), Natalie Galindo (2016), Olivia Neiswanger (2016), Amanda Grant (2010), Maria Merritt (2006), Katie Warner (2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;11&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Allyson Everett (2014), Nikki Callini (2013), Laura Masciotra (2012), Brittney LaShier (2012), Valeria Cuesta-Ortiz (2008),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;10&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Shannon McCarthy &lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;(2018&lt;/span&gt;), Alexandria Stuetzel (2016), Nicole Callini (2014), Jessica Teodore (2014), Devon Wolfenden (2013), Leigh Strycharz (2012),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;9&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Tamara Nicholson (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;), Sarah Jaskula (2007), Allison Pirog (2006), Jaime Walsh (2004), Megan McCue (2002), Katie Kissell (2002), Nicole Hebert (2001), Jill Stevens (1990),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;8&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Mary Glasheen (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2019&lt;/span&gt;), Elizabeth Zollo (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2019&lt;/span&gt;), Natalie Galindo (2015), Jenn Galindo (2011), Amanda Grant (2011), Amy Lantigua (2009), Jessica Gibby (2004), Meaghan Murphy (2004),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(min 8)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Assists in a Career&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;27&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Jessica Teodore (2013-14),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;26&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Rachel&amp;nbsp;Colby (2005-06),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;21&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Miranda Grochowski (2017-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;18&lt;/span&gt;), Jennifer Galindo (2011/16), Nicole Callini (2013-14), Alicia Carter (2010-11),&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;20&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Natalie Galindo (2015-16), Amanda Grant (2010-11),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;18&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Kara Peters (2012),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;17&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Alexandria Stuetzel (2015-16), Jenee King (2008-09),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;16&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Shannon McCarthy (2017-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;18)&lt;/span&gt;, Olivia Neiswanger (2015-16), Allyson Everett (2015), Laura Masciotra (2011-12), Sara McMurray (2009), Katie Kissel (2002/2004),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;15&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Emma Gomes (2016-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;17&lt;/span&gt;), Sarah Jaskula (2007-08), Nicole Hebert (2000-01),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;14&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Maria Merritt (2006-07), Jamie Walsh (2004-05), Megan McCue (2002-03),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;13&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Samantha Tersavich (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2018)&lt;/span&gt;, Kim Fisk (2007-08), Corin Marsh (2005-06),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;12&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Leigh Strycharz (2011-12), Allison Pirog (2006-07), Katie Warner (2006), Jessica Gibby (2003-04),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;11&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Catherine Hotham (2016-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;17&lt;/span&gt;), Brittney LaShier (2011-12), Valeria Cuesta-Ortiz (2008),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;10&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Devon Wolfenden (2013), Tai Lopez (2012-13), Jenna Seymour (2010-11),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(min 10)&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Assists in a Game&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;5&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Miranda Grochowski (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;), Brittney LaShier (2012), Sara McMurray (2009),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;4&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Leigh Strycharz (2012), Amanda Grant (2011), Amy Lantigua (2009), Sarah Jaskula (2007),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(min 4)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Points in a Season:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;60&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Jessica Teodore (2014), &lt;strong&gt;58&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Cassidy Snyder (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;56&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Alicia Carter (2010), Maria Merritt (2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;55 -&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Nikki Callini (2013),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;53&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Rachel Colby (2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;49&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Julie Peltier (1990),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;48&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Amanda Grant (2010),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;47&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Aimee Loudfoot (1998),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;44 -&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Meaghan Murphy (2004),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;43&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Valeria Cuesta-Ortiz (2008),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;42&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Natalie Galindo (2016), Sarah Jaskula (2008),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;39 -&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Jess Teodore (2013),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;38&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Natalie Galindo (2015), Nicole Callini (2014), Tai Lopez (2013),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;37 -&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Jennifer Galindo (2016), Laura Masciotra (2012), &lt;strong&gt;36&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Tai Lopez (2012), Jessica Gibby (2004), &lt;strong&gt;34&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Brittany McCarthy (2012), Kara Peters (2012), Sara McMurray (2009), Sara Winters (1994), &lt;strong&gt;33&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Alicia Carter (2011), &lt;strong&gt;32 -&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Jessica Patruno (2017), Olivia Neiswanger (2016), Leigh Strycharz (2012), Maria Merritt (2007), Katie Warner (2006), &lt;strong&gt;31&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Samantha Tersavich (2018), Rachel Colby (2005),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(min 31)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Points in a Career: 99 -&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Jessica Teodore (2013-14)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;93&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Nicole Callini (2013-14)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;89&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;-Alicia Carter (2010-11),&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;88&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Maria Merritt (2006-07)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;84&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;-Rachel Colby (2005-06)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;80 -&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Natalie Galindo&amp;nbsp;(2015-16)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;76&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Amanda Grant (2010-11)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;74 -&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Tai Lopez (2012-13),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;70&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Cassidy Snyder (2017-18),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;62&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Aimee Loudfoot (1998-99)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;60&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Olivia Neiswanger (2015-16),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;55&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Sarah Jaskula (2007-08)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;53&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Jennifer Galindo (2011/16)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;52&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Meaghan Murphy (2003-04)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;49&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Julie Peltier (1990)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;48&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Jessica Patruno (2017&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;-18)&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;46&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Laura Masciotra (2011-12)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;45&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Sara Winters (1993-94)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;44&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Shannon McCarty (2017&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;-18&lt;/span&gt;), Megan McCue (2002-03)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;43&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Valria Cuesta-Ortiz (2008), Nikki Hebert (2000-01)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;42 -&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Brittany McCarthy (2011-12), Becky Dee (2007-08), Jessica Gibby (2003-04), Katie Kissel (2002/04)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;41&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Gina Loudfoot (2000-01)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;40&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Reilly Jodoin (2015-16) &lt;strong&gt;39&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Miranda Grochowski (2017-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;18&lt;/span&gt;)&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;38&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;-Allison Zollo (2016-&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;17&lt;/span&gt;),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(min 35)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Points in a Game: 11&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Nikki Callini (2013), Tai Lopez (2012), Julie Peltier (1990),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;9&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Jess Teodore (2013), Valria Cuesta-Ortiz (2008), Rachel Colby (2006), Amanda McDonald (2002), Sarah Casagrande (2002),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;8&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Makayla Santos (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;2022&lt;/span&gt;), Cassidy Snyder (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;), Jessica Teodore (2014), Nikki Callini (2013), Laura Masciotra (2012), Brittany McCarthy (2012), Alicia Carter (2010), Amanda Grant (2011), Amy Lantigua (2009), Sara McMurray (2009), Maria Merritt (2006 &amp;amp; 2007), Rachel Colby (2005), Meaghan Murphy (2004), Jessica Gibby (2004),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(min 8)&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;INDIVIDUAL RECORDS: GOALKEEPERS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Starts in a Career: 36&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Malynda Riopelle (2011-12),&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;28&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Jennifer Cyr (2001/03),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;24&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Amanda Olson (2013-14),&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;22&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Holly Methe (2008-09),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;20&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- MyKaela O'Connell (2016), Megan Zabik (2014-15), Elizabeth Strom (1996-97), Jenn Godbout (2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;19&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Hannah Garon (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2019&lt;/span&gt;), Sam Wohlers (2007), Coleen Fish (1990-92), &lt;strong&gt;18&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Maddisin Atkinson (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;17&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Lauren Montano (2004), &lt;strong&gt;16&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Emily Toro-Mattoon&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt; (2018&lt;/span&gt;), &lt;strong&gt;15&lt;/strong&gt; - Donna Viel (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;2022&lt;/span&gt;),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;14&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Brittany Hauschild (2014), Dominque Finkley (2005),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;10&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Amanda Canty (2010), Kelly Omasta (2009),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(min 10)&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Wins in a Season: 19&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Malynda Riopelle (2012),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;15&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- MyKaela O'Connell (2016),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;14&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Maddisin Atkinson (2017),&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Amanda Olson (2013),&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;13 -&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Kelly Omasta (2009), Jenn Godbout (2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;12&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Holly Methe (2008), Jennifer Cyr (2001),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;11&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Amanda Canty (2010),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;10&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Hannah Garon (2019), Megan Zabik (2015),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;9&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Emily Toro-Mattoon (2018), Sam Wohlers (2007),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;8&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Malynda Riopelle (2011), Lauren Montano (2004), Elizabeth Strom (1996-97), &amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;(min 8)&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Wins in a Career: 27&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Malynda Riopelle (2011-12),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;18&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Jennifer Cyr (2011/03),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;17&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Amanda Olson (2013-14),&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;15&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- MyKaela O'Connell (2016),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;14&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Maddisin Atkinson (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;), Holly Methe (2008-09),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;13&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Kelly Omasta (2009), Jenn Godbout (2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;12&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Megan Zabik (2014-15),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;11&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Amanda Canty (2010),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;10&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Hannah Garon (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2019&lt;/span&gt;), Sam Wohlers (2005-07),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;9&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Emily Toro-Mattoon (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffffff;&quot;&gt;2018&lt;/span&gt;), Coleen Fish (1990/92), Lauren Montano (2004), &amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;(min 9)&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Shutouts in a Season: 14&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Malynda Riopelle (2012),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;11&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Maddisin Atkinson (2017),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;10&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Hannah Garon (2019), MyKaela O'Connell (2016), Amanda Olson (2013), Kelly Omasta (2009), Jennifer Cyr (2001),&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Jenn Godbout (2006),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;8&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Megan Zabik (2015), Sam Wohlers (2007),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;7&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Lauren Montano (2004),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;6&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Amanda Canty (2010), Holly Methe (2008),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;5&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Malynda Riopelle (2011), Lesley Wesnowski (2000),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;4.5&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Emily Toro-Mattoon (2018), &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;4&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Donna Viel (&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;2022&lt;/span&gt;), Stephania Robert (2018), Brittany Hauschild (2014), &amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;(min 4)&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Shutouts in a Career: 19&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Malynda Riopelle (2011-12),&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;13&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Jennifer Cyr (2001/03),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;11&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Maddisin Atkinson (2017), Amanda Olson (2013-14),&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;10&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Hannah Garon (2019),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;MyKaela O'Connell (2016),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kelly Omasta (2009),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;9&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Megan Zabik (2014-15), Jenn Godbout (2006), Sam Wohlers (2005/07),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;7&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;- Lauren Montano (2004),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;6&lt;/strong&gt;-Amanda Canty (2010), Holly Methe (2008), Lesley Wesnowski (2000), Elizabeth Strom (1996-97), &amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;(min 6)&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;em style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Updated Nov. 2022&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5939" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/lady-cougars-soccer-all-time/womens-soccer-all-time-player-list" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5939.xml" Name="Women's Soccer All-Time Player List " Title="Women's Soccer All-Time Player List " Abstract="HCC Women's Soccer All-Time Player List " BodyCopy="&lt;table class=&quot;table&quot; frame=&quot;box&quot; rules=&quot;all&quot; style=&quot;width: 704px; height: 1271px;&quot;&gt;&lt;caption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All-Time Players 2010-22&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/caption&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Last&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Name&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;First Name&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Year(s) Played&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Year(s) of Captaincy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Team Player Award&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Team MVP Award&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All-New England&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All-American&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All-National Tournament&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Atkinson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maddisin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brooks&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Olivia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17-'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Caicedo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Calabrese&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sarah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Callini&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nicole&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13-'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13, '14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13, '14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13, '14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Canty&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carter&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alicia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10-'11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10, '11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10, '11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cavanaugh&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elizabeth&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'14-'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chrostowski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Natalia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Clinton&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Taydrah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15-'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cominoli&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kristy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12-'13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cornell&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hannah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cortis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Emily&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Coss&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Crysta&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cummings&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10-'11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10, '11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10, '11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dickson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jah'Anesty&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;19'&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Donovan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kaley&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13-'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Downer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gracelyn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Everett&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Allyson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'14-'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Farris&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alicia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Feeley&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Caitlyn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Fountain&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dominique&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gabriel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ithar&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Galindo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennifer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11 / '16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11, '16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Galindo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Natalie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15-'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15, '16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gallagher&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brandy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Garon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hannah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Glasheen&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mary&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Glod&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kyrstin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gomes&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Emma&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'16-'17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Grabowski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Madison&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p&gt;'21&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Grainca&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Egzona&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Grant&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10-'11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10, '11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Grochowski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Miranda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17-'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hauschild&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brittany&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Herring&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rebekah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15-'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hess&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sophia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hewins&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Breyana&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hotham&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Catherine&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'16-'17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jaskula&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lauren&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jodoin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Reilly&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15-'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kachinski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Taylor&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kindness&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kasidy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kingsley&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Larissa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Klinkowski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kassandra&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11-'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;La Fortune&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kayla&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Langlois&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Emily&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13-'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lariviere&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elizabeth&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;LaShier&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brittney&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11-'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lendon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tyler&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12-'13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Leon-Velasquez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Yesenia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15-'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lepak&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Reilly&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lindsay&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amber&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Line&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Breanna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12-'13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Little&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Karina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18-'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18, '19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lopez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Roselyn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lopez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Taishla&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12-'13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Martineau&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Arianna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11-'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Martins-Gil&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Marisa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Masciotra&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Laura&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11-'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11, '12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;McCarthy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brittany&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11-'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;McCarthy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shannon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17-'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;McGrail&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Olivia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Miller&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sarah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10-'11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Moynihan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Zoe&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mullikin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Samantha&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mullin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kristina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13-'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13, '14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Myers&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Madelyn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nathan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elaine&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Neiswanger&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Olivia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15-'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15, '16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nesmelova&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ekaterina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nicholson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tamara&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nunez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Casi&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;O'Connell&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;MyKaela&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Olson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13-'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Pagnoni&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rosalie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21-'22 &lt;em&gt;(RS)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Pandoli&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chloe&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18-'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Patruno&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessica&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17-'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17, '18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Payne&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessica&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Perry&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennifer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11-'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peters&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alicia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'14-'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peters&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kara&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Petlock&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gabrielle&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18-'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18, '19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Pinette&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Marissa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Powers&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Frances&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ramos&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Emilia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Reyes&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Norma&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13-'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Riopelle&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Malynda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11-'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rios&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alexis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Robert&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gabriella&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19, '21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Robert&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Stephania&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18-'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rodriguez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Janielys&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Romani&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Aubrey&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10-'11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rosario&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alysa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Santana&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carin&amp;egrave;h&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21-'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Santos&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kimberly&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Santos&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Makayla&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Schempp&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Allyson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Searle&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ashley&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Seymour&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jenna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10-'11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Silver&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Caitlin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Snyder&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cassidy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17-'18 &lt;em&gt;(RS)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Strycharz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Leigh&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11-'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Styckiewicz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cheyenne&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Stuetzel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alexandria&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15-'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15, '16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Swanigan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Saranaya&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Teixeira&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Regan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11-'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11, '12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Teodore&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessica&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13-'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13, '14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tersavich&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Samantha&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tetreault&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Noelle&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Toro-Mattoon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Emily&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tot-Lupien&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Adriana&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Trombley&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cadie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Truskinoff&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ulibarri&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;McKayla&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Verdejo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Izalie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Viel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Donna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Volpe&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Karina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17, '21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Wardwell&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Holly&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15-'16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Wilder Karlstrom&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hattie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Wilson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;McKenzie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'16-'17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'16, '17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Wolfenden&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Devon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Yan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Emily&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Zabik&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Megan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'14-'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Zambrano&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lizbeth&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Zavala&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lysangeli&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Zollo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Allison&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'16-17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'16, '17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Zollo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elizabeth&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Zollo&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Madison&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'17-'18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table frame=&quot;box&quot; rules=&quot;all&quot; style=&quot;width: 706px; height: 1615px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;caption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All-Time Players 2000-10&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/caption&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Last&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Name&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;First Name&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Year(s) Played&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Year(s) of Captaincy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Team Player Award&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Team MVP Award&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All-New England&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All-American&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All-National Tournament&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Allen&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Miranda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Andrade&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Audra&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Blanchard&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Caitlin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Campbell&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elyse&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05-'06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05, '06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Casagrande&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sarah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01-'02&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chistolini&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Heather&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Coburn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Abbie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'02&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Colby&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rachel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05-'06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05, '06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Corrigan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alison&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Crespo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennifer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cuesta-Ortiz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Valeria&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cyr&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennifer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01/'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dalby&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Stacy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Davidson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Stephanie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dee&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rebecca&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07-'08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07, '08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dimino&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alicia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07-'08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07, '08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Disanti&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Heather&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'00&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Eaton&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alyssa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01-'02&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Finkley&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dominique&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Fisk&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kim&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07-'08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gagnon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jocelyn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01-'02&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'02&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gibby&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessica&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03-'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gibby&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sara&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Godbout&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jenn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gralinski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kate-Lyn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Grandfield&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sara&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Grimshaw&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hartford&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Katelyn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hebert&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nicole&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'00-'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Henry&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shante&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Holland&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Caitlin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Howe&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Justine&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06-'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hoye&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Emily&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'00&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jaskula&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sarah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07-'08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07, '08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Johnson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Faith&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kazyaka&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Alyssa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kelley&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Angie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09-'10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kennedy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Laura&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kerrigan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mary-Kate&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'02-'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;King&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jenee&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'08-'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'08, '09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kissell&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Katie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'02/'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'02, '04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Knurek&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kristen&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03-'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kolodziej&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Emily&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03-'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kulig&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mary Jo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kuszewski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Megan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Laflamme&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kelly&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'00-'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lantigua&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09-'10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lemon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kristyn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Loudfoot&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'00-'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'00&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lynch-Hamre&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lauren&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06-'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lynskey&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sabina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Marciniak&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carrie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'02-'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Marsh&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Corin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05-'06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05, '06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Martins&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;McCarthy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Johanna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'02&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'02&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;McCue&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Megan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'02-'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;McDonald&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'02-'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;McKenna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shannon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;McMillan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shawna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;McMurray&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sara&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Merced&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kristina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Merritt&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Maria&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06-'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06, '07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Methe&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Holly&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'08-'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Miller&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Hannah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'08-'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mitchell&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'00&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Montano&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lauren&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04-'05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Murphy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Meaghan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03-'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03, '04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nunez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kali&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Omasta&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kelly&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Orzechowski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sam&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Piccirilli&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ashley&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06-'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Piccirilli&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brittany&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Pickard&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tara&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04-'05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Pirog&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Allison&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06-'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Pollard&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nicole&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Restaino&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Gina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'02-'03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rodrigues&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lea&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rodriguez&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Stephanie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'03-'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rossi&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Christina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ruell&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jeanne&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'02&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sampson-Scanlon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kayla&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05-'06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Santiago&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Grace&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'08-'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Seibert&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amanda&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06-'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sepp&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Andre&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04-'05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04, '05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Smigel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Stacy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Soares&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Isabel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'00-'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'00&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'00, '01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Stien&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rachel&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sugrue&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Vezzola&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Christie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'02&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Vyce&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Melissa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'02&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Walsh&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jamie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04-'05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04, '05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Walters&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Heather&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'00&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Warner&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Katie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'06&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Weaver&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jacquiline&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Webb&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kim&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'02&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Weber&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'00&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Whelihan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nora&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'00&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'00&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Whitmore&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessica&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Willet&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lauren&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07-'08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Wisniowski&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lesly&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'00&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Wohlers&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sam&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'05/'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Wood&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kaci&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'07&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Zick&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Janelle&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'01&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table frame=&quot;box&quot; rules=&quot;all&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;caption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All-Time Players 1990-99&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/caption&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Last&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Name&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;First Name&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Year(s) Played&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Year(s) of Captaincy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Team Player Award&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Team MVP Award&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All-New England&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All-American&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Allen&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Meagan&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'97-'98&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'98&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Angers&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carrie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'92&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Asselin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nikki&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'92&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bahrehmand&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mina&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'98&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bedford&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Missy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'98&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Beluzo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Ashley&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'99-'00&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Beluzo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Krystalee&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'98&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bisson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Juanita&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'93&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'93&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Boistelle&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jessica&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'99&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Border&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lynn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'95&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Borgatti&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Suzanne&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'95&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Boucher&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tara&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'95&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Braman&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jeanne&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'92&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Brunelle&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nicole&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'97&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Burnette&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'98&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bushey&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nicole&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'96&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Caba&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rosalyne&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'97&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Charter&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Stephanie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'99&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chicoine&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elodie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'94&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chouinard&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Diane&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'93-'94&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cosmos&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tammy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'95&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Criscio&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Anna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'98&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Daly&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Janice&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'94&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dejordy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennifer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'96&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;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'99&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lussier&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Stefanie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'96&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;MacCallum&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Katie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'97&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'97&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Malvezzi&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sandra&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'95-'96&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'96&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Manning&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Katie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'92&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Marquis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nicole&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'94&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Martin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Holly&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'95&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Matlasz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennifer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'95-'96&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'95&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;McGeer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Katey&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'92&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Milezcik&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Wendy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'93&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Mohr&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jennifer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'94&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nacewicz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Shauna&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'99&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nestor&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Melissa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'92&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Odabashian&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Milli&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'95-'96&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Parnell&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Erin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'99-'00&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Pederson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chrissy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'97&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Peltier&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Julie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'90&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'90&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'90&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Plotniak&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Barbara&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'95-'96&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'96&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Pouiliot&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jaime&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'96&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Racine&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Patricia&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'94&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'94&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Reed&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Katie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'90/'92&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'92&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Reilly&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Margaret&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'96&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Rock&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Allison&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'93&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sanford&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carrie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'93&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Santos&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Joanne&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'93&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Scherpa&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Christine&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'90&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Simmons&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Toby&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'98-'99&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'99&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'98&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Skop&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Michelle&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'98&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sokop&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Judy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'90&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Spath&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Holly&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'99-'00&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Stevens&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jill&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'90&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Strom&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Elizabeth&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'96-'97&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Terenzi&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tara&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'97&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tharp&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Carrie&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'97&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'97&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Trottier&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Amy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'98-'99&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Trudeau&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Jeanette&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'90&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Turgeon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Michline&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'92-'93&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'93&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'93&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Turner&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Kathleen&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'97&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Walbridge&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bethany&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'96&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'96&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Walker&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tammy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'90&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Walz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Terry&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'93&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Washburn&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tammy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'94&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Watson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Stacy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'93-'94&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;White&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Cara&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'93&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Whittaker&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Danielle&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'99&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Winters&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Sara&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'93-'94&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'94&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;'94&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; frame=&quot;box&quot; rules=&quot;all&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;caption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All-Time Players 1983-89&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/caption&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Last&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Name&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;First Name&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;73&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Year(s) Played&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Year(s) of Captaincy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Team Player Award&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Team MVP Award&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;74&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All-New England&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td 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January 2023&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x5913" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/meet-our-team-2017-womens-soccer" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5913.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2017 Women's Soccer" Title="Meet Our Team" Abstract="2017" BodyCopy="&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;Women's Soccer 2017&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;Sophomores:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;E. Gomes women's soccer&quot; height=&quot;298&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/E.%20gomes.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Emma Gomes - #10 - Sophomore - Midfielder / Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Hotham women's soccer&quot; height=&quot;269&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/C.%20Hotham.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Catherine Hotham - #9 - Sophomore - Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M. Wilson women's soccer&quot; height=&quot;310&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/M.%20Wilson.jpg&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;McKenzie Wilson - #13 - Sophomore - Midfielder / Defender - Team Co-Captain&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A. Zollo women's soccer&quot; height=&quot;307&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/A.%20Zollo.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Allison Zollo - #7 - Sophomore - Midfielder / Defender - Team Co-Captain&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;underline&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;Freshmen:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M. Atkinson women's soccer&quot; height=&quot;277&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/M.%20Atkinson.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Maddisin Atkinson - #1 / 25 - Freshman - Goalkeeper&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;O. Brooks women's soccer&quot; height=&quot;328&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/olivia%20prof%20pic.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Olivia Brooks - #23 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;L. Caicedo women's soccer&quot; height=&quot;247&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Lina%20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Lina Caicedo - #26 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M.Grochowski women's soccer&quot; height=&quot;321&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/M.%20Groch.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Miranda Grochowski - #3 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;S. McCarthy women's soccer&quot; height=&quot;282&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/s.%20McCarth.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Shannon McCarthy - #11 - Freshman - Midfielder / Utility&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;T. Nicholson women's soccer&quot; height=&quot;314&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/T.%20Nicholson.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Tamara Nicholson - #18 - Freshman - Forward / Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J. Patruno women's soccer&quot; height=&quot;312&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/J.%20Patruno.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Jessica Patruno - #2 - Freshman - Midfielder / Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Snyder women's soccer&quot; height=&quot;303&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/c%20.snyd.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Cassidy Snyder - #22 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;K. Volpe women's soccer&quot; height=&quot;260&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/k.%20Volpe.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Karina Volpe - #8 - Freshman - Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;L. Zambrano women's soccer&quot; height=&quot;299&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Liz%20Z.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Lizbeth Zambrano - #6 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M. Zollo women's soccer&quot; height=&quot;306&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/M.%20Zollo.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Madison Zollo - #15 - Freshman - Midfielder / Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Photo Not Available:&lt;br /&gt;Ithar Gabriel - #16 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9047" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/meet-our-team-2018-womens-soccer" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9047.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2018 Women's Soccer" Title="Meet Our Team" Abstract="2018 Women's Soccer" BodyCopy="&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;Women's Soccer 2018&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;Sophomores:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Olivia Brooks &quot; height=&quot;339&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7242%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Olivia Brooks &amp;nbsp;- #17 - Sophomore - Forward / Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Miranda Grochowski  &quot; height=&quot;339&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7282.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Miranda Grochowski - #5 - Sophomore - Midfielder / Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Shannon McCarthy &quot; height=&quot;298&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7238.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Shannon McCarthy - #11 - Sophomore - Midfielder - Team Co-Captain&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jessica Patruno&quot; height=&quot;310&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7308.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Jessica Patruno - #2 - Sophomore - Defender / Midfielder - Team Co-Captain&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Maddie Zollo&quot; height=&quot;319&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7258.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Madison Zollo - #3 - Sophomore - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;underline&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;Freshmen:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Natalia Chrostowski&quot; height=&quot;318&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7252%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Natalia Chrostowski - #7 - Freshman - Forward / Goalkeeper&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Caitlyn Feeley&quot; height=&quot;272&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7248.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Caitlyn Feeley - #23 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Karina Little &quot; height=&quot;306&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7278.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Karina Little - #8 - Freshman - Defender&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chloe Pandoli&quot; height=&quot;308&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7266.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Chloe Pandoli - #18 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Gabrielle Petlock&quot; height=&quot;294&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7274.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Gabrielle Petlock - #19 - Freshman - Defender / Forward&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Stephania Robert&quot; height=&quot;273&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7289.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Stephania Robert - #25 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sam Tersavich&quot; height=&quot;270&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7260.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Samantha Tersavich - #24 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Emily Toro-Mattoon&quot; height=&quot;258&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7295.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Emily Toro-Mattoon - #26 / GK - Freshman - Goalkeeper&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10421" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/meet-our-team-2019-womens-soccer" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10421.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2019 Women's Soccer" Title="Meet Our Team" Abstract="2019 Women's Soccer" BodyCopy="&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;Women's Soccer 2019&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;Sophomores:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Karina Little&quot; height=&quot;334&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8605.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Karina Little &amp;nbsp;- #8 - Sophomore - Defender - Team Co-Captain&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chloe Pandoli&quot; height=&quot;347&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8551.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Chloe Pandoli - #18 - Sophomore - Midfielder&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Gabby Petlock&quot; height=&quot;352&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8596.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Gabrielle Petlock - #19- Sophomore - Defender / Forward - Team Co-Captain&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Steph Robert&quot; height=&quot;273&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7289%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Stephania Robert - #26 - Sophomore - Midfielder &lt;em style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;(2018 Photo)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;underline&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;Freshmen:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jah Dickson&quot; height=&quot;344&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8615.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Jah'Anesty Dickson - #25 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Hannah Garon&quot; height=&quot;347&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8557.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Hannah Garon - GK / #15 - Freshman - Goalkeeper&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Mary Glasheen&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8564.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Mary Glasheen - #9 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Kayla La Fortune&quot; height=&quot;342&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8587.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Kayla LaFortune - #14 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Olivia McGrail&quot; height=&quot;392&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8593%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Olivia McGrail - #22 - Freshman - Midfielder / Defender&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Zoe Moynihan&quot; height=&quot;326&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_0330.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Zoe Maynihan - #24 - Freshman - Forward / Midfielder&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jessica Payne&quot; height=&quot;375&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8577.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Jessica Payne - #4 - Freshman - Defender&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Gab Petlock&quot; height=&quot;334&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8569.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Gabriella Robert - #23 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Elia Truskinoff&quot; height=&quot;376&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8610.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Elia Truskinoff - #6 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Lizzy Zollo&quot; height=&quot;339&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8572.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Elizabeth Zollo - #7 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12440" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/meet-our-team-2021-womens-soccer" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12440.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2021 Women's Soccer" Title="Meet Our Team" Abstract="2021 Women's Soccer" BodyCopy="&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;Women's Soccer 2021&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;Second Years:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M. Grabowski 2021&quot; height=&quot;220&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Maddie.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Madison Grabowski - #10 - Defender / Midfielder&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;G. Robert&quot; height=&quot;216&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Gab.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Gabriella Robert - #23 - M&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;idfielder / Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;K. Volpe&quot; height=&quot;215&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Karina.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Karina Volpe - #22 - Defender&lt;em style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;underline&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;First Years:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;E. Cortis&quot; height=&quot;226&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Em.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Emily Cortis - #9 - Midfielder / Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;B. Hing&quot; height=&quot;232&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Bre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Breyana Hing - #26 - Defender&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;L. Kingsley&quot; height=&quot;230&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Larissa.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Larissa Kingsley -&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;#14 - Defender / Midfielder&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;R. Lepak&quot; height=&quot;214&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Rei.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Reilly Lepak - #13 - Goalkeeper / Midfielder / Defender&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M. Martins-Gil&quot; height=&quot;226&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Marisa.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Marisa Martins-Gil&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;- #7 - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M. Myers&quot; height=&quot;263&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Madelyn.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Madelyn Myers - #20 - Midfielder&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;R. Pagnoni&quot; height=&quot;224&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Rosie.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Rosalie Pagnoni - #8 - Midfielder / Defender&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Santana&quot; height=&quot;227&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Carineh.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Carin&amp;eacute;h Santana&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;- #18 - Midfielder / Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;K. Santos&quot; height=&quot;221&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Kim.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Kimberly Santos - #11 - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A. Schempp &quot; height=&quot;258&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_1322.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Allyson Schempp - #5 - Midfielder&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Styckiewicz&quot; height=&quot;227&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Chy.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Cheyenne Styckiewicz - #19 - Midfielder&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;E. Yan&quot; height=&quot;242&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/May.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Emily Yan - #16 - Goalkeeper / Midfielder&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13416" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer/meet-our-team-2022-womens-soccer" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13416.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2022 Women's Soccer" Title="Meet Our Team" Abstract="2022 Women's Soccer" BodyCopy="&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;Women's Soccer 2022&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;Second Years:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Santana'22&quot; height=&quot;258&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/DSC_7501.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Carin&amp;eacute;h Santana - #18 - Defender&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;underline&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;First Years:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;G.Downer '22&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/DSC_7507.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 4px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Gracelyn Downer - #11 - Defender&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;E. Nathan '22&quot; height=&quot;265&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/DSC_7531.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;Elaine Nathan - #22 - Midfielder&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Pereira '22&quot; height=&quot;267&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/DSC_7539.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Christina Pereira - #9 - Defender / Midfielder&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;E. Ramos '22&quot; height=&quot;296&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/DSC_7560.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Emilia Ramos&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;- #4 - Forward / Midfielder&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J. Rodriguez '22&quot; height=&quot;269&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/DSC_7567.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Janielys Rodriguez - #24 - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M. Santos '22&quot; height=&quot;292&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/DSC_7551.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Makayla Santos - #12 - Midfielder&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;S. Swanigan WSOC '22&quot; height=&quot;237&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/DSC_1771.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Saranaya Swanigan - #15 - Forward / Midfielder&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A. Tot-Lupien '22&quot; height=&quot;247&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/DSC_7511.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Adriana Tot - Lupien&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;- #23 - Midfielder&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M. Ulibarri WSOC '22&quot; height=&quot;223&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/DSC_1754.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;McKayla Ulibarri - #10 - Midfielder / Defender&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;D.Viel WSOC '22&quot; height=&quot;220&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/DSC_1765.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Donna Viel - #8 - Goalkeeper&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h1&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Photos not yet available:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Rosalie Pagnoni - #13 - Defender / Midfielder (second year) &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Frances Powers - #2 - Midfielder (second year)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Elizabeth Lariviere - #5 - Midfielder / Forward (first year)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Roselyn Lopez - #14 - Midfielder / Forward (first year)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Maria Pless - #20 - Midfielder / Forward (first year)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Izalie Verdejo - #25 - Midfielder (first year)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x228" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-soccer" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x228.xml" Name="Men's Soccer" Title="Men's Soccer" Abstract="The Cougars have won the New England Championship six times since 1992 and have played their way to the National Championship in 1999 and 2000. HCC men's soccer won the MCCAC Championship in 2008 and 2010 and is proud to have produced 15 All-Americans throughout the years. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;MSOC '22 team photo revised&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/MSOC%2022%20team%20pic%20-%20revised%20from%20JD.jpeg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cougars are coached by former Holyoke Community College soccer player Abel Durojaiye. Durojaiye played for HCC from 2001 to 2002 and took over as Men's Soccer Head Coach in 2009. The Cougars have won the New England Championship six times since 1992 and have played their way to the National Championship game in 1999 and 2000. HCC&amp;nbsp;men's soccer won the MCCAC Championship in 2008 and 2010 and is proud to have produced&amp;nbsp;15&amp;nbsp;All-Americans throughout the years.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you are interested in playing for the Cougars this season, please contact head coach&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:adurojaiye@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Abel Durojaiye&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and fill out the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/athletic-interest-form&quot; title=&quot;HCC Athletic Interest Form&quot;&gt;athletic interest form&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-soccer/mens-soccer-photos&quot;&gt;2022 Photos - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-soccer/meet-our-team-2022-mens-soccer&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2022 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-soccer/meet-our-team-2021-mens-soccer&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2021 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-soccer/meet-our-team-2019-mens-soccer&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2019 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-soccer/meet-our-team-2018-mens-soccer&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2018 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-soccer/meet-our-team-2017-mens-soccer&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2017 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-soccer/mens-soccer-photos&quot;&gt;Photos From 2016 - 2021 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;Photo: 2022 Cougars Soccer&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x7395" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-soccer/mens-soccer-photos" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7395.xml" Name="Men's Soccer Photos" Title="Men's Soccer Photos" Abstract="Photos from 2016 - 2021 Seasons " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/rZG11fYuNSP4werx8&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2022 Men's Soccer Season Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/haCFnfE4KGh8K3Ag9&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2021 Men's Soccer Season Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/SimtayZfGYvH1iaJ9&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2021 Men's &amp;amp; Women's Soccer Non-Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/HFTLzcDE51XV8UY67&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2019 Men's Soccer Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/3WHqHj8wZt6kU1iZA&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2019 Men's &amp;amp; Women's Soccer Non-Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/pq4ZaaBnss4BgMZD8&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2018 Men's Soccer Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/mgWL3v6mdrtAHPne9&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2018 Men's &amp;amp; Women's Soccer Non-Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/PEnZstglag0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2018 Men's Soccer vs Mass Bay CC Video&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/kb0Fs7jppDU6mOaG2&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2017 Men's Soccer Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/aG19CG4THrHK618B6&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2016 Men's Soccer Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/4FMjAwEu327A7u819&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2016 Men's &amp;amp; Women's Soccer Non-Action Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13529" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-soccer/meet-our-team-2022-mens-soccer" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13529.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2022 Men's Soccer " Title="Meet Our Team - Men's Soccer" Abstract="Men's Soccer 2022" BodyCopy="&lt;h3&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h1 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'times new roman', times;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;2022 Men's Soccer&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;Second Years:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;E. Abderlahman '22&quot; height=&quot;261&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-12%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Ehab Abderlahman - #3 - Forward &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Crouse '22&quot; height=&quot;313&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed%283%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Caden Crouse - #2 - Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;T. Dulac '22&quot; height=&quot;275&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-11%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Tom Dulac - #17 - Midfielder / Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Hebert '22&quot; height=&quot;276&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-3%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Caden Hebert - #11 - Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;D. Nomakeo '22&quot; height=&quot;319&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-2%281%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Dominick Nomakeo - #23 - Goalkeeper / Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Pierre '22&quot; height=&quot;288&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-13%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Camerson Pierre - #19 - Midfielder / Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;B. Vermette '22&quot; height=&quot;296&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-1%281%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Braeden Vermette - #6 - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: helvetica; font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;First Years:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;N. Akpayne&quot; height=&quot;275&quot; src=&quot;images/unnamed-17.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Niamke David Akpayne - #7 - Midfielder / Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;D. Bates '22&quot; height=&quot;282&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-7%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Dante Bates - #13 - Midfielder / Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;I. Mohammed Fazal '22&quot; height=&quot;302&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-9%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Ikraam Mohammed Fazal - #20 - Midfielder / Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;B. Giroux '22&quot; height=&quot;282&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-4%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Benjamin Giroux - #22 - Goalkeeper / Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M. Grochowski '22&quot; height=&quot;319&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-6%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Michael Grochowski - #8 - Midfielder / Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A. Guertin '22&quot; height=&quot;339&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-15.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Aiden Guertin - #5 - Midfielder / Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;D. Kibler '22&quot; height=&quot;307&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-5%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Darren Kibler - #4 - Forward / Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;E. Kolenovic '22&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-16.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Eldin Kolenovic - #21 - Midfielder / Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;B. Nicholas-Harris '22&quot; height=&quot;290&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-14.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Brennan Nicholas-Harris - #12 - Midfielder / Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;R. Profeta '22&quot; height=&quot;314&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-8%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Rodrigo Profeta - #18 - Midfielder / Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A. Strycharz '22&quot; height=&quot;276&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-10%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Adam Strycharz - #9 - Forward / Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12640" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-soccer/meet-our-team-2021-mens-soccer" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12640.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2021 Men's Soccer " Title="Meet Our Team - Men's Soccer" Abstract="Men's Soccer 2021" BodyCopy="&lt;h3&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h1 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'times new roman', times;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;2021 Men's Soccer&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;Second Years:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Cardaropoli MSOC&quot; height=&quot;294&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/quinn.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Quinn Cardaropoli - #7 - Defender / Midfielder / Goalkeeper&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: helvetica; font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;First Years:&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Vermette MSOC&quot; height=&quot;260&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/4.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Braeden Vermette&amp;nbsp;- #4 - Midfielder / Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Mahany MSOC&quot; height=&quot;264&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/5.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Jonathan Mahany- #5 - Midfielder / Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Arslan MSOC&quot; height=&quot;197&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/10.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Erkancan Arslan&amp;nbsp;- #10 - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ologunro MSOC&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/11.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Afeez Ologunro&amp;nbsp;- #11 - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Dulac MSOC&quot; height=&quot;265&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/17.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Thomas Dulac - #17 - Midfielder / Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Camerson MSOC&quot; height=&quot;293&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/19.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Pierre Camerson - #19 - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Nomakeo MSOC&quot; height=&quot;251&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/gk.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Dominick Nomakeo - #23 - Goalkeeper&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Johnson MSOC&quot; height=&quot;245&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/24%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Alex Johnson - #24 - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Hebert MSOC&quot; height=&quot;222&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/25.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Caden Hebert- #25 - Defender / Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Crouse MSOC&quot; height=&quot;246&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/26.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Caden Crouse- #26 - Midfielder / Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;#27 MSOC&quot; height=&quot;225&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/27.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Alex Bondarenko - #27 - Defender / Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10512" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-soccer/meet-our-team-2019-mens-soccer" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10512.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2019 Men's Soccer " Title="Meet Our Team - Men's Soccer" Abstract="Men's Soccer 2019" BodyCopy="&lt;h3&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h1 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'times new roman', times;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;2019 Men's Soccer&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;Sophomores:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Garrett Antosz&quot; height=&quot;327&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_0846.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Garrett Antosz - #6 - Sophomore - Defender &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Joseph Evborokhai&quot; height=&quot;228&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_0902.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px; vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Joseph Evborokhai - #9 - Sophomore - Forward / Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Francisco Cruz&quot; height=&quot;262&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_0854.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Francisco Cruz - #22 - Sophomore - Midfielder / Goalkeeper&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;Freshmen:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img alt=&quot;Quinn Cardaropoli&quot; height=&quot;264&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_0908.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Quinn Cardaropoli - #1 / 16 - Freshman - Goalkeeper&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img alt=&quot;Brandon Carmona&quot; height=&quot;238&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_0883.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Brandon Carmona - #3 - Freshman - Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img alt=&quot;Sean McCormick&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_0861.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Sean McCormick - #5 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img alt=&quot;Gervais Ndinamahoro&quot; height=&quot;270&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_0863.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Gervais Ndinamahoro - #7 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img alt=&quot;Musa Jiana&quot; height=&quot;236&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_0890.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Musa Jiana - #10 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img alt=&quot;Ruben Galvez&quot; height=&quot;255&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_0875.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Ruben Galvez - #11 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img alt=&quot;Michael Murphy&quot; height=&quot;271&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_0869.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Michael Murphy - #12 - Freshman - Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ryan Shaw&quot; height=&quot;242&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_0900.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Ryan Shaw - #14 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Trystian Tylenda&quot; height=&quot;245&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_0894.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Trystian Tylenda - #15 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Photo Not Available:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brice Foss - #13 - Freshman - Forward&lt;br /&gt;Akeme Mallory - #17 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;br /&gt;Eric Haynes - #18 - Freshman - Defender / Midfielder&lt;br /&gt;Michael Miller - #26 - Freshman - Defender / Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9139" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-soccer/meet-our-team-2018-mens-soccer" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9139.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2018 Men's Soccer " Title="Meet Our Team - Men's Soccer" Abstract="Men's Soccer 2018" BodyCopy="&lt;h3&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino;&quot;&gt;2018 Men's Soccer&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;Sophomores:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Logan Bridgman&quot; height=&quot;273&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7531.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Logan Bridgman - #3 - Sophomore - Midfielder / Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jeremy Gongora&quot; height=&quot;322&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7547.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Jeremy Gongora - #7 - Sophomore - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Dan McColgan&quot; height=&quot;309&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7586.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Daniel McColgan - #13 - Sophomore - Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Gariel Ramos&quot; height=&quot;275&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7503.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Gabriel Ramos - #11 - Sophomore - Midfielder / Goalkeeper&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jordan Rubeck&quot; height=&quot;285&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7533.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Jordan Rubeck - #28 - Sophomore - Forward / Goalkeeper&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Andre Shepard&quot; height=&quot;263&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7551.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Andre Shepard - #9 - Sophomore - Midfielder / Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Shyam Tewani Mupompa&quot; height=&quot;339&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7566.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Shyam Tewani Mupompa - #2 - Sophomore - Defender&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;Freshmen:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ehab Abderlahman&quot; height=&quot;322&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7553.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Ehab Abderlahman - #16 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Garrett Antosz&quot; height=&quot;283&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7584.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Garrett Antosz - #6 - Freshman -Defender / Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Joseph Evborokhai&quot; height=&quot;283&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7521.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Joseph Evborokhai - #18 - Freshman - Forward / Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Adam Herbert&quot; height=&quot;296&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7513.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Adam Herbert - #17 - Freshman - Forward / Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Devon Huard&quot; height=&quot;306&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7573.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Devon Huard - #10 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Shyam Khadka&quot; height=&quot;332&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7537.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Shyam Khadka - #22 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Edvin Oreany Perez Gonzalez&quot; height=&quot;292&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7561.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Edvin Oreany Perez Gonzalez - #12 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jordan Washburn&quot; height=&quot;295&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7578.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Jordan Washburn - #21 - Freshman - Forward / Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Zane Wendolowski&quot; height=&quot;289&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_7522.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Zane Wendolowski - #15 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Photo Not Available:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marcos Figueroa - #27 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eric Gregoryan - #24 - Freshman - Forward / Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5975" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-soccer/meet-our-team-2017-mens-soccer" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5975.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2017 Men's Soccer " Title="Meet Our Team - Men's Soccer" Abstract="2017 Men's Soccer " BodyCopy="&lt;h3&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 36pt;&quot;&gt;2017 Men's Soccer&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;Sophomores:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Men's Soccer # 6&quot; height=&quot;229&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/6%20M%20socc.jpg&quot; width=&quot;216&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Abdoul Rachid - #6 - Sophomore - Midfielder&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Men's Soccer # 15&quot; height=&quot;212&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/15%20M%20socc.jpg&quot; width=&quot;217&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Kyle Beis - #15 - Sophomore - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica;&quot;&gt;Freshmen:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Men's Soccer # 2&quot; height=&quot;237&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/2%20msocc.jpg&quot; width=&quot;216&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Shyam Tewani - #2 - Freshman - Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Men's Soccer # 3&quot; height=&quot;235&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/3%20M%20socc.jpg&quot; width=&quot;215&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Longan Bridgman - #3 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Men's Soccer # 7 &quot; height=&quot;210&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/7%20Msocc.jpg&quot; width=&quot;213&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Josiah Wilson - #7 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Men's Soccer #10&quot; height=&quot;219&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/10%20M%20socc.jpg&quot; width=&quot;214&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Andre Shepard - #10 - Freshman - Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Men's Soccer #11&quot; height=&quot;245&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/11%20M%20socc.jpg&quot; width=&quot;217&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Oscar Vidal Rubio - #11 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Men's Soccer #13&quot; height=&quot;226&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/13%20M%20socc.jpg&quot; width=&quot;218&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Daniel McColgan - #13 - Freshman - Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Men's Soccer #14&quot; height=&quot;259&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/14%20M%20socc.jpg&quot; width=&quot;217&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Guy Barker - #14 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Men's Soccer #16&quot; height=&quot;247&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/16%20m%20socc%20.jpg&quot; width=&quot;217&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Mudather Abdelrahman - #16 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Men's Soccer #17&quot; height=&quot;230&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/17%20M%20socc.jpg&quot; width=&quot;218&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Joshua Grywalski - #17 - Freshman - Defender&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Men's Soccer #23&quot; height=&quot;239&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/23%20M%20socc.jpg&quot; width=&quot;219&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Francis Frimpong - #23 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Men's Soccer GK&quot; height=&quot;225&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/GK%20M%20socc.jpg&quot; width=&quot;218&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Jordan Rubeck - GK / #44 - Freshman - Goalkeeper&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Photos Not Available:&lt;br /&gt;Eugenlos Velosquez - #8 - Freshman - Midfielder &lt;br /&gt;Sajjad Noori - #9 - Freshman - Forward&lt;br /&gt;Steven Mckenzie - #12 - Freshman - Midfielder / Goalkeeper&lt;br /&gt;Daniel Alban - #21 - Freshman - Midfielder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x230" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/cross-country" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x230.xml" Name="Cross Country" Title="Cross Country" Abstract="The HCC Cross Country team practices daily and takes advantage of the close proximity of both Ashley and Whiting reservoirs as well as HCC's scenic campus. HCC hosted the NJCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships in 2011, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC cross country&quot; height=&quot;539&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/crosscountry.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cross Country began at HCC in 1972. HCC produced a varsity team program from 1972-1977. From 1977 to the mid 1980's, HCC only had individual competitors. Starting in 2006-07 Cross Country has been resurrected as a varsity team program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The team participates in invitational meets during the season, prior to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Championship meet. HCC hosted the 2011, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019 NJCAA National Championships where teams from throughout the country competed. The HCC Cross Country team practices daily and takes advantage of the close proximity of both Ashley and Whiting reservoirs, plus the scenic campuses of both HCC and Mount Holyoke College for training runs.&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.facebook.com/pages/Holyoke-Community-College-Cross-Country/247118568677693?ref=ts&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.njcaa.org/sports/wxc/2019-20/div3/national_championship/index&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here for 2019 NJCAA Div.III Women's Cross Country National Championship Page&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.njcaa.org/sports/mxc/2019-20/div3/national_championship/index&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; Click here for 2019 NJCAA Div.III Men's Cross Country National Championship Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.njcaa.org/sports/mxc/2018-19/div3/national_championship/index&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for 2018 NJCAA Div.III Cross Country National Championships Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x5974.xml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for 2017 NJCAA Div.III Cross Country National Championships Page&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;Photo: Cross Country runners from the NJCAA National Championship meet in 2011&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x235" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/golf" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x235.xml" Name="Golf" Title="Golf" Abstract="In 37 seasons of New England Championships, HCC has finished first or second on 17 occasions (11 firsts and 6 runners-up)." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;2019 Cougar Golf Team&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Golf19%20NE%20champs%20main.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 38 seasons of New England Championships, HCC has finished first or second on 18 occasions (12 firsts and 6 runners-up). Greg Strattner, the first HCC golfer to be named first team All-American, was ranked #2 in the nation in 2008. The team has participated in national tournaments in Arizona, Florida, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, as well as the annual New England Tournament in May. Golfers come together in the fall and train for the spring season throughout the year in the Bartley Center. The team uses golf courses throughout the Pioneer Valley, with Chicopee Country Club currently serving as HCC's home course.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 2008 season was one of the best in the history of HCC golf. The team was undefeated in Region XXI play (18-0, 31-2 overall), won the Cobleskill Tournament for the first time, and finished ranked #10 nationally by the NJCAA. Individually, freshman Greg Strattner finished ranked #2 nationally by the NJCAA, and was the first HCC golfer ever to be named 1st Team All-American. Both Strattner and fellow freshman Tim Fanion were named to the All-New England Team.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke CC's current golf coach is Chris Stoddard who has led the Cougar team very successfully since taking the helm in 2013. In 2019, Stoddard led his team to a New England championship, HCC golf's first since 2009. Cougar golfer Kyle Richter captured the 2019 individual New England championship.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/R3RrZeF9Emyiv7hb7&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here for 2019 Cougar Golf Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/oxJ3rZRxZHpu75ag6&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here for 2019 N.E. Golf Championship Tournament Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/CymDGX20sfNgj0y62&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here for 2018 Cougar Golf Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/H9fntP3t0ENpnOJs1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click hee for 2018 N.E. Golf Championship Tournament Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/3TtpdkMuW8xxiXmK7&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here for 2017 Cougar Golf Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/6JRYYFbg4NzNiYc59&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here for 2017 N.E. &amp;amp; MA Golf Championship Tournament Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/9VZXDAn885zSNCM86&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here for 2016 N.E Golf Championship Tournament Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;Photo: Cougars golf 2019, New England champions&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x229" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-volleyball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x229.xml" Name="Women's Volleyball" Title="Women's Volleyball" Abstract="Did you know? The sport of volleyball was invented in Holyoke!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Volleyball '22 team photo&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Vball%2022%20team%20pic%20-%20from%20JC.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The sport of volleyball was invented in Holyoke, MA on Feb. 9, 1895 by Wiliam G. Morgan, a local YMCA director. Volleyball is a Holyoke staple, and was invented less than six miles away from Springfield College, where basketball was invented around the same time period.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College boasts the only two-year intercollegiate volleyball program in Western and Central Massachusetts. The two-time New England Champions (2002 &amp;amp; 2003) train at HCC's Bartley Center, a first-class facility that features three practice courts, a 32-foot-high ceiling, and a highly resilient &quot;fixed floating&quot; maple floor for competition matches. The Lady Spikers enjoy a tough schedule, including multi-team tournaments and matches against top-ranked Division II &amp;amp; III teams from New England, New York, and beyond.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you are interested in playing this season, please&amp;nbsp;fill out the &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/athletic-interest-form&quot; title=&quot;HCC Athletic Interest Form&quot;&gt;athletic interest form&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;Photo: 2021 Lady Cougars Volleyball&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-volleyball/volleyball-photos&quot;&gt;2022 Volleyball Photos - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-volleyball/meet-our-team-2022-volleyball&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2022 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-volleyball/meet-our-team-2021-volleyball&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2021 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-volleyball/meet-our-team-2019-volleyball&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2019 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-volleyball/meet-our-team-2018-volleyball&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2018 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x10615" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-volleyball/volleyball-photos" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10615.xml" Name="Volleyball Photos" Title="Women's Volleyball Photos" Abstract="Volleyball Pictures" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/5ZTYYiGUyEhswXys8&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2022 Volleyball Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/6xWC74RzHE3vic256&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2021 Volleyball Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/9vg3z4NUKn3TdvYeA&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2019 Volleyball Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9148" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-volleyball/meet-our-team-2018-volleyball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9148.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2018 Volleyball" Title="Meet Our Team" Abstract="2018 Women's Volleyball" BodyCopy="&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;Volleyball 2018&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Siamaris Caraballo volleyball&quot; height=&quot;265&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8703.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Siamaris Caraballo - #3 - Freshman&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Lirian Colon volleyball&quot; height=&quot;285&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8709.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Lirian Colon - #5 - Freshman&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ivonne Cruz volleyball&quot; height=&quot;273&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8670.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Ivonne Cruz - #8 - Freshman&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Rainbow Elliston volleyball&quot; height=&quot;350&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8679.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Rainbow Elliston - #12 - Freshman&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Suzanne Gordon volleyball&quot; height=&quot;295&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8688.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Suzanne Gordon - #13 - Freshman&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Michaela Jesionowski volleyball&quot; height=&quot;359&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8694.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Michaela Jesionowski - #7 - Freshman&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Carey Marshall volleyball&quot; height=&quot;309&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_8666.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Carey Marshall - #6 - Freshman&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10452" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-volleyball/meet-our-team-2019-volleyball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10452.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2019 Volleyball" Title="Meet Our Team" Abstract="2019 Women's Volleyball" BodyCopy="&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;Volleyball 2019&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;O.Downer Volleyball&quot; height=&quot;258&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_9892.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px; vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Olivia Downer - #1 - Freshman - Middle&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;G.Andino Volleyball&quot; height=&quot;373&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_9879.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px; vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Glenysbeth Andino - #2 - Freshman &amp;nbsp;- Outside - Team Co-Captain&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;N.gomez Bautista&quot; height=&quot;275&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_9891.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Nicole Gomez Bautista - #3 - Freshman - Middle&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;K.Tempest Volleyball&quot; height=&quot;391&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_9900.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Kate Tempest - #4 - Freshman - Setter&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A.Arroyo Volleyball&quot; height=&quot;297&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_9886.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Angely Arroya - #5 - Freshman - Outside&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A.Miller Volleyball&quot; height=&quot;280&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_9875.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Aysha Miller - #9 - Freshman - Middle - Team Co-Captain&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;R.Feliciano&quot; height=&quot;333&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_9903.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Raven Feliciano - #10 - Freshman - Outside&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;K.Torres Volleyball&quot; height=&quot;242&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_9906.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Karla Torres - #15 - Freshman - Middle&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12441" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-volleyball/meet-our-team-2021-volleyball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12441.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2021 Volleyball" Title="Meet Our Team" Abstract="2021 Women's Volleyball" BodyCopy="&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;Volleyball 2021&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A. Miller&quot; height=&quot;178&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/vball%209%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;178&quot; /&gt;Aysha Miller - #9 - Second Year&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;N. Miller&quot; height=&quot;178&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Vball%201.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;178&quot; /&gt;Niyah Miller - #1 - First Year&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;P. Vega&quot; height=&quot;178&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/vball%202.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;178&quot; /&gt;Paola Vega - #2 - First Year&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A. Pinsly&quot; height=&quot;178&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/vball%204.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;178&quot; /&gt;Adareasheia Pinsly - #4 - First Year&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M. Yath&quot; height=&quot;178&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Vball%205.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;178&quot; /&gt;Mayouri Yath - #5 - First Year&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Y. Roman Rios&quot; height=&quot;178&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/vball%206.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;178&quot; /&gt;Yanir Roman Rios - #6 - First Year&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J Hajdamowicz&quot; height=&quot;178&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Vball%208%20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;178&quot; /&gt;Jenna Hajdamowicz - #8 - First Year&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;B. Pennington&quot; height=&quot;178&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Vball%2015.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;178&quot; /&gt;Bailey Pennington - #15 - First Year&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Chambers&quot; height=&quot;178&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/vball%2016.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;178&quot; /&gt;Carly Chambers - #16 - First Year&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A. Figueroa&quot; height=&quot;178&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/vball%2024.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;178&quot; /&gt;Adamaryz Figueroa - #24 - First Year&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13429" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-volleyball/meet-our-team-2022-volleyball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13429.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2022 Volleyball" Title="Meet Our Team" Abstract="2022 Women's Volleyball" BodyCopy="&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;Volleyball 2022&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Second Years:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chambers '22&quot; height=&quot;338&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/chambrs.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Carly Chambers - #3 - Libero / Setter&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Pinsly '22&quot; height=&quot;405&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/Pinsly.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Adareasheia Pinsly - #4 - Outside Hitter&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;B. Pennington '22&quot; height=&quot;408&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/unnamed.jpeg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Bailey Pennington - #6 - Defensive Specialist&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Yath '22&quot; height=&quot;369&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/yath.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Mayouri Yath - #7 - Outside Hitter&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;First Years:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Nguyen '22&quot; height=&quot;355&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/ngyn.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Kayla Nguyen - #1 - Setter&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ocasio '22&quot; height=&quot;420&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/ocasio.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Yarierick Ocasio - #2 - Libero&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Abanador '22&quot; height=&quot;405&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/0-17%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Jhulie Gail Keziah Reyes Abanador - #5 - Defensive Specialist&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Rau '22&quot; height=&quot;339&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/rau.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Kelsey Rau - #8 - Libero&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Mishol '22&quot; height=&quot;365&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/mishol.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Maria Mishol - #9 - Outside Hitter&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Del Valle '22&quot; height=&quot;433&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/delV.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Sehkinah Del Valle - #10 - Pin Hitter&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Devine '22&quot; height=&quot;435&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/devine.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Marlina Devine - #11 - Middle Blocker&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Charles '22&quot; height=&quot;357&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/0-24.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Shauna Charles - #12 - Middle Blocker&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A. Cruz Merced '22&quot; height=&quot;342&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/unnamed-1.jpeg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Aleysha Cruz Merced - #13 - Opposite Hitter&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Lisella '22&quot; height=&quot;356&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/lisella.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Sierra Lisella - #14 - Middle Blocker&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Otero Santiago '22&quot; height=&quot;405&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/ort%20santg.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Ninoshka Otero Santiago - #15 - Opposite Hitter&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x231" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-basketball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x231.xml" Name="Women's Basketball" Title="Women's Basketball" Abstract="HCC women's basketball boasts 21 All-New England honorees and four All-Americans all time, and has had players continue their education and athletic careers at institutions such as Morgan State University, Westfield State College, UMass Amherst, UMass Boston, Bridgewater State College, Elms College, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and others." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;2022-23 women's basketball&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/W.hoop%2022-23%20Team%20photo%20VER2.jpeg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than 150 student athletes have earned their varsity letters in the sport that began in Western Massachusetts. HCC women's basketball boasts 21 All-New England honorees and four All-Americans all time and has had players continue their education and athletic careers at institutions such as Morgan State University, Westfield State College, UMass Amherst, UMass Boston, Bridgewater State College, Elms College, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and others. HCC advanced to the National Tournament in 2007 and 2008, finishing 8th and 7th, respectively.&amp;nbsp;Second-year head coach Joe Paige will guide the team into the 2022-23 season, bringing with him a wealth of basketball knowledge and coaching experience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Interested in joinig the women's basketball team:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;Contact Coach Joseph Paige &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;Email: jpaige@hcc.edu Phone: (413) 388-2426&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Or fill out the HCC&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/athletic-interest-form&quot; title=&quot;HCC Athletic Interest Form&quot;&gt;athletic interest form&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-basketball/meet-our-team-2022-23-womens-basketball&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2022-23 click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-basketball/meet-our-team-2019-20-womens-basketball&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2019-20 click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-basketball/meet-our-team-2017-18-womens-basketball&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2017-18 click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-basketball/womens-basketball-photos&quot;&gt;Action Photos - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;Photo: 2022-23 Lady Cougars Basketball Team&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x7403" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-basketball/womens-basketball-photos" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7403.xml" Name="Women's Basketball Photos" Title="Women's Basketball Photos" Abstract="Women's Hoop Pictures" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/iZi8oyKbhepznrVDA&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2022-23 Women's Basketball Photos (Fall 1/2 of Season)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/3eVPgCRSLAz1irEFA&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2022-23 Women's Basketball Media Day Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/gkriUm93vbqrzv7A6&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2019-20 Women's Basketball Photos (Spring 1/2 of Season)&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qft9RQchBzbxNKMD6&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2019-20 Women's Basketball Photos (Fall 1/2 of Season)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/UBMIvpHebB0sa8mA3&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2017-18 Women's Basketball Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/DFngpsj6Mio6J2h98&quot;&gt;2016-17 Women's Basketball Photos&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7312" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-basketball/meet-our-team-2017-18-womens-basketball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="2" FileName="x7312.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2017-18 Women's Basketball" Title="Meet Our Team Women's Basketball '17-18" Abstract="2017-18 Women's Basketball" BodyCopy="&lt;p class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;Sophomores:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;T.Perez women's basketball&quot; height=&quot;294&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/P%20talisa.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Talisa Perez - #3 - Sophomore - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;B. Serrano women's basketball&quot; height=&quot;286&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/S%20bethany.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Bethany Serrano - #24 - Sophomore - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;Freshmen:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A. Adamczyk women's basketball&quot; height=&quot;314&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/A%20amanda.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Amanda Adamczyk - #1 - Freshman - Guard / Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;S. Grandison women's basketball&quot; height=&quot;311&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/G%20shanice.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Shanice Grandison - #11 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;P. Hardy women's basketball&quot; height=&quot;305&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/H%20Paige.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Paige Hardy - #5 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;H. Rivera Lovett women's basketball&quot; height=&quot;304&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/R%20L%20hannalise.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Hannalise Rivera Lovett - #23 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10594" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-basketball/meet-our-team-2019-20-womens-basketball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10594.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2019-20 Women's Basketball" Title="Meet Our Team Women's Basketball '19-20" Abstract="2019-20 Women's Basketball" BodyCopy="&lt;p class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;Freshmen:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Dasia DeJesus&quot; height=&quot;276&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_6827.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px; vertical-align: middle;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Dasia Dejus - #12 - Freshman - Guard &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jah'Anesty Dickson&quot; height=&quot;270&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_4779.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Jah'Anesty Dickson - #1 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;BreannaMarchena&quot; height=&quot;258&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_4799.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Breanna Marchena - #5 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Colby Sanders  &quot; height=&quot;244&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_6838.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px; vertical-align: middle;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Colby Sanders - #33 - Freshman - Forward &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Kate Tempest&quot; height=&quot;255&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_4810.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Kate Tempest - #4 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Karla Torres&quot; height=&quot;275&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_4770.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Karla Torres - #22 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Lizzy Zollo&quot; height=&quot;265&quot; src=&quot;images/DSC_6818.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Elizabeth Zollo - #10 - Freshman - Forward &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Photos Not Available:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Kamila Arman - #45 - Freshman - Forward&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Kiana Ortiz - #32 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18619" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-basketball/meet-our-team-2022-23-womens-basketball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x18619.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2022-23 Women's Basketball" Title="Meet Our Team Women's Basketball '22-23" Abstract="2022-23 Women's Basketball" BodyCopy="&lt;p class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;First Years:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;E. Ramos 22-23&quot; height=&quot;242&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/unnamed-8.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Emilia Ramos&amp;nbsp;- # 1 - First Year - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A. Zayas 22-23&quot; height=&quot;232&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/unnamed-3.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Aysha Zayas&amp;nbsp;- # 4 - First Year - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J. Fisher 22-23&quot; height=&quot;278&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/unnamed.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Jayla Fisher&amp;nbsp;- # 10 - First Year - Forward / Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;I. Verdejo 22-23&quot; height=&quot;217&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/unnamed-4.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Izalie Verdejo&amp;nbsp;- # 11 - First Year - Forward &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;S. Charles 22-23&quot; height=&quot;241&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/unnamed-5.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Shauna Charles&amp;nbsp;- # 12 - First Year - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M. Hosmer 22-23&quot; height=&quot;277&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/unnamed-2.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Madison Hosmer&amp;nbsp;- # 22 - First Year - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M. Yath 22-23&quot; height=&quot;258&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/unnamed-7.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Mayouri Yath&amp;nbsp;- # 23 - First Year - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;S. Sibley-Welch 22-23&quot; height=&quot;211&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/unnamed-1.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Sthela&amp;nbsp;Sibley-Welch - # 32 - First Year - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Photos Not Available:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Donna Viel - # 33 - First Year - Guard&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Coach:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Coach Joe Paige 22-23&quot; height=&quot;255&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/unnamed-6.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Head Coach - Joseph Paige&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x232" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x232.xml" Name="Men's Basketball" Title="Men's Basketball" Abstract="HCC is a member of the Massachusetts Community College Athletic Conference and the National Junior College Athletic Association, and regularly competes in state and regional tournaments. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;2022-23 Men's Basketball &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/M.%20Hoop%2022-23%20team%20pic.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Basketball was the first sport instituted at HCC, and ranks as one of the longest standing programs in New England and among two-year colleges nationally. HCC is a member of the Massachusetts Community College Athletic Conference (MCCAC) and the National Junior College Athletic Association, (NJCAA), and regularly competes in state and regional tournaments. Home games are played at the PeoplesBank Gymnasium at the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over 500 students have competed on HCC basketball teams over the years. This includes All-Region players and Academic All-Americans. In 1968-69 the Massachusetts Community College Athletic Conference (MCCAC) was formed and HCC joined sister colleges in Massachusetts to participate in intercollegiate competition and post season play. Sports teams, including basketball, joined NJCAA in 1971-72, competing in both state, regional, and national tournaments.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/meet-our-team-2022-23-mens-basketball&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2022-23 click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/meet-our-team-2021-22-mens-basketball&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2021-22 click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/meet-our-team-2019-20-mens-basketball&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2019-20 click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/meet-our-team-2018-19-mens-basketball&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2018-19 click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/meet-our-team-2017-18-mens-basketball&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2017-18 &amp;nbsp;click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/mens-basketball-photos&quot;&gt;Action Photos - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/cougars-basketball-all-time&quot;&gt;Men's Basketball All-Time&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;Photo: 2022-23 Cougars Basketball&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x7402" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/mens-basketball-photos" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7402.xml" Name="Men's Basketball Photos" Title="Men's Basketball Photos" Abstract="Men's Hoop Pictures" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/DeCpSBUFMbRmgEKE7&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2022-23 Men's Basketball Photos (Spring 1/2 of Season)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/6gCBZT9WgkNmuvSk6&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2022-23 Men's Basketball Photos (Fall 1/2 of Season)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/cKGoFBwaF94miBQG6&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2021-22 Men's Basketball Photos (Spring 1/2 of Season&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/XAFActHp2rvSojp48&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2021-22 Men's Basketball Photos (Fall 1/2 of Season)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/tGazY8Azb1EF3w498&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2019-20 Men's Basketball Photos (Spring 1/2 of Season)&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/zN5evjZePN3vei2m6&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2019-20 Men's Basketball Photos (Fall 1/2 of Season)&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/NMxFbZNXfTe3iCM6A&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2018-19 Men's Basketball Photos (Spring 1/2 of Season)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/Q2F4b1rT2ZgUiR387&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2018-19 Men's Basketball Photos (Fall 1/2 of Season)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/EQ1gjun4vIIwtKWG3&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2017-18 Men's Basketball Photos (Spring 1/2 of Season)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/pVm7H0vJOjp9BcpF3&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2017-18 Men's Basketball Photos (Fall 1/2 of Season)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/5fGfMAiiLVoSfM5s7&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2016-17 Men's Basketball Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7309" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/meet-our-team-2017-18-mens-basketball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="2" FileName="x7309.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2017-18 Men's Basketball" Title="Meet Our Team Men's Basketball '17-18" Abstract="2017-18 Men's Basketball" IntroCopy="2017-18 Men's Basketball" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Sophomores:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;D. Fair men's basketball&quot; height=&quot;297&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/fair.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Darren Fair - #24 - Sophomore - Forward&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;underline&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Freshmen:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;T.Jackson men's basketball&quot; height=&quot;308&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/t%20jackson.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tyrell Jackson - #11 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J.Morgan men's basketball&quot; height=&quot;281&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/j%20morg.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jayden Morgan - #12 &amp;amp; #5 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Z. Rinvil men's basketball&quot; height=&quot;340&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/rinv.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Zachary Rinvil - #3 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J. Rivera men's basketball&quot; height=&quot;327&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/j%20riv.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jovan Rivera - #25 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;R. Supinski men's basketball&quot; height=&quot;305&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/supin.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Robert Supinski - #33 - Freshman - Center&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;T. Thomas men's basketball&quot; height=&quot;302&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/t%20thomas.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tyriq Thomas - #10 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J. Toombs men's basketball&quot; height=&quot;291&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/tooms.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;John Toombs Jr. - #5 &amp;amp; #3 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;D. Wardell men's basketball&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/deV%20w.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;DeVante Wardell - #15 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M. williams men's basketball&quot; height=&quot;305&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/m%20williams.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mark Williams - #12 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9238" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/meet-our-team-2018-19-mens-basketball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9238.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2018-19 Men's Basketball" Title="Meet Our Team Men's Basketball '18-19" Abstract="2018-19 Men's Basketball" IntroCopy="2018-19 Men's Basketball" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Sophomores:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J.Rivera Men's Basketball&quot; height=&quot;272&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2549.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Jovan Rivera - #25 - Sophomore - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;underline&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Freshmen:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;D. Brida Men's Basketball&quot; height=&quot;254&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2532.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Drew Brida - #5 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M. Castillo Men's Basketball&quot; height=&quot;262&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2508.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Michael Castillo - #24 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Gonzalez men's basketball&quot; height=&quot;255&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_5284.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Chris Gonzalez - # 11 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;D. Hall men's basketball&quot; height=&quot;273&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_4446.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Dykwan Hall - #32 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Johnson men's basketball&quot; height=&quot;258&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_4439.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Cequan Johnson - # 25 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Kirksey Men's Basketball&quot; height=&quot;222&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2553.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Carliel Kirksey - #20 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;T. Krasun Men's Basketball&quot; height=&quot;240&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2543.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Timothy Krason - #11 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;T. Merullo Men's Basketball&quot; height=&quot;278&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2516%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Tyler Merullo - #32 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;S. Monette Men's Basketball&quot; height=&quot;273&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2503.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Samuel Monette - #15 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Owens-Cote Men's Basketball&quot; height=&quot;253&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2537.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Chevron Owens-Cote - #23 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J. Rogers men's basketball&quot; height=&quot;293&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_4452.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Jequan Rogers - # 3 - Freshman - Guard&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Sliwa Men's Basketball&quot; height=&quot;282&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2525.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Connor Sliwa - #12 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Photos not available:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kyle Fortune - #3 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Latrell Hoheb - #10 - Freshman - Guard&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ricardo Morales - #22 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10593" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/meet-our-team-2019-20-mens-basketball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10593.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2019-20 Men's Basketball" Title="Meet Our Team Men's Basketball '19-20" Abstract="2019-20 Men's Basketball" IntroCopy="2019-20 Men's Basketball" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Sophomores:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img alt=&quot;Samuel Monette&quot; height=&quot;334&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2653.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px; vertical-align: middle;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Samuel Monette - #0 - Sophomore - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Dykwan Hall&quot; height=&quot;278&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2728.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Dykwan Hall - #1 - Sophomore - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Cequan Johnson&quot; height=&quot;357&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2660.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Cequan Johnson - #3 - Sophomore - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jequan Rogers&quot; height=&quot;329&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2730.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Jequan Rogers - #5 - Sophomore - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Michael Castillo&quot; height=&quot;284&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2668.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Michael Castillo - #10 - Sophomore - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;underline&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Freshmen:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img alt=&quot;Kawane Jackson&quot; height=&quot;293&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2680.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Kawane Jackson - #4 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ozzy Santos&quot; height=&quot;316&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2672.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Ozzy Santos - #11 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Carlos Rodriguez&quot; height=&quot;282&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2739.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Carlos Rodriguez - #12 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Moshaun Alvarado&quot; height=&quot;299&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2714.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Moshaun Alvarado - #15 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Deven Rivera&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2682.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Devin Rivera - #20 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Dylan Arroyo Silva&quot; height=&quot;295&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2715.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Dylan Arroyo Silva - #23 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Isaac Cardona&quot; height=&quot;314&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2691.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Isaac Cardona - #24 - Freshman - Guard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Mike Miller&quot; height=&quot;299&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2696.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Mike Miller - #25 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jadon Johnson&quot; height=&quot;292&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/DSC_2704.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Jadon Johnson - #30 - Freshman - Forward&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12785" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/meet-our-team-2021-22-mens-basketball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12785.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2021-22 Men's Basketball" Title="Meet Our Team Men's Basketball '21-22" Abstract="2021-22 Men's Basketball" IntroCopy="2021-22 Men's Basketball" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot;&gt;Second Years:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C.Cote '21-22&quot; height=&quot;318&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Cote%2023%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Chevon Cote - #23 - Center&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;First Years:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;E.Andrews '21-22&quot; height=&quot;313&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Andrews%203.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Elaun Andrews - #3 - Guard&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;B.Robinson '21-22&quot; height=&quot;364&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Robinson%204.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Bret Robinson - #4 - Guard / Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A.Bonilla '21-22&quot; height=&quot;372&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Bonilla%205.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Adrian Bonilla - #5 - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J.Carvalho '21-22&quot; height=&quot;340&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Carvalho%2010.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Jonas Carvalho - #10 - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;K.Maxinus '21-22&quot; height=&quot;324&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Maxinus%2011.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Kaizer Maxinus - #11 - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J.Emerson Roberts '21-22&quot; height=&quot;325&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/EmersonRoberts%2012.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;John Emerson Roberts - #12 - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J.Santos '21-22&quot; height=&quot;331&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Santos%2015.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Jacob Santos - #15 - Guard / Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M.Brown '21-22&quot; height=&quot;345&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Brown%2024.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Michael Brown - #24 - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A.Gumaraes '21-22&quot; height=&quot;353&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Gumaraes%2025.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Anthony Gumaraes - #25 - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;N.Dow '21-22&quot; height=&quot;336&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Dow%2030.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Noah Dow - #30 - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;H.Ahmeti '21-22&quot; height=&quot;307&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Ahmeti%2033.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Hasip Ahmeti - #33 - Center&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18624" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/meet-our-team-2022-23-mens-basketball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x18624.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2022-23 Men's Basketball" Title="Meet Our Team Men's Basketball '22-23" Abstract="2022-23 Men's Basketball" IntroCopy="2022-23 Men's Basketball" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;underline&quot;&gt;Second Years:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J. Santos 22-23&quot; height=&quot;271&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/unnamed-1%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Jacob Santos&amp;nbsp;- # 3 - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;First Years:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Tobin 22-23&quot; height=&quot;244&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/unnamed%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Connor Tobin&amp;nbsp;- # 0 - Guard&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;L. Perez 22-23&quot; height=&quot;236&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/unnamed-3%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Leyron Perez&amp;nbsp;- # 1 - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;T. Christie 22-23&quot; height=&quot;240&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/unnamed-2%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Tyrese Christie&amp;nbsp;- # 15 - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Doktor 22-23&quot; height=&quot;263&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/unnamed-4%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Colon Doktor&amp;nbsp;- # 30 - Center &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Photos Not Available:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;John Boudreau - # 5 - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Liam Quinn - # 10 - Guard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Eli Abrams - # 23 - Forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10752" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/cougars-basketball-all-time" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="2" FileName="x10752.xml" Name="Cougars Basketball All-Time" Title="Cougars Basketball All-Time" Abstract="HCC Basketball All-Time" BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;NJCAA Basketball&quot; height=&quot;290&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/NJCAA-Basketball-Logo-R.gif&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;316&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino;&quot;&gt;Cougars All-Time&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&quot;Cougars All-Time&quot; honors the special student-athletes that have left their mark on the Holyoke Community College Men's Basketball Program. The Cougars have been playing basketball at HCC since the 1940's and several talented players have worn the Cougar uniform.&amp;nbsp;This &quot;All-Time&quot; section lists All-New England and All-American recipients as well as HCC All-Time scoring leaders and overall program records and statistics.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/cougars-basketball-all-time/mens-basketball-all-time-records&quot;&gt;ALL-TIME RECORDS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/cougars-basketball-all-time/500-point-club&quot;&gt;500 POINT CLUB&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;ALL-TIME PLAYERS LIST &amp;amp; ALL-TIME ALL- NEW ENGLAND &amp;amp; ALL -AMERICAN RECIPIENTS&amp;nbsp; (coming soon)&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x10888" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/cougars-basketball-all-time/mens-basketball-all-time-records" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10888.xml" Name="Men's Basketball All-Time Records" Title="Men's Basketball All-Time Records" Abstract="HCC Cougars All-Time Men's Basketball Records" BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-TIME RECORDS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;(TEAM &amp;amp; INDIVIDUAL)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TEAM RECORDS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Wins in a Season:&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;21&lt;/strong&gt; (1972-73), &lt;strong&gt;18&lt;/strong&gt; (1999-2000, 1998-99, 1997-98, 1951-52), &lt;strong&gt;13&lt;/strong&gt; (2002-03), &lt;strong&gt;12&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;(2019-20)&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Consecutive Wins in a Season:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;8&lt;/strong&gt; (1972-73), &lt;strong&gt;7&lt;/strong&gt; (1997-98, 1995-96)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Consecutive Home Wins:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;16&lt;/strong&gt; (1998-99), &lt;strong&gt;15&lt;/strong&gt; (1971-72-73)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Points Scored in a Game:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;140&lt;/strong&gt; vs. Mass Bay CC (1998-99), &lt;strong&gt;122&lt;/strong&gt; vs. Mt. Wachusett CC (1970-71), &lt;strong&gt;121&lt;/strong&gt; vs. Springfield Technical CC ( 1998-99)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Higest Points per Game Average for a Season:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;90.8&lt;/strong&gt; - 28 games (1998-99), &lt;strong&gt;89.9&lt;/strong&gt; - 24 games (1972-73)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lowest Points Allowed per Game Average for a Season:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;67.6&lt;/strong&gt; - 27 games (1994-95), &lt;strong&gt;71&lt;/strong&gt; - 25 games (1974-75), &lt;strong&gt;71.04&lt;/strong&gt; - 27 games (1993-94)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fewest Points Allowed in a Game:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;23&lt;/strong&gt; vs. Hampden College (1972-73)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fewest Points Scored in a Game:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;29&lt;/strong&gt; vs. Bristol CC (2014-15), &lt;strong&gt;31&lt;/strong&gt; vs. Gateway (2007-08) and vs SUNY Cobleskill (2006-07)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Largest Margin of Victory in a Game:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;+92&lt;/strong&gt; vs. Hampden College (1972-73)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Largest Margin of Defeat in a Game:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;-85&lt;/strong&gt; vs. Post Junior College (1978-79)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Highest Team Free Throw Percentage for a Season:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;69.7%&lt;/strong&gt; (1994-95), &lt;strong&gt;66.2%&lt;/strong&gt; (2009-10)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Overtime Games in a Season:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;3&lt;/strong&gt; (1988-89) and (1980-81)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;INDIVIDUAL RECORDS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Points Scored in a Season:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;641&lt;/strong&gt; - Jeffrey Pycko (1984-85), &lt;strong&gt;620&lt;/strong&gt; - Anthony Boyd (1995-96), &lt;strong&gt;609&lt;/strong&gt; - Eric Moody (1999-2000),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(600 pts min)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Points Scored in a Career:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;1,161&lt;/strong&gt; - Anthony Boyd (1993-94 &amp;amp; 1995-96), &lt;strong&gt;1,082&lt;/strong&gt; - Michael Styckiewicz (1980-82), &lt;strong&gt;1,019&lt;/strong&gt; - Michael Castillo &lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;(2018-20)&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;931&lt;/strong&gt; - Matthew Mainville (1987-89), &lt;strong&gt;849&lt;/strong&gt; - Ahmad Sharif (1992-94), &lt;strong&gt;835&lt;/strong&gt; - Michael Dean (1971-73),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(800 pts min)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Points Scored in a Game:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;45&lt;/strong&gt; - Kevin Holmes vs. Mitchell College (2001-02), &lt;strong&gt;44&lt;/strong&gt; - Eric Moody vs. Mass Bay CC (1999-2000), &lt;strong&gt;44&lt;/strong&gt; Michael Dean vs. Greenfield CC (1972-73), &lt;strong&gt;43&lt;/strong&gt; - Michael Castillo vs. Quincy College &lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;(2019-20)&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;41&lt;/strong&gt; Marquise Caudill vs. Springfield Technical CC (2015-16),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(40pts min)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Highest Points per Game Average in Season (min. 15 games):&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;30.45&lt;/strong&gt; - Eric Moody (1999-2000),&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;27.87&lt;/strong&gt; - Jeffrey Pycko (1984-85),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(25 ppg min)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Highest Points per Game Average in a Career (min. 15 games):&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;30.45&lt;/strong&gt; - Eric Moody (1999-2000), &lt;strong&gt;27.87&lt;/strong&gt; - Jeffrey Pycko (1984-85), &lt;strong&gt;21.8&lt;/strong&gt; - Marquise Caudill (2015-16), &lt;strong&gt;21.5&lt;/strong&gt; - Anthony Boyd (1993-94 &amp;amp; 1995-96), &lt;strong&gt;21.42&lt;/strong&gt; - Adam Rivera (2009-10), Michael Styckiewicz (1980-82),&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;21.17&lt;/strong&gt; - Moashaun Alvarado &lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;(2019-20)&lt;/span&gt;,&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(21 ppg min)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Field Goals Made in a Game:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;18&lt;/strong&gt; - Eric Moody vs. Mass Bay CC (1999-2000), Jeffrey Pycko vs. Hasser / Mt. Wachusett (1984-85), Sidney Miller vs. Mitchell College (1983-84), &lt;strong&gt;17&lt;/strong&gt; - Moashaun Alvarado vs. Gateway CC &lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;(2019-20)&lt;/span&gt;, Marquise Caudill vs. Gateway CC (2015-16),&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;16&lt;/strong&gt; - Jaquan Rogers vs. Springfield Technical CC &lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;(2019-20)&lt;/span&gt;, Ray Carter vs. Bunker Hill CC (2003-04), Kevin Holmes vs. Mitchell College (2001-02), Anthony Boyd vs. Springfield Colege JV (1995-96),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(16 FG min)&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Three-Pointers Made in a Season:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;93&lt;/strong&gt; - Greg James (1999-2000), &lt;strong&gt;80&lt;/strong&gt; - Scott Stefanik (1990-91), &lt;strong&gt;65&lt;/strong&gt; - Eric Moody (1999-2000), &lt;strong&gt;61&lt;/strong&gt; - Dan Hopewell (2006-07), &lt;strong&gt;59&lt;/strong&gt; - Michael Castillo &lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;(2018-19)&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;58&lt;/strong&gt; - Adam Rivera (2009-10), Nick Spencer (2007-08), Andy Owens (2003-04), &lt;strong&gt;55&lt;/strong&gt; - Alwin Goodwin (1997-98), 54 - Luis Alvarez (1992-93),&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;(54 min)&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Three-Pointers Made in a Career:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;122&lt;/strong&gt; - Greg James (1990-2000), &lt;strong&gt;107&lt;/strong&gt; - Michael Castillo &lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;(2018-20)&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;82&lt;/strong&gt; - Anthony Boyd (1993-94 &amp;amp; 1995-96), &lt;strong&gt;80&lt;/strong&gt; - Scott Stefanik (1990-91), &lt;strong&gt;69&lt;/strong&gt; - Nick Spencer (2006-08), &lt;strong&gt;63&lt;/strong&gt; - Samuel Monette &lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;(2018-20)&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;61&lt;/strong&gt; - Dan Hopewell (2006-07), &lt;strong&gt;58&lt;/strong&gt; - Adam Rivera (2009-10), Andy Owens (2003-04), Alwin Goodwin (1997-98), 54 - Luis Alvarez (1992-93),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(54 min)&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Three-Pointers Made in a Game:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;8&lt;/strong&gt; - Shaun Henley vs. Capitol CC (2000-01), &lt;strong&gt;7&lt;/strong&gt; - Bryan Bracey vs. NHTI (2010-11), Andy Owens vs. Gateway CC (2003-04), Eric Moody vs. Mass Bay CC (1999-2000), Scott Stefanik vs. North Shore CC (1990-91),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(7 min)&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Higest Free Throw Percentage in a Career (min. 40 attempts):&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;85.2%&lt;/strong&gt; - Gregory Denette (1973-74), &lt;strong&gt;85.1%&lt;/strong&gt; - Greg James (1999-2000), &lt;strong&gt;83.6%&lt;/strong&gt; - J.R. Johnson (1998-99), &lt;strong&gt;82%&lt;/strong&gt; - Joel Alvarez (2006-07),&amp;nbsp; (&lt;em&gt;min 82%)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Consecutive Free Throws Made:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;24&lt;/strong&gt; - Zack Miller (2005-06), &lt;strong&gt;22&lt;/strong&gt; - Ahmad Sharif (1992-93), &lt;strong&gt;18&lt;/strong&gt; - Jeffrey Pycko (1984-85),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(min 18)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Consecutive Free Throws Made in a Game:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;16&lt;/strong&gt; - Zach Miller vs. Briarwood College (2005-05), &lt;strong&gt;14&lt;/strong&gt; - Ed Szlachetka vs Becker College (1979-80),&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;(min 14)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most Free Throws Made in a Game:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;22&lt;/strong&gt; -&amp;nbsp;Zach Miller vs. Briarwood College (2005-05), &lt;strong&gt;19&lt;/strong&gt; - Reilly Miller (2016-17),&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;16&lt;/strong&gt; - Ahmad Sharif vs. Roxbury CC (1992-93), &lt;strong&gt;15&lt;/strong&gt; - Mark Manijak vs. Springfield Technical CC (1976-77),&amp;nbsp;Ed Szlachetka vs Becker College (1979-80), &lt;strong&gt;14&lt;/strong&gt; - Anthony Boyd vs. Hesser Colllege (1995-96),&amp;nbsp; (min 14)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Updated March 2020&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10758" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/mens-basketball/cougars-basketball-all-time/500-point-club" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10758.xml" Name="500 Point Club" Title="500 Point Club" Abstract="Men's Basketball All-Time Leading Scorers" BodyCopy="&lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; frame=&quot;box&quot; rules=&quot;all&quot; style=&quot;width: 716px; height: 700px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Player&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Points&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Games Played&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Points Per Game AVG&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Years Played&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Anthony Boyd&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1,161&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;56&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;21.50&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;93-94, 95-96&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;2&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Michael Styckiewicz&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1,028&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;48&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;21.42&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1980-82&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;3&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Michael Castillo&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1,019&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;50&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;20.38&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;2018-20&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;4&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Matthew Mainville&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;931&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;48&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;19.40&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1987-89&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;5&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Ahmad Sharif&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;849&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;52&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;16.33&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1992-94&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;6&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Michael Dean&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;835&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;44&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;18.98&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1971-73&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Michael James&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;790&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;54&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;14.63&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1997-99&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Joseph Prattico&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;784&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;46&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;17.04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1976-78&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Isaac Johnson&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;761&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;40&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;19.03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1994-96&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Greg James&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;760&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;44&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;17.27&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1998-2000&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Bryant James&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;743&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;55&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;13.51&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1998-2000&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Ronald LaClair&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;729&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;48&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;15.19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1984-86&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;13&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;James Carpenter&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;714&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;45&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;15.87&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1970-72&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;14&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Jerry Andrews&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;692&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;48&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;14.42&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1973-75&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;15&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Michale Gartska&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;667&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;49&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;13.61&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1984-86&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Jequan Rogers&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;666&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;37&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;2019-20&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Jeffrey Pycko&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;641&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;23&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;27.87&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1984-86&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;18&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Michael Jonah&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;634&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;45&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;14.09&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1973-75&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Ray Welch&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;619&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;45&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;13.76&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1989-91&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;20&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Eric Moody&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;609&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;20&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;30.45&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1999-2000&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Kevin Holmes&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;585&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;29&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;20.17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;2001-02&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;22&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Timothy Barstow&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;584&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;43&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;13.58&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1968-69, 74-75&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;23&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Lamont Lewis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;577&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;55&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;10.49&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1997-99&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;24&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Peter Deschenes&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;572&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;36&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;15.89&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1971-73&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;25&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Michael Kennedy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;569&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;29&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;19.62&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1985-87&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;26&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Marquise Caudill&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;566&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;26&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;21.8&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;2015-16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;27&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Adam Rivera&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;557&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;26&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;21.42&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;2009-10&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;28&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Keith Willis&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;553&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;28&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;19.75&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;2002-03&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;29&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Gino Orlandi&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;544&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;44&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;12.36&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1986-88&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;30&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Thomas Bass&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;539&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;46&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;11.72&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1977-79&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;31&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Lavar Parker&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;532&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;54&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;9.85&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1996-98&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;32&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Alwin Goodwin&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;528&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;28&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;18.86&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1997-98&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;33&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Brian Paquette&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;527&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;46&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;11.46&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1981-83&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;34&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Nick Spencer&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;525&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;55&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;9.55&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;2006-08&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;35&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Robert Canon&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;517&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;28&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;18.46&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1971-73&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;36&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Henry Morris&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;516&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;43&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;12&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1989-91&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;37&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Ray Carter&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;516&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;27&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;19.11&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;2003-04&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;38&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Moashaun Alvarado&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;508&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;24&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;21.17&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;2019-20&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;39&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Craig Walker&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;502&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;49&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;10.24&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;1984-86&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Updated March 2020&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page></Page><Page ID="x234" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/baseball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x234.xml" Name="Baseball" Title="Baseball" Abstract="The Cougars have reached the State Tournament each of the last five seasons and have advanced to the NJCAA Regional Tournament 26 times in the history of the program." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;2022 Cougars Baseball &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/BASEball%202022%20team%20photo.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;The Cougars baseball team is coached by Ryan Magni who took over as head coach after the 2022 season. Magni played for the Cougars in 2011 and 2013 and served as an assistant coach with the team since 2018. The Cougars have reached the State Tournament in six of the past eight seasons that it was held and have advanced to the NJCAA Regional Tournament 29 times in the history of the program. HCC baseball has had 13 athletes earn All-American honors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/baseball/meet-our-team-2022-baseball&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2022 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/baseball/meet-our-team-2019-baseball&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2019 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/baseball/meet-our-team-2018-baseball&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2018 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/baseball/meet-our-team-2017-baseball&quot;&gt;Meet Our Team 2017 - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/baseball/baseball-photos&quot;&gt;Baseball Photos - Click Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;Photo: 2022 Cougars Baseball&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x13125" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/baseball/meet-our-team-2022-baseball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13125.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2022 Baseball" Title="Meet Our Team - 2022 Baseball" Abstract="Cougars Baseball 2022" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Second years:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J.Couture '22&quot; height=&quot;353&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/Couture.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Jason Couture - #11 - C / 1B&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Dominguez '22&quot; height=&quot;323&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/Dominiquez.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Brendan Dominguez - #16 - P / OF&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jenks '22&quot; height=&quot;399&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/Jenks.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Zack Jenks - #12 - 1B / P&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Quennevills '22&quot; height=&quot;385&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/Quennevills.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Matt Quennevills - #3 - 2B&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Waitkus '22&quot; height=&quot;347&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/Waitkus.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Connor Waitkus - #10 - P / OF&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;First years:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Carrano '22&quot; height=&quot;319&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/Carrano.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Antonio Carrano - #27 - OF&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Carriveau '22&quot; height=&quot;358&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/Carriveau.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Mason Carriveau - #4 - 3B&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chaplin '22&quot; height=&quot;357&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/Chaplin.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Jake Chaplin - #7 - SS / P&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Kreuzer '22&quot; height=&quot;357&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/Kreuzer.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Nick Kreuzer - #13 - C&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;McGann '22&quot; height=&quot;334&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/McGann.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;James McGann - #22 - P / OF&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Pryzbycien '22&quot; height=&quot;366&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/Pryzbycien.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Adam Pryzbycien - #24 - P&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Quinones '22&quot; height=&quot;333&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/Quinones.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;Jonathan Quinones - #15 - OF&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Rosado-Burgos '22&quot; height=&quot;332&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/Rosado%20Burgos.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Anthony Rosado-Burgos - #21 - P / OF&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sarafin '22&quot; height=&quot;345&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/Sarafin.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Edward Sarafin - #19 - P / IF&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sault '22&quot; height=&quot;353&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/Sault.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Calum Sault - #5 - P / OF&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sypniak '22&quot; height=&quot;356&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Athletic%20news%202/Sypniak.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Adam Sypniak - #18 - P&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9482" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/baseball/meet-our-team-2019-baseball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="2" FileName="x9482.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2019 Baseball" Title="Meet Our Team - 2019 Baseball" Abstract="Cougars Baseball 2019" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sophomores:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Herbert 2019&quot; height=&quot;366&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Adam Herbert&amp;nbsp;- # 7 - Sophomore - 2B / IF / P&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Indomenico 2019&quot; height=&quot;348&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-1.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;Michael Indomenico - # 18 - Sophomore - 1B / CF / P &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Tajima 2019&quot; height=&quot;377&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-2.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Alex Tajima - # 1 - Sophomore - P / OF &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Freshmen:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Antosz 2019 &quot; height=&quot;412&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-3.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Garrett Antosz - # 11 - Freshman - &amp;nbsp;OF / P &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Camerota 2019&quot; height=&quot;344&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-13.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Victor Camerota - # 2 - Freshman - &amp;nbsp;2B / P&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Couture 2019 &quot; height=&quot;374&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-8.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Jason Couture - # 8 - Freshman - &amp;nbsp;C / 1B &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Dominiquez 2019&quot; height=&quot;397&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-4.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Brendan Dominiquez - # 6 - Freshman - &amp;nbsp;P / OF &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Gagnon 2019&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-5.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Collin Gagnon - # 15 - Freshman - &amp;nbsp;C / 3B &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Girard 2019&quot; height=&quot;368&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-11.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Tim Girard - # 22 - Freshman - &amp;nbsp;1B / P&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graham 2019&quot; height=&quot;395&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-9.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Ryan Graham - # 10 - Freshman - &amp;nbsp;OF / P&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Leahy 2019&quot; height=&quot;395&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-10.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Jake Leahy - # 25 - Freshman - &amp;nbsp;OF / P&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Santos 2019&quot; height=&quot;372&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-7.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Aric Santos - #5 - Freshman - SS / P&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Tejada 2019&quot; height=&quot;412&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-12.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Jaasiel Tejada - # 4 - Freshman - &amp;nbsp;3B / P&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Young 2019&quot; height=&quot;369&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/unnamed-6.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Aaron Young - # 3 - Freshman - &amp;nbsp;C / 3B &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;Photo not Available:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;Nohan Figueroa - # 20 - Freshman - &amp;nbsp;OF &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7526" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/baseball/meet-our-team-2018-baseball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7526.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2018 Baseball" Title="Meet Our Team - 2018 Baseball" Abstract="Cougars Baseball 2018" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sophomores:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Dejesus Baseball&quot; height=&quot;358&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/H.%20Dejesus.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;Hector Dejesus - #25 - Sophomore - OF / P&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Hubbard Baseball&quot; height=&quot;330&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/K.%20hubbard.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;Kyle Hubbard - #8 - Sophomore - P / OF &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;(Freshman year photo)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Freshmen:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Diaz Vazques baseball&quot; height=&quot;322&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/I.%20Diaz%20Vazq.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;Ivan Diaz Vazques - #4 - Freshman - OF / 3B / P&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Eheander baseball&quot; height=&quot;358&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/A.%20Eheander.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Alan Eheander - #12 - Freshman - C / 3B / P&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Herbert baseball&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/A.%20Hebert.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Adam Herbert - #7 - Freshman - 2B / SS / OF&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Hodge baseball&quot; height=&quot;332&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/J.%20Hodge.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Jeffery Hodge - #9 - Freshman - P / OF&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;IgLesias baseball&quot; height=&quot;333&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/J.%20IgLesias.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Jared IgLesias - #17 - Freshman - OF / P&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Indomenico baseball&quot; height=&quot;325&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/M.%20Indomenico.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Michael Indomenico - #11 - Freshman - 1B / 3B / OF&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Kennedy baseball&quot; height=&quot;317&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/W.%20Kennedy.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Will Kennedy - #30 - Freshman - 1B / OF / P&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Molta baseball&quot; height=&quot;346&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/M.%20Molta.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Max Molta - #3 - Freshman - SS&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Moskal baseball&quot; height=&quot;282&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/J.%20Moskal.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Jack Moskal - #5 - Freshman - OF / 1B&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ortegas baseball&quot; height=&quot;323&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/A.%20Ortegas.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Augustine Ortegas - #16 - Freshman - OF / 2B&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Padilla baseball&quot; height=&quot;352&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/B.%20Padilaa.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Bryan Padilla - #19 - Freshman - C&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Rosado baseball&quot; height=&quot;367&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/D.%20Rosado.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Darien Rosado - #18 - Freshman - 3B / P&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Rosario baseball&quot; height=&quot;302&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/F.%20Rosario.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Freddie Rosario &amp;nbsp;- #10 - Freshman - 2B / SS / C&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Tajima baseball&quot; height=&quot;336&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/M.%20Taijma.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Musashi Tajima - #1 - Freshman - P / OF&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Tejada baseball&quot; height=&quot;302&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/A.%20Tejada.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Alex Tejada - #24 - Freshman - 2B / OF / SS&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Valdez baseball&quot; height=&quot;307&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/A.%20Valdez.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Robert Valdez - #27 - Freshman - 3B / OF&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7478" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/baseball/meet-our-team-2017-baseball" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="2" FileName="x7478.xml" Name="Meet Our Team - 2017 Baseball" Title="Meet Our Team - 2017 Baseball" Abstract="2017 Baseball" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline; font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sophomores:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A. Harris baseball&quot; height=&quot;354&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/A.%20Harris.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Austin Harris - #29 - Sophomore - 1B / 3B / P&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J. Whitacre baseball&quot; height=&quot;361&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/whitacre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jacob Whitacre - #13 - Sophomore - SS / P / Util&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline; font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Freshmen:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;H. Dejesus baseball&quot; height=&quot;321&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/H.%20de%20jesus.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hector Dejesus - #25 - Freshman - OF / P&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;K. Hubbard baseball&quot; height=&quot;330&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/K.%20hubbard.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kyle Hubbard - #16 - Freshman - P / OF&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A. Lajoie baseball&quot; height=&quot;356&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/A.%20lajoie.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Andrew Lajoie - #10 - Freshman - C / OF&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J. Lopez baseball&quot; height=&quot;328&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/J.%20lopez.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jose Lopez - #9 - Freshman - OF&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;N. Martin baseball&quot; height=&quot;379&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/martin.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nate Martin - #11 - Freshman - Util / P&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J.Ochoa baseball&quot; height=&quot;367&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/ochoa.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jordy Ochoa - #7 - Freshman - 2B / OF&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;F. Pachardo baseball&quot; height=&quot;306&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/pichardo.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Francis Pachardo - #1 - Freshman - 2B / SS / OF&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;W. Pollard baseball&quot; height=&quot;323&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/pollard.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Willis Pollard - #8 - Freshman - 3B / OF&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;L. Rivera baseball&quot; height=&quot;335&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/rivera.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lorenzo Rivera - #5 - Freshman - IF / P&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;J. Rodriguez baseball&quot; height=&quot;351&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/J.%20rodriguez.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Joshua Rodriguez - #3 - Freshman - C&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;C. Santiago baseball&quot; height=&quot;316&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/santiago.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carlos Santiago - #21 - Freshman - IF / Util&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;E. Torres baseball&quot; height=&quot;368&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/torres.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ev&amp;aacute;n Torres - #12 - Freshman - 2B / IF / Util&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;M.Wojnar baseball&quot; height=&quot;282&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/M.%20wojnar.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Matthew Wojnar - #24 - Freshman - P / Util&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Photo Not Available:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nathaniel Sanchez - #19 - Freshman - P / OF&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7477" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/baseball/baseball-photos" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="2" FileName="x7477.xml" Name="Baseball Photos" Title="Baseball Photos" Abstract="Baseball Pics" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/Yf2oMysC59xJg7vCA&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2022 Baseball Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/SXewsRovZyzcw3VY9&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2019 Baseball Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZMgaRicqnzQChYzD7&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2018 Baseball Photos (part 1)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/hTcYbdLahq952xAD7&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2018 Baseball Photos (part 2)&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/d7A5nWWIyAQQ6V4Y2&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2017 Baseball Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/ACkiKv4gyeTZBPZ87&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2016 Baseball Photos&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/Ew1NR9a89FUmrcn36&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2015 Baseball Photos&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x236" URL="student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/track-and-field" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T16:24:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x236.xml" Name="Track &amp; Field" Title="Track &amp; Field" Abstract="Track &amp; Field is returning to HCC as a varsity sport after a lengthy hiatus" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Track &amp;amp; Field 2018&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/DSC_8748.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px; vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Track &amp;amp; Field returned to HCC as a varsity sport in 2017 after a lengthy hiatus. Spring 2017 was the inaugural season for for Holyoke's return to this sport after more than 20 years away. In 2018, HCC's James Moriarty placed second nationaly in the javelin throw at the NJCAA National Championships.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you are interested in becoming a member of HCC's track &amp;amp; field team, please complete the online&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/athletic-interest-form&quot; title=&quot;HCC Athletic Interest Form&quot;&gt;athletic interest form&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;or obtain one at BC Check-In Desk. All athletes must meet NJCAA eligibility requirements. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/2L1b5zhWaBqiFjXL9&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here for 2018 T&amp;amp;F photos&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Photo: Four members of the 2018 Track &amp;amp; Field team along with their coaches.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page></Page><Page ID="x10587" URL="student-life/awareness-and-heritage" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:21:10" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10587.xml" Name="Awareness &amp; Heritage" Title="Awareness &amp; Heritage Events" Abstract="Holyoke Community College hosts several awareness and heritage events throughout the academic year. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;HCC hosts several awareness and heritage events each year. Explore the links below for details!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x10588" URL="student-life/awareness-and-heritage/black-history-month" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260219T14:54:24" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10588.xml" Name="Black History Month" Title="Black History Month" Abstract="Black History Month is observed every February. HCC hosts several events each February to honor and celebrate Black heritage. Check this page often for updates!" BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/HCC_BHM_Event_Flyer_SP25_d1.png&quot; width=&quot;612&quot; height=&quot;159&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Black Legacy- 100th Year Celebration&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;February 9th-13th&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Event Name:&amp;nbsp; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Storytime w/milk &amp;amp; cookies&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Event Description: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Join us in the Parent Learning Center for a storybook reading while enjoying milk and cookies.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Event Host: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Marieb Adult Learning Center&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Date: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Wednesday, February 11, 2026&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Time: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;10:00am&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Parent Learning Center, Frost 269&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Event Name:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Closing the Educational Achievement Gap&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Event Description:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Join us for a presentation with Vilenti Tulloch, M. Ed &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;while we discuss the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;specific ways to build authentic relationships and examine the barriers that often interfere with student success, including microaggressions and unconscious bias.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Event Host:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; ALANA Men in Motion &amp;amp; Black Leadership Council&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Date:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Wednesday, February 11, 2026&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Time: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;11:00-12:15&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Learning Collaborative, Frost 265&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Speaker Bio: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Vilenti Tulloch is an award-winning community leader, recognized for his dedication to service with accolades that include an NAACP Community Service Award and several other honors throughout Western Massachusetts. He serves as the CEO of the Academic Leadership Association (ALA), a school-based mentoring and leadership program whose mission is to empower youth to make positive changes within themselves and their school communities through mentoring, leadership development, and advocacy. In this role, Vilenti oversees mentor training, leads school-based mentoring initiatives, and provides professional development to multiple school districts across Western Massachusetts.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;In addition to his role at ALA, Vilenti is the Co-Founder of the Academic Leadership Association of Greater Springfield, a non-profit organization offering free summer enrichment camps, after-school programming, and community-engaging field trips for youth in the middle school empowerment zones of the Greater Springfield area.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Vilenti also serves as the President of The Forum, an organization dedicated to increasing the number of Black and Brown male educators in K-12 schools in Western Massachusetts to improve student outcomes, especially for underserved populations.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.academicleadershipassociation.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;https://www.academicleadershipassociation.com/&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Additional off-campus events:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Black Love, No Filter: Communication, Boundaries &amp;amp; Joy&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Friday, Feb 13, 6&amp;ndash;8 PM (Online)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Explore the history and cultural evolution of love and relationships within Black communities.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Register here:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.seiu-uhw.org/black-history-month-2026-events/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;https://www.seiu-uhw.org/black-history-month-2026-events/&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;(external event)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;February 16th-20th&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Event Name:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Harambee Celebration&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Event Description: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Join us for a vibrant and exciting Harambee Celebration event, where we come together to celebrate culture, community, and unity! This lively gathering will feature delicious food, soulful music, and an open mic session for everyone to share their talents.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Host:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Student Engagement and Black Student Alliance&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Date:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Wednesday, February 18, 2026&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Time:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; 11:00-12:15&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Campus Center Cafeteria&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Event Name:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Moonlight&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Movie Screening&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Movie Description:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Host:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; ALANA Men in Motion,&amp;nbsp; El Centro &amp;amp; SAMP&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Date:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Thursday, February 19, 2026&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Time:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; 1:30-3:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Kittredge 301 (KC 301)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Additional off-campus events:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Fireside Chat &amp;mdash; Black Political Power&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tuesday, Feb 17, 6&amp;ndash;8 PM (Virtual)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Meaningful dialogue about current political landscapes and community leadership.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Register here:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.seiu-uhw.org/black-history-month-2026-events/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;https://www.seiu-uhw.org/black-history-month-2026-events/&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;(external event)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;February 23rd-27th&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Event Name:&amp;nbsp; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Storytime w/milk &amp;amp; cookies&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Event Description: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Join us in the Parent Learning Center for a storybook reading while enjoying milk and cookies.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Event Host: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Marieb Adult Learning Center&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Day: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Wednesday, February 23, 2026&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Time: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;11:00 am&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Parent Learning Center, Frost 269&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Event Name:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Cuts, Confidence, &amp;amp; College - On Campus Barbershop&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Event Description:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Professional on-campus haircuts paired with honest dialogue to help students show up prepared, empowered, and confident.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Host:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; ALANA Men in Motion&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Date:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Tuesday, February 24, 2026&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Time:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; 1:00-4:00 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; The Fort (Frost 233)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Student Interest Form:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fforms.gle%2fFGKZsvEGD4oDtQEr8&amp;amp;c=E,1,AUnKzqUtd7R0TxKKuxkvxCzz1nGa4uREkCAHeYT3s-Z_CNR9KPz1uhWYVpBE9WbWNSABBJmkj9eJH5wkq-M6VbLFhY1Xn5IsVZCFHW51BjE,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;https://forms.gle/FGKZsvEGD4oDtQEr8&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Event Name:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Lift Our Voice&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Event Description: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Join us for a presentation with Vanessa Ford while she discusses defining ourselves and owning our stories&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Host:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Black Leadership Council&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Date:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Wednesday, February 25, 2026&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Time:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; 11:00-12:15&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Frost 271 (The Living Room)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Speaker Bio: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Vanessa V. Ford, vocalist, composer, and arts leader is a dynamic performer whose career spans music, public service, and community health. Born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, she proudly represents her African American, Colombian, Panamanian, and Costa Rican heritage, which has shaped her commitment to cultural inclusivity and service.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;From an early age, Vanessa&amp;rsquo;s musical gifts opened doors to perform at national and local events, including military promotions, political ceremonies, and community celebrations. She has sung for Governor Deval Patrick, Secretary Hillary Clinton, and the City of Springfield at Mayor Domenic Sarno&amp;rsquo;s inaugurations, remembrance ceremonies, and major civic events. Her original music, including &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Great Jehovah&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Stronger Together&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;, reflects her faith and dedication to uplifting others. She also serves as founding director of the Springfield CommUnity Chorale, uniting singers and musicians from all backgrounds to celebrate diversity through music.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Vanessa&amp;rsquo;s leadership extends beyond performance. She is a faculty member at the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.communitymusicschool.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Community Music School of Springfield&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; and the founding director of the Director of Trust Transfer Project, a nationally recognized initiative that mobilizes artists to address public health through creative expression. Recognized by the CDC, the American Alliance of Museums, and the Association of Science and Technology Centers, the project has become a model for building vaccine confidence and community wellness through arts and culture. In 2023, she presented at the CDC Museum in Atlanta and delivered the keynote at the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts Woven Conference.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Deeply rooted in civic engagement, Vanessa serves as board president of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bluestogreen.org/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Blues to Green&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Inc. She is a member of The Planning Board of the city of Springfield and of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.commonwealthmurals.org/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Common Wealth Murals&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;. She is a member of the Public Health Institute of Western MA Youth Mental Health Advisory Coalition and the New England Teaching Artist Collaborative Steering Group.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;From 2012 to 2020, Vanessa served as Director of Operations for State Senator James T. Welch, managing the district office, constituent services, and community outreach. Her career reflects a lifelong mission: to use the power of music, culture, and advocacy to empower the vulnerable, amplify underrepresented voices, and bring hope and healing to her community.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Additional off-campus event:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Wealth On Lock &amp;mdash; Virtual Financial Workshop&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tuesday, Feb 24, 6&amp;ndash;7:30 PM (Online)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Learn strategies for financial growth, wealth building, and generational stability.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Register here:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.seiu-uhw.org/black-history-month-2026-events/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;https://www.seiu-uhw.org/black-history-month-2026-events/&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;(external event)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10590" URL="student-life/awareness-and-heritage/womens-history-month" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260318T14:55:31" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10590.xml" Name="Women's History Month" Title="Women's History Month" Abstract="Women's History Month is observed in March. HCC hosts several events to celebrate women's history. Check this page often for updates!" BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Women's History Month&quot; height=&quot;159&quot; src=&quot;images/Landing%20Pages/unnamed.png&quot; width=&quot;700&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Women&amp;rsquo;s History Month 2026&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future&amp;rdquo;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future expands our understanding of sustainability beyond just environmental concerns. It encompasses financial sustainability, community resilience, leadership succession, and intergenerational equity. Whether developing green technologies, advancing economic justice, strengthening education systems, or building civic power &amp;ndash; women are designing blueprints for sustainable transformation. This theme affirms that shaping a sustainable future means fostering systems that support both people and the planet.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Events Information&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Title: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Women&amp;rsquo;s History Month Library Display&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Date: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;March 2 - March 27&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;HCC Library&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Description: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;SAMP students are highlighting and celebrating impactful and inspiring women across time.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Title: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Care Center of Holyoke Donation Drive&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Date: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;March 2 - March 27&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/document/d/17TVwtkp2aIAcc317qNjsZ9Ak9waYUBcAy0gdWChYaDA/edit?usp=sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Amazon &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;amp; Donation boxes around campus&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Description: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Help the &quot;Teen Mom: The Real Story&quot; Learning Community class provide goodie bags for the Care Center of Holyoke, which serves teen mothers. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://a.co/0a1DYecX&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Click here for the Amazon Wish List&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; or donate on-campus.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Title&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: Documentary Showing - Jane Goodall: Reasons for Hope&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Date&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;:&amp;nbsp; Wednesday, March 11th&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Time&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: 11- 12:15&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: CC Cafeteria&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Description&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;:&amp;nbsp; Jane Goodall-Reasons for Hope is an uplifting journey with stories to inspire people to make a difference in the world. Three different conservation stories illustrate Jane's pillars of hope.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Title: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;International Women&amp;rsquo;s Day Interactive Display&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Date: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Friday, March 6&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Time: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;All Day&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;CC Cafeteria&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Description: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Stop by to write a thank-you to a woman in your life, get a sticker or pin, and celebrate International Women&amp;rsquo;s Day.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Title:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Dress to EmpowerHER&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Date: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Friday, March 6&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Time: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;All Day&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Across Campus&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Description: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Dress up as your favorite woman superhero, wear a shirt of a woman who inspires you, or wear purple!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Title: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Civics Education Leader Award Recognition - Dr. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:vmartinez@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; data-rich-links=&quot;{&amp;quot;per_n&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;Vanessa Mart&amp;iacute;nez&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;per_e&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;vmartinez@hcc.edu&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;type&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;person&amp;quot;}&quot;&gt;Vanessa Mart&amp;iacute;nez&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Date: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;, &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;March 9&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Time: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;10:30 a.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Wistariahurst Museum|&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Description: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;In attendance: State Representative Pat Duffy, State Senator John Velis, and Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Title&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: Create, Learn, Lead: Women Building a Sustainable Future&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Date&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;:&amp;nbsp; Tuesday, March 24&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Time&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: CC Cafeteria/CC 248&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Description&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;:&amp;nbsp; Spend time creating, learning, and celebrating during this Women&amp;rsquo;s History Month event focused on sustainability and women&amp;rsquo;s leadership. Participate in hands-on activities like upcycled crafts, games highlighting women trailblazers, button making, podcast listening, and more&amp;mdash;all while enjoying music and food in a welcoming community space.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Title&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: Film Screening of The Breadwinner (2017)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Date&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;:&amp;nbsp; Thursday, March 26&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Time&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: 12 - 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: KC 301&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Description&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;:&amp;nbsp; An award-winning animated drama following the story of a young girl's courage and resilience to challenge gender norms and provide for her family as she faces violence, sexism, and strict gender rules under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Hosted by SAMP&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Title: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Motivational Monday - Dr. Bernice King Speaker Broadcast&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Date: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Monday&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;, &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;March 30&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Time: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Noon&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; CC Cafeteria&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Description: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Join NSLS in viewing Dr. King&amp;rsquo;s Speaker Broadcast, CEO of the King Center, Global Thought Leader, Peace Advocate.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12167" URL="student-life/awareness-and-heritage/pride-month" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12167.xml" Name="Pride Month" Title="Pride Month" Abstract="Every year during the month of June, the LGBT community celebrates Pride in a number of different ways." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Every year during the month of June, the LGBT community celebrates Pride in a number of different ways. Across the globe, various events are held during this special month as a way of recognizing the influence that LGBT people have had around the world. Why was June chosen? Because it is when the Stonewall Riots took place back in 1969.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As well as being a monthlong celebration, Pride is also an opportunity to peacefully protest and raise political awareness of current issues facing the community. Parades are a prominent feature of Pride Month, and there are many street parties, community events, poetry readings, public speaking events, street festivals, and educational sessions, all of which are covered by mainstream media and attract millions of participants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What can you do to support LGBTQ+ students in our community?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Include LGBTQ+ authors in your curriculum&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Include LGBTQ+ history in your curriculum&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Make sure you are using examples that include different gender markers, pictures, and authors&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Talk about the intersecting identities throughout curriculum&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Give space for discussions. It is okay to say, &amp;ldquo;I don&amp;rsquo;t know, let's find out together!&amp;rdquo;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Celebrate joyful moments in LGBTQ+ history&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Include all varieties of pronouns. Add your pronouns to your email signature and Zoom name, and encourage all participants to do the same.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/awareness-and-heritage/pride-month#All Month Long&quot; title=&quot;link to ongoing events anchor in page&quot;&gt;Ongoing Events&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/awareness-and-heritage/pride-month#Save teh Date&quot; title=&quot;link to save the date anchor in page&quot;&gt;Save the Date&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/awareness-and-heritage/pride-month#Get involved&quot; title=&quot;Link to get involved anchor in page&quot;&gt;Get Involved&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;All Month Long&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;All Month Long&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;T-shirt Design Contest&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's LGBTQ+ Task Force is looking for &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdvQFlJ6AorfLc4IhU535UGnZZJi_SHKtA-Vd6PS56hIkeOsw/viewform?usp=sf_link&quot; title=&quot;link to google doc to submit pride tshirt design&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;t-shirt design submissions&lt;/a&gt; from students and the Holyoke community. Winning art will be used on a t-shirt for a fundraiser in October 2021, launching during National Coming Out Day. All proceeds from the shirt will go toward an award for LBGTQ+ incoming students. Submissions will close on June 30, 2021. The winning design will be announced on HCC's social media. &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdvQFlJ6AorfLc4IhU535UGnZZJi_SHKtA-Vd6PS56hIkeOsw/viewform?usp=sf_link&quot; title=&quot;link to google form to submit pride tshirt design&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Submit your design here!&lt;/a&gt; (The name and photo associated with your Google account will be recorded when you upload files and submit this form.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Look Forward to SafeZone Training&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The LGBTQ+ Task Force and Center for Excellence invites the campus community to &lt;a href=&quot;https://thesafezoneproject.com/about/&quot; title=&quot;link to safezone project website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SafeZone training&lt;/a&gt;. Led by Z and Liz Golen, this training will be offered the second Friday of each semester starting in the fall of 2021. SafeZone training is an opportunity to learn about LGBTQ+ identities, gender, and sexuality, and examine prejudice, assumptions, and privilege.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;September 17, 2 p.m.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;February 4, 2 p.m.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Resource List&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Library has launched their newest &lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/hcclibrary/home/lgbtq-list&quot; title=&quot;link to google site of hcc library pride resources&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;resource list&lt;/a&gt;! This list is filled with books from authors with intersecting identities from the communities of Latinx and LGBTQ+. Check it out!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Book Recommendation&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Let the Record Show&lt;/em&gt;, Sarah Schulman&amp;rsquo;s new book, showcases the history of ACT UP! This is a must read recommendation from the LGBTQ+ Task Force.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A black tshirt with a rainbow and the hcc logo&quot; height=&quot;265&quot; src=&quot;images/Screen%20Shot%202021-06-02%20at%209.38.40%20AM.png&quot; style=&quot;margin: 10px; float: left;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Show Your Pride&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Did you know that HCC has our very own Pride shirt? These are available &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;link to bookstore page&quot;&gt;in the bookstore&lt;/a&gt;. You can &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.ecampus.com/&quot; title=&quot;Link to barnes and noble hcc site listing for pride tshirt&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;buy it online&lt;/a&gt; or in person!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Save teh Date&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Save the dates&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Learn About Transhealth Northampton&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; June 9, 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAtdeipqzkrHdcZnPiEPJ7Pf4wpAUZ1jsGr&quot; title=&quot;link to zoom to register for transhealth northampton event&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt; Register&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brooke Stott is a clinical social worker providing outpatient therapy, managing community partnerships, and offering training and education with Transhealth Northampton, an integrated healthcare organization serving the transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) communities of western MA and the surrounding areas. Brooke will share about the services offered at Transhealth, some basics on supporting TGD students, and the regionally-specific data that helps outline why all of this is important. Time will also be available for question and answer following the presentation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pride Flag Raising&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; June 10, 1 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Join us &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/HolyokeCommunityCollege&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC on facebook&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;on Facebook&lt;/a&gt; for a live streaming of the Pride flag raising ceremony with HCC President Christina Royal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lesl&amp;eacute;a Newman Reading &amp;amp; Talkback&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;June 22, 5:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcldeqgqjgoGdWLuBXvx3jXxRKo5zZV6N-Z&quot; title=&quot;Link to zoom to register for leslea newman reading&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;Register&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Author Lesl&amp;eacute;a Newman reads &lt;em&gt;Sparkle Boy&lt;/em&gt;, followed by a talk back and Q&amp;amp;A.&amp;nbsp;Join us for this amazing opportunity for faculty, staff, and students with children &amp;ndash; and for the curious, gender queer, and non-conformists in all of us &amp;ndash; to gather around this topic of gender presentation. Lesl&amp;eacute;a will read the book out loud and then take questions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pedro Lemebel&amp;rsquo;s Manifesto: Hablo por mi diferencia&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; June 24, 11 a.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIocuCprT0qHNxwBeBnnnmDC78FVkDpovJu&quot; title=&quot;link to zoom to register for pedro lemebel event&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt; Register&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pedro Lemebel&amp;rsquo;s Manifesto: Hablo por mi diferencia. A queer conversation with Daniel Giraldo-Wonders, Faculty in Language and Latin American Literatures at Bard College at Simon's Rock.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Get involved&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Get involved in the Community&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's LGBTQ+ Task Force was created in fall 2020 in response to student concerns raised to President Royal. This task force is a subcommittee of the Equity, Diversity &amp;amp; Inclusion Committee. Want to be a part of the LGBTQ+ Task Force? Everyone is welcome! Email us at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:edicommittee@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link edicommittee@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;edicommittee@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check out what's happening in your community:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.holyokepride.com/&quot; title=&quot;link to holyoke pride website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Holyoke&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nohopride.org/parade.html&quot; title=&quot;link to northampton pride website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; Northampton&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.springfieldpride.org/parade-form/&quot; title=&quot;link to springfield pride website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; Springfield&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12187" URL="student-life/awareness-and-heritage/juneteenth" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:53" CategoryIds="" StartDate="20240618T09:00:00" FileName="x12187.xml" Name="Juneteenth" Title="Juneteenth" Abstract="Celebrating Juneteenth" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Dear HCC Community,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I want to take this moment to wish everyone in our community a happy and inspirational Juneteenth celebration of Black history, arts and culture, and empowerment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Juneteenth acknowledges the date June 19, 1865, when news of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached Galveston, Texas, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the order. The Proclamation declared &quot;that all persons held as slaves&quot; were free, and the holiday provides a moment of collective reflection and celebration.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Juneteenth is also a symbol of resilience, perseverance, and the unwavering pursuit of freedom. At Holyoke Community College, I am proud of the many ways we support one another and advance equity and inclusion for all, especially members of the Black community. Not only on Juneteenth, but every day, I hope we will continue to teach, learn, and serve in ways that create a supportive, more equitable, and antiracist environment on our campus and beyond. We have the perfect foundation to do this work; our values of innovation, collaboration, kindness, inclusion, and trust guide all we do.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During this time of commemoration and celebration, I encourage you to:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Participate in local community events that honor the spirit of Juneteenth and amplify the voices of those who have fought for racial justice.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Support Black-owned businesses and restaurants, fostering economic empowerment and solidarity. (Explore Massachusetts listings &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.supportblackowned.com/states/ma&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, or &lt;a href=&quot;https://webuyblack.com/&quot;&gt;shop nationally&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Engage with literature that explores the experiences of African Americans throughout history. (Consult the &lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/hcclibrary/home/juneteenth-list&quot;&gt;HCC Library's list of recommended books&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Join our Equity, Diversity &amp;amp; Inclusion Committee by emailing edicommittee@hcc.edu and contribute to our ongoing efforts to create a more equitable and inclusive campus community.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Juneteenth is a reminder of our past, but is also an opportunity to imagine a future that celebrates inclusion and belonging for all. It is a celebration of all that is possible when we harness our intellectual and institutional resources for good. I believe we are better together, and together, we can create a just society in which everyone can thrive and flourish.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sincerely,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;George Timmons, Ph.D.&lt;br /&gt;President&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Juneteenth Resources:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/hcclibrary/home/juneteenth-list&quot;&gt;HCC Library Reading List&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://nmaahc.si.edu/events/juneteenth&quot;&gt;Juneteenth information from the National Museum of African-American History &amp;amp; Culture&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nytimes.com/article/juneteenth-day-celebration.html&quot;&gt;Juneteenth Day Celebration&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3aQjTy328o&quot;&gt;What is Juneteenth?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu6ntwHws5g&quot;&gt;This is Why Juneteenth is Important for America&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/20/magazine/1619-intro.html&quot;&gt;New York Times Magazine's 1619 Project&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Professional Development Initiative:&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.academics4blacklives.com/&quot;&gt; Academics for Black Survival &amp;amp; Wellness&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11063" URL="student-life/awareness-and-heritage/latinx-heritage-month" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250911T19:41:33" CategoryIds="" FileName="x11063.xml" Name="Latinx Heritage Month" Title="Latinx Heritage Month" Abstract="Find a list of events to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month." BodyCopy="&lt;h4&gt;2025 Events&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;h5 class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;SEPTEMBER 15 &amp;ndash; OCTOBER 15 &lt;/span&gt;Our Heroes, Our History Mural&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;Experience the stunning mural by Puerto Rican muralist Betsy Casa&amp;ntilde;as, located by El Centro in the Campus Center. The piece celebrates Latinx activists, artists, musicians, and educators whose vision and courage have shaped our history. Across from the mural, a companion poster exhibit on the glass wall shares the stories behind each figure, inviting you to learn more about their lasting impact. &lt;strong&gt;Hallway between El Centro &amp;amp; Student Engagement, Campus Center&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;El Centro&amp;rsquo;s Pop-Up Cinema: Latinx Film Festival &lt;span class=&quot;s2&quot;&gt;&amp;bull; Thursdays &amp;bull; 11 a.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;Join us each Thursday at 11 a.m. for a special Latinx Heritage Month pop-up cinema series featuring powerful films from across Latin America and the U.S. Each screening highlights stories of resilience, culture, and identity, from Mayan traditions in Ixcanul and Amazonian journeys in Embrace of the Serpent to Puerto Rican community resistance in Todav&amp;iacute;a Estamos Aqu&amp;iacute; and the inspiring activism of Dolores Huerta in Dolores. &lt;strong&gt;Campus Center Cafeteria&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;SEPTEMBER 14&lt;/span&gt; Puerto Rican Day Parade &lt;span class=&quot;s2&quot;&gt;&amp;bull; 11 a.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;Join the HCC contingent at the Springfield parade at the intersection of Main Street and Wason Avenue. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.eventbrite.com/e/latin-dance-night-dancing-for-dollars-fundraiser-to-benefit-cep-tickets-692509774377&quot;&gt;Sign up&lt;/a&gt; and receive a t-shirt.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;SEPTEMBER 17&lt;/span&gt; Family Story Time: &amp;iexcl;En espa&amp;ntilde;ol! &lt;span class=&quot;s2&quot;&gt;&amp;bull; 5:30 &amp;ndash; 7 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;Join the Marieb Adult Learner Success Center, HCC Chief of Police Jackie Robles, and special guest readers for a multilingual story time featuring Harold and the Purple Crayon in English, Spanish, and ASL. Enjoy fun arts and crafts, free school supplies, exciting giveaways, and a chance to connect with the community! &lt;strong&gt;Frost Building, 2nd Floor&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;OCTOBER 1&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s4&quot;&gt; Latinx Fiesta &lt;/span&gt;&amp;bull; 11 a.m. &amp;ndash; 12:15 p.m.&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;Food, music, crafts, and a celebration of Latinx Heritage Month brought to you by HCC students, staff, and faculty. &lt;strong&gt;Campus Center Cafeteria&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;OCTOBER 2&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s4&quot;&gt; Froteria Dos &lt;/span&gt;&amp;bull; 1:30 &amp;ndash; 2:30 p.m.&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;Join ALANA, SAMP, and El Centro while we: Eat frituras! Play Loteria! Win Prizes!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Campus Center 224, Staff and Faculty Lounge&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;OCTOBER 3&lt;/span&gt; Tite Curet Alonso: L&amp;iacute;rica y Poes&amp;iacute;a &lt;span class=&quot;s2&quot;&gt;&amp;bull; 7:30 p.m. (Community Event)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;BoriCorridor presents Tite Curet Alonso: L&amp;iacute;rica y Poes&amp;iacute;a (in Spanish) Actor and playwright Josean Ortiz performs a moving monologue inspired by folklorist Norma Salazar&amp;rsquo;s book on the life of Puerto Rican composer Tite Curet Alonso. The piece honors the centenary of Curet Alonso, one of Latin America&amp;rsquo;s most influential salsa and bolero composers. Limited tickets available. Stop by El Centro, CC 248 to reserve your seat. First come, first served! &lt;strong&gt;Holyoke Media Theater, 1 Court Plaza, Holyoke, MA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;OCTOBER 14&lt;/span&gt; NUESTRAS HISTORIAS, NUESTRAS VOCES, NUESTRA PERSPECTIVA:&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Una conversaci&amp;oacute;n intergeneracional con artivistas latinx/e locale &lt;span class=&quot;s2&quot;&gt;&amp;bull; 1:30 &amp;ndash; 2:30 p.m. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Our Stories, Our Voices, Our Lens: An intergenerational conversation with local Latinx Artivists. Join El Centro as we engage in a conversation with local artivists on how the use of different art mediums contributes to the memorialization, preservation, and celebration of our histories through time and space. This event is a panel discussion format with a Q&amp;amp;A portion to follow. &lt;strong&gt;Area between El Centro and Student Engagement&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12624" URL="student-life/awareness-and-heritage/native-americanindigenous-peoples-month" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12624.xml" Name="Native American/Indigenous Peoples Month" Title="Native American/Indigenous Peoples Month" Abstract="HCC hosts several events each November to honor and celebrate Native American and Indigenous Peoples heritage. Check this page often for updates!" BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;2021 Events&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nov. 5, 5 &amp;ndash; 9 p.m.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Native Art Exhibit Opening&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Red, 358 Dwight St., Holyoke&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Join community members and artists&amp;nbsp;in celebration of native artists and indigenous cultural influence, including their contributions to the ongoing fight for recognition, support, and justice for native communities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/3dt2kK3fBPR6duUh7&quot; title=&quot;Link to Google form to RSVP for Native Art exhibit&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;RSVP&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nov. 16, 12 noon &amp;ndash; 1 p.m.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The History of Violence Against Indigenous Women &amp;amp; the MMIWG2S+ Movement &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Zoom&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In this session, Aminah Ghaffar presents the origins of violence against Indigenous people beginning with the Doctrine of Discovery. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YXHcCjBvspYaF--iddOdD0qG0ITW1CPy3rZF-aC0yuTQwhRq-2QbRb1mgeVj89YXau10mlfBvbQXW-_hy4gqTLOxUXt0EOOgEP2i1lZg40gPE2S3zUwar_uJD-5h_4PoLl9oVKu49cUyL9T6meZTFcBwY-tpz-Tq&amp;amp;c=u8TxV-bZSV2fxDDUKoxl2Et1pZkHrE71kF1feqAaycbqoU3clHpwnQ==&amp;amp;ch=LzYG040w2MR94n2hAgp2jRWdfUlUgp-DERQPuR5KMJkYh1HtfemvrQ==&quot; title=&quot;Link to Google form to register for violence event&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Register&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nov. 17, 10 a.m.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Guest Speaker: Anthony Melting Tallow&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;KC 301 &amp;amp; Zoom&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;An enrolled member of the Siksikaitsitapi Blackfoot Nation, Anthony Melting Tallow is a visual artist, public speaker, Indigenous social justice advocate, and land and water defender. He will be talking about what life is like as a two-sprit Native. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Attend in person, and you could win a pair of Airpods! &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSex5SoCXZLq0IxfjXA17ZaZQwus26Ui_BxguSMVa-P4vxJEMQ/viewform?usp=sf_link&quot; title=&quot;Link to Google form to register for two-spirit guest speaker&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;Register here.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nov. 17, 10:45 a.m. &amp;ndash; 12:30 p.m.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC Mini Powwow&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;KC 301 &amp;amp; Zoom&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Join us for a mini powwow featuring drummers and dancers, beginning with a land acknowledgment at 10:45 a.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Attend in person, and you could win a pair of Airpods!&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSex5SoCXZLq0IxfjXA17ZaZQwus26Ui_BxguSMVa-P4vxJEMQ/viewform?usp=sf_link&quot; title=&quot;Link to Google form to register for two-spirit guest speaker&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;Register here.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nov. 23, 12 noon&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Guest Speaker: Smudging&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Zoom&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our guest speaker Rock Paint will go over what smudging is, how it is done, and what it is used for, and provide a demonstration of the smudge bowl and the herbs utilized.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001j-jfVCDfjkCKFUrKmxQPOGlJirZ73e8FiJrkqc-D_8BdAv33zp0rB0OjRGv5eN93m0xUw_nP_owHVhUjJbY_7diB3E909L3v0CTaYBZsfrp28SK_RD-Z0oxVhJA55HRt0hTKga8kbaZOHenpQOU6kFmwzdFUKoMmm5czl6gQFlg110T04LzvWK2EIofq2VPnpgUNVC0rYdGgP6EaudBFtuMLtXiYI07W&amp;amp;c=lgs2RTGNjVhbP9DJ7UIYHjvNdSTtLIgbFN3krpu14xaXJq0JH3wTsA==&amp;amp;ch=N3VvuS7uWxRu3k6JqspyhQ2Y9_tLT_xsqETPeHtpheAPvVIjFFfhIQ==&quot; title=&quot;Link to Zoom to register for smudging guest speaker&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;Register&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nov. 30, 3 &amp;ndash; 4 p.m.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sacred Mirrors: The Art of Indigenous Resistance&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Join Massasoit Community College for a conversation between Chicano/Huasteca artist Tomas Alejo and Wampanoag artist Hartman Deetz about the activism represented in their work through photography, textiles, and storytelling.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001OJcd-VS6RKsMDu0_gP7I7QYy5nbQa83IHffzBp1P4IrgZoNNJrp9_KvaHlEieBtWJy-0pxRYCC0tnsCEsq123WQQwcokxMac6wEtDIC_YzRcDHG7HOx7PHmyuqvOV7SFAFRDJRlI_sanOS9vvAlBZraYSIjYojGfK_PC4nnlgbW-lMS_rlWxSq_uuDSUOrfvuHfg2o9_ifQ7RWZjfg2Pcb58oktqhx4-&amp;amp;c=ssV_KmJIJrLziTFWQ9GAbDlvGxpK2b5yMiwC5sNP4J9vRm7RF-D3aQ==&amp;amp;ch=O85SQxm3st761WmNqcAPTsh13Jbn4fO-538l8RL1T4ahoWp0WJhdLg==&quot; title=&quot;Link to zoom to register for sacred mirrors event&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Register&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x259" URL="student-life/bookstore" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260608T15:48:28" CategoryIds="" FileName="x259.xml" Name="Bookstore" Title="HCC Bookstore" Abstract="Information about buying books, supplies, and HCC gear." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Be Ready. Shop Early. Start Strong.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Textbook shopping doesn&amp;rsquo;t need to be complicated.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College Online Bookstore has the exact materials chosen by your professors in the format that works best for you. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;New, used, digital, rental, and Marketplace&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; - it&amp;rsquo;s all available in one place. Order early, return easily, and walk into class prepared.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Visit &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;hcc.ecampus.com &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;to start shopping.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;*Terms and exclusions may apply&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;----&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;The HCC Campus Store is open for in-store shopping or order pickup! &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Store Hours:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NOTE: &lt;span&gt;All book orders are currently being handled by Office Services in Frost 225. &lt;br /&gt;The campus store will be closed until Monday, June 15th.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;!-- &lt;p&gt;Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 8am-4pm&lt;br /&gt;Tuesday &amp;amp; Thursday: 8am-2pm&lt;/p&gt; --&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;Park in S Lot and enter the Campus Center there. The Bookstore is on the second floor of the Campus Center.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Need textbooks?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;HCC partners with &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;eCampus.com&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; for our &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;online bookstore&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Go to the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://my.hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;myHCC Dashboard&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &amp;rarr; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;My Student Resources&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &amp;rarr; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Buy your books&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Or visit &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.ecampus.com&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;hcc.ecampus.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; and use &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sign in Via Your School Account&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Use the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Shop by Schedule&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; tool to find and order your required course materials.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://hcc.ecampus.com/&quot; title=&quot;Link to online college store website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;order books&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Want to pickup your books but can't make it when the store is open? Choose &quot;store pickup&quot; and change location to &quot;bookstore lockers.&quot; You will receive a text and email with details on your order pickup. Lockers are located right next to the bookstore!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Need help? get in touch!&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Call &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2521&quot;&gt;413.552.2521&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:savery@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link savery@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;email the Campus Store&lt;/a&gt; and leave your name and contact information, and one of our staff will be in touch within 24 hours.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;external book advances&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Missed the book advance deadline? Or your books/supplies weren't available at the Bookstore?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can request an External Book Advance through the Financial Aid office if you enrolled in spring flex&amp;nbsp;II (Feb. 14 start), spring flex III (March 28 start), or had any other constraints that prevented your purchases within the book advance period.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20030" URL="x20030.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:52" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20030.xml" Name="CAPS Tutoring" Title="CAPS Tutoring" Abstract="CAPS Tutoring" CustomURL="courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring" IsComponent="true" /><Page ID="x246" URL="student-life/caring-for-yourself" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:20:44" CategoryIds="" FileName="x246.xml" Name="Caring for Yourself" Title="Caring for Yourself" Abstract="Holyoke Community College offers a comprehensive array of programs and services to help every student live a healthier lifestyle." IntroCopy="We care about the health, wellness, and academic success of all our students." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A wellness wheel diagram&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Health-Wellness/wellnesswheel_website.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="true" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x247" URL="student-life/caring-for-yourself/health-education" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:52" CategoryIds="" FileName="x247.xml" Name="Health Education" Title="Health Education/Coaching" Abstract="Holyoke Community College Health Education offers many services directed at education and wellness." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Education, coaching, and hypnosis are provided in confidential one-to-one appointments or group settings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sessions are confidential, client-focused, and are available at no charge (some exceptions may apply).Addressing lifestyle behaviors and improving wellness through support and accountability help clients reach desired goals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Popular topics include:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Nicotine cessation&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Weight management&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Stress management&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Better sleep&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Time management&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Life satisfaction&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x359" URL="student-life/caring-for-yourself/resources-body-mind-spirit" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240808T17:44:58" CategoryIds="" FileName="x359.xml" Name="Resources: Body, Mind, Spirit" Title="Resources for Body, Mind &amp; Spirit" Abstract="Interested in hearing what others have to say about wellness and healthy living? Check out these links to other helpful articles and resources." IntroCopy="Interested in hearing what others have to say about wellness and healthy living? Check out these links to other helpful articles and resources." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Wellbeing encompasses all our parts, not just the physical body. Encourage balance in your life by nurturing your whole being, which includes spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical needs. Below is a list of some helpful resources.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://insighttimer.com/&quot; title=&quot;Insight Timer app&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Insight Timer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Having trouble sleeping? Feeling anxious? Looking for a one-minute mindfulness practice? This app has many free guided mediations, in addition to a timer for your meditation practice.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/mind_body&quot; title=&quot;Greater Good Science Center University of California Berkeley&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Mind &amp;amp; Body: Greater Good Science Center University of California Berkeley&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Articles, podcasts, and videos about practices that are grounded in neuroscience. The site is rich in resources. Click on the various tabs for additional information and resources.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/can_self_compassion_overcome_procrastination&quot; title=&quot;Procrastination &amp;amp; self compassion&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Can Self-Compassion Overcome Procrastination?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Posting from the UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/quizzes&quot; title=&quot;Greater Good quizzes&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Quizzes to Support Greater Positive Emotions &amp;amp; Stronger Relationships&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Greater Good Science Center UC Berkeley.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://experiencelife.com/article/the-5-best-ways-to-build-resiliency/&quot; title=&quot;Five ways to build resiliency&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;The 5 Best Ways to Build Resiliency&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Shares ways that you can learn to bounce back from the traumas and challenges of life.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.irest.us/projects/irest&quot; title=&quot;iRest Yoga Nidra&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm&quot; title=&quot;Introduction to meditation&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Meditation: An Introduction&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;An overview by the National Institute for Health National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/2014/08/11/mindfulness-training-may-assuage-early-life-trauma/&quot; title=&quot;Mindfulness and trauma&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Mindfulness Training May Assuage Early Life Trauma&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Discusses the connection between mindfulness and resiliency.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wisebrain.org&quot; title=&quot;Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience &amp;amp; Contemplative Wisdom&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience &amp;amp; Contemplative Wisdom&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Offers a wealth of free resources &quot;for using your mind to change your brain to benefit your whole being &amp;ndash; and those you touch.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.karmatube.org/index.php&quot; title=&quot;KarmaTube&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;KarmaTube&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Feeling down about the current state of the world? Check out these short inspirational videos on kindness, beauty, and generosity. They will rekindle your faith in the goodness of humanity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gratefulness.org&quot; title=&quot;Gratefulness&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Gratefulness&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Explore the many ways that cultivating gratitude can benefit you and those around you. Learn practices, grounded in both wisdom and science, that will inspire you to act with love, respect, and generosity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For Veterans &amp;amp; Military Members&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.veterantraining.va.gov/movingforward/&quot; title=&quot;Link to Moving forward for veterans&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Moving Forward&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Educational &amp;amp; coaching resources for vets.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.militaryonesource.mil/health-wellness/&quot; title=&quot;Link to website with Wellness resources for veterans&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;After Deployment&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Wellness resources for the military community.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x250" URL="student-life/caring-for-yourself/mental-health-counseling-and-stress-mgmt" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260508T19:00:41" CategoryIds="" FileName="x250.xml" Name="Mental Health Counseling &amp; Stress Mgmt" Title="Mental Health Counseling &amp; Stress Management" Abstract="Staying healthy and managing stress is one of the most important things you can do to be successful at college." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;To make an appointment or to refer someone to CHD,&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; please email &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:hccreferral@chd.org&quot; title=&quot;Email link hccreferral@chd.org&quot;&gt;hccreferral@chd.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is proud to partner with the Center for Human Development (CHD) to provide in-person and telehealth &lt;strong&gt;outpatient&lt;/strong&gt; counseling for students with no out-of-pocket cost. HCC's Mental Health Center offers a broad range of programs and services to assist students in dealing with life's challenges and stresses before they become insurmountable. Our professional staff offers the following counseling services free of charge to students who are currently enrolled at Holyoke Community College:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Individual Outpatient Counseling&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Group Counseling&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Specialized workshops&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #e03e2d;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Please note:&amp;nbsp;We provide outpatient mental health services and are not a crisis or emergency response service.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Typical issues&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;We see people for a variety of reasons, including:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Relationship difficulties&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Anxiety&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Depression issues&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Substance use problems&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Stress management&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Trauma&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Grief&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Confidentiality&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;We adhere to the American Psychological Association and the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts regarding confidentiality. The only time information can be shared is if you are a danger to yourself or someone else.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Appointments&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;To make an appointment or to refer someone to CHD,&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; please email &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:hccreferral@chd.org&quot; title=&quot;Email link hccreferral@chd.org&quot;&gt;hccreferral@chd.org&lt;/a&gt;. Please include the following information:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;First Name&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Last Name&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Phone number&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Email (your hcc.edu email address)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Referral source (Example: Self, faculty (name and department), etc.)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #e03e2d;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Please Note:&lt;/strong&gt; If you are referring a student, the student &lt;strong&gt;must be informed of the referral&lt;/strong&gt; before we reach out to them.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;CHD Clinical Services on Campus&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Where:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Frost 232&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When:&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2626&quot;&gt;413.552.2626&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;ext. 2626 (during normal office hours)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additional Clinic Resources: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;CHD has staff on site at the CHD Clinic (494 Appleton Street, Holyoke MA 01040) &lt;br /&gt;providing Walk-In hours Monday-Friday from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm (&lt;a href=&quot;tet:413-420-2302&quot;&gt;413-420-2302&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;*Need Immediate Mental Health Support:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;If you or anyone you know is experiencing a mental health emergency, please contact one of the following:&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Call or text&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;988&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(available 24/7 anywhere in the U.S.)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CHD CBHC Urgent/Crisis Line:&amp;nbsp;1-833-243-8255&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;BHN Crisis Line: 413-733-6661&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Call 911&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Or visit your nearest&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;emergency room&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;and request a mental health evaluation.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9499" URL="student-life/caring-for-yourself/local-clinics" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9499.xml" Name="Local Clinics" Title="Local Clinics" Abstract="A list of health clinics local to Holyoke Community College." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/local-clinics#Amherst&quot; title=&quot;Link to list of clinics in Amherst&quot;&gt;Amherst&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/local-clinics#Belchertown&quot; title=&quot;Link to list of clinics in Belchertown&quot;&gt;Belchertown&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/local-clinics#Chicopee&quot; title=&quot;Link to list of clinics in Chicopee&quot;&gt;Chicopee&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/local-clinics#Feeding Hills&quot; title=&quot;Link to list of clinics in Feeding Hills&quot;&gt;Feeding Hills&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/local-clinics#Greenfield&quot; title=&quot;Link to list of clinics in Greenfield&quot;&gt;Greenfield&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/local-clinics#Holyoke&quot; title=&quot;Link to list of clinics in Holyoke&quot;&gt;Holyoke&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/local-clinics#Longmeadow&quot; title=&quot;Link to list of clinics in Longmeadow&quot;&gt;Longmeadow&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/local-clinics#Northampton&quot; title=&quot;Link to list of clinics in Northampton&quot;&gt;Northampton&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/local-clinics#Palmer&quot; title=&quot;Link to list of clinics in Palmer&quot;&gt;Palmer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/local-clinics#Pittsfield&quot; title=&quot;Link to list of clinics in Pittsfield&quot;&gt;Pittsfield&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/local-clinics#Springfield&quot; title=&quot;Link to list of clinics in Springfield&quot;&gt;Springfield&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/local-clinics#West Springfield&quot; title=&quot;Link to list of clinics in West Springfield&quot;&gt;West Springfield&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/local-clinics#Westfield&quot; title=&quot;Link to list of clinics in Westfield&quot;&gt;Westfield&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Amherst&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Amherst&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Minute Clinic&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;165 University Dr.&lt;br /&gt;Amherst, MA 01002&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:866-389-2727&quot;&gt;866.389.2727&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Belchertown&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Belchertown&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Baystate Health Urgent Care&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;95 Sargent St.&lt;br /&gt;Belchertown, MA 01007&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-323-5016&quot;&gt;413.323.5016&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Saturday &amp;amp; Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Chicopee&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Chicopee&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke Medical Center &amp;ndash; Chicopee&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1962 Memorial Dr.&lt;br /&gt;Chicopee, MA 01020&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-535-4800&quot;&gt;413.535.4800&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Saturday, 9 am. - 3 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MedExpress&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1505 Memorial Dr.&lt;br /&gt;Chicopee, MA 01020&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-533-3049&quot;&gt;413.533.3049&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Daily, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Feeding Hills&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Feeding Hills&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Noble Express Care&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;24 North Westfield St.&lt;br /&gt;Feeding Hills, MA 01030&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-831-7800&quot;&gt;413.831.7800&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Saturday &amp;amp; Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Greenfield&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Greenfield&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Minute Clinic&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;137 Federal St.&lt;br /&gt;Greenfield, MA 01301&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:866-389-2727&quot;&gt;866.389.2727&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Call for hours&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Holyoke&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Holyoke&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke Health Center&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;230 Maple St.&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-420-2200&quot;&gt;413.420.2200&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke Medical Center&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;575 Beech St.&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-534-2500&quot;&gt;413.534.2500&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;24/7&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Longmeadow&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Longmeadow&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Baystate Health Urgent Care&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;688 Bliss Rd.&lt;br /&gt;Longmeadow, MA 01106&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-754-3273&quot;&gt;413.754.3273&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Saturday &amp;amp; Sunday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Northampton&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Northampton&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Baystate Health Urgent Care&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;325 King St.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Northampton, MA 01060&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-387-4100&quot;&gt;413.387.4100&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Saturday &amp;amp; Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cooley Dickinson Hospital&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;30 Locust St.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Northampton, MA 01060&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-582-2000&quot;&gt;413.582.2000&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;24/7&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Minute Clinic&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;366 King St.&lt;br /&gt;Northampton, MA 01060&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:866-389-2727&quot;&gt;866.389.2727&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5:30&amp;nbsp;p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Palmer&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Palmer&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Minute Clinic&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1001 Thorndike St.&lt;br /&gt;Palmer, MA 01069&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:866-389-2727&quot;&gt;866.389.2727&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5:30&amp;nbsp;p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Pittsfield&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Pittsfield&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MedExpress&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;999 Dalton Ave.&lt;br /&gt;Pittsfield, MA 01201&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-448-6231&quot;&gt;413.448.6231&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Daily, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Springfield&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Springfield&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;AFC Doctors Express Urgent Care&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;415 Cooley St.&lt;br /&gt;Springfield, MA 01108&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-782-4878&quot;&gt;413.782.4878&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Saturday &amp;amp; Sunday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Baystate Health Urgent Care&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3400 Main St.&lt;br /&gt;Springfield, MA 01107&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-794-9560&quot;&gt;413.794.9560&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Saturday &amp;amp; Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Baystate Medical Center&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;759 Chestnut St.&lt;br /&gt;Springfield, MA 01109&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-794-0000&quot;&gt;413.794.0000&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;24/7&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Caring Health Center&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;860 Boston Rd.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Springfield, MA 01119&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-782-3082&quot;&gt;413.782.3082&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Thursday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Concentra&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;140 Carando Dr.&lt;br /&gt;Springfield, MA 01104&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-746-4006&quot;&gt;413.746.4006&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Family Care Medical Center&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1515 Allen St.&lt;br /&gt;Springfield, MA 01118&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-783-9114&quot;&gt;413.783.9114&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Saturday &amp;amp; Sunday/holidays, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Healthcare for the Homeless&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;755 Worthington St.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Springfield, MA 01102&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-337-9100&quot;&gt;413.337.9100&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Call for hours&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Internal Medicine Clinic BHS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;140 High St.&lt;br /&gt;Springfield, MA 01104&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-794-2511&quot;&gt;413.794.2511&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Tuesday &amp;amp; Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mason Square Neighborhood Health Clinic BHS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;11 Wilbraham Rd.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Springfield, MA 01109&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-794-3710&quot;&gt;413.794.3710&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MedExpress&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;430 Cooley St.&lt;br /&gt;Springfield, MA 01128&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-782-0430&quot;&gt;413.782.0430&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Daily, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MedExpress&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1312 Boston Rd.&lt;br /&gt;Springfield, MA 01119&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-782-0784&quot;&gt;413.782.0784&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Daily, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mercy Medical Center&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;271 Carew St.&lt;br /&gt;Springfield, MA 01104&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-748-9000&quot;&gt;413.748.9000&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;24/7&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;West Springfield&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;West Springfield&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;AFC Doctors Express Urgent Care&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;18 Union St.&lt;br /&gt;West Springfield, MA 01089&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-781-0100&quot;&gt;413.781.0100&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Saturday &amp;amp; Sunday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Minute Clinic&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;928 Riverdale St.&lt;br /&gt;West Springfield, MA 01089&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-733-6490&quot;&gt;413.733.6490&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5:30&amp;nbsp;p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Westfield&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Westfield&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Baystate Noble Hospital&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;115 West Silver St. &lt;br /&gt;Westfield, MA 01085&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-568-2811&quot;&gt;413.568.2811&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;24/7&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MedExpress&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;311 East Main St.&lt;br /&gt;Westfield, MA 01085&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-562-0482&quot;&gt;413.562.0482&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Daily, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Noble Express Care&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;57 Union St.&lt;br /&gt;Westfield, MA 01085&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-642-7200&quot;&gt;413.642.7200&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Saturday &amp;amp; Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9353" URL="student-life/caring-for-yourself/suicide-prevention" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9353.xml" Name="Suicide Prevention" Title="Suicide Prevention" Abstract="Read HCC's student suicide prevention protocol." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the &lt;a href=&quot;https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/&quot;&gt;National Suicide Prevention Lifeline&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:1-800-273-8255&quot;&gt;1.800.273.TALK&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(&lt;a href=&quot;tel:1-800-273-8255&quot;&gt;1.800.273.8255&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Our Suicide Prevention Policies &amp;amp; Protocol&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has in place a student suicide prevention policy designed to protect&amp;nbsp;the health and well-being of students by having procedures in place to identify, assess the risk of, intervene in, and respond to suicidal behavior. This policy is intended to help students obtain the support and services necessary in order to have a safe, secure, and successful academic experience. Explore the dropdowns below to read the policy in full, and to view frequently asked questions.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9362" URL="student-life/caring-for-yourself/sexual-violence-awareness" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9362.xml" Name="Sexual Violence Awareness" Title="Sexual Violence Awareness" Abstract="Sexual Violence Awareness" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x220" URL="student-life/clubs-and-organizations" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250821T13:45:13" CategoryIds="" FileName="x220.xml" Name="Clubs &amp; Organizations" Title="Student Clubs" Abstract="HCC has over 30 active clubs and organizations, with new ones being formed all the time. Have fun, make connections, develop leadership skills, and pursue new interests!" IntroCopy="Get involved!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Ready for a break from classes? HCC has over 30 active clubs and organizations, with new ones being formed all the time (not to mention a radio station and a literary magazine). Have fun, make connections, develop leadership skills, and pursue new interests. Clubs have access to funds, travel, and a variety of programming opportunities. Email&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:clubs@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;clubs@hcc.edu&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;with any questions.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/clubs-and-organizations/academic-clubs&quot; title=&quot;Academic Clubs at HCC&quot;&gt;Academic Clubs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/clubs-and-organizations/identity-clubs&quot; title=&quot;Identity Clubs at HCC&quot;&gt;Identity Clubs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/clubs-and-organizations/interest-clubs&quot; title=&quot;Interest Clubs at HCC&quot;&gt;Interest Clubs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get Involved&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Clubs are an excellent way to get involved in campus life! Our co-curricular clubs and organizations are here to enhance and compliment the learning taking place in the classrooms. We offer a thorough list of clubs and organizations, dictated by the interests of the students each semester. Building a resume, meeting new friends, developing leadership skills, creating positive change, and being a part of a team are some of the reasons students join clubs. Many clubs are partnered with an academic area and students can get to know the faculty and staff by being involved.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Who can join a club?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Clubs are open to any enrolled student and have their own mission statements and membership requirements to guide their activities and purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Who is in charge?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every club has a faculty or staff advisor who oversees projects and advises as needed, but students dictate the activities and governance. Club members elect their own leaders and decide on a slate of activities for the year.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What do clubs do?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Clubs travel during the year to conferences or places of interest having to do with their purpose. They host social gatherings, awareness campaigns, and community service projects. Every club does some form of community service in order to retain their charter; past efforts include food and clothing drives, fundraisers, and clean-ups.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How do I join a club?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Attend Club Fair during Activity Period in September in the courtyard, or &lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/PXSDPbKowgHWWsbP7&quot; title=&quot;Join a club&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;sign up here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contact the club advisor or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:clubs@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;clubs@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to learn more!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x216" URL="student-life/clubs-and-organizations/student-government" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260106T16:21:33" CategoryIds="" FileName="x216.xml" Name="Student Government" Title="Student Government" Abstract="The Student Senate represents the voice of the students to the administration of the college." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The Student Senate represents the voice of the students to the administration of the college. We provide and promote a partnership in governance among all segments of the college community. Throughout the year, the Senate plans and participates in activities and events that contribute to the college and the surrounding community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Contact us&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Advisor:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lindsey Pare&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Student Engagement Coordinator&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Campus Center 227&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;413.552.2536&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:lpare@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;lpare@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Marlowe Washington&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Vice President of People, Equity &amp;amp; Culture&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mwashington@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;mwashington@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Student Senate&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Campus Center 227&lt;br /&gt;Phone: &lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2536&quot;&gt;413.552.2536&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Email: &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentsentate@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;studentsenate@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Interested in joining the Student Senate?&lt;/strong&gt; Run for a position for the upcoming academic year (fall 2024 and spring 2025)! Any Holyoke Community College student who meets the eligibility requirements can run for the position of &lt;strong&gt;Senator at Large...&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Students who have served as a Senator at Large for at least one semester are eligible to run for a position on the Executive Board (President, Vice President, Secretary, or Treasurer).&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/document/d/160F4Gb7b1VcGMYLJZIFFcsAEQd6MwM4iX9aE3CR7ad8/edit?usp=sharing&quot;&gt;Learn more and run for a Student Senate position.&lt;/a&gt; Declaration of Candidacy forms for students who are interested are due by Thursday, April 25.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd9kL3v_9uQeEJe2vU71O4N0NaJ01_EpKSOA-DSuWuzLon5lA/closedform&quot;&gt;Cast your vote!&lt;/a&gt; The voting period will run from Monday, April 29, until Thursday, May 2. The link to vote will be shared in the Week at a Glance and the form will open for responses when the voting period begins.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdpTjomBmG80H-ZdjHnudwHRB4uzsudPmMICJ6Pxu3EhcRvrA/viewform&quot; title=&quot;Link to google form for HCC Student Senate application&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Student Senate Application&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Senator Requirements:&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Currently enrolled at the college with at least 1 credit&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Cumulative GPA of at least 2.0*&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Recommendation from a staff or faculty member*&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Completed application form&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*First semester students are exempt from these requirements.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/12jgNmi9MK9s5RexVIeGLivN33NbIdiB0/view&quot;&gt;Student Senate Constitution&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x221" URL="student-life/clubs-and-organizations/academic-clubs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260212T20:05:44" CategoryIds="" FileName="x221.xml" Name="Academic Clubs" Title="Academic Clubs" Abstract="An opportunity to learn more about a field of interest and study, academic clubs are usually partnerships with the academic area and include an advisor who is a faculty member." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;An opportunity to learn more about a field of interest and study, academic clubs are usually partnerships with the academic area and include an advisor who is a faculty member.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x222" URL="student-life/clubs-and-organizations/identity-clubs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260212T20:07:00" CategoryIds="" FileName="x222.xml" Name="Identity Clubs" Title="Identity Clubs" Abstract="These are clubs based on a shared identity." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;These are clubs based on a shared identity.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x223" URL="student-life/clubs-and-organizations/interest-clubs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260212T20:10:57" CategoryIds="" FileName="x223.xml" Name="Interest Clubs" Title="Interest Clubs" Abstract="Clubs created by students who share an interest...in anything at all!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Clubs created by students who share an interest...in anything at all!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12841" URL="student-life/clubs-and-organizations/campus-activities-team-for-students" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12841.xml" Name="Campus Activities Team for Students" Title="Campus Activities Team for Students " Abstract="Want to be involved at HCC but not sure where to start? CATS is the place to be!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Want to be involved at HCC but not sure where to start? The Campus Activities Team for Students (CATS) is the place to be! The team's primary goal is to provide student-recommended activities that will appeal to the entire student body. CATS is a student-led committee that strives to establish opportunities for HCC students to make personal and social connections.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Benefits:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Make friends&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Feel part of the college community&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Expand your interests&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop skills valued by future employers&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Create a network with little effort&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Get better grades and persist to graduation!&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ready to join?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Send us an email at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:clubs@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link clubs@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;clubs@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or stop by CC 217.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9215" URL="student-life/clubs-and-organizations/green-key-honor-society" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9215.xml" Name="Green Key Honor Society" Title="Green Key Honor Society" Abstract="Green Key Honor Society members are the official student body representatives of the President's Office at important college functions, and perform service activities for college and community." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Green Key Honor Society members are the official student body representatives of the President's Office at important college functions, and perform service activities for college and community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some of the activities Green Key members participate in include:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Community charity activities&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Conducting campus tour for new and prospective students&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Legislative events held at the college&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Serving on committees&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Green Key is the only student organization for which students must be nominated by faculty, staff, or current members and then selected for membership.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9219" URL="student-life/clubs-and-organizations/phi-theta-kappa" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250919T14:48:46" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9219.xml" Name="Phi Theta Kappa" Title="Phi Theta Kappa" Abstract="Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) is an international honors society for two-year colleges." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) is an international honors society for two-year colleges. We have an actively growing chapter here at HCC! In PTK, you will learn the communication, critical thinking, and interpersonal and professional etiquette skills necessary to succeed in your chosen career. Connect with supportive advisors, college officials, and mentors, and make lifelong friends!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You must have a 3.5 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) and have successfully completed 15 semester hours at HCC (transfer hours and credits from 0-level classes not included) to be invited to become a PTK member. In addition, you must complete at least one full semester at HCC prior to graduation, and have never graduated from HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;What does PTK membership offer at HCC?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Bi-weekly PTK meetings&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Be formally inducted into PTK (spring or fall ceremonies)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Plan and run fundraising events&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Help with recruitment initiatives&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Work on a campus and/or community-engaged project&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Work on the Honors in Action (HIA) Project&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop communication, interpersonal, leadership skills, and professional skills&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Apply for scholarships available only to members&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Participate in PTK Regional Conventions and/or Honors conferences&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Graduate with PTK Honors on your transcript&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;What is required of me as a Phi Theta Kappa member?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nothing! You can pay your one-time lifetime membership fee of $75* and never do anything else, and you&amp;rsquo;ll still be a PTK member. Of course, we don&amp;rsquo;t recommend that &amp;mdash; membership is what you make of it, and the return on your investment is up to you. Your r&amp;eacute;sum&amp;eacute; &amp;mdash; and your future self &amp;mdash; will thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;*For students who cannot afford the membership fee, we have several scholarships available. Students apply and must be approved to be awarded a scholarship. Those awarded scholarships are expected to participate in PTK on campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;more information&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Have other questions?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;PTK co-advisors:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;Dr. Camille Close&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;Pathways Program Coordinator&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cclose@hcc.edu/DON&quot;&gt;cclose@hcc.edu/DON&lt;/a&gt; 283&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;Dr. Elizabeth Trobaugh&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;English Faculty&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://etrbaugh@hcc.edu/DON&quot;&gt;etrbaugh@hcc.edu/DON&lt;/a&gt; 365&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12259" URL="student-life/clubs-and-organizations/national-society-of-leadership-and-success" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250821T14:03:32" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12259.xml" Name="National Society of Leadership &amp; Success" Title="National Society of Leadership &amp; Success" Abstract="The NSLS is the largest leadership honor society in the United States." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The NSLS is the largest leadership honor society in the United States. HCC's NSLS chapter was started in 2021 and is part of the national organization with 700+ chapters. Unlike other honor societies, the NSLS requires completion of a four-step leadership program to become inducted.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students are invited to join based on their interest in leadership, credits earned, and GPA. As of 2021 we have 133 inducted members.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What we love about NSLS:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;More than $400,000 in scholarships available&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;The NSLS leadership program is valuable and achievable&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;A team of staff mentors and peer-to-peer support&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;A personalized letter of recommendation upon completion&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you become a member, some of the other benefits are:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Exclusive live or recorded speaker broadcasts with amazing leaders like Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Dr. Bernice King&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Meet new friends and make lifelong connections (on-campus and virtually)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Overcome challenges with success coaches and peer support&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Access to private networking and social events&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visit the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nsls.org&quot; title=&quot;link to nsls website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;NSLS website&lt;/a&gt; to learn more! &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Advisors&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lindsey Pare&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Student Engagement Coordinator&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Campus Center 227&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;413.552.2536&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:lpare@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link lpare@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;lpare@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12566" URL="student-life/clubs-and-organizations/student-ambassador-and-mentorship-program" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251103T16:17:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12566.xml" Name="Student Ambassador &amp; Mentorship Program" Title="Student Ambassador &amp; Mentorship Program (SAMP)" Abstract="SAMP offers leadership and professional development training and workshops to women, non-binary, and transgender students that prepare participants for leadership roles on and off-campus." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The Student Ambassador &amp;amp; Mentorship Program (SAMP) offers leadership and professional development, peer mentoring, and community-building to empower students to thrive academically and personally. SAMP welcomes all students and intentionally centers those who identify as women, non-binary, trans, and/or LGBTQIA2+. All students who meet the SUCCESS Program eligibility criteria are invited to participate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students may join SAMP as either a &lt;em&gt;Success Scholar&lt;/em&gt; or a &lt;em&gt;Success Ambassador&lt;/em&gt;. Each participant is assigned a professional Success Coach and engages in workshops, trainings, and social events aligned with SAMP&amp;rsquo;s core values: leadership, professional development, and community. Scholars are also matched with a Success Ambassador for additional peer support. Learning Coach support is available by appointment to help students strengthen academic skills.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;SAMP is more than a program&amp;mdash;it&amp;rsquo;s a community built on peer support, shared growth, and student success&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Benefits&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All Success Scholars and Ambassadors receive:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Individual support from a Success Coach and Learning Coach&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Ongoing professional development, training, and team building&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Participation in a vibrant community of peers&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Use of the welcoming Success Center (Campus Center 323)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Recognition at Commencement with SAMP regalia&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Eligibility for All Participants&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Enrolled in a Degree or Certificate program at HCC&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Taking credit-bearing coursework&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Note: SUCCESS supports students pursuing a degree or certificate; therefore, the program is not available to non-degree students.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfz1bNjdBFE_gKGgL6dxL4iTCLex8b6osqIdNpgJm9-JhQ2og/viewform&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;SAMP Interest Form&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All students who meet the above eligibility requirements are welcome to participate. SAMP also intentionally centers on the following student populations and identities:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Economically disadvantaged students (Pell Grant eligible)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;First-generation college students&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Racially minoritized students (Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other Students of Color)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Students with disabilities&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;LGBTQIA2+ students&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5593" URL="student-life/clubs-and-organizations/join-a-club" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5593.xml" Name="Join a Club" Title="Join a Club" Abstract="Fill out this form to join an HCC club." BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;640&quot; height=&quot;3097&quot; src=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5YnJqoOA-MoLJiWJSZ9GunkKuFrzkeuOU3Lsb8_dL5TqwLA/viewform?embedded=true&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x344" URL="student-life/clubs-and-organizations/forms-and-requests" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x344.xml" Name="Forms &amp; Requests" Title="Forms &amp; Requests" Abstract="Find all the links to club forms, publications, and requests." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;Forms &amp;amp; Requests for Current Clubs&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeollEbvmVx03j8CnsIER_Joe4AWb9xAh_3YzuEhcj20MWGbQ/viewform&quot; title=&quot;Link to club request form on google&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; you can request funding for t-shirts, plan a trip, host an event, or hold a fundraiser for your club.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Student%20Life/Activities-Clubs/Club_Manual_fa19_d3.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of HCC student club manual&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Club Manual&lt;/a&gt;: The manual has all of the policies and procedures for clubs during the academic year.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/a/hcc.edu/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJ_SgsYFPGy6HFgytWfRLT5G6IGtxlkWABpk6R-uY5OcpI_A/viewform&quot; title=&quot;Advisor commitment form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Advisor Commitment Form&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/a/hcc.edu/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScre88KyAaAwn0SM2LhO1khx4D0Mwj9c_0Bgn1FGQlcgClKYg/viewform&quot; title=&quot;Financial Accountability Agreement&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Financial Accountability Agreement&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/a/hcc.edu/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvrqT3jz7L1VlKJavivc9wp-w1JoDaubYNXQv3RANMRmi_hw/viewform&quot; title=&quot;Hazing Law Agreement&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Hazing Law Agreement&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x343" URL="student-life/clubs-and-organizations/new-club-information" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250821T14:02:21" CategoryIds="" FileName="x343.xml" Name="New Club Information" Title="New Club Request" Abstract="This page contains information about starting a new club and has the links to the forms you need." IntroCopy="Want to start a club? You're in the right place! " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Start with an idea!&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Make sure that your idea for a club or organization does not overlap with any existing clubs or organizations. Think about what theme your club will carry out to enrich the Holyoke Community College experience. Once you have an idea, you can meet with the club coordinator. To get the process started,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScAjPlaJrwnUtsRKWtFiFarEMZg_amKcbBc33sQXaMLWXPxzw/viewform?usp=sf_link&quot; title=&quot;link to google form to start a new club&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;fill out this form&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Create your mission statement.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Together with your interested students, decide what the mission of the club will be. Use the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Student%20Life/Activities-Clubs/Mission%20Statement%20Form.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Mission statement form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Mission Statement form&lt;/a&gt;. All clubs have their purpose or mission statement in their club information. Read a few to get an idea of how to write one.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Find an advisor.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Advisors can be a staff member, faculty member, or an administrator at HCC. Ask a professor or your advisor if they are interested in working with you! Potential advisors can get information about the position and its expectations in the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/a/hcc.edu/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJ_SgsYFPGy6HFgytWfRLT5G6IGtxlkWABpk6R-uY5OcpI_A/viewform&quot; title=&quot;Advisor Commitment Form &quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;advisor agreement&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or by meeting with&amp;nbsp;the&amp;nbsp;club coordinator.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x13056" URL="student-life/commencement" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260601T12:26:09" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13056.xml" Name="Commencement" Title="Commencement" Abstract="Save the date for Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 10 a.m.! &lt;a name=&quot;top&quot;&gt;" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;We&amp;rsquo;re excited to celebrate the Class of 2026 at the 79th Commencement! &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Important information below applies to all graduates completing their programs in Fall 2025, Spring 2026, or Summer 2026.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;table&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 172px; background-color: #ecf0f1; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33%; height: 18px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/commencement#fall&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Commencement/Cap%20and%20Gown-Pick%20up2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;154&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33%; height: 18px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/commencement#cap&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Cap%20and%20Gown-Pick%20up.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;155&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33%; height: 18px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/commencement#comm&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Commencement/Commencement%20Photo2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;154&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 104px; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33%; height: 104px; vertical-align: top;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Fall Graduate Reception&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Fall graduates are honored for their achievements and receive a commemorative stole to wear at the May Commencement ceremony.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33%; height: 104px; vertical-align: top;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Cap &amp;amp; Gown Pick-Up Celebration&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;All graduation candidates are invited to pick up their &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;FREE &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;cap and gown for the 79th Commencement ceremony.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33%; height: 104px; vertical-align: top;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Commencement&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;All graduation candidates are invited to attend Commencement, whether they earn a degree or certificate for Fall 2025, Spring 2026 or Summer 2026.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33%; vertical-align: top;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/commencement#fall&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;More info&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33%; vertical-align: top;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/commencement#cap&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;More info&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33%; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/commencement#comm&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;More info&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x18918" URL="student-life/commencement/commencement-livestream" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260528T18:18:34" CategoryIds="" FileName="x18918.xml" Name="Commencement Livestream " Title="Commencement Livestream 2026" Abstract="Commencement Livestream 2026" BodyCopy="&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;&quot;&gt;&lt;iframe style=&quot;position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;&quot; src=&quot;https://vimeo.com/event/5941965/embed&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allow=&quot;autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;allowfullscreen&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;!-- &lt;div style=&quot;padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;&quot;&gt;&lt;iframe style=&quot;position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;&quot; src=&quot;https://vimeo.com/event/5119080/embed&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allow=&quot;autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;allowfullscreen&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt; --&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x18766" URL="student-life/food-on-campus" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250827T18:01:54" CategoryIds="" FileName="x18766.xml" Name="Food on Campus" Title="Food on Campus" Abstract="Hungry and looking for a place to grab a bite to eat on campus? Explore these options." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Hungry and looking for a place to grab a bite to eat on campus? Explore these options.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/food-on-campus/dining-services&quot; title=&quot;Link to dining services page&quot;&gt;Dining Services&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get the scoop on on-campus dining in the Campus Center cafeteria (2nd floor) and the P.O.D. (FR 1st floor), including menus, pop-ups, and daily specials.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/homestead-market&quot; title=&quot;Link to Homestead Market webpage&quot;&gt;Homestead Market&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visit the Campus Center Food Court for fresh produce, grab-and-go meals, food pantry essentials, and other household items. SNAP/food stamps accepted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/thrive-center&quot; title=&quot;Link to Thrive Center webpage&quot;&gt;Thrive Center &amp;amp; Food Pantry&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Thrive Center offers a food pantry with groceries, plus grab-and-go options. Stop by KC 201 for a quick pick-up.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;Link to bookstore webpage&quot;&gt;The HCC Bookstore&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Grab a snack in the HCC Bookstore (Campus Center 2nd floor).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="true" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x260" URL="student-life/food-on-campus/dining-services" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:52" CategoryIds="" FileName="x260.xml" Name="Dining Services" Title="Dining Services" Abstract="Hungry? Find information about where you can eat on campus." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Dining services&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/dining-services.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Welcome to CampusDish at Holyoke Community College! You can use &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.campusdish.com/&quot; title=&quot;Dining at hcc&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;our website&lt;/a&gt; to review campus dining hours of operation, look up menus and nutritional information, or contact us about employment opportunities. If you're looking for the best value in dining, load your card up with Cougar Cash that can be used at any of the dining locations on campus!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="true" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x254" URL="student-life/important-information" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:52" CategoryIds="" FileName="x254.xml" Name="Important Information" Title="Important Information" Abstract="Student policies and more." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A student painting&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/importantinfo_intext.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Explore the links below to access student policies, commencement details, and more.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="true" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22178" URL="student-life/hcc-student-computer-recommendations" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T19:16:56" CategoryIds="" FileName="x22178.xml" Name="HCC Student Computer Recommendations" Title="HCC Student Computer Recommendations" Abstract="HCC Student Computer Recommendations" BodyCopy="&lt;section id=&quot;h.5cd0e4491cf50240_3&quot; class=&quot;yaqOZd&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;mYVXT&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;LS81yb VICjCf j5pSsc db35Fc&quot; tabindex=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;hJDwNd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd Ft7HRd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd purZT-AhqUyc-II5mzb ZcASvf-AhqUyc-II5mzb pSzOP-AhqUyc-qWD73c Ktthjf-AhqUyc-qWD73c JNdkSc SQVYQc&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;JNdkSc-SmKAyb LkDMRd&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;&quot; jscontroller=&quot;sGwD4d&quot; jsaction=&quot;zXBUYb:zTPCnb;zQF9Uc:Qxe3nd;&quot; jsname=&quot;F57UId&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;oKdM2c ZZyype Kzv0Me&quot;&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;h.5cd0e4491cf50240_0&quot; class=&quot;hJDwNd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd Ft7HRd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd jXK9ad D2fZ2 zu5uec OjCsFc dmUFtb wHaque g5GTcb&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;jXK9ad-SmKAyb&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;tyJCtd mGzaTb Depvyb baZpAe&quot;&gt;&lt;h3 jscontroller=&quot;Ae65rd&quot; jsaction=&quot;touchstart:UrsOsc; click:KjsqPd; focusout:QZoaZ; mouseover:y0pDld; mouseout:dq0hvd;fv1Rjc:jbFSOd;CrfLRd:SzACGe;&quot; class=&quot;CjVfdc&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;KB0Tx C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Program Specific Requirements&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div jscontroller=&quot;Ae65rd&quot; jsaction=&quot;touchstart:UrsOsc; click:KjsqPd; focusout:QZoaZ; mouseover:y0pDld; mouseout:dq0hvd;fv1Rjc:jbFSOd;CrfLRd:SzACGe;&quot; class=&quot;CjVfdc&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;PPhIP rviiZ&quot; jsname=&quot;haAclf&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Nursing&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Nursing requires the&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Basic Windows Computer&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;or the&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Basic Mac Computer&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot; class=&quot;zfr3Q CDt4Ke &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Chromebooks&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;and&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Tablets&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;are not compatible with testing software.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot; class=&quot;zfr3Q CDt4Ke &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Other Departments/Majors&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;These programs recommend the&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Basic Windows Computer&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;or the&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Basic Mac Computer&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot; class=&quot;zfr3Q CDt4Ke &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Chromebooks&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;can be used for basic word processing and most web-based activities, but&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;software cannot be loaded on a Chromebook.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/section&gt;&lt;section id=&quot;h.5cd0e4491cf50240_4&quot; class=&quot;yaqOZd WxWicb&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;mYVXT&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;LS81yb VICjCf j5pSsc db35Fc&quot; tabindex=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;hJDwNd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd Ft7HRd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd purZT-AhqUyc-II5mzb ZcASvf-AhqUyc-II5mzb pSzOP-AhqUyc-qWD73c Ktthjf-AhqUyc-qWD73c JNdkSc SQVYQc&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;JNdkSc-SmKAyb LkDMRd&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;&quot; jscontroller=&quot;sGwD4d&quot; jsaction=&quot;zXBUYb:zTPCnb;zQF9Uc:Qxe3nd;&quot; jsname=&quot;F57UId&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;oKdM2c ZZyype Kzv0Me&quot;&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;h.5cd0e4491cf50240_7&quot; class=&quot;hJDwNd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd Ft7HRd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd jXK9ad D2fZ2 zu5uec OjCsFc dmUFtb wHaque g5GTcb&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;jXK9ad-SmKAyb&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;tyJCtd baZpAe&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;iwQgFb&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Windows Computer Recommendations&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/section&gt;&lt;section id=&quot;h.5cd0e4491cf50240_11&quot; class=&quot;yaqOZd&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;mYVXT&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;LS81yb VICjCf j5pSsc db35Fc&quot; tabindex=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;hJDwNd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd Ft7HRd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd purZT-AhqUyc-II5mzb ZcASvf-AhqUyc-II5mzb pSzOP-AhqUyc-qWD73c Ktthjf-AhqUyc-qWD73c JNdkSc SQVYQc&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;JNdkSc-SmKAyb LkDMRd&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;&quot; jscontroller=&quot;sGwD4d&quot; jsaction=&quot;zXBUYb:zTPCnb;zQF9Uc:Qxe3nd;&quot; jsname=&quot;F57UId&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;oKdM2c ZZyype Kzv0Me&quot;&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;h.5cd0e4491cf50240_8&quot; class=&quot;hJDwNd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd Ft7HRd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd jXK9ad D2fZ2 zu5uec OjCsFc dmUFtb wHaque g5GTcb&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;jXK9ad-SmKAyb&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;tyJCtd mGzaTb Depvyb baZpAe&quot;&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot; class=&quot;zfr3Q CDt4Ke &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;All Windows Computers should have a web-camera, microphone, and wireless card (802.11a/b/g/n compatible)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot; class=&quot;zfr3Q CDt4Ke &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;All Windows Computers should be running a supported version of the operating system, have antivirus software and Adobe Acrobat Reader. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot; class=&quot;zfr3Q CDt4Ke &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;XqQF9c&quot; href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/help-desk&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc aw5Odc &quot;&gt;Microsoft Office is available as a free download&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;for all HCC students.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gBYvFf C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Basic Windows Computer&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gBYvFf C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gBYvFf C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gBYvFf C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Windows 11&lt;br /&gt;Intel Core i5 13 Gen or higher&lt;br /&gt;Integrated graphics card&lt;br /&gt;8 Gb&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;Memory&lt;br /&gt;256 Gb Solid State Hard Drive (SSD)&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Robust Windows Computer&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Windows 11&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Intel Core i7 13 Gen or higher (Ultra recommended)&lt;br /&gt;Integrated graphics card&lt;br /&gt;16 Gb&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;Memory&lt;br /&gt;512 Gb Solid State Hard Drive (SSD)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot; class=&quot;zfr3Q CDt4Ke &quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;KB0Tx C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Mac&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;KB0Tx C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Computer Re&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;KB0Tx C9DxTc &quot;&gt;commendations&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/section&gt;&lt;section id=&quot;h.5cd0e4491cf50240_16&quot; class=&quot;yaqOZd&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;mYVXT&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;LS81yb VICjCf j5pSsc db35Fc&quot; tabindex=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;hJDwNd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd Ft7HRd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd purZT-AhqUyc-II5mzb ZcASvf-AhqUyc-II5mzb pSzOP-AhqUyc-qWD73c Ktthjf-AhqUyc-qWD73c JNdkSc SQVYQc&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;JNdkSc-SmKAyb LkDMRd&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;&quot; jscontroller=&quot;sGwD4d&quot; jsaction=&quot;zXBUYb:zTPCnb;zQF9Uc:Qxe3nd;&quot; jsname=&quot;F57UId&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;oKdM2c ZZyype Kzv0Me&quot;&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;h.5cd0e4491cf50240_19&quot; class=&quot;hJDwNd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd Ft7HRd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd jXK9ad D2fZ2 zu5uec OjCsFc dmUFtb wHaque g5GTcb&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;jXK9ad-SmKAyb&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;tyJCtd mGzaTb Depvyb baZpAe&quot;&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot; class=&quot;zfr3Q CDt4Ke &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;All&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Mac&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Computers should have a web-camera, microphone, and wireless card (802.11a/b/g/n compatible)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot; class=&quot;zfr3Q CDt4Ke &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;All Mac computers should be running a supported version of the operating system, have antivirus software, and Adobe Acrobat Reader. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot; role=&quot;presentation&quot; class=&quot;zfr3Q CDt4Ke &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;XqQF9c&quot; href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/help-desk&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc aw5Odc &quot;&gt;Microsoft Office is available as a free download&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;for all HCC students.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;div jscontroller=&quot;Ae65rd&quot; jsaction=&quot;touchstart:UrsOsc; click:KjsqPd; focusout:QZoaZ; mouseover:y0pDld; mouseout:dq0hvd;fv1Rjc:jbFSOd;CrfLRd:SzACGe;&quot; class=&quot;CjVfdc&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gBYvFf C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Basic&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gBYvFf C9DxTc &quot;&gt;MacBook Air&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gBYvFf C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Operating System&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gBYvFf C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gBYvFf C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;macOS 14 (Sonoma) or higher&lt;br /&gt;Apple M2 or higher&lt;br /&gt;8 Gb RAM (16&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Gb preferred)&lt;br /&gt;256 Gb Solid State Hard Drive (SSD)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gBYvFf C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Robust&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;MacBook Pro&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gBYvFf C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Operating System&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gBYvFf C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span &quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;macOS 14 (Sonoma) or higher&lt;br /&gt;Apple M3 or higher&lt;br /&gt;16&lt;span&gt; Gb RAM&lt;br /&gt;512 Gb Solid State Hard Drive (SSD)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/section&gt;&lt;section id=&quot;h.5cd0e4491cf50240_24&quot; class=&quot;yaqOZd&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;mYVXT&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;LS81yb VICjCf j5pSsc db35Fc&quot; tabindex=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;hJDwNd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd Ft7HRd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd purZT-AhqUyc-II5mzb ZcASvf-AhqUyc-II5mzb pSzOP-AhqUyc-qWD73c Ktthjf-AhqUyc-qWD73c JNdkSc SQVYQc&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;JNdkSc-SmKAyb LkDMRd&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;&quot; jscontroller=&quot;sGwD4d&quot; jsaction=&quot;zXBUYb:zTPCnb;zQF9Uc:Qxe3nd;&quot; jsname=&quot;F57UId&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;oKdM2c ZZyype Kzv0Me&quot;&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;h.5cd0e4491cf50240_27&quot; class=&quot;hJDwNd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd Ft7HRd-AhqUyc-uQSCkd jXK9ad D2fZ2 zu5uec OjCsFc dmUFtb wHaque g5GTcb&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;jXK9ad-SmKAyb&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;tyJCtd mGzaTb Depvyb baZpAe&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;KB0Tx C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Chromebook Requirements&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Chromebook&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;should have a web-camera, microphone, and wireless card (802.11a/b/g/n compatible)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Running the latest supported version of ChromeOS&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;KB0Tx C9DxTc &quot;&gt;Tablet&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;KB0Tx C9DxTc &quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Requirements&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;C9DxTc &quot;&gt;No recommendation&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/section&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9512" URL="student-life/religious-holidays" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250616T14:25:03" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9512.xml" Name="Religious Holidays" Title="Religious Holidays" Abstract="A list of religious holidays, plus information about on-campus space for prayer or contemplative time." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;This information is provided to Holyoke Community College faculty, staff, students, and community members as an educational resource about the many holidays that are celebrated in our community, and may be valuable to those planning classroom, academic, and student life events. The dates here are gathered from several calendars and presented in chronological order.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/religious-holidays#january&quot; title=&quot;Link to january list of holidays&quot;&gt;Jan.&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;|&lt;strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/religious-holidays#february&quot; title=&quot;Link to february list of holidays&quot;&gt;Feb.&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;|&lt;strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/religious-holidays#march&quot; title=&quot;Link to march list of holidays&quot;&gt;March&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;|&lt;strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/religious-holidays#april&quot; title=&quot;Link to april list of holidays&quot;&gt;April&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;|&lt;strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/religious-holidays#may&quot; title=&quot;Link to may list of holidays&quot;&gt;May&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;|&lt;strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/religious-holidays#june&quot; title=&quot;Link to june list of holidays&quot;&gt;June&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;|&lt;strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/religious-holidays#july&quot;&gt;July&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;|&lt;strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/religious-holidays#august&quot; title=&quot;Link to august list of holidays&quot;&gt;Aug.&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;|&lt;strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/religious-holidays#september&quot; title=&quot;Link to september list of holidays&quot;&gt;Sept.&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;|&lt;strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/religious-holidays#october&quot; title=&quot;Link to october list of holidays&quot;&gt;Oct.&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;|&lt;strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/religious-holidays#november&quot;&gt;Nov.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;|&lt;strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/religious-holidays#december&quot; title=&quot;Link to december list of holidays&quot;&gt;Dec.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;january&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;january&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gantan-sai (Shinto)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Holiday with significant work restriction&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;Gantan-sai is the annual New Year festival of the Shinto religion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Practitioners pray for inner renewal, prosperity, and health, as well as visiting shrines and visiting friends and family.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on this date (work holiday).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Date Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Annually on January 1&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Catholic)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God is a feast day of the Blessed Virgin Mary.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Date Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Jan. 1, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Epiphany/Twelfth Night/Three Kings Day (Christian)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This date is also known as Befana Day; commemorates the revelation of God through Jesus Christ and marks the time the three wise men arrived in Bethlehem and presented gifts to the baby Jesus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Prayer, festive meals, offerings, gifts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Annually on January 6&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chinese New Year (Confucian/Taoist/Buddhist)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Holiday with significant work restriction&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;This is the most important of traditional Chinese holidays.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Families gather together to spend the evening preparing boiled dumplings and festive meals and giving of money to children in red envelopes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Corresponds to the New Moon in Aquarius, which can fall from late January to mid-February.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on this date. Many Chinese employees will probably request this day off.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Date Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;January 29, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;february&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;february&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Imbolc (Pagan, Wiccan)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also referred to as the Feast of Pan, Feast of Torches, Feast of Waxing Lights, and Oimele. Celebrates the coming of spring and recovery of the Earth Goddess after giving birth to the Sun God at Yule. For many traditions, a time for initiations, redication, and pledges for the coming year. One of the four &quot;greater Sabbats.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Activities might include making candles, reading poetry, and telling stories.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Annually February 1-2&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Setsubum-sai (Shinto)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Setsubum-sai marks the beginning of spring, and is known as the &quot;bean-throwing festival.&quot; The faithful scatter roasted beans to bring good luck to the new season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Annually on February 3&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Magha Puja Day (Buddhism)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Magha Puja Day commemorates an important event in the life of the Buddha, in which the four disciples traveled to join the Buddha.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Date Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;February 12, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ramadan (Islamic)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Holiday with significant work restriction&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ramadan&amp;nbsp;is an occasion to focus on faith through fasting and prayer, and is one of the most important Muslim holidays. The following is a brief explanation of the significance of&amp;nbsp;Ramadan:&amp;nbsp;It is the month in which the Muslim holy book, the&amp;nbsp;Qu'ran&lt;em&gt;,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;was revealed, and is therefore a blessed month of spiritual cleansing. Special night prayers called&amp;nbsp;Taraveeh, fasting, reflection, and study of the&amp;nbsp;Qu'ran&amp;nbsp;are daily practices during&amp;nbsp;Ramadan. Fasting&amp;nbsp;is rigorous. To begin fasting, one has to complete eating and drinking before dawn. This meal,&amp;nbsp;Suhr, has to sustain one until after sunset when the fast is broken at&amp;nbsp;Iftar. Traditionally, the&amp;nbsp;Iftar&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;meal begins with water and dates. The long hours of fasting are physically challenging, while focusing on tolerance, patience, spiritual reflection, and contemplation.&amp;nbsp;Ramadan&amp;nbsp;comes once a year and follows the lunar calendar, making it earlier each year. The end of&amp;nbsp;Ramadan&amp;nbsp;is marked by the major holiday of&amp;nbsp;Eid-ul-Fitr,&amp;nbsp;celebrated with family and friends.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;If possible, avoid scheduling major academic deadlines during this time. Be sensitive to the fact that students and employees celebrating Ramadan will be fasting during the day (continuously for 30 days) and will likely have less stamina as a result. If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations if requested (Islamic dietary restrictions apply).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;All Islamic days begin at sunset of the prior day.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Starts on:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;Evening of Fri, Feb 28, 2025 &amp;ndash; Sun, Mar 30, 2025&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;march&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;march&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ash Wednesday (Christian)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the first day of Lent, the period of forty days before Easter in which many Christians sacrifice ordinary pleasures to reflect on Christ's sacrifice.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;On this day, there are special church services, and the faithful wear a cross of ashes marked on foreheads. Most Christians abstain from meat on this day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Provide food accommodation as requested-prohibitions include animal products.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Date Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;March&lt;/span&gt; 5, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holi (Hindu)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also known as the &quot;Festival of Colors,&quot; this holiday can be traced to Hindu scriptures commemorating good over evil. This date is also a celebration of the colorful spring and a farewell to the dull winter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Hindus often sprinkle colored water and powder on others bonfires and lights, signifying victory of good over evil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Celebrated at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar moon in late February or early March.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;March 14, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Purim (Jewish)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Purim commemorates the time when the Jews were living in Persia and were saved by the courage of a young Jewish woman called Esther.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Many Jews hold carnival-like celebrations on Purim, dressing in costumes, and read the Book of Esther. Triangular, fruit-filled pastries are eaten in opposition to the villain Haman, who wore a three-cornered hat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Purim is not subject to the restrictions on work that affect some other holidays; however, some sources indicate that Jews should not go about their ordinary business at Purim out of respect for the festival. If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations if requested (kosher restrictions apply).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Date Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;March 13-14, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ostara/Spring Equinox (Pagan/Wiccan)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also known as Eostre or Alban Eilir. Regarded as a time of fertility and conception. In some Wiccan traditions, it is marked as the time when the Goddess conceives the God's child, which will be born at the winter solistice. One of eight major annual sabbats or festivals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Lighting fires to commemorate the return of light in the spring and to honor the God and Goddess.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Annually on March 20-22&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Naw Ruz (Baha'i)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the Baha'i New Year, a traditional celebration in Iran adopted as a holy day associated with Baha'i. It is a celebration of spring and new life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Festive music dancing, prayers, meetings, meals&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Annually on March 21&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Eid al-Fitr (Islamic)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Holiday with significant work restriction&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;Eid ul-Fitr means &quot;break the fast,&quot; and is the day after Ramadan ends, marking the end of a month of fasting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Congregational Eid prayers are held, gifts are exchanged, and there is traditional feasting and celebrating with family and friends.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Dates are determined by the lunar calendar. Eid al Fitr is a three-day celebration.&amp;nbsp;All Islamic days begin at sunset of the prior day.Recommended Accommodations:&amp;nbsp;Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. Employees will likely ask to take a vacation day on this day, and that request should be granted if possible. If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations if requested (Islamic dietary restrictions apply).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;Evening of Sat, Mar 29, 2025 &amp;ndash; Sun, Mar 30, 2025&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;april&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;april&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palm Sunday (Christian)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A commemoration of Jesus's entry into Jerusalem as crowds lined his path with palm fronds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Prayer, distribution of palm leaves commemorating Jesus's entry into Jerusalem prior to his crucifixion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;April 13, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pesach/Passover (Jewish)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Holiday with significant work restriction&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;Pesach is a week-long observance commemorating the freedom and exodus of the Israelites (Jewish slaves) from Egypt during the reign of the Pharaoh Ramses II (one of three pilgrimage festivals).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Family gatherings, ritualized meals called Seders, reading of the Haggadah, lighting of Yahrzeit memorial candle at sundown on the last night of Passover.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Date Details:&amp;nbsp;Begins at sundown of prior day.Recommended Accommodations:&amp;nbsp;Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on the first two and last two days of the holiday; provide food accommodation as requested (kosher restrictions apply; the use of leavening is prohibited so, for example, matzah is eaten in place of bread.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;April 12-20, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maundy (or Holy) Thursday (Christian)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thursday before Easter, commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with the Apostles.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Prayer, Communion (Eucharist), meals, and foot-washing ceremonies among some Christian denominations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Always falls on the Thursday before Easter Sunday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;April 17, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Good Friday (Christian)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Held the Friday before Easter, commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ; among some sects of Christianity and in many countries marks a day of fasting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Prayer, fasting, and noon or afternoon services in some Christian denominations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Always falls on the Friday before Easter Sunday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Provide food accommodation as requested; meat (fish is not considered meat) is prohibited during meals for some.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;April 18, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easter (Christian)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Holiday with significant work restriction&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Annual commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Religious services, bell-ringing, flowers, celebratory meals and family gatherings. Many families also celebrate by distributing colored eggs and candy&amp;mdash;eggs, because they are an ancient symbol of renewal, and candy, which is enjoyed not just by children, but adults who gave up sweets as part of their Lenten sacrifice.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Easter Sunday is determined by the Gregorian calendar (Gregorian calendar regulates ceremonial cycle of the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;April 20, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vaisakhi (Sikh)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vaisakhi is the Sikh new year festival and commemorates 1699, the year Sikhism was born. Vaisakhi is also a long-established harvest festival.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;There are often parades, dancing, and singing throughout the day. These celebrations involve music, singing, and chanting of scriptures and hymns.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Annually on April 14&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Yom HaSho'ah (Jewish)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holocaust Remembrance Day; a day to remember the lives and names of Jewish victims and activists of the Holocaust.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Ceremonies or events to remember Holocaust victims who died during World War II; activities may include lighting memorial candles and reciting the Kaddish, which is a prayer for the departed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Begins at sundown. If the date falls on a Friday, Israel observes Yom Hashoah on the preceding Thursday. When the date falls on a Sunday, it is observed on the following Monday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Academics and work are permitted. Provide food accommodation as requested (kosher restrictions apply).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;Evening of Wed, Apr 23, 2025 &amp;ndash; Thu, Apr 24, 2025&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;may&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;may&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Beltane (Pagan, Wiccan)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The fire festival that celebrates the coming of summer and the fertility of the coming year. One of the eight major annual sabbats or festivals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Date Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Annually on May 1&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Buddha Day/Visakha Puja (Buddhist)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This holiday is traditionally known as Buddha's birthday. It is the major Buddhist festival commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Buddhists often decorate their homes and visit their local temples. Observers are encouraged to refrain from slaughtering and to avoid eating meat on this date.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Provide food accommodation as requested, and offer vegetarian options when planning menus for events on this date.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Date Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;May 12, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feast of the Ascension (Christian)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Commemorates the the departure of Christ from Earth into the presence of God in Heaven.Date Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;May 29, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ascension of the Baha'ullah (Baha'i)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Commemorates the death of the founder of the Baha'I faith; Baha'llah died on May 29, 1892.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Devotional programs and reading from the scriptures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Date Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Annually on May 29&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;june&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;june&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shavuot (Jewish)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Holiday with significant work restriction&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Commemorates receipt of the Torah on Mount Sinai (two of three pilgrimage festivals).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Evening of devotional programs and studying the Torah, lighting of Yahrzeit memorial candle at sundown on the second night of Shavout.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on the first two and last two days of the holiday. Provide food accommodation as requested (kosher restrictions apply, although it is customary to eat dairy).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;Evening of Sun, Jun 1, 2025 &amp;ndash; Tue, Jun 3, 2025&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Eid al-Adha (Islamic)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Holiday with significant work restriction&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Muslims celebrate Eid ul-Adha to commemorate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael to God. It is also called Eid al-Adha, Greater Eid, Eid of Sacrifice, or simply Eid. According to Islam, the Prophet Abraham was ordered to sacrifice his son in God's name. When Abraham was prepared to kill his son, God interceded and gave him a sheep to sacrifice instead. This holiday celebrates Abraham's absolute faith in God, and Muslims view this holiday as an important annual reminder.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Prayers, gift giving, and slaughtering of sheep or cows, with a portion of the meat gifted to the poor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;All Islamic days begin at sunset of the prior day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on the first day. If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations if requested (Islamic dietary restrictions apply).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;Evening of Fri, Jun 6, 2025 &amp;ndash; Sat, Jun 7, 2025&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Litha/Midsomer/Sumer Solstice (Pagan/Wiccan)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A celebration of the longest day of the year and the beginning of summer. Celebration of the the Goddess manifesting as Mother Earth and the God as the Sun King. For some Pagans the Summer Solstice marks the marriage of the God and Goddess and see their union as the force that creates the harvest's fruits. One of the eight major annual sabbats or festivals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Lighting bonfires and watching the sun rise.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Annually June 20&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;july&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;july&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;august&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;august&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tisha B'Av (Jewish)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Commemorates a series of Jewish tragedies including the destruction of the first and second temples in Jerusalem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Fasting and mourning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Begins at sundown, fast deferred because of the Sabbath.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Plan limited activities after a fast.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;Evening of Sat, Aug 2, 2025 &amp;ndash; Sun, Aug 3, 2025&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lammas/Lughnasadh (Pagan/Wiccan)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A celebration of the beginning of the harvest. One of the eight major annual sabbats or festivals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Annually August 1-2&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Raksha Bandhan (Hindu)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Rakhi festivity falls in the holy month of Shravan; the origin and history of Rakhi can be dated back to the mythological Pouranik times.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;A day to acknowledge siblings and their relationships.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Date Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;August 9, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Krishna Janmashtami (Hindu)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;This two-day festival celebrates the birth of Krishna, a widely-worshipped Hindu god. Krishna is considered to be a warrior, hero, teacher, and philosopher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;During this festival, Hindus are likely to forgo sleep in order to sing bhajans, traditional Hindu songs. Many Hindus also fast during the first day of the festival. Dances, songs, and plays depicting the life of Krishna are common.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;The first day is called Krishan ashtami or Gokul ashtami. The second day is known as Kaal ashtami or more popularly Janam ashtami.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Avoid scheduling major academic deadlines on this day, since it is likely that students will be operating on very little sleep.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Date Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;August 15, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Catholic)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Celebrates&amp;nbsp;the&amp;nbsp;bodily taking up&amp;nbsp;of the&amp;nbsp;Virgin Mary&amp;nbsp;into&amp;nbsp;Heaven&amp;nbsp;at the end of her earthly life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Date Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Annually on August 15&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;september&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;september&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rosh Hashanah (Jewish)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Holiday with significant work restriction&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Start of the Jewish New Year, day of judgment and remembrance; the Jewish calendar celebrates the New Year in the seventh month (Tishrei) as a day of rest and celebration ten days before Yom Kippur.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Prayer in synagogue and festive meals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Begins at sundown of prior day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. If planning an event, provide food accommodation as requested (kosher restrictions apply).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;Evening of Mon, Sep 22, 2025 &amp;ndash; Wed, Sep 24, 2025&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mabon/Autumnal Equinox (Pagan, Wiccan)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also referred to as Harvest Home, the Feast of the Ingathering, and Me&amp;aacute;n F&amp;oacute;mhair, Mabon is the second celebration of the harvest, a ritual of thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth, and a recognition of the need to share them to secure the blessings of the Goddess and the God during the coming winter months. One of the eight major annual sabbats or festivals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Starts:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;September 22&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;october&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;october&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Yom Kippur (Jewish)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Holiday with significant work restriction&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yom Kippur is often considered the holiest day of the year for Jews, and the day is dedicated to atonement and abstinence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;During Yom Kippur, Jews fast from before sundown until after sunset, and light a Yahrzeit memorial candle at sundown on the night of Yom Kippur.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Begins at sundown of prior day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date and after a day of fasting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;October 11-12, 2024&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;Evening of Wed, Oct 1, 2025 &amp;ndash; Thu, Oct 2, 2025&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Navratri (Hindu)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Navratri is one of the greatest Hindu festivals, and celebrates the triumph of good over evil. During this time, Hindus worship Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Durga is the mother goddess, and so Hindus try to visit their mothers and other relatives during this time. Some Hindus will pray and fast, and there are are often feasts and dances.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;October 3-12, 2024&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;October 3-12, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sukkot (Jewish)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Holiday with significant work restriction&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A week-long celebration which begins with the building of Sukkah for sleep and meals, Sukkot is named for the huts Moses and the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert before reaching the promised land.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Families in the United States commonly decorate the sukkah with produce and artwork.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Begins at sundown of prior day; work holiday varies by denomination.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on the first two days. If planning an event, provide food accommodation as requested (kosher restrictions apply &amp;ndash; although it is customary to eat dairy for this celebration).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;October 16-18, 2024&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;Evening of Mon, Oct 6, 2025 &amp;ndash; Mon, Oct 13, 2025&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shemini Atzeret (Jewish)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Holiday with significant work restriction&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also known as Atzereth, this is a fall festival, which includes a memorial service for the dead and features prayers for rain in Israel.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Jews light a Yahrzeit memorial candle at sundown on Shemini Atzereth (the eighth night of Sukkot).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Begins at sundown on the eighth day of Sukkot.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. If planning an event, provide food accommodation as requested (kosher restrictions apply).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;October 23-24, 2024&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;Evening of Mon, Oct 13, 2025 &amp;ndash; Wed, Oct 15, 2025&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Simchat Torah (Jewish)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Holiday with significant work restriction&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Simchat Torah marks the completion of the annual cycle of the reading of the Torah in the synagogue and the beginning of the new cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Practitioners dance in synagogues as all the Torah scrolls are carried around in seven circuits.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on this date (kosher restrictions apply).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;October 24-25, 2024&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;Evening of Tue, Oct 14, 2025 &amp;ndash; Wed, Oct 15, 2025&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Diwali (Hindu/Buddhist/Sikhism/Jainism)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Holiday with significant work restriction&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Diwali &amp;ndash; the Hindu &quot;festival of lights&quot; &amp;ndash; is an extremely popular holiday for multiple religions throughout Southern Asia. Diwali extends over five days, and celebrates the victory of good over evil. The &lt;em&gt;Times of India&lt;/em&gt; described Diwali as &quot;a reaffirmation of hope, a renewed commitment to friendship and goodwill, and a religiously sanctioned celebration of the simple.&quot; Fireworks, oil lamps, and sweets are common, making this a favorite holiday for children. The lamps are lit to help the goddess Lakshmi find her way into people's homes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Lighting oil lamps and candles, setting off fireworks, and prayer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on this date. Hindu employees will likely request a vacation day on this date.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;Thu, Oct 31, 2024, 6:22 AM &amp;ndash; Fri, Nov 1, 2024, 8:46 AM&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;Mon, Oct 20, 2025&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Birth of Bah&amp;aacute;'u'll&amp;aacute;h (Baha'i)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Holiday with significant work restriction&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This holiday celebrates the birthday of Bah&amp;aacute;'u'll&amp;aacute;h, one of the Baha'i faith's most important figures. For Bah&amp;aacute;'&amp;iacute;s, the Birth of Bah&amp;aacute;'u'll&amp;aacute;h is a Holy Day celebrating the rebirth of the world through the love of God, just as Christmas is for Christians.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. (Baha'i employees will likely request to have this day off.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;November 3, 2024&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;October 23, 2025&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Samhain (Pagan, Wiccan)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of the four &quot;greater Sabbats&quot; and considered by some to be the Wiccan New Year. A time to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on, welcome those born during the past year into the community, and reflecting on past relationships, events, and other significant changes in life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Paying respect to ancestors, family members, elders of the faith, friends, pets, and other loved ones who have died.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Annually October 31 - November 1&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;november&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;november&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All Saints' Day&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A day of celebration&amp;nbsp;in honor of all the&amp;nbsp;saints, known and unknown.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;November 1, 2024&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;November 1, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;december&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;december&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Immaculate Conception of The Blessed Virgin Mary &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A feast day celebrating&amp;nbsp;the conviction that the Virgin Mary was free from original sin from the moment of her conception in her mother's womb.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;December 8, 2024&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Monday, December 9, 2025&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Yule/Midwinter/Winter Solstice (Pagan/Wiccan)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also known as Alban Arthan; the longest night of the year followed by the sun's &quot;rebirth&quot; and lengthening of days. In most traditions, Yule is celebrated as the rebirth of the Great God, who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun. One of the eight major annual sabbats or festivals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Annually December 21-22&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hanukkah/Chanukah (Jewish)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hanukkah is the Jewish festival of lights, and lasts for eight days. Hanukkah commemorates the Jewish struggle for religious freedom. The history of the holiday involves a historic military victory in which a Jewish sect called the Maccabees defeated the Syrian Greeks. The celebration commemorates a miracle in which a sacred temple flame burned for eight days on only one day's worth of oil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;On each of the eight nights of Hanukkah, Jewish families light an additional candle of the menorah candelabrum until all eight candles are lit. Jews celebrate with food and song, as well as exchanging gifts for eight days.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Hanukkah begins at sundown of prior day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Academics and work permitted. Provide food accommodation as requested (kosher restrictions apply &amp;ndash; potato pancakes, doughnuts, or other fried food is customary).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;Sundown on &lt;/span&gt;December 25-Jan 2 2024&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;Sundown on December 14 - Sundown on December 22.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Christmas (Christian)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Holiday with significant work restriction&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Christmas is an annual celebration commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah whose message and self-sacrifice began the Christian religion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;General Practices:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Many celebrate this holiday by giving gifts, attending church services, decorating Christmas trees, and visiting family.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Date Details:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Begins at sundown on December 24 annually and continues with all day celebration on December 25.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Recommended Accommodations:&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;This is a national holiday in the United States, so special accommodations are likely not required.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates Observed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Annually December 24-25&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x9259" URL="student-life/religious-holidays/prayer-and-contemplative-space" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:52" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9259.xml" Name="Prayer &amp; Contemplative Space" Title="Prayer &amp; Contemplative Space" Abstract="A list of campus spaces reserved for prayer or contemplative time." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;HCC offers designated spaces for prayer and quiet reflection.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;contemplative/meditation space&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CC 227G&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Monday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;12 noon &amp;ndash; 2 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Tuesday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;12 noon &amp;ndash; 2 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Thursday&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;12 noon &amp;ndash; 2 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Friday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;12 noon &amp;ndash; 2 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;muslim prayer space&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DON 340&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Friday&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;1 &amp;ndash; 5 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x12270" URL="student-life/student-ids" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250828T12:33:44" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12270.xml" Name="Student IDs" Title="Student IDs" Abstract="Learn how to get a student ID, and what you can use it for." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Hcougar456.png&quot; width=&quot;512&quot; height=&quot;324&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students, to receive your student ID, you must be registered for classes!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;ON CAMPUS ID REQUEST&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Student, staff, and faculty IDs are created in Student Engagement&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; located in the Campus Center&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; second floor, CC 227, across from the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tech Center&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;, and accessible by parking lot S.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;ONLINE ID REQUEST&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: Complete this &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/iew1ztUwf5jcSHpt8&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Google Form&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; if you want to fast-track the experience and have your HCC ID ready when you come to campus. If you are a fully online student, we will mail your ID to you.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Notes: You have to be signed into your HCC email account to access the form. We will notify you when your student ID is ready for pickup.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Staff &amp;amp; Faculty&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;: Complete this &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/9Vk45wqsrdrSRQy59&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Google Form&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; if you want to fast-track the experience and have your HCC ID ready when you come to campus. If you are a fully online faculty member, we will mail your ID to you.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Notes: You have to be signed into your HCC email account to access the form. We will notify you when your student ID is ready for pickup.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;What can I do with my student id?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Checking into offices and events on campus&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Use the &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/bartley-center&quot; title=&quot;link to bartley center webpage&quot;&gt;Bartley Center&lt;/a&gt; gym&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Check out books and &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/chromebooks-hotspots-and-calculators&quot; title=&quot;link to library webpage to borrow chromebooks, hotspots and calculators&quot;&gt;technology supplies&lt;/a&gt; from the Library&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Discounts: Amazon, Cinemark, Spotify, and more!&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Hours&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot; class=&quot;table&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 96px;&quot;&gt;Monday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 155px;&quot;&gt;8:30 a.m. -&amp;nbsp; 4:30 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 96px;&quot;&gt;Tuesday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 155px;&quot;&gt;8:30 a.m. -&amp;nbsp; 4:30 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 96px;&quot;&gt;Wednesday&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 155px;&quot;&gt;8:30 a.m. -&amp;nbsp; 4:30 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 96px;&quot;&gt;Thursday&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 155px;&quot;&gt;8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 96px;&quot;&gt;Friday&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 155px;&quot;&gt;1 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;Before the start of each semester through the first week of classes, extended hours are Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Questions?&lt;/strong&gt; Email us at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentengagement@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;studentengagement@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x241" URL="student-life/student-resources" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250701T17:00:47" CategoryIds="" FileName="x241.xml" Name="Student Resources" Thumbnail="/images/support.jpg" Title="Student Resources" Abstract="Free child watch, food pantry access, menstrual equity, emergency grants, and more." ThumbnailAltText="A child watch instructor plays with a child at a table" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A male african american student wearing headphones stands in front of a mural&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/studentresources_intext.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/public-safety/care-team&quot;&gt;CARE TEAM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/public-safety/care-team&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;An interdisciplinary team of HCC faculty, staff, and Center for Human Development clinicians, the team supports the academic, emotional, and overall well-being of students and the campus community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/career-closet&quot; title=&quot;HCC career closet&quot;&gt;Career Closet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Career Closet seeks to provide appropriate business attire to students who have scheduled interviews for jobs and internships.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thekidsplace.org/location%20pages/Holyoke%20team/holyoke.htm&quot; title=&quot;The Kids Place daycare&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Childcare&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/itsy-bitsy-child-watch&quot; title=&quot;Link to Itsy Bitsy Child Watch&quot;&gt;The Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Program&lt;/a&gt; provides short term care for children ages 6 weeks - 12 years old while their parents are on campus! Our trained and caring staff will provide supervision and age appropriate activities for the length of one HCC class at a time, or for the duration of an on-campus appointment (like advising, tutoring, or other support services or meetings). Details are available &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/itsy-bitsy-child-watch&quot; title=&quot;Link to Itsy Bitsy Child Watch page&quot;&gt;here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://thekidsplace.org/locations/holyoke/&quot; title=&quot;Link to the Kids Place&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;The Kids' Place&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;offers full-time childcare on the HCC campus for&amp;nbsp;infant, toddler, preschool, and school-age children. Nationally accredited, quality programming is offered year-round, Monday &amp;ndash; Friday, 7 a.m. &amp;ndash; 5:30 p.m. Community Partnership grants, vouchers, and contracted subsidies are available for eligible families. Contact&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:holyoke@thekidsplace.org&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;holyoke@thekidsplace.org&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-538-7743&quot;&gt;413.538.7742&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.campusdish.com/&quot; title=&quot;Dining at hcc&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Dining Services&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Running on fumes? Pull up to the POD Express (near Student Activities in the Donahue building), or the Forum Cafe in the Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts building. Planning a meeting? HCC caters to groups large and small.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services&quot; title=&quot;HCC disability and deaf services&quot;&gt;Disability &amp;amp; Deaf Services&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you are a disabled or Deaf student, the Office of Students with Disabilities &amp;amp; Deaf Services (OSDDS) will help you access needed accommodations and support services. If you are a family member of a Deaf or disabled student, or an HCC faculty or staff person, OSDDS staff can provide consultation, information, and resources to help you support your student.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/food-pantry&quot; title=&quot;HCC food pantry&quot;&gt;Food Pantry&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;No HCC student should go hungry! HCC offers a food pantry with groceries, as well as the Homestead Market on the second floor of Frost. SNAP is accepted for fresh food and produce, as well as canned and boxed basics, so you can skip the grocery store en route from college to home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/homestead-market&quot;&gt;Homestead Market&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Homestead Market offers fresh produce, grab-and-go meals, food pantry essentials, and other household items. SNAP accepted!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://aicportal.jenzabarcloud.com/ICS/Campus_Life/Residence_Life/Community_College_On-Campus_Housing.jnz&quot; title=&quot;Link to AIC&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Housing at AIC&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We have an agreement with AIC that allows HCC students to live in residence halls and apartments on the AIC campus in Springfield. &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;for more information contact Elizabeth Rivera at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:erivera@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;erivera@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;, call at 413-552-2784 or visit our office at KC&amp;nbsp; 201&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/menstrual-equity&quot; title=&quot;Link to menstrual equity&quot;&gt;Menstrual Equity&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC provides access to free menstrual products at most buildings on campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/mental-health-counseling-and-stress-mgmt&quot; title=&quot;Link to mental health and counseling resources&quot;&gt;Mental Health &amp;amp; Counseling&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;HCC's Mental Health Center offers a broad range of programs and services to assist students in dealing with life's challenges and stresses before they become insurmountable.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/presidents-student-emergency-fund&quot; title=&quot;Link to Student Emergency Fund&quot;&gt;Presidents Student Emergency Fund&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hit with an unexpected car repair or utility bill? Don't let it derail your education! The President's Student Emergency Fund was created to help HCC students stay on track.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/thrive-center&quot; title=&quot;Thrive Financial Success Center&quot;&gt;Thrive Student Resource Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are you struggling with food or housing insecurity? Do you need help applying for SNAP or MassHealth benefits? Curious about how to balance your budget? Have questions about improving your credit? Are you dealing with legal issues? Thrive will help you create a plan to get you closer to achieving your goals and building a more stable future.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/veteran-services&quot;&gt;VETERAN SERVICES&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Office of Veteran Services assists veterans, service members, and dependents in receiving education benefits, facilitating transition into our college, and providing support for academic success.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x13368" URL="student-life/student-resources/snap-outreach" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251120T12:25:56" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13368.xml" Name="SNAP Outreach" Title="SNAP Outreach" Abstract="Are you struggling with grocery bills? Do you need help paying for medical expenses?" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;SNAP&quot; height=&quot;568&quot; src=&quot;images/Workforce%20Development/SNAP.jpg&quot; width=&quot;1008&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Are you struggling with grocery bills?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Do you need help paying for medical expenses?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Apply for SNAP/EBT benefits today! Complete the SNAP assistance form &lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://forms.gle/8yPerp6X7nK5pcoT9&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With grocery prices on the rise, many families need extra help. SNAP makes it easier for families to afford nutritious food and also provides help with medical bills.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you would like assistance with applying for SNAP benefits, please complete our form&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/8yPerp6X7nK5pcoT9&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Need faster assistance in applying for SNAP/EBT benefits?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please contact our SNAP Navigator:&lt;br /&gt;413-552-2496 | &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:snap@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;snap@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://calendar.app.google/e8CpXQBCzQyPYrG49 &quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Book an appointment with SNAP Navigator&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x243" URL="student-life/student-resources/thrive-center" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250829T12:59:57" CategoryIds="" FileName="x243.xml" Name="Thrive Center" Title="Thrive Center" Abstract="The Thrive student resource center offers an array of free services for students and community members facing non-academic barriers." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Thrive Center is Holyoke Community College's basic necessities resource center, providing direct resources, referrals, and support related to food/nutrition, housing, social benefits, and personal finances.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Thrive Center is here to help you create a plan that brings you closer to achieving your goals and building a more stable future.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;b&gt;What We Do&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Access to the &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/student-resources/food-pantry&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;HCC Food Pantry&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt; and Grab-and-Go options&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Administer a range of housing support resources, including:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Assisting students with applying for housing at American International College and Elms College. Interested in living at one of our affiliated campuses? Complete our &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepzkRigIsuUijn0GBqcEcGHBqKdkyzEPrsyDP3PER09_etOQ/viewform?usp=header&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;HCC Affiliated Housing Interest Form&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; and we will be in touch.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Qualifying students to apply for affordable housing vouchers through the Holyoke Housing Authority.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Administering free housing resources for qualified homeless youth (18&amp;ndash;24 years old).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Assisting students who are applying for RAFT assistance through Wayfinders.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Making referrals to other community resources.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Assistance with SNAP (food assistance) and MassHealth applications&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Support applying to the President's Student Emergency Fund&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Financial coaching&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; through workshops and trainings facilitated by campus and community partners&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Referrals&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; to the HCC Career Closet, housing support, legal aid, and free tax preparation&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;And more!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;b&gt;Visit the Thrive Center&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Kittredge Center (KC) 201&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Hours:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Monday &amp;ndash; Friday, 8:30 a.m. &amp;ndash; 4:30 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;b&gt;Contact the Thrive Center Team&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Main Office&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;KC 201&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2783&quot;&gt;413.552.2783&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:thrive@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;thrive@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Ben Ostiguy&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Senior Special Program Coordinator&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;KC 201&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2349&quot;&gt;413.552.2349&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:bostiguy@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;bostiguy@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Elizabeth Rivera&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Program Assistant (Housing &amp;amp; Student Support)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;KC 201&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2784&quot;&gt;413.552.2784&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:erivera@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;erivera@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Elizabeth Eastman&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Food Pantry Manager&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;KC 203&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2785&quot;&gt;413.552.2785&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:eeastman@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;eeastman@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x244" URL="student-life/student-resources/food-pantry" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250901T15:05:26" CategoryIds="" FileName="x244.xml" Name="Food Pantry" Title="Food Pantry" Abstract="The pantry provides basic food packages to students in need." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Thrive Center Food Pantry is located at Kittredge Center 203, just down the hall from the Cafeteria. We provide a range of food, personal care, and household items to students, staff, and faculty facing basic needs insecurity.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Food Pantry Assistance&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Students, staff, and instructors are welcome to make a Food Pantry request once per month using our online request procedure:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Go to our pantry request form website: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/pantry-request&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/pantry-request&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Log-in using your HCC credentials&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Complete the registration screen&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Select items and place your order&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;You will receive an email with pick-up instructions when your order is ready&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;Hours&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Thrive Center Main Office (KC 201):&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Monday &amp;ndash; Friday, 8:30 a.m. &amp;ndash; 4:30 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Food Pantry (KC 203):&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Monday &amp;ndash; Friday, 8:00 a.m. &amp;ndash; 11:30 a.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Thrive Center Refrigerated Lockers&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; (KC 2nd Floor Hallway): M-F 6:00 a.m. &amp;ndash;9:00 p.m.; Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. &amp;ndash; 2:00 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;Donations&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Donations are welcome throughout the year. Items may be dropped off at the following locations:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;In&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt; KC 203&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; between 8:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;In&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt; KC 201&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Anonymously in the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;donation bin&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; located by the vending machines on the second floor of the Kittredge Center.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;Contact&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;For questions related to the Food Pantry, registering for pantry assistance, picking up frozen food, or donating non-perishable items, contact:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Elizabeth Eastman&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Food Pantry Manager&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;203 Kittredge Center&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:eeastman@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;eeastman@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2785&quot;&gt;413.552.2785&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13367" URL="student-life/student-resources/homestead-market" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240819T17:25:43" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13367.xml" Name="Homestead Market" Title="Homestead Market" Abstract="The Homestead Market offers fresh produce, grab-and-go meals, food pantry essentials, and other household items. SNAP accepted!" IntroCopy="Come visit the Homestead Market convenience store." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Grey background with image of yellow barn at top, and the words Fresh Foods above the barn. In the center, the words Homestead Market in green type, with Est. 2021 at bottom.&quot; height=&quot;628&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Student%20Resources/Homestead_Market_1188x628.png&quot; title=&quot;Homestead Market graphic&quot; width=&quot;1188&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Located in the Campus Center Food Court on the main campus of Holyoke Community College, Homestead Market is available as a means to address food insecurity among students. Offering fresh produce, grab-and-go meals, food pantry essentials, and other household items, Homestead Market is the first college store at any public college or university in Massachusetts to accept SNAP benefits.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Opened in November 2021 after two years of planning, the store is a collaboration between Holyoke Community College, Aramark Dining Services, and the college's Thrive Student Resource Center, which operates the student food pantry and also helps students apply for food subsidies through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to SNAP, the market accepts other forms of payment. It is open to all&amp;nbsp;Holyoke Community College&amp;nbsp;students, faculty, and staff, as well as people in the greater community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;LOCATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Campus Center Food Court&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HOURS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;7:30 AM - 2:30 PM Monday - Friday&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CONTACT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2151&quot; title=&quot;Homestead Market phone number&quot;&gt;413.552.2151 &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12877" URL="student-life/student-resources/menstrual-equity" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12877.xml" Name="Menstrual Equity" Title="Menstrual Equity" Abstract="Learn about HCC's menstrual equity initiative, and where you can access free menstrual products on campus. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Menstrual equity is safe, affordable access to menstrual products. The &quot;HCC Cares About M.E.&quot; campaign, sponsored by the &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/thrive-center&quot; title=&quot;Link to thrive center webpage&quot;&gt;Thrive Center&lt;/a&gt;, works to extend the essential dignity that hygiene products provide to all members of the campus community.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Find free menstrual products at Hospitality Stations located throughout campus, listed here and indicated by the yellow stars on the map below:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Student Engagement (CC 227)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Thrive (FR 233)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Kittredge Center, 2nd floor lobby&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Library (DON 202)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;The Office for Students with Disabilities &amp;amp; Deaf Services (DON 147)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Pathways (Frost 264)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Radio Station (DON 101)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;STEM Starter Academy (Marieb 141)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Student Affairs (Frost 224)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Coming soon&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Bartley Center&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;CAPS Center&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A campus map of HCC with yellow stars identifying the Student Engagement office and Thrive Center&quot; height=&quot;364&quot; src=&quot;images/Marked%20Campus%20Map%20Mar22.jpeg&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;600&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x245" URL="student-life/student-resources/career-closet" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240812T12:42:07" CategoryIds="" FileName="x245.xml" Name="Career Closet" Title="Career Closet" Abstract="Career Closet provides interview-appropriate clothing to students who are looking for a new job." IntroCopy="We provide interview appropriate clothing for students who have interviews." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Do you have job interviews coming up? Need to look professional for a meeting with a prospective boss? The HCC Career Closet provides business attire, including suits, shirts, pants, sweaters, dresses, and shoes, to students who have scheduled interviews for jobs or internships. Donations are accepted, too!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Located in KC 207, the Career Closet is open by appointment or during the hours listed below. We ask agencies to &lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/forms/lCGIu2IIOChgnlIw2&quot;&gt;complete this referral form&lt;/a&gt; before visiting the Career Closet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;hours&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Career Closet is open Monday &amp;ndash; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To make an appointment for a fitting, please call &lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2561&quot; title=&quot;Career Closet phone number&quot;&gt;413.552.2561&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12806" URL="student-life/student-resources/itsy-bitsy-child-watch" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251215T19:32:34" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12806.xml" Name="Itsy Bitsy Child Watch" Title="Itsy Bitsy Child Watch" Abstract="Learn about HCC’s free child watch program!" IntroCopy="Free child watch for all HCC students!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Itsy Bitsy child watch written in white type on orange and blue background&quot; height=&quot;628&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Student%20Resources/Itsy%20Bitsy.png&quot; width=&quot;1188&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;If you are an HCC student and a parent with a child between 3 months and 12 years, Itsy Bitsy Child Watch is for you! This FREE child watch service can be accessed by following the 3 step process below. We offer a safe, fun space for children while student-parents are on campus. Even if you don't think you need this occasional service right now, please enroll, so if the need arises, you'll be able to have your child join us.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;Three steps to get started:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;1. ENROLL&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Complete your child&amp;rsquo;s &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://schools.mybrightwheel.com/sign-in?redirect_path=/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Brightwheel&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; enrollment using the correct age-group packet.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://schools.mybrightwheel.com/sign-in?redirect_path=/admissions/packet/535073cc-5813-40e5-8682-d98cc0fb1426/fill?school_id=2fa25834-4bbc-48f9-a7e5-88c3fd10d84d&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Ages 0-5 Enrollment Packet&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://schools.mybrightwheel.com/sign-in?redirect_path=/admissions/packet/c4ad7874-2c7a-4359-add2-721332dd9bca/fill?school_id=2fa25834-4bbc-48f9-a7e5-88c3fd10d84d&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Ages 6-12 Enrollment Packet&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;2. REQUEST&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Submit your care request for either Regular Care or As-Needed Care.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Use the following forms if you need care at the same time every week while you attend class: &lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/kfXiNHzF78G1zUSK9&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Child Watch Regular Care Request / Solicitud de cuido regular&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Use the following forms if your usual childcare falls through or you need one-time care for an on campus commitment: &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchxWKJHxcQItR5hnhfrRxfA_q2etdncoQb56knQIbkI8OiFg/viewform?usp=sharing&amp;amp;ouid=102217638516801276549&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Child Watch As Needed Care Request / Child Watch solicitud de cuido cuando sea necesario&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;3. CONFIRM &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;Check your HCC email for a confirmation from our team.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;Hours&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Hours of operation are based on student-need and staffing.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;Located&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Child Watch is located in Frost 261. Please email childwatch@hcc.edu or call 413.552.2487 to schedule a visit.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;Who we are&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Child Watch is approved by the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.gov/orgs/department-of-early-education-and-care&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Department of Early Education &amp;amp; Care&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;. All staff work under the supervision of the director and assistant director, undergo a background check, and are fingerprinted prior to spending time with children.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;Itsy Bitsy Closet&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Located in Frost 261, free children&amp;rsquo;s clothing/shoes/books/other goodies available to all caregiving HCC students. All are welcome to come visit and take what you need!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;Have questions?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Contact Emily Webber (she/her), director, at childwatch@hcc.edu or &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;about:blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;413.552.2487&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; or Ciaran Murphy (he/him), assistant director, at 413.552.2471.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9472" URL="student-life/student-resources/presidents-student-emergency-fund" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240816T19:20:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9472.xml" Name="Presidents Student Emergency Fund" Title="Presidents Student Emergency Fund" Abstract="The President’s Student Emergency Funds assists students experiencing unexpected financial need." IntroCopy="HCC is committed to helping you overcome barriers to your success." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships/presidents-student-emergency-fund&quot; title=&quot;Link to President&amp;rsquo;s Student Emergency Fund webpage&quot;&gt;President&amp;rsquo;s Student Emergency Fund&lt;/a&gt; assists HCC students experiencing unexpected financial need. Students may apply for funds only when they have exhausted all other possible resources.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Emergency funding is not intended to provide ongoing relief for recurring/routine expenses or as a consistent supplement for educational expenses. Funds will only be applied to the current semester in which the student is requesting support.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Examples of emergencies&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Accidents&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Illness &amp;amp; related medical expenses&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Death of a family member&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;am I eligible?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;I am in danger of not completing my education due to financial hardship&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;I can provide documentation of the hardship I am facing&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;I am currently enrolled at HCC&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;MORE INFORMATION&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information about the President&amp;rsquo;s Student Emergency Fund, please &lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships/presidents-student-emergency-fund&quot; title=&quot;Link to President&amp;rsquo;s Student Emergency Fund webpage&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Students can schedule time with &lt;strong&gt;Ben Ostiguy&lt;/strong&gt;, Thrive Center Coordinator, using &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fhcc.campus.eab.com%2fpal%2fIQ2l15hv_Q&amp;amp;c=E,1,cD8BgL3D0FDf5sZ4vNfctGzP6Bv7-5uJbCj7xfdf-iFybC3yWxXpp3OTvqgkMQzUTsQORfen5DbVfQyDVk3bgYe-P-UPxjxD3mS2fsrr85mR&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fhcc.campus.eab.com%252fpal%252fIQ2l15hv_Q%26c%3DE,1,cD8BgL3D0FDf5sZ4vNfctGzP6Bv7-5uJbCj7xfdf-iFybC3yWxXpp3OTvqgkMQzUTsQORfen5DbVfQyDVk3bgYe-P-UPxjxD3mS2fsrr85mR%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1701261242444000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw18bT2PUNui6KzNeHs2Yugx&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;this link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;. The Thrive Center is located in KC 201.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x251" URL="student-life/veteran-services" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260303T19:37:47" CategoryIds="" FileName="x251.xml" Name="Veteran Services" Title="Veteran Services" Abstract="Services and programs for student veterans at HCC. " IntroCopy="Welcome veterans, reservists, active duty, and spouses and dependents!" BodyCopy="&lt;div class=&quot;ticker&quot;&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;Don't forget to fill out the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdw8gQunZY4KHarSbV7RZ7VoXmeSWmm_WNFpRrXxKIU6nfx1w/viewform&quot; title=&quot;Link to google doc for benefit declaration&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Veteran Intake Form&lt;/a&gt; after registering for classes &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Student meets with Veterans Services officer at HCC&quot; height=&quot;656&quot; src=&quot;images/HCC_VS_Web_Banner_d1.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;1250&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are proud to have you at HCC and greatly appreciate your service to our nation. We know that balancing college life with your military, career, family, and personal responsibilities can be very challenging. HCC would like to facilitate your success by providing support, resources, and information to meet your unique needs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mission Statement&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The function of the Office of Veteran Services at Holyoke Community College is to assist our veterans, service members, and their dependents in pursuing their educational, professional, or vocational objectives. We are dedicated to serving those who served us by assisting them in receiving their education benefits, facilitating their transition into our college, and providing support for their ongoing academic success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Applying to HCC - your first step!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can begin the online filing process to register for classes by visiting &lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot; title=&quot;Link to admission page&quot;&gt;Admissions&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:veterans@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link veterans@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Veteran Services&lt;/a&gt; can work concurrently with Admissions during the application and registration process.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x252" URL="student-life/veteran-services/the-bunker" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250304T13:11:52" CategoryIds="" FileName="x252.xml" Name="The Bunker" Title="The Bunker" Abstract="The Bunker is a resource center and study lounge for any currently enrolled student that is military affiliated." IntroCopy="The Bunker is a resource center and study lounge for any currently enrolled student that is military affiliated." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Derick Santos, of Manchester, Conn&quot; height=&quot;520&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Veterans/Derick%20Santos%2C%20of%20Manchester%2C%20Conn.jpg&quot; width=&quot;800&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;get in touch&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Derick Santos&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;VETERANS BENEFITS &amp;amp; F.A. COUNSELOR&lt;br /&gt;Financial Aid&lt;br /&gt;Frost&amp;nbsp;201&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2189&quot;&gt;413.552.2189&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(Tel)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:dsantos@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;dsantos@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As the veterans benefits and financial aid counselor, Santos is the school-certifying official (SRO) and will process all benefits for U.S. veterans and military-affiliated students. He will also counsel prospective and returning students through the financial aid process and serve as part of the counselor on-call rotation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As such, he splits his office hours between The Bunker veterans resource center and study lounge in Donahue 105 (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday a.m.) and the Financial Aid office on the second floor of the Frost Building (Wednesday p.m., Thursday, Friday).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;The area is managed by the Veterans &amp;amp; Military Services Counselor, and is open to all military-affiliated students. The Bunker is designated as a quiet study space. Hours during the academic year are 0830 - 1630. Accommodations for evening and weekend hours are avaiable by contacting &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:dsantos@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link dsantos@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Derick Santos&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Resource Center&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Free materials from area veteran organizations are available, and regular scheduled visits from local agencies take place throughout the academic year. Also provided is information about HCC resources and departments, and a staff/faculty directory.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;va work study&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student volunteers and VA Work Study positions manage the space and keep all information up-to-date. Students using VA benefits and who are at least 3/4 time are qualified for the VA Work Study Program, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:dsantos@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Derik Santos&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Study Area&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Bunker is located in DON 105. Students have access to separate computer workstations with webcams and headphones, tables, chairs, printer, WiFi, and a separate study lounge.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;veterans' lounge&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Veterans' Lounge is located in DON 138. This is our social space! Tables and chairs for 15 create the perfect atmosphere for a casual conversation or meeting. The lounge is equipped with a kitchenette and pantry, and accommodates scheduled visits from HCC staff, facility, advisors, and community organizations. The Civilian &amp;amp; Military Organization (C.A.M.O.) club meets here every Tuesday from 1100 to 1200.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information about the Bunker, please contact:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Derick Santos&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;VETERANS BENEFITS &amp;amp; F.A. COUNSELOR&lt;br /&gt;Financial Aid&lt;br /&gt;Frost&amp;nbsp;201&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2189&quot;&gt;413.552.2189&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(Tel)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:dsantos@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;dsantos@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page></Page><Page ID="x61" URL="library" Schema="LibraryPage" Locale="" Changed="20260605T14:14:51" CategoryIds="" FileName="x61.xml" Name="Library" Title="Library" Abstract="We provide students with the resources to support their classroom work and to expand their education into their daily lives." ThumbnailAltText="A female student selects a book from a library bookshelf" IntroCopy="We provide students with the resources to support their classroom work and to expand their education into their daily lives." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;210&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; aria-label=&quot;Library catalog, databases, journals, and more&quot; id=&quot;search-wrap&quot; name=&quot;library_resources&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; src=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Documents/Library/resources-box/box1.html&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/library/events-and-activities/chromebooks-and-hotspots&quot;&gt;Borrow a chromebook, laptop, or hotspot&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;!--FOR LINKING TO INFO FOR FACULTY--&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;information_for_faculty&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="true" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x21114" URL="x21114.xml" Schema="SlideComponent" Locale="" Changed="20250416T14:57:05" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21114.xml" Name="Arab American Heritage Month" Title="Arab American Heritage Month" IsComponent="true" /><Page ID="x323" URL="library/about-the-library" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260121T18:27:47" CategoryIds="" FileName="x323.xml" Name="About the Library" Title="About the Library" Abstract="Learn about the location and staff of the HCC Library, plus frequently asked questions (and printing information). " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Library provides students with the assistance and resources to fulfill their classroom assignments and expand their education beyond the classroom into their daily lives. The research strategies acquired while learning to use the library will provide students with lifelong learning skills.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our knowledgeable staff is available to work with students one-on-one, in teams, and in the classroom. Library services can be accessed in person at our service desks or by &lt;a href=&quot;/library/tutorials-and-help/ask-a-librarian&quot;&gt;phone, email, or text message&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Located in the center of the college complex, we offer computer labs, photocopiers with scan-to-email abilities, &amp;nbsp;and both group study and quiet study areas. &amp;nbsp; Students have access to print and electronic books, online periodicals, and streaming educational videos. HCC faculty may place course material on reserve at the circulation desk for student use. The online catalog and online databases are accessible from both in the library and from off campus. Easy remote access to the Library's electronic collection means that the library is always open when you need it!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is part of a newly formed network:&amp;nbsp;HELM&amp;nbsp;(Higher Education Libraries of Massachusetts). HELM can:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Support student research with a catalog that will provide more scholarly materials&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Make it easier to borrow from other colleges&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Use a library system that is designed to meet the needs of academic library searching, including e-resources and course reserves&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Belong to a more compatible and academically focused community of practice&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Align with peer Massachusetts public higher education institutions to work in a more strategic fashion and have a stronger voice in decision and policy making.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x11719" URL="library/about-the-library/lending-technology" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251124T15:00:13" CategoryIds="" FileName="x11719.xml" Name="Lending Technology" Title="Lending Technology" Abstract="Lending Technology" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;We are lending technology to support our students.&amp;nbsp; The following is a summary of our inventory but note that some of it may be in quarantine and not immediately available to borrow.&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/chromebooks-hotspots-and-calculators&quot;&gt;Want to borrow any?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;100%&quot; style=&quot;height: 100vh; min-height: 1000px;&quot; id=&quot;search-wrap&quot; name=&quot;library_resources2&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; src=&quot;https://library-tools.org/hcc/chromebooks/chromebooks.html&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7565" URL="library/about-the-library/helm-network" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:17" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7565.xml" Name="HELM Network" Title="HCC Library Joins HELM" Abstract="HCC Library is now part of a newly formed network: HELM (Higher Education Libraries of Massachusetts)." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HELM logo&quot; height=&quot;181&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/helmlogo.jpg&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is part of a newly formed network:&amp;nbsp;HELM&amp;nbsp;(Higher Education Libraries of Massachusetts). HELM can:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Support student research with a catalog that will provide more scholarly materials&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Make it easier to borrow from other colleges&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Use a library system that is designed to meet the needs of academic library searching, including e-resources and course reserves&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Belong to a more compatible and academically focused community of practice&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Align with peer Massachusetts public higher education institutions to work in a more strategic fashion and have a stronger voice in decision and policy making.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Can I still get non-HCC material?&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;The HCC community will still be able to borrow from external libraries. You can always use your local public library if you prefer the CW MARS system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CWMARS to HELM transition reminders&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;HCC is no longer a pick-up location for CW MARS&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MORE ABOUT&amp;nbsp;HELM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;HELM&amp;nbsp;founding members are Holyoke Community College, MCLA, MassBay Community College, Middlesex Community College, North Shore Community College, Quinsigamond Community College and Roxbury Community College.&amp;nbsp;HELM&amp;nbsp;libraries are affiliate members of the Fenway Library Organization.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5510" URL="library/about-the-library/library-hours" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5510.xml" Name="Library Hours" Title="Library Hours" Abstract="Library Hours" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe frameborder=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;600&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; src=&quot;https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?height=600&amp;amp;wkst=2&amp;amp;bgcolor=%23FFFFFF&amp;amp;src=hcc.edu_9moore2hb0vaia714vuv9657vg%40group.calendar.google.com&amp;amp;color=%23e2fdff&amp;amp;ctz=America%2FNew_York&quot; style=&quot;border-width: 0;&quot; width=&quot;800&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4683" URL="library/about-the-library/mission-statement-and-policies" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250529T17:32:40" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4683.xml" Name="Mission Statement &amp; Policies" Title="Mission Statement &amp; Policies" Abstract="The HCC Library's mission statement and important policies." BodyCopy="&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: white; width: 100%; border: 2px solid green; padding: 10px; margin: 10px; overflow-wrap: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;A welcoming place for all. Resources and services to learn, grow, and succeed.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10910" URL="library/about-the-library/returning-library-materials" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251020T18:30:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10910.xml" Name="Returning Library Materials" Title="Returning Library Materials" Abstract="Returning Library Materials" IntroCopy="It's time to return items to the library!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Are your library items overdue?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Overdue Chromebooks and hotspots are disabled&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Academic blocks are placed on all accounts with unreturned overdue materials. Blocks will be lifted when these items are returned.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do you have materials to return?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The library is open for returns. Check our &lt;a href=&quot;/library/about-the-library/library-hours&quot;&gt;library hours&lt;/a&gt; to plan your visit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;If you are only returning books, use the blue book drop found outside the library on the patio between the Donahue and Frost buildings. You can do this anytime.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;If you are returning Chromebooks, laptops, hotspots, and/or calculators, please come into the library through the Donahue building. Please make sure that all pieces and accessories are included at the time of return. We cannot accept items that are missing pieces.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Unable to make it to campus?&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;If you are experiencing hardship, and you are unable to come to campus to return these items, please reach out to the circulation desk at 413-552-2372.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bookstore Rentals&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you have questions about textbook rental returns, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/bookstore&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/bookstore&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1608135599264000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFzMAvRIkUP-iHkZeT4KDLfCp1RVA&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;the HCC bookstore&lt;/a&gt;. We are unable to help with these questions.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x326" URL="library/find-resources" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251021T12:27:00" CategoryIds="" FileName="x326.xml" Name="Find Resources" Title="Find Resources" Abstract="Find books, music, videos, and more at the HCC Library!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The staff of the HCC Library is here to help you find the resources you're looking for! Start by exploring the links to the left.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you run into any trouble, visit &lt;a href=&quot;/library/tutorials-and-help&quot; title=&quot;HCC Library help&quot;&gt;Tutorials &amp;amp; Help&lt;/a&gt; or contact a librarian at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2424&quot;&gt;413.552.2424&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x63" URL="library/find-resources/library-resources-a-z" Schema="LibraryResourcesAZPage" Locale="" Changed="20241010T17:23:07" CategoryIds="" FileName="x63.xml" Name="Library Resources A-Z" Title="Library Resources A-Z" Abstract="On this page, you can find all the library resources listed in alphabetical order." IntroCopy="Find all the library resources listed in alphabetical order." ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x1895" URL="library/find-resources/databases-and-journals" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260306T14:22:27" CategoryIds="" FileName="x1895.xml" Name="Databases &amp; Journals" Title="Databases &amp; Journals" Abstract="Databases and journals appealingly presented in a table." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/library/accessibility&quot;&gt;Accessibility tips for library resources&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;!-- Database List --&gt;&lt;nav id=&quot;dbnavid&quot; class=&quot;database-nav&quot; aria-label=&quot;Database subjects navigation&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;subjects-grid&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;subject-column&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/general-databases-(popular)&quot;&gt;General Databases (Popular)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/general-databases-(scholarly-and-academic)&quot;&gt;General Databases (Scholarly)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/accounting&quot;&gt;Accounting&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/asl&quot;&gt;American Sign Language&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/anthropology&quot;&gt;Anthropology&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/art&quot;&gt;Art&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/astronomy&quot;&gt;Astronomy&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/biology&quot;&gt;Biology&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/business-administration&quot;&gt;Business Administration&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/career-and-college-resources&quot;&gt;Career and College Resources&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/chemistry&quot;&gt;Chemistry&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/citation-tools&quot;&gt;Citation Tools&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/communication&quot;&gt;Communication&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/computer-science-info-systems&quot;&gt;Computer Science/Info Systems&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/criminal-justice&quot;&gt;Criminal Justice&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/culinary-arts&quot;&gt;Culinary Arts&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/current-and-controversial-issues&quot;&gt;Current &amp;amp; Controversial Issues&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/deaf-studies&quot;&gt;Deaf Studies&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/developmental-disabilities&quot;&gt;Developmental Disabilities&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/earth-science&quot;&gt;Earth Science&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/economics&quot;&gt;Economics&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/education&quot;&gt;Education&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/elections&quot;&gt;Elections&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/engineering&quot;&gt;Engineering&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/english-comp-101&quot;&gt;English Composition&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/english-literature&quot;&gt;English Literature&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/esl&quot;&gt;English as a Second Language&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/environmental-science&quot;&gt;Environmental Science&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/fact-checking-(misinformation)&quot;&gt;Fact Checking Websites (Misinformation)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/forensic-science&quot;&gt;Forensic Science&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/french&quot;&gt;French&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/geography&quot;&gt;Geography&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/gerontology&quot;&gt;Gerontology&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;subject-column&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/health-x2003&quot;&gt;Health&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/history-x2006&quot;&gt;History&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/hospitality&quot;&gt;Hospitality&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/human-services&quot;&gt;Human Services&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/law-cdb&quot;&gt;Law&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/management&quot;&gt;Management&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/marketing&quot;&gt;Marketing&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/mathematics&quot;&gt;Mathematics&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/music-x2017&quot;&gt;Music&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/newspapers&quot;&gt;Newspapers&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/nursing&quot;&gt;Nursing&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/nutrition&quot;&gt;Nutrition&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/community-theme&quot;&gt;Holyoke&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/pharmacology&quot;&gt;Pharmacology&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/philosophy&quot;&gt;Philosophy&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/physics&quot;&gt;Physics&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/political-science&quot;&gt;Political Science&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/psychology&quot;&gt;Psychology&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/radiology&quot;&gt;Radiology&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/reference-books-online&quot;&gt;Reference Books Online&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/sociology&quot;&gt;Sociology&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/spanish&quot;&gt;Spanish&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/speech&quot;&gt;Speech&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/sport-administration&quot;&gt;Sport Administration&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/statistics-sdb&quot;&gt;Statistics&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/sustainability-sdb&quot;&gt;Sustainability&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/theater&quot;&gt;Theater&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/veterinary-and-animal-science&quot;&gt;Veterinary and Animal Science&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/womens-studies&quot;&gt;Women's Studies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/nav&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x5675" URL="library/find-resources/databases-and-journals/online-resources-for-english-courses" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260428T14:10:37" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5675.xml" Name="Online Resources for English Courses" Title="Online Resources for English Courses" Abstract="Explore the library's large curated collection of freely available online resources for English courses. Contact the library for help finding additional resources." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Explore the library's large curated collection of freely available online resources for English courses. &lt;a href=&quot;/library/tutorials-and-help/ask-a-librarian&quot;&gt;Contact the library&lt;/a&gt; for help finding additional resources. We welcome your feedback, and please report any broken links you find.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x328" URL="library/find-resources/course-reserves" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241010T17:25:14" CategoryIds="" FileName="x328.xml" Name="Course Reserves" Title="Course Reserves" Abstract="Course Reserves" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Professors occasionally place articles, books, DVDs, CDs and other material on reserve for class use. These materials are available at the circulation desk. Students requesting material on reserve must have an HCC ID card and be currently attending HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visit the course reserves page by clicking on&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-catalog.helmlib.org/cgi-bin/koha/opac-course-reserves.pl&quot; title=&quot;Search Course Reserves&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Search Course Reserves&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Ask for the item by course number at the circulation desk.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Reserve materials have different loan periods. A majority of the reserve collection are two hour loans which require use inside the library. You may scan or photocopy needed pages.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;One reserve item at a time may be borrowed. This limit does not include library technology or calculators.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;If no one is waiting for the item, you can renew a reserve item.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;If material is not returned on time, the instructor is notified, borrowing privileges are denied, and blocks are placed with student accounts. Delinquent accounts may also be referred to collection agencies or the police as stolen state property.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Call the Circulation Desk at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2372&quot;&gt;413.552.2372&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for more information.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Course reserves support academic courses by ensuring that students have access to required and supplemental materials. Faculty may include library-owned materials, or you may place their own personal materials on reserve. Publishers often provide free desk copies upon request. Faculty wanting to place materials on reserve can complete the &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNz2-6rI3NrRJd5bI-up88L7vE9N5TxQOldtf29HmNpdKQdw/viewform&quot;&gt;online request form&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;Reserve requests are typically processed within two business days but may take longer, especially at the beginning of semesters. Please allow for additional time to be on the safe side.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10825" URL="library/find-resources/chromebooks-hotspots-and-calculators" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251020T19:24:54" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10825.xml" Name="Chromebooks, hotspots, and calculators" Title="Chromebooks, laptops, hotspots, and calculators" Abstract="While supplies last, HCC library offers the loan of Chromebooks, laptops, hotspots, and/or calculators to our registered students. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;While supplies last, HCC library offers the loan of Chromebooks, laptops, hotspots, and/or calculators to our registered students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students may pick up technology during &lt;a href=&quot;/library/about-the-library/library-hours&quot;&gt;open library hours&lt;/a&gt;. Reservations are not required.&amp;nbsp;Please note that library items can only be borrowed during your sessions of study, and you must already be registered. Please call the circulation desk if you have any questions: 413-552-2372.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you are experiencing hardship, and you can not make it to campus to pick up your items, please give us a call to discuss options.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4684" URL="library/find-resources/citation-tools" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241010T17:25:14" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4684.xml" Name="Citation Tools" Title="Citation Tools" Abstract="Learn how to use MyBib or Zotero" BodyCopy="&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ZoteroBib&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://zbib.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;ZoteroBib&lt;/a&gt; ZoteroBib helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software. If you need a citation tool with more features, consider &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.zotero.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Zotero.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MyBib&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mybib.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MyBib&lt;/a&gt; is a free online citation bibliography creation tool. It can create citations and bibliographies in many styles such as MLA 7 and 8, APA, Chicago, and more. MyBib allows you to paste in a website URL or even search for a book, article, or other source by title, and will pull most of the information you need to create a citation (though you may need to double check that the information is correct and complete).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Once you've created your citations, MyBib allows you to copy paste your citations, download them as a Word document, save them to your Google Drive, print them, or email them to yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can also&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/tutorials-and-help/ask-a-librarian&quot; title=&quot;Ask a Librarian&quot;&gt;contact us&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;at the library. We are here to help!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has a &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Writing Center&lt;/a&gt; that can help with citations and examples can be seen in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_style_introduction.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MLA Guide&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;APA Guide&lt;/a&gt; from Purdue.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x331" URL="library/interlibrary-loans" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:16" CategoryIds="" FileName="x331.xml" Name="Interlibrary Loans" Title="Interlibrary Loans" Abstract="If your research leads you to a book or article not available at the Holyoke Community College Library or its network, you can request the item through Interlibrary Loan." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;If your research leads you to a book or article not available at the HCC Library or its network, you may request the item through Interlibrary Loan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Who is Eligible?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;This service is available to all currently enrolled HCC students, faculty, and staff only. If you are not eligible for this service, please contact your public library.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Requesting Material&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before submitting a request for an item, you must be sure that it is not owned by the HCC Library or its network. For books and audio-visual materials, check the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-catalog.helmlib.org/&quot; title=&quot;HELM catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;online catalog&lt;/a&gt;. (Please note that very few libraries will lend audio-visual materials through Interlibrary Loan.) For magazines, journals and newspapers, check the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://library-tools.org/hcc/journals.pl&quot; title=&quot;HCC library journal list&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;HCC Journal List&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; &lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;Fill out a form for &lt;a href=&quot;/library/interlibrary-loans/request-an-article&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;requesting an article&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; or for &lt;a href=&quot;/library/interlibrary-loans/request-a-book&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: #ffff00;&quot;&gt;requesting a book&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All Interlibrary Loan Request forms must be approved by a reference librarian.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The library will only request items that it can acquire for no cost.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Limit to five requests per week.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pickup &amp;amp; Return&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;It is the patron's responsibility to check with the ILL department within a week, either in person or by telephone (&lt;a href=&quot;tel:41-552-2371&quot;&gt;413.552.2371&lt;/a&gt;), to inquire about the status of their loan request. Promptly pick up items at the Circulation Desk so that you will be able to get the maximum use of the material. Material must be returned to a staff person at the Circulation Desk by the date it is due. The HCC library cannot renew borrowed material without the permission of the lending library. Failure to pay late fees will result in suspension of library privileges and withholding of grades at the end of the semester. If materials are lost or damaged, the individual borrower is responsible for replacement or repair costs to the satisfaction of the lending library.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x5352" URL="library/interlibrary-loans/request-a-book" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:17" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5352.xml" Name="Request a Book" Title="Request a book from another library" Abstract="Request a book from another library" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;2000&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;auto&quot; src=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdfukh_nLcgLtjLES1bbiq6Ja7DFvUBdnU55sjGkohH5UY4lQ/viewform?embedded=true&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5351" URL="library/interlibrary-loans/request-an-article" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:17" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5351.xml" Name="Request an Article" Title="Request an article from another library" Abstract="Request an article from another library" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;2600&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;auto&quot; src=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScaxb0rSy2ELfsqio8oML2URQ-RjEn4iyYduyEGvuLCIy61Mw/viewform?embedded=true&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x19065" URL="library/journal-list" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251001T18:03:43" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19065.xml" Name="Journal List" Title="Journal List" Abstract="List of all the journals, magazines, and newspapers we have access to." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe style=&quot;width: 100%; border: 0px solid #ccc;&quot; title=&quot;Search for a journal, magazine, or newspaper by title&quot; id=&quot;search-wrap&quot; name=&quot;library_resources&quot; src=&quot;media/documents/Library/resources-box/journal_list.html&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x329" URL="library/tutorials-and-help" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260219T17:34:02" CategoryIds="" FileName="x329.xml" Name="Tutorials &amp; Help" Title="Tutorials &amp; Help" Abstract="Looking for help? Find tutorials and contact information here." ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x22125" URL="library/tutorials-and-help/printing-and-computer-questions" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260120T19:53:11" CategoryIds="" FileName="x22125.xml" Name="Printing and Computer Questions" Title="Printing and Computer Questions" Abstract="Printing and Computer Questions" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;If a librarian is available, please ask us for help!&amp;nbsp; If we're not at the desk, here are some of the common questions we get asked about printing and logging into computers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Can I print from my own device?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;No, you can only print from the desktop computers in the HCC library.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What computers can I print from?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can print from any of the desktop computers on the library&amp;rsquo;s 2nd floor (Donahue 3rd floor). There are computers in the main reference area, as well as in rooms 310 and 306. (Please note that room 306 is sometimes reserved for a class and cannot be used during those times.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;How do I log on to the computers?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can sign on to the computers with your HCC username/email address and password (same as for your HCC email or Canvas).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What should I do if the computer I&amp;rsquo;m trying to use won&amp;rsquo;t wake up or seems like it&amp;rsquo;s off?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;First check that the monitor is on. Next, look behind the monitor, where the actual computer is mounted, and press the power button if the computer is off.&amp;nbsp; The power button is the round button near the bottom of the computer around the right side of the monitor and will light up when turned on. Finally, you can check that all the cords in the computer and monitor are securely plugged in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Which printers can I print to?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;The computers in each room are set by default to print to the printer in that same room. If you need to switch printers you can do so in the printer dropdown menu on the print preview screen of whatever you&amp;rsquo;re printing.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Is there a page limit to printing?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please print no more than fifty pages at a time, so that everyone has a chance to use our shared printers equitably.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Can I print in color?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yes&amp;ndash;to print in color, select &amp;ldquo;Library Color&amp;rdquo; from the dropdown, and your job will print to the printer in the main reference area. (Please note that printing in color costs more: fifty cents per page.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Does printing cost money?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yes, printing costs five cents per black-and-white page (three cents if double sided), and fifty cents per color page. Each student&amp;rsquo;s GoPrint printing account is preloaded with $25 per school year. If you run out, you can add more money to your GoPrint account at Student Account Services (Frost 201).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;How do I print using GoPrint?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;After you press print on the print preview screen, your GoPrint account will pop up in a new window (sometimes the window stays minimized at the bottom of the screen). Check the box to the left of your print job and click &amp;ldquo;Pay and Print.&amp;rdquo; At that point your print job will be released.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What should I do if GoPrint isn&amp;rsquo;t showing my print jobs?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is a known issue that&amp;rsquo;s best resolved by restarting the computer with the problem and switching computers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What should I do if the printer says there&amp;rsquo;s a paper jam?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ask for help at the reference desk or at the main/circulation desk. If no one is available, you can try following the printer instructions to resolve the jam. Or, you can resend the print job to a different printer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What should I do if the printer says it&amp;rsquo;s out of ink/toner and won&amp;rsquo;t print?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ask for help at the reference desk or at the main/circulation desk. If no one is available, you can resend the print job to a different printer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What should I do when I am done using the computer?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make sure to restart the computer, so you&amp;rsquo;re logged out and no one else can access your accounts or information.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5363" URL="library/tutorials-and-help/ask-a-librarian" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260218T15:21:39" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5363.xml" Name="Ask a Librarian" Title="Ask a Librarian" Abstract="Contact the reference desk for all your questions. You can call us, stop by, text us, or email us." BodyCopy="&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By phone&lt;/strong&gt;. Call the Circulation Desk at &lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2372&quot;&gt;413.552.2372&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Text us a question at 413.282.8552&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;We respond to text messages at least once a day when the library is open. Although you can ask any question, the service works best for simple, quick questions. If you have a more in-depth question, please call us at &lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2372&quot;&gt;413.552.2372&lt;/a&gt; or use the for below with your question.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Request a 30-45 minute individual research consultation&lt;/strong&gt;. Schedule an appointment by contacting the Reference Desk at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;We are available to zoom&lt;/strong&gt; -- just be in touch to set up a time.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Send your question now to HCC's online reference service Ask the Librarian &lt;/strong&gt;(we'll reply within a business day)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ask the librarian&quot; height=&quot;177&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/ask_logo_transparent%280%29.gif&quot; width=&quot;503&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;640&quot; height=&quot;1244&quot; src=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevj2x-MlovY1CgXb1MYN81JlvhrpOB_OvX_A5XL45U21fhgw/viewform?embedded=true&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;The main library phone number is &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2372&quot;&gt;413.552.2372&lt;/a&gt;. To contact specific library staff members, consult the &lt;a href=&quot;/x1214.xml&quot;&gt;Library Staff Directory&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5840" URL="library/tutorials-and-help/avoiding-plagiarism" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5840.xml" Name="Avoiding Plagiarism" Title="Frank Johnson on Avoiding Plagiarism" Abstract="Learn what plagiarism is and how to avoid it when you are writing your papers." BodyCopy="&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Avoiding Plagiarism&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every day we read and hear factual information, we hear stories, we view video, and we engage in numerous conversations. We assimilate much of this information and then repeat it, putting our own spin on it. When we proclaim some absolute fact or statistic or strong belief, we often hear the question, &quot;Where did you hear that?&quot; or the imperative statement, &quot;Prove it&quot;. These are often legitimate responses and they press us to reveal the source or sources of our knowledge. Writing a paper and including outside sources is no different, except that you will be required to document your sources and you will be graded on the accuracy and quality of the work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In college, plagiarism is one of the most serious accusations a professor can make against a student. It can lead to failing grades for a paper, for a class, and in cases of repeat offenders, can even lead to expulsion from school. With seemingly unlimited&amp;nbsp; information available through multiple print and electronic mediums, it is easy to become confused, disorganized, and overwhelmed. Also, the temptation to copy and paste has never been greater. Be warned though, that as easy as it is for a student to plagiarize information, it is easier for professors to investigate a suspicious passage in hand since the professors are familiar with your writing style, have knowledge of advanced search techniques, and can use the plagiarism program, turnitin.com to identify undocumented passages from outside sources.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To avoid plagiarism you need to know what it is. Plagiarism is the &lt;em&gt;undocumented use&lt;/em&gt; of another person's ideas, written or spoken words, images, statistics, theories, and even paraphrases of another person's speech or writing. Keep in mind that whether it is unintentional or deliberate&lt;em&gt;, any&lt;/em&gt; undocumented use of another person's work is considered plagiarism.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I like to think that most plagiarism is accidental and that it happens mostly because students are misinformed about how to incorporate and cite outside information. A few reasons someone might accidentally plagiarize are:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;A student may not know how to properly search library catalogues, databases, and other reference resources available through the library.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Students don't know &lt;em&gt;when&lt;/em&gt; to cite specific information. Just because we understand an idea doesn't mean it's ours. We must give credit.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A student may not have the ability to paraphrase properly and to cite a paraphrase properly.&amp;nbsp; Many students don't know how to paraphrase and plagiarize when they just substitute a word here and there instead of rewriting the entire passage in their own words. Additionally, many students plagiarize because they assume that a paraphrase does not have to be cited. It has to be cited.&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Poor note taking during the research process also leads to plagiarism. It is important to note ALL paraphrases and direct quotes as you write them or find them. Once you are working on late or final drafts, you may forget what is &lt;em&gt;your&lt;/em&gt; writing or your ideas and what you have borrowed. &lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Plagiarism often occurs because students procrastinate and start their research project late. Not only does this possibly tempt one to copy and paste, but rushing anything makes us more susceptible to mistakes.&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;One last reason for plagiarism is many students' inability to properly cite sources. The library offers an online resources called NoodleTools which allows a student to enter citation information into the program's online fields and it then formats the citation. Keep in mind that any type of program that does this is only as accurate and thorough as the information entered into it.&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;How can you avoid plagiarism? Easy. You need to be informed, and when you are unsure of something, ask questions or seek help. Here are a few tips:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;When in doubt about anything to do with the research process, ask your professor first. This is the person who will be reading, evaluating, and grading your work. The biggest mistake I see students make is not checking in with professors when they have questions. Many professors have specific requirements particular to their writing assignments, especially when research is involved.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Use the services that are available to you, both on campus and online.&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Reference librarians can help with all phases of the research process, especially when you are gathering information. The more focused your topic is, the easier it will be for them to help you find the appropriate material. Keep in mind that you are not &quot;bothering&quot; them when you seek help. They went to school to learn how to use and teach these methods and resources and their primary mission is to help students.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Use the Academic Support Services. The Center for Academic Program Support or CAPS offers tutoring for writing in all classes, tutoring in specific subject areas, and tutoring in math and math-related classes. Tutors in the Writing Center, DON 238 (just around the corner from the library) are all experienced with research writing and citation methods. In addition to one-on-one tutoring, the Writing Center has a number of resources including citation manuals, links to online research resources, and research writing materials.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;All HCC students have access to online tutoring through &lt;em&gt;etutoring.org&lt;/em&gt;. The service is free. The online writing tutoring is asynchronous, which means the paper is submitted, the tutor reads it, and then responds later. Students log in and submit their writing online.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;To wrap up, be sure to give credit where credit is due. When you are given a research assignment, remember to start early, to keep track of your sources, to ask lots of questions, and to seek help when you feel the need. Good luck with your research and good luck with your writing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10381" URL="library/tutorials-and-help/citation-tools" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10381.xml" Name="Citation Tools" Title="Citation Tools" Abstract="Learn how to use MyBib or Zotero" BodyCopy="&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ZoteroBib&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://zbib.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;ZoteroBib&lt;/a&gt; ZoteroBib helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software. If you need a citation tool with more features, consider &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.zotero.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Zotero.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MyBib&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mybib.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MyBib&lt;/a&gt; is a free online citation bibliography creation tool. It can create citations and bibliographies in many styles such as MLA 7 and 8, APA, Chicago, and more. MyBib allows you to paste in a website URL or even search for a book, article, or other source by title, and will pull most of the information you need to create a citation (though you may need to double check that the information is correct and complete).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Once you've created your citations, MyBib allows you to copy paste your citations, download them as a Word document, save them to your Google Drive, print them, or email them to yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can also&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/tutorials-and-help/ask-a-librarian&quot; title=&quot;Ask a Librarian&quot;&gt;contact us&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;at the library. We are here to help!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has a &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Writing Center&lt;/a&gt; that can help with citations and examples can be seen in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_style_introduction.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MLA Guide&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;APA Guide&lt;/a&gt; from Purdue.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5397" URL="library/tutorials-and-help/create-search-alerts" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251021T16:29:30" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5397.xml" Name="Create Search Alerts" Title="Create Search Alerts" Abstract="Search alerts will periodically e-mail you a list of new articles that match your search when they are added to the database." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Search Alerts&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Search alerts will periodically e-mail you a list of new articles that match your search when they are added to the database. This can be helpful for keeping up-to-date in a particular area as well as finding very current content to add to course readings.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ebsco -&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://support.ebsco.com/knowledge_base/detail.php?id=4002&quot;&gt;Tutorial through EBSCO&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;see also &lt;a href=&quot;https://help.ebsco.com/interfaces/EBSCO_Guides/EBSCO_Interfaces_User_Guide/How_to_Use_Journal_Alerts&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;journal alerts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Create and refine a search in a database.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Click the&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Share&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;link and select&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;E-mail Alert&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;from the resulting pop-up menu.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Log in (or create a free account)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Set your alert parameters and click&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Save Alert&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gale Databases (Gale Onefile, ...)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Search Alert&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Create and refine a search in a database.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;When looking at a list of results, click on &quot;Search Alert&quot; at the menu bar near the top of the page.&amp;nbsp; Choose Email and fill in the details.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Journal Alert&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Use the &lt;a href=&quot;https://ezproxyhcc.helmlib.org/login?url=https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&amp;amp;sw=w&amp;amp;u=mlin_w_holycc&amp;amp;v=2.1&amp;amp;pg=PublicationSearch&amp;amp;it=static&amp;amp;sid=bookmark-GPS&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;extLink&quot; title=&quot;Publication Search&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;publication search&lt;/a&gt; to find a journal or click on the link to a journal title when viewing result.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;When viewing the About this Publication page for the selected journal, select Create Journal Alert near the top. Choose Email and fill in the details.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ScienceDirect&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Search alert&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Create a search and select &quot;Set search alert&quot; on the left of the results.&amp;nbsp; You'll be prompted to sign in (create a free account if you haven't) and you can create an alert by clicking &quot;Set search alert&quot; again.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Journal alert&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Search for a journal or click on a journal title in a list of results.&amp;nbsp; Once at the page about that journal, select &quot;Articles &amp;amp; Issues&quot; and choose &quot;Setup journal alerts&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x333" URL="library/archives-and-special-collections" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251021T12:27:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x333.xml" Name="Archives &amp; Special Collections" Title="Archives &amp; Special Collections" Abstract="The HCC Archives collects, preserves, and makes available for research materials of enduring historic value created by the HCC community. " IntroCopy="The HCC Archives collects, preserves, and makes available for research materials of enduring historic value created by the HCC community. " BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections&quot; title=&quot;Archives&quot;&gt;Archives Home&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/about-the-archives&quot; title=&quot;About the Archives&quot;&gt;About&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/hcc-records&quot; title=&quot;HCC Records&quot;&gt;HCC Records&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/local-history-collection&quot; title=&quot;Local History Collection&quot;&gt;Local History&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/resources-for-teaching-and-learning&quot; title=&quot;Resources&quot;&gt;Resources&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Archives &amp;amp; Special Collections collects, preserves, and makes available for research materials that contribute to the enduring historical memory of the college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These materials range in scope from photographs, official college reports and publications, records of administrative offices, newspaper clippings and scrapbooks to yearbooks, memorabilia items, oral history tapes, governance and committee meeting minutes, and much more!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For inquiries relating to the Archives, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:olanzagalindo@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Oscar Lanza-Galindo.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x5474" URL="library/archives-and-special-collections/about-the-archives" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:09:07" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5474.xml" Name="About the Archives" Title="About the Archives" Abstract="The HCC Archives is the official repository for Holyoke Community College records having permanent historical, legal, administrative, and/or research value. " BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections&quot; title=&quot;Archives&quot;&gt;Archives Home&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/about-the-archives&quot; title=&quot;About the Archives&quot;&gt;About&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/hcc-records&quot; title=&quot;HCC Records&quot;&gt;HCC Records&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/local-history-collection&quot; title=&quot;Local History Collection&quot;&gt;Local History&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/resources-for-teaching-and-learning&quot; title=&quot;Resources&quot;&gt;Resources&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Mission Statement&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Archives is the official repository for Holyoke Community College records having permanent historical, legal, administrative, and/or research value. Through its collections, the Archives will chronicle the history and academic endeavors of the college, promote awareness of the diverse history of our community, and inspire learners to explore the depths of primary source research. The Archives is committed to an &amp;ldquo;archives for all&amp;rdquo; approach towards collecting, accessing, and using materials.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Archives Staff&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Liam Brackman&lt;br /&gt;Library Assistant&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:lbrackman@hcc.edu&quot;&gt; lbrackman@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2187&quot;&gt;413.552.2187&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Donating to the Archives&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Archives is not accepting donations at this time.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5546" URL="library/archives-and-special-collections/hcc-records" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241101T15:49:11" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5546.xml" Name="HCC Records" Title="Holyoke Community College Records" Abstract="This collection documents the functions, activities, and intellectual materials produced by members of Holyoke Community College." BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections&quot; title=&quot;Archives&quot;&gt;Archives Home&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/about-the-archives&quot; title=&quot;About the Archives&quot;&gt;About&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/hcc-records&quot; title=&quot;HCC Records&quot;&gt;HCC Records&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/local-history-collection&quot; title=&quot;Local History Collection&quot;&gt;Local History&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/resources-for-teaching-and-learning&quot; title=&quot;Resources&quot;&gt;Resources&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke Community College (HCC) records&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Inclusive Dates:&lt;/strong&gt; 1946-2018&lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Extent:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;300 Boxes, 6 filing cabinets, 30 GB&lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Name of Creator:&lt;/strong&gt; corporate name: Holyoke Community College&lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Conditions governing access:&lt;/strong&gt; Unrestricted, except where noted. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Language:&lt;/strong&gt; Mostly English, some Spanish.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Scope &amp;amp; Contents&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;This collection documents the functions, activities, and intellectual materials produced by members of Holyoke Community College. The various creators include: college administration, staff, faculty, students, and alumni. Material types include: meeting minutes, administrative records, published reports, e-mail correspondence, official publications, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, photographs, memorabilia, video footage, oral histories, posters, brochures, and personal papers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Administrative/Biographical History&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;In September of 1946, the Holyoke Graduate School was established as a municipal program providing night-school college classes to returning WWII veterans and other adults. In March of 1947, the Massachusetts General Court enacted legislation permitting municipal higher education programs to be called junior colleges, and on April 7, 1947, the Holyoke School Committee changed the name of the Holyoke Graduate School to Holyoke Junior College. Holyoke Junior College, known as &quot;JC&quot; or &quot;HJC&quot;, flourished thanks to the perseverance of Dr. George Frost, the school's founder, and Ellen Lynch, his secretary, who were the only full-time employees until 1958. They shared a tiny office in a former cloak room in the Holyoke High School building. Together they scavenged chalk, erasers, and pencils for the part-time faculty, who hailed from Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and other area colleges. By 1964, Holyoke Junior College had grown to 690 full-time students. On July 1, 1964, Holyoke Junior College joined the state community college system and was renamed Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When Holyoke Community College's newly renovated building (the former Holyoke High School, in the block bordered by Sargeant, Cabot, Beech and Pine streets) burned to the ground on January 4, 1968, it was the resourcefulness and innovative spirit of the JC college students and Holyoke residents that enabled students to resume their studies in church basements, an armory, rooms above a restaurant, and other Holyoke locations, after missing only one day of classes. On January 9, a full page advertisement in the Holyoke Transcript Telegram urged everyone in the city to write and call Governor Volpe to insist that the school be rebuilt in Holyoke. On January 12, the Massachusetts Board of Regional Community Colleges voted to rebuild the college in Holyoke, and exactly one year after the fire, the college moved into a new temporary building on Beech and Sargeant Streets.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Construction of the &quot;new&quot; campus on the Sheehan farm property on Homestead Avenue commenced in June of 1971, and spring semester classes began at the new campus on February 19, 1974. The new campus originally consisted of: &quot;A&quot; building (now Donahue) and &quot;B&quot; building (now Frost), and &quot;D&quot; building (now Marieb). In March of 1975, &quot;C&quot; building (Fine Arts) was finished. In 1981, &quot;G&quot; building (now campus center) was opened. In 2000, the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation was completed, and in May of 2006 the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, was dedicated.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the spring of 1975, Dr. George Frost announced his resignation, and Dr. David M. Bartley, Speaker of the House of Representatives and a 1954 graduate of Holyoke Junior College, was appointed the second president of the college. President Bartley retired on January 1, 2004 and was succeeded by William F. Messner. President Messner retired in August 2016 and was succeeded by Dr. Christina Royal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;System of Arrangement&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The collection contains 16 record groups:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;RG 01: Institutional Documentation (Governance)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;RG 02: Office of the President&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;RG 03: Administration&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;RG 04: Academics&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;RG 05: Academic Support Services&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;RG 06: Faculty &amp;amp; Professional Staff&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;RG 07: Student Life&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;RG 08: Student Success &amp;amp; Support Services&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;RG 09: Buildings &amp;amp; Grounds&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;RG 10: Campus Events&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;RG 11: History of HCC&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;RG 12: Slides, Negatives, Photographs, Digital Images&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;RG 13: Moving Image, Streaming Media&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;RG 14: Scrapbooks, Reference&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;RG 15: Memorabilia&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;RG 16: Massachusetts State Documents&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5475" URL="library/archives-and-special-collections/resources-for-teaching-and-learning" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:10:05" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5475.xml" Name="Resources for Teaching &amp; Learning" Title="Resources for Teaching &amp; Learning" Abstract="Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to contact the archivist if you would like to host any of the following workshops for your class, club, project team, or department. " BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections&quot; title=&quot;Archives&quot;&gt;Archives Home&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/about-the-archives&quot; title=&quot;About the Archives&quot;&gt;About&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/hcc-records&quot; title=&quot;HCC Records&quot;&gt;HCC Records&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/local-history-collection&quot; title=&quot;Local History Collection&quot;&gt;Local History&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/resources-for-teaching-and-learning&quot; title=&quot;Resources&quot;&gt;Resources&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Workshops&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to contact us if you would like to host any of the following workshops for your class, club, project team, or department.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Conducting Oral History&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Conducting Archival Research, the basics!&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Resources for Discovering Primary Sources&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Digital Collections&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.europeana.eu/portal/en&quot; title=&quot;Europeana&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Europeana&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br id=&quot;E396&quot; data-line-break=&quot;true&quot; /&gt;&quot;The material you find here comes from galleries, libraries, archives and museums from all over Europe that want to share their collections with a wider audience, whether it is for work, learning, or just to enjoy.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://dp.la/&quot; title=&quot;Digital Public Library of America&quot;&gt;Digital Public Library of America&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br id=&quot;E412&quot; data-line-break=&quot;true&quot; /&gt;&quot;DPLA connects people to the riches held within America's libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions. All of the materials found through DPLA &amp;ndash; photographs, books, maps, news footage, oral histories, personal letters, museum objects, artwork, government documents, and so much more &amp;ndash; are free and immediately available in digital format. The cultural institutions participating in DPLA represent the richness and diversity of America itself, from the smallest local history museum to our nation's largest cultural institutions. Our core work includes bringing new collections and partners into DPLA, building our technology, and managing projects that further our mission through curation, education, and community building.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/&quot; title=&quot;Digital Commonwealth&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Digital Commonwealth&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br id=&quot;E425&quot; data-line-break=&quot;true&quot; /&gt;&quot;Digital Commonwealth is a non-profit collaborative organization that provides resources and services to support the creation, management, and dissemination of cultural heritage materials held by Massachusetts libraries, museums, historical societies, and archives. Digital Commonwealth currently has over 130&amp;nbsp;member institutions&amp;nbsp;from across the state. This site provides access to thousands of images, documents, and sound recordings that have been digitized by member institutions so that they may be available to researchers, students, and the general public.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.loc.gov/discover/&quot; title=&quot;Library of Congress&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Library of Congress&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Finding other Repositories/Archives/Special Collections&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://beta.worldcat.org/archivegrid/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Archive Grid&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mblc.state.ma.us/directories/special-collections/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;MBLC Special Collections Directory&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://asteria.fivecolleges.edu/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Five College Archives &amp;amp; Manuscript Collections&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5302" URL="library/archives-and-special-collections/local-history-collection" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241101T17:10:33" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5302.xml" Name="Local History Collection" Title="Local History Collection" Abstract="Local History webpage" BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections&quot; title=&quot;Archives&quot;&gt;Archives Home&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/about-the-archives&quot; title=&quot;About the Archives&quot;&gt;About&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/hcc-records&quot; title=&quot;HCC Records&quot;&gt;HCC Records&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/local-history-collection&quot; title=&quot;Local History Collection&quot;&gt;Local History&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/resources-for-teaching-and-learning&quot; title=&quot;Resources&quot;&gt;Resources&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Local History Collection at HCC contains information about the cities, towns, counties, schools, industry, architecture, and geography of the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts. &amp;nbsp;The bulk of the collection consists of 230 books, which can be searched through our main library catalog.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use Policy:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Local History Collection contains valuable and often irreplaceable materials. Consequently, controlled access is necessary. Local History materials do not circulate. Depending on the age and condition of an item, photocopy restrictions may apply. Only pencils may be used while working with these materials. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additional Resources for Local History Research:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.holyokelibrary.org/historyabout.asp&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Holyoke History Room &amp;amp; Archives at the Holyoke Public Library&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wistariahurst.org/archive/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Wistariahurst Museum Research Archive, Holyoke&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://springfieldmuseums.org/about/museum-of-springfield-history/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Wood Museum of Springfield History&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://forbeslibrary.org/research/local-history/hampshire-room/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Forbes Library, Northampton&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.joneslibrary.org/211/Special-Collections&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Jones Library Special Collections, Amherst&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://scua.library.umass.edu/umarmot/&quot;&gt;Special Collections and University Archives at UMass Amherst&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5303" URL="library/archives-and-special-collections/hcc-photographs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241101T17:10:33" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5303.xml" Name="HCC Photographs" Title="HCC Photographs" Abstract="View over 5,000 of the HCC Archives photograph collection online!" BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections&quot; title=&quot;Archives&quot;&gt;Archives Home&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/about-the-archives&quot; title=&quot;About the Archives&quot;&gt;About&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/hcc-records&quot; title=&quot;HCC Records&quot;&gt;HCC Records&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/local-history-collection&quot; title=&quot;Local History Collection&quot;&gt;Local History&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;/library/archives-and-special-collections/resources-for-teaching-and-learning&quot; title=&quot;Resources&quot;&gt;Resources&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some of the HCC Archives photograph collection are online and can be accessed in several ways:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://library-tools.org/hcc/browse.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;viewed by person or topic&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://library-tools.org/hcc/photos.pl&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;searching the photo descriptions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://library-tools.org/hcc/photonumbers.pl&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;search by number&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;Help identify &lt;a href=&quot;http://library-tools.org/hcc/photos-without-descriptions_thumbnails.pl&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;photographs that have no descriptions&lt;/a&gt;. These photographs represent only part of the HCC Archives photograph collection. To view more photographs from the collection, please visit the archives, or contact the archivist.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x9122" URL="library/library-display-cases" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251021T14:47:16" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9122.xml" Name="Library Display Cases" Title="Library Display Cases" Abstract="Library Display Cases" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Schedule of Displays&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;800&quot; height=&quot;600&quot; style=&quot;border: 0;&quot; src=&quot;https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=c_d26b3813dcd3965811c13b3074128bd9bf253c356372fb18d6aea4ff04d59a30%40group.calendar.google.com&amp;amp;ctz=America%2FNew_York&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxaR8JruuA66ZPfbfePyboxfqIKSQuNiyZRMvBpRdwLebXzQ/viewform?usp=sf_link&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Request to use one of the cases.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (sign in with HCC e-mail required)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DISPLAY GUIDELINES &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC Library welcomes the opportunity to allow departments and groups from the college community to use the library's display cases. Space is provided for displays of an educational, cultural, intellectual, charitable or historical nature, and for exhibiting works of art. Display areas may also be used for materials from the Library's collection or to publicize library services, collections, or activities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Exhibit Policy and Purpose&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Exhibit areas are available on an equitable basis regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use. The Library endeavors to present a broad spectrum of opinion and viewpoints. The Library does not endorse content nor imply agreement or disagreement with beliefs or viewpoints expressed in the exhibits or displays. The Library does not accept responsibility for ensuring that all points of view are represented in any single display.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Limitations&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Displays should be appropriate in material, form, and content for the academic community. For example, the Library discourages material containing images that include significant elements of sexually explicit imagery or graphic depictions of violence. In general, the Library does not accept exhibits or displays of a purely commercial nature, unless they have a special educational, informational, or cultural value to the college community. &amp;nbsp;If the exhibit contains elements that may be of concern under this policy, the exhibitor should discuss it with the Library Dean or her representative in advance of the installation date.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Exhibit Guidelines&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Exhibit space must be reserved in advance.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The title or description of the proposed display and a brief description of the individual, group or department mounting the display should be submitted for review at least two months in advance.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Submissions are reviewed by the display case coordinator. Display space may not be booked more than one year in advance.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Exhibitors can request to use all 8 display cases.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Displays are typically scheduled for one month at a time.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;All materials are displayed at the exhibitor's own risk. Exhibitors are responsible for providing tools and supplies. However, the library can supply support materials from our circulating collection and basic mounting materials: construction paper, push pins and scotch tape.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The exhibitor is responsible for installing and labeling the exhibit on the agreed upon date.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The exhibitor MUST remove the exhibit promptly on the agreed upon date.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;All displays/exhibits must be set up and removed with as little interference as possible to the daily operations of the Library.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The library reserves the right to remove exhibit materials if they are not picked up by the agreed upon date. Exhibit materials may be disposed of if not claimed within 30 days.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Due to the demand of the display cases, the same individual or group may not mount a display more than twice in an academic year.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dimensions of the display cases:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lobby&lt;/strong&gt; - each of the 4 cases are the same size&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Inside dimensions&lt;/strong&gt;: 48&amp;rdquo; wide x 9.5&amp;rdquo; deep x 41.5&amp;rdquo; tall&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Outside dimensions&lt;/strong&gt;: 38.5&amp;rdquo; wide x 9.75&amp;rdquo; deep x 41.5&amp;rdquo; tall&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;There is a small triangle-shaped section on the left-most side of the cases (closest to the door).&lt;br /&gt;This is an equilateral triangle with all sides measuring 9.75&amp;rdquo;, with the same height as the rest of&lt;br /&gt;the cases (41.5&amp;rdquo;).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hallway&lt;/strong&gt; - each of the 4 cases are the same size&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Inside dimensions&lt;/strong&gt;: 53&amp;rdquo; wide x 9.5&amp;rdquo; deep x 41.5&amp;rdquo; tall&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Outside dimensions&lt;/strong&gt;: 54&amp;rdquo; wide x 9.75&amp;rdquo; deep x 41.5&amp;rdquo; tall&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;There is a small triangle-shaped section on the right-most side of the cases (closest to the&lt;br /&gt;door). This is an equilateral triangle with all sides measuring 9&amp;rdquo;, with the same height as the rest&lt;br /&gt;of the cases (41.5&amp;rdquo;).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4969" URL="library/build-your-oer-course" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251021T12:26:24" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4969.xml" Name="Build your OER+ Course" Title="Build your OER+ Course" Abstract="Build your OER+ course using OER, free, and library resources." BodyCopy="&lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;12&quot; cellspacing=&quot;8&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; vertical-align=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;50%&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/what-is-oer&quot;&gt;What is OER?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/what-is-oer&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;OER logo&quot; height=&quot;174&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/OER_Logo_Open_Educational_Resources300x174.png&quot; style=&quot;padding-bottom: 15px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; vertical-align=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;50%&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer&quot;&gt;Find OER material&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Finding OER&quot; height=&quot;175&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/finding_oer300x175.png&quot; style=&quot;padding-bottom: 15px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; vertical-align=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/oer-at-hcc&quot;&gt;OER at HCC&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/oer-at-hcc&quot; style=&quot;text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Logo&quot; height=&quot;175&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/hcc_logo_300x175b.png&quot; style=&quot;padding-bottom: 15px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; vertical-align=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/library-resources&quot;&gt;Library resources&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/library-resources&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Library resources&quot; height=&quot;175&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/library_resources300x175c.png&quot; style=&quot;padding-bottom: 15px;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; vertical-align=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.pinterest.com/holyokecommunitycollegelibrary/open-learning-professional-development-for-faculty/&quot;&gt;Open Learning:&lt;br /&gt;Be Inspired!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/open-learning-be-inspired&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Pinterest&quot; height=&quot;91&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/pinterest300x100.png&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; vertical-align=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/get-help&quot;&gt;Get help&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/get-help&quot; style=&quot;text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;help symbol&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/help.png&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; vertical-align=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/creative-commons-licenses&quot;&gt;Creative Commons&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/creative-commons-licenses&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Creative Commons&quot; height=&quot;101&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/creative_commons_300x100.png&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; vertical-align=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/oer-listservs&quot;&gt;Connect through LISTSERVs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/oer-listservs&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;help symbol&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/listservs.png&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 7pt;&quot;&gt;Image references&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OER_Logo_Open_Educational_Resources.png&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&quot;OER Logo&quot;&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;CC BY-SA 3.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://support.skillscommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/finding-oer-300x219.png&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&quot;Finding OER&quot;&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;http://support.skillscommons.org/about/open-educational-resources/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;SkillsCommons&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;Library resources &lt;a href=&quot;https://pixabay.com/en/library-electronic-ebook-e-book-1666703/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Image 1&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://pixabay.com/en/book-books-library-books-reading-2022464/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Image 2&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;are licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;CC0&lt;/a&gt; (public domain)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;pinterest&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;Get help &lt;a href=&quot;https://pixabay.com/en/floating-ring-belt-help-lifesaver-160536/&quot;&gt;image&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;CC0&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(public domain)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/mission/downloads/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Creative commons logo&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Electronic.mail.png&quot;&gt;LISTSERVs image&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;is licensed under&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x5418" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/what-is-oer" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:17" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5418.xml" Name="What is OER?" Title="What is OER?" Abstract="What is OER?" BodyCopy="&lt;center&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Defining the &quot;Open&quot; in Open Content&amp;nbsp;and Open Educational Resources&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;p&gt;The terms &quot;open content&quot; and &quot;open educational resources&quot; describe any copyrightable work (traditionally excluding software, which is described by other terms like &quot;open source&quot;) that is licensed in a manner that provides users with free and perpetual permission to engage in the 5R activities:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Retain&lt;/strong&gt; - the right to make, own, and control copies of the content (e.g., download, duplicate, store, and manage)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reuse&lt;/strong&gt; - the right to use the content in a wide range of ways (e.g., in a class, in a study group, on a website, in a video)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Revise&lt;/strong&gt; - the right to adapt, adjust, modify, or alter the content itself (e.g., translate the content into another language)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remix&lt;/strong&gt; - the right to combine the original or revised content with other material to create something new (e.g., incorporate the content into a mashup)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Redistribute&lt;/strong&gt; - the right to share copies of the original content, your revisions, or your remixes with others (e.g., give a copy of the content to a friend)&lt;br /&gt;(source:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://opencontent.org/definition/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;amp;q=http://opencontent.org/definition/&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1493294891004000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFl4fSXBKo4Bjx1KDxK-e7bbqkG8g&quot;&gt;http://opencontent.org/&lt;wbr /&gt;definition&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Faculty at Lane Community College discuss their experiences with open educational resources&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe frameborder=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;395&quot; src=&quot;https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1703211/sp/170321100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/28069352/partner_id/1703211?iframeembed=true&amp;amp;playerId=kplayer&amp;amp;entry_id=0_ipioi8tq&amp;amp;flashvars[streamerType]=auto&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;560&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4971" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240906T18:38:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4971.xml" Name="Find OER" Title="Find OER" Abstract="Find Open Educational Resources " IntroCopy="General repositories" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;There are many repositories and types of OER materials. &amp;nbsp;We've selected ones we think are most useful and arranged them by type.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; cellspacing=&quot;3&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: 549px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-textbooks&quot;&gt;Textbooks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-textbooks&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;OER Textbooks&quot; height=&quot;175&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/free_the_textboox300x175.png&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-repositories&quot;&gt;Repositories&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-repositories&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;OER Repositories&quot; height=&quot;175&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/oer_logo300x175.png&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-videos&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Videos&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-videos&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;OER videos&quot; height=&quot;175&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/oer_videos300x175.png&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-images&quot;&gt;Images&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-images&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;OER Images&quot; height=&quot;175&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/oer_images300x175.png&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 8pt;&quot;&gt;Image Sources:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/5538035556/&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&quot;Free the textbook&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;by&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;Libby Levi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;is licensed under&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;CC BY-SA 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.jonathasmello.com/oer/manual/global_oer_logo_manual_en.pdf&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&quot;Global OER Logo&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;by&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.jonathasmello.com/pro/&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Johathas Mello&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;is licensed under&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHQp33rbg5k&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ted.com&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;TED.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;is licensed under&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cell_Structure_,_Cell_Diagram.png&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&quot;Cell Structure&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt; by Jake Cannon&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;is licensed under&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;CC BY-SA 3.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x5123" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-textbooks" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240906T19:32:30" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5123.xml" Name="OER Textbooks" Title="OER Textbooks" Abstract="Find Open Educational Resources: Textbooks" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Search by ISBN&lt;/strong&gt; to find free textbook replacement or related materials to your current textbook. Two search options: &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://library.calstate.edu/textbook/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;CalState&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.merlot.org/merlot/isbnSearch.htm&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Merlot&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://oercommons.org/hubs/masscc&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark noopener&quot; title=&quot;Open Massachusetts: A Public Higher Education Repository&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Massachusetts: A Public Higher Education Repository&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;A platform for sharing open educational resources created and adopted by faculty from Massachusetts Public Higher Education Institutions. Includes resources created and edited by HCC faculty.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://oer.deepwebaccess.com/oer/desktop/en/search.html&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark noopener&quot; title=&quot;Mason OER Metafinder&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Mason OER Metafinder&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;The OER Metafinder launches a real-time, simultaneous search across 21 different sources of open educational materials.&amp;nbsp; It includes sites that containwhere valuable but often overlooked educational materials but not all items are &quot;open&quot; in the strictest interpretation so usage rights should be checked.&amp;nbsp; Can be limited to &quot;book&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://oasis.geneseo.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark noopener&quot; title=&quot;Oasis&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Oasis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;OASIS allows users to search multiple sites simultaneously and includes links from over a hundred sources and hundreds of thousands of records. Search can be limited to textbook.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-textbooks/openstax-college&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark noopener&quot; title=&quot;Open Stax College&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Stax College&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Possibly the most widely adopted open textbook repository for higher education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.oercommons.org/hubs/open-textbooks&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;OER Commons Texbooks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;OER Commons is a public digital library of records from numerous prodiders of open educational resources. Explore, create, and collaborate with educators around the world to improve curriculum.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://collection.bccampus.ca/&quot;&gt;B.C. Open Collection&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;B.C. Open Collection is home to a growing selection of open textbooks for a variety of subjects and specialties. Discover open textbooks that have been reviewed by faculty, meet our accessibility requirements, and/or include ancillary materials (quizzes, test banks, slides, videos, etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://milneopentextbooks.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Milne Open Textbooks&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Provides an academic-friendly publishing model and infrastructure supporting SUNY faculty adoption, remixing, and creation of open educational resources (OER) and courses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-textbooks/open-textbook-library&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark&quot; title=&quot;Open Textbook Library&quot;&gt;Open Textbook Library&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;These textbooks have proven quality and have been already used in classes at a huge number of universities and colleges. All textbooks are completely open with no strings attached.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark noopener&quot; title=&quot;Merlot&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Merlot&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Provides access to curated online learning and support materials and content creation tools, led by an international community of educators, learners and researchers.&amp;nbsp; All the materials in MERLOT are reviewed for suitability for retention in the collection and many undergo the more extensive &quot;peer review&quot;.&amp;nbsp; Can limit search to Open Access Textbook under Material Type.&amp;nbsp; ISBN search provides textbook alternatives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-repositories/open-textbook-store&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark&quot; title=&quot;Open Textbook Store&quot;&gt;Open Textbook Store&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;It calls itself a &quot;Store,&quot; but they are not a publisher. Open TextBook Store provides freely and openly available math textbooks created by Washington CTC faculty.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-textbooks/washington-45&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark&quot; title=&quot;Washington 45&quot;&gt;Washington 45&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;The Washington 45 are &quot;courses selected from within the general education categories... at a public community, technical, four-year college or university in Washington state that will be able to transfer and apply a maximum of 45 quarter credits toward general education requirement(s)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://staging.pressbooks.directory/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Pressbooks Directory&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Search across many Pressbook networks containing thousands published books.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://libretexts.org&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;LibreTexts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With LibreTexts, students, faculty, and outside experts work together to build freely available open education resources(OER) that supplant conventional paper-based textbooks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://lumenlearning.com/what/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Lumen Learning&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Provides&amp;nbsp;open educational resources (OER) and low-cost course materials that replace expensive textbooks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x5357" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-textbooks/openstax-college" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240906T17:26:49" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5357.xml" Name="Openstax College" Title="Openstax College" Abstract="Find OER textbooks in: Openstax College" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://openstaxcollege.org/&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;OpenStax College logo&quot; height=&quot;54&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/openstax.png&quot; width=&quot;258&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Possibly the most widely adopted open textbook repository for higher education.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;All textbooks are completely open with no strings attached.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://openstaxcollege.org/&quot; title=&quot;OpenStax College&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;OpenStax College&lt;/a&gt; makes it easy to get high-quality textbooks for your course. You can download the books in 5 different formats including print version.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;License Setting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;All OpenStax textbooks are licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/&quot; title=&quot;OpenStax CCBY3.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;CC BY 3.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;This license lets you distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the original work, even commercially, as long as you credit the author for the original creation.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sample Attribution&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;OpenStax made it clear about how they wish to be cited.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Introduction to Sociology&lt;/em&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;http://cnx.org/contents/afe4332a-c97f-4fc4-be27-4e4d384a32d8@7.13&quot; title=&quot;link to OpenStax College&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;OpenStax College&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under a &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/&quot; title=&quot;CC licensing&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/open-stax-college/&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&quot;Open Stax College&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt; by &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Open Washington: Open Educational Resources Network&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt; is licensed under &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5358" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-textbooks/college-open-textbooks" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5358.xml" Name="College Open Textbooks" Title="College Open Textbooks" Abstract="Find OER textbooks in: College Open Textbooks" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.collegeopentextbooks.org/&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;College Open Textbooks logo&quot; height=&quot;85&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/college_open_textbook.png&quot; width=&quot;478&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.collegeopentextbooks.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;College Open Textbooks&lt;/a&gt; is NOT a content provider. Instead, they search available open textbooks and provide the links. They are tracking open textbooks for use in community college courses.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Textbooks are organized by subjects, and provide a great number of basic introductory level courses, such as basic computer skills or college writing courses.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;License Setting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;As it provides the links to various external open textbooks, there is no default open license under which the materials are released.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/college-open-textbooks/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;College Open Textbooks&quot;&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Washington: Open Educational Resources Network&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5359" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-textbooks/open-textbook-library" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240906T16:51:47" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5359.xml" Name="Open Textbook Library" Title="Open Textbook Library" Abstract="Find OER textbooks in: Open Textbook Library" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Open Textbook Library logo&quot; height=&quot;125&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/opentextbook_library.png&quot; width=&quot;201&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/&quot; title=&quot;Open Textbook Library&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Open Textbook Library&lt;/a&gt; provides about 100 open textbooks from various disciplines.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;These textbooks have proven quality and have been already used in classes at a huge number of universities and colleges.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;All textbooks are completely open with no strings attached.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;License Setting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Most textbooks on this website are licensed under under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/&quot; title=&quot;CC BY NC SA&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;CC BY NC SA&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;This license lets you remix, tweak, and build upon the original work non-commercially, as long as you credit the author and license your new creations under the identical terms.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sample Attribution&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/International%20Finance%20-%20Theory%20and%20Policy.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Sample attribution&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Gross Domestic Product around the World&lt;/a&gt; (page 11) from&lt;a href=&quot;https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/18&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt; International Finance: Theory and Policy&lt;/a&gt; by Steve Suranovic @&lt;a href=&quot;http://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Open Textbook Library&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;CC BY NC SA&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/open-textbook-library/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&quot;Open Textbook Library&quot;&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Open Washington: Open Educational Resources Network&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5361" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-textbooks/washington-45" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5361.xml" Name="Washington 45" Title="Washington 45" Abstract="Find OER textbooks in: Washington 45" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Washington 45&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;Washington 45&lt;/strong&gt; are &quot;courses selected from within the general education categories... at a public community, technical, four-year college or university in Washington state that will be able to transfer and apply a maximum of 45 quarter credits toward general education requirement(s) at any other public and most private higher education institutions in the state.&quot; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbctc.edu/colleges-staff/programs-services/transfer/washington-45.aspx&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;More information on the Washington 45&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Below is a list of open textbooks and course materials in this Google spreadsheet embedded below. These are available for each of the courses listed below. &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SZui2DcZgOFI4vU5xFnFHZmq5Dz8G_GbENAnFGbzAlM/edit?usp=sharing&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Download your own copy&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;iframe width=&quot;825&quot; height=&quot;750&quot; src=&quot;https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SZui2DcZgOFI4vU5xFnFHZmq5Dz8G_GbENAnFGbzAlM/pubhtml?widget=true&amp;amp;headers=false&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/washington-45/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Washington 45&quot;&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Washington: Open Educational Resources Network&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x5124" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-repositories" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240906T18:22:33" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5124.xml" Name="OER Repositories" Title="OER Repositories" Abstract="Find Open Educational Resources: Repositories" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Course Materials&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are&amp;nbsp;countless openly available course materials in a variety of disciplines if you know where to locate them. SBCTC has vetted the sites&amp;nbsp;that provide the best quality open course materials, such as assessments, syllabi, readings, and lectures. These resources have been assembled&amp;nbsp;to help you choose what&amp;nbsp;best fit your needs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://oercommons.org/hubs/masscc&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark noopener&quot; title=&quot;Open Massachusetts: A Public Higher Education Repository&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Massachusetts: A Public Higher Education Repository&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;A platform for sharing open educational resources created and adopted by faculty from Massachusetts Public Higher Education Institutions. Includes resources created and edited by HCC faculty.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://oer.deepwebaccess.com/oer/desktop/en/search.html&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark noopener&quot; title=&quot;Mason OER Metafinder&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Mason OER Metafinder&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The OER Metafinder launches a real-time, simultaneous search across 21 different sources of open educational materials.&amp;nbsp; It includes sites that containwhere valuable but often overlooked educational materials but not all items are &quot;open&quot; in the strictest interpretation so usage rights should be checked.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://oasis.geneseo.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark noopener&quot; title=&quot;Oasis&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Oasis&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;OASIS is a meta-search tool that aims to make the discovery of open content easier.&amp;nbsp; Content is included from over a hundred sources and hundreds of thousands of records.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.oercommons.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;OER Commons&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;OER Commons is a public digital library of records from numerous prodiders of open educational resources. Explore, create, and collaborate with educators around the world to improve curriculum. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/open-education-consortium/&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark noopener&quot; title=&quot;Open Education Consortium&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Education Consortium&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Open Education Consortium is NOT a content provider. Instead, they search available open educational materials and provide the links. It is probably the most comprehensive and accurate OER search engine out there.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/skills-commons/&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark noopener&quot; title=&quot;Skills Commons&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Skills Commons&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Skills Commons is the official repository of all deliverables from the US Department of Labor (DOL)'s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grant Program.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/merlot/&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark&quot; title=&quot;Merlot&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark noopener&quot; title=&quot;Merlot&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Merlot&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Provides access to curated online learning and support materials and content creation tools, led by an international community of educators, learners and researchers.&amp;nbsp; All the materials in MERLOT are reviewed for suitability for retention in the collection and many undergo the more extensive &quot;peer review.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x5383" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-repositories/oer-commons" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5383.xml" Name="OER Commons" Title="OER Commons" Abstract="Find OER course materials in: OER Commons" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/OERcommons.png&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;OER Commons logo&quot; height=&quot;87&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/OERcommons.png&quot; width=&quot;166&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.oercommons.org/&quot; title=&quot;OER Commons Homepage&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;OER Commons&lt;/a&gt; has forged alliances with many major content partners. Users can search across thousands of vetted and fully-indexed OER ensuring a high level of resource relevancy and discovery.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;It provides an online authoring tool that allows you to compose, edit, and publish your work under an open license.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;You can create a &quot;My OER&quot; account page where you can organize the items you've submitted, evaluated, or authored.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;License Setting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Since this is a search engine, there is no default license to apply. Please double check the license information of each OER that this search engine brings to you.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sample Attribution&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Assuming that the resource is CC licensed, the basic attribution format is Resource X by Author Y is released under CC XX-XX-XX.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; If the licensor wishes to be cited in a specific way, you must do so accordingly. To learn more about how to make a proper attribution, please visit OER 101: Module 5 titled, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/module-5/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Finding OER&lt;/a&gt;&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/oer-commons/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;OER Commons&quot;&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Washington: Open Educational Resources Network&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5384" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-repositories/open-education-consortium" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5384.xml" Name="Open Education Consortium" Title="Open Education Consortium" Abstract="Find OER course materials in: Open Education Consortium" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oeconsortium.org/courses/&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Open Education Consortium logo&quot; height=&quot;79&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/open_education_consortium.png&quot; width=&quot;339&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oeconsortium.org/courses/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Education Consortium&lt;/a&gt; is NOT a content provider. Instead, they search available open educational materials and provide the links.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;It is probably the most comprehensive and accurate OER search engine out there.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;You can search by provider, language, and discipline.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;License Setting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since this is a search engine, there is no default license to apply. Please double check the license information of each OER that this search engine brings to you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sample Attribution&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Assuming that the resource is CC licensed, the basic attribution format is Resource X by Author Y is released under CC XX-XX-XX. &amp;nbsp; If the licensor wishes to be cited in a specific way, you must do so accordingly. To learn more about how to make proper attribution, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://oer101.wpengine.com/module-5/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;OER 101: Module 5 titled, &quot;Finding OER&quot;.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/open-education-consortium/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Open Education Consortium&quot;&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Washington: Open Educational Resources Network&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5128" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-repositories/skills-commons" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5128.xml" Name="Skills Commons" Title="Skills Commons" Abstract="Find OER course materials in: Skills Commons" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.skillscommons.org/&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;SKills Commons: Open for Learning logo&quot; height=&quot;96&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/skills-commons.png&quot; width=&quot;356&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.skillscommons.org&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Skills Commons&lt;/a&gt; is the official repository of all deliverables from the US Department of Labor (DOL)'s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.doleta.gov/taaccct/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;(TAACCCT)&lt;/a&gt; Grant Program. This program has thus far made grants to nearly 800 community and technical colleges nationwide.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;You can browse the content by industry, grant project, material type, or credential type.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;License Setting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;DOL set an open licensing policy for all grantees and requires them to release all content produced through the TAACCCT grant under a CC BY license.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;This license allows you to distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the original work, even commercially, as long as you credit the author for the original creation.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sample Attribution&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.skillscommons.org/handle/taaccct/2010&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Mine 1725 Minding Economics&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.skillscommons.org/handle/taaccct/2010#&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Tracy Dearinger&lt;/a&gt; @Northern Wyoming Community College District is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/skills-commons/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Skills Commons&quot;&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Washington: Open Educational Resources Network&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5362" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-repositories/open-textbook-store" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5362.xml" Name="Open Textbook Store" Title="Open Textbook Store" Abstract="Find OER textbooks in: Open Textbook Store" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.opentextbookstore.com/index.php&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Open Textbook Store logo&quot; height=&quot;56&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/open_textbook_store.png&quot; width=&quot;282&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;It calls itself a &quot;Store,&quot; but they are not a publisher. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.opentextbookstore.com/index.php&quot; title=&quot;Open Textbook Store&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open TextBook Store&lt;/a&gt; provides freely and openly available math textbooks created by Washington CTC faculty.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;You can either download the whole book for free, or order a printed version which costs below 20 dollars.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Open Textbook Store&quot; height=&quot;608&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/open_textbook_store2.png&quot; width=&quot;708&quot; /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;License Setting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;All textbooks on this site are licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY 3.0.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;This license lets you distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the original work, even commercially, as long as you credit the author for the original creation.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sample Attribution&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.opentextbookstore.com/arithmetic/book.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Estimating with Decimals&lt;/a&gt; (p. 250) from &amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.opentextbookstore.com/details.php?id=13&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Arithmetic for College Students&lt;/a&gt; by David Lippman is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY 3.0&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/open-textbook-store/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Open Textbook Store&quot;&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Washington: Open Educational Resources Network&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x4978" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-videos" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4978.xml" Name="OER Videos" Title="OER Videos" Abstract="Find Open Educational Resources: Videos" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-videos/ted-talks&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;TED&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; provides over 1700 inspiring talks. Past presenters include Bill Clinton, Jane Goodall, Malcolm Gladwell, Al Gore, Gordon Brown, Richard Dawkins, Bill Gates, Bono, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and many Nobel Prize winners.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;header&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-videos/vimeo&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark&quot; title=&quot;Vimeo&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Vimeo&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;Like YouTube, Vimeo hosts millions of Creative Commons-licensed videos. In addition, Vimeo provides a separate Creative Commons licensed video collection which makes the filtering process much easier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-videos/youtube&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark&quot; title=&quot;YouTube&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;YouTube&amp;nbsp; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;YouTube provides millions of Creative Commons-licensed videos (among their billions of video collections). The key is filtering them to isolate the Creative Commons-licensed ones.&amp;nbsp; See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.contentbyexperts.net/Courses/blog/transferring-cc-licensed-youtube-video-one-channel-another&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;how to transfer&lt;/a&gt; Creative Commons videos to your YouTube channel to maintain access to it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;header&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-videos/khan-academy&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark&quot; title=&quot;Khan Academy&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Khan Academy &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Khan Academy provides top-quality educational videos that are organized by discipline and skill levels. They provide videos from various disciplines including Math, Science, Economics, Finance, and Humanities. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/category/videos/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Videos&quot;&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Washington: Open Educational Resources Network&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/header&gt;&lt;/header&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x5350" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-videos/youtube" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5350.xml" Name="YouTube" Title="YouTube" Abstract="Find OER videos in: YouTube" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://youtube.com&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;YouTube logo&quot; height=&quot;35&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/youtube_logo.png&quot; width=&quot;84&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://youtube.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt; provides millions of Creative Commons-licensed videos (among their billions of video collections). The key is filtering them to isolate the Creative Commons-licensed ones.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The filter sometimes renders incorrect results. That said,&amp;nbsp;remember to double check the license setting of the video. Please also check to see if the video contains any illegal content, such as an unauthorized copy of a TV show.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;If the video is CC licensed, you will see the &quot;Remix this&quot; video button. It takes you to the YouTube &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/editor&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;video editor&lt;/a&gt; that allows you to remix the content of the video and publish it.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;License Setting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most YouTube videos are released either under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY 3.0&lt;/a&gt; or the Standard YouTube License. To learn how to check the license information of a YouTube Video, please see the directions below.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to find a CC licensed video in YouTube:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;First, go to &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtube.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://Youtube.com&lt;/a&gt; and type in your search word. Once the videos appear, you can use the filter to identify the CC licensed ones. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/g.png&quot; rel=&quot;attachment wp-att-1472&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Screenshot: YouTube search feature, filters and Creative Commons circled&quot; height=&quot;611&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/youtube2.png&quot; width=&quot;880&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Click on one of the videos that appeared after applying the filter. After locating a video, click SHOW MORE link in the description. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/h.png&quot; rel=&quot;attachment wp-att-1473&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Screenshot: YouTube video, SHOW MORE under video circled&quot; height=&quot;604&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/youtube3.png&quot; width=&quot;985&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; You will see the license notice with a link to the video editor. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/i.png&quot; rel=&quot;attachment wp-att-1474&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Screenshot: YouTube licensing information circled&quot; height=&quot;508&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/youtube4.png&quot; width=&quot;867&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to make a copy or remix a video&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is possible to remix or make a copy of a creative commons licensed video. &amp;nbsp;This can be used to have your own copy in case the original gets removed in the future. &amp;nbsp;Just go to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/editor&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/editor&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and click on the creative commons icon (1). &amp;nbsp;Enter search terms (2), select your video (3) and drag it to the editing area. &amp;nbsp;Rename the project then Create Video (upper right corner).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Youtube editor&quot; height=&quot;614&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/General/youtube_editor.png&quot; width=&quot;665&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sample Attribution&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Example attribution of a CC licensed video in YouTube: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MScrKTNiYY&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Geophysics Hackathon&lt;/a&gt; 2013 by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/user/agilegeoscience&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;agilegeoscience&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY&lt;/a&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/youtube/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;YouTube&quot;&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Washington: Open Educational Resources Network&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5349" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-videos/vimeo" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5349.xml" Name="Vimeo" Title="Vimeo" Abstract="Find OER videos in: Vimeo" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://vimeo.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Vimeo logo&quot; height=&quot;68&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/vimeo.png&quot; width=&quot;166&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like YouTube, &lt;a href=&quot;https://vimeo.com/search?q=&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Vimeo&lt;/a&gt; hosts millions of Creative Commons-licensed videos. In addition, Vimeo provides a separate Creative Commons licensed video collection which makes the filtering process much easier.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;License Setting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vimeo hosts videos released under all 6 types of Creative Commons licenses. &amp;nbsp;To learn how to check the license setting of a Vimeo video, please see the directions below.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to search for a CC licensed video in Vimeo:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are two ways to search for a CC licensed video in Vimeo. First, go to vimeo.com and type the key word in the search box on the right top of the screen. All of the matching videos will appear. Click More Filters from the left frame: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/a.png&quot; rel=&quot;attachment wp-att-1477&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Screenshot: Vimeo search page, more filters circled&quot; height=&quot;672&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/vimeo2.png&quot; width=&quot;876&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Click the desired CC license collection. The videos with matching CC license will appear. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/b.png&quot; rel=&quot;attachment wp-att-1478&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Screenshot: search page with creative commons licenses circled&quot; height=&quot;567&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/vimeo3.png&quot; width=&quot;643&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Another way to search for a CC licensed video in Vimeo is using the CC licensed video collection. Go to &lt;a href=&quot;http://vimeo.com/creativecommons&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;http://vimeo.com/creativecommons&lt;/a&gt; and click &lt;strong&gt;Browse all 1M videos&lt;/strong&gt; link under each CC license collection. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/c.png&quot; rel=&quot;attachment wp-att-1479&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Screenshot: Creative Commons licensed video collection, Browse all 1M videos circled&quot; height=&quot;503&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/vimeo4.png&quot; width=&quot;851&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; From there, click the magnifier icon to search within the collection. The search window will appear. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/d.png&quot; rel=&quot;attachment wp-att-1480&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Screenshot: Vimeo collection with magnifier icon circled&quot; height=&quot;551&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/vimeo5.png&quot; width=&quot;864&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; After locating the video with your preferred license terms, check the license information. Click the &quot;more&quot; link under the title of the video. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/e.png&quot; rel=&quot;attachment wp-att-1470&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Screenshot: More link circled under the video title&quot; height=&quot;651&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/vimeo6.png&quot; width=&quot;942&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; The &lt;strong&gt;About&lt;/strong&gt; page will appear and at the bottom of the box with CC license elements which is linked to the respective license deed page.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sample Attribution&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://vimeo.com/13519419&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;psychogeophysical inscription device&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;http://vimeo.com/user2325952&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;pickledfeet&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/vimeo/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Vimeo&quot;&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Washington: Open Educational Resources Network&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5348" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-videos/khan-academy" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5348.xml" Name="Khan Academy" Title="Khan Academy" Abstract="Find OER videos in: Khan Academy" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.khanacademy.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Kan Academy&quot; height=&quot;27&quot; src=&quot;Images/Library/OER//khan.png&quot; width=&quot;201&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.khanacademy.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Khan Academy&lt;/a&gt; provides top-quality educational videos that are organized by discipline and skill levels.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;They provide videos from various disciplines including Math, Science, Economics, Finance, and Humanities.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;They even have video tutorials for test prep, such as SAT and GMAT. Khan Academy recently unveiled new online math resources tied to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.khanacademy.org/commoncore&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Common Core State Standards.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;License Setting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Technically, Khan Academy is &lt;strong&gt;no longer an OER repository.&lt;/strong&gt; The videos are no longer openly licensed as they removed CC BY NC SA license notice. All Khan Academy videos are still free for anyone to watch, but adaptation is not allowed. We recommend that faculty continue using Khan Academy videos by embedding a link to the video into their teaching material, but &lt;strong&gt;do not download, modify the content, and repurpose it.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/khan1/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Khan Academy&quot;&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Washington: Open Educational Resources Network&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5117" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-videos/ted-talks" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5117.xml" Name="TED talks" Title="TED talks" Abstract="Find OER videos in: TED talks" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ted.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;TED&lt;/a&gt; provides thousands of inspiring talks.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Past presenters include Bill Clinton, Jane Goodall, Malcolm Gladwell, Al Gore, Gordon Brown, Richard Dawkins, Bill Gates, Bono, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and many Nobel Prize winners.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;License Setting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;TED Videos are not officially licensed with any kind of open licensing. However, TED allows the users to freely view and download the videos without restraint. The website is provided as a public service to promote the spread of good ideas.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Even though the website is provided as a public service and TED has not clarified how they wish to be cited, it is still a good practice to provide a proper attribution when adopting a video from TED.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to find a video in TED&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is pretty straightforward. Simply go to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ted.com/talks/browse&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://www.ted.com/talks/browse&lt;/a&gt; and find a talk using the search options.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://oer101.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ted_front.png&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;screenshot of TED search feature, Find just the right talk circled. Searchable by topic, events and language&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/ted_front.png&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/ted-talks/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;TED talks&quot;&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Washington: Open Educational Resources Network&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x4977" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-images" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240906T18:35:39" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4977.xml" Name="OER Images" Title="OER Images" Abstract="Find Open Educational Resources: Images" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Be sure to limit to images that are openly licensed for reuse; see the &lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/creative-commons-licenses&quot;&gt;Creative Commons page&lt;/a&gt; for more information on licensing terms that are frequently used.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://unsplash.com/@canweallgo &quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Allgo Plus-Size&lt;/a&gt; Free stock photography collections featuring plus-size people: License: Attribution is not required.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-images/bing-images&quot;&gt;Bing Images&lt;/a&gt; lets you limit results to creative commons licenses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://affecttheverb.com/disabledandhere/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Disabled and Here&lt;/a&gt; Free stock photography featuring disabled BIPOC (Black, Indiginous, people of color), varied body sizes/types, sexual orientations, and gender identities in the Pacific Northwest; License CC BY 4.0.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-images/flickr&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark&quot; title=&quot;Flickr&quot;&gt;Flickr&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;hosts millions of Creative Commons-licensed images. Notably, Flickr provides a separate Creative Commons licensed videos collection&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://genderphotos.vice.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Gender Spectrum Collection&lt;/a&gt; Free stock photos of trans and non-binary people, licensed CC BY-NC-ND 4.0&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-images/google-images&quot;&gt;Google Images&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;provides a filter to limit to creative commons images.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.imagesofempowerment.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Images of Empowerment&lt;/a&gt; Free images of women's lives and work, created by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, and Getty Images; License: CC-BY-NC-4.0&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://search.getty.edu/gateway/search?q=&amp;amp;cat=highlight&amp;amp;f=%22Open+Content+Images%22&amp;amp;rows=10&amp;amp;srt=a&amp;amp;dir=s&amp;amp;pg=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Getty Open Content&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;contains all images of public domain artworks in the Getty's collections. &amp;nbsp;These high-resolution images of the Museum's collection free to use, modify, and publish for any purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nappy.co/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Nappy&lt;/a&gt; Free high-resolution photos of black and brown people, licensed Creative Commons Zero (CC0)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://picnoi.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;PICNOI&lt;/a&gt; - Free photos of people of color; no attribution required but can give credit by linking to site&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://thenounproject.com/Iconathon1/collection/redefining-women/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Redefining Women Icon Collection&lt;/a&gt; - Icons of women; License: Creative Commons Public Domain CC0 1.0&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.si.edu/openaccess&quot; title=&quot;Smithsonian Open Access&quot;&gt;Smithsonian Open Access&lt;/a&gt; provides free access to nearly three million 2D and 3D digital images from the Smithsonian's collection to download, share, and reuse. No permission required.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-images/wikimedia-commons&quot;&gt;Wikimedia Commons&lt;/a&gt; is a media file repository that is completely dedicated to providing educational media that are released either in the public domain or under Creative Commons license.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x5367" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-images/flickr" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5367.xml" Name="Flickr" Title="Flickr" Abstract="Find OER images in: Flickr" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://flickr.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Flickr logo&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/flickr1b.png&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://flickr.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Flickr&lt;/a&gt; hosts millions of Creative Commons-licensed images. Notably, Flickr provides a separate&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/creativecommons&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; Creative Commons licensed videos collection&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;which makes the filtering process easy too.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Finding the license information of each Flickr image may seem a bit complicated at first glance but it is actually quite simple. Please follow the directions below.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easily cite Flickr images with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.imagecodr.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;imagecodr.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This website provides correct HTML code for embedding an image with complete attribution citation. If you use it often, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.imagecodr.org/get.php&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;add code&lt;/a&gt; to your browser's toolbar to let you check a Flickr image you're viewing (it's easy to add, just drag and drop).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to search for a CC licensed image in Flickr&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The best way to search for a CC licensed image in Flickr is using the CC licensed image collection. Go to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/&lt;/a&gt;. Click &lt;strong&gt;See more&lt;/strong&gt; under each license collection. &lt;img alt=&quot;Screenshot: SEE MORE circled under license collection&quot; height=&quot;632&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/flickr2.png&quot; width=&quot;799&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Type your keyword in the search window. After locating the video with your preferred license terms, check the license information. &lt;img alt=&quot;Screenshot: flickr image with licensing icons circled&quot; height=&quot;651&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/flickr3.png&quot; width=&quot;962&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;The CC license notice is linked to each respective license deed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;License Setting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All CC licensed images in Flickr are released under Version 2.0.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sample Attribution&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/hktang/4032283209/in/photolist-79jvji-7i3N48-8C3Zej-bhrzLn-dFHkue-c9pGVN-8RM7T6-a7bUcR-a7eLZb-a7bTu4-a7eMeW-a7eMo9-a7eMro-a7bTpB-a7eM6S-a7bU8Z-a7bTH8-a7bTgT-a7eM39-a7bTRa-a7eLNA-ekHhHY-bAsdut-bAsc22-bAscGV-8RM84H-7NYKSP-8UbZ8T-d86L7S-8HAUw7-dETtWG-a7bUgZ-a7bU3X-aBSqVE-89Zeid/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Elephant@Amboseli&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/hktang/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Xiaojun Deng&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/flickr/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Flickr&quot;&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Washington: Open Educational Resources Network&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5366" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-images/wikimedia-commons" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5366.xml" Name="Wikimedia Commons" Title="Wikimedia Commons" Abstract="Find OER images in: Wikimedia Commons" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Wikimedia Commons logo&quot; height=&quot;155&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/wikimedia_commons.png&quot; width=&quot;115&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Wikimedia Commons&lt;/a&gt; is a media file repository that is completely dedicated to providing educational media that are released either in the public domain or under Creative Commons license.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The website may not have a fancy look, but its simple structure allows users to easily find license information of the images and adopt them.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to search for the CC licensed image in Wikimedia&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;The easiest way to search for an image in Wikimedia is using the search window.&lt;img alt=&quot;Screenshot of Wikimedia Search field circled&quot; height=&quot;437&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/wikimedia2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;628&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;You will see the list of images available matching the keyword.&lt;img alt=&quot;Screenshot of Wikimedia search results page&quot; height=&quot;523&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/wikimedia3.jpg&quot; width=&quot;628&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Click one of the images. To check the license information, scroll down the page. You will see the licensing information under Licensing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Wikimedia licensing information&quot; height=&quot;614&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/wikimedia4.jpg&quot; width=&quot;628&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;License Setting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All images are either released under CC licenses or in the public domain. There is no default CC license, so you have to double check the license information.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sample Attribution&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cognitive_Thought_Model_%28Instructional_Design%29.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Cognitive Thought Model (Instructional Design) &lt;/a&gt;by Kathy Bradley @&lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Wikimedia Commons&lt;/a&gt; is licensed under &lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY SA 2.0&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/wikimedia/&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Wikimedia&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt; by &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Washington: Open Educational Resources Network&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt; is licensed under &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CC BY 4.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5368" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-images/google-images" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5368.xml" Name="Google images" Title="Google images" Abstract="Find OER images in: Google images" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://images.google.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Google images logo&quot; height=&quot;112&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/google_image_logo.png&quot; width=&quot;323&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://images.google.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Google image search&lt;/a&gt; allows you to limit by license. &amp;nbsp;To use this feature, performe a search (1), click on Tools (2), and under Usage Rights (3) select the appropriate license (4).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Google image search&quot; height=&quot;401&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/google_image_search.png&quot; width=&quot;783&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5388" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/find-oer/oer-images/bing-images" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5388.xml" Name="Bing Images" Title="Bing Images" Abstract="Find OER images in: Bing Images" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bing.com/images/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Bing image search&lt;/a&gt; allows you to limit by license. &amp;nbsp;To use this feature, performe a search (1), click on Filter (2), and under License (3) select the appropriate license (4).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Bing search results&quot; height=&quot;456&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/bing2.png&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; width=&quot;959&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page></Page><Page ID="x5169" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/oer-at-hcc" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5169.xml" Name="OER at HCC" Title="OER at HCC" Abstract="OER at HCC" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Students can search for courses that are taught using OER, low and zero cost materials using the &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/course-finder&quot;&gt;Course Finder&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After choosing the term, scroll down to ATTRIBUTE TYPE and choose:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;No cost low cost&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Zero materials cost&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5645" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/oer-listservs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240906T19:35:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5645.xml" Name="OER Listservs" Title="OER Listservs" Abstract="OER Listservs" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources (CCCOER)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 30px;&quot;&gt;&quot;CCCOER is a growing consortium of community and technical colleges committed to expanding access to education and increasing student success through adoption of open educational policy, practices, and resources.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 30px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:cccoer-advisory@googlegroups.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;cccoer-advisory@googlegroups.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Open Textbook Network&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 30px;&quot;&gt;&quot;From major research institutions to community colleges, the Open Textbook Network (OTN) helps your institution start or advance your campus open textbook initiative, and sustain it through staff development and networking.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 30px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:open-textbook-network@googlegroups.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;open-textbook-network@googlegroups.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://groups.google.com/a/arl.org/d/forum/sparc-liboer&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;SPARC Libraries &amp;amp; OER Forum&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 30px;&quot;&gt;&quot;The&amp;nbsp;SPARC Libraries &amp;amp; OER Forum&amp;nbsp;is a network of academic and research librarians interested in open educational resources (OER) connected through a&amp;nbsp;public e-mail discussion list and monthly calls.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 30px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:sparc-liboer@arl.org&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;sparc-liboer@arl.org&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://collection.bccampus.ca/&quot;&gt;B.C. Open Collection&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 30px;&quot;&gt;&quot;It was on October 16, 2012 at the&amp;nbsp;annual OpenEd conference&amp;nbsp;in Vancouver that then British Columbia Minister of Advanced Education, John Yap,&amp;nbsp;announced&amp;nbsp;the creation of the B.C. Open Textbook Project.&amp;nbsp; The goal of the project was to make higher education more accessible by reducing student cost through the use of openly licensed textbooks.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 30px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/97F887551C7932F2&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/97F887551C7932F2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The OER Digest (Offers a biweekly update)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 30px;&quot;&gt;&quot;Your bi-weekly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 30px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:oerdigest@googlegroups.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;oerdigest@googlegroups.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Open Washington&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 30px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:openoregon@googlegroups.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;openwashington@googlegroups.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Open Oregon &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 30px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:openoregon@googlegroups.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;o&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:openoregon@googlegroups.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;penoregon@googlegroups.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://listserv.educause.edu/scripts/wa.exe?A0=OPENNESS&quot;&gt;EDUCAUSE LISTSERV&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 30px;&quot;&gt;The EDUCAUSE OPENNESS Constituent Group Listserv.&amp;nbsp; open-education List for those interested in issues relating to open education - including open educational data and open educational resources.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 30px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:open-education@lists.okfn.org&quot;&gt;open-education@lists.okfn.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;OER Advocacy&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;padding-left: 30px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:oer-advocacy-coalition@googlegroups.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;oer-advocacy-coalition@googlegroups.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5347" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/creative-commons-licenses" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5347.xml" Name="Creative Commons Licenses" Title="Creative Commons Licenses" Abstract="Creative Commons Licenses" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;All Creative Commons licenses have many important features in common. Every license helps creators (we call them licensors if they use our tools) retain copyright while allowing others to copy, distribute, and make some uses of their work &amp;ndash; at least non-commercially. Every Creative Commons license also ensures licensors get the credit for their work they deserve.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every Creative Commons license works around the world and lasts as long as applicable copyright lasts (because they are built on copyright). These common features serve as the baseline, on top of which licensors can choose to grant additional permissions when deciding how they want their work to be used.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Apply a license to your work&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/choose&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Choose a License&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Attribute a work you use&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openwa.org/attrib-builder/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Open Attribution Builder&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Source:&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;the licenses&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5369" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/open-learning-be-inspired" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250729T18:12:18" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5369.xml" Name="Open Learning: Be Inspired!" Title="Open Learning: Be Inspired!" Abstract="Open Learning: Be Inspired!" BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.pinterest.com/holyokecommunitycollegelibrary/open-learning-professional-development-for-faculty/&quot;&gt;Open Learning:&lt;br /&gt;Be Inspired!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/build-your-oer-course/open-learning-be-inspired&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Pinterest&quot; height=&quot;91&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/OER/pinterest300x100.png&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5170" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/library-resources" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250314T14:35:03" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5170.xml" Name="Library Resources" Title="Library Resources" Abstract="Library Resources are not OER but are available at no cost to the HCC community and avaible for course integration." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;The library provides access to many resources that the college has already paid for. &amp;nbsp;These are available at no cost to the HCC community and avaible for course integration.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;Streaming videos:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ezproxyhcc.helmlib.org/login?url=https://search.alexanderstreet.com/avon&quot;&gt;&lt;img height=&quot;101&quot; src=&quot;images/Library/thumbnails/avon.jpg&quot; width=&quot;150&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.kanopystreaming.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;media/documents/Library/resources-box/kanopy_160x66.png&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt; font-family: verdana, geneva;&quot;&gt;Ebooks (chapters, monographs, reference books)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ezproxyhcc.helmlib.org/login?url=https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/holyokecc&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ebook Central&quot; height=&quot;35&quot; src=&quot;media/documents/Library/resources-box/ebook_central.png&quot; width=&quot;138&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ezproxyhcc.helmlib.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.asp?profile=ehost_ebk&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;media/documents/Library/resources-box/ebsco38.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ezproxyhcc.helmlib.org/login?url=http://find.galegroup.com/menu/start?prod=GVRL-0&amp;amp;userGroupName=mlin_w_holycc&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt; font-family: verdana, geneva;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/find-resources/databases-and-journals&quot;&gt;Journal articles&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt; font-family: verdana, geneva;&quot;&gt;Please get in touch with one of the librarians for help finding appropriate materials and making them a part of your course! Stop by the library, call (&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2424&quot;&gt;413.552.2424&lt;/a&gt;), or e-mail (&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5171" URL="library/build-your-oer-course/get-help" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240906T16:00:55" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5171.xml" Name="Get Help" Title="Get Help" Abstract="Get Help" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Need help? &amp;nbsp;Be in touch with Instructional Design or the library!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;width: 896px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;50%&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructional Design and Support&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jennifer Rivers&lt;br /&gt;Frost 257&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:jrivers@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;jrivers@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Librarians&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Donahue&amp;nbsp;202&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2424&quot;&gt;413.552.2424&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x22144" URL="library/accessibility" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260306T14:08:20" CategoryIds="" FileName="x22144.xml" Name="Accessibility" Title="Accessibility Tips for Library Resources" Abstract="Accessibility Tips for Library Resources" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;This guide offers policies and tips on how to use accessibility features present in online resources such as databases, eBooks, and publishers. If you have any questions, please contact HCC Library Staff at: &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;aae&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;African American Experience&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.abc-clio.com/compliance/&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;blooms&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Bloom's Literature&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://infobase-databases.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360022441873-Accessibility-Statement-for-Bloom-s-Literature&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have accessibility issues or requests, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or contact the database provider at 800.322.8755 or database.support@infobase.com.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;cq&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;CQ Researcher&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://cqpress.sagepub.com/accessibility&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The CQ Researcher platform allows you to download DRM-free content in PDF format. You can contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:online.accessibility@sagepub.com&quot;&gt;online.accessibility@sagepub.com&lt;/a&gt; to request downloaded content in an alternate format.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For additional accessibility issues or requests, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or contact the database provider at online.accessibility@sagepub.com.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;dsm&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;DSM Library&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://psychiatryonline.org/accessibility&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have accessibility issues or requests, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or contact the database provider at 202.459.9722 or &lt;a href=&quot;https://psychiatryonline.org/psychiatryonline@psych.org&quot;&gt;psychiatryonline@psych.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;ebsco_ebooks&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Ebsco Ebooks&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://connect.ebsco.com/s/article/EBSCO-eBook-Accessibility-Guide?language=en_US&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you discover that an eBook file does not include sufficient accessibility support, EBSCO can provide a DRM-free copy of the eBook upon request.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can make a request by using the &quot;Accessibility support&quot; tool in the eBook viewer:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;media/documents/Library/accessibility_ebsco.png&quot; width=&quot;366&quot; height=&quot;213&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Image of accessibility support tool link&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can also ask a librarian to submit a request using this &lt;a href=&quot;https://widgets.ebscohost.com/prod/customlink/ill/index.php?client=remediation_ebook&quot;&gt;remediation form&lt;/a&gt;, or send an email to accessibility@ebsco.com with the name of your library, title and ISBN of the eBook in question, and the targeted assistive technology.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;EBSCO will return the DRM-free eBook file to the requesting librarian via email (or an alternate requested location) as soon as possible, within 3 to 5 business days of the request.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;ebsco&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Ebsco Databases&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;HCC currently subscribes to the following Ebsco databases:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Academic Search Complete&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Ageline&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;APA PsycInfo&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Biomedical Reference Collection: Basic&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Business Source Complete&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;CINAHL Plus with Full Text&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Environment Complete&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;ERIC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Exploring Race in Society&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Funk &amp;amp; Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;GreenFILE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Health Source - Consumer Edition&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;LGBTQ+ Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Library Information Science &amp;amp; Technology Abstracts&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;MAS Reference eBook Collection&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;MAS Ultra - School Edition&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;MasterFILE Premier&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;MEDLINE&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Military &amp;amp; Government Collection&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Newspaper Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Newswires&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;OpenDissertations&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Primary Search&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Regional Business News&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Religion and Philosophy Collection&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Sociological Collection&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Teacher Reference Center&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;The Serials Directory&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://connect.ebsco.com/s/article/Accessibility-Statement-for-EBSCO-New-UI?language=en_US&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you encounter content with accessibility issues in these databases, use the &amp;ldquo;Accessibility support&amp;rdquo; tool in the top right corner of the screen:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;media/documents/Library/accessibility_ebsco.png&quot; width=&quot;366&quot; height=&quot;213&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Image of accessibility support tool link&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For other accessibility issues or requests, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;, or contact the database provider at 800.758.5995 or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:accessibility@ebsco.com&quot;&gt;accessibility@ebsco.com&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;ebook_central&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Ebook Central&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://clarivate.com/accessibility/ebook-central/&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can listen to ebooks using a screen reader by enabling Text Only Mode:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.proquest.com/s/article/Ebook-Central-Accessibility-Mode?language=en_US&quot;&gt;Ebook Central: Text Only Mode for Screen Readers (proquest.com)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.proquest.com/s/article/How-To-Turn-Text-Only-Mode-On-or-Off-on-Ebook-Central?language=en_US&quot;&gt;How To Turn Text Only Mode On (or Off) on Ebook Central (proquest.com)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have accessibility issues or requests, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or contact ProQuest Technical Support &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.proquest.com/s/submit-a-case?language=en_US&quot;&gt;online&lt;/a&gt; or by calling 800.889.3358.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;eb&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Encyclopedia Britannica&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the publisher&amp;rsquo;s accessibility statement, go to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://school.eb.com/levels/high/help#list-accessibility&quot;&gt;Help&lt;/a&gt; section, then click on General Information at the top of the page, then click Accessibility Commitment on the left side of the page. To learn about accessibility features, go to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://school.eb.com/levels/high/help#list-accessibility&quot;&gt;Help&lt;/a&gt; section, then click on Tools for Learning and Accessibility on the left side of the page.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For accessibility issues or requests, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;, or contact Britannica Customer Support at 800.621.3900 ext. 7160 or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:edsupport@eb.com&quot;&gt;edsupport@eb.com&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;fod&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Films on Demand&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://infobase-fod.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360011563914-Accessibility-Statement-for-Films-On-Demand&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have accessibility issues or requests, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;, or contact the database provider by calling 800.322.8755 or emailing &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:video.support@infobase.com&quot;&gt;video.support@infobase.com&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;findlaw&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;FindLaw&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.findlaw.com/company/our-commitment-to-accessibility.html&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have accessibility issues or requests, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;, or contact the database provider at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:findlawconsumerfeedback@findlaw.com&quot;&gt;findlawconsumerfeedback@findlaw.com&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;gale&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Gale&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;HCC currently subscribes to the following Gale databases:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Academic OneFile&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Agriculture&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Business&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Communications and Mass Media&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Criminal Justice&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Culinary Arts&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Diversity Studies&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Economics and Theory&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Entrepreneurship&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Environmental Studies and Policy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Fine Arts&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Gardening and Horticulture&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Gender Studies&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Health and Medicine&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;High School Edition&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Home Improvement&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Hospitality and Tourism&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Information Science&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Insurance and Liability&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Leadership and Management&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Military and Intelligence&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;News&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;New York Times Article Archive&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Nursing and Allied Health&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Opposing Viewpoints&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Pop Culture Studies&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Popular Magazines&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Psychology&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Religion and Philosophy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Science&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;U.S. History&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;Vocations and Careers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;War and Terrorism&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt;&quot;&gt;World History&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gale.com/accessibility&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have feedback or inquiries, including requests for accessible versions of documents, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;, or contact the database provider at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:Accessibility.Gale@cengage.com&quot;&gt;Accessibility.Gale@cengage.com&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;issues_history&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Issues and Controversies in American History&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://infobase-ich.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360053138374-Accessibility-Statement-for-Issues-Controversies-in-History&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have accessibility issues or requests, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;, or contact the database provider by calling 800.322.8755 ext. 7, or by emailing &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:Database.support@InfobaseLearning.com&quot;&gt;Database.support@InfobaseLearning.com&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;jstor&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;JSTOR&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://about.jstor.org/accessibility/&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you need content in an alternative format, find an accessibility issue with the website, or need general assistance, you can contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;, or you can contact JSTOR via &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.jstor.org/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=14169076578327&quot;&gt;web form&lt;/a&gt;, by phone at 888.388.3574, by text at 734.887.7001, or by email at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:support@jstor.org&quot;&gt;support@jstor.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;kanopy&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Kanopy&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.overdrive.com/policies/kanopy-accessibility-statement&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have accessibility issues or requests, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;, or contact OverDrive, the company that owns Kanopy: &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:feedback@overdrive.com&quot;&gt;feedback@overdrive.com&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;latino_experience&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Latino American Experience&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.abc-clio.com/compliance/&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;nyt&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;New York Times&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://help.nytimes.com/115015727108-Accessibility&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;newsbank&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Newsbank&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.newsbank.com/accessibility&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have accessibility issues or requests, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;, or contact the database provider by emailing &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:custservice@newsbank.com&quot;&gt;custservice@newsbank.com&lt;/a&gt; or calling 800.243.7694.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;oxford_art&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Oxford Art Online&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.oxfordartonline.com/page/accessibility&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To get access to content from this database in a specific format to meet your needs, you can contact an HCC librarian at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; to submit an accessibility request.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;oxford_music&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Oxford Music Online&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/page/accessibility&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To get access to content from this database in a specific format to meet your needs, you can contact an HCC librarian at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; to submit an accessibility request.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;font-size: 150%;&quot;&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;science_direct&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;ScienceDirect&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Publisher-provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://service.elsevier.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/37160/supporthub/sciencedirect/&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have accessibility issues or requests, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;, or contact the database provider at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:accessibility@elsevier.com&quot;&gt;accessibility@elsevier.com&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x98" URL="about" Schema="SectionFrontPage" Locale="" Changed="20250613T16:15:15" CategoryIds="" FileName="x98.xml" Name="About" Thumbnail="/images/About/aboutthumbnail.jpg" Title="Welcome to HCC" Abstract="At Holyoke Community College, you'll find professors who care, affordable classes, and support to help you go far." ThumbnailAltText="Holyoke Community College campus in fall" IntroCopy="Lifting up our community by providing a quality education and workforce training to the people of the Pioneer Valley" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The first two-year college in the Commonwealth, HCC is widely recognized as a leader in high-quality, affordable pathways to transfer or immediate entry into the workforce. A designated Hispanic Serving Institution, HCC serves a diverse community with more than 80 degree and certificate programs, and online, blended, evening, and Saturday classes that accommodate the busy lives of our students.&amp;nbsp;HCC's Center for Health Education, Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Education, and HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, provide students with state-of-the-art resources as well as the knowledge and skills they need to be successful.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Throughout the year, HCC is home to numerous recreational and cultural activities and events that are open to the community. View an art exhibit at the &lt;a href=&quot;/about/taber-art-gallery&quot; title=&quot;Taber Art Gallery&quot;&gt;Taber Art Gallery&lt;/a&gt;, catch a live performance at the Leslie Phillips Theater, or enjoy the college's Jazz Festival and concerts by HCC faculty and the Holyoke Civic Symphony. Interested in pickleball? HCC's David M. Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation has 7 courts, open to all on a first come, first served basis. HCC also boasts the largest disc golf course in Western Massachusetts, and it's free and open to the public. The best place to discover what's happening at HCC is on our online&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/events&quot; title=&quot;Upcoming events at HCC&quot;&gt;events calendar&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;We invite you to &lt;a href=&quot;/admission/visit-campus&quot; title=&quot;Visit HCC&quot;&gt;visit&lt;/a&gt; and get to know us!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Our Mission, Vision and Values&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mission&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Educate. Inspire. Connect.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vision&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Holyoke Community College aspires to be a college of academic excellence known for helping students overcome barriers to success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Values&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kindness, inclusion and trust are the foundation of the work that we do together. Innovation and collaboration enable us to explore and implement the ideas that will shape our future.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kindness&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;We approach all interactions with empathy and in consideration of one another's needs. We act with the highest levels of professionalism, respect, and civility as we seek common ground and strive for mutual understanding.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Inclusion&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;We provide a fair and welcoming environment where all voices are heard and meaningfully included to contribute to the growth and success of HCC. We take intentional action, challenge our assumptions, foster belonging, and respect the uniqueness of the individual.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trust&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;We are inspired to do our best work when we assume positive intention, prioritize transparency, and communicate with honesty, clarity, and consistency. We do this thoughtfully by including all stakeholders in the decision-making process and following through with our commitments.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Innovation&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;We empower all members of our community to explore, share, and actualize their ideas to continuously improve service to our students and community. We do this with creativity and agility by keeping an open mind, taking risks, evaluating outcomes, and learning from mistakes.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Collaboration&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;We work as a team to develop and achieve common goals through an open exchange of ideas in a community that encourages wide-ranging participation, intentional communication, and the pursuit of diverse perspectives and expertise.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;accessibility&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is committed to accessibility and inclusion, and to ensuring that all are able to participate in college programs, activities, and events. &lt;a href=&quot;/about/visit-hcc/accessibility&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility at HCC&quot;&gt;Learn about accessibility&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for students, faculty, staff, and visitors, including:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Parking&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Getting around campus&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Accessible restrooms&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Aids and services&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;smoke-free campus&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is a &lt;a href=&quot;/about/visit-hcc/smoke-free-campus&quot; title=&quot;HCC smoking policy&quot;&gt;smoke-free campus&lt;/a&gt; everywhere, all the time. This policy applies to students, faculty, staff, and visitors.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x10932" URL="about/accreditation" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260327T19:32:55" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10932.xml" Name="Accreditation" Title="Accreditation" Abstract="Information regarding HCC's accreditation by the New England Commission of Higher Education." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College (HCC) is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, Inc., (NECHE). The Commission is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit institutions of higher learning in the United States and abroad. Accreditation is voluntary and applies to the institution as a whole. Accreditation is voluntary and applies to the institution as a whole. The Commission, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, accredits approximately 220 institutions in the six-state New England region as well as several American-style institutions overseas. HCC has been accredited by the Commission since 1970.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Accreditation of an institution by NECHE indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality periodically applied through a peer group review process. An accredited school or college is one that has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purpose through appropriate education programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions regarding the status of HCC's accreditation may be directed to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:kcholeva@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;kcholeva@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;or&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;New England Commission of Higher Education&lt;br /&gt;301 Edgewater Place, Suite 210, &lt;br /&gt;Wakefield, MA 01880&lt;br /&gt;(781) 425 7785 &lt;br /&gt;E-mail: &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:info@neche.org&quot; title=&quot;Email link info@neche.org&quot;&gt;info@neche.org&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;NECHE: New England Commission of Higher Education&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;HCC 2025 Interim Evaluation&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u25VNTrvmMSNGHxzR9IkoJtrafQmdiCx/view?usp=sharing&quot;&gt;2025 HCC Interim Report&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N-vhwpKx83lKV4j48-7K1Q1UjVctErUn/edit?usp=sharing&amp;amp;ouid=115729302652605219979&amp;amp;rtpof=true&amp;amp;sd=true&quot;&gt;2025 NECHE Interim Report Letter&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;HCC 2020 Comprehensive Evaluation by NECHE&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Accreditation/2020%20HCC_NECHE_SelfStudy_FINAL.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to NECHE 2020 Self Study&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;2020 HCC Self-Study&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Accreditation/Holyoke%20Community%20College%20Report.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to NECHE 2020 Team Report&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;2020 NECHE Final Team Report&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Accreditation/Holyoke%20Community%20College%20COMPREHENSIVE.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to NECHE Letter of Accreditation&quot;&gt;2021 NECHE Letter of Accreditation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the 2029 academic year, HCC will complete a self-study in advance of its 2030 Comprehensive Evaluation by the Commission.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to institutional&amp;nbsp;accreditation, several HCC programs are accredited&amp;nbsp;by state or national accrediting bodies:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;table&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; border-color: #a9a9a9; border-style: solid;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 23.2394%;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Program&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 76.6432%;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Accreditor&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 23.2394%;&quot;&gt;Culinary Arts&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 76.6432%;&quot;&gt;American Culinary Federation Education Foundation&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 23.2394%;&quot;&gt;Honors&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 76.6432%;&quot;&gt;MA DHE Commonwealth Honors Program&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 23.2394%;&quot;&gt;Music&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 76.6432%;&quot;&gt;National Association of Schools of Music&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 23.2394%;&quot;&gt;Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 76.6432%;&quot;&gt;Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing, Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 23.2394%;&quot;&gt;Radiologic Technology&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 76.6432%;&quot;&gt;Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 23.2394%;&quot;&gt;Veterinary Technician Option&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 76.6432%;&quot;&gt;American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;scribe-shadow id=&quot;crxjs-ext&quot; data-crx=&quot;okfkdaglfjjjfefdcppliegebpoegaii&quot; style=&quot;position: fixed; width: 0px; height: 0px; top: 0px; left: 0px; z-index: 2147483647; overflow: visible; visibility: visible;&quot;&gt;&lt;/scribe-shadow&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x11974" URL="about/accreditation/general-disclosures" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:31:45" CategoryIds="" FileName="x11974.xml" Name="General Disclosures" Title="General Disclosures" Abstract="Links to HCC's Annual Security Report, graduation and transfer rates, financial statements, student Right-to-Know information and other disclosures required by law. " ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x13438" URL="about/assessment" Schema="CoursesProgramsPage" Locale="" Changed="20240701T14:16:35" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13438.xml" Name="Assessment" Title="Assessment" Abstract="All about planning and assessment at HCC" IntroCopy="All about planning and assessment at HCC" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Simply put, assessment is the collection, review, and use of information about policies, programs, courses and experiences for the purpose of improving student learning and processes. In practice, assessment is making decisions based on evidence, and using the information gathered to enact meaningful change. HCC is committed to practicing assessment across all divisions and in all areas of the college in order to make data driven decisions and improve learning.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Learning outcomes describe the skills and knowledge that students will possess after their time at HCC; in fact, students encounter learning outcomes at every level of their education, both inside and outside of the classroom.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;General Education Outcomes are the broadest level of Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs); students can expect to demonstrate competency in five General Education Outcomes by the time they leave HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Program Level Outcomes (PLOs) are more specific, and differ by program; they are focused on the specific skills and abilities that students will demonstrate as an English major, or a Math major, or a Culinary Arts major.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finally, Course Level Learning Outcomes (CLOs) are the skills and abilities that are taught at the course level; they are what faculty expect students to take away from any given learning situation.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x13471" URL="about/assessment/general-education-outcomes" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250320T14:30:32" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13471.xml" Name="General Education Outcomes" Title="General Education Outcomes" Abstract="Learn about HCC's institutional level general education outcomes assessment." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The HCC community has&amp;nbsp;agreed upon Institutional Learning Outcomes.&amp;nbsp;As students fulfill their General Education course requirements, they can expect to develop these core skills that are central to HCC's mission of higher education. Co-curricular programming and support can contribute to the development of these outcomes, too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is committed to ensuring that we assess student achievement of general education outcomes and that we conduct systematic review of all programs. In this way, we can make good on our promise to students and the public. We are committed to achieving goals stated in our strategic plan and to continuous improvement.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why general education?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At Holyoke Community College, general education offers students an opportunity to develop and practice problem solving and critical thinking and to connect knowledge and skills across disciplines.&amp;nbsp; These abilities are essential to becoming more knowledgeable, productive, and creative members of our complex global community. Current general education requirements are listed in the College Catalog and are detailed in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/assessment&quot;&gt;GEAC internal website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x9421" URL="about/consumer-information" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240905T17:13:30" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9421.xml" Name="Consumer Information" Title="Consumer Information" Abstract="This webpage contains a comprehensive list of sources of information for students, employees, and the college community." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Amendments to the U.S. Higher Education Act require institutions participating in federally funded financial aid programs to make information about the institution available to current and prospective students. This webpage contains a comprehensive list of sources of information for students, employees, and the college community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: 540px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Category&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;More Information&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Academic Offerings &amp;amp; Regulations&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/college-catalog&quot; title=&quot;HCC degrees and certificates&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Accreditation&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x5490.xml&quot; title=&quot;Accreditation&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Alcohol &amp;amp; Drug Policies&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Listed in &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/publications&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC publications page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Student Handbook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Athletics&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness&quot; title=&quot;HCC athletic programs&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;College Description&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about&quot; title=&quot;About HCC&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Copyrighted Material&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.copyright.gov/title17/&quot; title=&quot;Copyright law&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Disability Services&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services&quot; title=&quot;HCC disability and deaf services&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Drug-Free Workplace&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/people-and-talent/employment-opportunities&quot; title=&quot;Link to employment opportunities webpage&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Emergency Procedures&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/public-safety/emergency-preparedness&quot; title=&quot;HCC emergency preparedness&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Financial Aid&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/financial-aid&quot; title=&quot;HCC financial aid&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Financial Statements (Audited)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/public-records&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC public records page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 36px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 36px;&quot;&gt;Foreign Gifts &amp;amp; Contracts Worth More Than $250,000 Within a Calendar Year&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 36px;&quot;&gt;HCC has never received foreign gifts or contracts worth $250,000 and does not expect to in the future&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Graduation &amp;amp; Transfer Rates&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/facts-and-history/fast-facts&quot; title=&quot;HCC Fast Facts&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Immunization Requirements&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar/immunizations&quot; title=&quot;Link to immunizations webpage&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;NC SARA&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/consumer-information/nc-sara&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Licensure &amp;amp; Pass Rates&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/facts-and-history/fast-facts&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC fast facts page&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Placement in Employment&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Consumer%20Info/GradSurvey2022_Tables_HCC_ConsumerInfo_PlacementInEmployment_Final.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to PDF of placement in employment report&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Psychological &amp;amp; Mental Disabilities&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services&quot; title=&quot;HCC disability and deaf services&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Retention Rates&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;For entering full-time first-year students. &lt;a href=&quot;/about/facts-and-history/fast-facts&quot; title=&quot;HCC Fast Facts&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Safety &amp;amp; Security&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/public-safety&quot; title=&quot;HCC campus safety&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Sexual Harassment Policy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Listed in &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/publications&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC publications page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Student Handbook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Student Complaint Policy&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.edu/forstufam/complaints/complaints.asp&quot;&gt;Established by the Board of Higher Education&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Student Diversity&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/facts-and-history/fast-facts&quot; title=&quot;HCC Fast Facts&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Student Rights &amp;amp; Responsibilities&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Family Educational Rights &amp;amp; Privacy Act (FERPA) listed in &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/publications&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC publications page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Student Handbook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Withdrawal Procedures&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/financial-aid-policies/withdrawal&quot; title=&quot;How to withdraw from HCC&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Textbooks&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;HCC bookstore&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Transfer Students&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer&quot; title=&quot;HCC transfer programs&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;Voter Registration&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleifv/howreg.htm&quot; title=&quot;Massachusetts voter registration&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x300" URL="about/diversity" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:31:54" CategoryIds="" FileName="x300.xml" Name="Diversity" Title="Diversity" Abstract="A commitment to diversity is an integral part of Holyoke Community College's mission to provide comprehensive, high-quality educational opportunities that are responsive to community needs and meet the intellectual, esthetic, and practical needs of a diverse student body." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A group of students smiling and laughing together&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/Diversity/smiling.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A commitment to diversity is an integral part of Holyoke Community College's mission to provide comprehensive, high-quality educational opportunities that are responsive to community needs and meet the intellectual, esthetic, and practical needs of a diverse student body.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a community dedicated to accessible education and community outreach, we recognize the importance of creating an environment of respect and inclusiveness. We believe that HCC is enriched by the diversity of our students, faculty, and staff, and strengthened by a climate in which we value and learn from our differences while working toward common goals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are committed to fostering a welcoming and supportive academic environment, where all students, faculty, and staff feel safe and valued as members of our community.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x10342" URL="about/diversity/affirmative-action-and-title-ix" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250320T13:33:45" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10342.xml" Name="Affirmative Action &amp; Title IX" Title="Affirmative Action &amp; Title IX" Abstract="Information about HCC's affirmative action and Title IX policies." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;get in touch&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Please call&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2173&quot;&gt;413.552.2173&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;email &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:okynard@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;okynard@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;and leave your name and contact information, and one of our staff will be in touch within 24 hours.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;affirmative action &amp;amp; equal opportunity&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, genetic information, gender identity, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and college policies. The College prohibits sexual harassment, including sexual violence. Inquiries or complaints concerning discrimination, harassment, retaliation or sexual violence shall be referred to the College's Affirmative Action and/or Title IX Coordinator, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission or the United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;POLICY STATEMENT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The community colleges affirm the commitment to affirmative action and equal opportunity. The efforts are on behalf of women, minorities, the disabled, and persons at least 40 years of age, known as the &quot;protected group.&quot; Affirmative Action will include those with veteran status when such status is considered part of the &quot;protected group.&quot;Community colleges truly committed to equal employment opportunity and affirmative action can go beyond developing policies and practices that prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, or disability. They can take meaningful steps to recruit, hire, transfer, promote, and train women and minorities to enhance their representation.Affirmative action requires the college to do more than ensure employment and education neutrality. As the phrase implies, affirmative action requires the college to make positive efforts to educate, recruit, employ, and promote qualified members of the protected group who may have been excluded, even if that exclusion cannot be traced to particular discriminatory actions on the part of the college. The premise of the affirmative action concept is that unless positive action is undertaken to overcome the effects of systemic institutional forms of exclusion and discrimination, a benign neutrality in employment and education practices will tend to perpetuate the status quo ante indefinitely.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The following specific policies are established:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Equal opportunity and affirmative action shall apply to all segments of the College; full and part‑time employment; day and continuing education; the curriculum and offerings of the College.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Equal opportunity and affirmative action shall be applied to the recruitment process for employment and/or access to education.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Students will have access to the College, programs of study, activities, and other resources intended to serve them, according to the policies of the individual Colleges.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Equal employment opportunity and affirmative action will be realized in all personnel employment, including recruitment, application for employment, hiring, benefits, compensation, training, promotion, and termination.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;All policies, procedures, privileges, and conditions of the College will follow and incorporate applicable equal opportunity and affirmative action rules and regulations.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;The above‑stated policies are intended to be applied broadly with the goal of promoting equal opportunity and diversity in community colleges. The community colleges pledge to apply all policies consistently, fairly, and vigorously. Attempts to subvert or abuse these policies will not be tolerated. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken in the case of an infraction. Such disciplinary action shall be consistent with the appropriate collective bargaining agreement, if applicable.All policies are made in compliance with laws and regulations and executive orders promulgated by the federal and state governments and other appropriate agencies and authorities, where applicable.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;Documents/About/Diversity/PAAAugust2021UpdatedPolicy.pdf&quot; title=&quot;link to pdf of Affirmative Action Policy&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Read the full Affirmative Action policy document.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CONTACT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Inquiries regarding compliance with the college's affirmative action policy may be directed to:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Olivia Kynard&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kittredge Center&amp;nbsp;401 &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2173&quot;&gt;413.552.2173&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:okynard@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link okynard@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;okynard@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please submit your&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Diversity/AAcomplaintform.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of affirmative action complaint form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;complaint form&lt;/a&gt; online, and someone will contact you within 48 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Criminal complaints can be filed with the college's office of public safety at &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2400&quot;&gt;413.552.2400&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;title ix&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;560&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; src=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/jS7RwYMA22M&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allow=&quot;accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;allowfullscreen&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;what is title ix?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Title IX is a landmark federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. In addition to equal opportunities in athletic programs, Title IX also addresses sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination, and sexual violence.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Title IX does not apply to female students only. Male and gender non-conforming students are protected, too.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Schools must take immediate action to ensure that the complainant/victim can continue their education free of ongoing sex discrimination, sexual harassment, or sexual violence.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The college has an established procedure for handling complaints of sex discrimination, sexual harassment, domestic and sexual violence, and stalking.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The college can issue a no-contact directive under Title IX to prevent the accused student from approaching or interacting with the complainant.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Students who report violations have a right to remain on campus and have every educational program available to them.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Title IX provides rights to pregnant and parenting students. Examples include excused absences due to pregnancy or childbirth that are medically necessary, return to the same academic status as before medical leave, and the opportunity to make up missed work.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;want to know more about title ix?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contact:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Olivia Kynard&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;Kittredge Center&amp;nbsp;401&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2173&quot;&gt;413.552.2173&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:okynard@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link okynard@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;okynard@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;additional resources&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/public-safety/campus-police&quot; title=&quot;Link to campus police page&quot;&gt;HCC Campus Police&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2400&quot;&gt;413.552.2400&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;YWCA of Western Massachusetts&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:800-796-8711&quot;&gt;800.796.8711&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:800-223-5001&quot;&gt;800.223.5001&lt;/a&gt; (Spanish)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Center for Women &amp;amp; Community&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:888-337-0800&quot;&gt;888.337.0800&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elizabeth Freeman Center&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Berkshire County&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;866-401-2425&quot;&gt;866.401.2425&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Documents/About/Campus%20Safety/Sexual%20Violence%20-%20Victim's%20Rights%20and%20Information.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of victims' rights&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Victims' Rights &amp;ndash; Victims of Sexual Violence&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Domestic/Dating Violence&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are you worried about someone or do you have questions about domestic or dating violence? Do you recognize warning signs of an unhealthy relationship? Do you need help or support?&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.casamyrna.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/SafeLink-factsheet-2014-10-8.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to Casa Myrna website page about safelink&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;SafeLink&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;is Massachusetts' statewide 24/7 toll-free domestic violence hotline. Call&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:877-785-2020&quot;&gt;877.785.2020&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:877-521-2601&quot;&gt;877.521.2601&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(TTY) to speak with a bilingual (English/Spanish) advocate.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7686" URL="about/diversity/tapestry-alliance" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260217T14:40:45" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7686.xml" Name="Tapestry Alliance" Title="Tapestry Alliance" Abstract="The Tapestry Alliance will serve as the leading voice identifying, recommending, and promotingpluralism, equity, and inclusion initiatives (synonymous for people and culture) for the strategicgrowth and development of the institution and people in general." BodyCopy="&lt;h3&gt;STATEMENT OF PURPOSE&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Tapestry Alliance will serve as the leading voice identifying, recommending, and promoting pluralism, equity, and inclusion initiatives (synonymous for people and culture) for the strategic growth and development of the institution and people in general. Each member of the Tapestry Alliance will be empowered as an &amp;ldquo;Equity Champion&amp;rdquo; and will assist in the efforts of enhancing the &amp;ldquo;respect/relate/cooperate&amp;rdquo; ethos and building democracy together, which is a founding value of the United States.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;VISION&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;People, Culture, and Equity initiatives at Holyoke Community College will be supported by the creation of the Tapestry Alliance, the official equity body of the College, which will serve as an advisory association to the Vice President of People, Culture, and Equity and the Chief Impact Officer, as well as the College President and Cabinet. The Tapestry Alliance is so named to show our commitment to weaving together diverse threads and perspectives into a strong fabric and community. The Tapestry Alliance aims to create a vibrant and welcoming environment dedicated to promoting pluralism, equity, and inclusion within our institution. The Tapestry Alliance will align its work to the College&amp;rsquo;s Strategic and Equity Plans with a particular emphasis on Strategic Framework #2: Equity and Student Success. This strategic framework states that Holyoke Community College will &amp;ldquo;collaborate with the communities we serve to increase equity.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;VALUES&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kindness, inclusion, and trust are the foundations of the work that we do together. Innovation and collaboration enable us to explore and implement the ideas that will shape our future. Innovation: We empower each other to explore, share, and actualize our ideas to continuously improve the HCC experience for all in an equitable way. Collaboration: We work as a community to develop and achieve common goals through an open exchange of ideas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kindness: &lt;/strong&gt;We approach all interactions with empathy and in consideration of one another's needs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Inclusion: &lt;/strong&gt;We provide a fair and welcoming environment where all voices are heard and meaningful included to contribute to the growth and success of HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trust: &lt;/strong&gt;We assume the best in others, prioritize transparency, and communicate with honesty, clarity, and consistency.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Tapestry Alliance seeks to promote a campus that understands and supports all identities including but not limited to race, gender, class, ethnicity, linguistics, and sexual and gender identity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Updated January 2026&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x306" URL="about/doing-business-with-hcc" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:32:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x306.xml" Name="Doing Business with HCC" Title="Doing Business with HCC" Abstract="Thank you for your interest in doing business with Holyoke Community College! We hope the information supplied here will help you better understand college policies and procedures with respect to purchasing commodities and services." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The Kittredge Center building at Holyoke Community College&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/Doing%20Business/kittredge_intext.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you for your interest in doing business with Holyoke Community College! We hope the information supplied here will help you better understand college policies and procedures with respect to purchasing commodities and services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For 65 years, HCC has provided educational access and excellence to residents of Western Massachusetts. In order to maintain the highest standards for its campus and programs, HCC routinely partners with qualified vendors throughout the Pioneer Valley and beyond.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The mission of the Procurement Department is to obtain the best value in commodities and services for Holyoke Community College. We know that &quot;best&quot; value does not necessarily mean lowest price. Best design, quality, service, and best delivery are also considered.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's goal is to conduct business in an open and equitable manner. In addition, the involvement of small, minority, and women-owned businesses as defined by the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.gov/orgs/supplier-diversity-office-sdo&quot; title=&quot;link to Commonwealth Supplier Diversity Office website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Commonwealth Supplier Diversity Office (SDO)&lt;/a&gt; is encouraged.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x307" URL="about/doing-business-with-hcc/bid-announcements" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250115T12:55:19" CategoryIds="" FileName="x307.xml" Name="Bid Announcements" Title="Bid Announcements" Abstract="HCC encourages qualified vendors to participate in the bid process." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;HCC encourages qualified vendors to participate in the bid process. There are two avenues for participation:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;The Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium (MHEC)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;COMMBUYS: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Official Procurement Record System&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;While HCC attempts to notify those interested in participating in bid opportunities, it makes no guarantee that vendors will be included in solicitations. Those individuals or businesses who wish to participate in bids are advised to make use of MHEC or COMMBUYS. Vendors who register with COMMBUYS will receive automatic email notifications of any solicitation that HCC posts on COMMBUYS. Open bids are also posted at the college on a bulletin board across the hall from Frost 335.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While it is HCC's intention to make public the results of its solicitation process as quickly as possible, HCC shall not be held liable for errors, clerical or otherwise, or interpretation/misinterpretation of the information publicly read at the formal opening.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Current Bid Opportunities&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Doing%20Business/Bids/RFP%2025-01/RFP%2025-01_Web%20Redesign%20and%20Development.pdf&quot;&gt;RFP 25-01_Web Redesign &amp;amp; Development&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot; style=&quot;padding-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Doing%20Business/Bids/RFP%2025-01/Required%20Forms%20w_checklist.pdf&quot;&gt;Required Forms w_checklist&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot; style=&quot;padding-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Doing%20Business/Bids/RFP%2025-01/HCC%20RFP%2025-01%20Vendor%20Questions%20and%20Answers%20Addendum%201.pdf&quot;&gt;Vendor Q&amp;amp;A&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/doing-business-with-hcc/bid-announcements/ifb-24-03-electronic-medication-dispensing-system&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IFB# 24-03&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Electronic Medication Dispensing&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/doing-business-with-hcc/bid-announcements/rfp-24-01-hris-solution&quot;&gt;RFP# 24-01 HRIS Solution&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When bids are posted, vendors may request copies by calling &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2384&quot;&gt;413.552.2384&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's written &quot;Notice of Award&quot; or &quot;Intent to Award&quot; will be mailed to all bidders on file/proposers, and will constitute a final decision by HCC to award the contract.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions regarding bid opportunities and open bids should be directed to the &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:bjackson@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Brian Jackson&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions regarding print bids should be directed to the &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:wmurphy@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Creative Services Manager&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions regarding construction bids should be directed to the &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:dcampbell@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Director of Facilities &amp;amp; Engineering&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x19230" URL="about/doing-business-with-hcc/bid-announcements/ifb-24-03-electronic-medication-dispensing-system" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:32:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19230.xml" Name="IFB 24-03 Electronic Medication Dispensing System" Title="IFB# 24-03 Electronic Medication Dispensing System" Abstract="Invitation for Bids (IFB) Electronic Medication Dispensing System" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bid Posting:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Wednesday, January 17, 2024&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bids must be received by: &lt;/strong&gt;Tuesday, January 30, 2024 at 11:00A.M. EST&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;By email to Brian Jackson at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:bjackson@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;bjackson@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/IFB%2024-03%20Electronic%20Medication%20Dispensing%20System.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Bid Information &amp;amp;&amp;nbsp;Required Forms&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/HCC%20IFB%2024-03%20Vendor%20Questions%20and%20Answers%20Addendum%201.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Addendum 1 - Vendor Q&amp;amp;A&quot;&gt;Addendum 1 - Vendor Q&amp;amp;A &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18987" URL="about/doing-business-with-hcc/bid-announcements/rfp-24-01-hris-solution" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:32:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x18987.xml" Name="RFP# 24-01 HRIS Solution" Title="RFP# 24-01 HRIS Solution" Abstract="HRIS Solution Request for Proposal" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bid Posting:&lt;/strong&gt; Friday, August 4th&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bidder Questions Due:&lt;/strong&gt; Friday, August 18th by 4:00pm&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Answers to Questions Posted:&lt;/strong&gt; Friday, September 1st by End of Business&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Proposals Due:&lt;/strong&gt; Friday, September 15th by 11:00am&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Doing%20Business/Bids/Bid%2024-01%20HRIS%20Solution/Bid%2024-01_HRIS_Solution.pdf&quot;&gt;Bid Information&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Doing%20Business/Bids/Bid%2024-01%20HRIS%20Solution/Bid%2024-01_HRIS_Solution.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Doing%20Business/Bids/Bid%2024-01%20HRIS%20Solution/Required%20Forms%20w_checklist.pdf&quot;&gt;Required Forms&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Doing%20Business/Bids/Bid%2024-01%20HRIS%20Solution/%28b%29%20HCC%20RFP%2024-01%20Vendor%20Questions%20and%20Answers%20Addendum%201.pdf&quot;&gt;Vendor Questions and Answers Addendum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x308" URL="about/doing-business-with-hcc/policies" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:32:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x308.xml" Name="Policies" Title="Policies" Abstract="As a public institution, HCC adheres to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts code of ethics." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;As a public institution, HCC adheres to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts code of ethics.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC follows and enforces the Commonwealth's Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosure laws. A contract for the purchase of supplies and equipment or services shall not be awarded to any vendor for which the contract would violate the applicable state laws regarding conflicts of interest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While the college attempts to notify interested vendors of current solicitation opportunities, it makes no guarantee that those interested will be included in any or all solicitations.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x309" URL="about/doing-business-with-hcc/purchasing-faqs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:32:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x309.xml" Name="Purchasing FAQ's" Title="Purchasing FAQ's" Abstract="Frequently asked questions about purchasing." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;How do HCC faculty or staff members use the MHEC/State Contracts?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College faculty and staff may use COMMBUYS to view current State Contracts. The active Statewide Contracts are pre-bid and may be used by faculty and staff to purchase supplies and services for Holyoke Community College in any amount.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;How does a vendor participate in MHEC/State Solicitations?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Open bids are posted on the bulletin board across the hall from Frost 335. Vendors may contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:bjackson@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link bjackson@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Purchasing&lt;/a&gt; to inquire about open bids. In addition, vendors who register with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.commbuys.com/&quot; title=&quot;COMMBUYS&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;COMMBUYS&lt;/a&gt;, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Procurement System, receive email notification of any solicitation that HCC posts on the site.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;What are the maximum amounts a department may spend without conducting a bid?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Unless a State or MHEC contract is used,&amp;nbsp;$9,999.99 is the maximum amount that may be spent. If the amount to be spent is more than&amp;nbsp;$10,000.00 but less than $50,000.00 , three quotes are required unless a State or MHEC contract is used. If&amp;nbsp;$50,000.00 or more is to be spent, a bid is required unless a State or MHEC contract is used.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;How do I use the State or MHEC contracts?&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contracts posted on both the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.commbuys.com/&quot; title=&quot;COMMBUYS&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;COMMBUYS&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mhec.net/&quot; title=&quot;MHEC&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MHEC&lt;/a&gt; websites include detailed instructions. For more information, contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:bjackson@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;email link bjackson@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Purchasing&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x310" URL="about/doing-business-with-hcc/vendor-payment" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:32:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x310.xml" Name="Vendor Payment" Title="Vendor Payment" Abstract="Details about the vendor payment process." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;In order to receive prompt payment, vendors must provide the following information on all invoices:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Purchase order number and line item number&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Contract number, if applicable&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Prompt payment discount terms&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Name of Holyoke Community College employee and department that requested the purchase order&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions regarding payment should be directed to the department or employee who placed the order.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x18801" URL="about/environmental-health-and-safety" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250205T14:18:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x18801.xml" Name="Environmental Health &amp; Safety" Title="Environmental Health &amp; Safety" Abstract="Environmental Health and Safety is a multi-disciplined department that is tasked with the responsibility of designing, implementing, and maintaining a comprehensive health, safety, and environmental protection program for Holyoke Community College. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Environmental Health &amp;amp; Safety is a multi-disciplined department that is tasked with the responsibility of designing, implementing, and maintaining a comprehensive health, safety, and environmental protection program for Holyoke Community College. Through inspections, interdepartmental collaboration, local, state, and federal regulatory compliance, systems design, planning, and training, the goal of the department is to prevent accidents, facility and property damage or impairment, health related issues, environmental damage, and other incidents that place people, property, or the environment at risk. In addition, EH&amp;amp;S responds to a broad variation of concerns and emergencies that include, but is not limited to, leaks, odors and spills of nuisance and hazardous materials, fire and life safety issues, health and sanitation concerns, indoor air quality, pest control, and matters of public health. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Working with faculty, staff, students, contractors, visitors, and local, state, and federal regulatory agencies, the EH&amp;amp;S department develops plans, programs, procedures, and best management practices to protect and appropriately respond to our community, its facilities, and the environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;EH&amp;amp;S is responsible for a number of programs and associated regulatory training which include but are not limited to; asbestos, lead, and PCB inspections, testing and abatements, building, fire and life safety, chemical and laboratory safety, construction and workplace health and safety, emergency preparedness and response, environmental compliance, hazardous materials and waste, health and sanitation, incident, illness, and injury reporting, occupational health and safety, pest control, and public health.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1gxYrmtmO6chBKGEVbIEObZPYZUFXRgoXppa65ACqNZw/viewform?edit_requested=true&quot; title=&quot;link to lab incident form in google forms&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;laboratory incident form&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x270" URL="about/facts-and-history" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:31:58" CategoryIds="" FileName="x270.xml" Name="Facts &amp; History" Title="Facts &amp; History" Abstract="Learn about HCC – where we came from, where we're going, and how you can be a part of it. " IntroCopy="Learn about HCC – where we came from, where we're going, and how you can be a part of it. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A classroom of students raising their hands and smiling&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/Facts-History/raisinghand_intext.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/facts-and-history/fast-facts&quot; title=&quot;HCC Fast Facts&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt; to view Fast Facts about the college.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x379" URL="about/facts-and-history/fast-facts" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260409T19:58:29" CategoryIds="" FileName="x379.xml" Name="Fast Facts" Title="Fast Facts" Abstract="Learn about our students, annual enrollment data, and more." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Learn all about HCC, from our annual enrollment to our retention rates.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x5589" URL="about/green-campus" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250908T15:51:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5589.xml" Name="Green Campus" Title="Green Campus" Abstract="Living sustainably is a priority for HCC." IntroCopy="Living sustainably is a priority for HCC." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;From compostable utensils and cage-free eggs, to low-energy lighting and upgraded chillers, HCC is continually working toward reducing our carbon footprint and making choices that align with our values. Students, faculty, and staff have come together to develop a variety of projects and initiatives that will have a positive impact at HCC and in our community.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12758" URL="about/hcc-greenhouse" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:34:22" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12758.xml" Name="HCC Greenhouse" Title="HCC Greenhouse" Abstract="The HCC Greenhouse provides a diverse and educational plant collection for the college community in an inclusive and accessible space. " BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;Mission&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The mission of the HCC Greenhouse is to provide a diverse and educational plant collection for the college community in an inclusive and accessible space.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Contact&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Email&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:greenhouse@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link greenhouse@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;greenhouse@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instagram&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.instagram.com/hcc.greenhouse/&quot; title=&quot;Link to the HCC Greenhouse account on Instagram&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;@hcc.greenhouse&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Fast Facts&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;There are around 150 different species of plants in the greenhouse&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Our most endangered plants are a Succulent Fig Cactus (&lt;em&gt;Cissus adeyana&lt;/em&gt;) and a Mistletoe Cactus (&lt;em&gt;Rhipsalis pentaptera&lt;/em&gt;), which are both critically endangered in the wild due to poaching and habitat loss&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Our greenhouse has produced edible fruits! We've had some common fruits such as limes, pineapples, and figs, and some uncommon fruits like the small tangy fruits of the Traveler's Friend Cactus (&lt;em&gt;Ferocactus latispinus&lt;/em&gt;) and the sweet juicy fruit of the Monstera (&lt;em&gt;Monstera deliciosa&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9261" URL="about/hispanic-serving-institution" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:34:39" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9261.xml" Name="Hispanic Serving Institution" Title="Hispanic Serving Institution" Abstract="HCC is part of a growing national club of colleges and universities recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Education as &quot;Hispanic Serving Institutions,&quot; or HSIs, whose Hispanic student enrollment is 25% or above." IntroCopy="The HSI designation makes HCC eligible to apply for special grants to expand educational opportunities and enhance services and supports for Hispanic students." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;In fall 2016, Holyoke Community College marked a major milestone. For the first time, Hispanic student enrollment at the college surpassed 25 percent.&amp;nbsp;With that, HCC joined a growing national club of colleges and universities recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Education as &quot;Hispanic Serving Institutions,&quot; or HSI's.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HSI designation makes HCC eligible to apply for special grants to expand educational opportunities and enhance services and supports for Hispanic students, who have historically trailed their white classmates in the metrics typically used to quantify academic success: persistence (remaining enrolled from one semester to the next), retention (remaining enrolled from one year to the next), course completion, and graduation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The LatinX population is growing,&quot; said Carlos Santiago, Massachusetts commissioner of Higher Education, during a May 2018 forum at HCC focused on strengthening the school as a Hispanic Serving Institution. &quot;These students are coming to your doors. They're coming in with all different backgrounds. For some of them, English is not their first language. Some of them are coming from school districts that didn't quite give them the skills they need to be successful walking in on day one. They're coming in with gaps.&quot; Addressing these achievement gaps is a key provision of HCC's&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/about/offices-and-administration/strategic-plan-2018-2022&quot;&gt;new strategic plan&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Explore the links below to learn more about HCC's status as an HSI.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x18741" URL="about/hispanic-serving-institution/hispanic-leadership-committee" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:34:39" CategoryIds="" FileName="x18741.xml" Name="Hispanic Leadership Committee" Title="Hispanic Leadership Committee" Abstract="The Hispanic Leadership Committee implements initiatives that support and promote Hispanic professional growth which result in student academic success through the collaboration of faculty and staff." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;Mission&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Hispanic Leadership Committee implements initiatives that support and promote Hispanic professional growth which result in student academic success through the collaboration of faculty and staff. The purpose is to provide a nurturing professional environment that fosters creative thinking, leadership development, and cultural awareness of all Hispanic identities while advancing Holyoke Community College's status as an &lt;a href=&quot;/about/hispanic-serving-institution&quot; title=&quot;Link to Hispanic serving institution page&quot;&gt;HSI&lt;/a&gt; through our values of innovation, collaboration, kindness, inclusion, and trust.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Current Sub-Committees&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Hispanic Heritage Committee&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Bienvenidos Committee&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Latinx Social Committee&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;PODEMOS Scholarship Committee&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Current Members&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shakara Acoff&lt;br /&gt;Janet Aracena&lt;br /&gt;Elizabeth Breton&lt;br /&gt;Sa&amp;uacute;l Caban&lt;br /&gt;Maria Estelle Camacho&lt;br /&gt;Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n&lt;em&gt; (&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Co-Chair)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;Camille Close&lt;br /&gt;Raul Gutierrez&lt;br /&gt;Johanna Lebron&lt;br /&gt;Jane Lerner&lt;br /&gt;Dawn Lovegrove&lt;br /&gt;Vanessa Mart&amp;iacute;nez&lt;br /&gt;Irma Medina&lt;br /&gt;Evelyn Rivera-Riffenburg&lt;br /&gt;Harold Santiago&lt;br /&gt;Shannon Sarkisian&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;(Co-Chair&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;Jeannette Smith&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PODEMOS Scholarship&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Hispanic Leadership Committee has been the home of the &lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships/podemos-scholarship&quot; title=&quot;Link to PODEMOS scholarship page&quot;&gt;PODEMOS Scholarship&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;which was established by the HCC Foundation in 2021 when the Foundation's Board of Directors voted to allocate $75,000 to support Latinx students and take HCC from a Hispanic Serving Institution to a Hispanic thriving institution. Contributions to the PODEMOS Scholarship may be made at any time by &lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/ways-to-give&quot; title=&quot;Link to ways to give page&quot;&gt;clicking here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x301" URL="about/news-events-and-media" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260427T17:38:32" CategoryIds="" FileName="x301.xml" Name="News, Events &amp; Media" Title="News, Events &amp; Media" Abstract="News about Holyoke Community College, on-campus events, and resources for media." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC News Ticker&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;ticker&quot;&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt; &amp;lsquo;Together HCC&amp;rsquo; campaign raises $131K, surpasses fundraising goal &lt;a href=&quot; https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/holyoke-community-college-volleyball-team-celebrated-for-historic-season/ &quot; title=&quot;&amp;quot;Link&quot; to=&quot;&quot; wwlp=&quot;&quot;&gt;Campaign Tops $1M&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt; NJCAA honors Holyoke Community College&amp;rsquo;s Tom Stewart with Hall of Fame induction &lt;a href=&quot; https://gazettenet.com/2026/03/13/njcaa-honors-holyoke-community-colleges-tom-stewart-with-hall-of-fame-induction/ &quot; title=&quot;&amp;quot;Link&quot; to=&quot;&quot; daily=&quot;&quot; hampshire=&quot;&quot; gazette=&quot;&quot;&gt;Hall of Famer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt; HCC radio station manager honored as community news champion &lt;a href=&quot; https://businesswest.com/blog/hcc-radio-station-manager-honored-as-community-news-champion/   &quot; title=&quot;&amp;quot;Link&quot; to=&quot;&quot; business=&quot;&quot; west=&quot;&quot;&gt;News Champion&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;President Timmons: Next big thing at HCC? CI &amp;mdash; &amp;lsquo;collaborative intelligence&amp;rsquo; &lt;a href=&quot; https://www.masslive.com/opinion/2026/02/george-timmons-next-big-thing-at-hcc-ci-collaborative-intelligence-viewpoint.html/   &quot; title=&quot;&amp;quot;Link&quot; to=&quot;&quot; masslive=&quot;&quot;&gt;Outlook 2026&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;The Fabulous 413: At the Taber Art Gallery&lt;a href=&quot; https://www.masslive.com/opinion/2026/02/george-timmons-next-big-thing-at-hcc-ci-collaborative-intelligence-viewpoint.html/   &quot; title=&quot;&amp;quot;Link&quot; to=&quot;&quot; nepm=&quot;&quot;&gt; River Valley Radical Futures&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt; InFocus interview featuring HCC President George Timmons, Ph.D.&lt;a href=&quot; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMBOmikMYKw&amp;amp;list=PLmfzHgbX9Y57Z1-a4rXY6KClRn4f0rFcs&amp;amp;index=19/&quot; title=&quot;&amp;quot;Link&quot; to=&quot;&quot; infocus=&quot;&quot;&gt; In Focus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt; HCC convenes regional leaders to map its next chapter &lt;a href=&quot; https://gazettenet.com/2025/12/09/holyoke-community-college-convenes-region-to-map-its-next-chapter/ &quot; title=&quot;&amp;quot;Link&quot; to=&quot;&quot; daily=&quot;&quot; hampshire=&quot;&quot; gazette=&quot;&quot;&gt;Next Chapter&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/crosswalk-painting-web-xx-6V2A4458.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What's going on at HCC? What's the latest news? Who's making it? Where is it happening? You'll find all the answers right here&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x15" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events" Schema="EventIndexPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:58:55" CategoryIds="" FileName="x15.xml" Name="Events" Title="Events" Abstract="What's going on at HCC? Check out this index of upcoming events." ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x22118" URL="x22118.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20251212T15:09:43" CategoryIds="" FileName="x22118.xml" Name="Spring 2026" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x22291" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/scholarship-reception-2026" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260512T15:39:25" CategoryIds="4|193|65|165" FileName="x22291.xml" Name="Scholarship Reception 2026" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/HCC-SCHOLARSHIPS2025-WEB.jpg" Title="Scholarship Reception" Abstract="HCC will celebrate the more than 400 students awarded HCC Foundation scholarships for the 2026-2027 academic year on Thursday, May 14" ThumbnailAltText="May 2025 HCC Scholarship Reception" EventLocation="Campus Center" EventStartDate="2026-05-14" EventStartTime="15:00:00" IntroCopy="HCC awards scholarships worth more than $400K" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/HCC-SCHOLARSHIPS2025-WEB.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will celebrate the more than 400 students who have been awarded HCC Foundation scholarships for the 2026-2027 academic year with a special reception on Thursday, May 14.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation&amp;rsquo;s annual Scholarship Reception will run from 3 to 5 p.m. on the second floor of the HCC Campus Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the 2026-2027 academic year, the HCC Foundation awarded 438 scholarships worth $405,000 to 422 incoming, current, and graduating students. Individual awards range from $500 to $5,000. Some students received more than one scholarship.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Every scholarship tells two stories &amp;ndash; one of a donor who believed in a student they might have never met and another of a student who now has one less barrier standing between them and a college degree,&amp;rdquo; said Laura White, assistant director for donor relations. &amp;ldquo;When donors and recipients come together, you can see firsthand the impact of that generosity, and it&amp;rsquo;s genuinely moving.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The reception for scholarship recipients, their families, and donors will feature brief remarks from White, President George Timmons, and Interim Vice President Katherine Douglas, followed by keynote speeches from 2026 scholarship recipient Zoe Bisbang of Holyoke (recipient of the Cloud 9 Scholarship) and donor Vincent Naro of Westfield, who created a scholarship in memory of his late wife, HCC alum Mary M. Naro &amp;rsquo;78, a nurse who died in 2018. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The nonprofit HCC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that works to advance the college&amp;rsquo;s mission, vision, and values. Founded in 1968 as the Friends of Holyoke Community College, in response to a devastating fire that forced the college to rebuild on a new campus, the foundation now manages assets of more than $20 million, the largest community college foundation endowment in Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC Scholarship Reception 2025&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22281" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/constellations-alumni-art-show" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260526T18:52:04" CategoryIds="193|65|360|226" FileName="x22281.xml" Name="Constellations Alumni Art Show" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202026/Taber-Boston-Skyline-web.jpg" Title="Constellations" Abstract="The Taber Art Gallery will present 'Constellations,' an exhibition of alumni artwork from the HCC Permanent Collection, Aug. 3-21, with a reception Aug. 6, 5-7 p.m." ThumbnailAltText="Boston Skyline " EventLocation="Taber Art Gallery" EventStartDate="2026-08-03" EventStartTime="10:00:00" EventEndDate="2026-08-21" IntroCopy="An exhibition of alumni artwork from the HCC Permanent Collection" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="16:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202026/Taber-Boston-Skyline-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery will present 'Constellations,' an exhibition of alumni artwork from the HCC Permanent Collection, Aug. 3-21, with a reception Aug. 6, 5-7 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PICTURED: Boston Skyline, acrylic on board, by Lorraine L.B. Chalifoux '78 (1927-1992)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22270" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/fresh-check-day-2026" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260413T18:39:09" CategoryIds="4|165" FileName="x22270.xml" Name="Fresh Check Day 2026" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202026/Fresh-Check-Day-2025-web.jpg" Title="Fresh Check Day" Abstract="The April 29 event is designed to bring together the campus community to “check in” on the mental health and wellness of college students." ThumbnailAltText="Fresh Check Day 2025" EventLocation="HCC Courtyard" EventStartDate="2026-04-29" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="a free, interactive program focused on student well-being" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="14:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202026/Fresh-Check-Day-2025-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is hosting a day dedicated to promoting mental health and wellness on Wednesday, April 29.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Fresh Check Day&amp;rdquo; will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the HCC Courtyard. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This innovative program, developed by the Connecticut-based Jordan Porco Foundation, is designed to bring together the campus community to &amp;ldquo;check in&amp;rdquo; on the mental health and wellness of college students. The event is free and open to all.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Organized by the Office of the Dean of Student Experience and HCC Student Engagement, with support from other campus partners and student clubs, Fresh Check Day will transform the HCC Courtyard into a vibrant expo-like setting with interactive exhibits, food prizes, giveaways &amp;ndash; and friendly puppies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Student well-being is an essential part of the overall student experience at Holyoke Community College,&amp;rdquo; said Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n, HCC dean of student experience. &amp;ldquo;By increasing awareness of mental health resources and creating opportunities for connection, we remind students that they are supported not only academically but as whole people throughout their time here.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Highlights include interactive exhibits and activities designed to educate and engage students on mental health topics, such as stress management, anxiety, depression, and suicide prevention; community engagement opportunities where students can connect with their peers and to campus resources in a positive, community-focused environment; and prizes and giveaways.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Jordan Porco Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Wethersfield, Conn. It was founded in 2011 by Ernie and Marisa Porco after they lost their son Jordan to suicide when he was a freshman in college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The goal of Fresh Check Day is to create an approachable and hopeful environment for discussing mental health and supporting student wellness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Many of our students are navigating competing responsibilities and an increasingly complex world,&amp;rdquo; said Col&amp;oacute;n. &amp;ldquo;Events like Fresh Check Day help strengthen a campus culture where students feel seen, valued, and encouraged to reach out.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the event of rain, the event will be held inside, on the second floor of the HCC Campus Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more details about Fresh Check Day at HCC, please contact Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n at 413-552-2508 or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:jcolon@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;jcolon@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22268" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/cai-open-house-sp26" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260408T14:19:07" CategoryIds="3|97|193|165" FileName="x22268.xml" Name="CAI Open House SP26" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202026/CAI-Open-web.jpg" Title="Culinary Open House" Abstract="HCC will host an open house and free community tasting event April 15 at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute," ThumbnailAltText="Culinary arts student working in the kitchen" EventLocation="HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., Holyoke" EventStartDate="2026-04-15" EventStartTime="16:00:00" IntroCopy="Open house, tours, and free tasting event" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="18:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202026/CAI-Open-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will host an open house and free community tasting event on Wednesday, April 15, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visitors will be able tour the state-of-the-art kitchens at the college&amp;rsquo;s culinary arts facility, sample dishes prepared by culinary arts students and faculty, learn about the college&amp;rsquo;s culinary arts certificate and associate degree programs, noncredit job training and personal enrichment classes, and play Food Bash Bingo for a chance to win prizes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This event highlights the work happening across all of our kitchens, giving the community a chance to experience the talent and training our students are developing here at HCC, while also showcasing other HCC programs and our community partners,&amp;rdquo; said HCC culinary arts instructor and facilities coordinator Alex Torres.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visitors will have the opportunity to talk to representatives from HCC programs including: Admissions, Marieb Adult Learner Success Center, HCC Foundation, Alumni Relations, Thrive Center and Food Pantry, El Centro, ALANA Men in Motion, and Jumpstart, as well as personnel from area community groups, including Tech Foundry/Tech Hub, United Way, Alzheimer&amp;rsquo;s Organization, and Holyoke Medical Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Staff from the HCC Admission&amp;rsquo;s office will also be on hand to discuss enrollment options, including MassEducate and MassReconnect, the state programs for free community college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2021, HCC placed 50&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;nbsp;among the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bestchoiceschools.com/rankings/culinary-schools/&quot;&gt;Best Culinary Schools in America&lt;/a&gt;, a list that also includes such esteemed schools as the Culinary Institute of America. HCC's culinary program ranked third in New England after Johnson &amp;amp; Wales in Providence, R.I. and Southern Maine Community College in Portland.&amp;nbsp;Best Choice Schools cited HCC for the quality of its one-year certificate and two-year associate of arts in science degree programs in culinary arts, as well as its 20,000 square-foot culinary arts facility, which opened in downtown Holyoke in 2018.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute is equipped with four modern kitchens, a bakery, hotel lab, and student-run dining room.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information about HCC&amp;rsquo;s Culinary Arts program, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/hospitality-and-culinary-arts&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/culinary&lt;/a&gt; or send an email to &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:CAI@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;CAI@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="Free" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22266" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/student-art-expo-sp26" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260504T16:24:36" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x22266.xml" Name="Student Art Expo SP26" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Student-art-show-Lauren-Greenough-web.jpg" Title="Student Art Expo" Abstract="The annual Student Art Exhibition has been extended through May 6 with an artists career panel in the gallery that day at 11 a.m.  " ThumbnailAltText="Student Art Exhibition Spring 2026" EventLocation="Taber Art Gallery and other campus locations" EventStartDate="2026-04-13" EventStartTime="09:00:00" EventEndDate="2026-05-06" IntroCopy="Career Panel: Pathways for Artists May 6, 11 a.m." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Student-art-show-Lauren-Greenough-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NOW EXTENDED ... with artists career panel in the gallery May 6 at 11 a.m.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery at Holyoke Community College and the HCC Visual Art Department are presenting their annual Student Art Exhibition Monday, April 13, through Friday, May 1, with a reception and awards ceremony April 16 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the gallery. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The exhibition features artwork created by HCC students from more than 50 visual art classes during the 2025-2026 academic year, including painting, two-dimensional and three-dimensional design, basic drawing, still photography, ceramics, digital imaging and design, figure drawing, animation, digital photography, illustration, motion graphics, printmaking, and typography.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The exhibition reflects all the artwork done in studio classes during the academic year. Faculty members select the work and install it, giving art students the opportunity to see their work displayed in a professional gallery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The April 16 reception also includes the Excellence in Visual Art Awards presentation, which recognizes the best student artwork of the year in various categories, as selected by the visual art faculty. &lt;span&gt;Attendees are encouraged to dress creatively, as an award will also be presented for best costume.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm thrilled to welcome the Holyoke community to join us for the 2026 HCC Student Art Exhibition opening reception,&amp;rdquo; said Taber director Rachel Rushing. &amp;ldquo;This event is always a blast to celebrate the hard work of the visual art classes and to announce the student award winners.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The student art is displayed in the Taber Art Gallery, as well as display cases outside the HCC Library, along the third-floor corridor of the Fine and Performing Arts Building, and in the Media Arts Center on the third floor of the Campus Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery, located off the lobby of the HCC Library on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during regular school sessions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HOTO: Lauren Greenough of Southwick, a student in instructor Rachel Rushing's Basic Drawing class, reenacts a pose from her self-portrait that was included in the 2026 Student Art Exposition.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22237" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/wcch-alumni-reunion-sp26" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260323T14:51:04" CategoryIds="4|193|65|451|165" FileName="x22237.xml" Name="WCCH Alumni Reunion SP26" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/COULTER-WCCH-web.jpg" Title="WCCH Alumni Reunion" Abstract="The office of Alumni Relations invites WCCH alumni to campus on April 30 for an evening celebrating the history and impact of WCCH Radio." ThumbnailAltText="HCC alumni at CAI" EventLocation="WCCH Radio Station, DON 103" EventStartDate="2026-04-30" EventStartTime="16:00:00" IntroCopy="The Office of Alumni Relations invites WCCH alumni to campus for an evening celebrating the history and impact of WCCH Radio." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="18:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;Take a look at our newly renovated podcast room, made possible through donor support, and see how the station continues to serve today&amp;rsquo;s students. Guests will be able to watch live performances, meet current WCCH students, and stop by the photo booth to capture a few memories.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You&amp;rsquo;ll also learn more about the WCCH Alumni On-Air Program and ways to stay connected with the station.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Share Your WCCH Story&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We&amp;rsquo;re putting together a slideshow featuring photos and memories from WCCH alumni over the years. If you&amp;rsquo;d like to be included, send photos or short stories to alumni@hcc.edu by April 23. This could be a photo from your first show, time behind the mic, or a moment that stands out from your WCCH experience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What to Expect&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Live performances from Live From Studio B&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A tour of the renovated studio space, including the new podcast room&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;WCCH and HCC Alumni giveaways&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A photo booth&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Light refreshments and music&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Time to reconnect with fellow alumni and meet current students&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Information about supporting WCCH and future programming&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Learn about the new alumni podcast, The Green Thread&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Limited Space Available&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Space is limited for this event, so early registration is encouraged.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions can be directed to the Office of Alumni Relations at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:alumni@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;alumni@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;       window.bboxInit = function () {           bbox.showForm('4b5a4574-8e8f-4275-87e6-79ae7ed315a7');       };       (function () {           var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true;           e.src = 'https://bbox.blackbaudhosting.com/webforms/bbox-min.js';           document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(e);       } ());&lt;/script&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;bbox-root&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;       window.bboxInit = function () {           bbox.showForm('74716fc6-d5d1-476a-8c6e-731254747a29');       };       (function () {           var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true;           e.src = 'https://bbox.blackbaudhosting.com/webforms/bbox-min.js';           document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(e);       } ());&lt;/script&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="Free. Space is limited." IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22222" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/twenty-five-years-in-bloom" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260323T14:42:18" CategoryIds="69|4" FileName="x22222.xml" Name="Twenty-five Years in Bloom" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202026/Taber-Hypercolor-web-175.jpg" Title="25 Years in Bloom" Abstract="Join faculty, staff, and students of the HCC Visual Art Department for an afternoon of camaraderie as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Taber Art Gallery." ThumbnailAltText="Taber Art Gallery" EventLocation="HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race Street, Holyoke" EventStartDate="2026-04-08" EventStartTime="12:00:00" IntroCopy="Taber Art Gallery 25th anniversary fundraiser luncheon" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="14:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Join faculty, staff, and students of the HCC Visual Art Department for an afternoon of camaraderie as we celebrate the impact of the Taber Art Gallery and Collection over the past 25 years and look ahead at what the next 25 might hold. Guests will be able to share their own visions of how the Taber can continue to serve as a cultural resource within HCC and the greater Holyoke community as we dream together and celebrate the role and power of art in our world today. Chef Alex Torres and his culinary arts class will prepare and serve a dreamy 3-course lunch to help inspire us! Donations will go directly into Gallery programming starting next school year.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Art is for everybody.&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;We&amp;rsquo;ll share images from gallery exhibitions and events, and we&amp;rsquo;d love to include you! If you have photographs of art you made as an HCC student or at Taber events, please send them to rrushing@hcc.edu by April 1. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;What to expect&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Meet current Visual Art students and faculty&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Learn how your support will make a difference in gallery and collection programs&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Enjoy a kosher lunch with gluten-free options&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Get ready for the 2026/2027 gallery season&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Making Dreams Come True&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Looking ahead, we want to continue fostering curiosity and visual and cultural literacy through timely exhibitions and programs that ask &amp;ldquo;what is the role of the artist and visual art in contemporary society?&amp;rdquo; To do that we need your support. Your donations will help us maintain a professional space and exhibition experience for contemporary artists to share their work; provide relevant, dynamic programming to students and the community through funded artists talks, guest lectures, and workshops; and connect students with art world professionals and potential career paths. Here are some specific examples of what your donations could do: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;$50 will help cover preservation supplies for artwork in the HCC Permanent Collection like archival boards, paper, and repair tapes.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;$100 will help cover catering for gallery receptions&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;$250 will allow us to professionally frame one artwork in the collection&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;$500 will pay the honorarium for one guest speaker at a gallery event&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;bbox-root&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;       window.bboxInit = function () {           bbox.showForm('1d43abcf-e274-44f3-83dc-9f6b60bbac6a');       };       (function () {           var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true;           e.src = 'https://bbox.blackbaudhosting.com/webforms/bbox-min.js';           document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(e);       } ());&lt;/script&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="$15 minimum requested donation" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22218" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/dust" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260402T17:16:08" CategoryIds="193|165|226" FileName="x22218.xml" Name="Dust" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/DUST-group-hands-web.jpg" Title="Experience 'Dust'" Abstract="The HCC Theater Dept. will present &quot;Dust,&quot; by Danielle Mohlman, April 16-18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater with a 2 p.m. matinee on April 18. " ThumbnailAltText="Dust promo photo" EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater, Fine &amp; Performing Arts Building" EventStartDate="2026-04-16" EventStartTime="19:30:00" EventEndDate="2026-04-18" IntroCopy="HCC Theater Dept, presenting &quot;Dust,&quot; by Danielle Mohlman" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/DUST-group-hands-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Theater Dept. will present &quot;Dust,&quot; by Danielle Mohlman, directed by Fig Lefevre, April 16-18 in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;Performance Dates:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thursday, April 16, 7:30 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Friday, April 17, 7:30 p.m. (ASL Interpreted)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Saturday, April 18, 2 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Saturday, April 18, 7:30 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;All performances will be in the Leslie Phillips Theater on the campus of Holyoke Community College&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;303 Homestead Ave. Holyoke MA, 01040 (Fine and Performing Arts Building, 2nd floor)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;Running Time:&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Approximately 1 hour 20 minutes.&amp;nbsp;This performance does not have an intermission&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This show is appropriate for audience members 13 years of age and older.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contains flashing lights, strong language, and descriptions of violence including sexual violence&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;Tickets:&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;General Admission: $10.00&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tickets available at &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcctheater.ludus.com/index.php&quot;&gt;https://hcctheater.ludus.com/index.php&lt;/a&gt; one hour before show, at the Leslie Phillips Box Office, or by calling 413 552 2528 to reserve.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;Plot Synopsis:&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wrestling with the reality that everyone he's ever known was just killed in a shooting at his school, Boy spends his last minutes spinning a story that looks not unlike J.M. Barrie&amp;rsquo;s &lt;em&gt;Peter Pan&lt;/em&gt;. An ensemble of young women, these mermaids, compete to be heard as their story unfolds. They are the swim team &amp;ndash; powerful and sometimes monstrous. And then there&amp;rsquo;s Wendy. His Wendy. Boy is convinced that she&amp;rsquo;s the only person who understands him. Until she doesn&amp;rsquo;t. Part dance, part theater, Dust plays like a music score that&amp;rsquo;s been infiltrated by poetry, giving voice to the unspeakable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;First workshopped in 2012, &lt;em&gt;Dust &lt;/em&gt;was the recipient of the Cyget Theatre's Finish Line Commission in 2018 and a semi-finalist for the National Playwrights' Conference Eugene O'Neill Theater Center 2017.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Cast:&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wendy: Alicia Ricks, of West Springfield&lt;br /&gt;Boy: Ben Richards, of Springfield&lt;br /&gt;Isabel: Kazz Cuyler of Holyoke&lt;br /&gt;Lily: Arianna D&amp;aacute;vila, of Springfield&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Mermaids:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;Jennifer: Nicole Anderson, of Palmer&lt;br /&gt;Lottie: Allison Morrisette, of Belchertown&lt;br /&gt;Sydney: MacKenzie Campbell, of Chicopee&lt;br /&gt;Danielle: Edith Col&amp;oacute;n, of Springfield&lt;br /&gt;Miranda: Chelle Col&amp;oacute;n, of Sunderland&lt;br /&gt;Delaney: Karena Linzi, of Chicopee&lt;br /&gt;Carolyn: Shea Molbury, of West Springfield&lt;br /&gt;Amelia: Shaina Rose, of Easthampton&lt;br /&gt;Carmelita: Arpeggio Toro, of Amherst&lt;br /&gt;Lelia: Tayor Rose Wilks, of Longmeadow&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Crew:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Director / Choreographer: Fig Lefevre (HCC faculty)&lt;br /&gt;Assistant Director: Allison Morrissette&lt;br /&gt;Assistant Director: Ivy Wrenne Demetriou&lt;br /&gt;Technical Director: Stephen Baily (HCC staff)&lt;br /&gt;Designer / Production Manager: Matt Whiton (HCC faculty)&lt;br /&gt;Box Office Manager / Program Designer: Mary Starzyk (HCC staff)&lt;br /&gt;Sound Designer / Costume Coordinator: Isabel Teixeira (HCC alum)&lt;br /&gt;Stage Manager: Hailey Sutton&lt;br /&gt;Assistant Stage Manager: Toby Stearns&lt;br /&gt;Light Board Operator: Nate Mercado&lt;br /&gt;Sound Board Operator: Isabel Teixeira&lt;br /&gt;Costumes / Wardrobe: Alix Barton&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22219" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/dust-matinee" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260402T17:16:34" CategoryIds="4|193|165|226" FileName="x22219.xml" Name="Dust matinee" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/DUST-Peter-Wendy-web.jpg" Title="'Dust' Matinee" Abstract="The HCC Theater Dept. will present &quot;Dust,&quot; by Danielle Mohlman, April 16-18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater with a 2 p.m. matinee on April 18. " ThumbnailAltText="Dust promo photo" EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater, Fine &amp; Performing Arts Building" EventStartDate="2026-04-18" EventStartTime="14:00:00" EventEndDate="2026-04-18" IntroCopy="HCC Theater Dept., presenting &quot;Dust,&quot; by Danielle Mohlman" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/DUST-dance-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Theater Dept. will present &quot;Dust,&quot; by Danielle Mohlman, directed by Fig Lefevre, April 16-18 m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;Performance Dates:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thursday, April 16, 7:30 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Friday, April 17, 7:30 p.m. (ASL Interpreted)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Saturday, April 18, 2 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Saturday, April 18, 7:30 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;All performances will be in the Leslie Phillips Theater on the campus of Holyoke Community College&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;303 Homestead Ave. Holyoke MA, 01040 (Fine and Performing Arts Building, 2nd floor)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;Running Time:&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Approximately 1 hour 20 minutes.&amp;nbsp;This performance does not have an intermission&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This show is appropriate for audience members 13 years of age and older.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contains flashing lights, strong language, and descriptions of violence including sexual violence&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;Tickets:&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;General Admission: $10.00&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tickets available at &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcctheater.ludus.com/index.php&quot;&gt;https://hcctheater.ludus.com/index.php&lt;/a&gt; one hour before show, at the Leslie Phillips Box Office, or by calling 413 552 2528 to reserve.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;Plot Synopsis:&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wrestling with the reality that everyone he's ever known was just killed in a shooting at his school, Boy spends his last minutes spinning a story that looks not unlike J.M. Barrie&amp;rsquo;s &lt;em&gt;Peter Pan&lt;/em&gt;. An ensemble of young women, these mermaids, compete to be heard as their story unfolds. They are the swim team &amp;ndash; powerful and sometimes monstrous. And then there&amp;rsquo;s Wendy. His Wendy. Boy is convinced that she&amp;rsquo;s the only person who understands him. Until she doesn&amp;rsquo;t. Part dance, part theater, Dust plays like a music score that&amp;rsquo;s been infiltrated by poetry, giving voice to the unspeakable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;First workshopped in 2012, &lt;em&gt;Dust &lt;/em&gt;was the recipient of the Cyget Theatre's Finish Line Commission in 2018 and a semi-finalist for the National Playwrights' Conference Eugene O'Neill Theater Center 2017.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Cast:&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wendy: Alicia Ricks, of West Springfield&lt;br /&gt;Boy: Ben Richards, of Springfield&lt;br /&gt;Isabel: Kazz Cuyler of Holyoke&lt;br /&gt;Lily: Arianna D&amp;aacute;vila, of Springfield&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Mermaids:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;Jennifer: Nicole Anderson, of Palmer&lt;br /&gt;Lottie: Allison Morrisette, of Belchertown&lt;br /&gt;Sydney: MacKenzie Campbell, of Chicopee&lt;br /&gt;Danielle: Edith Col&amp;oacute;n, of Springfield&lt;br /&gt;Miranda: Chelle Col&amp;oacute;n, of Sunderland&lt;br /&gt;Delaney: Karena Linzi, of Chicopee&lt;br /&gt;Carolyn: Shea Molbury, of West Springfield&lt;br /&gt;Amelia: Shaina Rose, of Easthampton&lt;br /&gt;Carmelita: Arpeggio Toro, of Amherst&lt;br /&gt;Lelia: Tayor Rose Wilks, of Longmeadow&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Crew:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Director / Choreographer: Fig Lefevre (HCC faculty)&lt;br /&gt;Assistant Director: Allison Morrissette&lt;br /&gt;Assistant Director: Ivy Wrenne Demetriou&lt;br /&gt;Technical Director: Stephen Baily (HCC staff)&lt;br /&gt;Designer / Production Manager: Matt Whiton (HCC faculty)&lt;br /&gt;Box Office Manager / Program Designer: Mary Starzyk (HCC staff)&lt;br /&gt;Sound Designer / Costume Coordinator: Isabel Teixeira (HCC alum)&lt;br /&gt;Stage Manager: Hailey Sutton&lt;br /&gt;Assistant Stage Manager: Toby Stearns&lt;br /&gt;Light Board Operator: Nate Mercado&lt;br /&gt;Sound Board Operator: Isabel Teixeira&lt;br /&gt;Costumes / Wardrobe: Alix Barton&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22216" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/jazz-festival-sp26" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260317T18:25:53" CategoryIds="4|193|226" FileName="x22216.xml" Name="Jazz Festival SP26" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202026/DominiqueEade-web.jpg" Title="HCC Jazz Festival" Abstract="HCC will welcome acclaimed jazz vocalist Dominique Eade as the guest artist for the 27th annual Holyoke Community College Jazz Festival, March 27-28. " ThumbnailAltText="Jazz vocalist Dominique Eade" EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater, Fine &amp; Performing Arts Building" EventStartDate="2026-03-27" EventStartTime="20:00:00" EventEndDate="2026-03-28" IntroCopy="Acclaimed jazz vocalist Dominique Eade guest performer" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202026/DominiqueEade-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The annual Holyoke Community College Jazz Festival returns for its 27&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; year on Friday, March 27, with American vocalist and composer Dominique Eade&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;joining the Amherst Jazz Orchestra and members of the HCC jazz faculty for a big band concert.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Friday show begins at 8 p.m. in HCC&amp;rsquo;s Leslie Phillips Theater in the Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts building on the main HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The concert is $10 for the general public and free for HCC students, faculty and staff.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I met Eade at the Jazz in July program at UMass that I teach at every summer and enjoyed her singing and educational approach very much,&amp;rdquo; said HCC music professor Bob Ferrier, the HCC Jazz Festival organizer. &amp;ldquo;She's great and highly regarded for her vocal styling and improvisation.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Led by trombonist David Sporny, the Amherst Jazz Orchestra has been a mainstay of the HCC Jazz Festival since the first one in 1998.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Saturday, March 28, starting at 10 a.m., Eade and members of the HCC Jazz faculty will lead workshops, demonstrations, and jam sessions for area musicians. Participation is free and open to the public.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A critically acclaimed vocalist, composer, and long-time music educator, Eade has recorded and co-produced seven albums under her name, landing her on top 10 lists at Billboard, National Public Radio, Entertainment Weekly, DownBeat Magazine, and the Jazz Journalist Association.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After being signed to RCA Victor in 1998, she was nominated for Best Debut Artist for the First Annual Jazz Awards in New York City. She received the 2006 Outstanding Alumni Award from the New England Conservatory, where, as a teacher for more than three decades, she mentored an array of talented musicians, including Roberta Gambarini, Michael Mayo, Rachel Price, Sofia Rei, and Jorge Roeder.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She has performed in clubs and at festivals all over the world, from New York&amp;rsquo;s The Blue Note and Los Angeles&amp;rsquo;s The Jazz Bakery to the Panama Jazz Festival and Buenos Aires Jazz Festival.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Noted for her vocal improvisations, &lt;em&gt;The New York Times&lt;/em&gt; called Eade &amp;ldquo;an exceptional singer &amp;hellip; who weighs a chanteuse&amp;rsquo;s coolness against a jazz musician&amp;rsquo;s exploratory instincts.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please contact Bob Ferrier at 413-552-2480 or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:rferrier@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;rferrier@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or Mary Starzyk at 413-552-2485 or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mstarzyk@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mstarzyk@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To learn more about guest artist Dominique Eade, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dominiqueeade.com/&quot;&gt;dominiqueeade.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="$10 general public; free for HCC students, faculty and staff" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22194" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/health-careers-fair-sp26" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260320T16:22:28" CategoryIds="69|3|193|355|165|357|354" FileName="x22194.xml" Name="Health Careers Fair SP26" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/CHE-SIM-teacher-student-web.jpg" Title="Health Careers Fair" Abstract="HCC will host an open house March 26 for anyone interested in exploring educational programs and careers in healthcare, human services, and veterinary and animal science.   " ThumbnailAltText="Nursing student and instructor in Center for Health Education and Simulation" EventLocation="Center for Health Education &amp; Simulation " EventStartDate="2026-03-26" EventStartTime="16:00:00" IntroCopy="Center for Health Education &amp; Simulation open for tours and talks" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="18:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/CHE-SIM-teacher-student-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will host an &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.elluciancrmrecruit.com/Apply/Events/EventDetails?eventId=9187f822-da17-f111-8a90-0a0a85945cf9&quot; title=&quot;Register Today&quot;&gt;open house&lt;/a&gt; at its Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation on Thursday, March 26, for anyone interested in exploring educational programs and careers in healthcare, human services, and veterinary and animal science. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visitors to the Health Careers Open House are welcome to tour HCC&amp;rsquo;s state-of-the-art health education facility from 4 to 6 p.m. and talk to representatives from the college&amp;rsquo;s programs in nursing (RN and LPN), radiologic technology, veterinary and animal science, medical assisting, Foundations of Health (public health), CNA (certified nursing assistant), medical billing and coding, and human services. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event is free and open to the public.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;Register here &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.elluciancrmrecruit.com/Apply/Events/EventDetails?eventId=9187f822-da17-f111-8a90-0a0a85945cf9&quot;&gt;Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation open for tours and talks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The building, located at 404 Jarvis Ave., just off the main HCC campus, is home to the college&amp;rsquo;s nursing and radiologic technology programs, and medical simulation labs.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;There will also be representatives attending from the offices of financial aid, admissions, advising, and workforce development to talk to prospective students about their educational options and career pathways.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is a fantastic chance to dive into all of our health majors in one exciting event,&amp;rdquo; said nursing resource coordinator Dee Wescott. &amp;ldquo;We welcome everyone to explore our cutting-edge simulation labs, connect with our dedicated faculty and staff, and discover the exceptional student support services that set us apart.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you can&amp;rsquo;t make it in person, please contact Dee Westcott at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:dwestcott@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;dwestcott@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for more information.&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22185" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/together-hcc-sp26" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260219T15:56:19" CategoryIds="66|193|65|165" FileName="x22185.xml" Name="Together HCC SP26" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/HCC-Together-Rome-2025-web.jpg" Title="Drive to Change Lives" Abstract="The sixth annual &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign is set for March 4 and will run for 24 hours from 12:01 a.m. to midnight." ThumbnailAltText="Together HCC campaign headquarters" EventLocation="Anywhere" EventStartDate="2026-03-04" EventStartTime="00:05:00" IntroCopy="Annual Drive to Change Lives fundraising campaign seeks 500 donors" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="23:55:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/HCC-Together-Rome-2025-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Auto dealer Gary Rome is again partnering with the HCC Foundation for a one-day campaign to raise money for student support programs and academic resources at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The sixth annual &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign is set for Wednesday, March 4, and will run for 24 hours from 12:01 a.m. to midnight. With a goal of 500 donors, this year&amp;rsquo;s success would put the campaign&amp;rsquo;s six-year cumulative support total over $1 million.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What makes this campaign special is seeing all our community members come together in a single day to tell our students, &amp;lsquo;We see you, we believe in you, and we're invested in your success,&amp;rsquo;&amp;rdquo; said Julie Phillips, HCC executive director of development.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Donations can be made through a secure portal on the HCC website: hcc.edu/drive&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The campaign supports six critical areas that directly support HCC students: academic excellence and innovation; scholarships; the Thrive Center and Food Pantry; the President's Student Emergency Fund; the President&amp;rsquo;s Fund for Opportunity; and the HCC Foundation's general fund.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The campaign has already received pledges for challenges and matching funds in excess of $125,000.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rome, who is a member of the HCC Foundation&amp;rsquo;s Board of Directors, has pledged an additional $50 for every first-time donor. To help promote the event, Rome will be visiting the &amp;ldquo;Together HCC&amp;rdquo; celebration on campaign day from 11 a.m. &amp;ndash; noon on the second floor of the HCC Campus Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;My father always said that no one can ever take away what you put between your ears,&amp;rdquo; said Rome. &amp;ldquo;That lesson has stayed with me my whole life, and it's exactly why community college matters so much to me. HCC gives people the chance to build something no one can take away &amp;ndash; education &amp;ndash; and that's worth showing up for, year after year.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, longtime supporters Peg Wendlandt '58 and Gary Wendlandt will provide $100,000 in challenge gifts throughout the day. Alumni Myke Connolly '04, founder of the Launch and Stand Out marketing agency, and Dylan Pilon '12, founder of Cloud 9 Marketing Group, have pledged $10 each for every alum who makes a gift.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation launched &amp;ldquo;Together HCC: A Campaign for Caring&amp;rdquo; in March 2020 to build community support and raise money for students experiencing financial distress during the pandemic. As part of that campaign, members of the HCC community &amp;mdash; students, staff, faculty, alumni, relatives, and college friends &amp;mdash; were asked to use the hashtag #TogetherHCC to share stories and images on social media that demonstrated the resilience of the college community in response to the COVID-19 crisis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In its first year, the campaign raised $40,000 for the President&amp;rsquo;s Student Emergency Fund and was selected as a finalist for a national Bellwether award. In 2021, with Rome signed on, HCC added the &amp;ldquo;Drive to Change Lives&amp;rdquo; theme and has so far raised more than $900,000 for student support programs over the past five years.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Our students are driven, and they are just getting started,&amp;rdquo; said Phillips. &amp;ldquo;A gift to &amp;lsquo;Together HCC&amp;rsquo; will help make sure nothing gets in their way.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Holyoke auto dealer Gary Rome, center, visits HCC on campaign day in March 2025.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22141" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/river-valley-radical-futures" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260303T18:54:03" CategoryIds="4|193|226" FileName="x22141.xml" Name="River Valley Radical Futures" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202026/Taber-River-Allis-web.jpg" Title="Radical Futures" Abstract="&quot;River Valley Radical Futures” at HCC's Taber Art Gallery explores a future after the fall of capitalism; closing reception Thursday, March 12." ThumbnailAltText="Taber art gallery photo of creature mask by artist Sunny Allis." EventLocation="Taber Art Gallery" EventStartDate="2026-01-20" EventStartTime="10:00:00" EventEndDate="2026-03-12" IntroCopy="Opening reception Thursday, Jan. 22, 5-7 p.m." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202026/Taber-River-Madeiros-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;503&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Artist Michael Madeiros installs his work for Taber Art Gallery exhibit.&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A new exhibition at Holyoke Community College&amp;rsquo;s Taber Art Gallery asks visitors to imagine a future Pioneer Valley, 100 years after the fall of capitalism.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;River Valley Radical Futures&amp;rdquo; opens Tuesday, Jan. 20, and runs until Thursday, March 12. The gallery will host an opening reception on Thursday, Jan. 22, from 5-7 p.m. and a closing talk from project lead and curator Alix Gerber on Thursday, March 12, from 5-7 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The show features the work of eight area artists and has its origins in the Making Radical Futures Lab at Smith College in Northampton. Gerber is a post-doc fellow and associate director of Smith&amp;rsquo;s Design Thinking Initiative.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The lab uses participatory and speculative design practices to explore collaborative ways of imagining futures without capitalism,&amp;rdquo; Gerber said in a statement about the show. &amp;ldquo;Worker co-operatives, mutual aid networks, and other community groups came together through a series of workshops throughout the Pioneer Valley to imagine how their values and current work might lead to future, alternative economic systems.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those sessions led to the creation of an illustrated map of the Connecticut River Valley 100 years beyond the fall of capitalism.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In &amp;ldquo;River Valley Radical Futures,&amp;rdquo; the map is brought to life by paintings and sculptures and other artwork &amp;ndash; &amp;ldquo;artifacts excavated from the future we imagined,&amp;rdquo; says Gerber.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gallery visitors will see body extensions and creature masks, cow brushes and bells made from local materials, a floating house design, a tool sharing station, a secret-baring mural, a flood system made from local clay, and an apothecary, among other pieces.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The exhibition includes the work of artists Sunny Allis, David von Dufving, Andrea Hairston, Mary Kate Cleary, Bo Kim, Sharon Leshner (a.k.a. Sharona Color), Michael Madeiros, and Laura Torraco.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is an exciting project that opens up the art-making process from what is usually a single artist materializing their thoughts alone in the studio into a collaborative effort between artists, educators, community workers, facilitators and organizers,&amp;rdquo; said gallery director Rachel Rushing. &amp;ldquo;By collaborating across disciplines and experiences the workshop participants were able to imagine the kind of future their work could make possible.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;When visiting the Taber, you&amp;rsquo;ll see artwork that has begun the process of bringing those ideas to life,&amp;rdquo; Rushing said. &amp;ldquo;Imagination is at the core of this exhibition, and I hope visitors will be inspired and energized to continue imagining what kind of future we all hope to create, together.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery, located off the lobby of the HCC Library on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during regular school sessions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Artist Michael Madeiros, of Greenfield, sets up his contribution to the &quot;River Valley Radical Futures&quot; exhibit at Holyoke Community College.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22180" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/inspired-giving-sp26" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260209T16:37:42" CategoryIds="193|65" FileName="x22180.xml" Name="Inspired Giving SP26" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202026/Gina-Barry-2023-web.jpg" Title="Inspired Giving" Abstract="HCC and New England Public Media are co-hosting a free lunch Feb. 18, where estate lawyer Gina Barry '94 will offer &quot;Pro Tips for Savvy Philanthropy.'" ThumbnailAltText="Gina Barry '94" EventLocation="HCC MGM Culinary Arts Insitute, 164 Race St., Holyoke" EventStartDate="2026-02-18" EventStartTime="12:00:00" IntroCopy="HCC, NEPM co-hosting &quot;inspired Giving&quot; lunch" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="13:30:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202026/Gina-Barry-2023-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke attorney Gina Barry, a 1994 graduate of Holyoke Community College and an estate planning specialist, will present &amp;ldquo;Pro Tips for Savvy Philanthropy&amp;rsquo; during a complimentary lunch at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Wednesday, Feb. 18.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The lunch, part of a series of &amp;ldquo;Inspired Giving&amp;rdquo; events hosted by HCC, will run from 12 to 1:30 p.m. at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., Holyoke. The lunch is free and open to the public but advanced registration is required as seats are limited.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202026/Elizabeth-Roman-head-web2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;172&quot; height=&quot;258&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;float: right;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event is co-hosted by New England Public Media. the local affiilate of National Public Radio. NEPM Executive Editor Elizabeth Rom&amp;aacute;n, a 2003 graduate of HCC, will also speak about the impact of community journalism and her journey from HCC to her current role.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC President George Timmons will introduce the speakers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Barry, chair of the Estate Planning and Elder Law Department of Bacon Wilson, P.C., will break down what donors should know about the shifting tax landscape. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Many people I talk to aren&amp;rsquo;t aware that recent changes to the tax code might affect their tax returns this year,&amp;rdquo; said John Sieracki, HCC leadership gift officer. &amp;ldquo;Combining forces with NEPM during these challenging financial times has been a great way to get the message out to our supporters.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lunch will be prepared and served by students enrolled in HCC&amp;rsquo;s culinary arts program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Parking is available on site and along Race Street.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the college is closed Feb. 18 due to inclement weather, the program will be moved online, and registrants will be emailed a Zoom link.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register, please go to hcc.edu/inspired or contact John Sieracki, HCC leadership gift officer, at 413-687-0322 / &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:+jsieracki@hcc.edu?subject=Inspired+Giving+Luncheon&quot;&gt;jsieracki@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Top: Lawyer Gina Barry '94 gives a talk at HCC in 2023. (Inset) Liz Rom&amp;aacute;n '03, executive editor at New England Public Media&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="Free" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22139" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/involvement-expo-ii-sp26" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260209T16:39:43" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x22139.xml" Name="Involvement Expo II SP26" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202026/Involvment%20Expo%20Spring%20II.jpg" Title="Involvement Expo II " Abstract="Learn about all our student clubs, activities, and support programs, and sign up for one or more, Thursday, Feb. 26, at noon. " EventLocation="Campus Center " EventStartDate="2026-02-26" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="Check out the clubs on campus, get information, meet members, and join a club." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="12:15:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202026/Involvment%20Expo%20Spring%20II.jpg&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Come to meet club leaders &amp;amp; advisors, join a club or organization, explore HCC support programs, and get involved on campus.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22181" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/green-ventures" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260416T18:26:48" CategoryIds="4|66|165|227" FileName="x22181.xml" Name="Green Ventures" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202026/green-ventures-web.jpg" Title="Green Ventures " Abstract="Join us April 23 for a freelecture and discussion featuring retired environmental entrepreneur Bob Saul and HCC alum Jamal Cumberbatch ’26." ThumbnailAltText="HCC trail hike" EventLocation="Kittredge Center, Rooms 301-303" EventStartDate="2026-04-23" EventStartTime="10:00:00" ExcludefromNavigation="true" EventEndTime="13:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College will host &amp;ldquo;Green Ventures: Lessons from Environmental Entrepreneurship,&amp;rdquo; a free public lecture and discussion featuring retired environmental entrepreneur Bob Saul and HCC alumnus Jamal Cumberbatch &amp;rsquo;26 (who graduated in December), on Thursday, April 23, 2026, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the Kittredge Center, Rooms 301-303. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The event will provide students and community members with insights into building successful environmental businesses in western Massachusetts, featuring case studies from Saul&amp;rsquo;s career and practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in the sustainability sector.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Event Program&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;10:00 AM - 11:30 AM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;: HCC President George Timmons, Ph.D. will introduce the speakers, followed by an interview led by Cumberbatch highlighting Saul&amp;rsquo;s journey as an environmental entrepreneur. The pair will examine four business ventures through the lenses of vision, funding, implementation, and long-term impact, concluding with audience Q&amp;amp;A.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;11:30 AM - 1:00 PM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;: Following the indoor presentation, attendees are invited to participate in a guided nature walk along the trails behind HCC campus, featuring tree identification and observations at a vernal pool. HCC Environmental Sciences Professor Heather Ruel will lead the outdoor experience.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sign-Up&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;bbox-root&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;       window.bboxInit = function () {           bbox.showForm('c4b28b62-76dc-45e8-9bfd-b0853042f7d3');       };       (function () {           var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true;           e.src = 'https://bbox.blackbaudhosting.com/webforms/bbox-min.js';           document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(e);       } ());&lt;/script&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="Free" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22142" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/dust-auditions-2-4" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260115T14:01:08" CategoryIds="4|165|226" FileName="x22142.xml" Name="Dust Auditions 2-4" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202026/DustAuditionPoster-web.jpg" Title="Theater Auditions" Abstract="Auditions for Dust, the HCC Theater Department's Spring 2026 production, will be held Feb. 4 and Feb. 5 in the Leslie Phillips Theater. " ThumbnailAltText="Dust Audition poster" EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater" EventStartDate="2026-02-04" EventStartTime="14:00:00" IntroCopy="Callbacks Friday, Feb. 6, if necessary," ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Auditions for Dust, the HCC Theater Department's Spring 2026 stage production, will be held Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2-5 p.m. and&amp;nbsp;Thursday, Feb. 5, 2-5 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The play, written by &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Danielle Mohlman, will be directed by HCC theater professor &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Fig Lefevre. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Auditions will consist of cold readings.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Auditioners do not need to prepare monologues.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScJ03QeclgnUidftl5W8LU_pRss3cquqFwPuNt5EAMkeKA3oQ/viewform&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;audition form&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;click here to fill out the audition form&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Anyone is welcome to audition.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Callbacks if necessary will be held Friday, Feb. 6, from 2-5 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Performance dates are April 15-18.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22143" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/dust-auditions-2-5" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260115T14:03:17" CategoryIds="4|165|226" FileName="x22143.xml" Name="Dust Auditions 2-5" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202026/DustAuditionPoster-web.jpg" Title="Theater Auditions" Abstract="Auditions for Dust, the HCC Theater Department's Spring 2026 production, will be held Feb. 4 and Feb. 5 in the Leslie Phillips Theater. " ThumbnailAltText="Dust Audition poster" EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater" EventStartDate="2026-02-05" EventStartTime="14:00:00" IntroCopy="Callbacks Friday, Feb. 6, if necessary," ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Auditions for Dust, the HCC Theater Department's Spring 2026 stage production, will be held Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2-5 p.m. and&amp;nbsp;Thursday, Feb. 5, 2-5 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The play, written by &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Danielle Mohlman, will be directed by HCC theater professor &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Fig Lefevre. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Auditions will consist of cold readings.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Auditioners do not need to prepare monologues.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScJ03QeclgnUidftl5W8LU_pRss3cquqFwPuNt5EAMkeKA3oQ/viewform&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;audition form&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;click here to fill out the audition form&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Anyone is welcome to audition.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Callbacks if necessary will be held Friday, Feb. 6, from 2-5 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Performance dates are April 15-18.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22120" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/involvement-expo-sp26" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260209T16:37:42" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x22120.xml" Name="Involvement Expo SP26" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Involvement%20Expo%20II.jpg" Title="Involvement Expo " Abstract="Learn about all our student clubs, activities, and support programs, and sign up for one or more, Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 11:00 a.m." EventLocation="Campus Center " EventStartDate="2026-01-28" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="Check out the clubs on campus, get information, meet members, and join a club." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="12:15:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Involvement%20Expo%20II.jpg&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Come to meet club leaders &amp;amp; advisors, join a club or organization, explore HCC support programs, and get involved on campus.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22138" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/resource-fair-sp26" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260209T16:37:42" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x22138.xml" Name="Resource Fair SP26" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/x-Resource-Yaritza-web.jpg" Title="Resource Fair" Abstract="Learn about all the HCC Resources/Support Programs." ThumbnailAltText="Fall 2024 Resource Fair" EventLocation="Campus Center Cafeteria" EventStartDate="2026-01-21" EventStartTime="11:00:00" ExcludefromNavigation="true" EventEndTime="12:15:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/x-Resource-Yaritza-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Join us on Wednesday, January 21 to learn about all the HCC Resources/Support Programs. You can win prizes, receive giveaways, enjoy snacks, and more!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22140" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/resource-fair-ii-sp26" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260209T16:37:42" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x22140.xml" Name="Resource Fair II SP26" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202026/Resource%20Fair%202%20Spring.jpg" Title="Resource Fair II" Abstract="Learn about all the HCC Resources/Support Programs." ThumbnailAltText="Fall 2024 Resource Fair" EventLocation="Campus Center Cafeteria" EventStartDate="2026-02-05" EventStartTime="11:00:00" ExcludefromNavigation="true" EventEndTime="12:15:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202026/Resource%20Fair%202%20Spring.jpg&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Join us on Thursday, February 5 to learn about all the HCC Resources/Support Programs. You can win prizes, receive giveaways, enjoy snacks, and more!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22192" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/powerful-pairings-bringing-history-to-life" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260304T13:53:33" CategoryIds="193" FileName="x22192.xml" Name="Powerful Pairings: Bringing History to Life" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Powerful%20Pairings.jpg" Title="Bringing History to Life" Abstract="Join us Wednesday, March 4, at 6 p.m. for &quot;Powerful Pairings: Bringing History to Life,&quot; a conversation with acclaimed young adult authors Claudia Friddell and Kip Wilson." ThumbnailAltText="Powerful Pairings" EventLocation="Kittredge Center, Rooms 301-303" EventStartDate="2026-03-04" EventStartTime="18:00:00" IntroCopy="A Conversation With Authors Claudia Friddell And Kip Wilson" ExcludefromNavigation="true" EventDescription="&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College will host &amp;ldquo;Powerful Pairings: Bringing History to Life,&amp;rdquo; a conversation with acclaimed young adult authors Claudia Friddell and Kip Wilson.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The free event begins at 6 p.m. in the PeoplesBank Conference Room in the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development on the main HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The evening will provide an engaging, behind-the-scenes look at the writing process as Friddell and Wilson talk about their latest books:&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Mysterious Virginia Hall: WWII&amp;rsquo;s Most Dangerous Spy&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;by Fridell&lt;em&gt;;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;and&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;Backpack Boy, Berlin&lt;/em&gt;, a true story of WWII espionage, by Wilson. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;From the intrigue of WWII spy craft to the craft of writing for young readers, the authors will reveal how they research and build new stories and share how their experiences as educators continue to shape their work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;This program is sponsored in part by the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Eastern Region Program, and coordinated by Holyoke Community College, the Massachusetts Center for the Book, and Waynesburg University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;       window.bboxInit = function () {           bbox.showForm('c4b28b62-76dc-45e8-9bfd-b0853042f7d3');       };       (function () {           var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true;           e.src = 'https://bbox.blackbaudhosting.com/webforms/bbox-min.js';           document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(e);       } ());&lt;/script&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="Free" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22210" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/asl-pickleball-tournament-sp26" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260401T16:10:36" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x22210.xml" Name="ASL Pickleball Tournament SP26" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/ASL%20Pickleball%20Tournament.jpg" Title="ASL Pickleball Tourney" Abstract="The HCC Deaf Studies Department will host its second annual ASL pickleball tournament on Saturday, April 4. " ThumbnailAltText="Nursing student and instructor in Center for Health Education and Simulation" EventLocation="Bartley Center" EventStartDate="2026-04-04" EventStartTime="09:00:00" IntroCopy="HCC will host an ASL pickleball tournament on Saturday, April 4, 2026" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="12:30:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/ASL%20Pickleball%20Tournament.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pickleball in ASL Signs. Holyoke Community College will host an ASL pickleball tournament on Saturda&amp;nbsp; April 4, 2026 at the Bartley Center. RSVP by Friday, March 27. Any questions, please contact Claire Sanders at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:csanders@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;csanders@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:csanders@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fforms.gle%2f6R4cpFdF5xWDyTnH8&amp;amp;c=E,1,GH6tfFpaxH1vjbhRWYRAOQw_NiLhnutArgGF0A2wnzW1nN4bKYERBWJdZVpZElLy-2UDcxvfYPiLCqW1NP8Dkj6Tl0jnUzh0LRryaQWFJ3ZD0ZYg-PcYlYg,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fforms.gle%252f6R4cpFdF5xWDyTnH8%26c%3DE,1,GH6tfFpaxH1vjbhRWYRAOQw_NiLhnutArgGF0A2wnzW1nN4bKYERBWJdZVpZElLy-2UDcxvfYPiLCqW1NP8Dkj6Tl0jnUzh0LRryaQWFJ3ZD0ZYg-PcYlYg,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1772733363445000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1MJW8Qkg8TJvFIWZNhv3E3&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Registration for Players, up to 24 players&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fforms.gle%2f7am2ADe5vnwV9WQk6&amp;amp;c=E,1,WL3xIok25LBilfMbQZmvGScLOmiV0tvhPodiUMDssUm1jzNaEhGEVrlhP0vc7o1yHTDztyrjCZbkwJUYVVr6ch80ptWeBggjgQCe3abmmLVPqP5p&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fforms.gle%252f7am2ADe5vnwV9WQk6%26c%3DE,1,WL3xIok25LBilfMbQZmvGScLOmiV0tvhPodiUMDssUm1jzNaEhGEVrlhP0vc7o1yHTDztyrjCZbkwJUYVVr6ch80ptWeBggjgQCe3abmmLVPqP5p%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1772733363445000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1pL5JY9UZauvD6ZLb0HHCt&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Registration for Spectators&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Schedule for tournament:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9-9:30 a.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Welcoming remarks and introducing pickleball in ASL signs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9:30 a.m.-10 a.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Learn to play pickleball and practice.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;10-11:30 a.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Tournament.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;11:30 a.m.-Noon&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Announcement of winners&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Noon-12:30p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Social Time&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22293" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/fireworks-2026" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260515T15:19:32" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x22293.xml" Name="Fireworks 2026" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Summer/Fireworks-2025.jpg" Title="Fireworks Celebration" Abstract="HCC will host the city's annual 4th of July fireworks celebration on Friday, June 26, with music, food, and fun." ThumbnailAltText="Fireworks image" EventLocation="Holyoke Community College" EventStartDate="2026-06-26" EventStartTime="18:00:00" IntroCopy="Music, food trucks, children's activities, and fireworks!" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Summer/Fireworks-2025.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will host the City of Holyoke's annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration on Friday, June 26. (Rain date June 27.) The event will take place on O'Connell field inside the track behind the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation. The event is sponsored by Holyoke Gas and Electric.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visitors are encouraged to come early to enjoy the music, food, and children activities. The event begins at 6 p.m. with the fireworks display at dusk. If you have any questions, please call the Holyoke Mayor&amp;rsquo;s Office at 413-561-1600.&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="Free" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x21348" URL="x21348.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20250818T13:56:31" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21348.xml" Name="Fall 2025" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x22088" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/fall-graduate-reception-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251124T19:07:28" CategoryIds="4|66|165|673" FileName="x22088.xml" Name="Fall Graduate Reception FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/HCC-Fall-Graduation-2024-web.jpg" Title="Fall Graduate Fete" Abstract="The thrid annual Fall Graduate Reception will be held on Monday, Dec. 1, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. beginning in the Leslie Phillips Theater, followed by a reception in the Campus Center." ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons celebrates Fall 2024 Graduate Reception with a new graduate and her family." EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater / Campus Center" EventStartDate="2025-12-01" EventStartTime="17:30:00" IntroCopy="HCC to recognize fall 2025 graduates" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="19:30:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/HCC-Fall-Graduation-2024-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will honor its fall semester graduates with a special recognition event on Monday, Dec. 1.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Fall Graduate Reception will run from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on the HCC main campus, 303 Homestead Ave., beginning in the Leslie Phillips Theater for the official ceremony and continuing with a reception in the Campus Center. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC initiated the fall ceremony in 2023 to engage graduates who complete their degrees and certificates in December by the end of the fall semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the HCC Registrar&amp;rsquo;s Office, 190 HCC students will be fall 2025 semester graduates. Many of them will transfer to four-year schools for the spring 2026 semester. Although fall graduates are always invited to attend HCC&amp;rsquo;s formal Commencement ceremony in the spring, in the past, many did not attend.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The goal of the family-friendly event is to celebrate fall graduates and strengthen their connection to HCC in the hopes that they will remain engaged and attend the college&amp;rsquo;s 79&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 30, 2026.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the first part of the event in the Leslie Phillips Theater, Registrar Allison Wrobel and President George Timmons will offer introductory remarks, followed by two student speakers: psychology major Sachelys Perez&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;of Ware, and liberal arts major Jamal Cumberbatch&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;of Springfield. HCC alum Trudy Monson &amp;rsquo;97, also of Holyoke, president of the HCC Alumni Council, will welcome the fall graduates as new members of HCC&amp;rsquo;s Alumni Association.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;About 6:15 p.m., students and their families will be directed to the Campus Center for appetizers, activities, and photo opportunities. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: President George Timmons, far left, celebrates Fall 2024 Graduate Reception with a new graduate and her family.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22072" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/the-last-living-gun" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251031T17:44:11" CategoryIds="4|193|165|226" FileName="x22072.xml" Name="The Last Living Gun" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/LLG-graphic.jpg" Title="The Last Living Gun" Abstract="The HCC Theater Dept. will present The Last Living Gun Nov. 20-22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater with a 2 p.m. matinee on Nov. 22. " ThumbnailAltText="Last Living Gun graphic" EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater" EventStartDate="2025-11-20" EventStartTime="19:30:00" EventEndDate="2025-11-22" IntroCopy="Play guest-directed by Cordelia Winter Dwyer" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/LLG-graphic.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College Theater will present &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Last Living Gun, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;by Ryan Stevens .&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Performance Dates:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Thursday &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;November 20th &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;7:30pm&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Friday &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;November 21st&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;7:30pm (ASL Interpreted)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Saturday &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;November 22nd&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2:00pm&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Saturday &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;November 22nd&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;7:30pm&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;All performances will be in the Leslie Phillips Theater on the campus of Holyoke Community College&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;303 Homestead Ave. Holyoke MA, 01040 [Fine and Performing Arts Building, 2nd floor]&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Tickets:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;All Tickets $10 General Admission&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tickets available at&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcctheater.ludus.com/index.php&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;https://hcctheater.ludus.com/index.php&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;1 hour before show, at the Leslie Phillips Box Office, or by calling 413 552 2528 to reserve tickets.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Plot Synopsis:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;From New Play Exchange Description&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;In the far future, guns (and all metal) are a thing of the past...mostly. A courier rides across the country to hunt a rumor of the last gun in the world, and finds worlds of chaos, memory, and history along the way. A Wild Western/vaudeville/post-post-apocalypse about trauma, survival, storytelling, and the pain of change.&amp;ldquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Background:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;From the Playwright&amp;rsquo;s website (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ryangstevens.com/about&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;https://www.ryangstevens.com/about&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;Ryan Stevens received their BA in Fiction Writing and his MA in Theatre at the University of South Carolina, where they studied Classical Theatre, Modern Theatrical Stage Conventions, Shakespearean Theory, Clowning, and Improvisation, and received their MFA in Playwriting from UCLA. in 2020.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;ldquo;Stevens has worked with&amp;nbsp; South Carolina LAB Theatre, Silver Spring Stage, MeetCute LA, Inkwell Theatre, St. Croix Falls Festival Theatre, Retrograde Reading Series, New American Theatre, Whiskey Radio Hour, Hollywood Fringe Festival,&amp;nbsp; Broken Slate Productions, The Plagiarists Chicago, T. Schreiber Studio, Shakespeare Company UCLA, Dually Noted Theatre Company, Green Room Productions, and an upcoming commission with Theatre Above The Law. They have also had their script Player King published through Stagescripts, Ltd., participated in Hollywood Fringe Fest, and participated in the 2015 Young Playwrights Festival at Horizon Theatre in Atlanta, GA and the 2019 Great Plains Theatre Conference.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;This show is appropriate for audience members 13 years of age and older.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22071" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/hypercolor" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251106T18:52:57" CategoryIds="4|193|360" FileName="x22071.xml" Name="Hypercolor" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/HyperColor-Install-web.jpg" Title="HyperColor" Abstract="Five artists use brilliant colors to explore spirituality, memory, intuition, time, and rebellious joy in the latest exhibit at the Taber Art Gallery, Nov. 3-Dec 18," ThumbnailAltText="Hypercolor exhibit installation" EventLocation="Taber Art Gallery, HCC Library, Donahue, second floor" EventStartDate="2025-11-03" EventStartTime="10:00:00" EventEndDate="2025-12-18" IntroCopy="Reception, Nov. 13, 5-7 p.m, with artists' panel at 6 p.m." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/HyperColor-Install-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Five artists from western Massachusetts use brilliant colors to explore spirituality, memory, intuition, time, and rebellious joy in the latest exhibit at the &lt;a href=&quot;/about/taber-art-gallery&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College Taber Art Gallery&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;HyperColor&amp;rdquo; opens Monday, Nov. 3, and runs until Thursday, Dec. 18. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The show features the work by Andrae Green Donnabelle Casis, Kim Carlino, Sharon Leshner, and Sunny Allis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The gallery will host a reception on Thursday, Nov. 13, from 5-7 p.m. with an artists&amp;rsquo; panel discussion at 6 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All five artists are active in community and education. Carlino and Leshner are local muralists. Leshner&amp;rsquo;s most recent mural is located at 787 Dwight St. in Holyoke, and made in partnership with The Children's Museum. Carlino&amp;rsquo;s latest project is located at 23 Laurel St. in Northampton and was commissioned by Valley Community Development for a set of newly renovated affordable apartments.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Green maintains studio space in Holyoke, teaches at the Hartford Art School, and has work on view at the Boston Center for the Arts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Casis hosts &amp;ldquo;Art Beat Report&amp;rdquo; on WHMP 101.5 FM, a segment about art news in the Pioneer Valley, and has work on view through 2026 at both the Albany International Airport and the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, Washington.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Allis has worked for years as an educator with schools and communities of all ages and backgrounds on topics like sculptural storytelling, world building, kinetic sculpture art, and puppetry. Their most recent positions include Clark Art Institute and Hampshire College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/taber-art-gallery&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;The Taber Art Gallery&lt;/a&gt;, located off the lobby of the HCC Library on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during regular school sessions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Taber Art Gallery director Rachel Rushing oversees the installation of HyperColor, the new gallery exhibit.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22070" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/hcc-at-the-thunderbirds" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260114T20:45:06" CategoryIds="66|65|165|1" FileName="x22070.xml" Name="HCC at the Thunderbirds" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Thunderbirds.jpg" Title="See the Thunderbirds!" Abstract="Join us Friday, Jan. 30, as the Springfield Thunderbirds face off against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the MassMutual Center." ThumbnailAltText="HCC alumni at CAI" EventLocation="MassMutual Center, Springfield, Mass." EventStartDate="2026-01-30" EventStartTime="19:05:00" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="22:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Office of Alumni Relations invites members of the HCC Community to pack the stands in HCC green as the Springfield Thunderbirds face off against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday, January 30, at 7:05 p.m. at the MassMutual Center.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://springfieldthunderbirds.formstack.com/forms/holyoke_community_college_night&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Register Here!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Make a Night of It&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Plan to arrive by 6 p.m. to settle in before the action begins. Looking to grab dinner beforehand? The area offers excellent options, including Red Rose Pizza, Theodore's Barbeque, and White Lion Brewing Company.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Parking Information&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Convenient parking options are available near the arena:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Springfield Convention Center Carpark&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &amp;ndash; Brand new facility right next to the arena ($10)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;MGM Springfield &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ndash; Free parking, approximately 7-minute walk to the arena&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Taylor Street Garage &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ndash; Hourly parking ($2.50/hour), 10-15 minute walk to the arena&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Deadline to Purchase: &lt;/strong&gt;January 16 &amp;ndash; Don't wait! Secure your spot today.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;After registering, you'll receive a text message with a direct link to claim your tickets.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Questions? Contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@hcc.edu.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="$18 per person" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22069" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/alumni-happy-hour-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251117T12:31:05" CategoryIds="66|193|65" FileName="x22069.xml" Name="Alumni Happy Hour FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Alumni-Happy-Hour-2024-web.jpg" Title="Alumni Happy Hour" Abstract="Sip, savor, and socialize with fellow alumni, and HCC faculty and staff on Thursday, Nov. 20, at Fame in downtown Holyoke, during this complimentary event." ThumbnailAltText="HCC alumni at CAI" EventLocation="Fame Eatery, Lounge 386 Dwight St., Holyoke" EventStartDate="2025-11-20" EventStartTime="17:00:00" IntroCopy="Don't miss this opportunity to strengthen your HCC network and make new memories with old friends!" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="19:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Alumni-Happy-Hour-2024-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;What's Included:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Delicious appetizers to share&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Two complimentary drink tickets&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The chance to reconnect with alumni from all graduating classes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Meet Natalia Castagno, the new assistant director for alumni relations&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Additional food and drinks are available for purchase&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Don't miss this opportunity to strengthen your HCC network and make new memories with old friends! (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Karaoke follows for those who want to keep the fun going!)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;       window.bboxInit = function () {           bbox.showForm('7a2ed14b-81cc-4f3f-8342-615d0accfbd9');       };       (function () {           var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true;           e.src = 'https://bbox.blackbaudhosting.com/webforms/bbox-min.js';           document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(e);       } ());&lt;/script&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions? Contact Alumni Relations at alumni@hcc.edu or 413.552.2576.&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="Free, preregistration required" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22011" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/dia-de-los-muertos-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251009T16:34:45" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165|609" FileName="x22011.xml" Name="Dia de los Muertos FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/MUERTOS-Lindsay-ofrenda.jpg" Title="Día de los Muertos" Abstract="Holyoke Community College will celebrate Diá de los Muertos, the traditional Mexican Day of the Dead holiday, on Oct. 30, in the Campus Center." ThumbnailAltText="Lindsey Pare contemplates the HCC ofrenda in 2024." EventLocation="Campus Center, second floor, outside El Centro" EventStartDate="2025-10-30" EventStartTime="13:30:00" IntroCopy="Community invited to help construct traditional ofrenda" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/Muertos-Raul-G-2024-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will celebrate Di&amp;aacute; de los Muertos, the traditional Mexican Day of the Dead holiday, on Thursday, Oct. 30, beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the college Campus Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college&amp;rsquo;s El Centro program and LEA Club (Latinx Empowerment Association) are inviting members of the HCC and surrounding community to take part in the construction of an &lt;em&gt;ofrenda&lt;/em&gt; on the second floor of the Campus Center outside room 248.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An &lt;em&gt;ofrenda&lt;/em&gt; is a kind of altar designed as a place to celebrate indigenous, Mexican, and Latinx traditions. People are invited to bring pictures of their loved ones and any offerings they'd like to include on the community &lt;em&gt;ofrenda.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, HCC professor of Latinx Studies and Spanish, chair of HCC&amp;rsquo;s Language and Latinx Studies department, co-advisor to the LEA club, and a native of Mexico, will give a brief talk about the significance of the holiday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guests and participants will also be able to enjoy &lt;em&gt;pan de muerto, &lt;/em&gt;bread traditionally baked in Mexico during the weeks leading up to Di&amp;aacute; de los Muertos, and hot chocolate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC celebrated Di&amp;aacute; de los Muertos for the first time in November 2022.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is an opportunity for us at HCC to come together in celebration of a beautiful and unique Mexican cultural tradition with universal notes of love, grief, and gratitude for those who we&amp;rsquo;ve loved and lost,&amp;rdquo; said Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n, director of El Centro, HCC&amp;rsquo;s bilingual student support program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC Spanish Professor Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, a native of Mexico, talks about the tradition of D&amp;iacute;a de los Muertos in front of the HCC ofrenda in 2024.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21464" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/latinx-artivists-talk" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251009T15:07:02" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21464.xml" Name="Latinx artivists talk" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/Naoimi-Robles-Bienvenidos-web.jpg" Title="Latinx Artivists Panel" Abstract="HCC will conclude its celebration of Latinx Heritage Month on Oct. 14 with “Our Stories, Our Voices, Our Lens,” a conversation with local Latinx “artivists.&quot; " ThumbnailAltText="Naoimi Robles" EventLocation="Campus Center, second floor, outside El Centro" EventStartDate="2025-10-14" EventStartTime="13:30:00" IntroCopy="Panel discussion to conclude Latinx Heritage Month celebration" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="14:30:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/Naoimi-Robles-Bienvenidos-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will conclude its celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month with &amp;ldquo;Our Stories, Our Voices, Our Lens,&amp;rdquo; a conversation with local Latinx &amp;ldquo;artivists,&amp;rdquo; talking about how art contributes to the preservation and celebration of history and culture.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The panel discussion will run on Tuesday, Oct. 14, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on the second floor of the HCC Campus Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The discussion, moderated by Naoimi Robles, an HCC alum and student success counselor for El Centro, a bilingual HCC student support program, will include three panelists:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maria Salgado-Cartagena, director of community engagement at Mount Holyoke College. Known as the &amp;ldquo;People&amp;rsquo;s Historian of Holyoke,&amp;rdquo; she is working to ensure the visibility of Puerto Ricans in the city&amp;rsquo;s vibrant past and present. A former resident of Holyoke, she has been involved in community organizing since high school and has worked in the nonprofit sector of Holyoke for more than 25 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Michelle Falc&amp;oacute;n Font&amp;aacute;nez, an award-winning storyteller working in photography, film, theater and installation art. She is currently working on a three-part mini-series that unpacks the psychological and environmental impacts on Puerto Ricans in South Holyoke during a series of fires in the 1970s.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eartha Mejia, a Latin&amp;eacute; transfem, organizer, cultural worker, healer, writer, and artivist from Pawtucket/Pentucket lands (a.k.a.&amp;nbsp; Lawrence, Mass.) Currently a student at Mount Holyoke College, Mejia hopes one day to become a clinical social worker to serve the queer BIPOC community. They seek to create spaces where collective healing and liberation meet by hosting healing circles, writing workshops, resistance book clubs and more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated nationally each year from September 15 through October 15 to recognize the cultural and historical influences of Hispanic Americans. On the HCC campus, it is called Latinx Heritage Month.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Naoimi Robles, HCC alum and El Centro student success counselor, will moderate an Oct. 14 panel discussion for Latinx Heritage Month.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21462" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/fall-back-together" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251007T15:08:12" CategoryIds="193|65" FileName="x21462.xml" Name="Fall Back Together" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/HCC-2025-WEB-Commencement-McKayla-Ulibarri.jpg" Title="Fall Back Together" Abstract="HCC is inviting graduates from the last decade to attend a free evening of fun and food at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Monday, Oct. 20." ThumbnailAltText="A student celebrates graduation at Commencement on May 31, 2025." EventLocation="HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., Holyoke" EventStartDate="2025-10-20" EventStartTime="17:00:00" IntroCopy="Event celebrates HCC graduates from class years 2015 to 2025" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="19:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/HCC-2025-WEB-Commencement-McKayla-Ulibarri.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is inviting graduates from the last decade to attend a free evening of fun and food at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC&amp;rsquo;s first-ever &amp;ldquo;Fall Back Together: Graduates of the Last Decade,&amp;rdquo; or &amp;ldquo;GOLD,&amp;rdquo; event will be held on Monday, Oct. 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. All HCC graduates from 2015 through 2025 are invited.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The culinary arts institute is located at 164 Race St. on the corner of Appleton Street.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to complimentary gourmet appetizers and desserts prepared by students and faculty in HCC&amp;rsquo;s culinary arts program, &amp;ldquo;GOLD&amp;rdquo; event attendees will be able to build their own HCC swag bags, play corn hole and bingo, tour the HCC culinary arts food truck and culinary arts kitchens, meet President George Timmons, reconnect with their favorite HCC professors, win raffle prizes, network with other alumni, get a free professional headshot, and learn about the new HCC alumni podcast (The Green Thread), volunteer opportunities and other alumni events. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is the first time at Holyoke Community College that we&amp;rsquo;ve done this type of event for graduates of the last decade,&amp;rdquo; said Julie Phillips, HCC director of development. &amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s an opportunity for recent graduates to meet members of our Alumni Council, get a LinkedIn headshot, and just have fun together.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The menu for the evening includes an artisan cheese and harvest charcuterie board, slow roasted Puerto Rican-style pork on plantain chips, mini cups of New England clam chowder, Vietnamese chicken meatballs with maple-chili glaze, Thai corn fritters with chili-lime sauce, tomato confit crostini with whipped ricotta, mini Jamaican beef patties, mini Boston cream pies, cider doughnuts, and sweet corn Ice cream with cornflake crumble and blueberry sauce, plus an assortment of beer, wine, and mocktails.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re hoping our GOLD graduates will come hungry, leave inspired, and build connections that will last a lifetime,&amp;rdquo; said Natalia Castagno, assistant director of alumni relations. &amp;ldquo;And it&amp;rsquo;s all free.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Space, however, is limited, so pre-registration is requested. To register, please go to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/alumni-and-friends/events/fall-back-together-graduates-of-the-last-decade&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;hcc.edu/gold&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please contact Alumni Relations at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:alumni@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;alumni@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or 413-552-2576.&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="Free!" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21437" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/child-watch-reopening" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250916T17:54:56" CategoryIds="4|70|165" FileName="x21437.xml" Name="Child Watch Reopening" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/New-Itsy-Bitsy-CW-web.jpg" Title="Itsy Bitsy Celebration" Abstract="HCC will celebrate the grand reopening of the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center in its new location with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 24. " ThumbnailAltText="Itsy Bitsy Child Watch" EventLocation="Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center, second floor, Frost Building" EventStartDate="2025-09-24" EventStartTime="10:30:00" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/New-Itsy-Bitsy-CW-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will celebrate the grand reopening of its Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center in a newly renovated and expanded space on Wednesday, Sept. 24.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception will take place in its new location on the second floor of the Frost Building beginning at 10:30 a.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among those scheduled to attend are Amy Kershaw, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, state Sen. John Velis, state Rep. Pat Duffy, HCC President George Timmons, and representatives from the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Itsy Bitsy Child Watch is a free, drop-in service for student parents who need short-term child care while they attend classes, study, or meet with tutors and advisers. It opened as a pilot program in fall 2022 after a $100,000 state allocation. At the time, HCC was only the second community college in Massachusetts &amp;ndash; and the only one in western Massachusetts &amp;ndash; to offer a free child watch service.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Our first semester, we had 19 students enrolled,&amp;rdquo; said Kimm Quinlan, director of HCC&amp;rsquo;s Early Childhood Initiatives. &amp;ldquo;By the end of the second semester we had more than 40 and it became clear that there was a demonstrable need and demand for expansion.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Expansion became possible after HCC received a $600,000 grant from the Davis Foundation in December 2023.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new center occupies the space where HCC&amp;rsquo;s culinary arts program resided before it moved into the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in downtown Holyoke. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The space required extensive and lengthy renovations and improvements. The new Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center is double the size of the original center, which was located on the first floor of the Marieb Building, and will nearly double the capacity of children served at any given time, from 10 to 19.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new center has two full classrooms instead of one, a dedicated children&amp;rsquo;s bathroom, an office, an adjoining gym/gross motor room, and an expanded kitchenette with a full-size refrigerator and dishwasher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The relocation also puts the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center at the same end of the second floor hallway as the HCC Parent Learning Center (a study lounge and play area for parents and their children), and the Marieb Adult Learner Success Center, a support program for student parents and students 24 and older. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This investment will enable our early childhood team to provide high-quality early learning experiences for more children,&amp;rdquo; said President George Timmons. &amp;ldquo;The remodeled space will provide the youngest members of our campus community with ample opportunities to explore, play, and learn. Dozens more HCC student parents will be able attend classes and access campus-based student resources without having to worry about child care.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: The Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center in its new location&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21428" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/latinx-heritage-month-2025" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250911T14:48:37" CategoryIds="4|193|513|165" FileName="x21428.xml" Name="Latinx Heritage Month 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/Mishie-Serrano-web.jpg" Title="Latinx Heritage Month" Abstract="HCC is recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month with a series of events celebrating Latinx history and culture, including a film festival, Latinx Fiesta, and panel discussion." ThumbnailAltText="Mishie Serrano and her son holding Puerto Rican flag" EventLocation="Various" EventStartDate="2025-09-14" EventStartTime="11:00:00" EventEndDate="2025-10-15" IntroCopy="Latinx Heritage Month Sept. 15-Oct. 15" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/Mishie-Serrano-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month with a series of events celebrating Latinx history and culture, including a film festival, a fiesta, and panel of local &amp;ldquo;artivists&amp;rdquo; talking about art and activism.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC&amp;rsquo;s &amp;ldquo;Latinx Heritage Month&amp;rdquo; celebration begins Sunday, Sept. 14, when a large contingent of students, faculty, and staff will march in the Springfield Puerto Rican Day Parade alongside President George Timmons and HCC Police Chief Jacqueline Robles, the parade&amp;rsquo;s 2025 Civil Service Ambassador.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Campus events kick off Wednesday, Sept. 14, as Chief Robles and other guests take turns reading &lt;em&gt;Harold and the Purple Crayon&lt;/em&gt; in Spanish, English and American Sign Language during Family Story Night in HCC&amp;rsquo;s Parent Learning Center, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;New this year, El Centro, HCC&amp;rsquo;s bilingual student support program, is sponsoring a &amp;ldquo;Pop-Up Cinema: Latinx Film Festival&amp;rdquo; on Thursdays throughout the month, featuring documentaries and feature films from Latin America and the United States.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated nationally each year from September 15 through October 15 to recognize the cultural and historical influences of Hispanic/Latinx Americans. On the HCC campus, it is called &amp;ldquo;Latinx Heritage Month.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This year's Latinx Heritage Month events at HCC are a testament to the resilience, strength, and hope of our community,&amp;rdquo; said Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n, director of El Centro. &amp;ldquo;We are sharing the breadth of our cultures, our heroes, our art, and our history. We invite everyone to participate in the wonderful shared events to learn and be inspired.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Latinx Heritage Month events at HCC:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sept. 14, 5:30 p.m.,&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;ldquo;Family Story Time,&amp;rdquo; a multilingual event featuring HCC Police Chief Jacqueline Robles and others reading &lt;em&gt;Harold and the Purple Crayon. &lt;/em&gt;There will be arts and crafts, raffle prizes, giveaways, and pizza. (Parent Learning Center, Frost 269)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sept. 18, 11 a.m.:&lt;/strong&gt; Latinx Film Festival: &amp;ldquo;Ixcanul&amp;rdquo; (Volcano), a drama about a Mayan girl who lives on the slopes of a volcano and hopes to escape an arranged marriage. (Campus Center,&amp;nbsp; cafeteria)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sept 25, 11 a.m.:&lt;/strong&gt; Latinx Film Festival: &amp;ldquo;El abrazo de la serpiente&amp;rdquo; (Embrace the Serpent), an &amp;nbsp;adventure story that follows two separate journeys 30 years apart, one by an indigenous shaman, the other by an American botanist as they search the Amazon jungle for yakruna, a rare plant. (Campus Center, cafeteria)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oct. 2, 1:30 p.m&lt;/strong&gt;., &amp;ldquo;Froteria.&amp;rdquo; Enjoy fried treats and play the lottery with members of El Centro and HCC&amp;rsquo;s ALANA Men in Motion programs. (Campus Center 224).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oct. 1, 11 a.m&lt;/strong&gt;., Latinx Fiesta, a celebration of Latinx heritage with food, music, and crafts. (Campus Center, second floor).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oct. 2, 11 a.m.&lt;/strong&gt;: Latinx Film Festival: &amp;ldquo;Todavia Estamos Aqui&amp;rdquo; (We Are Still Here), a student-made documentary about the lives and experiences of the residents of Barrio Rucio in Puerto Rico and their historic resistance to government intrusion. (Campus Center, cafeteria)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oct. 9, 11 a.m.:&lt;/strong&gt; Latinx Film Festival: &amp;ldquo;Dolores,&amp;rdquo; a documentary about American activist, feminist, and labor leader Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union with Cesar Chavez. (Campus Center, cafeteria)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oct. 14, 11 a.m.,&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;ldquo;Our Stories, Our Voices, Our Lens,&amp;rdquo; a conversation with local Latinx &amp;ldquo;artivists,&amp;rdquo; talking about how art contributes to the preservation and celebration of history and culture. (Campus Center, second floor, outside El Centro).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Continuously, throughout the month&lt;/strong&gt;: &amp;ldquo;Our Heroes, Our History.&amp;rdquo; View the mural painted last year by artist Betsy Casa&amp;ntilde;as featuring activists, artists, athletes, musicians, and educators who have made a deep impact on Latinx history and culture. (Campus Center, second floor outside El Centro)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Student Mishie Serrano and her son celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in 2024 at HCC's Latinx Fiesta.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21425" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/family-night" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250911T14:49:31" CategoryIds="4|193|70|165" FileName="x21425.xml" Name="Family Story Night FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Summer/Chief-Robles-heroine-web.jpg" Title="Family Story Night" Abstract="For Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, Chief of Police Jacqueline Robles will read Harold and the Purple Crayon during Family Story Night at the college on Sept. 17." ThumbnailAltText="Chief Robles" EventLocation="Parent Learning Center (FR 269)" EventStartDate="2025-09-17" EventStartTime="17:30:00" IntroCopy="HCC celebrating National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, Sept. 15-19" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="19:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Summer/Chief-Robles-heroine-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In recognition of National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, Holyoke Community College Chief of Police Jacqueline Robles will read the children&amp;rsquo;s classic &lt;em&gt;Harold and the Purple Crayon&lt;/em&gt; during Family Story Night at the college on Wednesday, Sept. 17.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sponsored by HCC&amp;rsquo;s Marieb Adult Learner Success Center, Family Story Night will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. inside the Parent Learning Center (Frost 269) and in the hallway outside on the second floor of the Frost Building. In addition to the book reading, which will be conducted in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language, there will be arts and crafts for kids, pizza and other snacks, free school supplies, plus an opportunity for student parents to connect with representatives from HCC student support programs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The purpose of National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week (Sept. 15-19) is to promote &amp;nbsp;awareness about the importance of adult education and family literacy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Springfield, Robles is a graduate of Holyoke High School and has been a member of the HCC police department for 22 years. With her promotion from sergeant, she became the first Latina to serve as HCC police chief and &amp;nbsp;the first Latina police chief in Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last spring, she was named a Commonwealth Heroine by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. On Friday, Sept. 12, she is being honored by the Springfield Puerto Rican Day Parade Committee at a kickoff breakfast at Wycoff Country Club in Holyoke, and on Sunday, Sept. 14, she will march in the Springfield Puerto Rican Day Parade as the 2025 Civil Service Ambassador.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Police Chief Jacqueline Robles in her HCC office&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21397" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/tech-center-grand-opening" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250908T15:48:03" CategoryIds="4|193|452|70|165" FileName="x21397.xml" Name="Tech Center Grand Opening" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/TECH-CENTER-1-web.jpg" Title="Tech Center Debut" Abstract="HCC will celebrate the grand opening of its new Tech Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 3. at 11:30 a.m. and open houses all day Sept. 3-4." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Tech Center" EventLocation="HCC Tech Center, Campus Center, second floor" EventStartDate="2025-09-03" EventStartTime="11:30:00" IntroCopy="New Tech Center hosting open house, Sept. 3-4" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/TECH-CENTER-DIXON-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will celebrate the grand opening of its new Tech Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 3., at 11:30 a.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Tech Center, located on the second floor of the HCC Campus Center, is a new space dedicated to providing students with all the technological support they need to be successful.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We provide the first level of support to students and all their personal devices &amp;ndash; laptops, cell phones, tablets,&amp;rdquo; said Tech Center manager Walter Pfau. &amp;ldquo;If it&amp;rsquo;s got a screen and a power button, we&amp;rsquo;ll help them troubleshot it. But the heart of this space isn&amp;rsquo;t about fixing devices, it&amp;rsquo;s about helping students feel more capable, more technologically independent, and, ultimately, more connected.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ribbon-cutting ceremony leads off a two-day open house in the Tech Center, which coincides with the HCC Resource Fair running Sept. 3 and 4 nearby in the HCC cafeteria.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Funding for the Tech Center came from a $250,000 &amp;ldquo;Tech Rise&amp;rdquo; grant HCC received from the Employment and Training Administration, which is part of the U.S. Dept. of Labor. The money was principally used to buy furniture, computers, and other technology for the center, as well as the hiring of student interns.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Besides Pfau and other IT staff, the Tech Center will be run by a team of student interns who can also offer one-on-one support to their classmates who need assistance with their devices, and computer programs and apps. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Interns not only provide peer support but also co-develop resources, assist and lead training sessions, and bring fresh ideas to campus-wide technology conversations,&amp;rdquo; said Pfau. &amp;ldquo;This spirit of innovation and collaboration aligns with HCC&amp;rsquo;s mission to &amp;lsquo;educate, inspire, and connect,&amp;rsquo; empowering students to build digital confidence and community at the same time.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Previously, students, along with HCC faculty and staff, had to go across campus to the first floor of the Frost Building to the IT Help Desk for all their computer needs. The HCC Tech Center is more centrally located, across from Student Engagement, adjoining the HCC Bookstore, and steps away from the cafeteria and food court, where students tend to congregate between classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to one-on-one tech support, the Tech Center also has computer stations for students to use, a classroom for interactive workshops and meetings, and cubicles where other HCC support staff, such as financial aid counselors, can set up shop during special events, like Registration Express and Accepted Students Days.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The Tech Center is an extension of the IT Help Desk, but it goes beyond the physical repairs that the Help Desk is set up for,&amp;rdquo; said Scott Conrad, director of IT services. &amp;ldquo;This will allow us to spend more time on the in-depth problems students might have.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Tech Center assistant Jenille Jones talks to IT director Kim Florek in the HCC Tech Center. (Above)&amp;nbsp;HCC student Julius Dixon works at a computer station in the HCC Tech Center.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21382" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/taber-milestone" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250904T22:41:43" CategoryIds="193|360|226" FileName="x21382.xml" Name="Taber: Milestone" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Taber-Milestone-Felice-web.jpg" Title="Gallery Marks 25th" Abstract="The Taber Art Gallery opens its 25th season Sept. 2 with a special anniversary exhibition featuring the artwork of the HCC Visual Art faculty, past and present." ThumbnailAltText="Felice Caivano installs a piece for the Taber Art Gallery's 25th anniversay exhibition." EventLocation="Taber Art Gallery" EventStartDate="2025-09-02" EventStartTime="10:00:00" EventEndDate="2025-10-23" IntroCopy="25th Anniversary Celebration, Thursday, Sept. 4" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/TABERS-TOUR-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery at Holyoke Community College will open its 25&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; season Tuesday, Sept. 2, with a special anniversary exhibition featuring the artwork of the HCC Visual Art faculty, past and present.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The exhibition, &amp;ldquo;Milestone: 25 Years of the Taber Art Gallery,&amp;rdquo; runs through Oct. 23. The gallery will host a special anniversary celebration in the gallery on Thursday, Sept. 4, from 5 to 7 p.m., with a performance by itinerant painter and former HCC faculty member Sam Rowlett at 5:30 p.m., followed by a talk by gallery director Rachel Rushing at 6 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Using his mobile portrait studio backpack, Rowlett will present &quot;Free Portraits&quot; with visitors during the reception.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;College art galleries and art departments have a unique relationship compared to other departments on any campus,&amp;rdquo; said Rushing. &amp;ldquo;Art professors focus on teaching students how to create while galleries offer an in-person, real-life context for what happens to art after it is created. Spaces like the Taber Art Gallery provide the visceral experience of engaging with professional artists modeling pathways forward that students can pursue. 'Milestone' celebrates this interconnection by looking at the very artists HCC students work with and learn from, and who have made the Visual Art Department what it is today.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The gallery is named after its benefactor, Holyoke businessman and philanthropist Donald Taber, the former chairman of American Pad and Paper. Taber and his wife, Wilmina Taber, donated 45 pieces of original artwork to the college from their personal collection and also endowed a scholarship through the HCC Foundation. The gallery now holds more than 350 pieces in its permanent collection.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Since opening on Aug. 25, 2000, we have featured 131 exhibitions and well over 330 different artists in our gallery space that we have been able to share with HCC students and the wider public,&amp;rdquo; said Rushing. &amp;ldquo;That is pretty phenomenal. And that&amp;rsquo;s not even counting the annual student art exhibition we also do every year.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Donald Taber died in 2002 at the age of 100.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His daughter, granddaughter, and two great-granddaughters visited the gallery on Aug. 25 to see some of the pieces from the original collection and view a chronology of exhibition cards promoting displays from the past 25 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The progress has been amazing,&amp;rdquo; said Laura McGrew, Donald Taber&amp;rsquo;s granddaughter, who attended the gallery&amp;rsquo;s grand opening 25 years ago. &amp;ldquo;I think my grandfather would have been really happy to see all that&amp;rsquo;s happened.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Milestone&quot; exhibitors include current faculty members Felice Caivano, Torry Gleason, Raishad Glover, Logan Bishop, Lahri Bond, John Calhoun, Tara Conant, Bill Devine, Chris Lizon, Margie Rothermich, Joe Saphire; and former faculty members Robert Aller, Kelly Clare, Frank Cressoti, Cynthia Guild, Caitlin Hurd, Amy Johnquest, Cynthia Ludlam, David Moriarty, Christy Patrick, Samuel Rowlett, Deborra Stewart-Pettengill, Frank Ward, and Chris Willingham.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After &quot;Milestone,&quot; the Taber Art Gallery&amp;rsquo;s 25&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary season will continue with &amp;ldquo;HyperColor,&amp;rdquo; Nov. 3 through Dec. 18 (six artists working in vivid, loud, unflinching color); &amp;ldquo;River Valley Radical Futures,&amp;rdquo; Jan. 20 through March 12 (imagining the Connecticut River Valley 100 years beyond the fall of capitalism); and the 2026 HCC Student Art Exhibition, April through May.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery, located off the lobby of the HCC Library on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during regular school sessions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: (Above) Members of the Taber family visited the Taber Art Gallery on Aug. 25, on the 25th anniversary of the gallery's opening in 2020. Donald Taber's great-granddaughter, Haley Snyder, and daughter, Ann Nugent, hold a portrait of Donald Taber, flanked by his great-granddaughter Morgan Snyder, far left, and granddaghter, Laura McGrew, far right. (Thumbnail) Felice Caivano installs a piece for the Taber Art Gallery's 25th anniversay exhibition.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21378" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/phillips-festival-2025" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250917T18:57:56" CategoryIds="193|65|226" FileName="x21378.xml" Name="Phillips Festival 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/HCC-theater-festival-web-47.jpg" Title="Phillips Festival " Abstract="Join us Sept. 20, for an evening of short plays written, directed, and staged in 24 hours by HCC alumni, students, staff, and friends, with green carpet pre-show at 6 p.m." ThumbnailAltText="Actors perform an original play during the 2022 Leslie Phillips 24-hour theater festival. " EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater, Fine &amp; Performing Arts Building" EventStartDate="2025-09-20" EventStartTime="18:00:00" IntroCopy="Don't miss the Green Carpet Pre-Show starting at 6 p.m." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/HCC-Phillips-Festival-13-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The annual Phillips Festival, an evening of short plays written, directed, and staged in 24 hours by Holyoke Community College alumni, students, staff, and friends, returns on Saturday, Sept. 20, for its eighth year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The festival raises money for the Leslie Phillips Theater Fund for Arts and Education, honoring the legacy of Leslie Phillips, founder of the HCC theater program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To produce the Leslie Phillips Festival, HCC alumni, students, staff and friends register to participate as writers, directors, actors, or members of the stage crew. This year, writers will meet with the actors on Friday, Sept. 19, the night before the show, to receive props, prompts, and character assignments. They have until 6 a.m. the next morning to write their plays. Two hours later, actors and directors meet for day-long rehearsals.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All the original plays will be performed that evening, Sept. 20, starting at 7:30 p.m., but the festivities begin at 6 p.m. in the theater lobby with a green carpet pre-show with alumni, friends, and fellow theater lovers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Funds raised from the festival enable the HCC Theater Department to hold master classes, make capital improvements, and hire guest artists.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The Phillips Theater Festival is a wonderful celebration of creativity, connection, and community,&amp;rdquo; said Natalia Castagno, HCC assistant director of alumni relations. &amp;ldquo;It offers our theater alumni a meaningful way to stay engaged with HCC, while also inviting local artists and supporters to help inspire and uplift the next generation of performers. The festival is a wonderful way to support the arts at HCC and carry on the legacy of one of HCC&amp;rsquo;s most beloved mentors.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Phillips Fund is administered by the HCC Foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The festival was first organized in 2016 by HCC alumni working with now retired HCC theater professor Pat Sandoval '84 as a tribute to Phillips, who died in 1988 after inspiring legions of HCC students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To participate in the festival as a writer, actor, director, or stagehand, please register at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/phillips-festival-participation-registration&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/phillips-signup&lt;/a&gt; or email Terry Hegarty at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:tlhegarty@yahoo.com&quot;&gt;tlhegarty@yahoo.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Festival tickets can be purchased in advance at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/phillips-festival--2025&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/phillips-2025&lt;/a&gt; or at the door.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;General admission tickets are $15, students and seniors $10. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All proceeds benefit the Leslie Phillips Theater Fund for Arts and Education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Scenes from the 2024 Phillips Festival at HCC&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="$15 (general admission), $10 (students and seniors)" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21374" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/theater-auditions-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250909T17:37:59" CategoryIds="4|165|226" FileName="x21374.xml" Name="Theater Auditions FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/LLG-graphic.jpg" Title="Theater Auditions" Abstract="Auditions for the HCC Theater Department's Fall 2025 production of The Last Living Gun, by Ryan Stevens  will be held Sept. 10 and 11, 2-5 p.m., in the Leslie Phillips Theater." ThumbnailAltText="Last Living Gun graphic" EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater" EventStartDate="2025-09-10" EventStartTime="14:00:00" EventEndDate="2025-09-11" IntroCopy="Performance dates Nov. 20-22" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;Auditions for the HCC Theater Department's Fall 2025 production of The Last Living Gun, by Ryan Stevens (directed by Cordelia Winter Dwyer) will be held Wednesday, Sept. 10, from 2-5 p.m., and&amp;nbsp;Thursday Sept. 11, 2-5 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Auditions will consist of cold readings.&amp;nbsp;Auditioners do not need to prepare monologues.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anyone is welcome to audition.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdE3wbXh1G5upOseos4uiIU4IXwy-7gTk5o82vLOPIBCT7yew/viewform&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here to sign up ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If necessary, callbacks will be held Friday, Sept. 12, from 2-5 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Performance dates are Nov. 20-22, 2025.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Synopsis, The Last Living Gun, by Ryan Stevens (From New Play Exchange):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In the far future, guns (and all metal) are a thing of the past &amp;ndash; mostly. A courier rides across the country to hunt a rumor of the last gun in the world and finds worlds of chaos, memory, and history along the way. A Wild Western/vaudeville/post-post-apocalypse about trauma, survival, storytelling, and the pain of change.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21349" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/hcc-at-the-woosox-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250909T17:44:20" CategoryIds="65" FileName="x21349.xml" Name="HCC at the WooSox FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Woosox-logo-web.jpg" Title="HCC at the WooSox" Abstract="Join us for an evening of baseball on Sept. 18 as the Worcester Red Sox take on the Rochester Red Wings on  Community College Night at Polar Park in Worcester." ThumbnailAltText="WooSox logo" EventLocation="Polar Park, Worcester, MA" EventStartDate="2025-09-18" EventStartTime="16:30:00" ExcludefromNavigation="true" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;Join President Timmons and HCC students, faculty, and staff for a night of baseball and&lt;br /&gt;fun at the 2025 WooSox Community College Night!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pre-Game Activities begin at 4:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Pre-Game Ceremonies begin at 5:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;The game starts at 6:05 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tickets are free for HCC students, but registration is required as space is limited.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;!-- Start form embed --&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTER HERE&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;bbox-root&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt; window.bboxInit = function () { bbox.showForm('cdc4607c-5bed-49a9-91d4-8e435f6aed02'); }; (function () { var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true; e.src = 'https://bbox.blackbaudhosting.com/webforms/bbox-min.js'; document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(e); } ()); &lt;/script&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;!-- End form embed --&gt;" EventAdmission="SEE FORM" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21351" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/resource-fair-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250902T14:30:38" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x21351.xml" Name="Resource Fair FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/x-Resource-Yaritza-web.jpg" Title="Resource Fair" Abstract="Learn about all the resources and support programs HCC has to offer at our Fall 2025 semester Resource Fair, Sept. 3-4. " ThumbnailAltText="Fall 2024 Resource Fair" EventLocation="Campus Center Cafeteria" EventStartDate="2025-09-03" EventStartTime="11:00:00" EventEndDate="2025-09-04" ExcludefromNavigation="true" EventEndTime="12:15:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/x-Resource-Yaritza-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Join us on Wednesday, Sept. 3, and Thursday, Sept. 4, at the Campus Center to learn about the resources and programs HCC has to offer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21372" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/welcome-back-bbq-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250909T17:43:49" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x21372.xml" Name="Welcome Back BBQ FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202024/Welcome-BBQ-22-web.jpg" Title="Welcome Back BBQ" Abstract="Help us celebrate the start of a new school year on Wednesday, Sept. 10, with free food, games, music, giveaways, arts and crafts and more. " ThumbnailAltText="Welome Back BBQ photo" EventLocation="Courtyard (Campus Center Cafeteria if raining)" EventStartDate="2025-09-10" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="Help us celebrate the start of a new school year " ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="12:15:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/BBQ.jpg&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Welcome Back BBQ&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Join us in the courtyard for free lunch, music, games, and prizes while discovering HCC resources. Help us kick off the start of a wonderful semester!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21373" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/involvement-expo-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250909T17:43:29" CategoryIds="66|65" FileName="x21373.xml" Name="Involvement Expo FA25" Thumbnail="/images/Club%20Fair.jpg" Title="Involvement Expo" Abstract="Learn about all our student clubs, activities, and support programs, and sign up for one or more, Wednesday, Sept. 17. " EventLocation="Courtyard " EventStartDate="2025-09-17" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="Check out the clubs on campus, get information, meet members, and join a club." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="12:15:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Club%20Fair.jpg&quot; width=&quot;2048&quot; height=&quot;1365&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;Stop by the Involvement Expo on Wednesday, September 17, and check out the clubs and organizations HCC has to offer on campus! Meet members, get more information, and join a club.&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21391" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/milk-and-cookies-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250909T17:43:03" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x21391.xml" Name="Milk and Cookies FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Parent%20Learning%20Center.jpg" Title="Milk and Cookies" Abstract="Enjoy milk and cookies at the Parent Learning Center to welcome back families to campus! " EventLocation="Parent Learning Center (Frost 269)" EventStartDate="2025-09-03" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="Enjoy milk and cookies at the Parent Learning Center as we welcome back families to campus! " ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="12:15:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Parent%20Learning%20Center.jpg&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stop by the Parent Learning Center on Wednesday, September 3 at 11 a.m for some milk and cookies as we welcome familes back to campus.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21394" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/bienvenidos-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250909T17:42:43" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x21394.xml" Name="Bienvenidos FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Bienvenidos.jpg" Title="Bienvenidos" Abstract="Come join us at this free event to hear from current students, staff, and faculty to learn about the resources HCC has for Latinx students." EventLocation="Campus Center - 2nd Floor" EventStartDate="2025-09-13" EventStartTime="09:30:00" IntroCopy="Come join us at this free event to hear from current students, staff, and faculty to learn about the resources HCC has for Latinx students." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="13:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Bienvenidos.jpg&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Come join us at this free event to hear from current students, staff, and faculty to learn about the resources HCC has for Latinx students. Meet El Centro, a student support program created to serve students from enrollment all the way to graduation. Meet your campus support people, attend workshops to learn how to be successful in college and lots more. Coffee and treats will be served in the morning, a delicious full lunch with entertainment and raffle prizes including a brand new laptop!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21399" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/springfield-puerto-rican-parade-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250909T17:42:19" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x21399.xml" Name="Springfield Puerto Rican Parade FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/PR%20Parade.jpg" Title="Puerto Rican Parade" Abstract="Join us in Springfield on Sunday, Sept. 15, for the city's 35th annual Puerto Rican Day Parade!" ThumbnailAltText="HCC students holding Puerto Rican flags" EventLocation="Springfield, MA (Starting at Main Street &amp; Wason Avenue, through downtown, ending at Main/Bridge Street)" EventStartDate="2025-09-14" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="Come join us at this free event to hear from current students, staff, and faculty to learn about the resources HCC has for Latinx students." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="13:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/PR%20Parade.jpg&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Sunday, September 14, 2025, the Springfield Puerto Rican Parade will celebrate its 35th annual celebration&lt;span&gt;, along with the first-ever Pa&amp;rsquo;lante 5K.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The parade will step off at 11:00 AM, starting at Main Street &amp;amp; Wason Avenue, through downtown, ending at Main/Bridge Street. For more information, click here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.springfieldprparade.com/route&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;extLink&quot; title=&quot;Springfield Puerto Rican Parade&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;https://www.springfieldprparade.com/route&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21400" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/latinx-fiesta-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250926T16:46:01" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x21400.xml" Name="Latinx Fiesta FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/Latinx-Fiesta-2024-3-web.jpg" Title="Latinx Fiesta" Abstract="Join us Oct. 1 for a Latinx fiesta! There will be food, music, and crafts as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!" ThumbnailAltText="HCC students holding Puerto Rican flags" EventLocation="Campus Center Cafeteria" EventStartDate="2025-10-01" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="Join us for a Latinx fiesta! There will be food, music, and crafts as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="12:15:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Latinx%20Fiesta.jpg&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Join us on Wednesday, October 1, as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a fiesta!&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21402" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/success-kickoff" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250909T17:41:25" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x21402.xml" Name="Success Kickoff FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/ALANA.jpg" Title="Success Kickoff" Abstract="Games, food, and fun hosted by ALANA and SAMP" ThumbnailAltText="HCC students holding Puerto Rican flags" EventLocation="Kittredge 301/303 " EventStartDate="2025-09-25" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="Games, food, and fun hosted by ALANA and SAMP" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="13:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/ALANA.jpg&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;ALANA and SAMP are hosting the Success Kickoff event on Thursday, September 25. Join us for an afternoon of games, food, and fun.&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21403" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/innovation-challenge-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250909T17:41:03" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x21403.xml" Name="Innovation Challenge FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Innovation.jpg" Title="Innovation Challenge" Abstract="HCC's Innovation Challenge will kick-off on Wednesday, September 24, from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m., in CC-227H." ThumbnailAltText="HCC students holding Puerto Rican flags" EventLocation="Campus Center 227H" EventStartDate="2025-09-24" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="HCC's Innovation Challenge will kick-off on Wednesday, September 24, from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m., in CC-227H." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="12:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Innovation.jpg&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's Innovation Challenge will kick-off on&amp;nbsp;Wednesday, September 24, from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m., in CC-227H. Are you looking for a way to showcase your creativity, critical thinking and problem solving skills? At the Innovation Challenge, you'll be able to work with other students to solve real-world problems and have the opportunity to win prizes!&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21424" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/career-fair-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250909T17:40:39" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x21424.xml" Name="Career Fair FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Career%20Fair.jpg" Title="Career Fair" Abstract="Connect with 20 different employers during the career fair on October, 8. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC students holding Puerto Rican flags" EventLocation="Campus Center Cafeteria" EventStartDate="2025-10-08" EventStartTime="10:00:00" IntroCopy="Connect with 20 different employers on October 8,at 10 a.m." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="13:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Career%20Fair.jpg&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;The Career Fair will be held on October 8 from 10 AM to 1 PM. This event is open to all HCC students and they will have the opportunity to connect with 20 different employers.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21426" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/2025-creative-unconference" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250911T19:46:39" CategoryIds="69|417|165" FileName="x21426.xml" Name="2025 Creative Unconference" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/UNCONFERENC-LOGO.jpg" Title="Creative Unconference" Abstract="Join us Oct. 4 for the Ad Club's Creative Unconference – a one-of-a-kind gathering designed to inspire and connect the vibrant creative community of Western Massachusetts and beyond." ThumbnailAltText="Unconference logo" EventLocation="Holyoke Community College" EventStartDate="2025-10-04" EventStartTime="09:00:00" IntroCopy="Join the Ad Club for the Creative Unconference - a one-of-a-kind gathering designed to inspire and connect the vibrant creative community of Western Massachusetts and beyond. Whether you're a student just starting out or a seasoned professional, this experience is crafted to energize, educate, and elevate." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="16:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/25_ACWM_2025_UNConference_Logo%20%281%29.png&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; height=&quot;246&quot; class=&quot;floatImg&quot; alt=&quot;2025_UNConference_Logo&quot; style=&quot;float: right;&quot; /&gt;Who Should Attend:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Marketing, design, media, photographers, and communications professionals&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Advertising and creative agency teams&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Freelancers and entrepreneurs&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Students and emerging talent&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Business owners&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Anyone - all are welcome!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.adclubwm.org/events/#!event/register/2025/10/4/creative-unconference&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Register Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What to Expect:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Keynote Speaker: Tracey Wheeler Noonan &amp;amp; a Power-Packed Panel&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;featuring local creatives and exploring current trends and innovation&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Unconference-Style Breakout Sessions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;where YOU choose the topics&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plenty of Networking Opportunities&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;with creatives from across the region&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What's Included:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;padding-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;html-span xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl x1hl2dhg x16tdsg8 x1vvkbs x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xat24cr xm2jcoa x1mpyi22 xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;xz74otr x15mokao x1ga7v0g x16uus16 xbiv7yw&quot; src=&quot;https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tec/1/16/1f455.png&quot; alt=&quot;👕&quot; width=&quot;16&quot; height=&quot;16&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;A free, limited-edition event t-shirt for the first 50 registrants ($20 value)&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;padding-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;padding-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;html-span xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl x1hl2dhg x16tdsg8 x1vvkbs x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xat24cr xm2jcoa x1mpyi22 xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;xz74otr x15mokao x1ga7v0g x16uus16 xbiv7yw&quot; src=&quot;https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tac/1/16/1f950.png&quot; alt=&quot;🥐&quot; width=&quot;16&quot; height=&quot;16&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Breakfast + lunch on the house-&amp;nbsp;vegetarian + gluten-free options ($30 value)&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;padding-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;padding-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;html-span xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl x1hl2dhg x16tdsg8 x1vvkbs x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xat24cr xm2jcoa x1mpyi22 xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;xz74otr x15mokao x1ga7v0g x16uus16 xbiv7yw&quot; src=&quot;https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t80/1/16/1f4c7.png&quot; alt=&quot;📇&quot; width=&quot;16&quot; height=&quot;16&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;A full year of Ad Club membership ($99 value)&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;padding-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;padding-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;html-span xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl x1hl2dhg x16tdsg8 x1vvkbs x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xat24cr xm2jcoa x1mpyi22 xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;xz74otr x15mokao x1ga7v0g x16uus16 xbiv7yw&quot; src=&quot;https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t84/1/16/1f381.png&quot; alt=&quot;🎁&quot; width=&quot;16&quot; height=&quot;16&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;A swag bag full of creative goodies and...&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;padding-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;padding-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;html-span xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl x1hl2dhg x16tdsg8 x1vvkbs x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xat24cr xm2jcoa x1mpyi22 xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;xz74otr x15mokao x1ga7v0g x16uus16 xbiv7yw&quot; src=&quot;https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t7c/1/16/1f9e0.png&quot; alt=&quot;🧠&quot; width=&quot;16&quot; height=&quot;16&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Access to a keynote, speakers, sessions, speed networking &amp;amp; unconference-style magic (priceless!)&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;AN INVESTMENT THAT WILL RETURN ITSELF 10X!!!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Creative Unconference will offer an open, inclusive space to share ideas, spark creativity, and build meaningful connections.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reserve your spot now by clicking the REGISTER button below.&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Don&amp;rsquo;t miss this chance to be part of something bold, fresh, and creatively charged!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additional event details, including the full schedule, parking information, and directions to the exact on-campus location, will be shared with all registrants as the event approaches.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;For general directions to campus, visit:&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;&quot; href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/visit-hcc/getting-here&quot; target=&quot;_new&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; data-start=&quot;310&quot; data-end=&quot;376&quot;&gt;Getting to HCC&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="$29 Student / $99 General Admission Ticket" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21444" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/fall-transfer-college-fair-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250924T11:46:21" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x21444.xml" Name="Fall Transfer College Fair FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/HCC%20Transfer%20Fair.jpg" Title="Transfer Fair" Abstract="Meet with over 40 four-year colleges on campus for the Annual Fall Transfer College Fair on October 15." ThumbnailAltText="HCC students holding Puerto Rican flags" EventLocation="Campus Center Cafeteria" EventStartDate="2025-10-15" EventStartTime="10:00:00" IntroCopy="Meet with over 40 four-year colleges on campus for the Annual Fall Transfer College Fair on October 15." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="12:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/HCC%20Transfer%20Fair.jpg&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Each Fall semester we host over 40 four-year colleges on campus for the Annual Fall Transfer College Fair. This year's fair will be held on&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Wednesday, October 15th from 10:00AM to 12 Noon in the Campus Center Cafeteria&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;Some of the colleges attending are:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;Bryant University, Clark University, Central Connecticut, Emerson, Hampshire, Mass College of Pharmacy, Merrimack, Nichols, Sacred Heart, Suffolk, University of Maine, University of Hartford, Worcester Poly Tech and Wentworth Institute, all the local colleges and many more.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21449" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/involvement-expo-ii-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250926T17:02:39" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x21449.xml" Name="Involvement Expo II FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Involvement%20Expo%20II.jpg" Title="Involvement Expo" Abstract="Learn about all our student clubs, activities, and support programs, and sign up for one or more, Thursday Oct 9." EventLocation="Campus Center " EventStartDate="2025-10-09" EventStartTime="12:00:00" IntroCopy="Check out the clubs on campus, get information, meet members, and join a club." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="13:30:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Involvement%20Expo%20II.jpg&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;Stop by the Involvement Expo on Thursday October 9, and check out the clubs and organizations HCC has to offer on campus! Meet members, get more information, and join a club.&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21457" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/trunk-or-treat-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251006T16:17:29" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165" FileName="x21457.xml" Name="Trunk or Treat FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/HCC-Trunk-or-Treat-2024-web.jpg" Title="Trunk or Treat 2025" Abstract="HCC will celebrate the season with its annual pre-Halloween Trunk or Treat event on Friday, Oct. 24, from 5-7 p.m." ThumbnailAltText="Trunk or Treat 2024" EventLocation="Parking Lot M" EventStartDate="2025-10-24" EventStartTime="17:00:00" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="19:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/Trunk%20or%20Treat%202025.jpg&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visitors to Holyoke Community College on Friday, Oct. 24, can expect to see witches, ghouls, ghosts and an assortment of characters from popular children&amp;rsquo;s movies, games, books, and TV shows as the college celebrates Halloween with its eighth annual Trunk or Treat event.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every year, the event draws thousands of children and their parents to the HCC campus for a fun, safe, and early Halloween celebration as dozens of HCC departments, programs, and student clubs, as well as community groups and area businesses, decorate their cars and trucks with a wide assortment of themes.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Trunk&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;or&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;Treat&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;runs from 5 to 7 p.m. in Parking Lot M by the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation on the main HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last year&amp;rsquo;s trunk themes included Charlotte&amp;rsquo;s Web, the Wizard of Oz, Minions, mummies, Dr. Seuss, pirates, enchanted forest, haunted vet clinic, aliens, Ratatouille, monsters, Jurassic Park, Shrek, the zoo, STEM, Fairly Odd Parents, castles, Wednesday Adams, spiders, skeletons, scarecrows, witches, sharks, and the Justice League.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the past, trunk sponsors from HCC have included the Early Education program, Student Engagement, Veterinary and Animal Science, Dance Club, ASL Club, Japanese Anime Club, C.A.M.O. (military club), Radiologic Technology, El Centro, Student Records, Early Childhood Grants Initiative, Culinary Club, Business department, President&amp;rsquo;s Cabinet, Disney Club, Nursing program, Student Senate, STEM Club, Latinx Empowerment Association, Psychology Club, Radio Club, Animation Club, and Dungeons &amp;amp; Dragons Club.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Community groups and businesses sponsoring vehicles last year included Jan&amp;rsquo;s Flowers, the Girl Scouts of America, Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Head Start, Elms College Teachers Lounge, Holyoke High School North Campus, Western MA Furs, Agawam Bowmen Club, and Holyoke High School Class of 2025.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prizes are awarded to vehicle sponsors in various categories including best executed theme, scariest&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;trunk&lt;/span&gt;, best costumes, and most original.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each vehicle will be handing out free Halloween&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;treats&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;and also have non-food items for children with dietary restrictions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Trunk&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;or&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;Treat&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;at HCC started in 2017 as a safe, fun, and early alternative to traditional trick-&lt;span&gt;or&lt;/span&gt;-&lt;span&gt;treating&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;on Halloween night. Rather than going door to door seeking Halloween&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;treats&lt;/span&gt;, children go &amp;ldquo;&lt;span&gt;trunk&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;to&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;trunk&lt;/span&gt;&amp;rdquo; to collect their candy, visiting cars decorated with seasonal themes and familiar stories and characters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event is free and open to the public and will be held outdoors, rain&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;or&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;shine. Children must be accompanied by an adult.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To sponsor a vehicle, please contact Student Engagement at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentengagement@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;studentengagement@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;. The deadline is Monday, Oct. 20.&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22105" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/el-centro-jingle-and-mingle-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251205T16:50:35" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x22105.xml" Name="El Centro Jingle and Mingle FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/Jingle%20and%20Mingle.jpg" Title="Jingle &amp; Mingle" Abstract="Join El Centro for its annual JIngle and Mingle on Wednesday, December 10 at 11 a.m." ThumbnailAltText="Trunk or Treat 2024" EventLocation="El Centro (CC 248)" EventStartDate="2025-12-10" EventStartTime="11:00:00" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/Jingle%20and%20Mingle.jpg&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;El Centro is hosting its annual Jingle and Mingle! Join us Wedesday, December 10 at 11 a.m. in CC 248. There will be a hot chocolate bar, homemade coquito, cookies, and more. Don't forget to wear your ugly sweater!&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22106" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/samp-success-center-recharge-zone-fa25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251205T17:45:35" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x22106.xml" Name="SAMP Success Center Recharge Zone FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202025/SAMP%20recharge%20Zone.jpg" Title="Recharge Zone" Abstract="SAMP Success Center brings the Recharge Zone" ThumbnailAltText="Trunk or Treat 2024" EventLocation="SAMP Success Center CC 323" EventStartDate="2025-12-15" EventStartTime="09:00:00" EventEndDate="2025-12-18" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202025/SAMP%20recharge%20Zone.jpg&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Recharge during finals in a quiet space with coloring pages, LEGO's, board games, and more to help you unwind and reset from December 15-18, from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x21099" URL="x21099.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20250117T18:55:32" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21099.xml" Name="Spring 2025" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x21272" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/regx-6-18-25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250611T18:35:05" CategoryIds="97|193" FileName="x21272.xml" Name="RegX 6-18-25" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Campus%20Beauty%20Shots/HCC-Campus-FA21-web.jpg" Title="Registration Express" Abstract="Apply for admission, take the college placement test, meet with an academic adviser, register for classes, and set up financial aid – all in one day." ThumbnailAltText="HCC campus" EventLocation="Campus Center" EventStartDate="2025-06-18" EventStartTime="13:00:00" IntroCopy="Get everything done to be an HCC student in one day" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Campus%20Beauty%20Shots/HCC-Campus-FA21-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will hold a special &quot;Registration Express&quot; event&amp;nbsp;for Summer and Fall 2025 classes on Wednesday, June 18, when prospective students can apply for admission, take the college placement test, meet with an academic adviser, register for classes, and set up financial aid &amp;ndash; all in one day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;HCC's Registration Express event will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. on the first floor of the Campus Center on the main campus at 303 Homestead Ave. and virtually over Zoom. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Summer session II classes at HCC begin July 14. Fall 2025 classes begin Tuesday, September 2. HCC also has Flex Start dates on Sept. 15 and Oct. 27.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registration Express will also be an opportunity for prospective students to learn about MassEducate, the state&amp;rsquo;s new program for free community college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Registration Express at Holyoke Community College provides an opportunity for students to complete the admissions and registration process all in one day and all in one place,&amp;rdquo; said Mark Hudgik, director of admissions and onboarding. &amp;ldquo;Admissions, financial aid, and advising counselors will be available to help students get ready for both summer and fall.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those who can't make it in person on can still participate on those days virtually through the Advising Center&amp;nbsp;Zoom link.&amp;nbsp;The Registration Express Zoom link can be accessed&amp;nbsp; through a link on the Registration Express page on the HCC website: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/admission/accepted-students/registration-express&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/regexpress&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please contact HCC Admissions at 413-552-2321 / &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;, visit HCC online at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/&quot;&gt;hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;, or take the next step at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/sign-up-for-classes&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/sign-up-for-classes&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21270" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/fireworks-2025" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250611T18:36:08" CategoryIds="4|193" FileName="x21270.xml" Name="Fireworks 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Summer/Fireworks-2025.jpg" Title="Fireworks Celebration" Abstract="HCC will host the city's annual 4th of July fireworks celebration on Friday, June 27, with music, food, and fun." ThumbnailAltText="Fireworks image" EventLocation="Holyoke Community College" EventStartDate="2025-06-27" EventStartTime="18:00:00" IntroCopy="Music, food trucks, children's activities, and fireworks!" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Summer/Fireworks-2025.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will host the City of Holyoke's annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration on Friday, June 27. (Rain date June 29.) The event will take place on O'Connell field inside the track behind the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation. The event is sponsored by Holyoke Gas and Electric.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visitors are encouraged to come early to enjoy the music, food, and children activities. The event begins at 6 p.m. with the fireworks display&amp;nbsp; at dusk. If you have any questions, please call the Holyoke Mayor&amp;rsquo;s Office at 413-561-1600.&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="Free" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21237" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/nurse-pinning-ceremony-2025" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250521T12:51:24" CategoryIds="3" FileName="x21237.xml" Name="Nurse Pinning Ceremony 2025" Thumbnail="/images/Nurse%20Pinning.jpg" Title="Nurse Pinning Ceremony" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is hosting a Nursing Pinning Ceremony to honor the graduating nursing students on May 22nd." ThumbnailAltText="Nursing Pinning" EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater" EventStartDate="2025-05-22" EventEndDate="2025-05-22" IntroCopy="Nursing Pinning Ceremony to honor the graduating nursing" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Nurse%20Pinning.jpg&quot; width=&quot;750&quot; height=&quot;446&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is hosting a Nursing Pinning Ceremony to honor the graduating nursing students on May 22nd.&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21230" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/commencement-2025" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250513T19:40:12" CategoryIds="193|65|165|673" FileName="x21230.xml" Name="Commencement 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202025/HCC-Makayla-Nelson-Singer-web.jpg" Title="Commencement 2025" Abstract="Holyoke Community College will celebrate the class of 2025 at its 78th Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 31, at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield." ThumbnailAltText="Graduating student Makayla Nelson will be the student performer at Commencement 2025 on May 31. " EventLocation="MassMutual Center, Springfield" EventStartDate="2025-05-31" EventStartTime="10:00:00" IntroCopy="HCC to celebrate Class of 2025 at 78th annual Commencement" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="12:05:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202025/HCC-Makayla-Nelson-Singer-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will celebrate its 78th Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 31, at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ceremony begins at 10 a.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, HCC will confer associate degrees and certificates to about 700 graduates from the class of 2025.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The procession of graduates into the arena and the keynote address will be delivered by the yet-to-be named recipient of the Marieb Award of Teaching Excellence, HCC&amp;rsquo;s highest faculty award.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A handful of students from this year's class will also be featured on the Commencement stage.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Human services major Isa&amp;rsquo;Rose Ramos &amp;rsquo;25 of Westfield will deliver the student address to her classmates. Alexandria Casavant &amp;rsquo;25 of Northampton, a fall graduate now studying music at the University of Massachusetts, will present the class gift. Liberal arts and music major Makayla Nelson &amp;rsquo;25 of Ludlow, the student performer, will sing &amp;ldquo;This is Me,&amp;rdquo; by Keala Settle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC President George Timmons will present Distinguished Service Awards to four individuals for their work on behalf of the college:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Auto dealer Gary Rome, an HCC Foundation Board Member, passionate advocate for HCC, donor, and a driving force behind HCC&amp;rsquo;s annual Together HCC fundraising campaign; Susanne Campagna, education director for the Hampden County Sheriff&amp;rsquo;s Department and chief facilitator of the department&amp;rsquo;s culinary arts training program at HCC; David Gadaire (posthumous), the late, long-time leader of MassHire Holyoke (formerly Holyoke Works); and Trudy Monson &amp;rsquo;97, a long-time volunteer and current president of the HCC Alumni Association.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For those who cannot attend in person, HCC will stream the Commencement ceremony live over the Internet. The live stream will be available through a link on the main page of the college website,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/&quot;&gt;www.hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;, where other details about this year's Commencement can also be found.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ceremony will be American Sign Language interpreted.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Graduating student Makayla Nelson will be the student performer at Commencement 2025 on May 31.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21229" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/scholarship-reception-2025" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250513T16:47:19" CategoryIds="4|3|65" FileName="x21229.xml" Name="Scholarship Reception 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202025/PTK-Diana-Rodriguez-web.jpg" Title="Scholarship Reception" Abstract="HCC will celebrate the nearly 400 students who have been awarded HCC Foundation scholarships for the 2025-2026 academic year with a special reception on May 15." ThumbnailAltText="HCC scholarship recipient Diana Rodriguez, right, will give the student keynote speech at the 2025 HCC Foundation Scholarship Reception on May 15.  " EventLocation="Campus Center, second floor" EventStartDate="2025-05-15" EventStartTime="15:00:00" IntroCopy="HCC to celebrate scholarship awardees" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202025/Scholarships-CAI-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will celebrate the nearly 400 students who have been awarded HCC Foundation scholarships for the 2025-2026 academic year with a special reception on Thursday, May 15.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation&amp;rsquo;s annual Scholarship Reception will run from 3 to 5 p.m. on the second floor of the HCC Campus Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the 2025-2026 academic year, the HCC Foundation awarded 410 scholarships worth $364,400 to 379 incoming, current, and graduating students. Individual awards range from $500 to $5,000. Some students will receive more than one scholarship.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Scholarships play an essential role in facilitating student success, and that's true now more than ever,&amp;rdquo; said Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of institutional advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation. &amp;ldquo;Many of our students are also parents, they are studying part time to balance school and work, and each one is driven to succeed. Scholarship support acknowledges academic achievement while also enabling our students to remain focused on the finish line: earning a college degree.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The reception for scholarship recipients and their families will feature remarks from Sbriscia and Laura White, HCC assistant director of donor relations. Keynote speeches will be delivered by 2025 scholarship recipient Diana Rodriguez of Chicopee; and donor LouAnn Daly, a former Holyoke resident, who has endowed two HCC Foundation scholarships.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Our donors clearly recognize that today's college experience requires more than support for tuition and fees,&amp;rdquo; Sbriscia said. &amp;ldquo;Scholarships support successful transfer, allow for experiences outside the classroom, and ensure that students remain on a path to success. We are incredibly grateful for their support and are thrilled to be celebrating these deserving students.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The nonprofit HCC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that works to advance the college&amp;rsquo;s mission, vision, and values. Founded in 1968 as the Friends of Holyoke Community College, in response to a devastating fire that forced the college to rebuild on a new campus, the Foundation now manages assets of more than $20 million, the largest community college foundation endowment in Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: (Thunbnail) HCC student Diana Rodriguez, right, will give the student speech at the 2025 HCC Foundation Scholarship Reception on May 15; (Above) &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;HCC Scholarship Reception 2024.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21220" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/oath-of-office" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250501T14:59:40" CategoryIds="66|193" FileName="x21220.xml" Name="Oath of Office" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202025/Jacqueline-Robles-web.jpg" Title="Oath of Office" Abstract="Veteran HCC police officer Jacqueline Robles of Springfield will be sworn in a chief on Monday, May 5, during HCC's first-ever oath-of-office ceremony," ThumbnailAltText="Jacqueline Robles" EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theate, Fine &amp; Performing Arts Building" EventStartDate="2025-05-05" EventStartTime="10:30:00" IntroCopy="Robles first Latina to be named HCC police chief" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202025/Jacqueline-Robles-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Jacqueline Robles&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Law enforcement officials, elected officials, and members of the Holyoke Community College Community will gather on Monday, May 5, to celebrate the swearing-in of Jacqueline Robles, of Springfield, as the next HCC chief of police.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The oath-of-office ceremony, the first-ever for the college, will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater, on the second floor of the HCC Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Building.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sergeant Robles, who was born in Puerto Rico, raised in Springfield, and graduated from Holyoke High School, has been a member of the HCC police department for 22 years. On Monday, she will become the first Latina to serve as HCC police chief.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s such an honor, such a happy moment,&amp;rdquo; said Robles. &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m very proud. I&amp;rsquo;m proud of my heritage. I&amp;rsquo;m proud of my roots. I&amp;rsquo;m just happy to be here, and I look forward to making positive changes and integrating the college more with the community.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Robles, a graduate of Springfield Technical Community College, comes from a family of police officers, following three brothers and a sister into law enforcement. More than 30 of her family members are expected to attend Monday&amp;rsquo;s ceremony, along with police chiefs from many Massachusetts community colleges, chiefs from Holyoke, Amherst, and South Hadley, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia, state Sen. Adam Gomez, state Reps. Carlos Gonzalez and Orlando Ramos.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ceremony will be followed by a reception for Robles in the HCC Learning Collaborative on the second floor for the Frost Building.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As police chief, Robles will also hold the title of executive director of community safety, which coincides with the department&amp;rsquo;s new focus on community policing. Previously part of the college&amp;rsquo;s division of Administration and Finance, HCC Campus Police now falls under the auspices of the newly created division of People, Culture, and Equity. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;In this department, we deal with people, so it makes sense,&amp;rdquo; said Robles. &amp;ldquo;Day to day, we deal with a lot of the same people, the same faces &amp;ndash; students, staff. I try to make whatever I do a learning experience, whenever possible. Of course, it should be more of a community-based policing model, because this is where we live, and these are the people we&amp;rsquo;re supposed to serve.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After graduating from STCC with her associate degree in criminal justice, Robles began her career in public safety as a security officer at Smith College. She joined HCC in 2002 as a patrol officer. In 2016, she was promoted to sergeant, supervising police officers, parking lot attendants, and dispatchers. She was instrumental in creating a cadet program for HCC students majoring in criminal justice. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Through her leadership, I believe Chief Robles will further strengthen the college&amp;rsquo;s new commitment to community policing, creating an atmosphere where students, employees, guests, and friends of the college feel supported and secure,&amp;rdquo; said Marlowe Washington, vice president of People, Culture, and Equity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Robles, who has lived in Holyoke, Chicopee, and now again in Springfield, has four children, three boys and a girl, 27, 24, 18, and 13. Her oldest son is a court officer in Worcester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m so proud of him for that,&amp;rdquo; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Robles succeeds Scott Livingstone, the retired police chief from Amherst, who has been serving as interim police chief at HCC since October 2024.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Jacqueline Robles&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21211" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/student-art-show-2025" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250416T19:48:17" CategoryIds="360|165|226" FileName="x21211.xml" Name="Student Art Show 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202025/Ariana-Jones-Taber-web.jpg" Title="Student Art Show" Abstract="The exhibition features artwork created by students from more than 50 Visual Art classes during the 2024-2025 academic year." ThumbnailAltText="Student Art Exhibition 2025" EventLocation="Taber Art Gallery, FPA third floor, Media Arts Center" EventStartDate="2025-04-17" EventStartTime="10:00:00" EventEndDate="2025-05-01" IntroCopy="Opening reception and awards ceremony April 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. " ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202025/Art-Show-SP25-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery at Holyoke Community College and the HCC Visual Art Department are presenting the 2025 Student Art Exhibition Thursday, April 17, through May 1, with an opening reception and awards ceremony April 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the gallery. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The exhibition features artwork created by HCC students from 54 Visual Art classes during the 2024-2025 academic year, including painting, two-dimensional and three-dimensional design, basic drawing, still photography, ceramics, digital imaging and design, figure drawing, animation, digital photography, illustration, motion graphics, printmaking, and typography.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The exhibition is a reflection of all the artwork done in studio classes this academic year,&amp;rdquo; said Felice Caivano, chair of the Visual Art Department.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The student art is displayed in the Taber Art Gallery, in display cases outside the HCC Library, along the third-floor corridor of the Fine and Performing Arts Building, and in the Media Arts Center on the third floor of the Campus Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among those students whose work is featured in the exhibition is Ariana Jones, who got an advance tour of the gallery with her two-dimensional design class before the show&amp;rsquo;s official opening. She contributed two paintings of a luna moth, and a self-portrait sketch.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It is an incredible experience to see my work next to everybody else's work,&amp;rdquo; said Jones, a first-year Visual Art major from West Springfield. &amp;ldquo;It allows me to really reflect on all that I put into it. It's pretty beautiful to have others admire you in that kind of way or at least take in something that you made and observe it and give their own opinion.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery, located off the lobby of the HCC Library on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during regular school sessions.&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21186" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/pvhs-art-show-sp25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250325T13:49:03" CategoryIds="4|193|360" FileName="x21186.xml" Name="PVHS Art Show SP25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202025/PVHS-TABER-1-web.jpg" Title="High School Art Show" Abstract="High school art students will see their work displayed in the Taber Art Gallery  during the 2025 Pioneer Valley High School Art Show, March 24-27." ThumbnailAltText="Taber Art Gallery" EventLocation="Taber Art Gallery, at HCC" EventStartDate="2025-03-24" EventStartTime="10:00:00" EventEndDate="2025-03-27" IntroCopy="HCC hosting Pioneer Valley High School Art Show" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="18:30:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;High school art students from western Massachusetts will see their work displayed in the Taber Art Gallery at Holyoke Community College during the 2025 Pioneer Valley High School Art Show.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The show runs for one week only, starting today, Monday, March 24. It concludes Thursday, March 27, with a reception for artists and their families from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in the gallery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the first time the Taber Art Gallery has hosted the biennial high school art show since 2017.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This exhibition highlights the creativity and resilience of our regional students, showcasing their growth and unique perspectives,&amp;rdquo; said Taber director Rachel Rushing. &amp;ldquo;We are thrilled for both the artists and the community to reconnect through this celebratory show.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participating high schools include Agawam, Belchertown, Granby, Minnechaug Regional, St. Mary&amp;rsquo;s, South Hadley, West Springfield, Wilbraham and Monson Academy, and Westfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery, located off the lobby off the HCC Library on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during regular school sessions.&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="Free" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21184" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/true-west" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250410T14:59:07" CategoryIds="193|226" FileName="x21184.xml" Name="True West" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/TRUE-WEST-STARE-web.jpg" Title="True West" Abstract="The HCC Theater Department will present Sam Shepard's &quot;True West,&quot; directed by Tim Cochran, April 16-19 in the Black Box Theater in the Fine &amp; Performing Arts Buidling." ThumbnailAltText="Actors rehearse for True West" EventLocation="Black Box Theater, Room 111, Fine &amp; Performing Arts Building" EventStartDate="2025-04-16" EventStartTime="19:30:00" EventEndDate="2025-04-19" IntroCopy="HCC Theater presents Sam Shepard classic" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;div&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/True-West-club-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The HCC Theater Department will present &quot;True West,&quot; by Sam Shepard, directed by Tim Cochran, Wednesday, April 16, through Saturday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Black Box Theater, Room 111, in the Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Buidling with a a Saturday matinee performance at 2 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The Friday, April 18, performance will be ASL-interpreted.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;Tickets available one hour before show at the Leslie Phillips Box Office or by calling 413.552.2528 to reserve: $5 (HCC students, faculty, staff); $10 (general admission); $8 (seniors).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The play centers around two brothers, Austin and Lee, who reunite at their mother's house while she is away in Alaska. Austin is busily trying to write a screenplay but finds himself dragged into his brother's wheelings and dealings with Saul, Hollywood producer. Tensions soon boil over in the heat of the southern California summer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;First performed in 1980, the play had its most iconic production two years later at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago featuring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich, which later transferred to Broadway and was filmed for the television show &lt;i&gt;American Playhouse &lt;/i&gt;broadcast in 1984.&lt;/div&gt;" EventAdmission="$5 (HCC students, faculty, staff); $10 (general admission); $8 (seniors)." IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21185" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/true-west-matinee" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250321T18:46:10" CategoryIds="226" FileName="x21185.xml" Name="True West matinee" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/True-West-club-web.jpg" Title="True West Matinee" Abstract="The HCC Theater Department will present Sam Shepard's &quot;True West,&quot; directed by Tim Cochran, Saturday, April 19, at 2 p.m. in the Black Box Theater in the Fine &amp; Performing Arts Buidling." ThumbnailAltText="Actors rehearse for True West" EventLocation="Black Box Theater, Room 111, Fine &amp; Performing Arts Building" EventStartDate="2025-04-19" EventStartTime="14:00:00" IntroCopy="HCC Theater presents Sam Shepard classic" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;div&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/TRUE-WEST-STARE-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The HCC Theater Department will present &quot;True West,&quot; by Sam Shepard, directed by Tim Cochran, Wednesday, April 16, through Saturday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Black Box Theater, Room 111, in the Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Buidling with a a Saturday matinee performance at 2 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;Tickets available one hour before show at the Leslie Phillips Box Office or by calling 413.552.2528 to reserve: $5 (HCC students, faculty, staff); $10 (general admission); $8 (seniors).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The play centers around two brothers, Austin and Lee, who reunite at their mother's house while she is away in Alaska. Austin is busily trying to write a screenplay but finds himself dragged into his brother's wheelings and dealings with Saul, Hollywood producer. Tensions soon boil over in the heat of the southern California summer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;First performed in 1980, the play had its most iconic production two years later at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago featuring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich, which later transferred to Broadway and was filmed for the television show &lt;i&gt;American Playhouse &lt;/i&gt;broadcast in 1984.&lt;/div&gt;" EventAdmission="$5 (HCC students, faculty, staff); $10 (general admission); $8 (seniors)." IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21171" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/culinary-open-house-sp25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250314T17:03:34" CategoryIds="4|193|65|165" FileName="x21171.xml" Name="Culinary Open House SP25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202025/CAI-Open-House-web.jpg" Title="A Taste of HCC" Abstract="HCC will host an open house and free community tasting event on Wednesday, April 9, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute." ThumbnailAltText="Culinary arts students prepare a meal at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts institute." EventLocation="HCC MGM Cu" EventStartDate="2025-04-09" EventStartTime="16:00:00" IntroCopy="Open house and free tasting event" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="19:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202025/CAI-Open-House-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will host an open house and free community tasting event on Wednesday, April 9, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visitors will be able tour the state-of-the-art kitchens at the college&amp;rsquo;s culinary arts facility, sample dishes prepared by culinary arts students, faculty, learn about the college&amp;rsquo;s culinary arts certificate and associate degree programs, noncredit job training and personal enrichment classes, and play Food Bash Bingo for a chance to win prizes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We will have food in every kitchen, showcasing the work of out talented students and instructors,&amp;rdquo; said Stacy Graves, the culinary arts institute coordinator. &amp;ldquo;Various HCC programs and community partners will have informational tables in the dining room so the public can learn about their programs.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visitor will have the opportunity to talk to representatives from HCC programs including: Admissions, Marieb Adult Learner Success Center, HCC Foundation, Alumni Relations, Thrive Center and Food Pantry, El Centro, ALANA Men in Motion, and Jumpstart, as well as personnel from area community groups, including Tech Foundry/Tech Hub, United Way, Alzheimer&amp;rsquo;s Organization, and Holyoke Medical Center. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Culinary Arts Truck &amp;ndash; a.k.a. The CAT &amp;ndash; will also be parked outside the building for visitors to explore, and the HCC Culinary Arts Club will be selling homemade ice cream as a club fundraiser.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Staff from the HCC Admission&amp;rsquo;s office will also be on hand to discuss enrollment options, including MassEducate, the state program for free community college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2021, HCC placed 50&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;nbsp;among the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bestchoiceschools.com/rankings/culinary-schools/&quot;&gt;Best Culinary Schools in America&lt;/a&gt;, a list that also includes such esteemed schools as the Culinary Institute of America. HCC's culinary program ranked third in New England after Johnson &amp;amp; Wales in Providence, R.I. and Southern Maine Community College in Portland.&amp;nbsp;Best Choice Schools cited HCC for the quality of its one-year certificate and two-year associate of arts in science degree programs in culinary arts, as well as its 20,000 square-foot culinary arts facility, which opened in downtown Holyoke in 2018.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute is equipped with four modern kitchens, a bakery, hotel lab, and student-run dining room.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information about HCC&amp;rsquo;s Culinary Arts program, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/hospitality-and-culinary-arts&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/culinary&lt;/a&gt; or send an email to &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:CAI@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;CAI@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC culinary arts students prepare a meal at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="Free" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21161" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/jazz-festival-2025" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250314T16:31:04" CategoryIds="66|193|226" FileName="x21161.xml" Name="Jazz Festival 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202025/Earl-MacDonald-web.jpg" Title="HCC Jazz Festival" Abstract="Pianist Earl MacDonald joins the Amherst Jazz Orchestra and members of the HCC jazz faculty for the 26th annual HCC Jazz Festival, Friday, March 28, and Saturday, March 29. " ThumbnailAltText="Earl MacDonald" EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater, Fine &amp; Performing Arts Building" EventStartDate="2025-03-28" EventStartTime="20:00:00" EventEndDate="2025-03-29" IntroCopy="Guest artist Earl MacDonald &quot;a magical, musical alchemist of hip hybrids&quot;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202025/Earl-MacDonald-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The annual Holyoke Community College Jazz Festival returns for its 26&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; year on Friday, March 28, with pianist, composer and educator Earl MacDonald joining the Amherst Jazz Orchestra and members of the HCC jazz faculty for a big band concert.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Friday show begins at 8 p.m. in HCC&amp;rsquo;s Leslie Phillips Theater in the Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts building on the main HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The concert is free for HCC students, faculty and staff, and $10 for the general public.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Led by trombonist David Sporny, the Amherst Jazz Orchestra has been a mainstay of the HCC Jazz Festival since the first in 1998.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Saturday, March 29, starting at 10 a.m., MacDonald and members of the HCC Jazz Festival faculty will lead improvisation clinics, demonstrations, and jam sessions for area high school and college musicians.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Saturday events are free and open to the public.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I met Earl MacDonald at the Jazz in July program at UMass and worked with him there in the summertime,&amp;rdquo; said HCC jazz professor Bob Ferrier, the jazz festival organizer. &amp;ldquo;He's a great educator, great piano player, and on top of it, a great guy.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MacDonald, the former musical director and pianist for trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, is director of Jazz Studies at the University of Connecticut and teaches annually at the Jazz in July program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With seven albums released as a bandleader, MacDonald&amp;rsquo;s accolades include a 2022 Covenant Award from GMA Canada, the Connecticut Office of the Arts&amp;rsquo; 2020 Artistic Excellence Award, the Sammy Nestico Award for big band arranging, and two &amp;ldquo;jazz album of the year&amp;rdquo; JUNO Award nominations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Winnipeg, Canada, native earned degrees from McGill University and Rutgers, where he apprenticed with jazz master Kenny Barron.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He has been called &amp;ldquo;a magical, musical alchemist of hip hybrids&amp;rdquo; by the &lt;em&gt;Hartford Courant&lt;/em&gt; and &amp;ldquo;a major force in the world of jazz composition&amp;rdquo; by Dan Bilawsky on AllAboutJazz.com.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Amherst Jazz Orchestra, led by trombonist David Sporny, has been a mainstay of the HCC Jazz Festival since the first one in 1998.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please contact Bob Ferrier at 413-552-2480 or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:rferrier@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;rferrier@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or Mary Starzyk at 413-552-2485 or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mstarzyk@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mstarzyk@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To learn more about guest artist Earl MacDonald, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.earlmacdonald.com/&quot;&gt;earlmacdonald.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Earl MacDonald&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="$10 (general public); free for HCC students, faculty and staff" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21158" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/open-house-health-human-and-animal-services" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250306T14:06:22" CategoryIds="68|357" FileName="x21158.xml" Name="Open House - Health, Human, &amp; Animal Services" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-GRANT-NURSING-web.jpg" Title="Open House" Abstract="HCC will host an open house March 26 for anyone interested in exploring educational programs in healthcare, human services, and veterinary science." ThumbnailAltText="A nursing student at the HCC Center for Heath Education &amp; Simulation" EventLocation="Center for Health Education | 404 Jarvis Ave. Holyoke, MA" EventStartDate="2025-03-26" EventStartTime="16:00:00" IntroCopy="Explore heath education and careers at HCC" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="18:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/Afrike-Phakos-at-the-CHE-web.gif&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;A nursing student checks on a patient in a simulation room&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will host an open house at its Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation on Wednesday, March 26, for anyone interested in exploring educational programs and careers in healthcare, human services, and veterinary and animal science. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visitors to the Health Careers Open House are welcome to tour HCC&amp;rsquo;s state-of-the-art health education facility from 4 to 6 p.m. and talk to representatives from the college&amp;rsquo;s programs in nursing (RN and LPN), radiologic technology, veterinary and animal science, medical assisting, Foundations of Health (public health), CNA (certified nursing assistant), medical billing and coding, and human services. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event is free and open to the public.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The building, located at 404 Jarvis Ave., just off the main HCC campus, is home to the college&amp;rsquo;s nursing and radiologic technology programs, and medical simulation labs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There will also be representatives attending from the offices of financial aid, admissions, advising, and workforce development to talk to prospective students about their educational options and career pathways.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is a fantastic chance to dive into all of our health majors in one exciting event,&amp;rdquo; said nursing resource coordinator Dee Wescott. &amp;ldquo;We welcome everyone to explore our cutting-edge simulation labs, connect with our dedicated faculty and staff, and discover the exceptional student support services that set us apart.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you can&amp;rsquo;t make it in person, please contact Dee Westcott at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:dwestcott@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;dwestcott@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for more information.&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21156" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/women-who-lead-panel-sp25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250307T15:40:58" CategoryIds="577" FileName="x21156.xml" Name="Women Who Lead Panel SP25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202025/WHM25-web.jpg" Title="Women Who Lead" Abstract="Please join us for a Women’s History Month discussion, &quot;Women Who Lead: A Panel of Empowerment and Inspiration,&quot; Wednesday, March 12, at 11 a.m." ThumbnailAltText="Women's History Month graphic" EventLocation="Campus Center cafeteria" EventStartDate="2025-03-12" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="Women Who Lead: A Panel of Empowerment and Inspiration" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="12:15:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;Celebrate Women&amp;rsquo;s History Month with an inspiring panel featuring Holyoke Community College staffers Anne Morales Medina '13 (associate director of recruitment and enrollment), Chaitali Brahmbhatt (academic counselor, TRIO Support Services), and Amy Woody '09 (coordinator, Marieb Adult Learner Success Center). Hear their stories of leadership, empowerment, and overcoming challenges. Join us for an empowering conversation about the impact of women in leadership today. Light refreshments will be provided.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See more about Women's History Month events at HCC: &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/awareness-and-heritage/womens-history-month&quot;&gt;Women&amp;rsquo;s History Month at HCC&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21120" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/fresh-check-day" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250225T15:44:20" CategoryIds="4|70|165" FileName="x21120.xml" Name="Fresh Check Day" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/Spring-Fling-banner-MR.jpg" Title="Fresh Check Day" Abstract="Please join us in the Campus Center on Tuesday, March 11, for a special event promoting mental health and wellness. " ThumbnailAltText="happy students " EventLocation="Campus Center Cafeteria" EventStartDate="2025-03-11" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="A special event promoting mental health and wellness" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="14:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/Welcome-BBQ-24-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Happy HCC students&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is excited to announce that it will host Fresh Check Day on March 11, 2025 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Campus Center cafeteria.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This innovative program, developed by the Jordan Porco Foundation, is designed to bring together the entire campus community to &amp;ldquo;check in&amp;rdquo; on the mental health and wellness of college students. The event is free and open to all students, faculty, and staff.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Organized by the Office of Community Standards and Wellbeing, in partnership with various campus departments and student volunteers, Fresh Check Day at Holyoke Community College aims to create a supportive and engaging atmosphere. The event will transform the HCC cafeteria into a vibrant expo-like setting with interactive exhibits, food prizes, and giveaways.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;At Holyoke Community College, we recognize that mental health is just as important as physical health,&amp;rdquo; said Jessica Hill, director of Community Standards and Wellbeing. &amp;ldquo;Fresh Check Day is a vital opportunity for us to come together as a community to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and provide resources that support the well-being of our students. By prioritizing mental health, we empower our students to thrive both academically and personally, ensuring they have the tools to succeed beyond the classroom.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Highlights include: interactive exhibits and activities designed to educate and engage students on mental health topics such as stress management, anxiety, depression, and suicide prevention; community engagement opportunities where students can connect with their peers and to campus resources in a positive, community-focused environment; prizes and giveaways.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Jordan Porco Foundation is a 501 (c)3 nonprofit based in Wethersfield, Conn. It was founded in 2011 by Ernie and Marisa Porco after they lost their son, Jordan, to suicide when he was a freshman in college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The goal of Fresh Check Day is to create an approachable and hopeful environment for discussing mental health and supporting student wellness. The event features peer-to-peer activities, interactive booths, and various resources aimed at promoting mental health awareness and suicide prevention among college students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our students are facing a wide range of challenges, and it&amp;rsquo;s crucial that we create spaces where they feel safe, supported, and heard,&amp;rdquo; said Hill. &amp;ldquo;Fresh Check Day is more than just an event &amp;ndash; it&amp;rsquo;s a reminder that we are all part of a larger community of care. By continuing to focus on mental health awareness, we hope to foster an environment where every student feels empowered to seek help, build resilience, and know that they are never alone on their journey.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more details about Fresh Check Day at HCC, please&amp;nbsp; contact Jessica Hill at 413-552-2551 or jhill2@hcc.edu.&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21116" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/bhm-voices-of-solidarity" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250212T20:00:24" CategoryIds="609|453" FileName="x21116.xml" Name="BHM-Voices of Solidarity" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202025/BHM25.jpg" Title="&quot;Voices of Solidarity&quot;" Abstract="Join a Zoom conversation with scholar and activist Tiamba Wilkerson highlighting her work on Black union participation." EventLocation="El Centro CC248" EventStartDate="2025-02-18" EventStartTime="12:30:00" IntroCopy="Black History Month Event" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="13:45:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;Join a watch party Zoom conversation with scholar and activist Tiamba Wilkerson highlighting her work on Black union participation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tiamba M. Wilkerson is a Ph.D. student in Sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst focusing on the intersections of race and gender in the labor market, racial capitalism, neoliberal urban redevelopment and gentrification, as well as race and place in the South. Currently, her dissertation research examines the impact of neoliberal urban redevelopment on Black incumbent workers in Richmond, Virginia, and explores the broader effect of gentrification on Black Southern culture, politics, and historical memory. Her previous research highlighted the role of labor unions in Black worker political engagement, as well as the impact of automation and technology on the future of work. Prior to her doctoral studies, Tiamba worked as a community organizer in her hometown, and as a researcher for a national labor union. Her research and activism are informed by a deep commitment to social justice and the Black radical tradition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Zoom Link:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/j/96264358327&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/j/96264358327&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Meeting ID: 962 6435 8327&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21117" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/bhm-storytime-2-20-25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250212T19:48:55" CategoryIds="453" FileName="x21117.xml" Name="BHM-Storytime 2-20-25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202025/BHM25.jpg" Title="Storytime / Milk &amp; Cookies" Abstract="Join us in the Parent Learning Center for milk and cookies and a reading of “Black is a Rainbow Color” and rainbow-themed crafts and activities." EventLocation="Parent Learning Center, Frost 269" EventStartDate="2025-02-20" EventStartTime="12:30:00" IntroCopy="Join us in the Parent Learning Center for a reading of “Black is a Rainbow Color” and rainbow themed crafts and activities." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Join the celebration of Black History Month in the Parent Learning Center for a reading of &amp;ldquo;Black is a Rainbow Color&amp;rdquo; and rainbow-themed crafts and activities.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21121" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/bhm-storytime-2-26-25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250212T19:56:05" CategoryIds="4|193|165|453" FileName="x21121.xml" Name="BHM-Storytime 2-26-25" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202025/BHM25.jpg" Title="Storytime / Milk &amp; Cookies" Abstract="Join us in the Parent Learning Center for milk and cookies and a reading of “Sulwe&quot; by Lupita Nyong." EventLocation="Parent Learning Center, Frost 269" EventStartDate="2025-02-26" EventStartTime="14:00:00" IntroCopy="Black History Month Event" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Join the celebration of Black History Month in the Parent Learning Center for milk and cookies and a reading of &amp;ldquo;Sulwe&quot; by Lupita Nyong.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21119" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/harambee-celebration" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250212T20:06:20" CategoryIds="453" FileName="x21119.xml" Name="Harambee Celebration" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202025/BHM25.jpg" Title="Harambee Celebration" Abstract="Please join us in the HCC Campus Center on Wednesdsay, Feb. 26, for a Harambee Celebration in recognition of Black History Month. " EventLocation="Various" EventStartDate="2025-02-26" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="Celebrate Black History Month with HCC" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="12:15:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;Please join us for a Harambee Celebration at 11 a.m. in the HCC Campus Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Harambee is a Swahili word that means &quot;pull together&quot; or &quot;unite.&quot; It's a celebratory event that honors the contributions and achievements of Black people. HCC&amp;rsquo;s event will a feature food, music, as well as an open mic session. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21104" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/true-west-auditions" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250820T18:25:44" CategoryIds="4|165|226" FileName="x21104.xml" Name="True West Auditions" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/True-West-Auditions.jpg" Title="True West Auditions" Abstract="Auditions for Sam Shepard's &quot;True West,&quot; directed by theater professor Tim Cochran, will be held Feb. 5-6 from 2-5 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater. " ThumbnailAltText="True West Auditions poster" EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater" EventStartDate="2025-02-05" EventStartTime="14:00:00" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;div&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Auditions for the HCC Theater Department's Spring 2025 production of&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;i&gt;True West by &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Sam Shepard (directed by Tim Cochran) will be held &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Wednesday, Feb. 5, from 2-5 p.m. and&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Thursday Feb. 6, 2-5 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Auditions will consist of cold readings.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Auditioners do not need to prepare monologues.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Anyone is welcome to audition.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Callbacks if necessary will be held Friday, Feb. 7, 2-5 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;First performed&amp;nbsp;in 1980, the play had its most iconic&amp;nbsp;production 2 years later at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago featuring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich which later transferred&amp;nbsp;to Broadway and was filmed for the television&amp;nbsp;show&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;American Playhouse,&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;broadcast 1984.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The play centers around two brothers, Austin and Lee, who reunite at their mother's house while she is away in Alaska. Austin is busily trying to write a screenplay but finds himself dragged into his brother's wheelings and dealings with Saul, Hollywood producer. Tensions soon boil over in the heat of the southern California summer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Performance dates: April 16-19&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Audition form at this link:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fforms.gle%2fwgGrfEApQQ35ss2x6&amp;amp;c=E,1,M7KxqLTQnUAIAbv9c-BxSbDSMJr_HJahV1IrnP20axD7HI6YeWbITbOwbkmRr7N6n9o_pUrln8-SiNgBZVFckbdfeBxo-pVtAyHzhFXpLA,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fforms.gle%252fwgGrfEApQQ35ss2x6%26c%3DE,1,M7KxqLTQnUAIAbv9c-BxSbDSMJr_HJahV1IrnP20axD7HI6YeWbITbOwbkmRr7N6n9o_pUrln8-SiNgBZVFckbdfeBxo-pVtAyHzhFXpLA,,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1737737992668000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0ad9mTHDpc9clu44EdY_0y&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;https://forms.gle/&lt;wbr /&gt;wgGrfEApQQ35ss2x6&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;For more info, contact&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mwhiton@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;il&quot;&gt;mwhiton@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;or go to:&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://facebook.com/hcctheater&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://facebook.com/hcctheater&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1737737992668000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0QODtucwG6JVu9eJV4a_sj&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;facebook.com/hcctheater&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #888888;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;" EventAdmission="True West performances April 16-19" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21105" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/true-west-auditions-2" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250124T19:11:55" CategoryIds="4|193|165|226" FileName="x21105.xml" Name="True West Auditions 2" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/True-West-Auditions.jpg" Title="True West Auditions" Abstract="Auditions for Sam Shepard's &quot;True West,&quot; directed by theater professor Tim Cochran, will be held Feb. 5-6 from 2-5 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater. " ThumbnailAltText="True West Auditions poster" EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater" EventStartDate="2025-02-06" EventStartTime="14:00:00" IntroCopy="True West performance April 16-19" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;div&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Auditions for the HCC Theater Department's Spring 2025 production of&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;i&gt;True West by &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Sam Shepard (directed by Tim Cochran) will be held &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Wednesday, Feb. 5, from 2-5 p.m. and&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Thursday Feb. 6, 2-5 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Auditions will consist of cold readings.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Auditioners do not need to prepare monologues.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Anyone is welcome to audition.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Callbacks if necessary will be held Friday, Feb. 7, 2-5 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;First performed&amp;nbsp;in 1980, the play had its most iconic&amp;nbsp;production 2 years later at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago featuring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich which later transferred&amp;nbsp;to Broadway and was filmed for the television&amp;nbsp;show&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;American Playhouse,&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;broadcast 1984.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The play centers around two brothers, Austin and Lee, who reunite at their mother's house while she is away in Alaska. Austin is busily trying to write a screenplay but finds himself dragged into his brother's wheelings and dealings with Saul, Hollywood producer. Tensions soon boil over in the heat of the southern California summer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Performance dates: April 16-19&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Audition form at this link:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fforms.gle%2fwgGrfEApQQ35ss2x6&amp;amp;c=E,1,M7KxqLTQnUAIAbv9c-BxSbDSMJr_HJahV1IrnP20axD7HI6YeWbITbOwbkmRr7N6n9o_pUrln8-SiNgBZVFckbdfeBxo-pVtAyHzhFXpLA,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fforms.gle%252fwgGrfEApQQ35ss2x6%26c%3DE,1,M7KxqLTQnUAIAbv9c-BxSbDSMJr_HJahV1IrnP20axD7HI6YeWbITbOwbkmRr7N6n9o_pUrln8-SiNgBZVFckbdfeBxo-pVtAyHzhFXpLA,,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1737737992668000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0ad9mTHDpc9clu44EdY_0y&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;https://forms.gle/&lt;wbr /&gt;wgGrfEApQQ35ss2x6&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;For more info, contact&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mwhiton@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;il&quot;&gt;mwhiton@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;or go to:&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://facebook.com/hcctheater&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://facebook.com/hcctheater&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1737737992668000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0QODtucwG6JVu9eJV4a_sj&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;facebook.com/hcctheater&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #888888;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;" EventAdmission="True West performances April 16-19" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21100" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/absurd-appetites" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250122T15:49:30" CategoryIds="4|360|226" FileName="x21100.xml" Name="Absurd Appetites" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/Absurd-Appetites-Sheryl-WEb.jpg" Title="Absurd Appetites" Abstract="Absurd Appetites (Tables for Two), an exhibition by artist Sheryl Anaya, runs Jan. 21 through March 13, in the Taber Art Gallery.   " ThumbnailAltText="Artist Sheryl Anaya" EventLocation="Taber Art Gallery, HCC Library" EventStartDate="2025-01-21" EventStartTime="10:00:00" EventEndDate="2025-03-13" IntroCopy="Reception and artist talk Thursday, Jan. 23, 5 p.m." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/Absurd-Appetites-setting-table.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Artist Sheryl Anaya&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A woman spreads slices of salami on a baguette while taking a bath. Eggs on beds of bread lay nestled among blankets of Swiss cheese and lettuce. Pears wear aprons. Hot dog ends appear inside gelatin cakes. Men&amp;rsquo;s work shirts have been stitched into quilted table linens. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These pieces and more comprise the world of Texas artist Sheryl Anaya&amp;rsquo;s &amp;ldquo;Absurd Appetites (Tables for Two),&amp;rdquo; now on display in the Taber Art Gallery at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The exhibit opened Tuesday, Jan. 21, with the start of the spring semester at HCC and will continue through March 13. The gallery will host an opening reception Thursday, Jan. 23, from 5-7 p.m., with an artist&amp;rsquo;s talk at 6 p.m. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Absurd Appetites&amp;nbsp;distorts the norms of a typical dining experience,&amp;rdquo; Anaya says in her artist&amp;rsquo;s statement. &amp;ldquo;Considering the deconstruction and consumption of the body, absurd actions surprise and set the tone for the examination of our roles within gendered labor, sexuality, and domestic space. Humor tempers the seriousness of these topics to avoid confrontation at the dinner table.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Throughout the gallery there are tables set for two diners. Each includes a stack of sandwich bread inside which there are mini projectors that display videos on the walls.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The videos are all of me making sandwiches in various stages of undress, doing things you wouldn&amp;rsquo;t normally be doing in those settings,&amp;rdquo; said Anaya.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Absurd Appetites&amp;rdquo; continues a theme Anaya began with her master&amp;rsquo;s thesis exhibition that centered around the third century story of St. Agatha, the patron saint of bakers and breast cancer patients, and a Christian martyr who was imprisoned, tortured, and mutilated by a Roman governor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Sicilian pastry chefs created these cakes called St. Agatha&amp;rsquo;s breasts with icing and a cherry on top, as a way to honor her,&amp;rdquo; said Anaya. &amp;ldquo;I started thinking about the consumption of women&amp;rsquo;s bodies, metaphorically and literally.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;My original piece was a 20-by-8-foot table, she said. &amp;ldquo;Absurd Appetites turns that into a more intimate experience, and really leans into the absurdity of some of the food items.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anaya is a queer Puerto Rican artist and educator based in Fort Worth, Texas. She received a master of fine arts in studio art with an emphasis in sculpture from Texas Christian University in 2023 and received her bachelor of fine arts from Texas Woman&amp;rsquo;s University in 2013. Her work examines identity and empathy through the universality of the human experience, intimate relationships, and nostalgia, whether humorous or gut-wrenching.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery, located of the lobby off the HCC Library on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during regular school sessions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Artist Sheryl Anaya sets one of the tables for her Taber Art Gallery exhibition, &quot;Absurd Appetites,&quot; now through March 13.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21159" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/jazz-night-sp25" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250312T18:44:18" CategoryIds="226" FileName="x21159.xml" Name="Jazz Night SP25" Thumbnail="/media/documents/About/Events/AllthatJazz.jpg" Title="Jazz Night" Abstract="HCC music students, faculty, and alumni will present an evening of jazz March 13 at Theodore's Blue's, Booze, and BBQ." EventLocation="Theodore's | 201 Worthington St. Springfield" EventStartDate="2025-03-13" EventStartTime="18:00:00" IntroCopy="Music students, faculty, and alumni will present an evening of jazz performances" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="22:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;Music students, faculty, and alumni will present an evening of jazz performances on Thursday, March 13, from 6 -10 PM at &lt;a href=&quot;https://theodoresbbq.com/&quot;&gt;Theodore's Blue's, Booze, and BBQ&lt;/a&gt; (201 Worthington St. Springfield.) Come for a quick drink, or stay the whole night! Free and open to all - cost to order from the menu.&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE | Cost for Food and Drinks" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21187" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/casino-prom" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250401T12:13:18" CategoryIds="68|451" FileName="x21187.xml" Name="Casino Prom" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202025/CasinoProm.jpg" Title="Casino Prom" Abstract="Join us for an unforgettable night at the Casino Prom – an immersive headphone dance experience! Dance the night away to your favorite beats, try your luck at blackjack or UNO, win exciting prizes, capture memories with fun photo opportunities, and so much more. Don't miss out on the ultimate night of entertainment!" ThumbnailAltText="Taber Art Gallery" EventLocation="Campus Center Cafeteria" EventStartDate="2025-04-11" EventStartTime="19:00:00" IntroCopy="Casino Prom – an immersive headphone dance experience!" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="22:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;div&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202025/CasinoProm.jpg&quot; width=&quot;700&quot; height=&quot;416&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&quot;Join us for an unforgettable night at the Casino Prom &amp;ndash; an immersive headphone dance experience! Dance the night away to your favorite beats, try your luck at blackjack or UNO, win exciting prizes, capture memories with fun photo opportunities, and so much more. Don't miss out on the ultimate night of entertainment!&quot;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;i&gt;$10 students &amp;amp; $15 guests (1 guest allowed per student). Purchase your tickets in Student Engagement, CC 227, cash only. *prices go up to $20 each at the door*&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;" EventAdmission="$10 students &amp; $15 guests ($20 at the door)" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21249" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/gateway-graduation-2025" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250602T14:37:54" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x21249.xml" Name="Gateway Graduation 2025" Thumbnail="/images/Gateway.jpg" Title="Gateway Graduation" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is hosting a graduation for our Gateway Student's!" EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater" EventStartDate="2025-06-06" EventStartTime="14:00:00" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Gateway.jpg&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;Holyoke Community College is hosting the graduation for our Gateway Student's!&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x20861" URL="x20861.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20240819T13:46:32" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20861.xml" Name="Fall 2024" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x21041" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/winter-session" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241217T13:55:14" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x21041.xml" Name="Winter Session" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Winter%202025/Winter%20Session%202025.jpg" Title="Winter Session 2025" Abstract="Winter Session Registration" EventStartDate="2025-01-06" EventEndDate="2025-01-17" IntroCopy="Register before Dec. 28" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;ready to...&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Save money?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Cross prerequisites&amp;nbsp;pre-req's&amp;nbsp;off your list?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Earn three transferable credits in 10 days?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hey college students! Complete a prerequisite or lighten your spring courseload with Wintersession, a 10-day intensive session for students who want to earn college credit during the January break.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(When we say &quot;intensive,&quot; we mean it! You will complete the same amount of college work in 10 days as is normally completed in a 14-week semester.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/wintersession#register&quot;&gt;Ready to get started?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Classes &amp;amp; Registration&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classes are offered blended face-to-face and online. Most take ten days to complete, but several can be completed in just five days. The deadline for registering for classes is&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dec. 28&lt;/strong&gt;, and classes begin December 29.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/hccregistrationbulletin/home/wintersession-spring-2025-course-offerings&quot; title=&quot;Wintersession 2024k classes&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;To view our Wintersession offerings ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21019" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/marieb-center-grand-opening" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241211T14:34:53" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x21019.xml" Name="Marieb Center Grand Opening" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202024/Marieb-Parent-Center-web.jpg" Title="Grand Opening" Abstract="HCC will hold a grand opening celebration for the Marieb Adult Learner Success Center and Parent Learning Center Dec. 11." ThumbnailAltText="Marieb Parent Learning Center" EventLocation="Marieb Center, FR 264 and FR 269" EventStartDate="2024-12-11" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="Ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m. " ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="13:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202024/Marieb-Parent-Center-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will celebrate the grand opening of its Marieb Adult Learner Success Center, a new support program for adult learners and student-parents, on Wednesday, Dec. 11, beginning at 11 a.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The celebration, which will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, will be held on the second floor of the Frost Building on the main HCC campus, between the Marieb Adult Learner Success Center (FR 264) and its companion resource room, the Parent Learning Center (FR 269).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We are a space dedicated to our adult learner and student-parent community,&amp;rdquo; said Anne Medina, HCC associate director of enrollment and recruitment, &amp;ldquo;where students who are 24 or older, or any student-parent, can receive admissions counseling, holistic advising, and career counseling, or attend workshops. It&amp;rsquo;s also a space where student-parents can bring their children and study without feeling like they are being a distraction.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Marieb Adult Learner Success Center and the Parent Learning Center are funded through a $1 million gift from the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Foundation, which was established by the late professor emerita and HCC alum Elaine Marieb, a long-time member of the biology faculty who went on to become a best-selling author of anatomy and physiology textbooks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;In her generosity and love of lifelong learning, she earmarked this money for the adult learner and student-parent community,&amp;rdquo; said Medina. &amp;ldquo;She herself was an adult learner and understood the unique challenges adult learners face as older students. She firmly believed that they needed dedicated programs and spaces on campus to be successful in their studies.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Marieb Adult Learner Success Center is a small lounge and study area with adjoining staff offices. The nearby Parent Learning Center is a much larger space that contains a special desk with an attached and secure play or napping area for small children, a pack and play, changing station, large screen TV, conference table, art easel and learning corner with children&amp;rsquo;s books and toys.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The Parent Learning Center is a workspace where students can bring their laptops, sit and work on group projects, or just kick back and relax for a while, where they can have their kids with them and feel safe and welcome,&amp;rdquo; said Medina.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also, sometime in 2025, the college&amp;rsquo;s Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center will relocate to a new and larger space on the second floor of the Frost Building, close to the Marieb Adult Learner Success Center and Parent Learning Center. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re going to hear a lot more little ones roaming our hallways,&amp;rdquo; said Medina. &amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s certainly going to bring life to this hallway.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tomorrow&amp;rsquo;s event will begin at 11 a.m., with short remarks from Medina, about the center and its origins, Sharale Mathis, vice president of academic and student affairs, and President George Timmons, followed by the ribbon-cutting at 11:30 a.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Light refreshments will also be provided.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Amy Woody, left, Marieb Adult Learner Success Center coordinator; Anne Medina, associate director of enrollment and recruitment, back; and Danielle Clough, academic counselor, in the new Parent Learning Center&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21009" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/fa24-graduate-reception" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241202T17:11:43" CategoryIds="4|165|673" FileName="x21009.xml" Name="FA24 Graduate Reception" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202024/THIS-FALL-GRADS-PROMO-24web.jpg" Title="Fall Grads Reception" Abstract="HCC will host its second annual recognition event for fall graduates on Monday, Dec. 2, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.in the Leslie Phillips Theater. " ThumbnailAltText="Fall 2023 Graduate Reception" EventLocation="Leslie Phillps Theater" EventStartDate="2024-12-02" EventStartTime="17:30:00" IntroCopy="Watch our live coverage" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="19:30:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;HCC will host its second annual Fall Graduate Reception Monday, Dec. 2, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The ceremony will begin in the Leslie Phillips Theater and continue over appetizers and activities in the Campus Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tentative Event Schedule:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;5:00&amp;ndash;5:30 p.m. Check In&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;5:35-5:40 p.m. Welcoming Remarks from Registrar Allison Wrobel&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;5:40&amp;ndash;5:50 p.m. Greeting from President George Timmons&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;5:50&amp;ndash;6:05 p.m. Student Speakers: Hilario Peralta, ALANA Ambassador, El Centro student; Alexandria Casavant, Student Senate Secretary&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;6:05-6:15p.m.: Alumni Speaker: Trudy Monson &amp;rsquo;97, Alumni Council President&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Reception to Immediately Follow in Campus Center&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Zoom&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/j/92975532953&amp;amp;sa=D&amp;amp;source=calendar&amp;amp;ust=1733581439236365&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1SLnW2yb_SzvxEo2t3xX90&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://hcc-edu.zoom.us/j/92975532953%26sa%3DD%26source%3Dcalendar%26ust%3D1733581439236365%26usg%3DAOvVaw1SLnW2yb_SzvxEo2t3xX90&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1733236349276000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw3OwYizp1mhDw1Zn-lsLm8M&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/j/&lt;wbr /&gt;92975532953&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="None" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20993" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/polaroid-stories" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241118T15:32:13" CategoryIds="193|226" FileName="x20993.xml" Name="Polaroid Stories" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/Polaroid-Fence-Group-web.jpg" Title="Polaroid Stories" Abstract="The HCC Theater Department will present its fall 2024 production, Polaroid Stories, by Naomi Iizuka, Nov. 21-23, in the Leslie Phillips Theater." ThumbnailAltText="Polaroid Stories publicity photo" EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater, Fine &amp; Performing Arts Building" EventStartDate="2024-11-21" EventStartTime="19:30:00" EventEndDate="2024-11-23" IntroCopy="Play an adaptation of Ovid's Metamorphoses" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/Polaroid-TWO-Back-to-back-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Polaroid Storie rehearsal shot&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Theater Department will present its fall 2024 production, &lt;em&gt;Polaroid Stories, &lt;/em&gt;by Naomi Iizuka, Nov. 21-23, with guest director Rose Schwietz Malla.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The show will be performed each day at 7:30 p.m. with an additional matinee on Sat., Nov. 23, at 2 p.m. All performances will be in the Leslie Phillips Theater on the second floor of HCC&amp;rsquo;s Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Building. The Friday, Nov. 22, show will be ASL-interpreted.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tickets available one hour before show at the Leslie Phillips Box Office or by calling 413.552.2528 to reserve: $5 (HCC students, faculty, staff); $10 (general admission); $8 (seniors).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This show is appropriate for audience members 13 years of age and older.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contains: Strong language, references to prostitution and sexual violence, staged violence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Plot: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The dangerous world of ancient Greek mythology meets the rough lives of youth living on the streets, where every moment is swimming with drugs and bumping with rave music. &lt;em&gt;Polaroid Stories&lt;/em&gt; takes the hopes and drives of young runaways, addicts, and prostitutes, intertwines them with such mythological figures as Zeus and Persephone, and elevates them to a new light. Despite their harsh conditions, characters like Echo and Narcissus, Orpheus and Eurydice, and even the raucous Dionysus carve their own paths in a world that seems fated against them. Pulsating with an ethereal, nostalgic, and rave-worthy soundscape, this play and its rough edges subverts our expectations, douses us in poetic, curse-filled language, and breaks and remakes our hearts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Originally commissioned by En Garde Arts,&lt;em&gt; Polaroid Stories&lt;/em&gt; had its world premiere at the Humana Festival of New Plays in 1997. The play is an adaptation of Ovid&amp;rsquo;s &lt;em&gt;Metamorphoses&lt;/em&gt;, incorporating source material from interviews with Minneapolis street kids. Playwright Naomi Iizuka is a distinguished professor of playwriting and head of graduate playwriting at Univeristy of California San Diego.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This show is appropriate for audience members 13 years of age and older.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contains: Strong language, references to prostitution and sexual violence, staged violence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;The run time is approximately two hours with one intermission &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Cast:&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;D (Dionysus): Manuel Morales* &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eurydice: Arianna Davila&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Persephone / Semele: Rae Roqu&amp;eacute;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Orpheus: Zachary Ciano &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Philomel:&amp;nbsp;Tatianna Green &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SKINHEADgirl: Alison Smythe&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Echo: Nicole Anderson&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Narcissus:&amp;nbsp;Eliezer Baez &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SKINHEADboy:&amp;nbsp;Benjamin Richards&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;G (a.k.a. Zeus, Hades): Brandon Rodriguez&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Young Eurydice: Maryliz Maldonado&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Production Staff:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Director: &amp;nbsp;Rose Schwietz Malla&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Technical Director: Stephen Bailey* (HCC Staff)&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Designer / Production Manager:&amp;nbsp;Matthew Whiton (HCC Faculty)&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Admin. Asst., Box Office Manager, Program Designer: Mary Starzyk (HCC Staff)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sound Designer: Isabel Teixiera &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Video Production: Makayla Nelson&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stage Manager: Benji Marconi &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Assistant Stage Manager: Zack Clapp&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Light Board Operator: Levi Edwards&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sound Board Operator: Aolanis Figueroa Pinto&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Run Crew / Video Operator: Gabriel Reyes&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Run Crew: Shaina O&amp;rsquo;Malley&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* Denotes HCC Alum&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="$5 (HCC students, faculty, staff); $10 (general admission); $8 (seniors)" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20991" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/empty-bowls-2024" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241125T14:28:55" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165|226" FileName="x20991.xml" Name="Empty Bowls 2024" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/Bowls-Throwdown-1-web.jpg" Title="Empty Bowls 2024" Abstract="Purchase a handmade ceramic bowl and fill it with homemade soup as HCC's Empty Bowls benefit returns on Dec. 11. " ThumbnailAltText="Empty Bowls 2024" EventLocation="FPA 325" EventStartDate="2024-12-11" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="Event proceeds will benefit the new JoAnne's Helping Hands Scholarship Fund" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="15:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/xBowls-Throwdown-2-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Special Fundraiser Presented by the Visual Art Department and Visual Art Club with support from Pots On Wheels! (POW!)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Join us for a meaningful celebration of art, community, and giving on &lt;strong&gt;Wednesday,&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Dec. 11, 2024&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Time: 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Location: Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Building, 3rd Floor, FPA 325&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Ticket Price: $10 (cash only)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the Event&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Our HCC community, including faculty, students, alumni, and volunteers, has handcrafted unique ceramic bowls. Our goal is to create 200 bowls by December 11. Your $10 ticket allows you to:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Select your own one-of-a-kind ceramic bowl&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Enjoy delicious homemade soups and stews prepared by faculty, staff, volunteers, and Aramark&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Supporting JoAnne's Legacy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;This year's proceeds will benefit the&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;JoAnne's Helping Hands Scholarship Fund&lt;/strong&gt;, established in memory of beloved HCC alumna and retiree, &lt;strong&gt;JoAnne Wrobel '02&lt;/strong&gt;. JoAnne's dedication to service and her instrumental role in alleviating food insecurity for HCC students with the &amp;ldquo;grab-n-go&amp;rdquo; cart (what became the Thrive Center Food Pantry) touched countless lives in our community. This scholarship will support students who embody her spirit of selfless giving and community service.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to Purchase Tickets&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tickets are available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., from:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mary Starzyk&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Social Sciences, Arts &amp;amp; Humanities&lt;br /&gt;FPA 210&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mstarzyk@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mstarzyk@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Allison Wrobel&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Student Records&lt;br /&gt;Frost 223&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:awrobel@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;awrobel@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Yaritza Barta&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Scholarship Resource Center&lt;br /&gt;Donahue 158&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:ybarta@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;ybarta@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Also available from:&amp;nbsp;Professors Caivano or Rothermich&amp;nbsp;(FPA, 3rd Floor)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;QUESTIONS?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Email Professor Caivano at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:fcaivano@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;fcaivano@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="$10, includes choice of bowl and soup" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20992" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/career-fair-2024" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241113T15:23:33" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x20992.xml" Name="Career Fair 2024" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202024/careerFair.jpeg" Title="Career Fair" Abstract="Join Baystate Health and other employers on Nov. 13 for a day of networking, job opportunities, and career exploration." EventLocation="Campus Center Cafeteria" EventStartDate="2024-11-13" EventStartTime="11:00:00" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="13:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Join Baystate, UMass Chan Medical School, Springfield HHS, along with many other employers, for a day of networking, job opportunities, and career exploration.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20989" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/taber-thrive" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241101T12:24:07" CategoryIds="4|193|360|226" FileName="x20989.xml" Name="Taber Thrive" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202024/Taber-Thrive-Rachel-Ben-web.jpg" Title="Thrive: Beyond Surviving" Abstract="A collaboration with the Thrive Center, the new exhibit at the Taber Art Gallery opened Oct. 31 and runs through Dec. 20." ThumbnailAltText="Thrive Center coordinator Ben Ostiguy and Taber Art Gallery director Rachel Rushing unwrap artwork for a new exhibit. " EventLocation="Taber Art Gallery, off the HCC Library lobby" EventStartDate="2024-10-31" EventStartTime="10:00:00" EventEndDate="2024-12-20" IntroCopy="Exhibit collaboration between gallery and Thrive Center" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202024/Taber-Thrive-Rachel-Ben-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Ben Ostiguy and Rachel Rushing&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Artists from as far away as Florida and Ukraine answered the call for submissions for the latest exhibition at the Taber Art Gallery at Holyoke Community College &amp;ndash; &amp;ldquo;Thrive: Beyond Surviving.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The show, which opened today, Oct. 31, and runs through Dec. 20, is a collaboration between the Taber Art Gallery and the Thrive Center, which operates &lt;span&gt;the college&amp;rsquo;s food pantry and provides other student support services focused on basic needs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The show includes about 60 submissions from artists in the Pioneer Valley, across the United States, and around the world.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Gallery director Rachel Rushing said the theme sprang from conversations she had with Ben Ostiguy, the Thrive Center special programs director. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Thrive supports HCC students struggling to meet basic needs by focusing primarily on three areas: housing, hunger, and healthcare,&amp;rdquo; said Rushing. &amp;ldquo;One of the Taber gallery's values is collaboration. Working with Thrive is a great way to amplify their program while featuring work from artists who have concerns in these same areas.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Through an open call for submissions, artists were encouraged to enter work that considers the systemic, communal, or individual obstacles and barriers to survival, what surviving means, how we as humans can continue to dream, push, and hope for more than the minimum, and the struggle of exhaustion versus the ability to rest.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;ldquo;I was impressed by the diversity of media,&amp;rdquo; said Ostiguy. &amp;ldquo;Some of the pieces were surprising to me. One is a card catalog, with video inside the drawers. There&amp;rsquo;s some traditional painting, and a lot of photography. The whole idea of Thrive, and overcoming struggle, there&amp;rsquo;s a certain vocabulary that we use. But when you bridge that up with the visual arts, it can be nonverbal and in interpreted in many ways.&amp;rdquo; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;For example, Zac Benson, an artist from Anderson, South Carolina, sent in a life preserver made with fabric salvaged from pews of an old church that was being renovated as a safe haven for the town. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;ldquo;The life jacket, the life preserver, I won&amp;rsquo;t say it&amp;rsquo;s a universal item, but it&amp;rsquo;s pretty commonly understood across cultures,&amp;rdquo; said Ostiguy.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Artists in the exhibition include: Hannah Eve Osinoff, Jules Jones, Jeanne Ciravolo, &amp;Ccedil;ağrı Saray, Steven Labadessa, Katerie Gladdys, Michiel Teeuw, Sava Harris, Nishchay Thakur, Maria Golosnaya, Lauren Packard, Sumin Kim, Delnara El, Yan Paul Dubbelman, Katrina Slavik, Diren Demir, Eva Pushkova, Joan Green, Sergey Melnitchenko, Polina Shumacher, Oksana Kami, Nick Gladkiy, Jose Trejo Maya, Yurii Naumovych, Oleksandra Mykhailova, Anastasiia Dekhtiaruk, Hemant Rao, Adam Burton, Sarah Hussein, Conrad Valone, Rhi Stanton, Ilya Fedotov-Fedorov, Tara Austin, Seth Guy, Wayne Friedrich, Peyton Sachs, Iris M. Kirkwood, Kira Somerset, Julia Śmiarowska, Mathijs Hunfeld, Aileen Bassis, Beth Krensky, Anna Kavehmehr, Jordan Holms, Jason Thomas Haynes, Alexa Wright, Mols Slom, Shannon Farley, Megan Du, Heimir Bjorgulfsson, Shabnam Piryaei, Camila Bernardo, Ziyao Lin, Wendell Smith, Zac Benson, Chandler Cheng, Frederick Ingoldby, Jinson Joseph, Lisa DeLoria Weinblatt, Frank Magnotta.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery, located of the lobby of the HCC Library on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during regular school sessions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;" EventAdmission="Free" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20946" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/trunk-or-treat-2024" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251006T16:14:05" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165" FileName="x20946.xml" Name="Trunk or Treat 2024" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202024/HCC-Trunk-or-Treat-23-web.jpg" Title="Trunk or Treat" Abstract="HCC will celebrate the season with its annual pre-Halloween Trunk or Treat event on Friday, Oct. 25, from 5-7 p.m." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Trunk or Treat event 2023" EventLocation="Parking Lot M, Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreateion, Holyoke Community College" EventStartDate="2024-10-25" EventStartTime="17:00:00" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="19:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202024/HCC-Trunk-or-Treat-Monster-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Monster House display at Trunk or Treat 2023&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visitors to Holyoke Community College can expect to see the usual ghosts, witches, and ghouls, along with an assortment of characters from their favorite children's movies, games, and TV shows as the college celebrates Halloween with its annual Trunk or Treat event. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dozens of HCC departments, programs, and student clubs, as well as community groups and area businesses decorate vehicles every year for this event.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trunk&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;Treat&amp;nbsp;runs from 5 to 7 p.m. in Parking Lot M by the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation on the main HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the past, trunk sponsors from HCC have included the Education Dept., Student Engagement, Veterinary and Animal Science, Dance Club, ASL Club, Japanese Anime Club, C.A.M.O. Club, Radiologic Technology, El Centro, Student Records, Early Childhood Grants Initiative, Culinary Club, Business Dept., President's Cabinet, Disney Club, Nursing Dept., Student Senate, STEM Club, Latinx Empowerment Association, Psychology Club, Radio Club, Animation Club, and Dungeons &amp;amp; Dragons Club.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From the community: Dean Technical High School Hawks, Holyoke Police Dept., Berkshire Hathaway, Valley Opportunity Council, YWCA, Mass. Dept. for Children and Families Holyoke, Positive Regard Network/Center School, NexGen Roofing, Elms College: The Teachers' Lounge, Holyoke Credit Union, Y Kids Learning Center, Girls Inc. of the Valley, and Holyoke Public Schools-Early Childhood program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trunk&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;Treat&amp;nbsp;at HCC started in 2017 as a safe, fun, and early alternative to traditional trick-or-treating&amp;nbsp;on Halloween night. Rather than going door to door seeking Halloween&amp;nbsp;treats, children go &quot;trunk&amp;nbsp;to&amp;nbsp;trunk&quot; to collect their candy, visiting cars decorated with seasonal themes and familiar stories and characters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event is free and open to the public and will be held outdoors, rain&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;shine. Children must be accompanied by an adult.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To sponsor a vehicle, please contact organizers Lindsey Pare at lpare@hcc.edu. The deadline to sign up is Monday, Oct. 21.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Trunk or Treat 2023&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="Free" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20945" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/phillips-festival-2024" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240920T15:12:31" CategoryIds="66|193|65|165|226" FileName="x20945.xml" Name="Phillips Festival 2024" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/HCC-theater-festival-web-47.jpg" Title="Phillips Festival 2024" Abstract="Join us Sept. 28 for an evening of short plays written, directed, and staged in 24 hours by HCC alumni, students, staff, and friends. " ThumbnailAltText="Actors perform an original play during the 2022 Leslie Phillips 24-hour theater festival. " EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater, Fine &amp; Performing Arts Building" EventStartDate="2024-09-28" EventStartTime="19:30:00" IntroCopy="Phillips Festival returns for 7th year" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/HCC-theater-festival-web-47.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Phillips festival photo from 2022 show&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The annual Phillips Festival, an evening of short plays written, directed, and staged in 24 hours by Holyoke Community College alumni, students, staff, and friends, returns on Saturday, Sept. 28, for its seventh year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The festival raises money for the Leslie Phillips Theater Fund for Arts and Education, honoring the legacy of Leslie Phillips, founder of the HCC theater program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;To produce the Leslie Phillips Festival, HCC alumni, students and staff register to participate as writers, directors, actors, or members of the stage crew. This year, writers will meet with the actors on Friday, Sept. 27, the night before the show, to receive props, prompts, and character assignments. They have until 6 a.m. the next morning to write their plays. Two hours later, actors and directors meet for day-long rehearsals.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;All the original plays will be performed that evening, Sept. 28, starting at 7:30 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Funds raised from the festival enable the HCC Theater Department to hold master classes, make capital improvements, and hire guest artists.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;The Phillips Theater Festival is a beautiful way for our theater alumni to stay connected to HCC while expressing their creativity and supporting generations of future students who will benefit from these programs,&amp;rdquo; said Elizabeth Ollson, manager of alumni relations.&amp;nbsp;&amp;ldquo;I especially love how the festival creates space for local theater enthusiasts to participate and share their talents with the HCC community.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Phillips Fund is administered by the HCC Foundation. This year&amp;rsquo;s festival is also supported by a $2,500 grant from the Mass Cultural Council.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The festival was first organized in 2016 by HCC alumni working with HCC&amp;nbsp;theater&amp;nbsp;professor Pat Sandoval '84 as a tribute to&amp;nbsp;Phillips, who died in 1988 after inspiring legions of HCC students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;To participate in the festival, please register at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:hccaplayers@gmail.com&quot;&gt;hccaplayers@gmail.com&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Festival tickets can be purchased in advance at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://my.cheddarup.com/c/phillips-fest-performance-tickets-temp-88340/items?cart&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://my.cheddarup.com/c/phillips-fest-performance-tickets-temp-88340/items?cart&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1726931112747000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1XAsvmgXzF_N70t1qQ1YLg&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/phillips-2024&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or at the door.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;General admission tickets are $15 and $10 for students (14 and up) and seniors (65 and up). Tickets are $5 for HCC students who bring their HCC ID.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;All proceeds benefit the Leslie Phillips Theater Fund for Arts and Education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Actors perform an original play during the 2022 Leslie Phillips 24-hour theater festival at HCC.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="$15 (general admission), $5 (students and seniors)" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20920" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/thrive-celebration" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240909T16:43:16" CategoryIds="4|193|641" FileName="x20920.xml" Name="Thrive Celebration" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/Thrive-install-web.jpg" Title="Celebrating Thrive" Abstract="HCC will celebrate the grand reopening of the Thrive Center and Food Pantry in their new (and much larger) quarters on the second floor of the Kittredge Center, Sept. 10, at 3 p.m." ThumbnailAltText="David Richardson, from Spotlight Graphics, installs a sign in the new HCC food pantry." EventLocation="Thrive Center and Food Pantry, KC 201" EventStartDate="2024-09-10" EventStartTime="15:00:00" IntroCopy="Ribbon-cutting ceremony to follow remarks" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/Thrive-install-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College will celebrate the relocation and expansion of its Thrive Center and Food Pantry with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 10.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The event will begin at 3 p.m. in the Thrive Center&amp;rsquo;s new space on the second floor of the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development on the main HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The mission of the Thrive Center (formerly known as the Thrive Student Resource Center) is to help students address nonacademic issues that could interfere with their studies, such as food and housing insecurity. Thrive works with students struggling to find&amp;nbsp; affordable health insurance, transportation, and childcare, and can help them manage their budgets and resolve credit and legal entanglements.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The center also manages the HCC Food Pantry, which is right next door to the Thrive Center&amp;rsquo;s new office, in a dedicated space more than four times larger than the size of the old food pantry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;What I always tell folks is that our first impression is our first intervention, so the first impression we make with students is pretty critical,&amp;rdquo; said Ben Ostiguy, coordinator of the Thrive Center and Food Pantry. &amp;ldquo;I think having a fresh space with updated equipment and designs sends the right message to the students. It shows that the campus cares, that this is a priority and that we are prepared to help them in meaningful ways.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;In advance of the ribbon-cutting ceremony, there will be a brief speaking program with Ostiguy, President George Timmons, and Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement, and executive director of the HCC Foundation, which manages a donors fund for the benefit of Thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;The Thrive Center and Food Pantry exist at HCC because of the generosity of our community, and for that we are incredibly grateful,&amp;rdquo; Sbriscia said. &amp;ldquo;This is a program &amp;nbsp;that quite literally keeps students on a path to achieving their dreams of a college education, and now it's larger and more accessible &amp;ndash; located just down the hallway from our Campus Center, the hub of student activity.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Light refreshments will be served following the ribbon-cutting, which is expected to be attended by several members of the HCC Foundation&amp;rsquo;s board of directors, including Gary Rome, owner of Gary Rome Hyundai, who recently donated $5,000 to HCC for the benefit of Thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;With recent increases in enrollment, it&amp;rsquo;s great to have our space increasing on par with that,&amp;rdquo; said Ostiguy. &amp;ldquo;Now we&amp;rsquo;re going to have a greater capacity to serve, and more space to store resources to share with students.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20912" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/theater-auditions-fa24" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240904T19:27:05" CategoryIds="4|193|165|226" FileName="x20912.xml" Name="Theater Auditions FA24" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/PolaroidAuditionPosterFinal2-web.jpg" Title="Theater Auditions" Abstract="The HCC Theater department will hold auditions for its Fall 2024 play, Polaroid Stories, Wednesday, Sept. 11, from 3-6 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 12, 2-5 p.m. " ThumbnailAltText="Polaroid Stories image" EventLocation="Leslie Philips Theater" EventStartDate="2024-09-11" EventStartTime="15:00:00" IntroCopy="The production, directed by Rose Schwietz Malla, will be performed Nov. 20-23." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="18:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;The HCC Theater department will hold auditions for its Fall 2024 play,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Polaroid Stories, by Naomi Iizuka, on&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; Wednesday, Sept. 11, from 3-6 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 12, 2-5 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater. The production, directed by Rose Schwietz Malla, will be performed Nov. 20-23.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Auditioners do not need to prepare monologues. Anyone is welcome to audition. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Callbacks, if necessary, will be Friday, Sept. 13, at 3 p.m. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Email &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mwhiton@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;il&quot;&gt;mwhiton@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; for more info. The audition form is available at: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fforms.gle%2fDmwjAV2DC6NdaUFm7&amp;amp;c=E,1,0hKCwv6b3QBDA-n8sMZypheoGeHDSOM1sgFeGYwP9zft463dUu2NZLVpGDt646MXAsTDDJ2cxj7mbi5PpqQ595pIa7i9p80whtw1uiyiY7yXngCf0vnQkK2AQ5U,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fforms.gle%252fDmwjAV2DC6NdaUFm7%26c%3DE,1,0hKCwv6b3QBDA-n8sMZypheoGeHDSOM1sgFeGYwP9zft463dUu2NZLVpGDt646MXAsTDDJ2cxj7mbi5PpqQ595pIa7i9p80whtw1uiyiY7yXngCf0vnQkK2AQ5U,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1725467788714000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1A3HKbaqJiFkDnIfH7ML7a&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;https://forms.gle/&lt;wbr /&gt;DmwjAV2DC6NdaUFm7&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Originally commissioned by En Garde Arts,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Polaroid Stories&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; had its world premier at the Humana Festival of New Plays in 1997. The play is an adaptation of Ovid&amp;rsquo;s Metamorphoses, incorporating source material from interviews with Minneapolis street kids. Playwright Naomi Iizuka is a Distinguished Professor of Playwriting and Head of Graduate Playwriting at University of California&amp;nbsp; San Diego.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20914" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/theater-auditions-fa24-2" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240904T19:18:31" CategoryIds="4|193|165|226" FileName="x20914.xml" Name="Theater Auditions FA24-2" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/PolaroidAuditionPosterFinal2-web.jpg" Title="Theater Auditions" Abstract="The HCC Theater department will hold auditions for its Fall 2024 play, Polaroid Stories, Wednesday, Sept. 11, from 3-6 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 12, 2-5 p.m. " ThumbnailAltText="Polaroid Stories image" EventLocation="Leslie Philips Theater" EventStartDate="2024-09-12" EventStartTime="14:00:00" IntroCopy="The production, directed by Rose Schwietz Malla, will be performed Nov. 20-23." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;The HCC Theater department will hold auditions for its Fall 2024 play,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Polaroid Stories, by Naomi Iizuka, on&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; Wednesday, Sept. 11, from 3-6 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 12, 2-5 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater. The production, directed by Rose Schwietz Malla, will be performed Nov. 20-23.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Auditioners do not need to prepare monologues. Anyone is welcome to audition. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Callbacks, if necessary, will be Friday, Sept. 13, at 3 p.m. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Email &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mwhiton@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;il&quot;&gt;mwhiton@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; for more info. The audition form is available at: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fforms.gle%2fDmwjAV2DC6NdaUFm7&amp;amp;c=E,1,0hKCwv6b3QBDA-n8sMZypheoGeHDSOM1sgFeGYwP9zft463dUu2NZLVpGDt646MXAsTDDJ2cxj7mbi5PpqQ595pIa7i9p80whtw1uiyiY7yXngCf0vnQkK2AQ5U,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fforms.gle%252fDmwjAV2DC6NdaUFm7%26c%3DE,1,0hKCwv6b3QBDA-n8sMZypheoGeHDSOM1sgFeGYwP9zft463dUu2NZLVpGDt646MXAsTDDJ2cxj7mbi5PpqQ595pIa7i9p80whtw1uiyiY7yXngCf0vnQkK2AQ5U,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1725467788714000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1A3HKbaqJiFkDnIfH7ML7a&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;https://forms.gle/&lt;wbr /&gt;DmwjAV2DC6NdaUFm7&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Originally commissioned by En Garde Arts,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Polaroid Stories&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; had its world premier at the Humana Festival of New Plays in 1997. The play is an adaptation of Ovid&amp;rsquo;s Metamorphoses, incorporating source material from interviews with Minneapolis street kids. Playwright Naomi Iizuka is a Distinguished Professor of Playwriting and Head of Graduate Playwriting at University of California&amp;nbsp; San Diego.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20911" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/human-erratics" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240904T14:21:40" CategoryIds="4|193|360" FileName="x20911.xml" Name="Human Erratics" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/ERRATICS-chair-web.jpg" Title="Human Erratics" Abstract="The Taber Art Gallery presents &quot;Human Erratics,&quot; a series of digital and analog films and photographs created by artsts Marie Lynn Haas and Tori Lawrence, now through Oct. 18. " ThumbnailAltText="A students sits down to experience &quot;Human Erratics&quot; in HCC's Taber Art Gallery." EventLocation="Taber Art Galley" EventStartDate="2024-09-03" EventStartTime="10:00:00" EventEndDate="2024-10-18" IntroCopy="Taber Art Gallery exhibit open now through Oct. 18." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="17:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/ERRATICS-chair-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;A student watches a short film in HCC's Taber Art Gallery. &quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The campus of Holyoke Community College and the woods around it, like many places in western Massachusetts, are marked by occasional, enormous boulders called &amp;ldquo;erratics,&amp;rdquo; giant rocks left in seemingly random locations by glaciers as they receded at the end of the last Ice Age.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Human Erratics&amp;rdquo; is the title of a new installation at HCC&amp;rsquo;s Taber Art Gallery that takes its name from a short film by artist Marie Lynn Haas. The film, composed entirely of still images, explores what she calls &amp;ldquo;wastescapes&amp;rdquo; &amp;ndash; deserted buildings and dumpsites &amp;ndash; in her hometown of Worthington, Mass.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Like glacial erratics, left behind by the movement of ice across long distances, wastescape structures mark the path of human movement,&amp;rdquo; she explains in a note that accompanies the exhibition, which opened Sept. 3 with the start of the fall semester and runs through Friday, Oct. 18. &amp;ldquo;They are in a sense, human erratics, deposits of human abandonment and remnants of neglect.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Human Erratics,&amp;rdquo; the show, includes four short film projects created by Haas and her artistic collaborator Tori Lawrence, residency director and founder of Atland, an artists&amp;rsquo; retreat in West Chesterfield, Mass., where Haas is also a curator.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The gallery, located inside the HCC Library on the second floor of the Donahue Building, will host an opening reception for &amp;ldquo;Human Erratics&amp;rdquo; on Thursday, Sept. 12, from 5-7 p.m. that includes an informal meet-and-greet with the artists.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to Rachel Rushing, Taber Art Gallery director, the films and the exhibition itself are really a collaboration of the many artists who comprise the Tori Lawrence and Co. group, which is made up of dancers, musicians, builders, and other artists.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;They all work together on each other&amp;rsquo;s projects,&amp;rdquo; said Rushing, &amp;ldquo;such as these short films and the installations.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each film in the show runs on a continuous loop and is meant to be experienced in a different way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Green Mountain Project,&amp;rdquo; filmed and edited by Lawrence, shows dancers moving among the &amp;nbsp;landscape in Rochester, Vermont, for instance. It plays on a small wall monitor accompanied by two sets of headphones, so visitors can listen to the original musical score. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An arm chair set up in a living room scene beckons visitors to sit and watch &amp;ldquo;Human Erratics,&amp;rdquo; the film, on an old television set among broken bottles and rusty metal objects &amp;ndash; a gasoline can, hand saw, bird cage, folding chair. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Old Post Road,&amp;rdquo; displayed on two large side-by-side backlit screens, blends old home movies with more recent footage that Haas and Lawrence put together over several years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The film was sometimes familiar, like d&amp;eacute;j&amp;agrave; vu, and yet it was as puzzling as a labyrinth,&amp;rdquo; the artists write, describing the editing process. &amp;ldquo;The act of watching it again and again was like trying to remember a dream.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finally, &amp;ldquo;Undesired Inheritance / Ancestral Mythologies,&amp;rdquo; conveys Haas&amp;rsquo;s conversations with her grandparents about their past, and plays through two wooden funnels that compel you to look in. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also part of the installation is a book of Haas&amp;rsquo;s photographs titled &amp;ldquo;Wastescapes,&amp;rdquo; along with two empty journals that invite visitors to contribute their own thoughts and drawings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;These works explore personal and collective turmoil and reveal how chronic illness and the cycles of life and death are woven into the fabric of ecological change,&amp;rdquo; reads a note that accompanies the exhibit. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The films run from five to 15 minutes. None have narration or a typical storyline, so they don&amp;rsquo;t have to be watched from beginning to end to be appreciated in the context of the show.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It depends on what people want to do,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;You can sit and watch the whole thing if you want. But as with any kind of art viewing, it&amp;rsquo;s not dependent on that. It&amp;rsquo;s not like going to see a movie.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery, located of the lobby of the HCC Library on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during regular school sessions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://soundcloud.com/1035wcch/rachel-rushing-director-of-the-taber-art-gallery-at-hcc?utm_source=clipboard&amp;amp;utm_medium=text&amp;amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing&amp;amp;si=3f73df8922134483bb88bfe38300397a&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;WCCH interview with Taber Art Gallery director Rachel Rushing&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Listen to Taber Art Gallery director Rachel Rushing talk about &quot;Human Erratics&quot; and her plans for upcoming exhibits on WCCH-103.5 FM.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: An HCC student sits down to watch &quot;Human Erratics&quot; in the Taber Art Gallery.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20862" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/resource-fair" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240904T14:13:26" CategoryIds="4|68|165" FileName="x20862.xml" Name="Resource Fair" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202024/TRIO-duo-web.jpg" Title="Resource Fair" Abstract="Stop by the cafeteria on Wednesday, Sept. 4, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. for information about HCC student support programs and resources, plus raffle giveaways." ThumbnailAltText="TRIO staff photo" EventLocation="Campus Center Cafeteria " EventStartDate="2024-09-04" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="Stop by the cafeteria for information about HCC student support programs &amp; resources, plus raffle giveaways!" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="12:15:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Resource Fair&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Stop by the cafeteria for information about HCC student support programs &amp;amp; resources, plus raffle giveaways!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CNzIuwQczhWhKXSQEhHQeDkLYM8rywFu/view?usp=sharing&quot;&gt;Flyer Link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20863" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/welcome-back-bbq-2024" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240904T18:39:01" CategoryIds="68|70|450|451|513" FileName="x20863.xml" Name="Welcome Back BBQ 2024" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202024/Welcome-BBQ-22-web.jpg" Title="Welcome Back BBQ" Abstract="Help us celebrate the start of a new school year on Wednesday, Sept. 11, with free food, games, music, giveaways, arts and crafts and more. " ThumbnailAltText="Welome Back BBQ photo" EventLocation="Courtyard (Campus Center Cafeteria if raining)" EventStartDate="2024-09-11" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="Help us celebrate the start of a new school year " ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="12:15:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Welcome Back BBQ&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Join us in the courtyard for free lunch, music, games, and prizes while discovering HCC resources. Help us kick off the start of a wonderful semester and celebrate the start of Hispanic Heritage Month!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MinwNs9Lj0gyijiXupftOJWZencCGoKw/view?usp=sharing&quot;&gt;Flyer Link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20864" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/club-fair-fa24" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240904T18:04:14" CategoryIds="68|70|450|451" FileName="x20864.xml" Name="Club Fair FA24" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202024/Chess-Club-web.jpg" Title="Club, Activities Fair" Abstract="Learn about all our student clubs, activities, and support programs, and sign up for one or more, Wednesday, Sept. 18." ThumbnailAltText="Sfudents play chess in the courtyard" EventLocation="Courtyard " EventStartDate="2024-09-18" EventStartTime="11:00:00" IntroCopy="Check out the clubs on campus, get information, meet members, and join a club." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="12:15:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Check out the &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/clubs-and-organizations&quot; title=&quot;Clubs &amp;amp; Organizations&quot;&gt;Clubs &amp;amp; Organizations on c&lt;/a&gt;ampus, get information, meet members, and join a club.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/16mFeA9wvZdXBAoqo4-3UOknaBgjQ1uWw/view?usp=sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Flyer Link&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="FREE" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20910" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/welcome-back" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240903T14:31:02" CategoryIds="4|3|68|70|2" FileName="x20910.xml" Name="Welcome Back!" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202024/Welcome%20Back.jpg" Title="Welcome Back!" Abstract="Happy First Day of Classes" ThumbnailAltText="Welome Back photo" EventLocation="Campus" EventStartDate="2024-09-03" EventEndDate="2024-09-03" IntroCopy="Happy First Day of Classes" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;table class=&quot;m_658571647184136612layout&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;m_658571647184136612column m_658571647184136612scale m_658571647184136612stack&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;m_658571647184136612text&quot; width=&quot;850&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;139&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;m_658571647184136612text_content-cell m_658571647184136612content-padding-horizontal&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;m_658571647184136612image m_658571647184136612image--float-left m_658571647184136612scale m_658571647184136612image--mobile-scale m_658571647184136612image--mobile-center&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;m_658571647184136612hide&quot; height=&quot;1&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot; style=&quot;height: 10px; width: 15px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Connect w/an HCC Greeter&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;7:30&amp;nbsp;a.m. - 6:30&amp;nbsp;p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC staff, faculty, and student leaders are placed around HCC in six locations to be able to answer any questions, point you in the direction of your class, and assist.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cjyjmspab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w7lDHWbYESD8cE4Cns_0yEE8tuAnkG4FwTlEZ1soazL97d7pbcSMDBQim1YvINlSZcotWas7gWOU31lZ5M2oWquyRQzGH3nAxJ6U8vhdYmeno3hv4PR7CeDN160TTrCv_1R275cj55nDZPlnbNDvxF4vDCaEuD7AELlWyJ1IrW68rylQNYJGw2TKZ9KrybJyji5OG_eH5O8um0lpMqB21ySp1myb3IrkyU30PIZ29ucRgxE-5Gp9JA==&amp;amp;c=mtKGVPJA6Wl3xVWNI1hgefsEkexGlCmWJJ38ka-DrjTEFTr4nZHkng==&amp;amp;ch=PatK6uXtYwMuiqSSEHxpeXFFhv_uSboR2UYA-lwwbWi-df62S5tXNA==&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://cjyjmspab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f%3D001w7lDHWbYESD8cE4Cns_0yEE8tuAnkG4FwTlEZ1soazL97d7pbcSMDBQim1YvINlSZcotWas7gWOU31lZ5M2oWquyRQzGH3nAxJ6U8vhdYmeno3hv4PR7CeDN160TTrCv_1R275cj55nDZPlnbNDvxF4vDCaEuD7AELlWyJ1IrW68rylQNYJGw2TKZ9KrybJyji5OG_eH5O8um0lpMqB21ySp1myb3IrkyU30PIZ29ucRgxE-5Gp9JA%3D%3D%26c%3DmtKGVPJA6Wl3xVWNI1hgefsEkexGlCmWJJ38ka-DrjTEFTr4nZHkng%3D%3D%26ch%3DPatK6uXtYwMuiqSSEHxpeXFFhv_uSboR2UYA-lwwbWi-df62S5tXNA%3D%3D&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1725457600661000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0ptHYXpE7UKV5GzDBKVsu4&quot;&gt;Click here to view&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;the greeter locations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;m_658571647184136612layout&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;m_658571647184136612column m_658571647184136612scale m_658571647184136612stack&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;m_658571647184136612text&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;m_658571647184136612text_content-cell m_658571647184136612content-padding-horizontal&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;m_658571647184136612image m_658571647184136612image--float-left m_658571647184136612scale m_658571647184136612image--mobile-scale m_658571647184136612image--mobile-center&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;m_658571647184136612image_container m_658571647184136612scale m_658571647184136612stack&quot; align=&quot;&quot; valign=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;72&quot; src=&quot;https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_NY6AgiA0oSI2vOw41QZRB10TUdlibxiIGo6tkVpHZpbr3R5NWQh2yOc8uJSA4QZuFU3D_R463WE-9jGO5xnpmmxuqMgT1PTRVU7e0gFwfCA5LTTivsQ_WwRvXtMH2syIef0oGhSsTQ-YULM2DAriTuOM3zVaw=s0-d-e1-ft#https://files.constantcontact.com/221e4c4e301/0fd111c6-196b-4630-b6d9-b087b95a588d.png?rdr=true&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;CToWUd&quot; data-bit=&quot;iit&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;m_658571647184136612hide&quot; width=&quot;15&quot; height=&quot;1&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;15&quot; height=&quot;1&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; hspace=&quot;0&quot; vspace=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_NavPxMA-Vc5Qq0PS3tppGoMZ-h_AD0g1b4PbHTpuqo6KhrxZIdX_APHkQBQSYxIGuowjBL5-9gre4Cw3aSmap_I6edD6PGmNtB60a1SJ4Z33Q=s0-d-e1-ft#https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/letters/images/sys/S.gif&quot; class=&quot;CToWUd&quot; data-bit=&quot;iit&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Happy First Day of Classes: Back to School Breakfast Bash Tabling&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stop by the Campus Center, 2nd floor, to take a first-day-of-school picture and get a treat while supplies last. We are so excited for you to be here!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Get Your HCC ID!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stop by Student Engagement CC 227 to get your student ID!&amp;nbsp;We are open Tuesday - Thursday until 6 p.m. and Friday until 4:30 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;m_658571647184136612layout&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;m_658571647184136612column m_658571647184136612scale m_658571647184136612stack&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;m_658571647184136612text&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;m_658571647184136612text_content-cell m_658571647184136612content-padding-horizontal&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;m_658571647184136612image m_658571647184136612image--float-left m_658571647184136612scale m_658571647184136612image--mobile-scale m_658571647184136612image--mobile-center&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;m_658571647184136612image_container m_658571647184136612scale m_658571647184136612stack&quot; align=&quot;&quot; valign=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;72&quot; src=&quot;https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_NYilz1MMPTm427KOxcyq_R3I9KNjBc8v7Qgxe8aGLXN0qT6p3Sm_Y0vOC2syW8qb4Ke2YyYUX-couxhJDLxsa7PfpaKEdIrM6BIZS95T3xaMKKYKwuQEkNl1-sXVWA1sjlVeyge7S-hncYZ6GUlNU2OldDbBQ=s0-d-e1-ft#https://files.constantcontact.com/221e4c4e301/63d529c1-e59f-4a5d-8d6d-f5df6c110925.png?rdr=true&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;CToWUd&quot; data-bit=&quot;iit&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;m_658571647184136612hide&quot; width=&quot;15&quot; height=&quot;1&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;15&quot; height=&quot;1&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; hspace=&quot;0&quot; vspace=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_NavPxMA-Vc5Qq0PS3tppGoMZ-h_AD0g1b4PbHTpuqo6KhrxZIdX_APHkQBQSYxIGuowjBL5-9gre4Cw3aSmap_I6edD6PGmNtB60a1SJ4Z33Q=s0-d-e1-ft#https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/letters/images/sys/S.gif&quot; class=&quot;CToWUd&quot; data-bit=&quot;iit&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cjyjmspab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w7lDHWbYESD8cE4Cns_0yEE8tuAnkG4FwTlEZ1soazL97d7pbcSMDBQim1YvINlSmr72bQP6MFW9SLbY1lzhzgsKkcpCE5VoDYf0S_HBLssr5TqPFphhquXnTauxBvIkLeCWY7-kjIR7ZGD4vKWLGWzFqdBQjCNvIeJM6URD1FhqVPNk_bwuGSdzZSnss9DVzCFnloqvIVKnvJRjU6Ztx4rh6m4gIqzqqpmjB-xjPoAHTZBVZx1QrQ==&amp;amp;c=mtKGVPJA6Wl3xVWNI1hgefsEkexGlCmWJJ38ka-DrjTEFTr4nZHkng==&amp;amp;ch=PatK6uXtYwMuiqSSEHxpeXFFhv_uSboR2UYA-lwwbWi-df62S5tXNA==&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://cjyjmspab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f%3D001w7lDHWbYESD8cE4Cns_0yEE8tuAnkG4FwTlEZ1soazL97d7pbcSMDBQim1YvINlSmr72bQP6MFW9SLbY1lzhzgsKkcpCE5VoDYf0S_HBLssr5TqPFphhquXnTauxBvIkLeCWY7-kjIR7ZGD4vKWLGWzFqdBQjCNvIeJM6URD1FhqVPNk_bwuGSdzZSnss9DVzCFnloqvIVKnvJRjU6Ztx4rh6m4gIqzqqpmjB-xjPoAHTZBVZx1QrQ%3D%3D%26c%3DmtKGVPJA6Wl3xVWNI1hgefsEkexGlCmWJJ38ka-DrjTEFTr4nZHkng%3D%3D%26ch%3DPatK6uXtYwMuiqSSEHxpeXFFhv_uSboR2UYA-lwwbWi-df62S5tXNA%3D%3D&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1725457600661000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1elSCFvdBVw29is3kVC3V1&quot;&gt;Sensory Space Open&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;10&amp;nbsp;a.m. - 6&amp;nbsp;p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;FR 105&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A relaxing space to study, socialize, and stim in a sensory-friendly environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;m_658571647184136612layout&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;m_658571647184136612column m_658571647184136612scale m_658571647184136612stack&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;m_658571647184136612text&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;m_658571647184136612text_content-cell m_658571647184136612content-padding-horizontal&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;m_658571647184136612image m_658571647184136612image--float-left m_658571647184136612scale m_658571647184136612image--mobile-scale m_658571647184136612image--mobile-center&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;m_658571647184136612image_container m_658571647184136612scale m_658571647184136612stack&quot; align=&quot;&quot; valign=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;72&quot; src=&quot;https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_NaoLALxn6qfbQjBunauZ-gizoSSRMW14dlPd3L_u0R29vP3lrcvuX3dE8XmoXMLQAkF7b9-86cVfs8Dq2Ng5vI_4RV6-C_ZS0_Yb8-f4aS1krpDcVcm8jfY3GjPVuIHWQ_sNKnNvpG4YCHR5w-EFRD05bbrMw=s0-d-e1-ft#https://files.constantcontact.com/221e4c4e301/83616e19-3d07-48c0-94b5-0be6a5c930db.png?rdr=true&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;CToWUd&quot; data-bit=&quot;iit&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;m_658571647184136612hide&quot; width=&quot;15&quot; height=&quot;1&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pilates Body Group Exercise Class&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4:45 - 5:45 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;BC 202&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20953" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/latinx-heritage-month" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240930T16:39:09" CategoryIds="513" FileName="x20953.xml" Name="LatinX Heritage Month" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Fall%202024/HCC_Event_HHM_FA24_1193x671_d1.jpg" Title="LatinX Heritage Month" Abstract="LatinX Heritage Month" ThumbnailAltText="LatinX Heritage Month" EventLocation="See details for event locations" EventStartDate="2024-09-15" EventEndDate="2024-10-15" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;h4&gt;2024 Events&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9/15-10/15 Our Heroes, Our History Mural Exhibit&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;An exhibit highlighting the Betsy Casa&amp;ntilde;as mural in Campus Center featuring Latinx activists, artists, musicians, educators, and more and the deep impact they have made on our history.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;HCC Library Display, Donahue&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9/15 Puerto Rican Day Parade, 11 a.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Join the HCC contingent at the Springfield parade at the intersection of Main Street and Wason Avenue.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdQnGnvK4Cc7uZ0iQNU18L1qnJrTe16JgO1RVwkWWu19tq95Q/viewform?usp=sf_link&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Sign Up&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;and receive a t-shirt.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9/18 Hasta &amp;lsquo;Bajo: Reggaet&amp;oacute;n, Historia y Cultura Puertorrique&amp;ntilde;a 11-12:15 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Join El Centro for a fun, interactive workshop exploring the genre&amp;rsquo;s history and your own connection to the music.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;El Centro, Campus Center 248&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9/18 Family Story Time: &amp;iexcl;En espa&amp;ntilde;ol!, 5:30-7:00 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Join the Marieb Adult Learner Success Center and President Timmons for family story time featuring&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span&gt;The Very Hungry Caterpillar&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;in English, Spanish, and ASL. There will be arts and crafts, raffle prizes, giveaways, and a selfie-station!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;El Centro, Campus Center 248&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9/21 Commemoration of the 156th Anniversary of El Grito de Lares, 6-7:00 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Join the Hispanic-American Library for a special conversation with Charles R. Venator-Santiago, Ph.D., as they commemorate the 156th anniversary of El Grito de Lares.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Hispanic-American Library, 55 Frank B Murray St., Springfield, Mass.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9/24 Froteria 1:30-2:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Join ALANA and El Centro while we: Eat frituras! Play Loteria! Win Prizes!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Kittredge Center 301&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;10/2 Latinx Fiesta, 11-12:15 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Food, music, crafts, and a celebration of Latinx Heritage Month&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Campus Center Cafeteria&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;10/9 The Intersections of Deaf &amp;amp; Cultural Identities: Puerto Rican Experiences, 11-12:15 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;A panel presentation supporting Deaf Awareness Month&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Leslie Phillips Theater, Fine and Performing Arts&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="Free" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21004" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/polaroid-stories-matinee" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241118T15:39:39" CategoryIds="4|193|226" FileName="x21004.xml" Name="Polaroid Stories Matinee" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/Polaroid-Bathroom-web.jpg" Title="Polaroid Stories Matinee" Abstract="The HCC Theater Department will present a matinee performance of its fall 2024 production, Polaroid Stories, at 2 p.m. on  Nov. 23, in the Leslie Phillips Theater." ThumbnailAltText="Polaroid Stories rehearsal image" EventLocation="Leslie Phillips Theater, Fine &amp; Performing Arts Building" EventStartDate="2024-11-23" EventStartTime="14:00:00" IntroCopy="Play an adaptation of Ovid's Metamorphoses" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/Polaroid-TWO-SITTING-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Polaroid Storie rehearsal shot&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Theater Department will present its fall 2024 production, &lt;em&gt;Polaroid Stories, &lt;/em&gt;by Naomi Iizuka, Nov. 21-23, with guest director Rose Schwietz Malla.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The show will be performed each day at 7:30 p.m. with an additional matinee on Sat., Nov. 23, at 2 p.m. All performances will be in the Leslie Phillips Theater on the second floor of HCC&amp;rsquo;s Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Building. The Friday, Nov. 22, show will be ASL-interpreted.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tickets available one hour before show at the Leslie Phillips Box Office or by calling 413.552.2528 to reserve: $5 (HCC students, faculty, staff); $10 (general admission); $8 (seniors).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This show is appropriate for audience members 13 years of age and older.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contains: Strong language, references to prostitution and sexual violence, staged violence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Plot: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The dangerous world of ancient Greek mythology meets the rough lives of youth living on the streets, where every moment is swimming with drugs and bumping with rave music. &lt;em&gt;Polaroid Stories&lt;/em&gt; takes the hopes and drives of young runaways, addicts, and prostitutes, intertwines them with such mythological figures as Zeus and Persephone, and elevates them to a new light. Despite their harsh conditions, characters like Echo and Narcissus, Orpheus and Eurydice, and even the raucous Dionysus carve their own paths in a world that seems fated against them. Pulsating with an ethereal, nostalgic, and rave-worthy soundscape, this play and its rough edges subverts our expectations, douses us in poetic, curse-filled language, and breaks and remakes our hearts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Originally commissioned by En Garde Arts,&lt;em&gt; Polaroid Stories&lt;/em&gt; had its world premiere at the Humana Festival of New Plays in 1997. The play is an adaptation of Ovid&amp;rsquo;s &lt;em&gt;Metamorphoses&lt;/em&gt;, incorporating source material from interviews with Minneapolis street kids. Playwright Naomi Iizuka is a distinguished professor of playwriting and head of graduate playwriting at Univeristy of California San Diego.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This show is appropriate for audience members 13 years of age and older.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contains: Strong language, references to prostitution and sexual violence, staged violence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;The run time is approximately two hours with one intermission &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Cast:&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;D (Dionysus): Manuel Morales* &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eurydice: Arianna Davila&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Persephone / Semele: Rae Roqu&amp;eacute;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Orpheus: Zachary Ciano &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Philomel:&amp;nbsp;Tatianna Green &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SKINHEADgirl: Alison Smythe&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Echo: Nicole Anderson&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Narcissus:&amp;nbsp;Eliezer Baez &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SKINHEADboy:&amp;nbsp;Benjamin Richards&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;G (a.k.a. Zeus, Hades): Brandon Rodriguez&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Young Eurydice: Maryliz Maldonado&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Production Staff:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Director: &amp;nbsp;Rose Schwietz Malla&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Technical Director: Stephen Bailey* (HCC Staff)&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Designer / Production Manager:&amp;nbsp;Matthew Whiton (HCC Faculty)&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Admin. Asst., Box Office Manager, Program Designer: Mary Starzyk (HCC Staff)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sound Designer: Isabel Teixiera &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Video Production: Makayla Nelson&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stage Manager: Benji Marconi &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Assistant Stage Manager: Zack Clapp&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Light Board Operator: Levi Edwards&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sound Board Operator: Aolanis Figueroa Pinto&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Run Crew / Video Operator: Gabriel Reyes&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Run Crew: Shaina O&amp;rsquo;Malley&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* Denotes HCC Alum&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="$5 (HCC students, faculty, staff); $10 (general admission); $8 (seniors)" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x20158" URL="x20158.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20240816T14:55:01" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20158.xml" Name="Summer 2024" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x20185" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/registration-express-fa24" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240812T17:01:57" CategoryIds="3|97" FileName="x20185.xml" Name="Registration Express FA24" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/CC-Welcome-web.jpg" Title="Registration Express" Abstract="Apply for admission, take the college placement test, meet with an academic adviser, register for classes, and set up financial aid — all in one day, Saturday, Aug. 24." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Admission staff welcome students to the Campus Center" EventLocation="Campus Center, first floor" EventStartDate="2024-08-24" EventStartTime="09:00:00" IntroCopy="&quot;Registration Express is designed to make it easy to become a student by providing all the resources to enroll in one place on one day.&quot; – Mark Hudgik, dean of Strategic Enrollment Initiatives" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="13:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/TO-DO-List-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;HCC Admissions staffer helps a new student&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will hold &amp;ldquo;Registration Express&amp;rdquo; for the fall 2024 semester on Sat., Aug. 24. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During Registration Express, prospective students can apply for admission, take the college placement test, meet with an academic adviser, register for classes, and set up financial aid &amp;mdash; all in one day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Registration Express is designed to make it easy to become a student by providing all the resources to enroll in one place on one day, whether you are starting the process or finishing up the last few steps,&amp;rdquo; said Mark Hudgik, HCC dean of Strategic Recruitment Initiatives. &amp;ldquo;It will also be a great opportunity for prospective students to learn about MassEducate, the state&amp;rsquo;s new free community college program.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registration Express event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Campus Center on the main campus at 303 Homestead Ave. Students who can&amp;rsquo;t attend that day or need additional time to finish their steps can also return for extended Admissions and Advising hours Aug. 26-29 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Aug. 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Full-term, 14-week fall classes begin Tuesday, Sept. 3. HCC has two additional fall flex start dates: Sept. 16, for 12-week classes, and Oct. 28, for 7-week classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those who can&amp;rsquo;t make it in person during Registration Express week will be able to connect with registration advisers via Zoom or visit campus another day. HCC Admissions and Advising offices on the first floor of the Campus Center are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. (4:30 p.m. on Fridays).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information and instructions about accessing Registration Express via Zoom, please visit our Registration Express pages on the HCC website at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/admission/accepted-students/registration-express&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/regexpress&lt;/a&gt; or contact HCC Admissions at 413-552-2321 / &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20159" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/bienvenidos" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240808T16:17:01" CategoryIds="3|68|609" FileName="x20159.xml" Name="Bienvenidos" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Summer%202022/Bienvenidos_EventPic.png" Title="Bienvenidos" Abstract="Join us at this free event to hear from current students, staff, and faculty and learn about the resources HCC has for Latinx students." ThumbnailAltText="Bienvenidos graphic" EventLocation="Campus Center, second floor" EventStartDate="2024-08-24" EventStartTime="09:30:00" IntroCopy="Free event for HCC Latinx students" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="13:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;Join us at this free event to hear from current students, staff, and faculty and learn about the resources HCC has for Latinx students. We will introduce you to El Centro, a fully bilingual program created to serve students all the way to graduation. Meet your campus support people, attend workshops to learn how to be successful in college, and much more!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coffee and treats will be served in the morning, followed by a delicious lunch with entertainment, plus some great raffle prizes!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Email&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:elcentro@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;elcentro@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or call us at 413.552.2052&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Events/Bienvenidos%20Flyer%2023%20%28SPANISH%29.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Bienvenidos flyer in Spanish&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="Free" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20181" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/from-awareness-to-action" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240808T16:11:43" CategoryIds="69|4|66" FileName="x20181.xml" Name="From Awareness to Action" Title="From Awareness to Action" Abstract="Joining us will be Maru Gonzalez, the workshop will run from 9 am - 3 pm and lunch will be provided to those attending. " EventLocation="Frost 265" EventStartDate="2024-08-08" EventStartTime="09:00:00" IntroCopy="Practices for Centering Equity in Public Higher Education" ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="15:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/Events/Summer24/image-1.png&quot; width=&quot;1545&quot; height=&quot;2000&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="Free" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20857" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/nursing-accreditation" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240823T17:04:18" CategoryIds="3|355" FileName="x20857.xml" Name="Nursing Accreditation" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/SIM-Gabriela-Artin-steth-web.jpg" Title="Nursing Accreditation" Abstract="Holyoke Community College will host a site review for continuing accreditation of its Practical Nurse Certificate and Associates in Science in Nursing Programs" ThumbnailAltText="HCC student nurse in simulation room." EventLocation="Room101 A of the Center for Health Education and Simulation (CHE) building located at 404 Jarvis Avenue, Holyoke, MA 01040. " EventStartDate="2024-10-23" EventStartTime="16:00:00" IntroCopy="Holyoke Community College will host a site review for continuing accreditation of its Practical Nurse Certificate and Associates in Science in Nursing Programs by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="16:30:00" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will host a site review for continuing accreditation of its Practical Nurse Certificate and Associates in Science in Nursing Programs by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The public is invited to meet the ACEN site visit team and share comments about the program in person at a meeting scheduled for 4 &amp;ndash; 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, in room 101 A of the Center for Health Education and Simulation (CHE) building located at 404 Jarvis Avenue, Holyoke, MA 01040.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Written comments are also welcome and should be submitted to the ACEN via email at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:public-comments@acenursing.org&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;public-comments@acenursing.org&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or to the ACEN office:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Attn: Accreditation Services&lt;br /&gt;Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing&lt;br /&gt;3390 Peachtree Rd NE, Suite 1400&lt;br /&gt;Atlanta, GA 30326&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All written comments should be received by the ACEN by October 16, 2024.&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20102" URL="about/news-events-and-media/events/summer-food-service-hours" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240816T14:49:19" CategoryIds="66|68" FileName="x20102.xml" Name="Summer Food Service Hours" Thumbnail="/images/Homepage%20featured%20box%20images/438738411_956241759620438_2540291079228159970_n.jpg" Title="Summer Food Service " Abstract="The HCC cafeteria will operate June through August with reduced hours and offerings." EventLocation="HCC" EventStartDate="2024-06-01" EventEndDate="2024-08-31" IntroCopy="The HCC cafeteria will operate June through August with reduced hours and offerings." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventDescription="&lt;p&gt;Brewed Awakening will be open for coffee and&amp;nbsp;food, Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The&amp;nbsp;food&amp;nbsp;court area will also be open during those hours for hot soup, grab and go sandwiches, and salads.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, the &lt;strong&gt;HCC Culinary Arts Truck&lt;/strong&gt;, operated on campus for the summer by two graduates of the program, will offer freshly prepared lunch items for sale on&amp;nbsp;Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Thursdays, noon to 2 p.m., starting&amp;nbsp;June 11, with the exception of June 18, June 20, July 30, and August 1.&amp;nbsp;Meals will cost $10, which will include entree, cookie, and bottled water. There will be a vegetarian&amp;nbsp;option each week as well. (Note: This schedule is subject to change.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /></Page></Page><Page ID="x387" URL="about/news-events-and-media/for-the-media" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:59:07" CategoryIds="" FileName="x387.xml" Name="For the Media" Title="For the Media" Abstract="If you're looking for information about the college, want to talk to a teacher or campus official or need a photograph to go with a story you're working on, give us a call or send an email." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Welcome to HCC! Our vibrant community of students, faculty, and staff have some extraordinary stories to share with residents of the Pioneer Valley and beyond. If you're looking for information about the college or the diverse people who work and learn at HCC, give us a call or send us an email!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;contact us&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jane Johnson Vottero&lt;br /&gt;Director of Marketing &amp;amp; Communications&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:jvottero@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;jrome@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;jvottero@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2183&quot;&gt;413.552.2183&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chris Yurko&lt;br /&gt;Media Relations Manager&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:cyurko@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;cyurko@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2259&quot;&gt;413.552.2259&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x386" URL="about/news-events-and-media/hcc-in-the-news" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260529T17:04:35" CategoryIds="" FileName="x386.xml" Name="HCC In the News" Title="HCC In the News" Abstract="Looking for links to past stories about HCC that have appeared in the media? You'll find them here.  " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Looking for links to past stories about HCC that have appeared in the media? You'll find them here. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x83" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories" Schema="NewsIndexPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="" FileName="x83.xml" Name="News Stories" Title="News Stories" Abstract="The HCC Marketing &amp; Communications Department operates its own news bureau and regularly publishes stories on the college website about programs and people at HCC.   " ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x569" URL="x569.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20240813T14:18:24" CategoryIds="65|165|226" FileName="x569.xml" Name="News Stories" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x22311" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/commencement-2026" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260603T12:45:43" CategoryIds="66|3|193|65|165|673" FileName="x22311.xml" Name="Commencement 2026" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/HCC-79th-Commencement-6-web.jpg" Title="All the Right Pieces" Abstract="Holyoke Community College celebrated the Class of 2026 during its 79th Commencement exercises on Saturday, May 30. " ThumbnailAltText="A new graduate celebrates Commencement 2026" IntroCopy="HCC celebrates the Class of 2026" Date="2026-06-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/HCC-79th-Commencement-1-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some people say life is like a bowl of cherries; others, like a box of chocolates. To Yasmari Cardenales, though, student orator at Holyoke Community College&amp;rsquo;s 79&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Commencement, it&amp;rsquo;s more like a jigsaw puzzle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At first, you&amp;rsquo;re drawn to the image on the front of the box. &amp;ldquo;That picture becomes your vision, the person you hope to become, the life you&amp;rsquo;re working toward,&amp;rdquo; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You start around the edges, building a foundation. Some pieces fit easily together, others seemingly not at all, leaving you frustrated and uncertain.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Sometimes,&amp;rdquo; she said, &amp;ldquo;you don&amp;rsquo;t even realize you&amp;rsquo;ve been holding onto all the right pieces until they suddenly come together.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Standing here today,&amp;rdquo; &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/never-too-late&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;she said from the Commencement stage&lt;/a&gt; in the MassMutual Center arena, &amp;ldquo;I realize just how powerful that moment truly is. It is an incredible honor to be part of the Class of 2026 and an even greater honor to speak in front of you, a room full of people who have all been building their own puzzles, piece by piece, in their own, unique ways.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event was both a moment of reflection and celebration for the graduates, their families, and HCC faculty and staff who filled the arena on Saturday, May 30.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, the college conferred a total of 849 associate degrees and certificates to 781 graduates, who range in age from 17 to 69 and hail from 71 different Massachusetts cities and towns, as well as California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New York, Vermont, Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, China, Congo, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Spain, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Ukraine.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;At HCC, you have learned alongside people whose life experiences may have been very different from your own,&amp;rdquo; said President George Timmons. &amp;ldquo;You have worked with classmates from different cultures, languages, identities, beliefs, and perspectives. Those experiences matter because they teach us one of the most important lessons any college can offer: that our differences do not weaken us; they strengthen us.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Faculty speaker Patricia Sullivan, HCC professor of English and an HCC alum from the class of 1976, opened her remarks by asking all the graduates to stand, along with all the other people in the arena with a direct connection to the college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Graduates,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;Look around and see that you are a part of our HCC community. HCC will always be part of your story, and HCC is lucky you chose us as the place to further your education.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She then turned her back to the crowd, held her cell phone high, and took a selfie.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As the recipient of the 2026 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence Award, Sullivan, a lifelong Holyoke resident and teacher at the college since 1981, led the procession of graduates into the arena and &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/the-real-heroes&quot;&gt;gave the keynote address.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Attending HCC was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life, and years later, I was offered a job to teach here,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;It was the thrill of a lifetime. HCC is my second home, and the people here my second family. I could have retired many years ago but have chosen to stay because I love my work here, the institution, and its people. My students have given me so much. You are the real heroes today.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cardenales talked about how she had left high school 26 years ago without any idea where her life would take her. Over the years she worked multiple jobs, taking opportunities as they came. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I stayed involved in my community and kept searching for where my purpose fit,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;Over the years, I built a life I was proud of. I met my wife &amp;ndash; my greatest supporter. We built a home together and welcomed our daughter Sofia into the world.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Working for the American Red Cross for 20 years taught her compassion, resilience, and the importance of serving others, she said. But after COVID, something shifted, the world felt uncertain and so did she. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I realized there were pieces missing from my puzzle,&amp;rdquo; she said, &amp;ldquo;pieces I had been searching for without even knowing their shape.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She took the leap and enrolled at HCC. Saturday, she graduated with high honors and her associate degree and will attend the Elms College bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree program in nursing on a Presidential Scholarship.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;To every adult learner here,&amp;rdquo; she said in closing, &amp;ldquo;it&amp;rsquo;s never too late to begin again. Never stop searching for your missing pieces. Never stop learning. Never stop growing. And never underestimate the power of a community that supports you, challenges you, and believes in your vision. Even when you&amp;rsquo;re still trying to figure out the picture on the box.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Members of the HCC Class of 2026 celebrate Commencement on Saturday, May 30.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22308" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/the-real-heroes" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260601T19:00:18" CategoryIds="65|165|673" FileName="x22308.xml" Name="The Real Heroes" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/PSullivan-Commence-web1.jpg" Title="The Real Heroes" Abstract="As the 2026 Marieb Award recipient, English Professor Patricia Sullivan '76 gave the keynote address to the Class of 2026 at the Commencement on May 30." ThumbnailAltText="Marieb Award recipient Patricia Sullivan gives the keynote speech at Commencement" IntroCopy="&quot;Look around and see that you are part of our HCC community. HCC will always be a part of your story, and HCC is lucky you chose US as the place to further your education.&quot; – Patricia Sullivan '76, 2026 Marieb Award recipient" Date="2026-05-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/PSullivan-Commence-web2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;As the recipient of the college&amp;rsquo;s 2026 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence Award, HCC English Professor Patricia Sullivan of Holyoke led the procession of graduates into the MassMutual Center and deliver the keynote address to the Class of 2026 at HCC's 79th Commencement on Saturday, May 30.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'W&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;elcome to our graduates! This day is for you; it is a day of celebration after much hard work. What an honor and an achievement! You should be very proud of yourselves today; we certainly are! Because Holyoke Community College is also a Hispanic-Serving Institution, I would like to say, &amp;ldquo;Hola estudiantes&amp;rdquo; to our Spanish-speaking students. Felicidades!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you, President Timmons, Interim Vice-President of Academic and Student Affairs, Kate Douglass, esteemed colleagues, both on the stage and in the audience, parents, family members, friends, relatives, and all of you for being here to celebrate our graduates today.&amp;nbsp; What a honor!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To all the graduates, please stand for a round of applause. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are there others in our audience who ever attended HCC, signed up for a class, taught here, either full time or part time, or was involved with HCC in another capacity? Please also stand. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, graduates, look around and see that you are part of our HCC community. HCC will always be a part of your story, and HCC is lucky you chose US as the place to further your education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am also proud to be one of you, an HCC graduate, and to be standing here as the Marieb Award winner. Thank you for rewarding me to do the work I love!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have been here at HCC for so long, I actually knew Elaine Marieb, for whom this award is named. She was an inspiration to many. I have lived in Holyoke for all of my life, and I graduated from Holyoke High School in 1974; this was one of the last times I spoke in front of such a large audience. The theme of my valedictorian address was, &amp;ldquo;To Thine Own Self Be True,&amp;rdquo; and here I stand today, with this same theme:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Be true to yourselves and continue to be the best versions of you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the time of my graduation from Holyoke High School, my adviser told me I would receive a full scholarship to a prestigious women&amp;rsquo;s college that also had &amp;ldquo;Holyoke&amp;rdquo; in its name; however, I chose to attend the college that had &amp;ldquo;Community&amp;rdquo; in its name and in its heart, and now, here you are, sitting in the same seats as I had over 50 years ago in 1976, graduating from this exceptional institution. I am as proud today for you as I was for myselr 50 years ago. We are community!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Attending HCC was one of the BEST decisions I have ever made in my life, and, years later, I was offered a job to teach here. It was a thrill of a lifetime and one of the best gifts I have ever received.&amp;nbsp; HCC is my second home, and the people here are like my second family, Truly. I could have retired many years ago but have chosen to stay because I love my work here, the institution, and its people.&amp;nbsp; My students have given me so much. You are the real heroes today.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What have I learned from my students, you might ask? You have demonstrated such hard work, determination, grit, humor, resilience, kindness, compassion, intelligence, critical thinking, curiosity, and also courage. Yes, courage &amp;hellip; in the face of adversity, you have shown us at HCC that you are courageous.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ndash; For anyone who has ever felt oppressed in any way, you overcame obstacles, did well, and YOU DID IT.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ndash; For the single mom with three children who works the night shift as a nurse&amp;rsquo;s aide and still came to class, albeit tired, YOU DID IT.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ndash; For the single dad who works 80 hours a week to support his children, you survived, and YOU DID IT.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ndash; For those who suffer from food insecurity, you found ways to feed your families, attend classes, and do well; YOU DID IT.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ndash; For all the parents and grandparents, who had to balance family life, work life, and school life, YOU DID IT.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ndash; For the student whose first language is NOT English, you worked hard, persevered, and YOU DID IT.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ndash; For the student who had to get up at 5:30 in the morning to take three buses to make it to school, YOU DID IT.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ndash; For the student with differing learning abilities, you found the resources to help you, you succeeded, and YOU DID IT.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ndash; For the older generation students who may have felt a little uncomfortable at first, but then realized so many of your classmates looked to you for guidance, YOU DID IT.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ndash; For the younger dual-enrollment students who were a bit nervous to attend college, YOU DID IT.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ndash; For the students from around the world, who were willing to share your cultures, foods, music, dance, and histories, THANK YOU. YOU DID IT.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ndash; For those students who had been formerly incarcerated, thank you for trusting in us and joining our &amp;ldquo;HCC Community.&amp;rdquo; YOU DID IT.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ndash; For the students who had to do this all alone, without much help from anyone. Be very proud; YOU DID IT.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ndash; For the students who were fortunate to get help from others; congratulations, YOU DID IT.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ndash; For the students who had to withdraw from one or two classes because life outside of school happened, you came back again, and YOU DID IT.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ndash; For the students who had to withdraw from college, you chose to come back and do well; YOU DID IT.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whether it took you two years or seven years to be on this stage, the amount of time does NOT matter. What is important is this&amp;hellip; &amp;ldquo;You did it and you did it well&amp;rdquo; Your story is still being written, but this chapter proves how strong you truly are.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have also learned a few other things from you over the years&amp;hellip;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I&amp;rsquo;ve heard words and phrases from your generation, and they have changed often.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the past, these have been the words&amp;hellip;.gnarly, radical, Da Bomb, Talk to the Hand, That&amp;rsquo;s BLING, Holla, Chillaxin, That&amp;rsquo;s LIT, That&amp;rsquo;s sick, you&amp;rsquo;ve got swag, That&amp;rsquo;s Brick, Ghosting&amp;hellip;.which many of you did, leading up to my final exams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And nowadays, you say&amp;hellip;. Bougie, try to spell that word, and&amp;nbsp; Bruh &amp;hellip; Even my young granddaughters say to me, &amp;ldquo;Bruh.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And lastly, there&amp;rsquo;s &amp;ldquo;6-7&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 6-7&amp;rdquo; and &amp;ldquo;Clock it&amp;rdquo; or are these for last year, 2025? Who knows what this year will bring, but I look forward to finding out soon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I&amp;rsquo;d like to end with a meaningful quote from Pope Leo:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Let us learn to be rich in a different way: more attentive to relationships, more intent on valuing the common good, more attached to the local area, more grateful in welcoming and integrating those who come to live with us.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am very grateful for this honor and the privilege to speak today. Find joy in each and every day, work hard, continue to ask questions and be curious, and make sure to be kind in all ways.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are so very proud of you for this wonderful accomplishment. Enjoy the spotlight today and continue to shine brightly as you move forward in life. And always remember again, be true to yourself! &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for sharing your lives with us at HCC &amp;hellip; we truly appreciate you!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And now, I am VERY proud to introduce you to two of my six granddaughters, who are both 11 years old &amp;ndash; Clare Rose Craven and Piper Mae Sullivan; they would like to say a few words to you in Spanish. All six of my granddaughters attend EN White Elementary School in Holyoke where they have been learning Spanish for the past seven years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Clare and Piper &amp;hellip;&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations, graduates! Never forget the saying: if you can dream it, you can do it!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Felicidades, graduados! Nunca olviden el refran: si lo puedos sonar, lo puedes hacer!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: HCC English Professor Patricia Sullivan delivers the keynote address at HCC's 79th Commencement on May 30.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22306" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/never-too-late" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260601T18:54:40" CategoryIds="65|165|673" FileName="x22306.xml" Name="Never Too Late" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Yasmari-COMMENCE-web2.jpg" Title="Never Too Late" Abstract="Yasmari Cardenales '26 gave the student address at Commencement on May 30. She graduated with high honors and her associate degree in Foundations of Health." ThumbnailAltText="Student orator Yasmari Cardenales '26 gives her Commencement address" IntroCopy="&quot;It’s never too late to begin again. Never stop searching for your missing pieces. Never stop learning. Never stop growing. And never underestimate the power of a community that supports you, challenges you, and believes in your vision.&quot; – Yasmari Cardenales '26" Date="2026-05-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Yaxmari-COMMENCE-web1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Yasmari Cardenales '26, of Springfield, gave the student address at HCC's 79th Commencement on May 30. She graduated with high honors and her associate degree in Foundations of Health. She is transferring to Elms College for her bachelor's degree in nursing.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'D&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;o you like jigsaw puzzles? I do!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I&amp;rsquo;ve always believed that life is a lot like one. When you open the box, you&amp;rsquo;re drawn to that picture on the front of something beautiful, something meaningful. That picture becomes your vision, the person you hope to become, the life you&amp;rsquo;re working toward.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You proceed with the edges, the foundation. Some pieces fit together easily into place and others can leave you feeling frustrated and wondering if you&amp;rsquo;re even building the right picture. Sometimes you need to step away and sometimes you just need help seeing what&amp;rsquo;s right in front of you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And sometimes, you don&amp;rsquo;t even realize you&amp;rsquo;ve been holding onto all the right pieces all along until, suddenly, they begin to come together.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Standing here today, I realize just how powerful that moment truly is. It is an incredible honor to be part of the Class of 2026 and an even greater honor to speak in front of YOU. A room FULL of people who have ALL been building their own puzzles, piece by piece, in their own unique ways.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before anything else, I want to thank every person who encouraged me along the way. Your love, your patience, and your support carried me here. I wouldn&amp;rsquo;t be standing on this stage without you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have a secret to share. Don&amp;rsquo;t tell anyone, but I left high school 26 years ago with no idea what my journey would look like. Life felt so much simpler then. To make ends meet, I worked multiple jobs, and I took opportunities as they came. I stayed involved in my community and kept searching for where my purpose fit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the years, I built a life I was proud of. I met my wife &amp;ndash; my greatest supporter. We built a home together, and we welcomed our daughter Sofia into the world.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My time with the American Red Cross over the last 20 years has taught me compassion, resilience, and the importance of serving others. But after COVID, something shifted. The world felt uncertain, and so did I. I realized that there were pieces missing from my puzzle. Pieces I had been searching for without even knowing their shape. I wanted options, and I wanted growth. And, as a first-generation college student, I knew that if education was my next step, I would give it everything I had.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2023, I took the leap and applied to HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Why HCC you ask?&amp;nbsp; Well, because it felt like a place where someone like me could truly belong, and I had my checklist ready. After more than 20 years away from school, I needed smaller classrooms, I needed support, and I needed a community where I felt safe enough to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I entered the Foundations of Health program, my advisor, Lori Wayson helped me believe I could actually do this. She understood what it meant to return to school as a working mother and an adult learner. I started off with night classes, and before long I was balancing a full-time course load and full-time job.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And, guys, listen: When a Puerto Rican lesbian woman says she&amp;rsquo;s going to do something, she does it!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even when I couldn&amp;rsquo;t see the full picture, I kept going. Piece by piece, that vision became clearer. Each class, each late night, each challenge &amp;ndash; they were all pieces finding their place.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I&amp;rsquo;d be standing here today. But that&amp;rsquo;s the thing about puzzles: you don&amp;rsquo;t always see how everything fits together until you take a step back and look at just how far you&amp;rsquo;ve come.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, I stand here graduating with the Class of 2026, and I am truly humbled and deeply proud to share that I have been accepted into the Elms College nursing program and have been awarded the Presidential Scholarship for my BSN. It's a beautiful reward for all of my hard work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you to everyone who became part of that picture through class discussions, NSLS, long nights studying for A&amp;amp;P practicals, and every single moment in between.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And to every adult learner here: it&amp;rsquo;s never too late to begin again. Never stop searching for your missing pieces. Never stop learning. Never stop growing. And never underestimate the power of a community that supports you, challenges you, and believes in your vision. Even when you&amp;rsquo;re still trying to figure out the picture on the box.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations, Class of 2026. We did it!&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Student keynote speaker Yasmari Cardenales '26&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22299" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/asn-pinning-2026" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260526T18:48:40" CategoryIds="3|355|65|165" FileName="x22299.xml" Name="ASN Pinning 2026" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/HCC-Nursing-Pinning-STUDENT-web.jpg" Title="ASN grads pinned" Abstract="Holyoke Community College celebrated the graduation of 43 nursing students with a traditional pinning ceremony on Thursday, May 21." ThumbnailAltText="HCC nursing grad Luz Pizarro at 2026 pinning ceremony" IntroCopy="Forty-three nursing grads celebrated at pinning ceremony" Date="2026-05-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/HCC-Nursing-CO26-2-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College celebrated the graduation of 43 students from its Associate in Science in Nursing degree program on Thursday, May 21.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The students were recognized during a pinning ceremony in HCC&amp;rsquo;s Leslie Phillips Theater, during which they were formally inducted into the health care field as soon-to-be registered nursing professionals. During a traditional pinning ceremony, new nursing graduates light candles, receive their nursing pin, and recite the Nightingale Pledge.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The graduates, many of whom are already working, will sit for their exams before becoming licensed as registered nurses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke Community College Associate of Science in Nursing Degree Graduates for 2026:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Scott Kelly, Innessa Schneider&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Natalie Daigle, Mackenzie Stanton&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chester:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rebecca Boisseau&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mia Almodovar, Eduard Chadayev, Sarah Geffin, Renea McClemmon, Melissa McCormick, Erin P. O&amp;rsquo;Donnell, Jonathan St. George, Megan Therrien&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Elishama Jean, Nicole Lapointe&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Glastonbury, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Larissa Barriento&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Liushka Borrero Ramos, Erin F. O&amp;rsquo;Donnell, Nicole Ouimet, Judeliz Rodriguez, Melissa Sepulveda, Aidan Stark&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Indian Orchard:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amanda Montalban&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anthony Ekmalian&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shamina Evans&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Montgomery:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jordan Panniello&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Madeline Gray, Antwan Saenz&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Michelle Bates, Olivie Hersey Brown, Lynn Lacombe, Christina Nguyen, Alanis Ortiz, Luz Pizarro, Sarom Toum-Rivera&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Terryville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dawn Butz&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tolland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ashley Littlefield&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sophia Boardway, Hannah Bonifacio, Denisse Vazquez&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jill Krueger, Aimee Williams&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westhampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anna Hlava&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) HCC nursing grad Luz Pizarro of Springfield gets &quot;pinned.&quot; (Above) HCC ASN Class of 2026.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22298" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/marieb-award-2026" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260520T19:06:02" CategoryIds="66|3" FileName="x22298.xml" Name="Marieb Award 2026" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Marieb-Patty-Sullivan-web.jpg" Title="'My Second Home'" Abstract="Longtime English Professor and alum Patricia Sullivan '76 was honored with the 2026 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence Award." ThumbnailAltText="HCC English Professor Patricia Sullivan and her grand-daughters" IntroCopy="&quot;HCC has become my second home. Really. Truly. I could have retired many years ago, and I choose to stay. I don't want to leave.&quot; – Patricia Sullivan '76" Date="2026-05-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Marieb-Patty-Sullivan-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Longtime Holyoke Community College English Professor Patricia Sullivan, a Holyoke resident and HCC alum, is the recipient of the 2026 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence Award, the college&amp;rsquo;s highest faculty honor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As this year&amp;rsquo;s awardee, she will lead the procession of graduates and give the keynote address at the college&amp;rsquo;s 79&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;nbsp;Commencement ceremony on May 30 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The award was one of six presented during HCC&amp;rsquo;s annual, end-of-the-year staff and faculty awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 20.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sullivan graduated from Holyoke High School in 1974 and HCC in 1976. She earned a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree from American International College and a master&amp;rsquo;s degree in English from Westfield State.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She began her professional career at HCC in 1981 as a member of the Business Department, teaching shorthand and business writing. In the early &amp;lsquo;90s, she joined the English faculty, where she has taught ever since.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;HCC has become my second home. Really. Truly,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;I could have retired many years ago, and I choose to stay. I don't want to leave. When I think about leaving, I just know that I can't &amp;ndash; yet.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She is married to former Holyoke Mayor Michael Sullivan, with whom she has three children and six grandchildren.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Marieb Award, endowed by the late HCC professor emeritus Elaine Marieb '80, recognizes a full-time faculty member for outstanding classroom teaching. Award recipients serve for one year, receive a small stipend for professional development, lead the procession at Commencement, and give the keynote graduation speech.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college also presented the Christina Royal Equity in Action Award to Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n, dean of student experience; the Idelia Smith Adjunct Faculty Award to accounting instructor Lois Koltz; the Outstanding Professional Staff Award to Mari Cintron, staff assistant in the Division of Institutional Advancement; the Outstanding Classified Staff Award to Yarida Cruz, administrative assistant in the Center for Academic Program Support; and the Outstanding Part-Time Staff Award to Monica Archibald, clerical assistant in the Center for Academic Program Support.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22297" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/honors-and-awards-2026" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260521T17:48:24" CategoryIds="4|3|165" FileName="x22297.xml" Name="Honors and Awards 2026" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Honors-Awards-Night-THREE-web.jpg" Title="Honors &amp; Awards" Abstract="HCC celebrated the students who earned honors and awards for their outstanding achievements during the 2025-2026 academic year." ThumbnailAltText="Honors and Awards Night 2026" IntroCopy="HCC celebrates students with honors and awards for 2025-2026" Date="2026-05-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/HCC-Honors-ROSA-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is proud to celebrate the students who earned honors and awards for their outstanding achievements during the 2025-2026 academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Awardees were honored Wednesday, May 20, during a ceremony in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Below is a list of HCC honorees and award recipients for the 2025-2026 academic year. Some students received multiple awards.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An alphabetical listing of students along with their specific honors and awards can be found at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/achievements/honors-and-awards&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/awards-2026&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC Honors &amp;amp; Awards for 2025-2026: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Stephanie Santiago.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Gabriel Ibekilo, Allison Morrissette, Kaitlyn Park.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brookfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rebecca Quevillon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chester:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ian Cartmill (two awards).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ana Artin, Wileynis Coll, Estefany Duron Mejia (three awards), Mandy Emery, Liudmyla Kiriukhina, Andres Lopez Pozo, Adriana Mejia, Morgan Pierog, Renee Pierre, Rebecca Romero, Alexa Turgeon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Brookfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Casey Castenir (two awards).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Xayavong Phetmany, Hailey Sutton.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Christopher Eriquezzo, Autumn Gaffney, Isabella Gitana (two awards), Emma Pelletier (two awards), Caleb Subocz, Zoe Thomas, Leah Zielenski.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sophia Hunt.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Ash Martinez, Simon Sinclair.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gilbertville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Laura Nimtz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Megan Lawson.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Greenfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amber Taylor.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Erin Cleary, AJ Jones, Matthew Morales, Martin Yanez Hernandez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hampden:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Korey Colglazier (two awards), Heather Wrona.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dayshel Allen, Jemima Kitsa, Mishie Serrano, Ivy&amp;nbsp; Wrenne Demetriou, Zoe Bickford, LeJon Gonzalez, Nicole Henchey, Victor Herlemont, Jose Perez, Nicole Rivera, Dylan Rohan,Keilymar Vazquez Negron.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Indian Orchard:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Amanda Montalban.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Will Cosgrove, Anthony Ekmalian.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sarah Kites.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Sarah Belote, Amaranth Cole (two awards), Kathryn Guinn, Noon Ladd, Lyra Schaffer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jeffry Black, Morgan Thiphavong.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Putnam, Conn.:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kody Chamberlain.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Russell:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;August Assarian.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Deerfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gabriel Chevalier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sarayah Manoogian, Amber Patruno, Jennifer Rehm, Tolly Stark, Daymen Toussaint.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Matt Riel, Toby Stearns.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mia Phillips, Elijah Robinson.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hajar Bint Farooq Carter, Arianna D&amp;aacute;vila, Alexandria Davis, Natalie Denoronha, Julius Dixon, Virginia Futrell, Dominic Garcia-Gonzalez, Jessica Heredia (two awards), Corinthia Higgins, Mariia Konokhovych, Natalie Mangan, Camrin Meyer, Noah Mulcahy, Ilayshia Negron (two awards), Shereene Robinson, Christian Rodriguez, Ninoshka Tirado Davila, Sarom&amp;nbsp; Toum-Rivera, Delphi Willingham.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunderland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Todd Van Mourik.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thorndike:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alpy Encarnacion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Becky Daniels, Brittanie Larzazs-Rule (two awards), Ana Lima, Emily McGrail, Tanner Lockwood.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Savannah Comstock, Chase Cummings, Matt Howe, Grace Jeronimo, Madison Moore (two awards), Alicia Ricks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Elizabeth Hancharonak, Noel Herbele, Sabir Hussain, Olha Klykova, Jill Krueger, Elizabeth Kudrya, Abdullah Langrial, Amy Pilecki, Angelray Rosa (two awards), Angel Rosa.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westhampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anjou Edwards (two awards).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Anna Heimsath, Collin Trombley.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Worthington:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Lionel Nunez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) HCC students Angelray Rosa and her father Angel Rosa of Westfield celebrate their academic awards. (Thumbnail) HCC students celebrate their academic awards for 2025-2026.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22296" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/scholarships-sp26" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260521T18:00:58" CategoryIds="65|165" FileName="x22296.xml" Name="Scholarships SP26" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Scholarships-Hebert-Phillips-26-web.jpg" Title="HCC Scholarships " Abstract="The HCC Foundation has awarded 438 scholarships worth $405,000 to 422 incoming, current, and transferring HCC students for 2026-2027." ThumbnailAltText="2026 Scholarship Reception" IntroCopy="HCC celebrates scholarship awardees" Date="2026-05-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Scholarships-Araba-2026-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation has awarded $405,000 in scholarships to students for the 2026-2027 academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation awarded 438 scholarships to 422 incoming, current, and transferring HCC students. Some students received multiple scholarship awards. Individual awards range from $500 to $5,000.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC celebrated this year&amp;rsquo;s recipients and donors at a scholarship reception on May 14.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that works to advance the college&amp;rsquo;s mission, vision, and values. Founded in 1968 as the Friends of Holyoke Community College, in response to a devastating fire that forced the college to rebuild on a new campus, the Foundation now manages assets of more than $20 million, the largest community college foundation endowment in Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;An alphabetical list of scholarship recipients and their specific awards can be viewed on the HCC website at hcc.edu/scholarships-2026:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;David Abramchuk, Jacquelyn Bazelow, Celine Fleming, Olivia Gryszowka, Nellie Nedeoglo, Kenna Rainville, Anita Rotar, Aiden Therrien, Caleb White.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Serena Chen, Rachel Hanscom, Araba Murray-Adoboe, Ngawang Tsetan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Vincent Bonilla, Esat Cayan, Lila Goodrich, Gabriel Ibekilo, Brooklyn Ingellis, Christian Jean, Christina Surner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bondsville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kass Velasquez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Boston:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dj Melendez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Carbondale:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mason Barile.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chester:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Ian Cartmill.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mia Almodovar, Corey Blinn, Hailey Bowen, Kimberly Burke, Yesenia Cancel, Agnes Centeno, Keisha Chretien, Vincenzo Dandridge, Amanda Dugas, Estefany Duron Mejia, Nadia Folegnani, Christopher Fondakowski, Elizabeth Guerinot, Jesamei Gutierrez, Alex Hicks, Hannah Hurler, Donnellia Jackson, Danielle Johnson, Isabella Jones, Malali Kabir, Nicole&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Lazio, Karena&amp;nbsp; Linzi, Briana Liswell, Isabel Lopez Castro, Brandon Malave, Nashabel Martinez, Angie Martinez, Hailee Mason, Xiana Medina, Khalil Melendez, Luz Mendoza, Ethan Ortiz, Hayden Platten, Rivera Rivera, Derek Rolon, Natalie Sliwa, Savannah Soja, Alexander Soto, Nathan Szukala (two awards), Sook Yew Tang, Genesis Torres, Yanitza Torres, Alexa Turgeon, Angelis Vargas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Deerfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Samantha Melnik.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Derby, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Josh Mongillo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Alfonso Izzo, Olivia Labonte, Cameron Loranger, Xayavong Phetmany, Southep Phetmany.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Andrew Ashlock, Miranda Brown, Gabrielle Carey, Brenda Carrier (two awards), Christopher Daehne, Richard Damon, Alec Donahue, Isabella Gitana, Nataly Gonzalez, MB Gowins, Steven Hoynoski, Elishama Jean, Sawyer Kirley, Skylar Nyt, Eliot Papadakos, Emma Pelletier, Breana Rynn, Keilani Tirado.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Enfield, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kadiann Townsend.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Josh Carrier, Meghan Kennedy, Joselyne Matos.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sebastian Pacheco, Anna Teng, Carla Zhingre.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gilbertville:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Suzanne Williams (two awards).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ethan Lamore, Tina Lopez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Greenfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Elizabeth Sanchez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Emma Carvalho, AJ Jones, Katelyn Kelley, Leo Russell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hampden:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kate O'Donnell, Amy Scott (two awards), Heather Wrona.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hartford, Conn.: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Raemiah Whitaker-Brown.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hatfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Branden Learned.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hawley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Melissa Barnhart.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lexi Amburgey, Cedric Ayvazian, Max Berrios Rivera, Zoe Bisbing, Liushka Borrero Ramos, Charlie Bridges, Odaliz Cancel Acevedo, Eurene Carabuena, Franchesca Carattini, Eduardo Cardenas, Alanie Castellano, Nathalie Chavez, Shakira Colon, Shaina Colon, Carolyne Concepcion, Suleika Concepcion, Yarilis Conde Estremera, Joshua Correa, Chad Correia, Aneilys Cruz, Samantha Diaz, Dinmariel Ferrer, Tanayri Figueroa, Misterna Isaac, Deysie Isaac, Jemima Kitsa, Alicia Knapp, Cristal LaSanta, Athena Lebron, Rose Luciano, Tiff Mackey (two awards), Deshaun Malave, Arthur Mazzu, Luis Medina, Scarlett Mendes, Jamil Navarro, Eithan Ortiz Viera, Natalie Pelletier, Dorah Rains, Mariely Ramos, Kristen Renta-Vazquez (two awards), Lionel Resto, Jennifer Reynolds, Rafael Rivera, Nicole Rivera, Raysha Rivera, Lexyanna Rivera, Erykka Rocha, Kevin Rodgers, Jeremy&amp;nbsp; Rodriguez, Judeliz Rodriguez, Jacob Rodriguez, Vivian Rodriguez, Emmanuel Rojas, Mayrangelique Rojas De Leon, Karina Romero, Katelyn Roque, Sammy Rosa, Mya&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; Sandoval, Jerika Santana, Heidey Santos Roman, Kayla Saunders, Melissa Sepulveda, Aidan Stark, Nick&amp;nbsp; Sylvester, Sidney Valentin, Aleena Valentin, Caridad Vega-Ramos, Tawana Walter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Indian Orchard:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jailene Delgado, Savanna Machado, Douglas Moore.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;James Barnhart, Maevince Dorotan, Anthony Ekmalian.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gale Arroyo, Nathan Barnard, Alison Granfield, Brandon&amp;nbsp; Lewis, Selena Reyes, Keianna Rios.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dasia Jones.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Celina Almendarez, Jenna Baranowski, Jennifer Buri Yunga, Nyia-Marie Forbes, Kathryn Guinn, Alyssa Jost, Timo Kukharchuk, Elian Ortiz Viera, Beatrice Parent, Somnang Ren, Lyra Schaffer, Sagrario Turner, Julian Vann, Alondra Vazquez, Zachary Young.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;Martha Cobb, Aaliyah O'Dean, Lauren Pari, Luis Rivera-Alicea (two awards).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Paxton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Annastacia Dixon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pittsfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jennifer Labaw.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Putnam:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kody Chamberlain.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rochester, N.Y.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Marlowe Washington.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Russell:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amber Coley.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Deerfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sam Chevalier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Caitlin Blaney, Jenney Cheever, Zachary Cote, Bonnie Gauthier, Pacey&amp;nbsp; Gauthier,Brea Johnson, Morgan Justin, Molly Menard, Sarah Nicholson, Josephine Roman (two awards), Karie Rosa Rodriguez, Brett Russell, Tolly Stark, Christopher Walczak.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Logan Allen, Alyshah Perez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mohammed Al Anssari, Jolene Alexander, Suzette Appiah, Barenda Bandara, Acianna Bethea, Hajar Bint Farooq Carter, Daliza Burgos, Jennifer Byrd, Kyra Caballero-Staples, Briesalie Cabrera, Aslin Cadiz, Akilah Carter, Gaia Ciano, Giannie Collins, Donatien-Takeys Cooke, Brianna Coughlin, Crystal Coulson, Stephanie Cross, Jamal Cumberbatch, Kayla Dagenais, Shamira Davis, John De Jesus-Reyes, Sheynalie Delgado Ramos, Lisa Delvalle, Neysha Diaz, Yahaira&amp;nbsp; Diaz, Julius Dixon, Tina Doucette, Jackie Escobar, Ana Estien, Renata Fabelo, Ariana Fitzpatrick, Nijiah Gamble, Arianna Gonzalez, Joseph Gonzalez Marrero, Eliani Gonzalez Rivera, Nina Graham, Rafael Alfonzo Guarema Ramirez, Keith Hajjar, Sanai Hale, Sophia Hallo, Caden Heffner, Sarah Herlihy, Yuliia Honhalo, Stephanie Huynh, Lydia Iheanacho, Ellie Kaimi, Zephaniah Langley, Jesenia Lopez, Cristian Lopez, Marqueli Lopez Argueta, Ruth Lucien, Natalie Mangan, Katherine Martinez-Taveras, Aidyl Melendez, Melainie Miranda, Norma Moreno, Maschil Morgan, Kyrah Morgan, Evelina Moses Sanchez, Ilayshia Negron, Christina Nguyen, Dayannette Pabon, Luz Pizarro, Camila Reyes, Patricia Richardson, Annalisa Rizzo, Ahiritza Robles Marrero, Lyara Rodriguez, Maria Rolon, Idaisha Rosemond, Luis Ruiz, Kayla Santos-Bermudez, Naileah Soler, Jennie Son, TY Spencer, Celina Sumler, Brian Sutter, Wanda Torres, Sarom Toum-Rivera, Felix Vazquez, Narya Waring, Nakisha Williams, Melissa Wing, Genezaret Morant-Gonzalez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stafford Springs, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Danielle Seibles.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunderland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amber Gubitose, Todd Van Mourik.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Terryville, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dawn Butz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three Rivers:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;Richard Gula.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Turners Falls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sharilynn Bertrand, Rhylissa Doxzen, Chloe Goodnough.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tyler Bonilla (two awards), Kenyce Crump, Andrew Daniels, Brittanie Larzazs-Rule, Samantha Lowe, Heather Martin, Anthony Mendoza, Isabella Perez, Alexis Rivera (two awards), Gavin Sawabi.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Warren:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rebecca Cookson.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Patrick Assenga, Michelle Boucher, Savannah Comstock, Haley Corrigan, Ilana Dieterle, Sam Lacus, Viktoria Livchin Livchin, Emily Lozinski, Charles Machmud, Nahida Mahamane, Merlin Manzanarez, Angie Marquez, Nessalyn Neth, Marie Robinson, Vadim Savitskiy, Gracyn Shanahan, Kaitlyn Sheehan, Sheila Warren.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Warren:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Melissa Drago.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yahia Ajam, Cari Avalone, Neremy Babu, Alicia Booth, Alicia Booth, Abigail Brenzel, Angelou Cardoza, Rebeca Cuba, Rebecca Dixon, Kseniia Dromova, Finn Evans, Gavin Fabiani, Liubov Gun, Amanda Janisieski, Elizabeth Kudrya, Milana Mukha, Ariana Navarro, Michael Navarro, Celines Nieves Ramos, Kyle Philleson, Chloe Phillips, Sandra&amp;nbsp; Rhoden, Chloe Rosario, Todd Therrien, Matthew Vinces, Lauren Yates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rebecca Leigh Guertin, Miranda Krauza, Alek Milov (two awards), Alek&amp;nbsp; Milov, Mostaffa Saleh.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Williamsburg: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jeff Gougeon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) HCC student Araba Murray-Adoboe of Amherst celebrates her scholarship award with her family and President George Timmons. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Donor and HCC Foundation board member Ted Hebert chats with student Chloe Phillips of Westfield, recipient of the Ted and Barbara Hebert Teddy Bear Pools Scholarship for Working Students.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22292" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/the-ties-that-bind" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260512T18:11:56" CategoryIds="4|65|227" FileName="x22292.xml" Name="The Ties That Bind" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/GREENT-MONSON-SHIRT-web.jpg" Title="The Ties That Bind" Abstract="CONNECTION SPECIAL: HCC launches The Green Thread, a podcast of alumni interviews." ThumbnailAltText="Sarah Monson'03 (Episode 6)" IntroCopy="&quot;With each alumni guest, we’re capturing not just their individual journey, but a snapshot of HCC at a specific moment in time, preserving the voices, stories and lived experiences that define what this institution has meant across generations.” – Julie Phillips, executive director of development" Date="2026-05-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/GREENT-CONNOLLYS-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story also appears in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://theconnection.hcc.edu/issue/spring-2026/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Spring 2026 edition of The Connection,&lt;/a&gt; the HCC college magazine.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;F&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;or first-year communications major Mikey Connolly, the green thread begins circa 2003, several years before he was born.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That&amp;rsquo;s when his father, Myke Connolly &amp;rsquo;04, then a graphic design major and a student senator, attended an HCC fundraising event at Juggler Meadow in Leverett, Massachusetts, the sprawling estate of Michael Kittredge &amp;rsquo;73.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Connolly was eager to meet the legendary founder of the Yankee Candle Company and points to their conversation that night as a pivotal moment in his own development as a serial entrepreneur. The advice Kittredge offered gave Connolly the confidence to pursue his own business ideas.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He is now founder and CEO of Launch and Stand Out, a Springfield-based advertising and marketing agency, and Stand Out Truck, a mobile billboard company, as well as an author, publisher, motivational speaker, and teacher. The lessons Connolly gleaned over the years from the man he calls his mentor he is now passing on to his son, Mikey, himself a budding entrepreneur and creator of The Realistic CEO podcast, which he started in high school.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I knew I wanted to get into business from watching my dad,&amp;rdquo; said Mikey, who started raking leaves for money while still in elementary school. &amp;ldquo;Michael Kittredge definitely still lives through us. Every day, my dad mentions some example of what Michael Kittredge taught him.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kittredge to Connolly to Connolly.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can&amp;rsquo;t see it, but there&amp;rsquo;s an invisible thread that binds them.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fittingly, the Connollys, father and son, were the first guests to appear on The Green Thread, a new monthly podcast developed by the HCC alumni office in conjunction with WCCH, the college radio station.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We had been kicking around the idea of a podcast for a few years,&amp;rdquo; said Julie Phillips, HCC executive director of development. &amp;ldquo;There are so many alumni stories to tell. We were looking for another way to put those stories out there front and center in a way that our community can listen to them where they want and when they want, on their commute, while they&amp;rsquo;re doing chores, wherever.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The podcast title derives from the &amp;ldquo;Red String of Fate&amp;rdquo; theory from East Asian mythology, where, it is said, an invisible string, or thread, connects people who are destined to meet.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The theme came out of a collaborative conversation,&amp;rdquo; said Phillips. &amp;ldquo;We were talking about HCC&amp;rsquo;s mission&amp;thinsp;&amp;mdash;&amp;thinsp;&amp;lsquo;Educate, Inspire, Connect&amp;rsquo;&amp;thinsp;&amp;mdash;&amp;thinsp;and trying to come up with something that captures the essence of our community and our alumni.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During a development committee meeting, Jane Johnson Vottero, director of marketing and communications, mentioned the idea of the red thread.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;That made us think of the green thread,&amp;rdquo; said Phillips, &amp;ldquo;the thread that connects us all at HCC.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The podcast is co-hosted by Natalia Castagno, HCC assistant director for alumni relations, and Patrick Labelle, WCCH station manager. The shows are recorded in the HCC podcast room, recently upgraded with new recording equipment and soundproofing, paid for in part by the HCC Foundation&amp;rsquo;s microphilanthropy campaign.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As of this writing, six episodes of The Green Thread have been produced and are available for streaming directly from the &lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/the-green-thread&quot; title=&quot;The Green Thread&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/the-green-thread&quot;&gt;HCC website&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and on Spotify.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since Episode 1 debuted in October, Castagno and Labelle have interviewed Alumni Council vice president Elizabeth Rom&amp;aacute;n &amp;rsquo;03, executive editor of news at New England Public Media (Ep. 2); Jason Perez &amp;rsquo;22, a criminal justice major and 2025 legal studies graduate of Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (Ep. 3); Zydalis (Zayas) Bauer &amp;rsquo;09, digital/multimedia producer and editor with the New England News Collaborative (Ep. 4); Louis Burgos &amp;rsquo;14, &amp;rsquo;18, HCC multimedia specialist (Ep. 5); and Sarah Monson &amp;rsquo;03, senior director of philanthropy and external relations at the Aurora Women and Girls Foundation (Ep. 6). Many more episodes are in the pipeline. (UPDATE: Season 1 concluded May 1 with Episode 8 and will return in the fall.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re building an oral history of the HCC experience,&amp;rdquo; said Phillips. &amp;ldquo;With each alumni guest, we&amp;rsquo;re capturing not just their individual journey, but a snapshot of HCC at a specific moment in time, preserving the voices, stories and lived experiences that define what this institution has meant across generations.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;t&amp;rsquo;s already become a hallmark of the show for the hosts to tease out the green threads that connect alumni to the college&amp;thinsp;&amp;mdash;&amp;thinsp;and to each other.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For instance, as it turns out, Rom&amp;aacute;n (Ep. 2) was a mentor to Bauer (Ep. 4). They met while Rom&amp;aacute;n was the bilingual reporter for the&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Springfield Republican&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;and Bauer was in her first year at HCC and an intern for the Latino Youth Media Institute at WGBY, the public television station in Springfield that is now part of New England Public Media. They worked together on &amp;ldquo;Presencia,&amp;rdquo; a bilingual series on WGBY and still work together now at NEPM on a show called &amp;ldquo;Conexi&amp;oacute;n,&amp;rdquo; a video series that explores Latinos&amp;rsquo; connections to the outdoors.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s been the most amazing experience,&amp;rdquo; Bauer said on The Green Thread. &amp;ldquo;She&amp;rsquo;s such an inspiration.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The threads aren&amp;rsquo;t just linear, from one generation to the next, though, but can go in any direction, or split and take new turns. Like sideways, as in Rom&amp;aacute;n&amp;rsquo;s connection to her classmate Chris Maza &amp;rsquo;04, executive editor of&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;The Reminder&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;publications. Rom&amp;aacute;n and Maza met when they were studying journalism at HCC and writing for&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;The Phoenix&lt;/em&gt;, the HCC college newspaper.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re both doing the same kind of work,&amp;rdquo; Rom&amp;aacute;n said. &amp;ldquo;But HCC affected my personal life too. The fact that we&amp;rsquo;re still friends now is really meaningful to me. I saw him get married. I saw when he and his wife had their baby, and that is a really special thing.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For his green thread, Perez cited a continuing relationship with his HCC adviser and mentor Adina Giannelli, dean of social services, arts and humanities, as well as his ongoing work with the HCC criminal justice advisory council and pre-law club.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I want to do mentoring of criminal justice students,&amp;rdquo; said Perez, who plans to attend law school. &amp;ldquo;I want to be able to show them that transferring to a four-year university is possible, and even graduate school is possible.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes the thread loops back on itself. Burgos earned his first associate degree from HCC in criminal justice, then came back for a second in communications, media, and theater arts. That led him to Westfield State University for a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree in communications, a career in digital media, and eventually back to the college as HCC&amp;rsquo;s videographer and social media manager. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;As we&amp;rsquo;ve gotten to know the guests, it&amp;rsquo;s been interesting to really see the green threads that bind them, either to the college or to each other,&amp;rdquo; said Castagno.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In his staff position and as a volunteer adviser to the HCC Photography Club, Burgos now gets to share his technical expertise and HCC wisdom with a new generation of students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And the green thread continues.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Alum Sarah Monson '03 was the featured guest on Episode 6. (Above) Green Thread co-hosts Patrick LaBelle, left, and Natalia Castagno get ready to record their interview with guests Mikey Connolly and his father, Myke Connolly &amp;rsquo;04.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22288" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/phi-theta-kappa-sp26" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260511T16:29:42" CategoryIds="4|3|193|165" FileName="x22288.xml" Name="Phi Theta Kappa SP26" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/PTK-sga-SP26-web.jpg" Title="HCC Honors Inductees" Abstract="HCC is proud to announce that 169 students have been accepted for membership into the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society for 2026." ThumbnailAltText="Students Jose Perez, Emma Pelletier, and Angelray Rosa celebrate their induction into Phi Theta Kappa." IntroCopy="Induction ceremony held Thursday, May 7" Date="2026-05-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/PTK-sga-SP26-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is proud to announce that 169 HCC students have been accepted for membership into the Alpha Xi Omega chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society for 2026. Students are invited to join Phi Theta Kappa when they have completed 15 college credits while maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's 2026 inductees were recognized during a campus celebration on Thursday, May 7.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;David Abramchuk, Aidan Cavanaugh, Kenna Rainville.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Alvaro Betancourt, Brianah Edwards, Alexander Houghton.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Gabriel Ibekilo, Christian Jean, Vivienne Pelletier, Jennifer Shaink, Christina Surner, AJ Terry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bernardston:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kelly Trudeau.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Buckland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jamie Chase.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chester:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ian Cartmill.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Amwag Al Jebur, Gabryella Arroyo, Gabriel Chevalier, Chidochashe Chiduku, Alexzander Delgado, Estefany Duron Mejia, Vladislav Gargun, Eric Howell, Nicole Letendre, Briana Liswell, Juliana Lovely, Brandon Malave, Tyrese Marin, Jessica Marshall, Derek Paul, Piper Prejsner, Liam Reed, Israel Scott, Vashon Sutton, Cameisha Taylor-Smith, Alexa Turgeon, Kyler Viafara, Brenda Zambrana-Ruiz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lily Bernier, Tiffany Henshaw, Patricia Knas, Vitoria Moran, Averie Narreau, Hailey Sutton,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Brianna Chartier, Alec Donahue, Tetiana Dudiak, Nataly Gonzalez, Eliot Papadakos, Emma Pelletier, Zoe Thomas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Enfield, Conn.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Maya Matthews.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jose Dejesus, Grace Leiper, Giuliana Silva.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alexa Colly, Nicholas Grimaldi, Simon Sinclair.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Greenfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Ashley Benedetti, Sarah Coulsey..&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Emma Carvalho, Meichal Chapin, Erin Cleary.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hampden:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Adam Poulin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Thomas Flavell, Elliott Anthony, Ruth Arzuaga Rodriguez, Zoe Bickford, Zoe Bisbing, Ivy Wrenne Demetriou, Michelina Granger, Jemima Kitsa, Josiah Mastromonaco, Rose Michaud, Misteny Montano, Jose Perez, Rafael Rivera, Kevin Rodgers, Angel Romero, Abigail Roy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Huntington:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Chelsea O'Brien.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Indian Orchard:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shanice Linnehan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thomas Cosgrove, Sawyer Hindley, Sreeman Kondaveeti, Benjamin Mahoney.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cameron Leblanc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dasia Jones, Eric Madison, Madilynn Mason.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Aquari Adel, Kathryn Guinn, Lydia Ladd, Erin Lampron, Waverly Mangum, Ash Lee Martinez, Orlando Morales, Claire Nan, Beatrice Parent, Lyra Schaffer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Morgen Swallow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pelham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nguyen Tam Nguyen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Russell:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;August Assarian.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rutland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lindsey Brown.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Deerfield&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gabriel Chevalier, Samual Chevalier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Patricia Bisson, Caitlin Blaney, Jennifer Cheever, Alyssa Dusseault, Marc Rogers, Nicole Veloz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Beatrice Hamilton, Addison Hufnagle, Zeik Wiemer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jonathan Petticoffer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Suzette Appiah, Kelsey Babineau, Joshua Barcomb, Acianna Bethea, Iliana Caban, Naylani Collazo-Cartagena, Aleisha&amp;nbsp; Correa Gomez, Veronica Dos Reis Paulino, Joan Doucette, Ana Estien, Renata Fabelo, Wilma Ferrer, Mia Figueroa, Dominic Garcia-Gonzalez, Isabelle Garutti, Jewlette Henry, Zephaniah Langley, Aishea Lewis, Aidyl Melendez, Camrin Meyer, Matthew Moran, Ilayshia Negron, Tiffany Richardson, Alba Rios Olmedo, J-Ivan Rodriguez, Yaritza Ruiz, Naileah Soler.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunderland:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jeronimo Monsalve.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brittanie Larzazs-Rule, Heather Martin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Warren:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rebecca Cookson.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Patrick Assenga, Savannah Comstock, Noah Cunningham, Matthew Howe, Baye Leary, Benjamin Macgrath, Hannah Maiorano, Nessalyn Neth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alicia Booth, Akeeva Forcier, Danielle Hoctor, Sabir Hussain, Olivia Irving, Chloe Phillips, Sandra Rhoden, Angelray Rosa, Jessica Starkey, Casey Stegbuchner, Lauren Yates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Leah Healy, Miranda Krauza.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Williamsburg: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Geoffery Gougeon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC students Jose Perez, Emma Pelletier, and Angelray Rosa celebrate their induction into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22279" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/julissa-colon-x22279" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260504T19:00:48" CategoryIds="66|65|165|609" FileName="x22279.xml" Name="Julissa Colón" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Julissa-Colon-Fresh-web.jpg" Title="A New Dean Rises" Abstract="Holyoke Community College has hired alum and long-time staff member Julissa Colón '13 as its first dean of student experience. " ThumbnailAltText="Julissa Colón '13" IntroCopy="Julissa Colón '13 is HCC's first dean of student experience" Date="2026-05-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Julissa-Colon-Fresh-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is pleased to announce that Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n of South Hadley has been selected as the college&amp;rsquo;s first dean of student experience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Col&amp;oacute;n, 44, is a 2013 graduate of HCC. She started working at the college in 2010 as a clerk for the Gateway to College program, earning her associate degree in liberal arts. After earning a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree from Smith College in Latin American Studies and History, she was hired as special programs coordinator for Gateway to College, continuing her studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she received a master&amp;rsquo;s degree in public administration and a graduate certificate in gender leadership and public policy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2020, Col&amp;oacute;n was hired as the inaugural director of El Centro, HCC&amp;rsquo;s bilingual support program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, as the first dean of student experience, she oversees new student programs, including orientation; Student Engagement, which includes student clubs and activities; wellness programs, including the college&amp;rsquo;s on-campus partnership with the Center for Human Development; and Commencement. She also serves as chair of the HCC Care Team and as the student conduct officer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Julissa brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this position, including program development and implementation, assessment of program outcomes, budgetary oversight, and strengthening HCC&amp;rsquo;s position as a Hispanic Serving Institution,&amp;rdquo; said Renee Tastad, assistant vice president of student affairs and enrollment management. &amp;ldquo;What sets her apart, however, is her 15 years of experience working directly with HCC students.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Col&amp;oacute;n started her new job in January.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;ldquo;I genuinely love HCC,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;I love our students. I love the staff and faculty that I work with. I love what HCC imagines itself to be, and I say 'imagines itself' because we are always striving to be better.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Col&amp;oacute;n grew up in Springfield. She is the mother of two grown children, Christian, 20, and Luna Aponte, 25, a 2021 HCC graduate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC has been my home for so long, said Col&amp;oacute;n. &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;ve been here for 15 years and the amount of growth that I&amp;rsquo;ve experienced as a student, as the parent of a student here, as the aunt of a student here, is tremendous. My family has been here. My friends are here. My folks come here. My commitment to my community is here.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n in the HCC Courtyard during Fresh Check Day on April 29.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22275" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/clean-energy-grant-sp26" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260427T16:07:33" CategoryIds="69|193|194" FileName="x22275.xml" Name="Clean Energy Grant SP26" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/solar-brown-roof-web.jpg" Title="Clean Energy Grant" Abstract="HCC has been awarded a $455K grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to continue clean energy career training programs.   " ThumbnailAltText="Jayshawn Brown of Springfield works on a solar panel installation training project" IntroCopy="HCC awarded $455K grant for clean energy careers training" Date="2026-04-22" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/solar-panel-roof-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded a $455,000 grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to continue and refine its clean energy careers training programs. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In particular, the grant will pay for two free training programs for up to 30 individuals, Introductory Training in Construction, Electricity and Clean Energy Systems in fall 2026, and Solar Installer / Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship program in spring 2027.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC piloted both programs in 2025 after receiving a $1.42 million grant from the Mass. Executive Office of Education for climate-related workforce training initiatives. The new award is part of a $7 million allocation in clean energy and climatetech grants announced last month by the Healey-Driscoll administration.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The first grant was really to design, develop, and essentially figure out what would work in our market,&amp;rdquo; said Kermit Dunkelberg, HCC assistant vice president of adult basic education and workforce development. &amp;ldquo;Now we&amp;rsquo;ll not just be continuing but refining these programs to achieve even stronger outcomes.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The MassCEC grants will support 17 organizations through four programs: Equity Training Implementation; Climate Critical Training, Equipment and Infrastructure; Climate Critical Underrepresented Business Support; and Student and Young Adult Career Awareness and Training. They are designed to help local organizations expand inclusive training, career awareness, and business support for jobs such as electricians , solar technicians, HVAC-R technicians, energy auditors, refrigeration technicians, and EV charger technicians.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC received its grant through the Equity Training Implementation program track.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC was the only community college in Massachusetts to receive a dedicated grant, while the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges, a consortium of all 15 community colleges in the state, received $120,000 to support HVAC programs across the community college system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Massachusetts is leading the nation in clean energy and climatetech, and that leadership depends on a strong, skilled workforce,&amp;rdquo; said Gov. Maura Healey. &amp;ldquo;These investments will connect with residents across the state to good-paying careers while helping employers meet growing demand. We are building a clean energy economy that creates opportunity in every region and real jobs for Massachusetts workers.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC&amp;rsquo;s key partners in the grant are Holyoke&amp;rsquo;s Dean Technical High School, where the clean energy training classes meet, and solar industry companies PV Squared and SolaBlock.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other partners include MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board, Coalition for Equitable Economy, Springfield Works, Browning the Green Space, and the Entrepreneurship &amp;amp; Business Collaborative.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Thanks to these grants, we&amp;rsquo;ve been able to connect students to career pathways that can be very challenging to get into,&amp;rdquo; said Mary Wager, HCC workforce and economic development training manager. &amp;ldquo;Through our programs and partnerships, students are introduced to building trades unions, in particular, the electrical workers union and carpentry union, as well as solar installer and electrical apprenticeship opportunities.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since 2025, HCC has run the introductory clean energy introductory program three times, the solar tech program once, a weatherization program two times, and recently introduced an Introduction to Manufacturing and Clean Energy Applications pilot program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;These programs are creating opportunities for underserved populations,&amp;rdquo; said Dunkelberg. &amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s not just opening the pathways but reaching deeply into the community to create the access that&amp;rsquo;s been missing.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Program enrollment will begin during the summer, but applicants can fill out a general interest form now at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/cleanenergy&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Jayshawn Brown of Springfield, a student in HCC's solar tech training program works on a solar panel installation project at Dean Technical High School. (Above) Students in HCC's solar tech training program works on a solar panel installation project at Dean Technical High School.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22259" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/jessica-nicklin" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260407T13:53:06" CategoryIds="4|66|3|165" FileName="x22259.xml" Name="Jessica Nicklin" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Nicklin-web-Campus-BLUR-BACKGROUND.jpg" Title="HCC Hires Provost" Abstract="After 17 years at the University of Hartford as a professor and administrator, Jessica M. Nicklin will take on the role of HCC provost and vice president of academic affairs. " ThumbnailAltText="Jessica M. Nicklin" IntroCopy="Jessica M. Nicklin, Ph.D., begins her job at HCC July 1." Date="2026-04-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Nicklin-web-Campus-BLUR-BACKGROUND.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is pleased to announce that Jessica M. Nicklin has accepted the position of HCC provost and vice president of academic affairs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nicklin, Ph.D., presently serves as associate provost for faculty affairs and research and a professor of psychology at the University of Hartford, where she has worked for nearly 17 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Dr. Nicklin is a respected leader in higher education and an organizational psychologist, recognized for her strategic vision, collaborative leadership, and dedication to student, faculty, and institutional success,&amp;rdquo; President George Timmons said in an announcement to the HCC community. &amp;ldquo;She is a proud, first-generation college graduate, and her extensive experience in academic and student affairs will be instrumental in advancing our strategic plan and enhancing HCC&amp;rsquo;s impact in our community.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nicklin earned a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree in psychology as well as a Ph.D. in industrial-organizational psychology from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Soon after completing her doctorate in 2009, she received an academic appointment at the University of Hartford as assistant professor of psychology. Since then, she has risen through the academic ranks to tenured professor, while also taking on administrative responsibilities as program director, associate dean of student academic services, associate vice president for student success, assistant provost for graduate studies and research, and finally associate provost for faculty affairs and research, a position she assumed in 2023.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her role at HCC begins July 1. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This truly feels like the perfect opportunity,&amp;rdquo; Nicklin said. &amp;ldquo;The shared commitment to both academic and student affairs is what initially drew me to the position, and as I&amp;rsquo;ve engaged with the HCC community, I&amp;rsquo;ve been continually impressed and inspired by the unwavering focus on supporting students. I&amp;rsquo;m excited to join the institution at a moment of strategic planning and forward momentum.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A distinguished scholar in industrial-organizational psychology, Nicklin&amp;rsquo;s research focuses on workplace motivation, the work-family interface, and positive psychology. She is a prolific writer, consultant, and frequent speaker and holds certifications in academic life coaching.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She has received numerous awards and honors recognizing her scholarship, teaching, leadership, and service. In 2018, her alma mater, SUNY Albany, recognized Nicklin with its Outstanding Young Alumni Award.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Outside of work, she enjoys spending time, particularly outdoors, with her family: husband Chris, sons Parker, 8, and Logan, 5, and their beloved pup, Sadie, 12.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Jessica M. Nicklin&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22258" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/dust-feature" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260414T16:26:40" CategoryIds="4|193|65|165|226" FileName="x22258.xml" Name="Dust Feature" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/DUST-group-hands-web.jpg" Title="Kicking Up 'Dust'" Abstract="The HCC Theater Department production of &quot;Dust&quot; (April 16-18), a loose adaptation of “Peter Pan,&quot; explores memory and agency in the wake of a school shooting. " ThumbnailAltText="Dust promo picture" IntroCopy="HCC Theater Department staging &quot;Dust,&quot; April 16-18" Date="2026-04-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/DUST-dance-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It spoils nothing to reveal that all the characters are dead at the beginning of the play &amp;ldquo;Dust,&amp;rdquo; the teenage victims of a school shooting that is never shown on stage. What the audience does not know, though, is who did it, and why.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;No one survives, and that&amp;rsquo;s not a surprise,&amp;rdquo; says Fig Lefevre, director of the Holyoke Community College Theater Department&amp;rsquo;s spring production of the play by Danielle Mohlman. &amp;ldquo;We enter the space moments after the shooting. It&amp;rsquo;s a memory play, a reconstruction of what happened based on the fragmented memories of all the high school students who were there.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Dust&amp;rdquo; will be performed April 16-18 in the college&amp;rsquo;s Leslie Phillips Theater. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. each night with an additional matinee at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 18. The Friday, April 17, show will be ASL-interpreted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite the weighty plot, the play is a loose adaptation of the children&amp;rsquo;s classic, &amp;ldquo;Peter Pan,&amp;rdquo; with the focus on the relationship between the two main characters, Wendy and Boy, played by student actors Alicia Ricks of West Springfield and Ben Richards of Springfield. Wendy, Boy&amp;rsquo;s first crush, is a member of the girls swim team, The Mermaids, whose spirits haunt Boy the way the mermaids in Neverland torment Peter Pan and try to drown Wendy Darling out of jealousy in J.M. Barrie&amp;rsquo;s original story.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In &amp;ldquo;Dust,&amp;rdquo; Lily (played by Arianna D&amp;aacute;vila of Springfield) is a stand-in for the character Tiger Lily, who is put on display to dance for Peter Pan. &amp;ldquo;In our version, Lily is trying to fight back against that sexualization,&amp;rdquo; says Lefevre.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Similarly, Isabel (Kazz Cuyler of Holyoke), the Tinkerbell analogue, who comes between Wendy and Boy, is more of a feminist in &amp;ldquo;Dust,&amp;rdquo; not at all into Boy or Boy&amp;rsquo;s world.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;A lot of the characters parallel what&amp;rsquo;s happening in &amp;lsquo;Peter Pan, but offer a reversal of some of those dynamics,&amp;rdquo; says Lefevre.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are also mentions of Neverland and shadows, and the title refers to the fairy dust Peter Pan steals that enables The Lost Boys to fly. (In &amp;ldquo;Dust,&amp;rdquo; Boy is an altogether different kind of thief.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s not a straight adaptation,&amp;rdquo; says Lefevre, &amp;ldquo;but there are enough references that if you&amp;rsquo;re familiar, it adds something to the experience, but you don&amp;rsquo;t need to know Peter Pan to understand the play.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The narrative, as such, moves back and forth in time as the characters revisit and revise their memories to try to make sense of what happened. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s not very realistic,&amp;rdquo; says Lefevre. &amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s a little bit exaggerated, surrealistic, with a lot of movement and dance that tries to recreate this dream-like quality.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the first HCC show for Lefevre, a theater instructor who started working at HCC in September after 11 years at the University of Massachusetts as a graduate student (MFA in dramaturgy) and instructor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I wanted to do this play because it showcases elements that are particular to my style of directing, which is ensemble work and movement,&amp;rdquo; says Lefevre, who also serves as the play&amp;rsquo;s choreographer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lefevre is also a trained intimacy choreographer who has worked on shows that incorporate scenes of intimate violence, including sexual violence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This show talks about some of those topics, but doesn&amp;rsquo;t actually make us stage them,&amp;rdquo; says Lefevre. &amp;ldquo;I like that this play has a really good balance of both tackling tough topics and doing it in a way that felt safe. I hope the audience feels empowered at the end, rather than fear and hopelessness. I hope they come out of it feeling the women of our play, and the women in their communities, are powerful.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Cast:&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wendy: Alicia Ricks, of West Springfield; Boy: Ben Richards, of Springfield; Isabel: Kazz Cuyler of Holyoke; Lily: Arianna D&amp;aacute;vila, of Springfield; The Mermaids: Nicole Anderson, of Palmer; Allison Morrisette, of Belchertown; MacKenzie Campbell, of Chicopee; Edith Col&amp;oacute;n, of Springfield; Chelle Col&amp;oacute;n, of Sunderland; Karena Linzi, of Chicopee; Shea Molbury, of West Springfield; Shaina Rose, of Easthampton; Arpeggio Toro, of Amherst; Taylor Rose Wilks, of Longmeadow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IF YOU GO:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Dust&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;By Danielle Mohlman &lt;br /&gt;Directed by Fig Lefevre &lt;br /&gt;April 16-18, 7:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;April 18, 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke Community College&lt;br /&gt;Leslie Phillips Theater &lt;br /&gt;Tickets: $10 &lt;br /&gt;(Available one hour before each show at the Leslie Phillips Box Office, call 413-552-2528 to reserve, or go to hcctheater.ludus.com to purchase in advance.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22249" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gun-awards" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260330T17:28:27" CategoryIds="4|193|165|226" FileName="x22249.xml" Name="Gun Awards" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/GUN-1-web.jpg" Title="'Gun' Merits Awards" Abstract="The HCC Theater Department’s fall 2025 production of “The Last Living Gun” received three awards at the recent American College Theater Festival in Albany, N.Y. " ThumbnailAltText="Last Living Gun performance" IntroCopy="Production recognized for ensemble work, stage management, and musical direction" Date="2026-03-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/GUN-2-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Theater Department&amp;rsquo;s fall 2025 production of &amp;ldquo;The Last Living Gun&amp;rdquo; received three awards at the recent American College Theater Festival in Albany, New York.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Collectively, the cast and crew of &amp;ldquo;The Last Living Gun&amp;rdquo; earned a merit award for Ensemble Work. The play by Ryan Stevens follows a mercenary across a post-apocalyptic landscape on an epic quest to find the last gun in existence. The show was guest-directed by Cordelia Winters Dwyer, a graduate student from the University of Massachusetts Theater program.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/last-living-gun-story&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Read more about the show ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC students Ivy Wrenne Demetriou, of Holyoke, and Toby Stearns, of Southampton, received individual merit awards for their work as stage manager and musical director, respectively. Stearns also performed in the production as an actor and musician.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I'm extremely proud of everyone's work on &amp;ldquo;The Last Living Gun,&amp;rdquo; and we are very grateful for the recognition from the American College Theater Festival,&amp;rdquo; said Matt Whiton, chair of the HCC Theater Program, who also served as stage designer and production manager for the play.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC belongs to ACTF Region I, whose 2026 festival was held in January in Albany and hosted by Siena College. Region I includes colleges and universities in northern New York and all six New England states. Awards are based on the recommendations of respondents, who travel around the country to view college theater productions and offer critiques. The American College Theater Festival previously fell under the auspices of the Kennedy Center and was known as the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, but it is now independent.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Theater Department has won more than 20 ACTF awards over the past 15 years in multiple categories, including individual acting, ensemble acting, dedication to a script, stage management, musical direction, best original music, playwriting, and collaboration.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The department puts on two full productions each academic year, one in the fall and one in the spring. Rehearsals are now underway for the spring 2026 production of &amp;ldquo;Dust,&amp;rdquo; by Danielle Mohlman and directed by HCC theater professor Fig Lefevre. &amp;ldquo;Dust&amp;rdquo; will be performed April 16-18 in HCC&amp;rsquo;s Leslie Phillips Theater, with nightly performances at 7:30 p.m. and an additional 2 p.m. matinee on April 18.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Scenes from the HCC Theater Department's Fall 2025 production of &quot;The Last Living Gun.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22247" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/vega-on-board" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260324T19:14:09" CategoryIds="4|66|193|353" FileName="x22247.xml" Name="Vega On Board" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/GT-Vega-cropped-web.jpg" Title="Vega Named Trustee" Abstract="Aaron Vega '90 is a former state representative and Holyoke city councilor who is now the president and CEO of the Western Mass Economic Development Council. " ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons and new trustee Aaron Vega '90" IntroCopy="“My mom came here, my dad came here, and I came here as a little kid. That really stuck with me.” – Aaron Vega '90" Date="2026-03-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/GT-Vega-cropped-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of Aaron Vega&amp;rsquo;s earliest memories of HCC is tagging along with his mother to class when he was a young child.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;My mom came here, my dad came here, and I came here as a little kid,&amp;rdquo; he said. &amp;ldquo;That really stuck with me.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier this month, Vega &amp;lsquo;90, an HCC alum, and former state representative who is now the president and CEO of the Western Mass Economic Development Council, was appointed to the HCC Board of Trustees by Gov. Maura Healey. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He attended his first HCC board meeting on Tuesday, March 24.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Until the end of 2025, Vega, a Holyoke resident and city native, was the director of the Office of Planning and Economic Development for the City of Holyoke. From 2013 to 2021, he represented the 5&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Hampden District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He started his career in public service in Holyoke as a two-term city councilor at large.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;No stranger to HCC, Vega is an alum from the class of 1990 and received a distinguished alumni award from the college in 2015. He is the son of the late Carlos Vega, the Holyoke social activist and co-founder of the nonprofit Nueva Esperanza, himself a 1971 graduate of HCC who was honored with a Distinguished Service Award at Commencement in 2004. Vega&amp;rsquo;s daughter, Courtney Joaquin, graduated from HCC in 2018. Vega&amp;rsquo;s work for Holyoke as a city councilor and director of economic development has also kept him in close contact with the college through the years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;HCC is one of my favorite places in Holyoke, absolutely,&amp;rdquo; said Vega. &amp;ldquo;My dad was such a proponent of education and public education, and then as a state rep I served on the higher education committee, supporting HCC, so joining the board just makes sense.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After HCC, Vega transferred to Keene State University, where he earned bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degrees in psychology and film studies. He spent the first part of his career as a documentary filmmaker, working for Ken Burns&amp;rsquo; Florentine Studios.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He and his wife, Debra, are the owners of Vega Yoga &amp;amp; Movement Arts in Holyoke. Aside from the HCC Board of Trustees, Vega serves on the boards of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Mass Humanities, and New England Public Media, and is chair of the Carlos Vega Fund for Social Justice.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: President George Timmons and new trustee Aaron Vega '90&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22238" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/together-tallies-sp26" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260324T19:05:54" CategoryIds="66|193|65|165" FileName="x22238.xml" Name="Together Tallies SP26" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/HCC-TOGETHER-2026-web.jpg" Title="'Drive' Tops $1M" Abstract="The sixth annual &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives” campaign collected $131,278 from 455 alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends of the college. " ThumbnailAltText="Together HCC Drive to Change Lives campaign 2026" IntroCopy="Drive to Change Lives campaign surpasses six-year, $1M goal" Date="2026-03-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/HCC-TOGETHER-2026-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation raised more than $131,000 for scholarships and student-support programs during its March 4 &amp;ldquo;Together HCC&amp;rdquo; one-day giving campaign, surpassing its six-year, $1 million goal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The sixth annual &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&amp;rdquo; campaign received donations worth $131,278 from 455 alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends of the college during the 24-hour fundraising drive. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All of the money raised goes directly to six areas that support HCC students: academic excellence and innovation; scholarships; the Thrive Student Resource Center and Food Pantry; the President&amp;rsquo;s Student Emergency Fund; the President&amp;rsquo;s Fund for Opportunity, and the HCC Foundation&amp;rsquo;s general, unrestricted fund.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Six years ago, this community first came together to support our students during one of the hardest moments any of us had faced &amp;ndash; the COVID pandemic,&amp;rdquo; said Julie Phillips, HCC executive director of development. &amp;ldquo;Since then, we&amp;rsquo;ve raised $1,042,721 for students. We know this philanthropy has a ripple effect in strengthening our region.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation, the college&amp;rsquo;s charitable, nonprofit foundation, launched &amp;ldquo;Together HCC: A Campaign for Caring&amp;rdquo; in March 2020 to build community support and raise money for students experiencing financial distress during the pandemic. In 2021, with auto dealer Gary Rome signed on, HCC added the &amp;ldquo;Drive to Change Lives&amp;rdquo; theme and collectively raised more than $1 million for student support programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;When we invest in HCC students, we're investing in the doctors, teachers, and &amp;nbsp;business owners who are going to build this region's future,&amp;rdquo; said Rome, owner of Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke and a member of the HCC Foundation Board of Directors. &amp;ldquo;That's worth showing up for, year after year.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anyone who missed this year&amp;rsquo;s day of giving and still wants to contribute to the HCC Foundation can do so at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/13339/donations/new?donation_type=general&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/give&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Holyoke auto dealer Gary Rome joins HCC students, faculty, and staff for the March 4 Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives 24-hour fundraising campaign.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22224" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/civic-leader" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260318T18:11:05" CategoryIds="66|3|193|165" FileName="x22224.xml" Name="Civic Leader" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Civic-proclamations-web.jpg" Title="Civic Leader" Abstract="Anthropology Professor Vanessa Martinez was one of two Holyoke educators honored March 9 by the city and state during Civic Learning Week. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Anthropology Professor Vanessa Martinez, center, holds proclamations from the state House and the Senate honoring her promoting civic engagement in her classes, with state Rep. Pat Duffy, left, and a representative from the office of state Sen. John Velis" IntroCopy="Professor Vanessa Martinez honored for community learning project" Date="2026-03-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Civic-jg-nc-vm-pd-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anthropology Professor Vanessa Martinez was one of two Holyoke educators honored March 9 by the city and state for their work engaging students in civic learning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During a Civics Learning Week ceremony at Wistariahurst Museum, Professor Martinez and Nicholas Cream, an ethnic studies and history teacher at Dean Technical High School, received proclamations recognizing their work from the mayor, the state House of Representatives, and the state Senate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re here today to honor two civic leaders who have gone far and beyond to inspire their students to think critically, engage respectfully with different perspectives, and understand their roles as active citizens,&amp;rdquo; said Wistariahurst Director Morgan Seiler. &amp;ldquo;Civic education is about empowering students to participate, lead, and contribute to the communities they call home. Teachers like Vanessa and Nick make that possible by bringing these lessons to life and showing their students their voices truly matter.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Martinez, Ph.D., a health anthropologist, is co-founder of the Springfield-based Women of Color Health Equity Collective and coordinator of community-based learning at HCC. In 2023, Martinez&amp;rsquo;s students began collecting stories from Holyoke residents for two oral history projects, one on the COVID-19 pandemic and another that examines living conditions in the city and their impact on public health. Those interviews have become part of the Wistariahurst Museum&amp;rsquo;s permanent archives, and those projects continue.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;That was the beginning,&amp;rdquo; said Martinez. &amp;ldquo;Even my 100 level classes are now involved. They do interviews, they learn about oral history, they develop research skills. I feel so blessed to be able to continue this project and show students the importance of working in their communities and feeling their work will live beyond them.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cream, who lives in Westfield, is president of the Holyoke Teachers Association and an advocate for civic participation and for teachers striving to improve education in Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Our nation&amp;rsquo;s long-standing audacious experiment in self-governance requires a populace with an understanding of the nation&amp;rsquo;s laws and government, the skills for discussion and working together across differences, and a commitment to civic strength,&amp;rdquo; said Mayor Joshua Garcia. &amp;ldquo;Educators play a central role in the essential daily work to support young people in the development of an informed and empowered civic identity.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;State Rep. Pat Duffy of Holyoke presented Martinez and Cream with proclamations from the House and Senate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Being in public office, I know how important it is that we start early to get our kids engaged and really know what&amp;rsquo;s going on in this way too complicated world,&amp;rdquo; said Duffy. &amp;ldquo;That&amp;rsquo;s why it&amp;rsquo;s so important that we&amp;rsquo;re honoring Nick Cream and Vanessa Martinez, because of both how you teach and how you model for your students that civic life is not just what you learn in the classroom but how you engage in the greater community, and Holyoke is all the better for it.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Martinez holds a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree from Columbus State University, a master&amp;rsquo;s degree in applied health anthropology from Georgia State University and a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Originally from San Sebastian, Puerto Rico, she now makes her home in Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m a transplant,&amp;rdquo; she said, &amp;ldquo;but this place feels like home. It&amp;rsquo;s the first place outside of San Sebastian de Pepino, Puerto Rico, that really felt like home. &amp;hellip; I hope you know that for the rest of my life I will support this community and do this work, because that&amp;rsquo;s how meaningful it is. It is who I am.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) HCC Anthropology Professor Vanessa Martinez, center, holds proclamations from the state House and the Senate honoring her promoting civic engagement in her classes, with state Rep. Pat Duffy, left, and a representative from the office of state Sen. John Velis. (Above) Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia, left, and state Rep. Patricia Duffy, right, honor Holyoke educators Nicholas Cream and Vanessa Martinez during a March 9 ceremony at Wistariahurst Museum.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22220" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/stewart-hof" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260312T19:35:21" CategoryIds="4|66|193|2" FileName="x22220.xml" Name="Stewart HOF" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/stewart-esports-njcaa-web.jpg" Title="Hall of Famer" Abstract="HCC Athletic Director Thomas “Tommy” Stewart has been inducted into the NJCAA Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Athletic Director Tom Stewart" IntroCopy="&quot;To be recognized nationally is a significant thing. I think, over the years, Holyoke Community College has become known nationally because of all we’ve done with the NJCAA.” – HCC Athletic Director Tommy Stewart" Date="2026-03-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/stewart-esports-njcaa-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;HCC Athletic Director Tom Stewart&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thomas &amp;ldquo;Tommy&amp;rdquo; Stewart, Holyoke Community College director of athletics, has been inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He was enshrined as a member of Hall of Fame&amp;rsquo;s class of 2026 during a March 5 ceremony at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, site of the NJCAA Track and Field Championship, where he served as meet director.&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stewart, a resident of Westfield and a graduate of Westfield State University, has served on the NJCAA Track and Field Committee for 20 years, but he has been involved with the NJCAA in various roles for 25 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;To be recognized nationally is a significant thing,&amp;rdquo; Stewart said. &amp;ldquo;I think, over the years, Holyoke Community College has become known nationally because of all we&amp;rsquo;ve done with the NJCAA.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stewart has worked in college athletics for more than 37 years, the past 30 at HCC. During that time, HCC has hosted nine NJCAA national cross-country championships and one national track and field championship.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;His long-standing dedication, administrative excellence and commitment to student-athletes is evident throughout his career,&amp;rdquo; the NJCAA said in Stewart&amp;rsquo;s induction announcement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Representing 550 schools, the NJCAA is the largest athletic association for two-year colleges in the United States. HCC belongs to Region 21 and its athletic teams play in Division III.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, Stewart oversees nine intercollegiate sports programs and manages the David Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation. He also serves on the NJCAA Board of Regents as the representative for Region 21. He chairs the NJCAA Division III Men's Golf Committee and the NJCAA Division III Women's Golf Committee while also serving on the NJCAA Track and Field Committee. In 2016, he was elected second vice president for the NJCAA's men's division. In that role, he oversaw the complete budgetary activity of the association. He has also previously served as co-chair of the NJCAA finance and budget committee.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is my 25&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary with the NJCAA. I&amp;rsquo;ve had a good run and a wonderful career,&amp;rdquo; said Stewart, who is planning to retire from HCC in 2027. &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;ve interacted with a lot of different people across the country at different institutions. Our HCC teams have won titles. We&amp;rsquo;ve had great athletes. Great kids. All-American players. I&amp;rsquo;m very lucky to do what I do, and it&amp;rsquo;s good to be winding down. At some point, you&amp;rsquo;ve got to pass the baton to somebody else.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In May 2024, Stewart received the NJCAA&amp;rsquo;s George E. Killian Award of Excellence, the highest award bestowed each year by the association, the first recipient from any college in New England.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stewart started his career in higher education at Westfield State University, where he worked for seven years as student activities administrator and director of intramurals and coached cross country. He was hired at HCC in 1996 as student activities director and became assistant athletic director in 1999 and athletic director in 2007.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In October 2023, he was inducted into the Westfield State University Athletics Hall of Fame. As an undergraduate there, Stewart was a four-year member of the WSU Owls cross country and track and field teams. An all-conference runner in 1985 and 1987 in cross country, he won the Westfield State Invitational and was an all-New England runner in steeplechase his sophomore year. The WSU cross country and track teams won conference titles all four years he was on the team.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC Athletic Director, and now NJCAA Hall of Famer, Tommy Stewart, in the eSports room at the Bartley Athletic Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22209" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/child-watch-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260304T13:20:54" CategoryIds="4|3|193|165" FileName="x22209.xml" Name="Child Watch Grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/IBCW-group-012-web.jpg" Title="Night Watch" Abstract="A $245,000 grant from the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation will boost capacity and add evening hours to its Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program." ThumbnailAltText="Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center" IntroCopy="Itsy Bitsy Child Watch adding evening hours" Date="2026-03-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/IBCW-group-012-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded a $245,000 grant from the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation to add additional staff and evening hours to its Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The grant will pay for the hiring of two more staff workers (one full time and one part time). That will allow the child watch center to increase capacity by operating a second classroom during its busiest daytime hours and also by adding care hours in the evenings for students who take classes at night.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Itsy Bitsy Child Watch is a free center on HCC&amp;rsquo;s main campus for parents in need of short-term childcare while they attend class, study, or meet with tutors and advisers. It opened as a pilot program in fall 2022 and was so successful it quickly reached capacity in its original location. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In September 2025, the child watch center opened in a larger, newly renovated space funded by a previous $600,000 grant from the Davis Foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;At the Davis Foundation, we have five priorities: We fund early childhood, early literacy, the K-16 pathway, youth development, and economic mobility,&amp;rdquo; Executive Director Kiley O&amp;rsquo;Meara said at the grand reopening celebration for the center. &amp;ldquo;So, it&amp;rsquo;s everything that you all are doing here, every day. Really, every college needs this, and we&amp;rsquo;re just thrilled to be a part of it.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center, located on the second floor of the Frost Building, roughly doubled the capacity of children it can serve at any given time, from 10 to 19. It has two full classrooms for different age groups, a dedicated children&amp;rsquo;s bathroom, an office, an adjoining gross motor skills room, and an expanded kitchenette with a dishwasher and full-size refrigerator.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s a beautiful space,&amp;rdquo; said President George Timmons, &amp;ldquo;but it isn&amp;rsquo;t just about square footage. This is about possibility and removing barriers. This is about saying to student parents, we see you; we support you; and we want you to get to the finish line.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to Kimm Quinlan, HCC director of early childhood initiatives, student parents who use the child watch service have higher than average course completion rates and are more likely to graduate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We know it works,&amp;rdquo; Quinlan said. &amp;ldquo;With the generous support of the Davis Foundation, Itsy Bitsy Child Watch is able to meet a critical need for our parenting students. We are deeply grateful for this investment, which brings real relief to our program and will allow us to better support student success across our community.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program, which serves children from three months to 12 years old, is now open Mondays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesdays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Starting in the fall 2026 semester, the center will also be open for evening care four to five evenings a week.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22182" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/the-next-big-thing" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260209T17:03:26" CategoryIds="69|66|193" FileName="x22182.xml" Name="The Next Big Thing" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/GT-office-web-1.jpg" Title="The Next Big Thing" Abstract="The next big thing in community college education isn’t a single innovation or technology – it’s a fundamental reimagining of how we work" ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons" IntroCopy="Focusing on C.I. – collaborative intelligence" Date="2026-02-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/GT-office-web-1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story was first &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/opinion/2026/02/george-timmons-next-big-thing-at-hcc-ci-collaborative-intelligence-viewpoint.html &quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;published on MassLive for Outlook 2026&lt;/a&gt;, the Springield Republican's annual economic forecast.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By GEORGE TIMMONS, Ph.D.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The next big thing in community college education isn&amp;rsquo;t a single innovation or technology &amp;ndash; it&amp;rsquo;s a fundamental reimagining of how we work. At Holyoke Community College, we&amp;rsquo;re discovering that the most transformative force shaping our future isn&amp;rsquo;t necessarily A.I., but C.I. &amp;ndash; &amp;ldquo;collaborative intelligence,&amp;rdquo; the deliberate, sustained integration of voices across sectors to solve our region&amp;rsquo;s most pressing challenges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Throughout its history, HCC has responded to workforce needs and adapted to demographic shifts. But this moment demands something different. As HCC develops its next strategic plan &amp;ndash; &amp;ldquo;S.P. 3.0&amp;rdquo;&amp;ndash; we&amp;rsquo;ve spent months engaging faculty, staff, students, and regional business and nonprofit leaders in shaping our institutional direction. That&amp;rsquo;s collaborative intelligence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Why does this matter now? Because the challenges facing western Massachusetts cannot be solved by any single institution working in isolation. Free community college in Massachusetts has driven enrollment growth, bringing us an increasingly diverse student population. Thirty-five percent of our students identify as Hispanic/Latine. Nearly one-third have documented disabilities. The average age is 25. These students arrive with extraordinary potential &amp;ndash; and significant barriers: transportation challenges, childcare needs, housing and food insecurity, and demands for programs that align with regional workforce requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our community conversations have revealed opportunities that only emerge through genuine partnership: employer-driven program development that allows us to stand up industry-aligned credentials quickly; transportation systems coordinated across institutions to reliably get students to evening and weekend classes; public-private partnerships that create seamless education-to-work pipelines with paid apprenticeships and internships; and wraparound support models that address housing, childcare, and basic needs holistically.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC&amp;rsquo;s recent &amp;ldquo;Shaping the Future&amp;rdquo; summit, business leaders identified real constraints: small businesses stretched too thin to create robust internship programs, confusion about educational pathways and credentials, and the need for culturally relevant support systems. But they also identified tremendous assets: our region&amp;rsquo;s commitment to collaboration, our growing recognition that workforce development requires honest conversations about living wages, and our willingness to ask hard questions about equity and access.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here&amp;rsquo;s what makes this the next big thing: collaborative intelligence acknowledges that community colleges don&amp;rsquo;t just serve their communities &amp;ndash; they belong to them. HCC&amp;rsquo;s future must be written with our region, not for it. This means convening employer roundtables where healthcare systems, manufacturers, and technology companies help inform educational offerings. It means creating employment pipelines based on market needs and projects. It is partnering with K-12 districts to build career pipelines starting in elementary school and collaborating with regional nonprofits to provide students with access to resources that support their success outside the classroom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The traditional community college value proposition &amp;ndash; access and affordability &amp;ndash; remains essential. But the next evolution is about integration. Students don't experience their lives in silos: they need education that connects seamlessly to employment, support services that address real barriers, and credentials that translate directly to living-wage careers. Creating that experience requires institutions that can move with agility, driven by data and community insight rather than outdated academic constraints.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our conversations have also revealed urgent questions we must answer together: How do we design partnerships that leverage individual strengths while building sustainable networks to create competitive advantages for western Massachusetts? How do we ensure that targeted jobs pay living wages? How do we increase opportunities for marginalized communities beyond just enrollment to include comprehensive supports and equitable outcomes?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These questions don&amp;rsquo;t have easy answers. But collaborative intelligence means we&amp;rsquo;re asking them together and building solutions that draw on the expertise of employers who know what skills they need, community organizations that understand barriers facing students and families, policymakers who can remove systemic obstacles, and educational institutions that can respond with unprecedented speed and relevance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The disruption isn&amp;rsquo;t artificial intelligence replacing human connection &amp;ndash; it&amp;rsquo;s the recognition that complex challenges require collective wisdom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As HCC moves forward, we pledge to be more than just a participant in regional development &amp;ndash; we&amp;rsquo;ll be a catalyst, preparing students not just for their first job but for lifelong success; modeling best practices that position us as a national leader among community colleges, creating programs so tightly aligned with workforce needs that learning and earning happen simultaneously.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This future is within reach. But only if we continue building it together. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: President George Timmons&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22179" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/news-champion" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260206T13:08:24" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x22179.xml" Name="News Champion" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Pat-Labelle-radio-booth.jpg" Title="News Champion" Abstract="The Center for Community News at the University of Vermont has named HCC radio station manager Patrick LaBelle a 2026 community news champion." ThumbnailAltText="Station manager Pat LaBelle in the WCCH broadcast booth" IntroCopy="WCCH station manager Pat LaBelle named news champion" Date="2026-02-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Pat-Labelle-Podcast-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;500&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Center for Community News at the University of Vermont has named Holyoke Community College radio station manager Patrick LaBelle of Northampton as a community news champion for 2026.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;LaBelle is one of 150 journalism leaders from colleges across the country who will be part of the organization&amp;rsquo;s 2026 class of Faculty Champions. These individuals, which include college faculty and staff members, are being recognized for their efforts to start or expand college-led reporting programs in their region, and their contribution to a national movement of student-powered community reporting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Nowadays, there&amp;rsquo;s been such a reduction in newsroom staff that they can&amp;rsquo;t get to report all the stories that they used to,&amp;rdquo; said LaBelle. &amp;ldquo;So, the purpose of CCN is to take college students, give them opportunities to report stories and then work with area media to get those stories published or broadcast. So that&amp;rsquo;s going to be one of my goals for this year, building a program at HCC where we connect with news organizations here in western Massachusetts.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;LaBelle, who grew up in Canton and now lives in Northampton, comes from a community news background. He received his bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree in communications and mass media from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has worked for three community access media stations, Canton Community TV, Hadley Media, and Frontier Community Access Television. He is also a former DJ on WMUA 91.1 FM at UMass.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since coming on board as manager of the HCC radio station in 2024, WCCH 103.5 FM, LaBelle has launched a number of new initiatives, including &amp;ldquo;Live From Studio B,&amp;rdquo; a series of short in-studio musical performances modeled after National Public Radio&amp;rsquo;s Tiny Desk concerts. He also hosts a weekly radio show on WCCH (&amp;ldquo;The Power Hour with Professor Pat,&amp;rdquo; on Tuesdays from 1-2 p.m.), and is adviser to the HCC Radio Club and co-host of The Green Thread podcast, a new monthy series of HCC alumni interviews.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Faculty Champions awarded this year represent 41 states and two Canadian provinces. They come from 15 community colleges, 41 minority-serving institutions, four historically Black Colleges and Universities, 30 Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and seven public media outlets. There are 35 private institutions represented and 113 public ones.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each Faculty Champion receives a $1,000 stipend, peer support, and coaching throughout the year. As part of CCN&amp;rsquo;s expanded approach to the Champions program this year, participants will work in dedicated cohorts that are organized around beats, communities and geographic regions. The cohorts will be led by program alums with expertise in their focus area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;At the core of all of these university-led student reporting programs are innovative and entrepreneurial faculty committed to student success,&amp;rdquo; said CCN Director Richard Watts. &amp;ldquo;These programs are a win-win for everyone: students receive high-impact experiences and communities benefit from more reliable news. This program is a chance to say thank you to the faculty who make it all possible.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.uvm.edu/ccn&quot;&gt;Center for Community News&lt;/a&gt; at UVM is a nonpartisan nonprofit working to grow and strengthen university-led reporting programs around the country to create a more sustainable future for local news outlets and the communities they serve. It works with a network of more than 4,000 faculty and news leaders, and it&amp;rsquo;s the only organization dedicated to growing the field of student-powered community reporting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: WCCH radio station manager Pat LaBelle, in the HCC podcast room (above) and in the WCCH broadcast booth (thumbnail).&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22134" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-fa25" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260122T18:20:34" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x22134.xml" Name="Deans List FA25" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Campus%20Beauty%20Shots/Campus-FA25-blue-sky-web.jpg" Title="Fall 2025 Dean's List" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize the students who earned Dean’s List honors for the Fall 2025 term." ThumbnailAltText="Fall campus shot" IntroCopy="HCC announces Fall 2025 Dean's List" Date="2026-01-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean&amp;rsquo;s List. A student is placed on the Dean&amp;rsquo;s List if their G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher. The students listed below have earned Dean&amp;rsquo;s List honors for the Fall 2025 term.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;David Oleg Abramchuk, Victoria De Los Angeles Albino, Jack T. Canney, Jolene Cecile Bertone-Gross, Jenalyn Rose Broussard, Jessica Damaris Caez, Kylen Patricia Cavanaugh, Necla Ciftci, Ashley Anne DeForge, Alissa Celine Fleming, Emily Ryan Gonzalez, Egzona Grainca, Jadon Higgins, Iryna Ilechko, Sreeman Kondaveeti, Felicia Magovern, Zachary Alexander Makol, Kenna Marie Rainville, Aiden Jeffery Therrien, Caleb White, John Taehee Yi.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Iris Allen, Sara Button, Isil Durmaz, Imane Fikry, Timothy Joseph Guisti, Alexander Houghton, Adam Thomas Kellogg, Xuhui Li, Claire Margaret Lloyd, Empress Lorenee, Ashante Rose Love, Patrick Henry Monaghan, Abigale Elizabeth Morton, Thanh Khoa Nguyen, Julia Leigh Rodrigue, Stephanie Santiago, Aelan Toro-Rodriguez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ashfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Katrina Lynn Chasse.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Baldwinville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Robert Perry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Joseph Baltazar, Jackson Maxwell Benedetti, Gavin David Boisjolie, Vincent Bonilla, Samantha Anne Boulanger, Kelsey Marie Brothers, Esat Cayan, Dane Liam Clark, Laura Elizabeth Cote, Kyle Edward Dunigan, Hannah Katherine Eisenstein, Brianna Jaiden Hauschild, Gabriel C. Ibekilo, Brooklyn Rose Ingellis, Josephine Rae Jacobsen, Christian Thomas Jean, Tania Linares, Trevor Daniel MacRae, Samantha Pacunas, Kaitlyn Louise Park, Vivienne Pelletier, Adriel Perez, Joshua Edward Piwcio, Nicholas Rettura, Meghan Anne Salisbury, Jennifer Shaink, Adison Mae StGermaine, Christina Sylvia Surner, AJ Horgan Terry, Sydney Jade Tonelli, Eugemius N. Vanderpuije.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bernardston:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Timothy S. Rice, Kelly Diane Trudeau.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Blandford:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Olivia Rose Kanner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Boston:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Brianna M. Thompson-Blake.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brimfield:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Macy Beth Jensen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brookfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rebecca L. Quevillon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Carbondale, Colorado:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;John Mason Barile.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chester:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ian Cartmill, Elizabeth Margaret Jenks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Camille Joyce Alcantara, Tony Robert Andruss, Ivelise Rosary Aponte Gonzalez, Derek Arocho, Gabryella Arroyo, Ana Artin, Maritza Bravo, Nichole Bullock, Ryan Anthony Butler, Ian Willem Benedict Campbell, MacKenzie Joy Campbell, Joseph Camyre, Paul Justin Canty IV, Agnes Marie Centeno, Leah Valerie Cheney, Chidochashe Ashley Chiduku, Cooper Colcombe, Wileynis Marie Coll, Bobby-Jo Cortis, Erin Curley, Alexzander Noel Delgado, Karina Dreichan, Ciara Marie Dupuis, Paige Lynn Edwards, Mandy Nina Louise Emery, Angelica Figueroa, Kseniia Allisa Fox, Vladislav N. Gargun, Sarah Geffin, Jaymen Pasi Gill-Suaava, Ciaranette Gonzalez, Alexandrea Gorczyca, Tatianna Damaris Green, Daudy Pasquale Guerrero, Jesamei Star Gutierrez, Sydnie Allyn Hall, Albania Yohaira Hernandez, Eric Leigh Howell, Megan Laura Hunter, Jacqueline Elizabeth Jackson, Ajauni Johnson, Gina Leigh Julieana, Gulali Kabir, Dmitrii Andreevich Kashuba, Theresa Ann Kincaid, Andrew Joseph Kolek, Kelsie Makenna Landry, Mackensie Lara, Nicole Marie Lazio, Mariia Leiderman, Briana Kirsten Liswell, Andres Lopez Pozo, Joelys Marie Lopez Rodriguez, Seth E. LoRusso, Juliana Corin Lovely, Brandon Malave, Janaiah Dyehan Maldonado, Jenna Marie Manning, Tyrese Lee Marin, Angie Marie Martinez, Janessa L. Medina-Gonzalez, Adriana Mejia, Melanie A. Michon, Charles S. Mihalak, Daniella Theresa Montero, Zakk Marshall Morin, Darren Jacob Thomas Moye, Jaylanie Nieves, Erin Patricia O'Donnell, Isabel Ortiz, Gabriela Oyola, Keyla M. Pagan Figueroa, Emily Gibson Page, Yuleiny Pena Batista, Cherie Perusse, Morgan Catherine Pierog, Kayleen Elizabeth Piquette, Piper Isabell Prejsner, Liam James Reed, Samantha Mary Reid-Haney, Zachary Rinvil, Jalisa Adriana Rivera, Kaylynne Marie Rivera, William Otoniel Rivera Villanueva, Brianna Rodriguez, Adalie Rodriguez, Jameliz Rodriguez, Rebecca Marie Romero, Jasmaly Marie Rosado, Michelle Rose, Sunrise I. Sanchez, Israel Andre Scott, Jesika Lynn Sikes, Savannah Rose Soja, Taylor Dean Sudyka, Vashon S. Sutton, Anzhela Sydorak, Rose Evelyn Tack, Hannah Lynn Taudal I, Cameisha Fallon Taylor-Smith, Hailee Thouin, Yanitza Lee Torres, Alexa Rose Turgeon, Kaylynn Tranese Tyler, Samora Winston Vanhorne, Beatriz Vazquez, Stephanie Velasquez, Elisha Victoria Velez, Kelsea Vieu, Gavin Williams, Brenda L Zambrana &amp;ndash; Ruiz, Kaylynn Zimmerman.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Clinton, New York:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ava Olivia Meier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dalton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Breann L. Weaver.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Deerfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Samantha Ann Melnik.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Brookfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Casey Castenir.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lily Gail Bernier, Sarah Conrad, Aubrey Lee Coutinho, Alexander Charles Joyce, Olivia Marcella Labonte, Cameron James Loranger, Andrew Makara, Ekaterina Evgenevna Melnikova, Vitoria Moran, Southep Phetmany, Xayavong Phetmany, Cassidy Noelle Pike, John Racine, Jillian Marie Scully, Hailey Renee Sutton, Justin Tran, Ella Margaret Wallace, Robert Edward Zemba.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Otis:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Campbelle Rae Lemelin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alexandra Joanne Adams, Hind Bourhim, Scarlette Nancy Brewer, Hannah Rose Carrasco, Joshua Ryan Carrasco, Brenda Lee Carrier, Christian Alberto Castro, Brianna Rose Chartier, Zachary Anthony Clapp, Matthew Thomas Counter, Gabrielle D'Amour, Jasmine Davidson, Raegan Lynn Delisle, Alec William Donahue, Gavin Daniel Downer, Tetiana Dudiak, Natalie Samantha Dugas, Christopher James Eriquezzo, Sadie Amelia Flink, Laura Gangne, Isabella Gitana, Mary Elizabeth Gowins, John David Guertin, Allen Hall, Erik Richard Hardy, Sean Rexford Hopkins, Steven James Hoynoski, Alison Janocha, Melanie Jimenez, Elizabeth Kate Kapinos, Sawyer Peelle Kirley, Nicole Lapointe, Morgan Ann Latour, Anna Marie Mascaro, Olivia Meredith, Ryan James O'Donnell, Emma Lynn Pelletier, Lisa Marie Peltier, Rita Pereira, Harley River Perusse, Jennifer M. Purdon, Donna Marie Smith, Caleb Michael Subocz, Kenne H. Thai, Kyle Andrew Thoma, Zoe Jennelle Thomas, Noel Truehart, Rick Wilcoxen, Leah Brooke Zielenski.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Krista Adel Borsari, Allison Dana Boucher, Joshua Daniel Carrier, Gabrielle Olive Duval, Lindsey Ann Ghidoni, Helen Gorovenko, Sophia Hunt, Jaxon Kaleb Luke, Shannon Leigh Lyman, Joselyne Katrina Matos, Yusuf Sarhan, Sofia Shevchuk, Brayden Donald Signet, Rebecca Kaneonapua Wong.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fitchburg:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jysselli Marizan-Rodriguez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jack Carpenter, Alexa Mae-Wakefield Colly, Nicholas Grimaldi, Hannah May Guertin, Branden Robert Learned, Elissa Nicole Lennon, Mia Martinez, Timothy Finch Miller, Lydia Ngoy, Iara Jamila Oliveira-Torres, Sebastian Alexander Pacheco, Matthew Erick Pagacz, Liliana Grace Pollard, Simon Sinclair, Kylah Therien, Megan Marie Tierney.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gilbertville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Laura Marie Nimtz, Suzanne Williams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Emma Rose Beaulieu, Brennan Thomas Burke, Quinn Taylor Francis, Braeden Michael Gallagher, Daniel James Hackett, Brianna Lynn Houghton, Abigail Cecilia Landry, Megan Noelle Lawson, Matthew Masse.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Greenfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ashley B. Benedetti, Sarah Coulsey, Alexander Gary Knapp, Christopher Rowell, Elizabeth Sanchez, Jennifer A. Stiles, Jazmine Marie Torres.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Emma Carvalho, Erin Frances Cleary, James Peter Fitzgibbons, Aubrey Renee Jones, Katelyn May Kelley, Joseph Jack LaForte.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hampden:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Adelaide Fay, Adison Oliveras, Adam Edward Poulin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hatfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Catherine Jane Nadeau.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hawley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gina Anne Barnhart.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Haydenville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jadin Jean Kies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lily Margaret Angers, Elliott Leo-Tate Anthony, Cedric Lucca Ayvazian, Henry Aidan Bayne, Fred Louis Berio, Dustin Corey Bonnoyer, Kelsy Margaret Brainard, Charlie Bridges, Naidelyn M. Buri Alvarez, William Michael Burke, Rihanna Ashley Cabrera, Franchesca Marie Carattini, Genesis Marie Cardona, Kameron Colby, Enmanuel Ruben Contin Pimentel, Chad Andrew Correia, Alexis Jeremaiah De La Cruz, Ivy Wrenne Drude Demetriou, Billy Escobar Descant, Harman Singh Dhaliwal, Yadrian Diaz, Brendan Michael Duval, Ishmael Flores, Aidan Alexander Fontanez-Courchesne, Nathaniel Joseph Gomes, Alany Gracia, Kaylany Gracia, Azlyn Rose Greaney, Christian Guzik, Jordan Louise Hart, Victor Michel Herlemont, Talitha Ashar Hernandez, Tanner Owen Joseph, Alivia Kaifer, Dylan Kennedy, Jemima Mueni Kitsa, Hannah Lynn Laprade, Cristal Marie LaSanta, Lilly Faith Lawrence, Crystalline Amanda Lopez, Tiffany Pearl Mackey, Oceana Maldonado, Vincent Aldo Maupin, Nathaniel Medina, Gianni Lee Merced, Misteny Montano, Ginette Morales, Yara C. Nevarez-Martinez, Erin Frances O'Donnell, Nicole Rose Ouimet, Cassandra Pulowski, Anna Claire Puttick, Anastasiia Pylypenko, Jemme Carlos Quinones, Mayumi Dalay Ramon, Damian Alexis Ramos, Juan Carlos Reyes, Christopher Daniel Rivera, Rafael Yadiel Rivera, Dyani Aines Rivera, Kevin Michael Rodgers, Edgar Xavier Rodriguez, Thais Rodriguez, Jeymishel Rodriguez Colon, Angel Luis Romero, Sammy Charie Rosa, Katherine Ryan Rousseau, Erick Santos, Sasha Santos, Kayla Saunders, Anaiya Marie Sepulveda, Lucy Paige Sklarski, Kierstin Ruthanne St. Lawrence, Nicholas Michael Sylvester, Jasmine Tauscher, Yasani Martina Thompson, Sophia Amanda Turgeon, Sidney Omarys Valentin, Vladimir Vazquez, Keilymar Vazquez Negron, John Wagner, Tawana W. Walter, Hunter Thomas Weck, Amani Willis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Huntington:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kateryna Sarnatska, Shaliyah Toledo-Cruz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Indian Orchard:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A'mariona Anderson, Aida I. Cruz, Jailene Luzmariel Delgado, Shanice Linnehan, Cara Brie Mock, Amanda Marguerite Montalban.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leverett:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Diana Bella.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jack Ian Baker, James Gardiner Barnhart, Michael Edward Barton, Bahadir Birer, Aiden William Bombard, Reatrey Chen, Thomas William Cosgrove III, Alize Nextaci Diaz, Laura Catherine Frame, Mirna Hakim Hashim, Sawyer Bean Hindley, Suhyun Lee, Lia Claire Lukezic, Benjamin Jacob Mahoney, Lindsey Victoria Mellis, Braeden Jerrold Mrozek, Jack Mrozek, Daniel Theodore Perez, Ronan Michael Quinn, Brady Matthew Russell, Julien Abbott Shanks, Samantha Trent, Nicholas Williams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nicholas Antonio Aleixo, Brandon Michael Authier, Nathan Barnard, Alexandra Antosia Bunko, Shalina Chantel Coates, Andrew Joel Doming, Jessica Dosreis, Isabella Marae Eskett, Michael Augustino Gomes, Jonathan Manuel Goncalves, Giana Lyn Hafner, Sarah Kites, Rowan Elise Mateus, Erin Mackenzie Mayou, Annie Murphy, Sabrina Quiterio, Vincent Ribeiro, Keianna Ivalise Rios, Giovanni Rubbo, Melissa Szumski, Cornelia del carmen Taveras III, Agnieszka Zerdecka.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maynard:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lucas Michael Hogan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Midlothian, Virginia:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Molly Gerrety.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Millers Falls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Daiva Warren-Pukis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nicholas James Aliengena, Nicole Chambers, Joshua Alan Gorham, Catherin Grant, Paige Hebert, Dasia Renee Jones, Logan James Mitchell, Kazelis Rosario, Nicholas Aiden Tiraboschi.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Morgan Hill, California:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Karteek Cheema.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;New Salem:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Felicia Ann Curtis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bushra Ibrahim Asha, Sarah Kathryn Belote, Jennifer Judy Buri Yunga, Natalie Gillan Caruk, Rauterica Ford, Asher Garretson, Walden Groundwater, Theodore Paul Guglielmo, Susanna B. Hoffmann, Lijah Sky Joyce, Lydia Disthanusorn Ladd, Erin Margaret Lampron, Henry Mikhail Seney, Elizabeth Graham Siegel, Xavier Rolando Torres, Todd Francis Van Mourik, Brie-Ann Michelle Wilber, Reece Nolan Wilber, Harrison Scott Woodland, Zachary Young.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oakham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Morgen Alan Swallow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Martha Elizabeth Cobb, Elizabeth Rose Craig, Adam James Curtis, James M. Delaney, Vianela Teresa Encarnacion, Joseph Thomas Griswold, Andrew K. Haley, Kannon Francis Jacques, Keaghan Daniel Jez, Sarah E. Lee, Heather Lynch, Vanessa Marie Marrero, Kevin Thomas Moriarty, Brandon Lee Phommasith, Justin David Sikes, Violet K. Snook, Morgan Marie Thiphavong.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Paxton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Annastacia Dixon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pelham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jania Shanay Johnson-Weems.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Peru:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amber Lynn Pensivy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Russell:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;August Assarian, Ruby Stella Chicoine, Kenneth Donald Conway III, Rebecca Lynn Farnham.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rutland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lindsey Brown.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Saint Marys, Georgia:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Angelina Christina Williams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Saugus:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brenda Sweetland Haggar.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shelburne Falls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nathan Michael Jacques.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shutesbury:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hunter Schieding.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Deerfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gabriel Louis Chevalier, Samual Patrick Chevalier, Isabel DeCoursy, Terri Nicole Lindsey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Johanys Mirel Andrades, Anthony Lawrence Bara, Owen Robert Bauman, Caitlin Rose Blaney, Erin Elizabeth Bullough, Jennifer Marie Cheever, Madilyn Day, Bridget Nicole Duplisea, Madison Esi Elaine Essel, Michael Roland Garand, Bonnie Gauthier, Samuel Thomas Geitz, Silas Gabriel Gelinas, Jaiden Michael Giza-Bilodeau, Mariangelis Guzman, Newton Hall, Cody Allan Lyons, Rachel L. McCarthy, Molly Higgins Menard, Amber Jade Patruno, Saffron E. Ratkiewicz, Rebecca Reyes, Marc Rogers, Eric M. Rogers, Josephine Roman, Kari Scytkowski, Jack Michael Shaughnessy, Daymen Curtis Toussaint, Mei-Lin Velez, Brittany R. Wetherell, Sean Kudelski Whalen, Maheen Zafar.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Megan Jean Adams, Sophia Mae Bernier, Alina Bondar, Olesya Bondar, Cassidy Mae Clark, Jessa Mae Craig, Amy Dressel, Emerson William Folta, Beatrice Hamilton, Addison M.&amp;nbsp; Hufnagle, Koleton Timothy Kolodziej, Kathleen Mary Ley, Liam Charles Packey, Kevin James Pascoe, Colman Flaherty Radowicz, Haydyn Mathew Savoie, Stephanie Noelle Sawyer, Anna Selin, Maria Selin, Tobias Carlson Stearns, Ambria Lynn Stine, Casey Marguerite Thayer, David Thibodeau, Isabelle Judith Wiemer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southbridge:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kody Janis Chamberlain.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southington, Connecticut:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Stephanie Victoria Nellis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Logan James Allen, Brian M. Bliven, Maryssa Cook-Obregon, Nathan DeCillis, Sylvana Madeline Forgey, Lauren Pauline Greenough, Zachary Christopher King, Aster Lavrenchuk, Mia Elle Phillips, Victoria Lee Podmore, Elijah Vincent Robinson, Kaeleigh Rose Sullivan, Alina Viktorchuk.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shaniya T. Aaron, Alison Elizabeth Abare, Neyraliz Abreu, Owen Keel Acuff, Annalee Marie Adamick, Shaina K. Alcide, Tamia Alexander, Jolene Peek Alexander, Zyana Naje Amparo, Joshiel Enrique Aponte-Berly, Suzette Appiah, Jewel Arguello, Joelin Arias, Maitec Astacio Reynoso, Melissa Ann Austin, Benjamin Aviles, Kelsey Jean Babineau, Michelle Santos Bates, Milannie Betancourt, Acianna Bethea, Hajar Bint Farooq Carter, Alianiz Enid Bonilla, Kyra M. Caballero-Staples, Iliana Marie Caban, Yasmari Cardenales, Basilio Castro Jr., Jacob Chesbro, Zachary Michael Ciano, Jessie Lee Clas, Yahaira Marie Correa, Brianna Coughlin, Paola Michelle Cruz Santiago, Matthew Jr. Cruz-Guzman, Jenny Marina Cuevas, Jamal Rhoden Cumberbatch, Kayla Beth Dagenais, Shamira Davis, Nancy Ivette Dejesus, Veronica Maria Dos Reis Paulino, Joan Doucette, Jackeline Escobar, Ana Ruth Estien, Renata Fabelo, Leann Fanion, Wilma Ferrer, Yadelyn Alejandra Francisco, Tanairy Fuentes, Virginia Lane Futrell, Paola Nicole Galarza-Lugo, Nijiah Gamble, Lydia R. Gentile, Janessa Michelle Giraud-Budd, Lisa Ann Glidden, Arianna Gonzalez, Marisabel Gonzalez Borges, Gabriel Roberto Gonzalez Diaz, Sarah B. Haag, Keith Jonathan Hajjar, Amy M. Hall, Michael Angelo Heckstall, Sharmaine Higgs, David Hoang, Valeria I. Hodges, Kaelin Housey, Jazzaray Lee Huertas, Stephanie Huynh, Lisanne Nicoy Jackson, Kailynn Jean Jenne, Yvania Yazmin Jimenez, Tashia Sherrie Jordan-Garner, Irianty Kailola, Ellianna Makana Lani Aloha Kaimi, Esin Dilan Kiedos, Mariia Konokhovych, Destiny Michele LaBombard, Amanda R. Lafleur, Zephaniah Hatano Langley, Shayniqua Lawson, Richard Christopher Lopez, Marqueli Rachel Lopez Argueta, Michael Iverson Luciano, Antonio Luis Malave, Brendalee Mangual, Gerson Miguel Marinez Urbaez, Rachel Ilene Mayer, Camrin Meyer, Diana Estefany Morales, Matthew James Moran, Tatyana Moreno, Averie Narreau, Ilayshia Nevaeh Negron, Shauna-Kay Newell, Roberto Manuel O'Leary-Moreno, Jada Nikita Oquendo, Alanis Ortiz, Aniecia Parker, Allison Ella Pena, Eddiel Perez, Mia Elizabeth Perkins, Luz Denise Pizarro, Aidan Eric Plahna, Tafari Reid, Kimberly Reyes, Camila Del Carmen Reyes, Alba E. Rios Olmedo, Linda Ivette Rivera, Katiria Rivera, J-Ivan Rodriguez, Marta Carolina Rodriguez, Britany Rodriguez, Christian Daniel Rodriguez, Adriana Zoe Rodriguez Jimenez, Mileidy Rosado, Jasmine Natalie Rosario, Sean M. Rosemond, Yaritza Ruiz, Aliana Marie Sagardia, Mushab Samir, Yaniel Sanchez, Shyrka Sanchez, Keisha Marie Santana, Jaleymis Eillen Santiago Blasini, Adriana Santiago Cruz, Lizbeth Santos-Castro, Jeynibel Skerrett, Sheyenne Leana Smith, Naileah Soler, Erika Marie Solis-Farnham, Celina Julise Sumler, Brian Joseph Sutter, Kassidy Szulc, Brandon Thompson, Adam Thurber, Wanda Enid Torres, Carla Fernnada Torres Tiburcio, Saream Toum, Sarom Toum-Rivera, Samantha Teresa Vazquez, Felix Natanael Vazquez, Erlin Yeraldo Ventura Reyes, Aleisha Dianice Vergara, Katie Whitmore, Anna Whittemore, Camile Williams, Nakisha A. Williams, James Gideon Willingham, Rodney Antonyo Wilson, Maelene Kristin Zavala.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sturbridge:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Isabella Dawn Fitzgerald.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Suffield, Connecticut:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;JonPaul David Chaloux.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunderland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Michelle Colon, Natalie Denoronha, Micaela Foster, Jeronimo Monsalve.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three Rivers:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tiffany Thereasa Ganieany, Michael Jay Mancini, Ashley Marie Saez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wales:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Samuel John Champigny, Rowan Liam Downey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dylan Riley Brattlof, Abby Bridges, Alishia Marie Cartagena, Stephen Alexander Cedeno, Elizabeth Haynes, Cody Kenneth Hess, Megan Lynn Jasmin, Janel Marie Julien, Brittanie Larzazs-Rule, Tanner Lockwood, Samantha Jeanne Lowe, Heather Marie Martin, Emily Zophia McGrail, Owen Michael McKeever, Abigale Rose McQuaid, Anthony J. Mendoza, Sienna Riley Murch, Quinntin Guy O'Connell, Isabella Rose Perez, Alexis Rivera, Gavin Jett Peter Sawabi, Lisa A. Skutnik.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Warren:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Emily Michelle Hubbel, Valarie Elsie Wedge.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Brookfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Colleen Morin, Hart William Waz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Granby, Connecticut:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ryder Michael Brunk.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Aveen Farhad Ahamed Al-Attar, Wasan Almafraji, Patrick Emil Assenga, McKayla Giselle Boman, Nezha Chahbi, Tonya Joyce Chraplak, Jashua Enrique Colon, Savannah E. Comstock, Liam Christopher Connelly, Ingrid M. Cubias-Bonilla, Noah Christopher Cunningham, Josephine Daquin, Rukiyye Elevli, Savannah Faith Gonzalez, Muhammad Abel Halim, Kaelyn Harrison, Valeriia Hashchuk, Amiya Irma Hernandez, Amanda Lauren Hollingsworth, Matthew Robert Howe, Liudmyla Hrymaliuk, Jerome Jerry Jenkins, Grace Jeronimo, Meghan Kennedy, Samuel R. Lacus, Brett Aaron Lariviere, Baye Etana Leary, Michael Cody Lee, Teresa E. Lent, Nolan James Lessard, Shakira Lugo Torres, Inna Vitalina Lytvynenko, Benjamin Joseph MacGrath, Charles Machmud, Svetlana Malancha, Zadalysse Kaylyandra May Fay, Felicia Nichole McClellan, Mursal Mirzay, Fatima Mokhlis, Madison Tyra Moore, Lurdes O Morales, Payton Bailey Neth, Nessalyn Neth, Victoria Nitu, Thomas Powell, Everest Alexander Rainville, Evelina Redka, Madisyn Elizabeth Rodriguez, Anju Sapkota, Abdeslam Satouri, Vadim Savitskiy, Allyson Rose Schempp, Aldene Thelma Scott, Abigail Dillon Shanahan, Gracyn Theresa Shanahan, Nagsal Dolma Tamang, Ganga M. Tamang, Dominic Va, Isabelle Clara Williams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Warren:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Keion Jamaal Harris, Brogan Jane O'Keefe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Whately:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brooklee Alexis Pierce.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Yarmouth:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Leah Marie Healy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gabriela Artin, Cari Joy Avalone, Neremy Gloria Babu, Alina Balan, Evelina Balan, Anna Balan, Tyler Bazegian, Kyle Robert Beis, Taryn Kacie Black I, Maximilian Blackak, Sean Patrick Boyle, Nicholas Andre Bradley, Abigail Beth Brenzel, Corrin Olivia Brockney, Lyla Dawn Bronner, Christopher Joseph Bruno, Luz C. Caballero, Dara Grace Cassidy, Janina A. Cepek, Grace Olivia Clendenin, Jeffrey Michael Collingwood, Jocelyn L. Correia, Amie Marie Crosier, Madison Johanna Czepiel, Jaden Elizabeth Dekastrozza, Shanna Deng, Emily Elizabeth Diaz, Rebecca Dixon, Marcus Anthony Ezquilin, Isek Flaherty, Akeeva Forcier, Nathaniel Thomas Garcia, Mark Gavrilyuk, Laura Gilbert, Nevaeh Chiann sha&amp;rsquo;kal Glasgow, Jonathan Michael Grochmal, Sabir Hussain, Olivia Elizabeth Irving, Amanda Marie Janisieski, Cole Alexander Jasmin, Marharyta Kamilchu, Angelika Kaptyug, Kierra P. Kingsley, Olha Klykova, Abdullah Hassan Langrial, Gillian Catherine Laquerre, Aubrie Michele Leary, Marlene LeBlanc, Nour Mahmoud, Ariana Mata, Evelina Mocanu, Elizabeth Marie Monte, Daniel James Moquin, Licelys Mora, Fathima Reeha Muhammadu Rizaan, Ariana Lynn Navarro, Solimar Michelle Navarro Nunez, Michael David Phelps II, Kyle Allen Philleson, Chloe Amelia Phillips, Kaila Emilia Pieczarka, Emily Sophie Pitoniak, Jeremy M. Poleto, Eric Joseph Romani, Angelray Rosa, Jordyn Josephine Sanders, Ivan Alexandrovich Seleznev, Logan Michael Symmons, Todd C. Therrien, Heaven Leigh Timmerman, Diane Marie Turner, Natalia Vashchenko, Matthew Vinces, Yuliia Vyshnevska, Stephen Walbridge, Alyssa Warren, Devon Roy Weeks, Andie Fredette Williams, Aimee Elizabeth Williams, Erik J. Woody, Karina Yantsevich.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westhampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ishetia Rose Black, Jacob E. Boudreau, Ryan David Brooks, Anjou Lynn Edwards, Gallivan Olivia Florek, Anna Hlava, Elijah Picard.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Liam George Colclough, Kayla Ann Coolbeth, Mia Yareisha Figueroa, Khaliyah Jordan Gagner, Celia M. Labarbera, Daniel Patrick Loomis, Jeramie Joseph Marquez, James George Martine, Madison Elizabeth Meunier, Alek Milov, Olivia Catherine Picard, Jason Nicholas Sutter, Aaron Treat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Williamsburg:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Geoffery John Gougeon, Kaylee Rooney.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Worcester:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bryannahelizah Avant, Miriam I Mulero.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22124" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/giving-tree-2025" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251219T17:08:24" CategoryIds="66|165" FileName="x22124.xml" Name="Giving Tree 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/TREE-Itsy-Bitsy-People-we.jpg" Title="'You Matter'" Abstract="For the 24th year, the HCC community collected hundreds of holiday gifts for local agencies through the college's  annual Giving Tree campaign. " ThumbnailAltText="Giving Tree recipients carry gift bags" IntroCopy="Area agencies benefit from HCC's 24th annual Giving Tree campaign" Date="2025-12-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/TREE-Itsy-Bitsy-People-we.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the 24&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; year, Holyoke Community College students, staff, and faculty collected hundreds of holiday gifts for consumers at local agencies through its annual Giving Tree campaign.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Wednesday, Dec. 17, representatives from the five groups &amp;ndash; Homework House, the Mass. Veterans Home at Holyoke (formerly the Holyoke Soldiers&amp;rsquo; Home), Access Care Partners (formerly WestMass ElderCare), the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center at HCC &amp;ndash; attended a closing celebration where 320 gifts were distributed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is a community of caring and giving folks,&amp;rdquo; said HCC President George Timmons, &amp;ldquo;and that&amp;rsquo;s not just words, but deeds and actions. This community shows up for one another, and it really does make a difference.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each year during the annual campaign, Giving Trees are set up in designated areas around campus. Participants choose tags from one of the nonprofit agencies based on the age of the recipient and their wish for a gift. The wrapped gifts are then piled on tables for the closing celebration, when&amp;nbsp;HCC faculty, staff, and students join with representatives from the agencies to share food and stories.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Home has always been part of our title,&amp;rdquo; said Colleen Strunk-Ackerly, volunteer coordinator for the Veterans Home. &amp;ldquo;With community partners like you, we&amp;rsquo;re able to provide that home-like environment for our veterans with nice things like a comfortable pair of pajamas or a nice warm blanket. There&amp;rsquo;s nothing better, especially during the holidays.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even though the holidays can be a joyful time, the season can put added pressure on parents who can&amp;rsquo;t afford to buy gifts, but still want their children to experience a &amp;ldquo;sense of magic and normalcy,&amp;rdquo; said Nancy Ritz, MSPCC regional director of prevention programs:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Your gifts send a powerful message to parents: You are not alone. And to children: You matter. Someone thought of you.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, the Giving Tree committee added the college&amp;rsquo;s Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program to the list of beneficiaries. The center, a free program for HCC student parents, includes a clothing donation closet, where students can drop in and select used items for their children.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;But these personal, individual gifts that the college community has provided are going to be even more meaningful,&amp;rdquo; said Kimm Quinlan, HCC director of early childhood initiatives. &amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s hard being a student. It&amp;rsquo;s hard work being a parent, and when you put the two of them together, it&amp;rsquo;s even harder, so I know how much our families are going to appreciate these gifts.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am so honored to be chairperson of this committee that really shows how much the HCC community cares. This is it in a big way,&amp;rdquo; said Michelle Vigneault, who followed with a personal story, which she related through tears.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;As a child, I was the recipient of a similar campaign, Toys for Tots, and it was the best gift I ever got in my whole childhood,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;And it matters. It matters to children. It matters to families, and it matters to our elderly and our veterans and the whole community.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Ciaran Murphy, left, assistant director of the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch center at HCC, Kimm Quinlan, center, director of early childhood initiatives, and Emily Webber, IBCW director, haul away some of the gifts for families who use the HCC child watch service.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22104" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/fall-grads-2025" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251204T20:28:32" CategoryIds="4|66|3|65|165|673" FileName="x22104.xml" Name="Fall Grads 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/Sachelys-wide-web.jpg" Title="'The True Spirit of HCC'" Abstract="Holyoke Community College celebrated its first batch of graduates from the Class of 2026 with a special recognition ceremony on Monday, Dec. 1.  " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Fall Graduate Reception Dec. 1, 2025" IntroCopy="&quot;Each of you has a unique story that brought you to this moment, but you all share this in common – the passion and determination to earn your college degree.” – President George Timmons" Date="2025-12-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/FALLgrads-Pres-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;568&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even though it is still 2025, Holyoke Community College recently celebrated its first batch of graduates from the Class of 2026 with a special recognition ceremony. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC honored 190 students at its third annual Fall Graduate Reception on Dec. 1 in the college theater. All of them will complete their graduation requirements by the end of the fall semester. They are also all invited to walk again at HCC&amp;rsquo;s 79&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Commencement ceremony on May 30, 2026.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;You represent the true spirit of Holyoke Community College,&amp;rdquo; said HCC President George Timmons. &amp;ldquo;Each of you has a unique story that brought you to this moment, but you all share this in common &amp;ndash; the passion and determination to earn your college degree.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two of those stories were shared from the theater stage by fall graduates &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/jamal-cumberbatch&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Jamal Cumberbatch&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/sachelys-perez&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Sachelys Perez&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cumberbatch, a liberal arts major from Springfield, talked about the challenges and frustrations of starting out as an older student working three jobs to make ends meet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He was 27 when he first enrolled, he said &amp;ndash; &amp;ldquo;Cold. Tired. Worn out.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Two years ago, I spent more time in my car than in my bed, chasing paycheck to paycheck to survive,&amp;rdquo; he said. &amp;ldquo;Two years later, I&amp;rsquo;m walking across my first stage since middle school.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His HCC advisers and teachers helped him find his way forward.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;ldquo;This school gave me direction,&amp;rdquo; he said. &amp;ldquo;My classes gave me knowledge. The staff gave me goals to reach for, and their networks gave me realistic opportunities. But all of you, this community, gave me a sense of belonging and support that I didn&amp;rsquo;t even know I needed.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cumberbatch is hoping to continue his education in the fall at either Williams College or Princeton University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Similarly, Perez, who lives in Ware, went to work straight out of high school. She had college dreams, but her job as an elementary school paraprofessional meant she could only take classes online or at night. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A psychology class project made her hungrier to learn, and a new job as a recovery support specialist on the 3-11 p.m. shift gave her the opportunity to take in-person classes with the goal of completing her associate degree in two years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She made it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I balanced a full-time job, a 45-minute commute, and all my coursework without ever giving myself a real break,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;I still attended campus events because I genuinely wanted to be part of this community. I did all of this, not because it was easy, but because I was determined, and, today, I&amp;rsquo;m standing here as proof that it is possible.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perez was accepted to both Westfield State University and Amherst College, where she plans to continue studying psychology in hopes of one day becoming a trauma therapist.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is my story,&amp;rdquo; she said, &amp;ldquo;but it is only one story in a room full of determination and perseverance.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re proof,&amp;rdquo; Cumberbatch said, echoing the night&amp;rsquo;s theme, &amp;ldquo;that full-time cooks, delivery drivers, single parents, gym rats, and even all-night gamers &amp;ndash; anyone with a passion, a dream, and drive &amp;ndash; can do this.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Graduates were seated on the theater stage and called up one by one to receive a yellow stole from President Timmons, which they can wear along with their caps and gowns at the spring Commencement. A post-ceremony reception was held in the Campus Center for fall graduates and their families.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is really just the beginning of your celebrations as a college graduate,&amp;rdquo; Timmons said. &amp;ldquo;On May 30, at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, we will come together again and formally welcome you as HCC alumni with all the tradition and ceremony that moment deserves. But today we honor you because what you have just achieved deserves immediate recognition.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;You are now part of this institution&amp;rsquo;s legacy,&amp;rdquo; he said, &amp;ldquo;and that legacy will continue long after you walk across this stage.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See more photos from the Fall Graduate Reception in our Facebook photo albums, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1269406008556012&amp;amp;type=3&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Part I&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1269414105221869&amp;amp;type=3&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Part II&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) President George Timmons, center, with student speakers Jamal Cumberbath and Sachelys Perez after the 2025 Fall Graduate Reception.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22100" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/turkey-time" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251126T17:15:45" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165" FileName="x22100.xml" Name="Turkey Time" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/CAI-Sanai-Anthony-web.jpg" Title="Turkey Time" Abstract="Culinary arts students prepared 123 roast turkeys and 300 pounds of glazed sweet potatoes to help The Compassion Project feed hungry people this Thanksgiving. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC culinary arts students carving turkeys" IntroCopy="HCC culinary arts students support community Compassion Project" Date="2025-11-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/CAI-Graves-Coleman-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;567&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Culinary arts students at Holyoke Community College prepared 123 roast turkeys and 300 pounds of glazed sweet potatoes to help feed hungry people this Thanksgiving as part of The Compassion Project.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Yesterday afternoon, the last few birds were carved up by a few student volunteers who had stayed long after their classes had ended for the day at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s for a good cause, and I watched my classmates and my teachers work so hard on the turkeys yesterday and today,&amp;rdquo; said student Sanai Hale of Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;This is the 23&lt;sup&gt;rd&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;year for The Compassion Project, which was founded by community organizer Areliz Barbosa to deliver meals to hungry people on Thanksgiving.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Last year, the HCC culinary arts crew prepared 90 turkeys to help The Compassion Project give out 1,000 hot meals for Thanksgiving. This year, Chef Tracy Carter, chair of the HCC culinary arts program, integrated the cooking of turkeys and Thanksgiving sides into the culinary arts curriculum to help meet The Compassion Project&amp;rsquo;s 2025 goal of delivering 2,000 hot meals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;We were inspired by what she was doing,&amp;rdquo; said Carter. &amp;ldquo;I thought our students would like to be involved in that, to see something bigger than just us. And all of them were really excited to volunteer. They saw the value in it.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Pastor Melvin Coleman, of Glory House Church in Springfield, picked up the food and delivered it to the Gran Cocina commercial kitchen in Holyoke, where hot meals&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;where will be available for pickup or sit down on&amp;nbsp;Thanksgiving Day as well as elsewhere. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;Gran Cocina is one of the distribution sites,&amp;rdquo; said Coleman, &amp;ldquo;along with other places all over the Greater Holyoke and Springfield area.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;As Colemen loaded a large white van with large aluminum pans of turkey and sweet potatoes, Carter was in the kitchen offering cooking tips.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;First, they break down the turkeys before roasting, cooking the thighs and legs separately from the breasts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;They also coat the turkeys with a brine of salt, a little sugar, and garlic powder and then let them air dry in the refrigerator uncovered before putting them in the oven.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;That pulls out all the moisture, and you get crispy skin,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;That little bit of sugar promotes browning.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Culinary arts students Sanai Hale and Anthony Maldonado Gonzalez, both of Springfield, finish carving up turkeys prepared for The Compassion Project's free Thanksgiving meal distributions. (Above)&amp;nbsp;Stacy Graves, HCC assistant director of operations, hands a platter of glazed sweet potatoes to volunteer Melvin Coleman, pastor of Glory House Church in Springfield.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; class=&quot;gmail_signature&quot; data-smartmail=&quot;gmail_signature&quot;&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22086" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/shaping-the-future" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251208T20:01:37" CategoryIds="69|66|193" FileName="x22086.xml" Name="Shaping the Future" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Campus%20Beauty%20Shots/HCC-campus-fall-mountain-web.jpg" Title="Shaping the Future" Abstract="Regional leaders from the Pioneer Valley will gather Dec. 9 at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute to help chart the future of HCC. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC aerial photo" IntroCopy="Public invited to contribute to community conversation" Date="2025-12-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Campus%20Beauty%20Shots/HCC-campus-fall-mountain-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Regional leaders from diverse sectors of the Pioneer Valley economy will gather at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Tuesday, Dec. 9, for a discussion that will help create the next chapter in the 80-year history of Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The general public is also invited to attend this breakfast event, &amp;ldquo;Shaping the Future: A Community Conversation,&amp;rdquo; from 7:30 to 10 a.m. at HCC&amp;rsquo;s downtown culinary arts facility at 164 Race St., Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please note, this is a different location from the one previously scheduled for this event. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The panelists include: Megan Burke, president of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts; Anne Kandilis, director of Springfield WORKS; Frank Mart&amp;iacute;nez L&amp;oacute;pez, executive director of Enlace de Familias; Jason Pacheco, director of workforce planning and analytics at Baystate Health; and Aaron Vega, director for the Office of Planning and Economic Development for the city of Holyoke, and incoming president and chief executive officer of the Western Mass Economic Development Council.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the other attendees will be state Rep. Pat Duffy, John Reiff, director of civic learning and engagement with the Mass. Dept. of Higher Education, and representatives from MassHire Holyoke, Way Finders, Holyoke Health Center, Tech Foundry, Holyoke Public Schools, Dean Tech, Nuestras Raices, and the Public Health Institute of Western Mass.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Timmons will kick off the event and set the stage for this community conversation. A question-and-answer session will follow the panel discussion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;At Holyoke Community College, student success is a community effort,&amp;rdquo; said Timmons. &amp;ldquo;When our students thrive &amp;mdash; when they graduate, transfer, gain new skills, launch careers, and become leaders &amp;mdash; our entire region benefits. These leaders, our education partners, and others will share perspectives on the opportunities and challenges facing our community, sparking table conversations that will inform how we write the next chapter for HCC &amp;mdash; and for our region.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event is part of &amp;ldquo;SP 3.0,&amp;rdquo; the third iteration of the college&amp;rsquo;s strategic planning process, which was began with the start of the fall semester. The college drafted its first strategic plan in 2018, which was refreshed in 2021.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So far, emerging priorities for Strategic Plan 3.0 include collaboration and partnerships, and workforce and post-graduation success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Together, we&amp;rsquo;ve achieved many of the ambitious goals of our previous strategic plans, creating pathways and opportunities that have transformed lives and strengthened our community,&amp;rdquo; said President Timmons. &amp;ldquo;Strategic Plan 3.0 is the next chapter in that shared work, and we need to hear as many voices as possible to help us chart the course ahead.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;Future Summit&quot; event taking place over Zoom will precede as scheduled on Dec. 2 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. To register for the &quot;Future Summit,&quot; &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfID3FOqmEguH4F-4i487BeEK2w_f46i8U6cEUx1HocAvr-5g/viewform&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;please click here&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22084" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/last-living-gun-story" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251123T14:34:27" CategoryIds="4|193|65|165|226" FileName="x22084.xml" Name="Last Living Gun Story" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/GUN-1-web.jpg" Title="'The Last Living Gun'" Abstract="The HCC Theater Dept.'s fall production of &quot;The Last Living Gun&quot; (Nov. 20-22) sends a mercenary on an epic quest in search of the last firearm in a post-apocalyptic world.  " ThumbnailAltText="The Last Living Gun" IntroCopy="HCC theater production explores a future without guns" Date="2025-11-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/GUN-2-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Imagine a world without guns.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Not easy in today&amp;rsquo;s America, but that is the leap &amp;ldquo;The Last Living Gun,&amp;rdquo; a play by Ryan Stevens, asks the audience to make.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Set in a dystopian future where metal has all but rusted out, this play within a play follows a mercenary across a post-apocalyptic landscape, a la Mad Max, on an epic quest to find the last gun in existence, a &amp;ldquo;fully loaded Colt 1873 single-action revolver.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;ldquo;The Oats family revolver is just an old rumor,&amp;rdquo; says the story&amp;rsquo;s hero, Rose-of-Sharon Crutcher, a courier whose backstory includes exposure to gun violence as a young child.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Not a rumor anymore. This is a weapon with history &amp;hellip; and a future,&amp;rdquo; says her dying mentor, Father Calendar, who hires Rose to find the gun and bring it back.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Theater Department will present &amp;ldquo;The Last Living Gun&amp;rdquo; Nov. 20-22 in the college&amp;rsquo;s Leslie Phillips Theater. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. each night with an additional matinee at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22. The Friday, Nov. 21, show will be ASL-interpreted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The play is guest-directed by Cordelia Winters Dwyer, a graduate student from the University of Massachusetts Theater program. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I think today&amp;rsquo;s generation, and my generation before it, is constantly under the specter of gun violence,&amp;rdquo; said Winters Dwyer. &amp;ldquo;This is not even an anti-gun story, but if we don&amp;rsquo;t talk about the violence and the part of it that touches people, we are just doomed to repeat it forever and ever.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The essential conceit of the play is that it is performed by a band of traveling players who take on multiple roles, with the narrator, Rose&amp;rsquo;s sidekick Throatpin, periodically breaking the fourth wall to directly address the audience. It has been described in reviews as &amp;ldquo;vaudevillian,&amp;rdquo; and a &amp;ldquo;post-apocalyptic spaghetti western.&amp;rdquo; It incorporates elements of theater of the absurd, as when Rose and Throatpin, played by HCC student Zachary Ciano of Springfield, set off on their journey astride a broom stick pony. It&amp;rsquo;s comedic, if not a comedy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I like big, weird stories,&amp;rdquo; said Winters Dwyer. &amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s kind of a circus.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That&amp;rsquo;s not to say the play fails to confront important questions about gun culture, says Winter Dwyer: &amp;ldquo;Why would we want to find it? What would we do with it? What does it mean to have a gun? It&amp;rsquo;s a uniquely American play. I don&amp;rsquo;t think it would make any sense if you did it in Europe.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On their travels, Rose and Throatpin encounter a gauntlet of violent characters bent on impeding their mission, including the Canton Possums, a football gang fixated on failure (ACL, Cornerback Tuck, Move-The-Chains, Kid Gridiron, and Audible Brady). Then there are Angel Mouth and Wallace, a pair of vaillains Father Calendar, in an act of betrayal, sends to disrupt Rose-of-Sharon's mission. Rose herself is haunted by a character called Our Lady of the Scars, a manifestation of her childhood trauma. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We are all followed by the ghosts of experiences we&amp;rsquo;ve had,&amp;rdquo; said Winter Dwyer. &amp;ldquo;In this play, it&amp;rsquo;s just physicalized.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The play, though, is not preachy, or depressing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s funny and goofy and zany,&amp;rdquo; said Winter Dwyer. &amp;ldquo;Guns are an ever-present figure in our daily discourse, but while drilling down on this very difficult, hot button issue, there&amp;rsquo;s a lot of levity. There&amp;rsquo;s a lot of people in the play. We pack the stage with pretty colors. There&amp;rsquo;s a lot of moving around and singing and dancing. It&amp;rsquo;ll be a good time.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Cast:&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rose-Of-Sharon Crutcher: Allison Morrissette, of Belchertown; Throatpin: Zachary Ciano, of Springfield; Father Calendar/Pratt/Cornerback Tuck: Ben Richards, of Springfield; Angel Mouth and Ensemble: Addi Hufnagle, of Southampton; ACL and Ensemble: Toby Stearns, of Southampton; Wallace and Ensemble: Casey Castenir, of East Brookfield; James, Gun Keeper and Ensemble: Bank Bernier, of Southampton; Kathleen/Audible Brady: Kazz Cuyler, of Holyoke; Screwtape Holliday/Constable Stoker: Chandler Frantz, of Easthampton; Kid Gridiron/ Move-The-Chains and Ensemble: Arianna D&amp;aacute;vila, of Springfield; Our Lady of The Scars: Foster Schrader; Sheriff Pigeon/Hieronymus Cache/Boss Humble: MacKenzie Campbell, of Chicopee.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IF YOU GO:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The Last Living Gun&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;By Ryan Stevens &lt;br /&gt;Directed by Cordelia Winters Dwyer &lt;br /&gt;Nov. 20-22, 7:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Nov. 22, 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke Community College&lt;br /&gt;Leslie Phillips Theater &lt;br /&gt;Tickets: $10 &lt;br /&gt;(Available one hour before each show at the Leslie Phillips Box Office, call 413-552-2528 to reserve, or go to hcctheater.ludus.com to purchase in advance.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Scenes from 'The Last Living Gun,' by Ryan Stevens, directed by Cordelia Winter Dwyer.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22083" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/connection-award" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260304T18:51:11" CategoryIds="4|66|193|65" FileName="x22083.xml" Name="Connection Award" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/HCC-SP25-Connection-web.jpg" Title="Top Honors" Abstract="The Connection, the HCC college magazine, received a first-place Medallion Award at the Fall 2025 District 1 conference of the National Council for Marketing &amp; Public Relations." ThumbnailAltText="Natalia Castagno, HCC assistant director of alumni relations, reads a copy of the Spring 2025 issue of The Connection, which received a first-place gold Medallion Award at a recent conference for college marketing professionals. " IntroCopy="HCC magazine awarded top honors" Date="2025-11-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/HCC-SP25-Connection-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Connection&lt;/em&gt;, the official magazine of Holyoke Community College, received a first-place gold Medallion Award at the Fall 2025 District 1 conference of the National Council for Marketing &amp;amp; Public Relations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Spring 2025 edition of&lt;em&gt; The Connection&lt;/em&gt; took the top spot in the category of Large-Scale Magazine, for publications of more than 16 pages.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The design looks polished and professional,&amp;rdquo; the NCMPR judges said in their comments. &amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s an engaging issue that highlights student and alumni success while showing how the college continues to grow and support its people.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to its usual campus news, alumni briefs and class notes, the Spring 2025 issue includes a cover story about the opening of HCC&amp;rsquo;s Marieb Adult Learner Success Center and Parent Learning Center (&amp;ldquo;A Family Affair&amp;rdquo;); a profile of late alum JoAnne Wrobel, who launched a free food cart for students that grew into the Thrive Center and Food Pantry, which now feeds hundreds of HCC students every year (&amp;ldquo;A Silent Hero&amp;rdquo;); and a feature story about HCC alum Brandon Towle, of Westfield, who founded the first sleepaway camp in New England for stuttering youth (&amp;ldquo;Freedom to Speak&amp;rdquo;).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Freedom to Speak,&amp;rdquo; written by the magazine&amp;rsquo;s editor in chief, Chris Yurko, received a second-place silver Medallion Award in the category of Long-Form Writing (stories of more than 800 words).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The magazine is designed by John Devanski, owner of Guy With Glasses Design in Ware.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Connection is a 36-page magazine published two times a year by the HCC office of Marketing and Communications and distributed free to alumni, students, and friends of the college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I'm incredibly proud of our marketing and strategic communications team for earning this recognition,&amp;rdquo; said Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of the Institutional Advancement division, which includes marketing and communications, development, and alumni affairs. &amp;ldquo;Their collaboration, creativity, and exceptional writing are what set &lt;em&gt;The Connection&lt;/em&gt; apart. But credit also belongs to the HCC community &amp;ndash; our students, alumni, faculty, and staff provide endless inspiration through their stories. Our team has the great honor of amplifying those voices, and it's that authentic storytelling that makes our work meaningful.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A PDF of the print edition of the magazine is available in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/media/documents/Publications/AC/SP25%20CONNECTION-web.pdf&quot;&gt;Publications section of the HCC website&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A digital version of the Spring 2025 issue can be viewed at &lt;a href=&quot;https://theconnection.hcc.edu/issue/spring-2025/&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/connection-SP25&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;NCMPR represents marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges in the United States and beyond. The NCMPR Medallion Awards recognize outstanding achievement in design and communication in each of NCMPR's seven districts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC resides in District 1, the largest, which includes Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec, and the United Kingdom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The NCMPR District 1 Conference was held Nov. 3-5 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Natalia Castagno, HCC assistant director of alumni relations, reads a copy of the Spring 2025 issue of The Connection, which received a first-place gold Medallion Award at a recent conference for college marketing professionals.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22082" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/title-quest" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251113T16:53:24" CategoryIds="4|2|165" FileName="x22082.xml" Name="Title Quest" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/VBall_10.29._web.jpg" Title="Title Quest" Abstract="The HCC women’s volleyball team begin their quest for a national title today at 2 p.m. in the first round of the NCJAA Division III Volleyball Championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa." ThumbnailAltText="Volleyball team" IntroCopy="HCC volleyball team makes first-ever trip to national tournament" Date="2025-11-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/VBall_10.29._web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Volleyball team&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College women&amp;rsquo;s volleyball team will begin their quest for a national title today at 2 p.m. in the first round of the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Volleyball Championship tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cougars are the number 16&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; seed and will play the number 1 seed and two-time defending national champions, the Dallas College Eastfield Harvester Bees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cougars finished their season with a record of 19-4, on their way to winning the NCJAA New England Championship, after defeating Community College of Rhode Island 3-1 in the regional title game Nov. 2 at home in the Bartley Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the Cougars first trip ever to a national volleyball championship tournament. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If Holyoke win their first-round match, they will play a national quarterfinal game tonight at 7:30 pm. All eight teams losing in the first round are put into a consolation bracket, and all 16 teams in the tournament are guaranteed to play at least two games.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Four straight victories are needed for a team to win the national title. The championship match is Saturday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m. EST.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is holding watch parties on campus today at 2 p.m. at the following locations:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ALANA Fort (Frost 233(&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learning Collaborative Lounge (Frost 267)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student Engagement Conference Room (Campus Center 227)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SAMP Success Center (Campus Center 323)&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22067" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/amanda-cummings" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251027T18:19:01" CategoryIds="66|65|2" FileName="x22067.xml" Name="Amanda Cummings" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/Cummings-10.19.25-WEB-.jpg" Title="'She'll always be with us'" Abstract="HCC retires the athletic jersey of All-American soccer star Amanda Cummings '14, who died tragically in August 2023 at the age of 31. " ThumbnailAltText="Amanda Cummings" IntroCopy="Jersey retirement a first for HCC" Date="2025-10-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/Cummings-jerseys-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;505&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the field, she was fierce, one of the toughest defenders ever to wear an HCC soccer jersey, a two-time team MVP, two-time first-team All-New England player, and a first-team All-American.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2011, her second and final year playing for the HCC Cougars, Amanda Cummings &amp;rsquo;14 led the team to a New England Championship and its highest ever national ranking in the National Junior College Athletic Association, number two.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Most certainly, not just one of the best players to ever wear the Cougar uniform, but one of the greatest people,&amp;rdquo; said Rob Galazka, HCC women&amp;rsquo;s soccer coach. &amp;ldquo;She was a class act on and off the field and one of the best teammates anyone could ever have. A truly wonderful human being with a contagious smile.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cummings&amp;rsquo; family members and former teammates returned to O&amp;rsquo;Connell Field on Saturday, Oct. 18, to honor the young woman who died tragically in 2023 at the age of 31 and bear witness as her soccer jersey &amp;ndash; #7 &amp;ndash; was officially retired.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She is the first athlete in HCC history to have their jersey retired.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the ceremony, one framed jersey was presented to Cummings&amp;rsquo; mother and sister, Lynn and Katie Cummings of Agawam. A second will be displayed in the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;In my 32 years as athletic director, this is probably the toughest thing I&amp;rsquo;ve had to do in my career,&amp;rdquo; said Tom Stewart, &amp;ldquo;to retire the number of someone who is no longer with us. Hopefully, this will bring some peace to her family and to her mother, Lynn, and her sister, Katie. But we&amp;rsquo;re proud to have done this, and she will always be with us.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cummings died in August 2023 after a shooting incident in Springfield on Boston Road. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even after she graduated from HCC with her associate degree in liberal arts, she remained part of the HCC soccer family, said Galazka, playing on alumni teams through summer and indoor leagues.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;She was part of a very close group of players, and their love for her is evident here today as it was her teammates who truly helped to make this event happen,&amp;rdquo; he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her teammates created tribute posters for Cummings, one with a team photo and a quote that says, &amp;ldquo;You will never walk alone&amp;rdquo; and another with a shot of Cummings in her green jersey under bright lights &amp;ndash; &amp;ldquo;HCC #7.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Today, we retire Amanda&amp;rsquo;s jersey, not only to honor her athletic achievement, but to preserve a legacy that transcends sport &amp;ndash; a legacy of character, commitment, and courage,&amp;rdquo; said President George Timmons. &amp;ldquo;To Amanda&amp;rsquo;s family: You entrusted us with your child&amp;rsquo;s dreams. Please know those dreams will not be forgotten here. Her spirit will continue to live on at HCC and in the hearts of everyone who had the privilege to know her.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ceremony was held before the start of the women&amp;rsquo;s soccer game against Bay Path University. In another fitting tribute that would have made Cummings proud, they won 8-1.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Athletic Director Tom Stewart, far left; women's socer coach Rob Galazka, second from right; and President George Timmons, far right, present framed jerseys to Lynn and Katie Cummings, the mother and sister of Amanda Cummings '14, who died tragically in 2023.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22063" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/rise-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251017T13:54:25" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x22063.xml" Name="RISE Grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Campus%20Beauty%20Shots/HCC-Spring-2025-aeria-webl.jpg" Title="HCC Lands RISE Grant" Abstract="Holyoke Community College has received a $300K grant to train low-income job seekers whose primary barrier to employment is their English language skills." ThumbnailAltText="Holyoke Community College" IntroCopy="Funds will focus on ESOL training along with career readiness " Date="2025-10-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Campus%20Beauty%20Shots/HCC-Spring-2025-aeria-webl.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has received a $300,000 state grant to train low-income job seekers whose primary barrier to employment is their English language skills.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Readiness, Integration, Skills, and Employment (RISE) grant to HCC is part of a $2.7 million package awarded recently to eight employers and organizations for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) initiatives that also include career readiness, job training and placement services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The RISE grants are funded by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and administered by the Commonwealth Corporation through the state&amp;rsquo;s Workforce Competitive Trust Fund. HCC was one of only two grant recipients outside the Boston area. Greenfield Community College received a $195,000 grant to train home health aides.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Overall, the grants will support the training of more than 500 residents in the state in workforce ESOL training programs and help ease the demand for ESOL services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We know that language is a significant barrier to employment, which is why we have focused on connecting workers with the English and skills training they need to succeed in today&amp;rsquo;s economy,&amp;rdquo; said Governor Maura Healey. &amp;ldquo;These awards will help prepare our residents to fill open roles in one of our high-demand fields.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is partnering with three Springfield-based agencies &amp;ndash; Wayfinders, Tech Foundry, and MassHire Springfield &amp;ndash; to provide training and career placement services for 50 individuals. HCC&amp;rsquo;s employer partners include Baystate Health, Holyoke Medical Center, Adhesive Applications, the Pioneer Valley Hotel Group, and MGM Springfield, who have agreed to interview program participants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Originally, the grant focused on people living in emergency shelters but has been expanded to also include other low-income job seekers with children below the age of 18.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s focused on individuals who need ESOL language development,&amp;rdquo; said Kermit Dunkelberg, assistant vice president of adult education and workforce development, &amp;ldquo;but who also might be facing barriers like inadequate housing &amp;ndash; that&amp;rsquo;s why we&amp;rsquo;re partnering with Wayfinders; or digital literacy &amp;ndash; that&amp;rsquo;s why we&amp;rsquo;re partnering with Tech Foundry; or basic awareness about how to apply for a job &amp;ndash; that&amp;rsquo;s why we&amp;rsquo;re partnering with MassHire.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participants will also be connected to support services that address other basic needs, such as childcare and food insecurity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;What&amp;rsquo;s innovative about this program is that we&amp;rsquo;re taking a cohesive approach to provide services that might typically be done sequentially, like, let&amp;rsquo;s first get you into stable housing and then get you into an English class, and then start thinking about a career,&amp;rdquo; said Dunkelberg. &amp;ldquo;Now we&amp;rsquo;re trying to do that in a more integrated way to accelerate people&amp;rsquo;s ability to get into jobs.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is now recruiting for the program, which is expected to begin by the end of October.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program will include three cycles of 12-week classes over a year and a half, with both in person and self-paced online components. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The curriculum is designed so that people can repeat a cycle or move up into higher level of English and continue on,&amp;rdquo; said Dunkelberg. &amp;ldquo;We will also be educating students about other industry-specific training opportunities we offer and jobs that are out there.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;One possible outcome is that they might go on to do culinary training or clean energy training, or healthcare training,&amp;rdquo; he said. &amp;ldquo;For others it might be getting an entry-level position at Baystate Health, or MGM.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22060" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/100-women-of-color" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251015T17:28:24" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x22060.xml" Name="100 Women of Color" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/Chief-Robles-SPRDP-web.jpg" Title="Chief Robles Honored" Abstract="The “100 Women of Color” recognizes the contributions of women of color and the impact they have made on the lives of people in Connecticut and western Massachusetts." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Police Chief Jacqueline Robles marches in the Springfield Puerto Rican Day Parade as the 2025 civil service ambassador." IntroCopy="Chief honored at &quot;100 Women of Color' gala" Date="2025-10-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/Chief-Robles-SPRDP-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College Police Chief Jacqueline Robles of Springfield was honored Friday, Oct. 10, as one of the &amp;ldquo;100 Women of Color&amp;rdquo; during a celebration at The Bushnell Theater in Hartford, Conn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &amp;ldquo;100 Women of Color&amp;rdquo; gala and awards ceremony, sponsored by The June Archer Foundation, recognizes the contributions of women of color in leadership, business, education, government, entertainment, healthcare, and public and community service, and the impact they have made on the lives of people in Connecticut and western Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Springfield, Robles is a graduate of Holyoke High School and has been a member of the HCC police department for 22 years. With her swearing-in in May, she became the first Latina to serve as HCC police chief.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since then, Robles has received a slew of honors. She was named a Commonwealh Heroine by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, recognized with proclamations at the State House from both the House of Representatives and Senate, and selected as the civil service ambassador for the Springfield Puerto Rican Day Parade.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Oct. 10, she was recognized as one of the &amp;ldquo;100 Women of Color&amp;rdquo; at the 10&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; annual 100 Women of Color Gala and Awards ceremony. A portion of the proceeds from the event supports programs and scholarships for young women of color.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m honored to be recognized for so many things that I was not expecting when I applied for this job,&amp;rdquo; Robles said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While the awards are exciting, as a big fan of Wonder Woman, Robles says she takes seriously the superhero credo, &amp;ldquo;with great power comes great responsibility,&amp;rdquo; and knows there are a lot of people looking to her for leadership.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m very humbled,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;I don&amp;rsquo;t want to let anybody down, especially all the girls from my family. I&amp;rsquo;m happy and I&amp;rsquo;m proud, and I&amp;rsquo;m here at HCC, trying to make some positive moves.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC Police Chief Jacqueline Robles marches in the Springfield Puerto Rican Day Parade as the 2025 civil service ambassador.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22012" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/elms-housing-pact" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251010T16:21:35" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x22012.xml" Name="Elms Housing Pact" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/Elms-Signing-web.jpg" Title="Elms Housing Pact" Abstract="HCC and STCC signed an agreement with Elms College that will allow students of those two institutions to reside in residence halls at Elms." ThumbnailAltText="Presidents of HCC, STCC, and Elms colleges sign a housing pact. " IntroCopy="Eight HCC students already benefiting from new agreement" Date="2025-10-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/Elms-Prez-three-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College and Springfield Community College entered into an agreement with Elms College that will allow students of those two institutions to reside in residence halls at Elms.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The presidents of the three colleges, Harry E. Dumay of Elms, George Timmons of HCC, and John B. Cook of STCC, ratified the shared student agreement Oct. 8 during a signing ceremony at Elms campus in Chicopee.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Elms has existing articulation agreements with HCC and STCC, under which students who satisfactorily complete an associate degree program at either community college are guaranteed admission into a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s program at Elms.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This agreement, however, is the first time Elms has opened its residence halls to students enrolled in another school.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As commuter schools, neither HCC nor STCC provide on-campus housing. This agreement benefits STCC and HCC students who have housing needs. At the same time, it creates another pathway for students to consider completing a baccalaureate degree at Elms.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Elms College, for nearly 100 years, has prided itself on promoting educational opportunities to those who would otherwise not have access, and being a collaborative partner with our neighboring colleges,&amp;rdquo; said Dumay. &amp;ldquo;This agreement accomplishes these goals and expands our strong partnerships with HCC and STCC. Our campus has always been a welcoming, inclusive community, where we work hard to ensure that everyone feels like they belong in the spirit of our founding mission. HCC and STCC students now get to discover that aspect of the Elms experience.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC and STCC students, under the agreement, are allowed to live in Elms residence halls during the school year and will pay for room and board. The room cost varies depending on whether students opt for a single or double room. They are required to sign up for a campus meal plan and pay for an annual campus parking permit if they intend to bring a car on campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since the start of the fall 2025 semester, eight HCC students have been living in Elms College dormitories as part of the agreement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;At Holyoke Community College, we are committed to helping students overcome barriers to success, such as housing insecurity,&amp;rdquo; said Timmons. &amp;ldquo;This agreement with Elms opens up more opportunities for HCC students to have stable and affordable housing while pursuing their education. We are delighted to have partners like Elms College who hare a similar mission of providing access and creating opportunities for all students.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participating HCC and STCC students will be eligible to use the campus library and fitness center, participate in some student activities, have access to campus amenities and services, including laundry facilities, WiFi, health services, and public safety, at no additional cost. They will receive an Elms College photo ID indicating they are a participating community college student.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The agreement also mentions the possibility of developing other amenities, such as a shuttle service between Elms and HCC and STCC, as the need arises.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This collaboration with Elms College expands access to on-campus living and strengthens the sense of community for our students,&amp;rdquo; said Cook. &amp;ldquo;It encourages full-time study and supports students wishing to accelerate their educational goals. This will be a rich and rewarding experience for our students who choose this option.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The students may live on campus during the academic year but will need to find other accommodations when Elms residence halls are closed, such as during the Thanksgiving, winter, and spring breaks, and over the summer months. Accommodations will be based on availability as determined by Elms College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The agreement is in effect through June 30, 2026, but may be renewed each year if the three parties agree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) HCC President George Timmons, left, Elms College President Harry Dumay, and STCC President John Cook sign a housing agreement at Elms College on Oct. 8 (Above) HCC President George Timmons, Elms College President Harry Dumay, and STCC President John Cook prepare to sign a housing agreement.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21452" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/vanessa-smith" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250930T17:24:35" CategoryIds="66|193|353" FileName="x21452.xml" Name="Vanessa Smith" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/Vanessa-Smith-web.jpg" Title="Meet the New Chair" Abstract="Gov. Maura Healey recently reappointed Vanessa Smith to a five-year term on the Board of Trustees and named her permanent board chair. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Board of Trustees chair Vanessa Smith" IntroCopy="'“I want to be part of an institution that helps people change their trajectory, not just for themselves, but for their families and for their communities. Serving on this board feels like a good fit.” – Vanessa Smith" Date="2025-09-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/Vanessa-Smith-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vanessa Smith of Holyoke, the former chief legal officer for Baystate Health, has been named the new chair of the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Smith has served on the HCC board since 2021. She was recently reappointed by Gov. Maura Healey to a five-year term and also designated as the permanent chair. She has been serving as interim chair since former chair Robert Gilbert stepped down in November 2023.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her term runs until March 1, 2030.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;As a first-generation college student, I have experienced firsthand the value of education, the power of education to change lives,&amp;rdquo; Smith said at a recent HCC trustees meeting. &amp;ldquo;As a member of this board, I&amp;rsquo;ve gotten to see directly the challenges that our students face, and it&amp;rsquo;s reinforced my commitment to student access and student success.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Smith is a lawyer with more than 35 years of legal experience. Until March, she had served as the chief legal officer for Baystate Health in Springfield for nine years. Before that, she was a partner in the Springfield law firm Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas. She started her career in upstate New York, where she worked as a judicial law clerk and an assistant attorney general.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She is a graduate of the Syracuse University College of Law and holds a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree in French language and literature from Wells College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the years, Smith&amp;rsquo;s volunteer work has included serving on the boards of Friends of the Homeless, the Center for Human Development, and the Springfield Public Forum.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I want to be part of an institution that helps people change their trajectory, not just for themselves, but for their families and for their communities,&amp;rdquo; Smith said. &amp;ldquo;Serving on this board feels like a good fit.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Vanessa Smith&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21451" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/newman-fellow-aj-jones" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250930T12:02:25" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x21451.xml" Name="Newman Fellow AJ Jones" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/AJ-Jones-web.jpg" Title="All Inclusive" Abstract="Curiosity about the natural world, coupled with a desire to make field study more accessible to people with disabilities, helped AJ Jones secure a prestigious national fellowship." ThumbnailAltText="AJ Jones" IntroCopy="Environmental science major receives national fellowship" Date="2025-09-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/AJ-Jones-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Curiosity about the natural world, coupled with a desire to make field study more accessible to people with disabilities, helped a Holyoke Community College student secure a prestigious national fellowship.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;AJ Jones, an environmental science and natural resources major, was selected for a Newman Civic Fellowship by Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities working to advance the public purposes of higher education. The Newman Civic Fellowship is a yearlong program that recognizes students who stand out for their leadership potential and commitment to creating positive change in their communities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;ldquo;AJ has been a standout voice for inclusive science,&amp;rdquo; said HCC President George Timmons. &amp;ldquo;Their lived experience, academic excellence, and drive to uplift others make AJ a leader committed to meaningful, systemic change.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jones, 20, who grew up in the Springfield area and now lives in Hadley, joins student leaders from across the country as a member of the Newman Civic Fellows class of 2025-2026. The fellowship provides students with educational programs, workshops, and networking opportunities to help nurture their development as civic leaders. With the help of a campus mentor, each fellow takes on a community-based project.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For their project, Jones plans to continue work they started last year at HCC helping to adapt science labs and field work to people with disabilities and make accessible design improvements to campus gardens and the college greenhouse.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Coming from a background of disability and nontraditional education, I feel a responsibility to my community to find ways to make environmental science education accessible,&amp;rdquo; said Jones, who uses a wheelchair.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jones took an indirect route to higher education. They left high school at 15 to deal with some health issues that have gradually diminished their mobility.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I was going to the hospital a lot and couldn&amp;rsquo;t keep up with school,&amp;rdquo; said Jones.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;However, It was during their out of school that Jones&amp;rsquo; interest in environmental science emerged.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I started an organic garden, and from that I could see how the plants were affecting the soil, and how they were attracting different types of bird species and different insects,&amp;rdquo; said Jones. &amp;ldquo;It was cool to see how those things interacted. I spent a lot of time exploring nature. I would go out with my field guide and thought, &amp;lsquo;this is awesome. I need to do this.&amp;rsquo;&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jones ultimately completed high school through Gateway to College, HCC&amp;rsquo;s alternative high school program, and has continued on at HCC as a full-time science student.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Gateway was a great catapult,&amp;rdquo; they said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, Jones is a member of the STEM Scholars program and treasurer of the Environmental Science Club. Last spring, they attended a conference of the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions in Worcester and presented a research paper about their accessible garden project.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jones&amp;rsquo; Newman Fellowship project will expand on that research. They have already started scoping out the nature trails around the HCC campus, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to look at maps and track the slopes and inclines of the terrain.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jones draws inspiration from the Accessible Oceans project at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, where scientists are developing solutions for making ocean research and discoveries more accessible to people with disabilities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s really cool stuff,&amp;rdquo; Jones said. &amp;ldquo;I really want to focus on how to make our labs and our field work better &amp;ndash; more accessible &amp;ndash; for students at HCC. If I want there to be change, then I have to try to help as much as I can.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: AJ Jones&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21445" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/a-milestone-event" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250925T18:15:39" CategoryIds="4|3|165" FileName="x21445.xml" Name="A Milestone Event" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/IBCW-Pres-Kimm-Davis-web.jpg" Title="'A Milestone Event'" Abstract="HCC celebrated the grand reopening of its free, drop-in service, the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch, in a larger, newly renovated, more central campus space." ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons, Kimm Quinlan, director of HCC early education initiativs, and Kiley O'Meara, executive director of the David Foundation" IntroCopy="Itsy Bitsy Child Watch opens in new, larger location" Date="2025-09-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/IBCW-ribbon-before-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center first opened at Holyoke Community College in 2022, officials heralded the free program as a potential game-changer for parents whose college aspirations floundered as they failed to find affordable childcare.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In just a few years, the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program has proven its value, speakers said, during a Sept. 24 celebration of the grand reopening of the program in a newly renovated, much larger, and more central space on the HCC campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Welcome to this milestone event,&amp;rdquo; said President George Timmons. &amp;ldquo;Today, we&amp;rsquo;re not just celebrating the reopening of the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch facility. This is a celebration of our unwavering commitment to student success and our understanding that students bring their whole lives with them when they walk through our doors.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Itsy Bitsy Child Watch is a free, drop-in service for student parents who need short-term childcare while they attend classes, study, or meet with tutors and advisers. It opened as a pilot program in May 2022 with $100,000 from the state. At the time, HCC was only the second community college in Massachusetts &amp;ndash; and the only one in western Massachusetts &amp;ndash; to offer a free child watch service.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By the end of its second semester, however, the center had maxed out on the number of students it could serve. College officials quickly realized there was an unmet need and demand.&amp;nbsp; Expansion became possible after HCC received a $600,000 grant from the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation in December 2023.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;At the Davis Foundation, we have five priorities,&amp;rdquo; said Executive Director Kiley O&amp;rsquo;Meara. &amp;ldquo;We fund early childhood, early literacy, the K-16 pathway, youth development, and economic mobility. So, it&amp;rsquo;s everything you all are doing here every day. Really, every college needs this, and we&amp;rsquo;re just thrilled to be a part of it.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center, located on the second floor of the Frost Building, nearly doubles the capacity of children it can serve at any given time, from 10 to 19. It has two full classrooms for different age groups, a dedicated children&amp;rsquo;s bathroom, an office, an adjoining gross motor skills room, and an expanded kitchenette with a dishwasher and full-size refrigerator. It serves children from three months to 12 years old.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Look at this beautiful space,&amp;rdquo; Timmons said. &amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s more than double the size of what we previously had. But this isn&amp;rsquo;t just about square footage. This is about possibility and removing barriers. This is about saying to student parents: we see you, we support you, and we want you to get to the finish line.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kimm Quinlan, HCC director of early childhood initiatives, said student parents who use the child watch service are more likely to graduate. Surveys show they have higher than average course completion and higher retention rates than the general HCC population by five to 10 percentage points.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We know it works, and that&amp;rsquo;s the story,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;That is what it&amp;rsquo;s all about.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through a story she often tells, Quinlan described the &amp;ldquo;two-generation approach&amp;rdquo; that guides the center&amp;rsquo;s mission. It&amp;rsquo;s about a little girl whose mom was sitting at the dinner table doing her homework. The girl was drawing a picture. Her mom said, &amp;ldquo;What&amp;rsquo;s that?&amp;rdquo; The girl said, &amp;ldquo;That&amp;rsquo;s me when I go to HCC, when I&amp;rsquo;m a student.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Seeing your parents going through education is a powerful driver for children,&amp;rdquo; said Quinlan, &amp;ldquo;to see that this is part of their life and should be.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;State Sen. John Velis, a veteran whose office leveraged the original state seed money for the center, said the Army would call those kinds of multiple, intergenerational benefits a &amp;ldquo;force multiplier.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The reality of this is that, without the opportunity for child watch or childcare, some folks will be deprived of the great equalizer &amp;ndash; education,&amp;rdquo; he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Amy Kershaw, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, said research supports the &amp;ldquo;mutually reinforcing benefit&amp;rdquo; of programs like the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch on the education outcomes of both children and their parents. She said there is a need to implement the Itsy Bitsy model statewide.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re looking forward to continuing this journey with you as we think about how to spread this across our other community colleges and four-year higher education institutions,&amp;rdquo; she said.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21442" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gateway-award-2025" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250922T19:40:13" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x21442.xml" Name="Gateway Award 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/Gateway-award-2025-web.jpg" Title="Still Excellent" Abstract="Gateway to College has won one or more benchmark awards for each of the last 10 years, and the excellence award six times, including the last three." ThumbnailAltText="Gateway to College staffers Shannon Glenn and Vivian Ostrowski hold 2025 Gateway to College program excellence awrd" IntroCopy="HCC's Gateway to College received a national award for program excellence – again" Date="2025-09-22" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/Gateway-award-2025-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the third consecutive year &amp;ndash; and sixth time in the past nine &amp;ndash; the Gateway to College program at Holyoke Community College has received a national excellence award from its parent network, Achieving the Dream. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Achieving the Dream presents excellence awards to its affiliates when those programs meet or exceed four benchmark criteria: grade point average, retention (one-year persistence and two-year persistence rates), and graduation rate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Gateway to College program at HCC, which started in 2006, has won one or more benchmark awards for the last 10 years, and the excellence award in 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2024, and 2025.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through Gateway to College, students who have dropped out of high school, or who are significantly off track, complete their high school diplomas in college-based programs while simultaneously earning credits toward a postsecondary credential.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has hosted a Gateway to College program since 2008, and the program enrolled 144 students during the academic year when they received the award.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We earned this award because young people who disconnected from traditional education were willing to trust us and give school another chance, and our amazing instructors and staff were patient and flexible and willing to give some grace as our young people navigated really challenging lives,&amp;rdquo; said Vivian Ostrowski, HCC&amp;rsquo;s Gateway to College program director. &amp;ldquo;We now have 662 high school graduates from 25 school districts, and we hope that our community is stronger and kinder because of those grads and the hope and investment they bring.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the assessment year (2024-2025), students entered Gateway with an average GPA of 1.57, compared to a network average of 1.89, and finished their first term with an average GPA of 2.89, compared to a national average of 2.55.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The one-year persistence rate at HCC was 94 percent, compared to a 63 percent network average; two-year persistence at HCC was 88 percent, compared to a national average of 63. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;HCC&amp;rsquo;s three-year graduation rate was 84 percent, compared to a national Gateway average of 65.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Gateway to College programs provide a critical second chance for vulnerable high school students and a powerful testament to the importance of wraparound supports and creating a sense of belonging in college,&amp;rdquo; said Emily Froimson, executive vice president of Achieving the Dream. &amp;ldquo;Nearly 75 percent of program graduates nationwide continue their postsecondary education.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the most recent Gateway to College graduation ceremony, in June, 47 students earned their high school diplomas from nine different communities: Chicopee, Easthampton, Holyoke, Ludlow, Northampton, Palmer, Springfield, West Springfield, and Westfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Collectively, they finished Gateway with an average GPA of 3.1 and collected 398 college credits. Thirty-five of them are continuing on in college, most of them at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Our graduates have earned more than 100 college degrees, with many more in progress,&amp;rdquo; Ostrowski said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Learning Specialist Shannon Glenn, left, and Program Director Vivian Ostrowski hold a national excellence award for HCC's Gateway to College program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21431" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/100-men-of-color" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251103T15:40:16" CategoryIds="69|66|193" FileName="x21431.xml" Name="100 Men of Color" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/GT-office-table-web.jpg" Title="President Honored" Abstract="The “100 Men of Color” recognizes the contributions of men of color and the impact they have made on the lives of people in Connecticut and western Massachusetts." ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons" IntroCopy="President honored at '100 Men of Color' gala" Date="2025-09-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/GT-office-table-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;750&quot; height=&quot;446&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College President George Timmons was honored Friday, Sept 12, as one of the &amp;ldquo;100 Men of Color&amp;rdquo; during a black-tie gala at The Bushnell Theater in Hartford, Conn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &amp;ldquo;100 Men of Color&amp;rdquo; awards ceremony, sponsored by the June Archer Foundation, recognizes the contributions of men of color in education, business, government, entertainment, and service, and the impact they have made on the lives of people in Connecticut and western Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A Hartford native who now lives in West Springfield, President Timmons was chosen to speak on behalf of all 100 honorees as the 2025 class &amp;ldquo;valedictorian.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;There was a time in my life when I would not have imagined standing before you tonight, he said. &amp;ldquo;Growing up right here in the north end of Hartford, raised by my grandmother, I wasn&amp;rsquo;t sure college was even in the cards for me. My grandmother taught me the value of education; she showed me the value of a strong work ethic. But it wasn&amp;rsquo;t just her wisdom that got me here. Like many of you, I am successful today because people saw something in me and cared about my future.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Timmons, HCC&amp;rsquo;s president since July 2023, holds a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree in financial management from Norfolk State University, a master&amp;rsquo;s degree in higher education from Old Dominion University, and a Ph.D. in higher education from Bowling Green State University. He is the first African American man to serve as HCC president.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We have all arrived here on different paths, with different stories, different blessings, and different challenges,&amp;rdquo; Timmons said. &amp;ldquo;But the common thread that binds us is that we all arrived here, and I, for one, am humbled by that journey.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A portion of the proceeds from the annual gala support mentorship programs and scholarships for young men of color who graduate from high school and plan to attend college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Our goal is to provide financial support for programs that support the advancement of young men of color,&amp;rdquo; said June Archer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of the June Archer Foundation. &amp;nbsp;&amp;ldquo;On this day, we believe these 100 individuals should be honored for their achievements and celebrated for their accomplishments.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The theme of this year&amp;rsquo;s gala, the 12&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; annual, was &amp;ldquo;Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This event,&amp;rdquo; Timmons said, &amp;ldquo;is so important because it showcases what young people &amp;ndash; especially young men of color &amp;ndash; need to see: that success comes in many forms, that leadership looks like us, and that their dreams are not just possible, but inevitable with the right support and determination.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: (Thumbnail) President George Timmons in his HCC office. (Above) President Timmons, center, at the 100 Men of Color gala&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21430" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-su25" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260106T14:51:13" CategoryIds="4|3|193|165" FileName="x21430.xml" Name="Dean's List SU25" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Campus%20Beauty%20Shots/HCC-Campus-FA21-web.jpg" Title="Summer Dean's List" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize the students who earned Dean’s List honors for the Summer  2025 term." ThumbnailAltText="HCC campus" IntroCopy="HCC announces Summer 2025 Dean's List honorees" Date="2025-09-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Campus%20Beauty%20Shots/HCC-Campus-FA21-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize the students who earned Dean&amp;rsquo;s List honors for Summer 2025. Each term, HCC recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean&amp;rsquo;s List. A student is placed on the Dean&amp;rsquo;s List if their G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher. The students listed below have earned Dean&amp;rsquo;s List honors for the Summer 2025 term.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Cassondra Lynn Blanchard, Aidan Henry Cavanaugh, Andrea Graziano, Cha Lor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alvaro Betancourt, Joshua David Bishop, Yinglin Chen, Timothy Joseph Guisti, Raymond George Hamel, Brian Lee, Taysha Pabon-Sostre, Gabriel Sarfo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sophia Elizabeth Grazioso, Laura Janette Hastings, Claire Nan, Emily Darya O'Donnell, Jennifer Shaink.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brimfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Christine M. Casey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brookfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rebecca L. Quevillon&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Buckland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jamie Lynn Chase.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amwag Al Jebur, Chance Daniel Almonte, Jada Marie Andino, Zachary Ryan Barabani, Yesenia Cancel, Amanda Lynn Carlson, Vincenzo Victor Dandridge Jr., Najah Dejesus, Alex Del Valle, Joanna Fernandez, Elizabeth Anne Guerinot, Megan Harrington, Elizabeth Kincaid, Yolanda Maldonado Delgado, Jalen Malloy, Jessica Diane Marshall, Martha C. Ortiz, Samantha Mary Reid-Haney, Katie Schreiber, Rose Evelyn Tack, John H. Tobin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;William McClellan Beagle, Patricia Knas, Artem Mikhailov, Addison Elizabeth Rushford.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Erica Yalitzy Lago Lugo, Severiana Rodriguez, Zoe Jennelle Thomas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lauren Bland, Madison Braska, Jose Francisco Dejesus, Zakia Hussain, Nick Edward Laviolette.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Edward Cade Benson, Matthew Krueger, Karissa Marie Robinson.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Framingham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fatima Ofelia Lopez Barrera Sr.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Olivia Lauren Hinkley, Samantha Panarese.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Greenfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amber Michelle Taylor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jessica Lynn Campbell, Meichal Chapin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hartford, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Raemiah A. Whitaker-Brown.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Haydenville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Teagan Ann Andross.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holden:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Isabella M. Bujnowski-Rivera.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;John Paul Nash.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Raulisha Agramonte, Fatima Bergman, Pearl Abigail Burns, Yarilis Beatriz Conde Estremera, Jordan Gagner, Adaryn Livingstion Hagar, Karen Diane Howery, Wesley Kulig Jr., Cadence Lelani Mason, Dominick Josiah Mastromonaco, Rose Adrienne Michaud, Misteny Montano, Kearney Grace O'Malley, Yamaya Perez, Anna Claire Puttick, Nicole Rivera I, Junna Sreileak San, Jayla Santiago, Enid Magaly Soto, Daniel William Sullivan, Gabriella Asselin Vermes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Indian Orchard:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mariam Bintou Diaby, Douglas Moore Jr.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jack Ian Baker, Emily Janet Ireland, Changin Lee, Abby Michelle O'Farrell, Daniel Theodore Perez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rachel Evangeline Bourcier, Jonathon Lee Cruz, Nelson Pereira Dacosta, Sara Alves Killeen, Jazmin Shaibet Velazquez, Agnieszka Zerdecka.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nicholas James Aliengena, Sarah Brittany Boisvert, Kaitlyn Vedovelli.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;North Hatfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Owen S. Korpiewski.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mark Anthony Cronin, Juliette Long, Orlando Morales, Marlee Raiffa, Brie-Ann Michelle Wilber.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oakham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Morgen Alan Swallow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kayla Rose Andre, Hannah Lis, Emily Toney, Marlene Marcia Williams, Makala Susan Yarkin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pittsfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nallely Maria Abreu Garcia Sr.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plymouth:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Margaret Boyle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Revere:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gloria Alejandra Lopez Acosta.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Russell:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Diana Marie Mire.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Deerfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kazimier C. Sobieski.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Zoey Alise Campbell, Newton Hall, Jonathan Jimenez, Sarah Nicholson, Eric M. Rogers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Matthew Steven Riel, Riley Janet Smith, Olivia Urbanek.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jonathan Michael Petticoffer, Jonathan Youens.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Melissa Ann Austin, Nicolette Tamra Barnett, Iliana Marie Caban, Yasmari Cardenales, Deborah Eliana Cheeseboro, Akayla-Rain Mary Cobb, Jahmara Rae Coleman, Natasha Dyer, Michael R. Everett, Carmen M. Fidalgo, Tiffany Gibbs, Alexia May Henley-Bisson, Deizha Hernandez, Zephaniah Hatano Langley, Joslyn Martinez, Anecia S. Matos, Amanda Janay Montes, Juliana Mora, Nashaly Crystal Moya, Kayla Nguyen, Briana Marie Ocasio, Jenny M. Perkins, Aiquacha Powell, Dianara Marie Reyes, Eric Manuel Reyes Soto, Tatiana Rivera, Eliezer Rivera, Tahlee Danae Rodriguez, Krystal Lee Soto, Ninoshka Marie Tirado Davila, Jonte Toro, Yamery Vasquez, Careen Gloria Walker.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunderland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Genniffer Hattie Jackson, Abigail Roy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three Rivers:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sara Kate Bracey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Turners Falls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sharilynn Ann Reil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wales:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Samuel John Champigny.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Evangeline Desiree Gallacher, Corey Benjamin Kuang, Samuel R. Lacus, Nahida Mahamane, Deja Ashanti Moss, Greta Puc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Stockbridge:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alexandrea Emily Luscier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bryan Clark, Jocelyn L. Correia, Rebekah Cyr, Isek Flaherty, Poonam Gurung, Melissa Johnson, Rachel Anna Miller, Gabriella Marie Rivera, Aamylie Marie Roman, David Tomas Santiago, Ashley Jean Savaria, Kristene A. Sporbert, Katelynn Sullivan, Mercedes Ann Trombley, Lauren Mackenzie Yates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jean Boutin, Robert Edmund Dooley, Miranda Lee Krauza.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Williamsburg:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kelsey Ann Bean.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Worcester:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Joseph Anthony Guinto.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21404" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/tech-center-fete" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250904T15:25:32" CategoryIds="4|165" FileName="x21404.xml" Name="Tech Center Fete" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/TECH-CENTER-RIBBON-web.jpg" Title="Tech Center Fete" Abstract="Holyoke Community College celebrated the grand opening of its new student Tech Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 3." ThumbnailAltText="Tech Center grand opening celebration ribbon-cutting" IntroCopy="“No other community college in the Commonwealth has a facility like this one dedicated to helping students succeed in today’s technological world.&quot; – Chief Information Officer Kim Florek " Date="2025-09-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/TECH-CENTER-RIBBON-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College celebrated the grand opening of its new Tech Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 3.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Located on the second floor of the HCC Campus Center, the HCC Tech Center is a newly renovated space dedicated to providing students with all the technological support they need to be successful.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;No other community college in the Commonwealth has a facility like this one dedicated to helping students succeed in today&amp;rsquo;s technological world,&amp;rdquo; said Kim Florek, HCC&amp;rsquo;s chief information officer and head of the IT Department.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Funding for the Tech Center came from a $250,000 &amp;ldquo;Tech Rise&amp;rdquo; grant HCC received from the Employment and Training Administration, which is part of the U.S. Dept. of Labor. The money was principally used to buy furniture, computers, and other technology for the center, as well as the hiring of student interns.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We provide the first level of support to students and all their personal devices &amp;ndash; laptops, cell phones, tablets,&amp;rdquo; said Tech Center manager Walter Pfau. &amp;ldquo;If it&amp;rsquo;s got a screen and a power button, we&amp;rsquo;ll help them troubleshot it. But the heart of this space isn&amp;rsquo;t about fixing devices, it&amp;rsquo;s about helping students feel more capable, more technologically independent, and, ultimately, more connected.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Besides Pfau and other IT staff, the Tech Center will be run by a team of student interns who can also offer one-on-one support to their classmates who need assistance with their devices, and computer programs and apps. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Interns not only provide peer support but also co-develop resources, assist and lead training sessions, and bring fresh ideas to campus-wide technology conversations,&amp;rdquo; said Pfau. &amp;ldquo;This spirit of innovation and collaboration aligns with HCC&amp;rsquo;s mission to &amp;lsquo;educate, inspire, and connect,&amp;rsquo; empowering students to build digital confidence and community at the same time.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Previously, students, along with HCC faculty and staff, had to go across campus to the first floor of the Frost Building to the IT Help Desk for all their computer needs. The HCC Tech Center is more centrally located, across from the Student Engagement office, adjoining the HCC Bookstore, and steps away from the cafeteria and food court, where students tend to congregate between classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to one-on-one tech support, the Tech Center has computer stations for students to use, a classroom for interactive workshops and meetings, and cubicles where other HCC support staff, such as financial aid counselors, can set up shop during special events, like Registration Express and Accepted Students Days.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The Tech Center is an extension of the IT Help Desk, but it goes beyond the physical repairs that the Help Desk is set up for,&amp;rdquo; said Scott Conrad, director of IT services. &amp;ldquo;This will allow us to spend more time on the in-depth problems students might have.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: President George Timmons gets ready to cut the ribbon officially opening the new HCC Tech Center on Wednesday, Sept. 3.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21375" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/giving-answers" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250825T14:57:47" CategoryIds="4|193" FileName="x21375.xml" Name="Giving Answers" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Summer/GETTING-ANSWERS-web.jpg" Title="Giving Answers" Abstract="President George Timmons was a guest on the Aug. 10 current events program &quot;Getting Answers,&quot; hosted by veteran broadcaster Dave Madsen on WGGB." ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons shakes hands with interviewer Dave Madsen." IntroCopy="President George Timmons guest on WGGB's &quot;Getting Answers&quot; program. " Date="2025-08-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Summer/GETTING-ANSWERS-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;505&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President George Timmons was a guest on the August 10 edition of &quot;Getting Answers,&quot; a Sunday current events program on WGGB, Western Mass News.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During a wide-ranging studio interview with host Dave Madsen, the president talked about the significance of serving as HCC's first African-American president, what led him to HCC, HCC's being the oldest community college in Massachusetts, the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, MassEducate and MassReconnect (the state's free community college programs), revamping the human resources department, transforming the campus security, creating a new division of People, Culture, and Equity, addressing basic needs of students through the Thrive Center and Food Pantry, and HCC's impact on western Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.westernmassnews.com/video/2025/08/22/getting-answers-aug-10/ &quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here to watch ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: President George Timmons shakes hands with &quot;Getting Answers&quot; host Dave Madsen.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21354" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/pd-promotions" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250819T16:21:18" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x21354.xml" Name="PD Promotions" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Summer/HPD-MAZZA-BADGE-web.jpg" Title="'A Historic Moment'" Abstract="The HCC Police Department held its first-ever pinning ceremony Monday, celebrating five officers, four with promotions. " ThumbnailAltText="Anthony Mazza receives his badge as a campus police officer trainee." IntroCopy="HCC PD recognizes five officers at pinning event" Date="2025-08-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Summer/HPD-ROBLES-OATH-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;About 10 years ago, when she was promoted from campus police officer to sergeant, Jacqueline Robles remembers her boss basically sliding her new badge across a table to confer her new status.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I had taken an exam,&amp;rdquo; she said, &amp;ldquo;went through the interview process, and then, after it was announced that I got the promotion, I came into work the next day and the chief said, &amp;lsquo;Ok, go get your uniforms, you&amp;rsquo;re all set. I thought, &amp;lsquo;Thank you?&amp;rsquo;&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, as HCC&amp;rsquo;s new police chief, one of the changes Robles has implemented is to have more formal pinning ceremonies to celebrate the promotion of offices in the department.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Because of that particular experience, I want to be able to acknowledge the officers and give them pats on the back for all the hard work I know they do,&amp;rdquo; Robles said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC held its first Campus Police promotion ceremony on Monday, Aug. 18, recognizing four officers who received promotions and one who was newly hired.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;When I started here at Holyoke Community College, 22 years ago, I never would have guessed that I would be standing here, nor did I imagine I&amp;rsquo;d become chief,&amp;rdquo; said Robles, who was sworn in as chief in May. &amp;ldquo;But as time went by, I fell in love with my job. I fell in love with helping and understanding people, and I fell in love with the college community. It was the students, faculty, and staff who taught me to be the police officer and chief I am today, and I want my officers to experience that as well.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the ceremony, Campus Police Officer Ruben Roberto, of Springfield, was promoted to sergeant; Police officer Robert Clare, of Holyoke, was promoted to corporal; Antonio Mazza, of Chicopee, was promoted from institutional security officer to campus police officer trainee, as was Jiovanny Montanez-Moret, a Holyoke resident and 2023 graduate of HCC&amp;rsquo;s criminal justice program. Recently hired campus police officer Sarah Paley, of South Hadley, was also recognized. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After taking the police officer&amp;rsquo;s oath, the five officers received new badges and certificates. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Looking ahead, my priority as sergeant is to fully immerse myself in our campus community and to ensure that everyone feels safe, respected and heard,&amp;rdquo; Roberto said in a speech. &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;ll be actively seeking out opportunities to listen and learn. My goal is to foster genuine connections. Campus safety is a shared responsibility.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marlowe Washington, vice president of the division of People, Culture, and Equity, who oversees the campus police department, said the promotion ceremony was just one of several new initiatives underway since Robles was named chief.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is truly a historic moment for us,&amp;rdquo; he said. &amp;ldquo;I am really proud of the work she&amp;rsquo;s doing, the commitment, and the new kind of spirit she&amp;rsquo;s bringing in.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other new initiatives in the works as the department transforms to a community policing model, he said, are bike patrols and a comfort dog program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Holyoke Police Chief Jacqueline Robles administers the police officer's oath to five officers who were recognized at HCC's first police pinning event. (Thumbnail) Campus Police Officer Trainee Anthony Mazza receives his badge.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21337" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/tracy-carter" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250805T17:14:08" CategoryIds="66|193" FileName="x21337.xml" Name="Tracy Carter" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Summer/Tracy-CARTER-line-cook-web.jpg" Title="Outreach Award" Abstract="Chef Tracy Carter, chair of the HCC culinary arts program, was recognized with a national award for community outreach." ThumbnailAltText="Chef Tracy Carter helps a culinary arts student during a class. " IntroCopy="Culinary arts instructor recognized with national award" Date="2025-08-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Summer/Carter--Escoffie-webr.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;669&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chef Tracy Carter, a culinary arts instructor at Holyoke Community College, was recognized recently for community outreach by two national culinary arts organizations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In June, Carter, a Chicopee resident and chair of the HCC culinary arts program, received the 2025 Community Outreach Award from the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts and the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAF&amp;Eacute;). The national award recognizes a culinary/hospitality program or individual making a positive impact in their community via outreach programs such as food banks, recycling efforts, skill development for the disadvantaged and other services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As culinary program chair, Carter has committed herself to building bridges between the college and community groups on wellness campaigns. This year, the HCC culinary program partnered with the Western New England University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to develop an adaptive cooking series designed for people with disabilities and their caregivers. The goal of the class is for participants to gain confidence in the kitchen, develop essential life skills, and foster a sense of independence and joy around food. The program is entirely hands-on, complete with accessible tools, modified recipes, and supportive instruction to meet diverse needs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;For me, this award is a reflection of the amazing work happening every day in our kitchens at HCC,&amp;rdquo; said Carter. &amp;ldquo;It means a great deal to be recognized nationally, not just as an individual, but as a representative of a program that truly values community, inclusion, and student success.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carter believes food can break down barriers and bring people together.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This program exemplifies that belief in action &amp;ndash; merging culinary education with therapeutic outcomes to serve those who are often overlooked,&amp;rdquo; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carter is a graduate of the International Culinary Schools at the Art Institute in Los Angeles. She grew up in Springfield and joined the HCC teaching staff in 2018 after living for several years in New York City, where she worked as a freelance food stylist and culinary producer at the Food Network on shows such as &quot;Chopped,&quot; preparing the baskets of ingredients for the cooks involved in the on-air competitions, and working alongside famous chefs like Bobby Flay.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The award provides a $1,000 prize and commemorative plaque. Additionally, Carter received a complimentary registration to attend CAF&amp;Eacute;&amp;rsquo;s 2025 Leadership Conference in Pittsburgh, where the award was presented.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This recognition reinforces that we&amp;rsquo;re on the right path, and it energizes us to keep growing, innovating, and building a culinary community where everyone belongs,&amp;rdquo; Carter said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With campuses in Austin, Texas, and Boulder, Colorado, the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts is the largest culinary school brand in the United States. Based in Annapolis, Maryland, CAF&amp;Eacute;&amp;rsquo;s mission is to link culinary educators with the foodservice industry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: (Above) Chef Tracy Carter, chair of the HCC culinary arts program, receives the 2025 Community Outreach Award from Richard Harber, associate director of instructional design at the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts&lt;strong&gt;. &lt;/strong&gt;(Thumbnail) Chef Tracy Carter helps a culinary arts student during a class at HCC.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21312" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/trio-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250725T16:26:50" CategoryIds="70|165" FileName="x21312.xml" Name="TRIO Grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Summer/HCC-2025-web-Commencement-Danielle-Foster.jpg" Title="TRIO grant secured" Abstract="Holyoke Community College has received a $423K grant from the U.S. Dept. of Education to support HCC's TRIO Student Services Support program." ThumbnailAltText="Criminal justice major and TRIO student Danyelle Foster '25 celebrates Commencement 2025." IntroCopy="HCC receives $432K grant for TRIO Student Support Services" Date="2025-07-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Summer/HCC-2025-web-Commencement-Danielle-Foster.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Holyoke Community College a TRIO Student Support Services grant of $423,190 to improve college retention and graduation rates among low-income, first-generation students, and students with disabilities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This award, which runs through June 2026, marks the continuation of more than 30 years of TRIO SSS services at HCC. Since 1993, the program has served thousands of HCC students, helping them stay in school, earn degrees, and build meaningful careers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SSS is one of eight federal TRIO programs funded under the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove social, academic, and cultural barriers to higher education. Since its inception in 1968, TRIO SSS has helped millions of low-income, first-generation students graduate from college and contribute to their communities and the economy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through individualized services including academic tutoring, financial aid, scholarship guidance, career exploration, personal and academic counseling, and mentoring, TRIO SSS empowers students to overcome barriers to success. These comprehensive supports make it significantly more likely that students will complete their degrees or successfully transfer, with the lowest possible debt.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The TRIO Student Support Services program at Holyoke Community College empowers students to achieve their academic goals through personalized academic support as they navigate both educational challenges and personal growth,&amp;rdquo; said Elsie Rodriguez-Garcia, director of TRIO programs at HCC. &amp;ldquo;Through mentorship, guidance, and valuable resources, TRIO inspires students to realize their full potential and thrive during their college journey. TRIO is more than just a support service, it is a community that engages, encourages, and uplifts students &amp;ndash; fostering resilience, persistence, and lasting success beyond college.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nationally, the TRIO SSS program has a proven track record. According to a 2019 evaluation by the U.S. Department of Education, students in TRIO SSS at two-year institutions were 48 percent more likely to earn an associate degree or transfer to a four-year school, and students at four-year institutions were 18 percent more likely to earn a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree compared to similar peers not in the program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;TRIO programs generally and TRIO SSS in particular transform students from the least resourced backgrounds into college graduates,&amp;rdquo; said Kimberly Jones, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington, D.C. &amp;ldquo;This vital program makes all the difference for nearly a million students each year across the country.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Notable alumni of the TRIO Student Support Services program include Michael Cashman, town supervisor of Plattsburgh, N.Y.; former NASA astronaut Jos&amp;eacute; Hern&amp;aacute;ndez; and Cheryl Johnson, 36&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Criminal justice major and TRIO student Danyelle Foster '25 celebrates Commencement 2025 at the MassMutual Center on May 31.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21302" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hyundai-hope" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250715T12:28:36" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x21302.xml" Name="Hyundai Hope" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Summer/HCC-THRIVE-Hyunda-webi.jpg" Title="Hyundai Helps" Abstract="Representatives from Hyundai Motor America visited HCC to deliver a $5,000 check for the college’s food pantry." ThumbnailAltText="Hyundai representatives present $5,000 check to Thrive Food Pantry" IntroCopy="Hyundai donation to benefit Thrive Food Pantry" Date="2025-07-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Summer/HCC-THRIVE-Hyunda-webi.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Representatives from Hyundai Motor America visited Holyoke Community College July 9 to deliver a $5,000 check to benefit the college&amp;rsquo;s food pantry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the fifth consecutive year Hyundai Motor America has donated to the HCC food pantry, part of the college&amp;rsquo;s Thrive Center, bringing the total value of their donations up to $37,000.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We came all the way here to give you some great news,&amp;rdquo; said Brandon Ramirez, director of corporate social responsibility and external relations at Hyundai Motor America, which is based in Fountain Valley, California. &amp;ldquo;At Hyundai, we have a corporate social responsibility initiative called Hyundai Hope, where we focus on health, safety, and food insecurity, but the whole umbrella, or the company&amp;rsquo;s global vision, is progress for humanity. And what that means is, not only do we develop high quality, safe vehicles, we also give back to the community.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The gifts from Hyundai are in addition to regular donations made to Thrive by auto dealer Gary Rome, owner of Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke. Rome is a member of the HCC Foundation Board of Directors, and his efforts on behalf of HCC initially brought the Thrive Center and Food Pantry to the attention of the Hyundai corporate offices in California.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rome accompanied Hyundai officials to the Thrive Center for the check presentation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Elizabeth Eastman, food pantry manager, said donations from community groups have enabled Thrive to increase the number of people the program feeds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Without the support that we get from Gary Rome and Hyundai, and our partnerships with Stop and Shop and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, we could not give out the amount of food that we do,&amp;rdquo; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Thrive Center manages the college&amp;rsquo;s food pantry and provides services, such as food and housing assistance, that help address students&amp;rsquo; basic needs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eastman told the assembled crowd that the pantry had delivered more than 9,000 pounds of food to student and their families during the last fiscal year. Through May 2025, the food pantry handled 459 requests, serving 259 students and their families, for a total of 651 people.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Up through November of last year,&amp;rdquo; Eastman said, &amp;ldquo;we were really trying to support students, which is important, but if those students have family at home that they&amp;rsquo;re trying to support, that they&amp;rsquo;re trying to feed, feeding the student is not enough, because if you don&amp;rsquo;t have enough food to feed your kids, you can&amp;rsquo;t stay in school. You need to go get a job or get more jobs, and they don&amp;rsquo;t have time.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eastman said the food pantry is capable of handling more requests now since the Thrive Center moved to a much larger space on the second floor of the HCC Kittredge Center in September 2024.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;So, we are now trying to serve the entire family,&amp;rdquo; Eastman said. &amp;ldquo;For households that are a little bigger, we give them a little bit more food. And we also have personal care items, such as diapers and formula and hygiene products that are available for families as well.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Thrive Center also recently installed electronically operated refrigerated lockers in the hallway outside the food pantry, so students can retrieve items at their convenience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;When someone places an order, we can now pack it with perishable items,&amp;rdquo; said Eastman. &amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re trying to do more fresh produce and fresh dairy, so that it&amp;rsquo;s not just cans. We can pack all that and put it in a locker and then send them a code so they can pick it up at the end of the day, after their classes are done, or in the evening, because not all students are on campus during the day.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Representatives from Hyundai Motor America present a $5,000 check to HCC to benefit theiThrive Food Pantry.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21275" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gateway-graduation-sp25" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250616T15:10:36" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x21275.xml" Name="Gateway Graduation SP25" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Summer/Gateway-grad-Robles-web.jpg" Title="Gateway for Life" Abstract="HCC's Gateway to College program celebrated the graduation of 47 students June 6 with a special ceremony in the Leslie Phillips Theater. " ThumbnailAltText="Gateway graduate Marjorie Pagan Robles accepts an award from Shannon Glenn" IntroCopy="“I truly mean when I say being part of this program has healed the way I look at school. Now, rather than just surviving, I aim to thrive, because I was put in an environment where I could do just that. I always knew where I was going. Now I have the tools to get there.” – Gateway graduate Marjorie Pagan" Date="2025-06-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Summer/Gateway-grads-Spring2025-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marjorie Pagan Robles describes her experience in public high school as &amp;ldquo;complicated.&amp;rdquo; She liked learning, she says, but not how or what she was being taught.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Schools often have curriculums that don&amp;rsquo;t reflect or engage the students they serve yet expect a positive response,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;They fail to promote critical thinking and individuality and fall short in their support of students social and emotional well-being. Instead, they lean on punitive action rather than addressing their own faults or shortcomings.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She was labeled &amp;ldquo;bad&amp;rdquo; or &amp;ldquo;good,&amp;rdquo; she says, depending on the context &amp;ndash; &amp;ldquo;good&amp;rdquo; for her grades, but &amp;ldquo;bad&amp;rsquo; for talking back, questioning adults&amp;rsquo; actions, and standing up for herself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;They&amp;rsquo;d probably tell you I had behavior issues,&amp;rdquo; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like many students who struggle in traditional high school settings, Pagan Robles experienced &amp;ldquo;push-out,&amp;rdquo; and left after her junior year. Instead, she enrolled in Gateway to College, an alternative high school program at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through Gateway, she earned her high school diploma &amp;ndash; by taking college classes. She graduated June 6 with a final college GPA of 4.0.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I truly mean when I say being part of this program has healed the way I look at school,&amp;rdquo; she said from the stage of the Leslie Philips Theater as one of the keynote speakers during the Gateway graduation ceremony. &amp;ldquo;Now, rather than just surviving I aim to thrive, because I was put in an environment where I could do just that. I always knew where I was going. Now I have the tools to get there.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pagan Robles was one of 47 students from nine area school districts who graduated from Gateway this spring. Collectively, they arrived at HCC with average high school GPA of 1.57. They finished Gateway with an average GPA of 3.1 and collected 398 college credits. Thirty-five of them will continue on in college, most of them at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;With this class, Gateway to College now has 660 high school graduates,&amp;rdquo; said HCC Gateway to College Director Vivian Ostrowski. &amp;ldquo;Those graduates have earned over 100 college degrees, with many more in progress. One Springfield grad just finished at Mount Holyoke College, and another earned a master&amp;rsquo;s degree from UMass. We have three RNs. Gateway grads area indeed impressive.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC&amp;rsquo;s Gateway program started in 2008 and belongs to the national Gateway to College network. The Gateway modus operandi is to take students who have dropped out of high school or are at risk for dropping out and put them into college classes, where they can secure their high school diplomas while also earning transferable college credits.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Gateway has always served students for whom traditional high school is not a good fit,&amp;rdquo; Ostrowski said. &amp;ldquo;With Covid, traditional high school was not a good fit for anyone. These students experienced profound anxiety and depression, lost family and friends, dealt with addiction and eating disorders and court involvement, were alienated from family, worked crazy hours, had car accidents. It&amp;rsquo;s been a rough go.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Still, she added, &amp;ldquo;these same students kept showing up. These are some exceptional human beings &amp;ndash; strong and resilient, kind and decent.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pagan Robles, a criminal justice major from Holyoke, earned 15 college credits through Gateway and made Dean&amp;rsquo;s List during her last semester. She will transfer into Western New England University&amp;rsquo;s 3 + 3 law degree program in September. Her career goal is to be an immigration lawyer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I whole heartedly believe there are no &amp;lsquo;bad&amp;rsquo; kids,&amp;rdquo; said Pagan Robles, the first person in her family to go to college. &amp;ldquo;I do believe that young people have inherit power and that this generation will be the one to push our world forward. The kid that was told they talk too much will be defending you in court one day; the one doodling in class will design the clothes you wear; the one who talked back will be debating your politicians, and so on. These are the kids that will make the most difference not only because they know what it&amp;rsquo;s like to struggle but because they are unafraid to challenge authority, and that alone is a powerful thing.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each year, Gateway National recognizes individual students for their academic performance. Fifteen HCC Gateway students received the Linda Huddle Award, which honors graduating students who earned at minimum GPA of 3.0. Seven received the President&amp;rsquo;s Award, presented to students with a minimum GPA of 3.7.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Graduates,&amp;rdquo; Ostrowski said during her closing remarks, &amp;ldquo;you are Gateway for Life. That means we will help you with financial aid, scholarships, job references &amp;ndash; forever. We will connect you with all the right people at HCC &amp;ndash; forever. We will brainstorm with you about your future &amp;ndash; forever. Relentless kindness &amp;ndash; forever. We love you.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC Gateway to College graduates, Spring 2025&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Joniel Dones, Krys Garner, Alivia Jones, Brenden Kessler*, Elizabeth Vollinger.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rhys Perusse*.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Asa Allen, Carlos Brignoni, Orion (Ryah) Evernow*, Isabel Flores Colon, Angel Lemanski, Gileishka Leon-Pagan, Marjorie Pagan Robles**, Pamela Rios Badillo, Abi Saez, Ashly Santos.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alexa Vanasse.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sawyer Kirley, Jasper Sargent.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CJ Storey*.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Serenity Abreu, Jovani Bermudez, CJ Beusee, Naylani Collazo-Cartagena**, MaKenzie Dudley**, Mae Gavins, Promisse Hamer, Julianys Lombay, Josselyn Mendoza**, Destiny Navedo, Veronic Nunez, Ruby Ramirez Mazariegos**, Jahleah Rodriguez*, Renee Rodriguez-Polo, Glad (Gladeliz) Rosario*, June (Gabrielys) Santiago, Braidyn Sylvester, Blair Welz**, Tanaja Wilson, Jayla Worster.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:|&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sky McCartin*.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lily-Alice Farrelly, Julianna Garcia, Amelia Gravel-Blaney*, Azaiah Ortiz, Zeik Wiemer**, Tati Zuniga.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;* received Linda Huddle Award from Gateway National&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;**received Linda Huddle Award and President&amp;rsquo;s Award from Gateway National&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Gateway graduate Marjorie Pagan Robles from Holyoke accepts an award from Gateway academic counselor&amp;nbsp; Shannon Glenn. (Above) Gateway to College students celebrate their graduations.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21273" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-sp25" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250911T19:35:09" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x21273.xml" Name="Deans List SP25" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Campus%20Beauty%20Shots/HCC-Spring-2025-aeria-webl.jpg" Title="Spring 2025 Dean's List" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize the students who earned Dean’s List honors for the Spring 2025 semester." ThumbnailAltText="HCC campus" IntroCopy="HCC releases Dean's List honorees" Date="2025-06-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Campus%20Beauty%20Shots/HCC-Spring-2025-aeria-webl.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize the students who earned Dean&amp;rsquo;s List honors for the Spring 2025 semester. Each term, HCC recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean&amp;rsquo;s List. A student is placed on the Dean&amp;rsquo;s List if their G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher. The students listed below have earned Dean&amp;rsquo;s List honors for the Spring 2025 term.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Adams:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jamie Lee Vachula.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jacquelyn Chantal Bazelow, Kevin Robert Bryden, Jack Tillman Canney, Collin Cavanaugh, Dylan M. Christy, Samantha Elizabeth Coard, Chase Victoria Duncan, Jill Marie Fogg, Christina Elizabeth Gioscia, Egzona Grainca, Tyler Hayward, Lillian Mallon Kennedy, Kelly Vladimirovna Klepanchuk, Krystsina Kuzina, Tatsiana Marcu, Kylie Elisabeth Nooney, Elise Mackenzie Nooney, Oksana Parfeniuk, Kenna Marie Rainville, Yusuf Sahin, Aiden Jeffery Therrien, Mai Linh Nu Ton, Jacqueline June Williams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Zachary Nichols Dixon, Loic Doin, Connor G. Erickson, Jack Maxwell Morgan Green, Benjamin Haupt, Alexander Houghton, Andrew Jones, Yuxin Lei, Xuhui Li, Ashante Rose Love, Shaili Suresh Patel, Ghulam Murtaza Rahimi, Cristobal Dejesus Rodriguez Jr., Noah Rumbut, Zayd Sadiq, Owen Isaac Siege, Andrew Joel Smith, Aelan Toro-Rodriguez, Genesis Ali Torres, Ngawang Tsetan, Huseyn Valiyev, Grace Vo, Alyssa Rose Zagorin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ashfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mae Rice-Lesure.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Austin, Texas:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yunaadi Kazekamp.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Baldwinville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Robert Perry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Eileen Rosemary Barrington, Coralys Benitez Lopez, Riley Jared Breen, Isabella Joydell Cebula, Laura Elizabeth Cote, Ana Clara De Carvalho Mota, Anthony Giard, Joel Daniel Gonzalez, Thomas John Hiersche, Chloe Marie Jenks, Anna M. Kouzmenok, Sophie Elisabeth Laramee, Tania Linares, Callan Jeremy Martin, Muiz Adebola Okuwobi, Tashi Palyang, Kaitlyn Louise Park, Alexander Kevin Prefontaine, Caroline Lisa Primavera, Kelsey Marie Roberts, Sarah Elizabeth Schrijn, Scott Adam Short, Marie Christine Siri, Elijah Cameron Smith, Adison Mae StGermaine, Christina Sylvia Surner, Hannah Elizabeth Rayne Teixeira, AJ Horgan Terry, Sydney Jade Tonelli, Eugemius N. Vanderpuije.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bernardston:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kelly Diane Trudeau.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Blandford:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;John Carrington, Kaitlyn Phillips.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bondsville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Matthew David Corsi, Leeanna P. Lacombe, Alice Peabody.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brimfield&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;Harrison Meitzler.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brookfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rebecca L. Quevillon, Gabriel Eli Recore.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chester:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rebecca Thelma Boisseau, Ian Cartmill, Alisha M. Desnoyers, Misty Raye Robitaille.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chance Daniel Almonte, Gabryella Arroyo, Dina Artin, Zachary Ryan Barabani, Heidi Christine Bascom, Ailany Elisa Batista, Wascar Kidany Berroa, Nichole Bullock, Kimberly Burke, Franklin Thomas Button, Brittany Diane Canterbury, Nashalie Naii Carmona, Allison June Charron, Kostiantyn Chernytskyi, Gabriel Louis Chevalier, Keisha Adriana Chretien, Juan Colon, Joseph Warren Craig, Deborah Rose Cruz, Victoria Alexis Deida, Justyna Aneta Deida, Alexzander Noel Delgado, Matthew James Devine, Abrianna Jade Doyle, Estefany Duron Mejia, Mandy Nina Louise Emery, Dylan M. English, Bianca Camila Galindrez, Vladislav N. Gargun, Mason Alexander Godbout, Renee Gordon, Daudy Pasquale Guerrero, Gregory Drew Guertin, Albania Yohaira Hernandez, Kylie Amanda Hochrein, John Paul Hoppock, Kiah Jiggetts, Danielle Monique Johnson, Rebecca A. Jolly, Andrew Charles Karcz, Andrew Joseph Kolek, Traci Lachance, Kasandra Roberta Lafrenaye, Molly Caitlin Leahy, Mariia Leiderman, Matthew Livingston, Zoey Rane-Shanon Lobello, Marie Gabriela Lopez, Amanda L. Lopez, Andres Lopez Pozo, Walter Andrew Lorenzatti, DAnthony Lorenzo, Juliana Corin Lovely, Tucker Grey Malanowski, McKallum Shaw Malanowski, Brandon Malave, Joseph Francis Mango Jr., Jenna Marie Manning, Tyrese Lee Marin, Carmen Marrero, Janessa L. Medina-Gonzalez, Amanda N. Moralez, Yuliia Morozova, Jason C. Myers, Thais Marie Ortiz, Isabel Ortiz, Adrean J. Peloquin, Sarah Katharine Phaneuf, Makendy Pierre, Renee Pierre, Piper Isabell Prejsner, Keyla Michelle Ramos, Jaileen Azalee Reyes, Kari Ribadeneyra, Diana Teresa Rivera, Aricely Rivera, Hannah Rivera, Javier Rivera, Jonuan Alberto Rodriguez, Alisyn Mackenzie Rondeau, Anita Rotar, DeAndra Roy, Ashley Anne Ryan, Emily Elizabeth Sawicki, Natalie Rose Sliwa, Renee Lee Suckau, Shalyn Alexis Sullivan, Sook Yew Tang, Cameisha Fallon Taylor-Smith, Vincent Edward Spencer Thaxton, Megan Marie Therrien, Corey Andrew Thouin, Alexa Rose Turgeon, Kaylynn Tranese Tyler, Elisha Victoria Velez, Nevaeh Sharice Weldon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Clinton, N.Y.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ava Olivia Meier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Brookfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Casey Castenir.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Laura Anisimov, Cynthia Marie Barnes, Lily Gail Bernier, Timothy M. Choi, Sarah Conrad, Mason Alexander DiPietro, Alexander Charles Joyce, William John Milanczuk, Vitoria Moran, Allison Ray Ranger, Jozelyn Shirly Schofield, Hailey Renee Sutton, Kenne H. Thai, Hang Thanh Thi Vu, Ella Margaret Wallace, Tyler Jacob Zalewski, Robert Edward Zemba.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Otis:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Campbelle Rae Lemelin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rahmatullah Ahmadzai, Lamia Amgdoul, Emma Laquanna Andrews-Sevene, Nathan Alexander Biddulph, Gabrielle Marie Carey, Zachary Anthony Clapp, Quincy Glen Crabb, Kira Nicole Cross, Tetiana Dudiak, Natalie Samantha Dugas, Donald William Eggleston, Laura Gangne, Oisin Goldstein-Dea, Nataly Gonzalez, Fiona Molloy Graeme, Jessica Lynne Grygorcewicz, John David Guertin, Kathryn Ruby Guinn, Allen Hall, Renee Hill, Cadence Hiller, Steven James Hoynoski, Alison Janocha, Stien Nangoi Kusuma, Jessica Leigh Leveille, Elizabeth Marie Loiselle, Lisa Miwa, Emersyn Claire Nadin, Nikola Ndreu, Emma Lynn Pelletier, Brandon James Reccord, Lyra Orion Schaffer, Caleb Michael Subocz, Lillian Nicole Tauscher, Faith Dawn Vittum, Doris Lucy Wentworth, Leah Brooke Zielenski.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Enfield, Conn,:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jarquasia Ebony Swasey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Farmington, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jessica Rae Taylor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Breanna A. Allen, Reanna Elizabeth Allen, Allison Dana Boucher, Joshua Daniel Carrier, Emma-Liegh Cook, Donna Maria Davis, Megan R. Farwell, Helen Gorovenko, Sophia Hunt, Grace Esther Leiper, Olivia Marin Liacos, Jaxon Kaleb Luke, Joselyne Katrina Matos, Mia Margret McGregor, Thomasine Montanez, Jessica Yesenia Olmo, Amanda Paige Ouellette, Payton Elizabeth Roderick, Sofia Shevchuk, Giuliana Lyn Silva.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ariana Mei Espinas Aquilino, Sofya Gaybaryan, Nicholas Grimaldi, Aidan Layne Jones, Oliver E. King, Elissa Nicole Lennon, Laura Michon, Timothy Finch Miller, Liliana Grace Pollard, Ephraim Sieber, Simon Barr Sinclair, Brayden Wyatt Steele, George Stone, Megan Marie Tierney, Eric Kendall Welch Jr., Julia Moore Wyman, Samantha Suzanne Zapzalka.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Framingham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Holly Colby Tighe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gilbertville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jerome Fiadh McCarty, Laura Marie Nimtz, Mason Pelletier-Biggs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Aiden Robert Beach, Nathan Benjamin Joseph Benson, Lanea Gayle Bushey, Gary Glenn, Brianna Lynn Houghton, Abigail Cecilia Landry, Allison Hope Maslak, Karlie Bridget Moriarty, Natalya Rosenberg, Ariana Elizabeth Sheehan, Austin Jason Smith, Evan Alexander Yanosky.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Samantha Leigh Henry, Madison Amber Neiweem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Greenfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ashley B. Benedetti, Stephen Buttaro, Sarah Coulsey, Samantha Marie Cramer, Lily Morey-Paul, Genesis Nicole Ocasio IV, Christopher Rowell, Joeannie Valentin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jessica Lynn Campbell, Meichal Chapin, James Peter Fitzgibbons, Deibys Jossue Mora Quesada, Leo George Russell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hampden:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Korey Alfred Colglazier, Adelaide Fay, Ava Pauline Humphrey, Kathleen Scarlett O'Donnell, Adam Edward Poulin, Amy M. Scott, Sara Rose Underwood.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hartford, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Roxanne Anderson, Taylor Caldwell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hatfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nicolas A. Walker.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Haverill:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Matthew Phillip Dagostino.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hawley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gina Anne Barnhart.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Haydenville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Teagan Ann Andross.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shaymaa Al-Farji, Whitney Elizabeth Allen, Jeritza Michelle Alvarez Ohlinger, Lily Margaret Angers, Elliott Leo-Tate Anthony, Ruth Marie Arzuaga Rodriguez, Cedric Lucca Ayvazian, Yadira Batiz, Elda Mary Benvenutty, Zoe Katherine Bickford, Zoe Bisbing, Amy Bonilla, Enely Bonilla, Dustin Corey Bonnoyer, Ryan Patrick Breen, Rihanna Ashley Cabrera, Alvin Rey Torres Carabuena, Jalen J. Cortes, Jeremy Misael Cruz, Janiel Nehemias Cruz, Haley Ann Curtis, Julian Anatoly Danilchenko, Alexis Jeremaiah De La Cruz, Ivy Wrenne Drude Demetriou, Brian Diaz, Samantha Diaz, Brendan Michael Duval, Jailene Marie Espada, Dinmariel Ferrer, Emily K. Garcia, Ana Gillis, Alany Gracia, Michelina Granger, Nathan Micheal Gregoire, Mariangely Garcia Guzman, Xavier Botelho Haas, Nicole Louise Henchey, Victor Michel Herlemont, Lillian Alice Ionata, Donnellia Latrece Jackson, Tanner Owen Joseph, Wesley Kulig Jr., Danielle Brown LaPalme, Daneisha Luciano, Jesenia Marie Maldonado, Taisha Monique Martinez, Melanie Martinez Gonzalez, Kiara M. Martinez Melendez, Nilda Adela Mendez, David Moses, Erin Frances O'Donnell, Bekir Yusuf Okatan, Eithan Emilio Ortiz Viera, Keyla M. Pagan Figueroa, Marjorie Elizabeth Pagan Robles, Stephen Zackary Pasternak, Michael Ernest Pepe, Jose Emilio Perez, Steven Joseph Pinkney, Anna Claire Puttick, Sara K. Quaglia, Jemme Carlos Quinones, Dorah Rains, Adiaris Jarleys Reyes, Erykka Rocha, Kevin Michael Rodgers, Nicholas John Rodriguez, Kayleene Marie Rodriguez, Judeliz Rodriguez, Katelyn Roque I, Aiden Leith Ross, Olivia Rose Royland, Hannah Autumn Savenko, Melissa Ann Sepulveda, Kimberly Sugrue, Patrick John Sweeney, Sadie Francis Swindell, Adam Joseph Sypniak, Stephen Andres Szewczyk, Anthony Joseph Thomas IV, Brian Daniel Torres, Joseph Robert Trombley, Keilymar Vazquez Negron, Ayanna Lee Vega, Caridad Vega-Ramos, Erick Velez Feliciano, John Wagner, Taeshon Ricardo Watkins.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Huntington:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Victoria Irene Kopec, Barre Peter Lucas, Chelsea O'brien, Anna Paige Sakaske, Shaliyah Toledo-Cruz, Stephanie Turgeon, Sarahan Jean Yell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Indian Orchard:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sabrina Cancel, Aida I. Cruz, Katelyn Lydia Fiorentino, Shanice Linnehan, Cara Brie Mock.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lake Pleasant:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brady Powell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Daniel Collins.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leeds:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Keishlamarie Ramos Serrano.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leverett:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Emily Helen Owen, Jericho Poet Schildbach.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bahadir Birer, Aiden Dewolf, Alize Nextaci Diaz, Kyrsten Mave Dorotan, Alisa Michelle Goldberg, Katharine Elizabeth Krein, Suhyun Lee, David Michael Lindman, Georgia Veronica Lindman, Lia Claire Lukezic, Benjamin Jacob Mahoney, Sarah Perez McAdoo, Braeden Jerrold Mrozek, Jack Mrozek, Geneva Outhouse, Daniel Theodore Perez, Alessandro Rocco, Madeline Krystine Roque, Brady Matthew Russell, Carlie Anne Woods.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rafal Mazin Al Janabi, Nicholas Antonio Aleixo, Emma Rita Benard, Kayla Ann Bourcier, Kariann L. Briggs, Shauna Marie Conroy, Samantha Ann Crowther, Alexis Jewell Dawson, Abigail Douglas, Kristen Marie Fairthorne, Shawn Steven Gibbs, Kathleen Jett, Raisa Kvashchanka, Abigail Reagan Lavoie, Marissa Alicia Lozada, Abigail Jeannette Magee, Jennifer Rubidia Molina, Hayleigh Lee Paine, Faith Rains, Luke Gama Rodrigues, Megan Cathleen Ryan, Andrea Silveira, Kayden Morgan Singleton, Evan Anthony Sweeney, Rebeccah Marie Szczygiel, Melissa Szumski, Collin David Taylor, Joshua Phillip Wenninger, Agnieszka Zerdecka.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Manchester, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Niranjana Upreti.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Marlboro:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Norma Jean Hairston.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Millers Falls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Grace Marie Korpiewski, Daiva Warren-Pukis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nicholas James Aliengena, Joshua Alan Gorham, Paige Hebert, Dasia Renee Jones, Owen Scott Kenyon, Logan James Mitchell, Jack T. Mitchell, Emily Lucille Nadeau, Kazelis Rosario, Elijah James Smith.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Montgomery:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;K Bouquillon Armington, Preston Coffey, Jordan Elizabeth Panniello.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Morgan Hill, Cal.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Karteek Cheema.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Aquari Zahra Adel, Owen Aptekar-Cassels, Bushra Ibrahim Asha, Hilary Vanesa Barraza I, Sarah Kathryn Belote, Aaron Michael Bergeron, Rachel Christine Borntrager, Caroline Elisabeth Cole, Mark Anthony Cronin, Sophie Cronin, Angela Grace Farrick, Bethany Fields, Ryan Christopher Gerwe, Kerri Lee Hammersley, Rose Catherine Hatem, Danasia Rose Haywood, Alyssa Kaylee Jost, Erin Margaret Lampron, Michael Matthew Lariviere, Waverly Rae Mangum, Katherine Margaret Messina, Edith Ann Parker-Yourga, Henrry Alberto Rivera, Andrew Larry Gale Rudnicki, Christina Ruggiero-Corliss, Greta Sleegers, Alondra Vazquez, Cecil Voorhees III, Maxine Amelia Walden, Zachary Welch, Brie-Ann Michelle Wilber, Harrison Scott Woodland, Jeremy M Wright Jr.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Or&lt;strong&gt;ange:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thomas John Thibeault.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kayla Rose Andre, Zackary Andre, Jeffry Vincent Black, Joseph Vincent Black, Damon Cole, Cardenales, Grace J. Maria Cosby, Andrew K. Haley, John Charles Jebb IV, Alissa Ann McKinney, Emily Jin Jin Mendrala, Brandon Lee Phommasith, Dana Russo, Treyana Rose Soya, Nichole May Spaulding, Peiwhiet Timmy Tim, Lauren Marie Vaill, Jared T. Yetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Peru:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amber Lynn Pensivy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plainfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mystie Ford.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Quincy&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;Elysia Rose Foster.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Randolph:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kelechi Jane Ibiam.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Russell:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Louis Paduano.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rutland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lindsey Brown.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sharon:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rosabelle Leah Fergus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shelburne Falls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Beth Ann Rose Bezio.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shutesbury:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Hunter Schieding.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Simsbury, Conn.:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Nikayar Paw.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Somers, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Destinee Marie Pizarro.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shannon Asselin, Angela Rose Bessone, Patricia Jean Bisson, Monica Boivin, Frederic Tyler Boulanger, Erin Elizabeth Bullough, Ella R. Campbell, Sarah Sachs Carragher, Alfredo Chanon-Velazquez, Jennifer Marie Cheever, Helen Deater-Deckard, Alyssa Mary Dusseault, Samuel Thomas Geitz, Silas Gabriel Gelinas, Nicholas Anthony Kelly, Isaiah Anthony Landers, Caidan Birchard Lip,Shannon Leigh Lyman, Cody Allan Lyons, Reese Melissa Mackenzie, Sarayah Petra Manoogian, Christopher Michael Maschi, Mitchell Moriarty, Allyson O'Dell, Jacob Ryan Palmer, Amber Jade Patruno, Ara Alexis Powers, Yaniza Ramos, Madelin Roy, Laura Rzeszutek, Kari Scytkowski, Michelle L. Sherette, William Swetland, Nicole Veloz, Dominique Wilkins.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Logan James Allen, Lauren Hauser, Aster Lavrenchuk, Liana L. Parrilla, Karina Renkas, Ashley Rae Squires, Kaeleigh Rose Sullivan, Christopher Albert White.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Daniel E. Abelin, Ivetteliz Adames, Lilliana Alvarez Rivera, Hilary Amparo, Suzette Appiah, Mia E. Arrastia, Jessica Marie Arroyo, Francelaine Arthur, Amara Grace Audette, Benjamin Aviles, Kelsey Jean Babineau, Barenda Bandara, Joshua Barcomb, Jose Yabiel Berrios, Acianna Bethea, Iliana Marie Caban, Zavalier Cabrera, Joneiris Campusano-Santos, Yasmari Cardenales, Deniel Castellano-Cruz, Justin Michael Cepeda, Ana Lucia Chavez Basaldua, Elias Arturo Chica, Zachary Michael Ciano, Naylani Coralee Collazo-Cartagena, Cindy N. Colon, Donatien-Takeys Cooke, Chassidy Cortinhas, Crystal Lee Crogan, Stephanie M. Cruz, Matthew Jr. Cruz-Guzman, Jamal Rhoden Cumberbatch, Griffin John Daley, Alexander Dalmau, Arianna Jazmine Davila, Nancy Ivette Dejesus, Kiarelys Angely Dones, Joan Doucette, Kexy Alexandra Duzanson, Barbbie Michelle Espada, Leann Fanion, Ronelys Fuentes, Tanairy Fuentes, Hilcia Gedalia Gamez Mendez, Francisco Javier Garcia, Dominic Garcia-Gonzalez, Isabelle Catherine Garutti, Ernise Valentina Gedeon, Lydia R. Gentile, Janessa Michelle Giraud-Budd, Laura Samantha Gomez, Devon Jose Goncalves, Janette Gonzalez, Marisabel Gonzalez Borges, Jhianny Clarimil Gonzalez Paulino, Mhel Gottschlicht, Kirsten Grimaldi, Amy M. Hall, Sophia Sesinam Hallo, Jennifer Hannigan, Waylon Harris, Alexia May Henley-Bisson, Evelyn Hernandez, Mallory Alanna Hill, Yuliia Volodymyrivna Honhalo, Muhammed Lamin Jeng, Alyssa Johnson, Alexandria Candice Jones, Ellianna Makana Lani Aloha Kaimi, Sonia Monique Kilpatrick, Eden Nicole Knurek, Mariia Konokhovych, Autumn Skye LaBranche, Karen Lebron, Douglas Adam Lewis, Aishea LaShawn Lewis, Zongyi Lin, Vanessa Londono, Cristian Alejandro Lopez, Carla Lilliany Lopez, Nahomy Soe Lopez, Monique Lumpkin, Ramon Maldonado, Josean Ezequiel Maldonado-Santana, Jennifer Marrero, Abigail Martinez, Riley Mcinnis, Nigja Monique McQuarley, Damean Austin Medina Cruz, Aidyl Melendez, Paola Annette Mercado, Anexis D. Miranda Besares, Isaac Moise, Ashely Renee Moore, Matthew James Moran, Madison Moreau, Nahamani Naphtali Morgan I, Noah Michael Mulcahy, Antonio Mutti, Marianna Nena Navarro, Ilayshia Nevaeh Negron, Leslie Rose Nguyen, Jhocelyn Ortiz Lopez, Heather Ann Otenti, Dayannette Pabon, Ryan Patrick, Ian Eric Paxton, Southep Phetmany, Xayavong Phetmany, Eddie Elizabeth Pomeroy, Amanda Kinyada Porter Scott, John Edgar Pura, Camila Del Carmen Reyes, Floranny Reyes, Tiffany Richardson, Christopher Daniel Rivera, Evelyn Rivera, Destiny Latoya Robertson, Ahiritza Alejandra Robles Marrero, Diana Marie Rodriguez, Jahleah Marie Rodriguez, J-Ivan Rodriguez, Lucesita Scammon, Thania Arie Shinholster, Candace Jean Skot, Jennie Ly Son, Kayjah Stewart, Kassidy Szulc, Heather Terron, Ashleigh Delaina Thomas, Gricelys M. Torres, Genesis Michelle Torres, Saream Toum, Koya Sha'Ree Traynham, Jahaira Vazquez, Aleisha Dianice Vergara, Careen Gloria Walker, Candii Sheridan Washington, Jasmine Marie Williams, James Gideon Willingham, Rainey Dae Wise.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunderland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Matthew Zachariah Barrows, Jeronimo Monsalve, Gia Kien Nguyen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three Rivers:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sara Kate Bracey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Turners Falls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wesley Berdugo, Emily Lynne Denison, Colleen Halley Dowd.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wakefield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lauren Melissa Kenney.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wales:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Samuel John Champigny, Gabryelle Makalyn Fullen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brenna Rose Chesley, Becky Daniels, Cadence Grace Demers, Michael Robert Devlin, Kristen Marie Dubuque, Chelsea Ann Foley, Taylor A. Janson, Lillian Joan Knight, Brittanie Larzazs-Rule, Ana Marie Lima, Tiffanie Maiers, Alexandria Manley, Heather Marie Martin, Emily Zophia McGrail, Savannah Mary Mitchell, Sienna Riley Murch, Alexis Rivera, Gavin Jett Peter Sawabi, Angela Pauline Servant, Anna Belle Turek, Pandora Sage Washburn, Jeanette Marie Weatherwax.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Warren:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rebecca Cookson, Alexis Marie Olearczyk, Jennifer Lyn Wittnebert.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Webster:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alanna Rose Flaherty.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Brookfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nicole Rita Swiecanski.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sila Hatice Albayrak, Aidyn Maday Alejandro, Tartel Husain Alkrad, Kiersten Annette, Sophia Antoinette Boardway, Hannah Camille Bonifacio, Michelle Boucher, Rachel Bourbeau, Jacob Parker Bruni, Dean Cahill, Michelle Lee Caraballo, Savannah E. Comstock, Noah Christopher Cunningham, Stephanie Michelle Danek, Viktoriia Danshina, Pauline Renee Delton, Joseph Merrill Desrosiers, Jadalynn Flucker, Tyler Fox, Ericka Lee Gilliam, Molly Hassett, Haleigh Holloway, Matthew Robert Howe, Meghan Kennedy, Amber LaBorde, Michael Cody Lee, Shakira Lugo Torres, Benjamin Joseph MacGrath, Hannah Allisabeth Maiorano, Merlin Xiomara Manzanarez, Abigail Rose Michalek, Mariana Mora, Nessalyn Neth, Conor Eric Neumann, Laura Valerie North, Oza Nunnally, Caitlin Marie Olinski, Thomas Powell, Jonathan Reale, Timothy J. Roy, Anju Sapkota, Kaitlyn Nancy Sheehan, Jameson Gray Thacher, Tiyyiba Tiyyiba, Valdwin Brandon Valdez, Julianne E. Velez, Aminta Lucia Villota, Isabelle Clara Williams, Trevor Wood, Tugba Yasar, Duygu Yeniay Silva.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Whately:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brooklee Alexis Pierce.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Yarmouth:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Samantha L. Hunter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tanya L. Anglin, James Frederick Auston, Tyler Bazegian, Milo Berrien, Maximilian Blackak, Alicia Carolina Booth, Nicholas Andre Bradley, Abigail Beth Brenzel, Corrin Olivia Brockney, Emma Catherine Brumley, Mia Larynn Butler, Dominic Anthony Campana, Jenna Marie Cardin, Hailey Victoria Carluccio, Raven Elexio Carrasquillo, Sarah Elizabeth Circe, Grace Olivia Clendenin, Jeffrey Michael Collingwood, Rebekah Cyr, Brandi Leah Damon, Grace David, Zabria Ashley Davis, Ryan Victor DeFalco, Chelsee Lyn Dekastrozza, Katherine Theresa Dengler, Emma Jeannie Marie Doull, Adrianne Fleck, Akeeva Forcier, Christina Manuela Gelmudinov, Giselle Guzman, Salma Fazil Haleemdeen, Quinn River Hamilton, Elizabeth P. Hancharonak, Grace Hanegan, Alexander Hibert, Clara Hinck, Danielle Hoctor, Lindsay Marie Hughes, Lydia F. Ionkin, Olivia Elizabeth Irving, Iryna Ivantsova, Amanda Marie Janisieski, Natalia Lanice Nashi Jones, McKenzie Grace Kiltonic, Olha Klykova, Elizabeth Sasha Kudrya, Jonathan David Lane, Nawal Hassan Langrial, Cheyenne Marie Lusby Seery, Heather Rochelle Massoia, Jesse Morgan McClenahan Jr., Evelina Mocanu, Stephen Charles Murphy, Alaina Danielle Nadeau, Michael Steffan Navarro Jr., Karlie Anne Pacheco, Derek Alexander Paul, Emilie Pease, Angelray Rosa, Thomas David Russell, Bradley Walter Sanders, Ivan Alexandrovich Seleznev, Viktar Shyshla, Olga Sirbu, Jessica Lauren Starkey, Sophia Marie Taddia, Zhanna Tereshchuk, Valentina Nicole Vinces, Bohdana Vyshnevska, Olha Yusenko.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westhampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ishetia Rose Black, Jacob E. Boudreau, Elizabeth Enid Colon-Garcia, Anjou Lynn Edwards, Gallivan Olivia Florek, Stephen Testori.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Whately:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anne Lukasik.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Whitinsville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kayla Benjamin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Liam George Colclough, Gavin Linehan Connors, Mia Yareisha Figueroa, Rebecca L. Guertin, Christian James Londono, Mariah Maggie Mahabir, James George Martine, Sophia Pearce, Olivia Catherine Picard, Corey William Sharpe, Jason Nicholas Sutter, Aaron Treat, Dax Trial.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Windsor, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Taylor Michelle Ritchie.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Worcester:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amy Nhu Dinh, Maria Claudia Montiel.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Worthington:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Johanna Emelia Maria Gerken-Newcomb.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21255" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/carry-this-with-you" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250603T19:28:53" CategoryIds="3|193|65|165|673" FileName="x21255.xml" Name="Carry This With You" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/HCC-2025-MR-Commencement-Web-Kayla-Ulibarri.jpg" Title="Carry This With You" Abstract="Rain did little to dampen the spirits of graduates and their families inside the MassMutual Center gathered to celebrate HCC's 78th Commencement on May 31. " ThumbnailAltText="McKayla Ulibarri, of Springfield, waves after receiving her HCC diploma." IntroCopy="HCC celebrates Class of 2025" Date="2025-06-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/HCC-2025-web-Commencement-Leslie-Ramirez-Sanchez-wave.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In his Commencement remarks to the Holyoke Community College class of 2025, President George Timmons told a story about an experience he&amp;rsquo;d had during spring break that &amp;ldquo;truly captures what makes our HCC community so special.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Walking down the nearly empty hallways, he noticed a student sitting alone in a study lounge. Curious, he asked why the student was on campus during spring break.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This place has always felt like a sanctuary to me,&amp;rdquo; the student said. &amp;ldquo;No matter what&amp;rsquo;s happening in my life, I know I can come here and feel welcome.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This moment reminded me of something foundational and unique about an HCC education,&amp;rdquo; President Timmons said. &amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s not just about the classroom, but about creating spaces where people feel they belong. As you leave HCC, I hope you will carry this sense of belonging with you and create it for others wherever your path leads.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC held its 78&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Commencement on Saturday, May 31, at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. The cold rain falling outside did little to dampen the spirits of the graduates inside, there to celebrate the occasion among their families, friends, HCC faculty and staff, with all the traditional pomp and circumstance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, the college conferred a total of 805 associate degrees and certificates to 742 graduates, who range in age from 18 to 66 and hail from 66 different Massachusetts cities and towns, as well as Connecticut, New Jersey, South Carolina, Florida, Colorado, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, Jamaica, Iraq, Trinidad, Tobago, and Ukraine.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In her faculty address, English Professor Elizabeth Trobaugh described HCC as an ecosystem, such as a coral reef or a forest, that depends on connection and collaboration to provide a healthy environment where students can thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Learning is the birthright of every living thing,&amp;rdquo; said Trobaugh, recipient of the 2025 Elaine Marieb Chair for Teaching Excellence Award, HCC&amp;rsquo;s highest faculty honor. &amp;ldquo;And access to education is the mark of a just society, the hallmark of Democracy. Pursuing an education is a noble endeavor that we at HCC are honored to support and advance.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Thank you, graduates, for sharing this leg of your academic journeys with us,&amp;rdquo; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student orator Isa&amp;rsquo;Rose Ramos, in her address, described herself as more than just a new graduate but &amp;ldquo;a garden that survived the storm&amp;rdquo; and the ceremony itself as &amp;ldquo;a resurrection, a remembering, a return to soil that saw me through seasons of doubt.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;When I first enrolled at HCC, I was still searching for my place &amp;ndash; not only in higher education, but in myself,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;As someone navigating neurodivergence and grief while carrying invisible weights, I often questioned if I truly belonged here. But this campus &amp;mdash; this community &amp;mdash; showed me that I did.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ramos, 39, a Westfield resident and mother of three who received her associate degree in human services, is transferring to Westfield State University to study psychology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;To every student sitting here who thought they wouldn&amp;rsquo;t make it, look at you now,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;You are not just graduates. You are gardens. You are the bloom of becoming. We didn&amp;rsquo;t rise because everything was easy. We rose because we kept showing up. Because we dared to dig deeper. Because we remembered that, even in the dark, we were still growing.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trudy Monson &amp;rsquo;97, president of the HCC Alumni Council, welcomed graduates as the newest alumni, and encouraged them to stay connected to the college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Your journey with this institution doesn't end today,&amp;rdquo; said Monson, one of four individuals presented with a Distinguished Service Award at Commencement. &amp;ldquo;Come back to campus to share your success stories. Consider becoming a mentor to current students. Join us at alumni events. Volunteer your time and expertise. Your experiences and wisdom can inspire the next generation of HCC students.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) McKayla Ulibarri, of Springfield, waves after receiving her HCC diploma. (Above) &lt;span&gt;Yoly Marte, left, and &lt;/span&gt;Leslie Ramirez-Sanchez de Lopez, right, both of Springfield, enter the MassMutual Center arena for HCC's 78th annual Commencement on Saturday, May 31.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21256" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/monson-2025" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250603T18:10:50" CategoryIds="65|673" FileName="x21256.xml" Name="Monson 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/HCC-Trudy-speech-web.jpg" Title="'Keep Learning'" Abstract="Trudy Monson '97, president of the HCC Alumni Council and a 2025 Distinguished Service Award recipient, encouraged new graduates to stay connected to the college after graduation. " ThumbnailAltText="Trudy Monson '97 welcomes graduates as new alumni at Commencement 2025" IntroCopy="&quot;Education is not a destination; it's a journey. It's a journey that doesn't always follow a straight path. Sometimes, it takes detours. Sometimes, it pauses. But what matters is that you keep moving forward, guided by your passion and determination.&quot; – Trudy Monson '97, president of the HCC Alumni Council" Date="2025-06-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/HCC-Trudy-speech-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;In her Commencement address, Trudy Monson '97, president of the HCC Alumni Council, encouraged new graduates to stay connectee to the college as alumni, to return and share their wisdom and stories or success.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'G&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;ood morning graduates, families, faculty, staff, and honored guests. My name is Trudy Monson, Class of 1997, and President of the Holyoke Community College Alumni Council. It is my honor to stand before you today, not just as your Alumni Council President, but as someone who once sat exactly where you're sitting now.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I look out at all of you today, I see more than just graduates. I see dreamers, problem-solvers, and future leaders. I see parents, children, friends, and neighbors who have overcome countless obstacles to be here. Most importantly, I see the next chapter of HCC's remarkable legacy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My own journey to HCC wasn't exactly traditional. For years, I put my education on hold. It wasn't until my daughters, Kim and Sarah, turned the tables on me and challenged me to return to HCC to finish my degree.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Let me tell you, it was not easy. Most nights, the three of us would be doing homework together. Sometimes, my daughters even had to help me with my assignments. But I persevered, and in 1997, I stood where you're standing now. The three of us accomplished something remarkable together, and I learned a valuable lesson: it's never too late to pursue your dreams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has been woven into the fabric of my family for generations. My father, Robert E. Evans Jr., Class of 1950, was not only an alumnus but also served as an HCC counselor, professor, and the college's first Affirmative Action officer. Before that, he was a Tuskegee Airman &amp;ndash; part of that groundbreaking group of African American military pilots who served our country with distinction. The education he received at HCC changed the trajectory of his life, just as it has changed mine and now yours.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My sister Dawn graduated in 1976. My daughters Kim and Sarah graduated in 2001 and 2003, respectively. And perhaps most touching to me, my father's proudest moment at HCC was when he stood on stage in 2001 and watched his granddaughter Kim receive her diploma. Recently, my granddaughter Alivia chose to wear my African-American graduation stole for her school's &quot;Represent Your Culture Day.&quot; Perhaps she'll be the next generation to carry on our family's legacy at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I often think about my father's dedication to education. He used to walk over the Holyoke mountain and back for tutoring sessions in Easthampton when he attended UMass Amherst. His commitment showed me that education is worth every difficult step we take. Today, you've completed an important part of your educational journey, but I hope you'll keep walking, keep learning, and keep growing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What I want you to take away from my story is this: education is not a destination; it's a journey. It's a journey that doesn't always follow a straight path. Sometimes, it takes detours. Sometimes, it pauses. But what matters is that you keep moving forward, guided by your passion and determination.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, you join a community of over 40,000 HCC alumni who understand exactly where you stand right now. The world you're about to enter can feel overwhelming and uncertain&amp;mdash;we've all been there. But here's what I want you to know: you're not stepping into it alone. We are your neighbors, your coworkers, your future business partners and mentors, and most importantly, we are your safety net. When challenges arise, when you face difficult decisions, or when you simply need someone who understands your journey, this community stands ready to support you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As you leave HCC, I encourage you to stay connected. Your journey with this institution doesn't end today. Come back to campus to share your success stories. Consider becoming a mentor to current students. Join us at alumni events. Volunteer your time and expertise. Your experiences and wisdom can inspire the next generation of HCC students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In closing, I want to leave you with this thought: The diploma you receive today represents more than just the completion of coursework. It represents perseverance, determination, and the courage to pursue your dreams. It represents countless late nights, early mornings, and moments when you didn't think you could keep going &amp;ndash; but you did.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Be proud of what you've accomplished. Be excited about what lies ahead. And know that you will always have a home at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations, Class of 2025!&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Trudy Monson '97 welcomes the graduates as HCC alumni.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21254" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/rome-dsa-2025" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250603T15:30:53" CategoryIds="69|193|673" FileName="x21254.xml" Name="Rome DSA 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/HCC_ROME-DSA-web.jpg" Title="Distinguished Service" Abstract="Holyoke Community College presented Distinguished Service Awards to four individuals at Commencement 2025, including local auto dealer Gary Rome. " ThumbnailAltText="Gary Rome receives DSA from President George Timmons" IntroCopy="HCC presents Distinguished Service Awards" Date="2025-06-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/HCC_ROME-DSA-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Auto dealer Gary Rome, president and CEO of Gary Rome Auto Group, received a Distinguished Service Award at Holyoke Community College&amp;rsquo;s 78&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Commencement ceremony on May 31.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Distinguished Service Award recognizes individuals whose dedication and outstanding service to HCC has enhanced the student experience. The award recognizes friends, donors, community members, retirees, and alumni who have enriched the college through their volunteer service and leadership, financial commitment, and participation in college activities or programs, and who embrace and celebrate HCC values.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rome, owner of Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke and Gary Rome Kia in Enfield, Conn., has served on the Board of Directors of the HCC Foundation for nine years and been a driving force behind the success of the Foundation&amp;rsquo;s annual one-day spring fundraising campaign, &amp;ldquo;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives,&amp;rdquo; which has raised nearly $1 million over the past five years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A resident of Longmeadow who grew up in Holyoke, Rome has deep roots in the Holyoke community, dating back to 1890, when his great-grandfather, Louis Ricklas, moved to the city and opened a shoe store on Lyman Street and a grocery store on High Street.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Our family has been in Holyoke for 130 years, so it&amp;rsquo;s important to me that we continue the tradition of being active and supporting the community,&amp;rdquo; he said last year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both individually and through his business, Rome has helped secure funds for the HCC Thrive Center and Food Pantry, supporting students&amp;rsquo; basic needs so they can focus on academic success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2023, Rome was named the TIME magazine&amp;rsquo;s Dealer of the Year &amp;ndash; one of the automotive industry&amp;rsquo;s most prestigious honors &amp;ndash; in recognition of his excellence in business, ethical leadership, and community engagement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Through his philanthropic leadership, he has made a meaningful and lasting impact on the college and its students,&amp;rdquo; HCC President George Timmons said during the award presentation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC also presented Distinguished Service Awards to alum Gertrude Monson &amp;rsquo;97, a long-time volunteer and current president of the HCC Alumni Association; Susanne Campagna, education director for the Hampden County Sheriff&amp;rsquo;s Department and chief facilitator of the department&amp;rsquo;s culinary arts training program at HCC; and, posthumously, to David Gadaire, the late, long-time leader of MassHire Holyoke (formerly Holyoke Works).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC President George Timmons presents a Distinguished Service Award to auto dealer Gary Rome at Commencement on May 31.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21257" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/timmons-2025" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250603T19:28:43" CategoryIds="66|165|673" FileName="x21257.xml" Name="Timmons 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/GT-walking-web.jpg" Title="'Remain Confident'" Abstract="President George Timmons delivered the welcome remarks to the Class of 2025 at HCC's 78th Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 31, 2025." ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons walks into the MassMutual Center arena for Commencement 2025. " IntroCopy="&quot;I want you to take comfort – and remain confident – in the fact that you can and will navigate the challenges ahead. How do I know this? Because you have already proven yourselves capable of rising to any occasion. The same determination that brought you to this moment will carry you forward.&quot; – President George Timmons" Date="2025-06-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/GT-talking-web-6V2A7264.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;President George Timmons delivered the welcome remarks below at HCC's 78th Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 31, 2025:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;'A&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;s I look out at all of you today, I am filled with an overwhelming sense of pride. Today is so much more than a ceremony marking the end of your academic journey at Holyoke Community College. This is a celebration&amp;mdash;a celebration of your dedication, your resilience, and your remarkable growth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Members of the class of 2025, do you know that sitting among you are graduates from more than 60 different Massachusetts cities and towns&amp;hellip; as well as graduates from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Pakistan, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Ukraine?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You range in age from 18 to 66&amp;hellip;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many of you balanced full-time jobs while pursuing your education. Others raised families while studying late into the night. Many of you overcame personal obstacles that once seemed insurmountable. Yet here you are. You persevered. You succeeded. And that deserves our most heartfelt recognition and applause.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During your time at HCC, you&amp;rsquo;ve been immersed in an environment that champions certain fundamental values. May you always remain true to these values that define us at Holyoke Community College: innovation, collaboration, trust, inclusion, and kindness. These aren&amp;rsquo;t just words on our mission statement&amp;mdash;they are principles that have hopefully become woven into the fabric of who you are as graduates of this institution, and how you will move in the world beyond HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I know that you&amp;rsquo;re stepping into a world that often feels uncertain &amp;ndash; it can all seem daunting. But I want you to take comfort&amp;mdash;and remain confident&amp;mdash;in the fact that you can and will navigate the challenges ahead. How do I know this? Because you have already proven yourselves capable of rising to any occasion. The same determination that brought you to this moment will carry you forward.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remember that uncertainty is not a barrier but an invitation to growth. The skills you&amp;rsquo;ve developed here&amp;mdash;resilience, adaptability, critical thinking&amp;mdash;these are the very tools needed to thrive in times of change. When faced with obstacles, draw strength from knowing you've overcome challenges before. Your HCC experience has equipped you not just with knowledge but with the fortitude to transform uncertainty into opportunity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remember: this is just the beginning of your journey. There will be twists and turns, unexpected detours, and new paths you never imagined taking. But again, you are capable. The education you've received here has prepared you not just with knowledge, but with the critical thinking skills and adaptability needed for whatever comes next.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;None of us reaches a milestone like this alone. So today, I want to express my deepest gratitude to those who help make the Holyoke Community College experience special, and who help our students thrive:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;our dedicated faculty who bring knowledge and passion to the classroom every day; our committed staff who provide the support services essential to student success;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;our community of alumni who continue to represent HCC with distinction; our generous donors whose contributions make many of our programs possible;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;and of course, the family and friends who have supported each graduate through late-night study sessions, moments of doubt, and now, this remarkable achievement.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;I&amp;rsquo;d like to share a brief moment that truly captures what makes our HCC community so special. During spring break this March, I was walking through our nearly empty campus when I noticed a student sitting alone in one of our student lounges. I stopped to chat, curious about why he was there during the break. He told me, &amp;ldquo;This place has always felt like a sanctuary to me. No matter what&amp;rsquo;s happening in my life, I know I can come here and feel welcome.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This moment reminded me of something foundational and unique about an HCC education&amp;mdash;it&amp;rsquo;s not just about the classroom, but about creating spaces where people feel they belong. As you leave HCC, I hope you will carry this sense of belonging with you and create it for others wherever your path leads.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To our graduates: as you move forward from this day, remember that your connection with HCC is lifelong. You will always be part of our community. We will celebrate your successes, support you through challenges, and welcome you back with open arms. The relationships you've built here don't end today&amp;mdash;they simply enter a new chapter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In closing, I want you to look around&amp;mdash;at your fellow graduates, at the faculty who taught you, at the loved ones who supported you. This moment belongs to all of you. Carry it with you. Let it remind you of what you are capable of achieving.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations, Class of 2025. We can&amp;rsquo;t wait to see where your journey takes you next. Thank you, and congratulations!&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: President George Timmons at Commencement 2025&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21248" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/ramos-2025" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250602T18:27:23" CategoryIds="65|165|673" FileName="x21248.xml" Name="Ramos 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/Isa-Rose-Ramos-speech-web.jpg" Title="Surviving the Storm" Abstract="In her Commencement address to the class of 2025, student orator Isa’ Rose Sophia Ramos talked about her struggles and finding the support she needed at HCC." ThumbnailAltText="Student orator Isa'Rose Ramos delivers her address to graduates. " IntroCopy="'As someone navigating neurodivergence and grief while carrying invisible weights, I often questioned if I truly belonged here. But this campus — this community — showed me that I did.&quot; – Student orator Isa'Rose Ramos '25" Date="2025-06-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/ISA-Rose-Ramos-before-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Isa&amp;rsquo; Rose Sophia Ramos earned an associate degree in human services from HCC and is tranferring to Westfield State Universiy to study psychology. Ramos was the Commencement 2025 student orator, delivered the remarks below.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'I&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;t&amp;rsquo;s an honor to be here today with faculty, families, friends, and fellow graduates &amp;mdash;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My name is Isa&amp;rsquo;Rose Ramos, and I stand before you not just as a graduate, but as a garden that survived the storm.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This moment? It&amp;rsquo;s not just a ceremony. It&amp;rsquo;s a resurrection. A remembering. A return to soil that saw me through seasons of doubt &amp;mdash; and (I) still chose to bloom.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I first enrolled at HCC, I was still searching for my place&amp;mdash;not only in higher education, but in myself.&amp;nbsp;As someone navigating neurodivergence and grief while carrying invisible weights, I often questioned if I truly belonged here. But this campus &amp;mdash; this community &amp;mdash; showed me that I did.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Though most of my journey was online, the impact was anything but distant. In one in-person semester, I served as a tour guide and admissions assistant, giving prospective students a glimpse of the hope I had found.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I completed my Human Services internship practicum and earned my Human Services certificate &amp;mdash; a milestone that felt like a quiet miracle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through the TRIO and Thrive programs, I received not just academic support but connection, encouragement, and care.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And through my induction into the National Society of Leadership and Success, I realized I wasn&amp;rsquo;t just surviving, I was leading myself into a new life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC didn&amp;rsquo;t just give me tools. It gave me mirrors. It showed me who I could become &amp;ndash; and believed it before I did.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To the faculty who saw our potential even when we felt invisible, thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To the friends and family who stood by us while we wrestled with late nights, lost confidence, or rising tuition, thank you.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To every student sitting here who thought they wouldn&amp;rsquo;t make it, look at you now. You are not just graduates. You are gardens. You are the bloom of becoming.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We didn&amp;rsquo;t rise because everything was easy. We rose because we kept showing up. Because we dared to dig deeper. Because we remembered that, even in the dark, we were still growing. \&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So I leave you today not with just a speech, but with a seed &amp;ndash; a seed of knowing that wherever we are planted next, the soil we&amp;rsquo;ve grown from here at HCC will carry us.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;May we bloom loudly.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;May we root deeply.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And may we always remember:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;From soil to stage, you are the bloom of becoming.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;I am not just a graduate &amp;mdash;&amp;nbsp; I am a garden that survived the storm.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And so are you.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Student orator Isa'Rose Ramos, above, gets ready for her Commencement speech. (Thumbnail) Ramos delivers her Commencement speech to her fellow graduates.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21246" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/trobaugh-2025" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250602T18:45:06" CategoryIds="66|673" FileName="x21246.xml" Name="Trobaugh 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/Trobaugh-smile-web.jpg" Title="A Healthy Ecosystem" Abstract="As recipient of the 2025 Elaine Marieb Award, HCC English Professor Elizabeth Trobaugh delivered the faculty address to graduates at Commencement May 31. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC English Professor Elizabeth Trobaugh" IntroCopy="&quot;Learning is the birthright of every living thing. And access to education is the mark of a just society, the hallmark of Democracy. Pursuing an education is a noble endeavor that we at HCC are honored to support and advance.&quot; – HCC English Professor Elizabeth Trobaugh" Date="2025-06-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/Trobaugh-wave-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;As the recipient of the college&amp;rsquo;s 2025 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence Award, HCC English Professor Elizabeth Trobaugh of Amherst lead the procession of graduates into the MassMutual Center arena for Commencement 2025 and delivered the keynote address:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'G&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;reetings all, and welcome to HCC&amp;rsquo;s 2025 commencement.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations to today&amp;rsquo;s graduates and to all the people in your lives who have supported you and helped you reach this moment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am honored to address you all, and to celebrate with the graduates, their guests, and my HCC colleagues.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today is the 24th HCC graduation ceremony I have attended. In all previous years, I sat with my colleagues in those rows over there, and I brought a pen so that I could put a check next to the name of any graduate I&amp;rsquo;d taught or advised and cheer when their names were called.&amp;nbsp; I am always thrilled to see my former students reaching and celebrating this milestone. But since I cannot do my usual Commencement routine today, I am going to ask you to do me a favor &amp;ndash; If you have been my student or advisee, please raise your hand when you walk across the stage later, so I can see you and cheer for you. Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So, yes, there will be class participation today, and yes, I did require myself to fill out a planning worksheet before writing this speech.&amp;nbsp; As I always say to my composition classes when they prepare to write essays, the planning worksheet is flexible and adaptable and can serve you well beyond English class. You may also notice that my speech has a hook, a thesis statement, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion: the proverbial five-paragraph special!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here&amp;rsquo;s my thesis statement: HCC&amp;rsquo;s core values of Kindness, Inclusion, and Trust form the foundation of a healthy community, a healthy ecosystem, and a healthy society.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like a coral reef or a forest, HCC is an ecosystem that provides a learning environment where students can thrive. HCC&amp;rsquo;s ecosystem relies upon interdependence and collaboration. Thanks to the maintainers, the buildings and grounds offer welcoming spaces for teaching, learning, studying, exploring, and connecting. Thanks to administrators, the IT department, the Development office, the Registrar, Office Services, office staff, dining services, Admissions, Financial Aid and more, all working in concert, HCC manages and supports hundreds of courses and thousands of students each semester. The classroom instruction would not be as successful without student support services, offering mentoring, tutoring, adaptive technology, interpreting, advising, and coaching. With academic, identity, and interest clubs, fitness and wellness sessions, and a variety of campus activities, Student Engagement helps students find a home at HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here&amp;rsquo;s another class participation part: As I name a service or activity that has enriched your HCC experience, please raise your hand and keep it up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;The Writing Center, the Math Center, the CAPS Center, Library Services, reference librarians, the HCC library databases, Student Senate, Trio, ALANA, El Centro, SAMP, OSDDS, the HCC radio station WCCH, Pulp City, academic clubs, identity clubs, interest clubs&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These raised hands prove my first point: A college is an ecosystem where a wide variety of people working together provide an environment that nurtures student success.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We have reached my first body paragraph: HCC&amp;rsquo;s core value of Kindness provides the foundation for successful communities and societies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the side of the Donahue building where I spend most of my time, is a large banner announcing the value Kindness. It includes a quote from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. My colleague Raul helped me paraphrase her message: The antidote to fear, mistrust, and division is &amp;ldquo;active, courageous love,&amp;rdquo; aka kindness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As my students know, I love word histories, and the history of the word kindness holds a relevant message for us today &amp;ndash; it comes from Old English words meaning family, nature, and nation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When we extend kindness beyond our family, we build a community, when we extend kindness beyond our community, we build a commonwealth, and then a nation. Kindness to family is the prototype, the model for extending kindness and empathy, to all of our human family, and our non-human family, as well. Yes, dogs. Of course, cats, too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like an ecosystem, a community is built on interdependence.&amp;nbsp; We rely upon each other, and we rely upon our habitat, our environment. To thrive, we need the support of each other, and we need to support each other.&amp;nbsp; We also need to extend our care and kindness to the environment and our non-human kin. &amp;nbsp;I am proud to work at a college where we are working towards greater sustainability, and we respect the non-human residents of our habitat.&amp;nbsp; Each spring, we close one of our access roads for a few weeks to allow the local salamander population to make the yearly migration from their wintering site to the vernal pools across the road.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every day I see kindness at HCC: students step up by supplying a pen, sharing notes, holding open a door, validating each other&amp;rsquo;s contributions to class discussion, and, my favorite: saying &amp;ldquo;you&amp;rsquo;ve got this&amp;rdquo; to the fellow student about to give an oral presentation or perform on stage.&amp;nbsp; I am so lucky that I get to spend every workday with people who know how to practice kindness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Inclusion&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Body paragraph number two: The core HCC value of Inclusion strengthens and enriches the community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like the word kindness, inclusion is about expanding &amp;ndash; enlarging social, academic, and professional circles to build a community that includes more people, voices, ideas, and variety &amp;ndash; everyone has a seat at the table.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My father was a first-generation American, a first-generation English speaker, and a first-generation college student. It was access to public education that enabled him to become an English professor at Bronx Community College. He taught me the principles of good writing, the magic of literature, and the power of education. From my parents, both English professors at Bronx Community College, I inherited my lifelong, proud, firm, and unwavering commitment to Access.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Inclusion means making sure that the good things in life are accessible to everyone, and Education is one of life&amp;rsquo;s Good Things.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC welcomes students from near and far and all over the world. In any HCC graduating class, there may be students from a dozen different countries. Though forces and systems often inhibit access, HCC and community colleges across the state and the nation work to expand access. All of us who work at HCC are united by our shared belief that including as many people as possible, expanding access to higher education, is good.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of today&amp;rsquo;s graduates is emblematic of the triumph of inclusion, student support services, and the public good. A first-generation college student, this student began her college journey with the guidance of Trio, a nationwide, federally funded program that supports underrepresented students. To get to campus, she traveled by public bus, two hours each way. And even with four hours a day spent on a public bus, she consistently earned A&amp;rsquo;s and made time to support others by working as a peer tutor in the Writing Center and through SAMP, the Student Ambassador and Mentorship Program. This graduate, here today with friends and family, is like so many students at HCC. With optimism and tenacity, she has overcome challenges to pursuing higher education and has forged a path she did not inherit but has made her own.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That&amp;rsquo;s the promise and triumph of Inclusion and Access.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learning is the birthright of every living thing. And access to education is the mark of a just society, the hallmark of Democracy. Pursuing an education is a Noble Endeavor that we at HCC are honored to support and advance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As an English professor, I have the pleasure not only of teaching writing, but also reading with my students. At a time when the value of a literary education is increasingly questioned, I continue to believe that literature is a vital part of any education. Stories, whether fiction or history, written or oral, enable us to connect with others, to learn from our predecessors and contemporaries, to see life from a different perspective, to widen our range of understanding and compassion. Reading deepens our humanity. Because Literature is the history of the human heart.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From reading stories, I have learned many lessons that I share with my students, enriching their hearts as well as their minds:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don&amp;rsquo;t let other people define you. You get to define yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Empathy is human, and without empathy, we lose what makes us human.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Compassion is the foundation of effective communication.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hope requires both courage and imagination and is the first step in making the world a better place.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every challenge you overcome builds the confidence to take on the next challenge. And these accomplishments build true and lasting pride and fortitude.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Healthy soil is the foundation of all life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Relationships are more important than things.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cherish the golden-green brief moments in spring and in life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earth&amp;rsquo;s the right place for love, so make it work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now for my third body paragraph, and the third core HCC value: Trust. &amp;nbsp; I&amp;rsquo;m going to tell you a true story. Though this story includes an ambulance, it has a happy ending, and it says a lot about Trust.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sixteen years ago, I was at work when I got one of those dreaded phone calls from my son&amp;rsquo;s elementary school. He had fallen from the top of a slide on the school playground, and an ambulance was rushing him to Cooley-Dickinson. I left HCC, beat the ambulance to the hospital, and was there when the ambulance doors opened. I saw my five-year-old&amp;rsquo;s bloody, frightened face. The doctor stitched up his busted lip and sent us to radiology for a CT-scan. The radiology technician who greeted us had been a student of mine in English 102 a few years earlier! I knew my son was in the good hands of a graduate of the HCC Rad-tech program who also knew how to write an essay and analyze a poem!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The CT-scan showed no head trauma; my son&amp;rsquo;s face healed. And I got to experience first-hand how HCC irrigates this Valley and beyond, by sending graduates out into the world the way a tree sends out seeds. HCC graduates &amp;ndash; carrying with them the seeds of kindness, inclusion, and trust. Our students put their trust in us so that we can put our trust in them as they do their parts to build a kind, inclusive community. A community that provides all we need, from emergency care to entertainment, and everything in between.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you, graduates, for trusting us, the HCC ecosystem, with your education. You trusted this college as you studied, learned, explored, conducted research, wrote papers, solved math equations, created and performed art, and stretched yourselves &amp;ndash; sometimes beyond what you thought you were capable of &amp;ndash; all while juggling family and work responsibilities. We are honored by your trust, inspired by your efforts, and enriched by your accomplishments.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just as my former student Jason, now a rad-tech, did, you will take your HCC education and contributions to the world; you will enrich any community you choose to become part of. The history of the word community includes the concept of &amp;ldquo;public, held in common, shared by all or many.&amp;rdquo; Again, kindness and inclusion shine through the word community, which means &amp;ldquo;shared by all.&amp;rdquo; I hope that the community you experienced at HCC will inspire you to carry the concepts of Kindness, Inclusion, and Trust with you wherever you go. We thrive when we collaborate, when we help each other, when we extend ourselves and widen our circle of care and compassion. We thrive when we act with empathy, assume the best in others, and communicate with honesty.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you, graduates, for sharing this leg of your academic journeys with us.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, we celebrate your graduation from HCC. At the same time, we celebrate public higher education, where so many motivated, courageous, and optimistic people access the opportunities to pursue their dreams, to achieve, to contribute, to spread their wings, and to fly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As I say to my students at the end of class, thank you for joining me today, and thank you for your contributions.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC English Professor Elizabeth Trobaugh at Commencement 2025&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21245" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/asn-pinning-2025" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250529T13:54:40" CategoryIds="3|355|165|673" FileName="x21245.xml" Name="ASN Pinning 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/HCC-ASN-Group-2025-web.jpg" Title="Pinned!" Abstract="HCC celebrated the graduation of 53 students from its Associate of Science in Nursing degree program with a traditional pinning ceremony on May 22." ThumbnailAltText="ASN Class of 2025" IntroCopy="Nursing grads celebrated during pinning ceremony" Date="2025-05-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/HCC-ASN-Group-2025-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;ASN Class of 2025&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College celebrated the graduation of 53 students from its Associate of Science in Nursing degree program on Thursday, May 22.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The students were recognized during a pinning ceremony in HCC&amp;rsquo;s Leslie Phillips Theater, during which they were formally inducted into the health care field as soon-to-be registered nursing professionals. During a traditional pinning ceremony, new nursing graduates light candles, receive their nursing pin, and recite the Nightingale Pledge.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The graduates, many of whom are already working, will sit for their exams before becoming licensed as registered nurses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke Community College Associate of Science in Nursing Degree Graduates for 2025:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jenna Gay.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Blandford:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Elizabeth Breau.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brimfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Christina Howe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chesterfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Erin McCormick.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amber Fernandez, Katie Furr, Priscilla Villodas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Sarah Akin, Nolan Arocho, Ashleigh Fox, Jessica Grygorcewicz, Emily Moszynski, Brandon Reccord.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hartford, Conn.:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Roxanne Anderson, Ranada Burton.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ileana Casillas, Yamaira Dejesus, Ritah Mutesi, Luz Santos, Victoria Smith, Chelsea Taxman.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Huntington:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Christofer Thrasher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kymbur Baker-Johnson, Kelly Rippy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Elif Kuruca, Natalie Mateo, Katie Yvon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Manchester, Conn.:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;David Riendeau.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Samantha Sevigne.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Greg Toulson Wimmer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dana Russo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Joseph Bartolucci, Vincent Bartolucci.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lauren Hauser.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alexis Daniels, Francheska Otero, Cynthia Rivera, Tashiana Salinas, Brittany Trombley, Nicole Wolcott.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three Rivers:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Suzanne Larro.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Arianna Vila.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Pauline Delton, Gulmira Niyazova.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jacquelyn DeCoteau, Lindsay Hughes, McKenzie Kiltonic, Tiffany May, Samantha Melchionne, Lailany Santa-Gomez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Keirsten Forest-Williams, Mariah Mahabir, Julia Vigneault.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC ASN Class of 2025&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21244" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/honors-and-awards-2025" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250527T16:07:02" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x21244.xml" Name="Honors &amp; Awards 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/Sharale-selfie-honors-awards-web.jpg" Title="Honors &amp; Awards" Abstract="HCC celebrated the students who earned honors and awards for their outstanding achievements during the 2024-2025 academic year." ThumbnailAltText="Honors and Awards 2025" Date="2025-05-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/Sharale-selfie-honors-awards-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is proud to celebrate the students who earned honors and awards for their outstanding achievements during the 2024-2025 academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Awardees were honored Wednesday, May 21, during a ceremony in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Below is a list of HCC honorees and award recipients for the 2024-2025 academic year. Some students received multiple awards.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;A full list of students along with their specific honors and awards can be found at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/achievements/honors-and-awards&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/awards-2025&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;HCC Honors &amp;amp; Awards for 2024-2025: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jacquelyn Bazelow, Miguel Dailey, Eric Jorgensen, Elise Nooney.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kai Caban, Favour Udegbunam, Grace Vo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Eileen&amp;nbsp; Barrington, Rebekah Clough, Michael Ludwig, AJ Terry, Eamon Voth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jada Andino, Estefany Duron Mejia, Mandy Emery, Kyren Harris, Andres Lopez-Pozo, Tucker Malanowski, McKallum Malanowski, Sarah Phaneuf, Sunrise Sanchez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Vitoria Moran, Kenne Thai.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Alex Biddulph, Isabella Gitana, Jessica Grygorcewicz, Allen Hall, Renee Hill (two awards), Sarah Sabo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Laura Michon, Luca Sieber.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Olivia Hinkley.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Madison Neiweem (three awards).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Greenfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alex Gochinski.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Katelyn Kelley, Nikki Recchia.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Enely Bonilla, Alvin Carabuena, Ernise Gedeon, Victor Herlemont, Jose Perez, Ellen Rice, Camryn Rist, Erykka Rocha, Katherine (Jay) Rousseau, Patrick Sweeney, Caridad Vega-Ramos, Eleanor White.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lake Pleasant:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brady Powell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kymbur Baker-Johnson, Maevince Dorotan, Daniel Madden, Francheska Otero.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kathleen Jett, Andre Rodrigues.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Manchester, Conn.:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;David Riendeau.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Elijah Smith.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Alexandria Casavant, Amaranth Cole, Andrew Rudnicki, Christina Ruggiero-Corliss, Rebecca Tremblay.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Joseph Black, Jared Yetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Randolph:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kelechi Ibiam.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Russell:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Louis Paduano.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Midaz Campbell, Sarah Carragher, Shannon Lyman, Reese Mackenzie, Amber Patruno, Emma Pouliot.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Karina Dreichan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Gia Neuzil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Suzette Appiah, Eli Baez, Zachary Ciano, Arianna Davila, Julius Dixon, Jesenia Fernandez (two awards), Jessica Heredia (two awards), Aishea Lewis, Heather Otenti, Josue Alex Ramos, Benjamin Richards, Shereene Robinson, Jermaine Watt.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunderland:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Matthew Barrows.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ana Lima.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Michelle Boucher, Grace Gorman, Gulmira Niyazova, Flynn Paul.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sarah Circe, Nicholas Couchon, Ryan DeFalco, Katherine Dengler, Travis Guin, Michael Navarro, Valentina Vinces, Stephen Walbridge.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;John Przewoznik, Alison Smythe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Williamsburg:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nora Goncalves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Sharale Mathis, HCC vice president of academic and student affairs, takes a selfie with student award recpients during the college's annual Honors &amp;amp; Awards celebration on Wednesday, May 21.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21243" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/faculty-staff-awards-sp25" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250527T16:05:51" CategoryIds="4|66" FileName="x21243.xml" Name="Faculty Staff Awards SP25" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/x-Elizabeth-Trobaugh-web.jpg" Title="Faculty, Staff Awards" Abstract="English Professor Elizabeth Trobaugh is the recipient of this year's Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence and will lead the Commencement procession on May 31. " ThumbnailAltText="Staff and faculty awards" IntroCopy="Professor Elizabeth Trobaugh receives Marieb Award" Date="2025-05-22" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/x-Elizabeth-Trobaugh-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College English Professor Elizabeth Trobaugh of Amherst&amp;nbsp;is the recipient of the 2025 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence Award, HCC's highest faculty honor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As this year&amp;rsquo;s awardee, she will lead the procession of graduates and give the keynote faculty address at the college&amp;rsquo;s 78&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Commencement ceremony on May 31 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The award was one of six presented during HCC&amp;rsquo;s annual, end-of-the-year staff and faculty awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 21.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;d like to thank everyone at the college for creating the ecosystem that allows me to do what I love so much, which is to be in the classroom with students,&amp;rdquo; Trobaugh said from the stage of the Leslie Phillips Theater. &amp;ldquo;I know the work that you do is what enables me to do the work I do that gives me so much pleasure and the opportunity to see students succeed, and that is the biggest gift. I am grateful to my students, who, over these 20 plus years, continuously, perpetually inspire me to do my best for them, because they are working hard and pursuing something so valuable and noble.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Marieb Award, endowed by the late HCC professor emeritus Elaine Marieb '80, recognizes a full-time member of the faculty for outstanding classroom teaching. Award recipients serve for one year, receive a small stipend for professional development, lead the procession at Commencement, and give the keynote graduation speech.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trobaugh has been teaching at HCC since 2003. She has a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree from Tufts University and a master&amp;rsquo;s degree and PhD from the University of Massachusetts. Her three children &amp;ndash; Hannah, Tess, and Gabe &amp;ndash; and son-in-law all attended HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I know how wonderful it is to be a proud parent of an HCC alum,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;ve seen how HCC changes lives.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college also presented the Christina Royal Equity in Action Award to Adina Gianelli of Conway, assistant professor of criminal justice; the Idelia Smith Adjunct Faculty Award to Erin Jackson of Glastonbury, Conn., an instructor in the veterinary technician program; the Outstanding Professional Staff Award to Allison Wrobel of Holyoke, HCC registrar; the Outstanding Classified Staff Award to Lindsy Providenti of Granby, administrative assistant in the BSTEM division; and the Outstanding Part-Time Staff Award to Lucien Dalton of South Hadley, a math tutor and engineering pathways coordinator.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: President George Timmons, left, and Marlowe Washington, vice president of people, equity, and culture, present the 2025 Marieb Award to English Professor Elizabeth Trobaugh.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21236" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/innovation-challenge" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250519T17:13:05" CategoryIds="69|4|165" FileName="x21236.xml" Name="Innovation Challenge" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/HCC-Innovation-Challenge-web.jpg" Title="Final Challenge: D.C" Abstract="An HCC student team has advanced to the finals of a nationwide innovation contest for their plan to build a sustainable cooling system for AI-driven computer data centers" ThumbnailAltText="HCC Innovation Challenge team" IntroCopy="HCC innovation team advances national finals" Date="2025-05-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/HCC-Innovation-Challenge-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A student team from Holyoke Community College has advanced to the finals of a nationwide innovation contest for their plan to build a closed-loop, sustainable cooling system for large, AI-driven computer processing centers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jacob Bissonnette, a business administration major from Holyoke, Anjou Edwards, a business administration major from Westhampton, and Nora Goncalves, an engineering major from Williamsburg, will travel to Washington, D.C., next month for the final round of the annual Community College Innovation Challenge sponsored by the American Association of Community Colleges in partnership with the National Science Foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Their project, &amp;ldquo;Green Computer Processing &amp;ndash; Reducing Data Energy Consumption,&amp;rdquo; was one of 12 selected for the final round of this year&amp;rsquo;s nationwide competition, and one of only two from a Massachusetts school. (The other is Middlesex Community College.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From June 9-12, Bissonnette, Edwards, and Goncalves will join their community college colleagues from New Jersey, California, Texas, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Oklahoma, and Georgia for an &amp;ldquo;Innovation Boot Camp,&amp;rdquo; where they will interact with entrepreneurs and experts in business planning, stakeholder engagement, strategic communication, and marketplace dynamics. The boot camp culminates in a student innovation poster session on Capitol Hill with STEM leaders and congressional stakeholders and a pitch presentation to determine the first, second, and third-place winning teams and a chance to win up to $3,000 each.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s an amazing feeling, because it wasn&amp;rsquo;t just the culmination of all our efforts, but the efforts of everyone who&amp;rsquo;s been supporting us this far &amp;ndash; the faculty, our coaches, the whole school helping to put us up,&amp;rdquo; said Bissonnette.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m so proud we get to go to the national competition and show off how great HCC is,&amp;rdquo; said Edwards.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now in its ninth year, the competition seeks to strengthen entrepreneurial thinking among community college students by challenging them to develop STEM-based solutions to real-world problems. It also enables students to discover and demonstrate their capacity to use STEM to make a difference in the world and translate that knowledge into action. Teams consist of two to four students and a faculty or administrator team mentor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Congratulations to the 2025 CCIC finalists,&amp;rdquo; said Walter G. Bumphus, president and CEO of AACC. &amp;ldquo;The finalist projects showcase the incredible talent and creativity of the nation&amp;rsquo;s community college students. I am proud to stand with our partners at the National Science Foundation to provide this forum to advance these student leaders as they become our future scientists, entrepreneurs, and engineers addressing real-world issues and positively impacting our daily lives.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Green Computer Processing is meant to address the real-world problem of increased energy consumption due to demand from AI-powered data centers. The team&amp;rsquo;s design seeks to create a closed-loop cooling system that recaptures lost energy, reduces waste, and cuts costs while setting a new standard for sustainable data processing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The national Community College Innovation Challenge is designed to enable community college students to discover and demonstrate their capacity to use STEM to make a difference in the world and to translate that knowledge into action,&amp;rdquo; said Michele Cabral, HCC professor of accounting and the team&amp;rsquo;s campus adviser. &amp;ldquo;Jacob, Anjou, and Nora will be the first group of students ever representing HCC on this national stage.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bissonnette and Anjou were named the &amp;ldquo;Ultimate Achievers&amp;rdquo; for Green Computer Processing during HCC&amp;rsquo;s first-ever campus Innovation Challenge held last fall. Goncalves joined their team this spring as they prepared their materials and pitch for the national competition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC team members will earn $3,000 apiece for a first-place finish in the national competition ($2,000 for second, or $1,000 for third), plus get connected with patent experts to help them move to the next step. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Even if we don&amp;rsquo;t make it to the top three, we still get to have this amazing experience and add that to our resumes,&amp;rdquo; said Bissonnette. &amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s incredible for our professional development.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;ll get to network with experts in the field, politicians, and people who know how to get patents,&amp;rdquo; said Edwards. &amp;ldquo;So, if want to make this business into something more serious, which is our goal, this is the perfect first step.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the other ideas teams presented this year are solutions for addressing food insecurity, burn care, aviation safety, nicotine addiction, fire prevention and safety, neonatal health, and autonomous and assistive technologies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Team members Nora Goncalves (Williamsburg), left, Anjou Edwards (Westhampton), front, and Jacob Bissonnette (Holyoke), right, with their faculty adviser Michele Cabral.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21235" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/scholarships-2025" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250519T18:32:24" CategoryIds="66|3|165" FileName="x21235.xml" Name="Scholarships 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/Scholarships-2025-web.jpg" Title="Scholarship Awards" Abstract="The HCC Foundation has awarded 410 scholarships worth $364,400 to 379 incoming, current, and transferring HCC students for 2025-2026." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Foundation scholarship reception 2025" IntroCopy="HCC Foundation awards 410 scholarships for 2025-2026" Date="2025-05-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/Scholarship-Dixon-Plus-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation has awarded more than $364,000 in scholarships to students for the 2025-2026 academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, the HCC Foundation awarded 410 scholarships to 379 incoming, current, and transferring HCC students. Some students received multiple scholarship awards.&amp;nbsp;Individual awards range from $500 to $5,000.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC celebrated this year&amp;rsquo;s recipients and donors at a scholarship reception on May 15.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that works to advance the college&amp;rsquo;s mission, vision, and values. Founded in 1968 as the Friends of Holyoke Community College, in response to a devastating fire that forced the college to rebuild on a new campus, the Foundation now manages assets of more than $20 million, the largest community college foundation endowment in Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An alphabetical list of all scholarship recipients and their awards can also be viewed on the HCC Scholarship page: &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/scholarship-awards-2025&quot; title=&quot;Scholarship Awards 2025&quot;&gt;Scholarship Awards 2025&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To see more photos from the May 15 scholarship reception, please go to our &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1102957708534177&amp;amp;type=3&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Facebook photo album ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Haleigh Alaimo, Trevor Jenks, Tatsiana Marcu, Aiden Therrien, Jacqueline Williams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jerome Allen, Genniffer Jackson, Merideth Lively, Shaili Patel, Alyssa Plant, Gabriel Sarfo, Aelan Toro-Rodriguez, Ngawang Tsetan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brianna Hauschild, Josie Jacobsen, Anna Kouzmenok, CJ Martin, Aura&amp;nbsp; Oviedo, Kelly Rippy, Marie Siri (two awards), Christina Surner, Max Wojcik.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chester:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ian Cartmill.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chesterfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Erin McCormick.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mia Almodovar, Chance Almonte, Hector Aponte, Yaritza Arce (two awards), Nichole Bullock, Kimberly Burke, Agnes Centeno, Allison Charron, Vincenzo Dandridge, Taylor Dunn, Estefany Duron Mejia, Adrian Fernandez, Hannah Flowers, Christopher Fondakowski, Kseniia Fox, Kassidy Gendreau, Jaymen Gill-Suaava, Daudy Guerrero, Megan Harrington, Vincent Hernke (two awards), Kylie Hochrein, Isabella Jones, Briana Liswell, Andres Lopez Pozo (two awards), Corin Lovely, Mennah Mahdy, Janaiah Maldonado, Neala Meade, Isabel Ortiz, Karen Paquette, Morgan Pierog, Renee Pierre, Francheska Ramirez-Rios, Tamisha Rios, Savannah Rushlow, Ashley Ryan, Natalie Sliwa, Nathan Szukala, Sook Yew Tang, Alexa Turgeon (two awards), Brian Valdez, Andrew Williams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conway:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alicia Marquez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Laura Anisimov, Olivia Labonte, Rouse Maisonet, Aleksandra Orlova, Kenne Thai.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Andrew Ashlock, Sashka Avanyan, Gabrielle Carey, Brenda Carrier, Brie Chartier, Chase Cummings, Isabella Gitana, Nataly Gonzalez, Renee Hill, Cadence Hiller (two awards), Elishama Jean, Melanie Jimenez, Stien Kusuma (two awards), Lisa Miwa, Niko Ndreu, Jennifer Purdon, Faith Vittum (two awards), Rosio Yunga-Lazo, Leah Zielenski.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Enfield, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gregory Eichler, Maya Matthews, Jarquasia Swasey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Autumn Braleski (two awards), Josh Carrier, Joselyne Matos.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fiskdale:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Amy Woods.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Matthew Krueger, Sebastian Pacheco, Halle Pashkin, Karissa Robinson, Simon Sinclair.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Framingham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Holly Tighe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Goshen:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lauren Williams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jack Crawford, Kasey Dwyer, Braeden Gallagher, Shaylin Hauschild, Karlie Moriarty.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Madison Neiweem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Greenfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;John Fox, Tye Ouellette-Tolles, Elizabeth Sanchez, Amber Taylor (two awards).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jade Kenney, Bimal Patel, Leo Russell, Max Wojtowicz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hampden:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kate O'Donnell, Sara Underwood.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Haydenville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brie LeBeau.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Raulisha Agramonte, Nayeliz Almestica Rosario, Elliott Anthony, Ruth Arzuaga Rodriguez, Lyzah Avant, Cedric Ayvazian, Karina Benitez, Zoe Bisbing, Jacob Bissonnette, Liushka Borrero Ramos (two awards), Dawne Brown, Alvin Rey Carabuena, Nalani Chen-Sao, Yavier Colon Rivera, Yarilis Conde Estremera, Jalen Cortes, Alajah Devone (two awards), Brian Diaz (two awards), Jayden Diaz, Dinmariel Ferrer, Jose Gonzalez, Alany Gracia, Misterna Isaac, Jemima Kitsa, Victoria Laboy, Danielle LaPalme, AJ Lassend, Daniela Leal, Maria Lima (two awards), Taisha Martinez, Arthur Mazzu, Deelayni Melendez, Gianni Merced, Jamil Navarro, Ciara Norrington, Bekir Okatan, Eithan Ortiz Viera, Nykesha Perez, Lexyanna Rivera, Lily Rivera, Erykka Rocha, Jacob Rodriguez (two awards), Yariely Rodriguez Gonzalez (two awards), Javier Sanchez, Patrick Sweeney, Sadie Swindell (two awards), Aiden Theriault, Brian Torres, Aleena Valentin, Ayanna Vega.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Indian Orchard:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mariam Diaby, Tina Williams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Staci Barrett (two awards).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;James Barnhart, Anthony Ekmalian, Benjamin Mahoney, Abby O'Farrell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Makayla Nelson, Hayleigh Paine, Faith Rains, Giovanni Rubbo, Breana Rynn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Millers Falls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Daiva Warren-Pukis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Milwaukee, Wis.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Abdulah Konneh.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ambar Cabral Mendez, Cady Grant, Kim Harris, Kazelis Rosario.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mark Cronin, Ania Gabis, Xyrus Moore, Orlando Morales, Edie Parker-Yourga, Greta Sleegers, Cecil Voorhees, Dan Winter, Zachary Young.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;Jeffry Black, Lauren Pari, Lauren Vaill.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Russell:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amber Coley, Olivia Maciver, Diana Mire.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Casimare Acosta, Hamna Assad, Shannon Asselin, Blu Colon (two awards), Alyssa Dusseault, Bonnie Gauthier, Brea Johnson, Molly Menard, Allyson O'Dell, Kari Scytkowski.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Joseph Bartolucci, Vincent Bartolucci, Karina Dreichan, Kathleen Ley, Shay Samuelson, Brandon Schmidt.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southbridge:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kody Chamberlain, Lj Ortiz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Logan Allen, Brian Bliven, Maryssa Cook-Obregon, Liana Parrilla, Alyshah Perez, Mia Phillips, Karina Renkas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lilliana Alvarez Rivera, Eli Baez, Astrid Baez, Josh Barcomb, Michelle Bates, Wilkiaris Caraballo, Yasmari Cardenales, Kayla Carlin, Akilah Carter, Chelsea Cavanaugh, Linda Cemeus, Elisa Chamorro, Lauren Chausse, Elias Chica, Zachary Ciano, Jorge Claudio, Jahmara Coleman, Nani Collazo-Cartagena, Donatien-Takeys Cooke, Stephanie Cross, Wigenid Cruz Giboyeaux, Jamal Cumberbatch, Jamal Cumberbatch, Kayla Dagenais, Shamira Davis, Maria De Jesus Garcia, Nancy Dejesus, Julius Dixon, Joan Doucette, MaKenzie Dudley, Ana Estien, Renata Fabelo, Ronelys Fuentes, Dominic Garcia-Gonzalez, Johnny Garcia, Lareese Gasque, Janette Gonzalez, Dale Grant, Sophia Hallo, Way Harris, Yuliia Honhalo, Muhammed Lamin Jeng, Diamond Jimenez, Karen Lebron, Aishea Lewis, Antonio Malave (two awards), Nadia Mason, Mayra Martinez Montalvo, Riley Mcinnis, Nigja McQuarley, Aidyl Melendez, Anissa Mills, Nahamani Morgan, Christina Nguyen, Dayannette Pabon, Southep Phetmany, Xayavong Phetmany, Camila Reyes, Tiffany Richardson, Nathanael Rivera, Francheska Rivera&amp;nbsp; Ortiz, Ahiritza Robles Marrero, Eric Rodriguez, Jahleah Rodriguez, Lyara Rodriguez, Diana Rodriguez, J-Ivan Rodriguez, Maritza Rodriguez, Yarianis Rosado Figueroa, Nelly Salgado, June Santiago, Jay Steinbock, Saream Toum, Jessica Urzedowski, Ralique Velez, Leem Walters, Narya Waring, Michael Williams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stafford Springs, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Danielle Seibles.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunderland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Matthew Barrows, Natalie Denoronha, Jeronimo Monsalve, Rachel Olds, Abigail Roy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Terryville, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dawn Butz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three Rivers:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Richard Gula, Joseph Voudren.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Turners Falls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Colleen Dowd, Kristine Parker.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tyler Bonilla, Kristen&amp;nbsp; Dubuque, Chelsea Foley, Kenia Gonzalez, Heather Martin, Alexis Rivera, Gavin Sawabi, Jeanette Weatherwax (two awards).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Walter Carrillo, Haley Corrigan, Pauline Delton, Alicia Jaundoo (two awards), Meghan Kennedy, Sam Lacus, Tatyana Livchin (three awards), Nahida Mahamane, Merlin Manzanarez, Felicia McClellan, Abigail Michalek, Madison Moore (two awards), Gulmira Niyazova, Flynn Paul, Vadim&amp;nbsp; Savitskiy, Mariah Ward.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cari Avalone, Milo Berrien, Corrin Brockney, Luz Caballero, Raven Carrasquillo, Rachel Cornier, Brandi Damon, Zabria Davis, Ryan DeFalco, Rebecca Dixon, Kevin Flores Colon, Cambrey Gilbert, Salma Haleemdeen, Amanda Janisieski, McKenzie Kiltonic, Elizabeth Kudrya, Nawal Langrial, Tetiana Matichyn, Evelina Mocanu, Ariana Navarro, Celines&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Nieves Ramos, Derek Paul, Chloe Phillips, Eric Romani, Jared Rusin, Jessica Starkey, Valentina Vinces, Aimee Williams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westhampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Vilmarie Bermudez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Whately:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anne Lukasik.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mia Figueroa, Rebecca Leigh Guertin, Miranda Krauza, Alison Smythe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Windsor, Conn.:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Atlas Ritchie.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: HCC Foundation 2025 Scholarship Reception&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21232" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/medical-assistant-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250616T15:53:44" CategoryIds="69|193|194" FileName="x21232.xml" Name="Medical Assistant Grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/HCC-CHE-student-staff-web.jpg" Title="HCC Secures Grant" Abstract="Holyoke Community College was awarded a $500,000 workforce development grant to train medical assistants to help ease employment shortages at area hospitals. " ThumbnailAltText="A student confers with an instructor in a medical simulation lab at HCC" IntroCopy="$500k for medical assisting program" Date="2025-05-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/HCC-CHE-student-staff-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has received a $500,000 state grant to train medical assistants to work in area hospitals and help ease employment shortages.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The grant to HCC is part of $6.8 million in workforce development grants to 15 organizations that were announced this week by the Healey-Driscoll Administration. The Senator Kenneth J. Donnelly Workforce Success Grants are funded by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and administered by the Commonwealth Corporation through the state&amp;rsquo;s Workforce Competitive Trust Fund.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the $500,000 grant to HCC, the college will provide training and placement services to 60 unemployed and underemployed participants and incumbent workers for medical assistant positions. The college&amp;rsquo;s partners in the grant include Baystate Medical Center and Valley Health Systems/Holyoke Medical Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jeffrey Hayden, HCC vice president of Business and Community Services, said the grant seeks to help alleviate the increasing industry demand for credentialed medical assistants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s an area of need,&amp;rdquo; said Hayden. &amp;ldquo;Medical assistants work in doctor&amp;rsquo;s offices. Often, they are the ones who come and take your medical history, they run the scheduling, and, on the critical care side, they are also there on hospital floors, doing similar types of work.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hayden said HCC has been training medical assistants for Baystate and Valley Medical Center for many years, and the grant will that work to continue.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We see this as an opportunity for somebody to get an entry-level job in healthcare and then come back to us for more education and training and make it a career,&amp;rdquo; said Hayden. &amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s similar to the work we do with CNAs (certified nursing assistants). We want to see them climb up the ladder. That can be in administration, it can be in nursing, or it can be in some other allied health field.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Altogether, the 15 grant recipients will provide training and placement services to more than 1,100 individuals in Massachusetts. HCC was one of only three community colleges in the state to receive awards. The others were Greenfield Community College ($417,997 for 48 early childhood educator positions) and Quinsigamond Community College ($499,610 for 60 certified nursing assistants). HCC and GCC were the only institutions in western Massachusetts to receive grants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The Workforce Success Grants continue our commitment to supporting our workers and providing access to good-paying jobs and long-term career success,&amp;rdquo; said&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Governor Maura Healey.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;ldquo;By providing job training and upskilling for underemployed and unemployed jobseekers, we are helping unlock potential, strengthening competitiveness, and connecting our world class talent with innovative companies across the state.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC medical assistant training program is expected to begin in September 2025.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: A student confers with an instructor in a medical simulation lab at HCC.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21231" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/excelencia-in-education" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250514T19:57:10" CategoryIds="4|3|193|165|609|642" FileName="x21231.xml" Name="Excelencia in Education" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/GT-outlook-web.gif" Title="For Student Success" Abstract="President George Timmons has joined Presidents for Latino Student Success, a network committed to making college campuses places where Latino – and all – students thrive." ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons" IntroCopy="xxxxx" Date="2025-05-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/GT-office-web-1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College President George Timmons has joined Presidents for Latino Student Success, a group of college presidents and chancellors committed to making their campuses learning environments where Latino &amp;ndash; and all &amp;ndash; students thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Excelencia&lt;/em&gt; in Education, the nation&amp;rsquo;s premier authority on efforts to accelerate Latino student success in higher education, created Presidents for Latino Student Success in 2014 to support institutional leaders who are transforming higher education. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through the network, President Timmons will collaborate with &lt;em&gt;Excelencia&lt;/em&gt; and other postsecondary leaders to leverage expertise and resources, foster partnerships, and amplify current efforts to accelerate Latino student success in higher education at the national level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Institutional leadership focused on intentionally serving Latino, and all, students is the hallmark of the presidents and chancellors in this network,&quot; said Sarita Brown, co-founder and president of &lt;em&gt;Excelencia &lt;/em&gt;in Education. &amp;ldquo;&lt;em&gt;Excelencia &lt;/em&gt;is honored to make common cause with the action-oriented, trendsetting presidents and chancellors who have answered our national call to accelerate Latino student success in higher education and ensure America&amp;rsquo;s future.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Timmons joins more than 150 leaders that belong to the Presidents network and lead the nation in enrolling and graduating Latino students. Although the network represents only 5 percent of the thousands of colleges and universities across the country, affiliated institutions enroll 32 percent &amp;ndash; and graduate 34 percent &amp;ndash; of all Latino students in higher education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has been a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016. In fall 2024, 33 percent of all HCC students identified as Hispanic or Latino.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Joining the network seemed like the next logical step to better equip myself and the members of our team with the best available resources to help all of our students be successful,&amp;rdquo; Timmons said. &amp;ldquo;This is consistent with our mission of being an institution of academic excellence that helps remove barriers to student success and doing it in a way that is inclusive, kind, collaborative, and grounded in trust.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21228" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/chief-robles" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250508T15:32:15" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x21228.xml" Name="Chief Robles" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/Robles-oath-web.jpg" Title="Aquí está la jefa" Abstract="After 22 years with the department, Jacqueline Robles was sworn in Monday as the next police chief at HCC, and the first Latina in that position.  " ThumbnailAltText="Jacqueline Robles is sworn in as HCC police chief." IntroCopy="Veteran HCC officer first Latina to serve as chief" Date="2025-05-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/Robles-stars-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Jalen Cruz, left, pins chief's stars on the lapels of his mother, HCC Police Chief Jacqueline Robles. &quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Law enforcement officials from across the state, along with members of the Holyoke Community College Community, gathered on Monday, May 5, to celebrate the swearing-in of Jacqueline Robles, of Springfield, as the new HCC chief of police.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The oath-of-office ceremony was the first-ever for a police chief at the college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Springfield, Robles is a graduate of Holyoke High School and has been a member of the HCC police department for 22 years. With her swearing-in on Monday, she became the first Latina to serve as HCC police chief.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As I step into this new role, I do so with a heart rooted in servant leadership, a commitment to lead by lifting others, by listening, by serving with humility and grace,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;My goal is not only to protect and guide but to empower. I believe that true leadership begins with service, and that through service, we foster unity, trust, and a shared strength.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Robles, a graduate of Springfield Technical Community College, is the youngest of 12 children and comes from a family of police officers, following three brothers and a sister into law enforcement. She is the mother of four children, three boys and a girl (27, 24, 18, and 13), and grandmother of two.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Besides making up a sizeable portion of the audience, Robles&amp;rsquo; family was an integral part of the ceremony, which was held on the stage of the college&amp;rsquo;s Leslie Phillips Theater. Her niece, Evelyn DeJesus, sang La Borinque&amp;ntilde;a, the Puerto Rican national anthem. DeJesus&amp;rsquo;s daughter, Noelia Trinidad, sang the Star-Spangled Banner. Robles&amp;rsquo; eldest son, Jalen Cruz, a court officer from Worcester, pinned the chief&amp;rsquo;s stars onto her lapels, and her brother, Jose Robles, a retired Springfield police officer, pinned the police chief badge onto her uniform.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;To my cherished family, thank you for your unconditional love, your encouragement, and your selflessness,&amp;rdquo; Robles said. &amp;ldquo;Each of you have had a private journey with me through this process, and I want you all to know that you are the foundation that allows me to rise and the strength that I need to continue.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the other speakers were Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia, Scott Livingstone (retired Amherst police chief, who served as interim HCC chief during the search for a permanent chief), Bunker Hill Community College Police Chief Robert Barrows, who served on the search committee, and Jessicalee Heredia, HCC Student Senate president.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Today is more than a ceremony,&amp;rdquo; said Heredia. &amp;ldquo;It is a moment of history, a moment of progress. Chief Robles is not only stepping into a role of great responsibility, she is making history as the first-ever Latina police chief at HCC. This is a milestone that deserves both our recognition and celebration. As we honor this day, we look ahead with hope and excitement toward the vision Chief Robles brings to her new role.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As police chief, Robles also holds the title of executive director of community safety, coinciding with the department&amp;rsquo;s new focus on community policing. Previously part of the college&amp;rsquo;s division of Administration and Finance, HCC Campus Police now falls under the auspices of the newly created division of People, Culture, and Equity. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After graduating from college with her associate degree in criminal justice, Robles began her career in public safety as a security officer at Smith College. She joined HCC in 2002 as a patrol officer. In 2016, she was promoted to sergeant, supervising police officers, parking lot attendants, and dispatchers. She was instrumental in creating a cadet program for HCC students majoring in criminal justice. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We believe that community is a shared responsibility,&amp;rdquo; said Heredia, &amp;ldquo;and as you take your oath today, we recommit ourselves to our promise as students, as community members, and as leaders, to stand up for each other, to advocate for fairness and to work with you to create a campus culture not only that we can be proud of, but where we also thrive.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a surprise appearance on the stage, Ed Nu&amp;ntilde;ez, co-chair of the Springfield Puerto Rican Parade Committee, announced that the committee had chosen Robles as the civil service ambassador for this year&amp;rsquo;s parade on September 14.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I stand here as a proud Puerto Rican Latina,&amp;rdquo; Robles said in her remarks, &amp;ldquo;and I carry that pride responsibly with grace, honor, and purpose. The department and I are excited and ready to continue serving this exceptional college, its students, faculty, and staff, with integrity, heart, and an unwavering commitment.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21226" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/ptk-induction-2025" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250506T15:14:02" CategoryIds="4|3|165" FileName="x21226.xml" Name="PTK Induction 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/PTK-Paola-Mercado-web.jpg" Title="HCC honors inductees" Abstract="HCC is proud to announce that 87 HCC students have been accepted for membership into the Alpha Xi Omega chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society. " ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons and new Phi Theta Kappa inductee Paola Mercada of Springfield" IntroCopy="HCC honors Phi Theta Kappa inductees" Date="2025-05-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/PTK-Branden-Bedard-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;President George Timmons congratulates Branden Bedard on his induction into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is proud to announce that 87 HCC students have been accepted for membership into the Alpha Xi Omega chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society for 2025. Students are invited to join Phi Theta Kappa when they have completed 15 college credits while maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's 2025 inductees were recognized during a campus celebration on Monday, May 5.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kendyl Donner, Aiden Therrien.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Joshua McBride, Ngawang Tsetan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Riley Breen, Rebekah Clough, Anja&amp;nbsp; Potter, Marie Siri.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Jada Andino, Heidi Bascom, Vincent Hernke, Andres Lopez Pozo, Tucker Malanowski, Dani Montero, Diana Rodriguez, Sunrise Sanchez, Tatyana Stepus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Brookfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Casey&amp;nbsp; Castenir.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Laura Anisimov, Mason Dipietro.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Isabella Gitana, Stien Kusuma, Lisa Miwa.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shaun&amp;nbsp; Ferrendino, Zakia Hussain, Rebecca Wong.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ariana Mei Aquilino.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Karlie Moriarty.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Madison Neiweem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jade Kenney.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hampden:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kathleen O'Donnell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Branden Bedard, Dustin Bonnoyer, Kelsy Brainard, Dawne Brown, Jalen Cortes, Christian De La Torre Santoyo, Victor Herlemont, Denisse Martinez Pellicier, Rosamond Porter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Staci Barrett.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amber Feaster, Abby O'Farrell, Carlie Woods.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Abigail Lavoie.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sarah Belote, Effie Fields, Kerri Hammersley, Devan Hudson-Rockwell, Norma Mejia Ayala.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Joseph Black, Jared Yetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Newton Hall, Mickayla Patruno.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Olesya Bondar, Charles Little.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southbridge:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kody Chamberlain.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Joshiel Aponte-Berly, Hillary Cox, Jamal Cumberbatch, Julius Dixon, Haven Erb, Waylon Harris, Valeria Hodges, Monica Kuku, Paola Mercado, Southep Phetmany, Francheska Rivera Ortiz, Daeshavana Robinson.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Turners Falls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Colleen Dowd.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shelly Bowder, Brian Maraglia, Gavin Sawabi.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Theresa Mercado, Flynn Paul.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cari Avalone, Corrin Brockney, Raven Carrasquillo, Nicholas Couchon, Laura Gilbert, Elizabeth Hancharonak, Lizmarie Jimenez Diaz, Jelli Jones, Nawal Langrial, Michael Navarro, Valentina Vinces.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westhampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anna Hlava.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) President George Timmons with Phi Theta Kappa inductee Paola Mercado of Springfield. (Above) President Timmons with Phi Theta Kappa inductee Branden Bedard of Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21207" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/on-the-edge" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250411T17:21:02" CategoryIds="4|193|65|165|226" FileName="x21207.xml" Name="On the Edge" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/True-West-bros-web.jpg" Title="On the Edge" Abstract="The HCC production of Sam Shepard’s True West – April 16-19 – explores the rising tension between two brothers as they vie for Hollywood success." ThumbnailAltText="True West" IntroCopy="HCC Theater Dept. presents Sam Shepard's True West April 16-19" Date="2025-04-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/True-West-three-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two brothers walk into a room &amp;ndash; the cluttered kitchen of their mother&amp;rsquo;s suburban house on the edge of the Mojave Desert. One is a screenwriter on the verge of his big break, the other a petty thief scratching for a living off the grid. (Somewhere out there in the wild too is their father, a toothless drunk who, despite his absence, looms large in both their lives.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As coyotes howl, and temperatures rise, one brother covets what the other&amp;rsquo;s got.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That&amp;rsquo;s the setup for &lt;em&gt;True West&lt;/em&gt;, a seminal work by the late Sam Shepard, that opens&amp;nbsp; Wednesday, April 16, at Holyoke Community College. Directed by HCC theater professor Tim Cochran, the play explores timeless themes like sibling rivalry and paternal worship while also questioning myths about Hollywood and the American West.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s a story about class, it&amp;rsquo;s a story about family,&amp;rdquo; said Cochran. &amp;ldquo;I think it&amp;rsquo;s a comedic piece, although I don&amp;rsquo;t know if everybody will find it funny, but, as a student, I found it hilarious. It&amp;rsquo;s like a chess match between the two brothers, Lee and Austin, as they try to manipulate each other. One move leads to another, and, before you know it, it becomes a powder keg of conflict.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Theater Department production of &lt;em&gt;True West&lt;/em&gt; runs April 16-19, with shows at 7:30 p.m. each night in the college&amp;rsquo;s Black Box Theater (room 111 of the Fine and Performing Arts Building), with an additional matinee performance on Saturday, April 19, at 2 p.m. (The Friday, April 18, show will be ASL-interpreted.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The play originally premiered in 1980 and is set about the same time in Rancho Cucamonga, a Los Angeles suburb. The action takes place over the course of a few days in a single location, a congested kitchen. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For True West, unlike most HCC productions, Cochran and HCC theater professor Matt Whiton, the stage designer, decided to forego the college&amp;rsquo;s larger Leslie Phillips Theater for the more intimate Black Box Theater, which seats only 55 people, compared to 320. That choice, Cochran said, allowed Whiton to design a hyper-realistic set, adding to the claustrophobic, voyeuristic nature of the play.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I love directing in the Black Box,&amp;rdquo; said Cochran. &amp;ldquo;The barrier between the audience and the action is very limited. The audience is literally in the same space with the actors. You will really be in the kitchen with the brothers as they battle it out.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The small theater is accompanied by an equally small cast of four actors: HCC alum Tom Roch&amp;eacute; &amp;rsquo;16 of Holyoke, portrays Austin, the screenwriter, who is housesitting for his mother; Miguel Dailey of Agawam plays Lee, his prodigal &amp;ndash; and threatening &amp;ndash; brother; Dan Madden of Longmeadow is Austin&amp;rsquo;s Hollywood agent, Saul Kimmer; while Shea Molbury, of West Springfield, plays the mother, who is on vacation in Alaska. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cochran selected the play, he said, in part because of the impact it had on him as a college student studying theater in the &amp;lsquo;90s.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It wasn&amp;rsquo;t until I listened to the writing of Sam Shepard that I realized there were plays out there that actually captured the rhythms and pacings and heartbeat of the way people really talked,&amp;rdquo; he said. &amp;ldquo;Everything counts. You feel like you&amp;rsquo;re sneaking a peak into people&amp;rsquo;s lives.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The play really changed the way I saw theater,&amp;rdquo; he said. &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;ve heard the same thing from others, time and time again.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although, he&amp;rsquo;s been directing rehearsals, the first time he sees the play performed live in front of an audience will be opening night, though he fondly remembers watching a recorded PBS American Playhouse version of &lt;em&gt;True West&lt;/em&gt; starring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich as Austin and Lee.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;As a college student, I paid 60 bucks for the VHS tape because I thought it was so good,&amp;rdquo; he said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IF YOU GO:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;True West&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;By Sam Shepard &lt;br /&gt;Directed by Tim Cochran &lt;br /&gt;April 16-19, 7:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;April 19, 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke Community College&lt;br /&gt;Black Box Theater (FPA 111)&lt;br /&gt;Tickets: $10 &lt;br /&gt;(Available one hour before each show at the Leslie Phillips Box Office, call 413-552-2528 to reserve, or go to hcctheater.ludus.com to purchase in advance.)&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21204" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/clean-energy-training" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250402T17:46:32" CategoryIds="69|193" FileName="x21204.xml" Name="Clean Energy Training" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/HCC-EV-station-web.jpg" Title="Clean Energy Training" Abstract="HCC is now enrolling students for a free, four-week summer training program for jobs in the clean energy industry. " ThumbnailAltText="EV charging station at HCC" IntroCopy=" Free, four-week summer training program" Date="2025-04-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/HCC-EV-station-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is now enrolling students for a free, four-week program to train workers for jobs in the clean energy sector.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Green Construction, Electricity and Clean Energy Systems program runs from July 7 through August 1, Mondays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Classes meet both at Dean Technical High School and at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During 80 hours of hands-on training, students will earn their OSHA 10 safety credentials while learning the basics of green construction, hand and power tool use, and electrical concepts and circuitry, and learning how these skills are applied in solar photovoltaic installation and electrical vehicle charging stations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students who complete the program will be eligible for work in construction, can apply for a paid electrician apprenticeship program, or enroll in further training as a clean energy technician.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program also covers energy efficient materials and design, measurements and diagrams, basic framing, wall installation and maintenance, foundation construction and pouring, workplace safety, and job readiness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is funded through a two-year, $832,000 state grant HCC received in 2024 for climate-related workforce training initiatives. HCC&amp;rsquo;s partners in the grant include the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, Springfield Works, Dean Technical High School, and the Coalition for an Equitable Economy,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To be eligible, students must be at least 18, authorized to work in the United States, have a high school diploma or equivalency, be able to start work after the training, and pass a background check.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information or to enroll, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/clean-energy-and-green-jobs-training&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/cleanenergy&lt;/a&gt; or contact career counselor Mike Blasco at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mblasco@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mblasco@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or 413-552-2801.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21160" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/together-tally-2025" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250311T19:24:58" CategoryIds="66|193|65|165" FileName="x21160.xml" Name="Together Tally 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/Together-SPC-web.jpg" Title="Terrific Together " Abstract="The HCC Foundation's annual one-day campaign raised more than $181,000 from 504 donors for student support programs and scholarships.  " ThumbnailAltText="HCC students promoting Together HCC campaign" IntroCopy="Annual 'Together HCC' campaign raises $181K" Date="2025-03-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/Togehter-Rome-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation raised more than $181,000 for scholarships and student-support programs during its March 4 &amp;ldquo;Together HCC&amp;rdquo; one-day giving campaign. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The fifth annual &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&amp;rdquo; campaign exceeded its goal of 500 donors, receiving donations worth $181,285 from 504 alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends of the college during the 24-hour fundraising drive. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;For the fifth straight year, our network of alumni, faculty, staff, and friends continue to show how much they care about HCC students,&amp;rdquo; said Julie Phillips, HCC director of development. &amp;ldquo;With so many people giving what they can, it shows our students that we are invested in their success.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All of the money raised goes directly to six areas that support HCC students: academic excellence and innovation; scholarships; the Thrive Student Resource Center and Food Pantry; the President&amp;rsquo;s Student Emergency Fund; the President&amp;rsquo;s Fund for Opportunity, and the HCC Foundation&amp;rsquo;s general, unrestricted fund.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC alumni made up the majority of donors at 37 percent, followed by HCC faculty and staff at 30 percent; 19 percent from friends of the college, 5 percent from parents, and 5 percent from students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Together they unlocked $130,000 in challenge pledges, including $5,000 from campaign partner Gary Rome, owner of Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke and a member of the HCC Foundation Board of Directors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Every gift to the &amp;lsquo;Together HCC&amp;rsquo; campaign matters,&amp;rdquo; said Phillips. &amp;ldquo;When we remove barriers for one student, we&amp;rsquo;re not just changing their life, we&amp;rsquo;re transforming their family&amp;rsquo;s future and strengthening our entire region.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation, the college&amp;rsquo;s charitable, nonprofit foundation, launched &amp;ldquo;Together HCC: A Campaign for Caring&amp;rdquo; in March 2020 to build community support and raise money for students experiencing financial distress during the pandemic. Since 2021, with Rome signed on, HCC has added the &amp;ldquo;Drive to Change Lives&amp;rdquo; theme and collectively raised nearly $1 million for student support programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anyone who missed this year&amp;rsquo;s day of giving and still wants to contribute to the HCC Foundation can do so at hcc.edu/give&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) HCC students promote Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives campaign. (Above) Auto dealer and donor Gary Rome joins President George Timmons and other HCC staff members on the HCC Foundation's annual giving&amp;nbsp; day.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21151" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/together-hcc-2025" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250224T19:23:49" CategoryIds="66|193|65|165" FileName="x21151.xml" Name="Together HCC 2025" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Spring/HCC-Together-table-web.jpg" Title="Drive Time" Abstract="With auto dealer Gary Rome again as a partner, the 2025 Together HCC campaign goal is raise $230,000 from 500 donors in 24 hours on March 4." ThumbnailAltText="Together HCC campaign staffers" IntroCopy="&quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign March 4" Date="2025-02-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Spring/HCC-Together-table-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the fifth year in a row, auto dealer Gary Rome is partnering with the HCC Foundation for a one-day campaign to raise money for student support programs and academic resources at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The annual &amp;ldquo;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&amp;rdquo; campaign is set for Tuesday, March 4, and will run for 24 hours, from 12:01 a.m. to midnight. With a goal of 500 donors and $230,000, this year&amp;rsquo;s success would put the campaign&amp;rsquo;s six-year cumulative support total above $1 million.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Each year, our giving day demonstrates the extraordinary power of community support,&amp;rdquo; said Julie Phillips, HCC director of development. &amp;ldquo;Reaching $1 million in cumulative giving would be remarkable, but what&amp;rsquo;s more significant is how these gifts have removed barriers and created opportunities for countless students.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Donations can be made through a secure portal on the HCC website: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.givecampus.com/schools/HolyokeCommunityCollege/drive-to-change-lives-2025&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/drive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The goal of the campaign is to raise money for six areas that directly support HCC students: academic excellence and innovation; scholarships; the Thrive Student Resource Center and Food Pantry; the President&amp;rsquo;s Student Emergency Fund; the President&amp;rsquo;s Fund for Opportunity and the HCC Foundation&amp;rsquo;s general, unrestricted fund.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of the key partners in the HCC campaign is Rome, an HCC Foundation board member and owner of Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke. Rome has pledged to donate $5,000 when 125 people donate to the campaign and add the comment &amp;ldquo;#TogetherHCC&amp;rdquo; to the dealership&amp;rsquo;s Facebook campaign post on March 4.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Education transforms lives,&amp;rdquo; said Rome. &amp;ldquo;I see it firsthand in our community through HCC graduates who become our employees, colleagues, and leaders.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, longtime HCC supporters Peg Wendlandt &amp;rsquo;58 and her husband Gary Wendlandt will provide $100,000 in challenge gifts throughout the day. Altogether, the one-day campaign has the potential to unlock more than $125,000 in matching donations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation launched &amp;ldquo;Together HCC: A Campaign for Caring&amp;rdquo; in March 2020 to build community support and raise money for students experiencing financial distress during the pandemic. As part of that campaign, members of the HCC community &amp;ndash; students, staff, faculty, alumni, relatives, and college friends &amp;ndash; were asked to use the hashtag #TogetherHCC to share stories and images on social media that demonstrated the resilience of the college community in response to the COVID-19 crisis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In its first year, the campaign raised $40,000 for the President&amp;rsquo;s Student Emergency Fund and was selected as a finalist for a national Bellwether award. Since 2021, with Rome signed on, HCC has added the &amp;ldquo;Drive to Change Lives&amp;rdquo; theme and collectively raised more than $700,000 for student support programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Every gift to the &amp;lsquo;Together HCC&amp;rsquo; campaign matters,&amp;rdquo; said Phillips. &amp;ldquo;When we remove barriers for one student, we&amp;rsquo;re not just changing their life, we&amp;rsquo;re transforming their family&amp;rsquo;s future and strengthening our entire region.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Student Nani Collazocarta Gena, staffers Yaritza Barta, and Laura White at the Together HCC campaign table last year&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21145" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/people-first" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250222T14:42:04" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x21145.xml" Name="People First" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/GT-office-web-1.jpg" Title="Putting People First" Abstract="In a commentary for Outlook 2025, President George Timmons talks about how HCC is reimagining the workplace for the benefit of both students and employees." ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons" IntroCopy="Commentary by President George Timmons" Date="2025-02-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/GT-office-web-1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This column was first published Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in the Outlook 2025 section of the Springfield Republican and on Feb. 19 on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/westernmass/2025/02/outlook-2025-hcc-president-reimagining-the-community-college-workplace-a-people-first-approach.html &quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;MassLive&lt;/a&gt; under the headline, &quot;Reimagining the community college workplace: A people-first approach.&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By GEORGE TIMMONS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;President of Holyoke Community College&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During a recent cabinet meeting, I posed a question to my leadership team: &amp;ldquo;If we were launching a community college today, what would it look like?&amp;rdquo; This simple question has become our north star as we navigate profound changes in the nature of work and higher education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The answer, we&amp;rsquo;ve discovered, lies in &amp;ldquo;peopling&amp;rdquo; &amp;mdash; a term our new vice president for people, culture and equity frequently uses. It&amp;rsquo;s more than just a catchphrase; it&amp;rsquo;s our commitment to creating an exceptional workplace where employees feel supported, challenged, and empowered to grow. It&amp;rsquo;s an idea that aligns perfectly with our institutional values of kindness, inclusion, trust, innovation and collaboration. When we live these values, employees thrive, and our students succeed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This commitment recently led us to launch a division of People, Culture, and Equity, a bold step that acknowledges the changing face of both our workforce and our student body. Today, 70% of our students study part time while juggling work and family commitments. More than one-third identify as Hispanic/Latinx, and 40% are 25 or older. These demographics reflect our vibrant Western Massachusetts community and demand that we evolve as an institution.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The timing of this evolution couldn&amp;rsquo;t be more critical. With free community college now a reality, we saw a 13% increase in student enrollment from fall 2023 to fall 2024, and we expect this growth to continue as more people choose this moment to begin or resume their educational journeys.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This enrollment surge affects every aspect of our daily operations &amp;mdash; from classroom instruction to student services. How we serve, support, and &amp;ldquo;show up&amp;rdquo; for our increasingly diverse student population requires not only an institutional commitment to our people but also strategic investments in the resources that will enable their success, such as our free child watch program, and, new last fall, our Marieb Adult Learning Success Center and Parent Learning Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our transformation begins with reimagining traditional structures. We have revamped our human resources department into the Office of People and Talent, streamlining administrative processes with an enhanced focus on strategic priorities like recruitment, retention, and professional development. We want to make it difficult for employees to leave &amp;mdash; not in a bad way, but because they can&amp;rsquo;t imagine finding a better workplace culture somewhere else.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes the most impactful changes are beautifully simple. Our monthly &amp;ldquo;Cheers for Peers&amp;rdquo; program creates opportunities for employees to celebrate each other&amp;rsquo;s achievements, fostering a culture of recognition and appreciation. We&amp;rsquo;ve implemented restorative practices that create intentional spaces for dialogue and conflict resolution, acknowledging that healthy workplaces require open communication and mutual understanding.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps our most revolutionary change involves our approach to campus safety. By moving our police department under the division of People, Culture, and Equity, we are reimagining campus security through a lens of community engagement, awareness and education. After all, shouldn&amp;rsquo;t every aspect of our institution ultimately serve our educational mission?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These changes reflect our understanding that diversity in leadership matters. Our students must see themselves represented in decision-making positions across the college. Every department must feel equipped to support students along their educational journey, whether they are recent high school graduates or working parents returning to school.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With 750 employees residing throughout Western Massachusetts and beyond, we recognize that our impact extends far beyond our campus. Holyoke Community College is not just an economic driver in our region; we have the potential to create a &amp;ldquo;positivity impact&amp;rdquo; that ripples through our communities. Our faculty and staff are inspiring students and changing lives inside and outside the classroom every day, and we want them to love what they do. We are committed to creating the conditions for a joyful workplace for all.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is our moment &amp;mdash; an opportunity to recreate ourselves as an institution that truly puts people first. The profound changes we are seeing in today&amp;rsquo;s workplace require more than surface-level adjustments. They demand a fundamental reimagining of how we support, develop and empower our people.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By focusing on our people and their talents, we are building more than just a better workplace &amp;mdash; we&amp;rsquo;re creating a more responsive institution that meets the evolving needs of our community. This is how we&amp;rsquo;re doing it differently. This is how Holyoke Community College is leading change in higher education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;George Timmons, Ph.D., is president of Holyoke Community College.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21052" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/fall-2024-deans-list" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250130T15:55:44" CategoryIds="3|65|165" FileName="x21052.xml" Name="Fall 2024 Dean's List" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Campus%20Beauty%20Shots/HCC-Campus-FA21-web.jpg" Title="Fall 2024 Dean's List" Abstract="HCC is proud to recognize the students who earned Dean’s List honors for the Fall 2024 semester." ThumbnailAltText="HCC campus" IntroCopy="HCC announces Fall 2024 Dean's List" Date="2025-01-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Campus%20Beauty%20Shots/HCC-Campus-FA21-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;HCC campus&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize the students who earned Dean&amp;rsquo;s List honors for the Fall 2024 semester. Each term, HCC recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean&amp;rsquo;s List. A student is placed on the Dean&amp;rsquo;s List if their G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher. The students listed below have earned Dean&amp;rsquo;s List honors for the Fall 2024 term.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Adams:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Stephanie Carmela Rufo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jenalyn Rose Broussard, Tyler Hayward, Eric Andrew Jorgensen, Stephen Joseph Kopinsky Jr., Autumn Skye LaBranche, Crystal O. Lam, Daniel J. Lathrop, Nicholas John Liimatainen, Tatsiana Marcu, Kylie Elisabeth Nooney, Elise Mackenzie Nooney, Kenna Marie Rainville, Nelli Schneider, Emily St. Pierre, Aiden Jeffery Therrien, Alina Jane Zalivchii.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;Jerome&lt;/span&gt; Allen, Joshua David Bishop, Joshua Quinn Busekrus, Sara Button, Myles Hart Chinappa, Carlos Stiven Jovel Cruz, West Paul Davis, Zachary Nichols Dixon, Akiva Frenkel, Jack Maxwell Morgan Green, Benjamin Haupt, Yuxin Lei, Ashante Rose Love, Norma Alexandra Mejia Ayala, Shaili Suresh Patel, Julia Leigh Rodrigue, Brianna M. Thompson-Blake, Aelan Toro-Rodriguez. Grace Vo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Arlington:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alysha Bilkay.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ashfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Katrina Lynn Chasse.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Barre:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Matthew Flynn&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ayda Mae Albrecht, Joseph Baltazar, Samual Bertsch, Tyler James Bozoglos, Riley Jared Breen, hloe Breton, Cameron Daryl Buley, Shane Burnell, Isabella Joydell Cebula, Rebekah Clough, Dylan Fredryk Coffey-Moore, Laura Elizabeth Cote, Natalie Layne Daigle, Hailey Marie Garrow, Joel Daniel Gonzalez, Sophia Elizabeth Grazioso, Briana Lee Haley, Brianna Jaiden Hauschild, Chloe Marie Jenks, Morgan Brier Kite, Anna M. Kouzmenok, Sophie Elisabeth Laramee, Elias Jeter Marques, Callan Jeremy Martin, Brandon Thomas Morra, Claire Nan, Anne K. Novosel-Mileski, Caleb O'Brien, Emily Darya O'Donnell, Anna Michelle Orourke, Kaitlyn Louise Park, Vivienne Pelletier, Justin Allen Pendrick, Caroline Lisa Primavera, Sarah Elizabeth Schrijn, Marie Christine Siri, Hailey Marie Smith,&amp;nbsp;Elijah Cameron Smith, Adison Mae St. Germaine, Aura Suarez Oviedo, Alex Silas Sussman, AJ Horgan Terry, Sydney Jade Tonelli, Eugemius N. Vanderpuije, Isabel Rose Vigneault, Dmitri Matthew Weise, Max Porter Wojcik.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bernardston:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kelly Diane Trudeau.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bondsville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alice Peabody.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brimfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;William St. Marie.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brookfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Katelynn Morris.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chester:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Leia Gail Cartmill, Alisha M. Desnoyers, Nevaeh Ellen Judson, Misty Raye Robitaille.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Elisa Nichole Albelo, Chance Daniel Almonte, Jada Marie Andino, Alicia Rose Beaton, Sydney Linda Blanchette, Yalexia Bonilla, Amanda Lynn Carlson, Nashalie Naii Carmona, Agnes Marie Centeno, Hanna Chernytska, Kostiantyn Chernytskyi, Gabriel Louis Chevalier, Ruby Stella Chicoine, Cher L. Condino, Jillian Drapeau, Mackenzie Rose Durand, Estefany Duron Mejia, Taurean Febus, Hannah Flowers, Christopher Fondakowski, Kseniia Allisa Fox, Meaghan Ann Galindrez, Vladislav N, Gargun, Sarah Geffin, Kassidy Rose Gendreau, Mason Alexander Godbout, Ciaranette Gonzalez, Tatianna Damaris Green, Daudy Pasquale Guerrero, Courtney Hernke, Kylie Amanda Hochrein,&amp;nbsp;Eric Leigh Howell, Jacqueline Elizabeth Jackson, Rebecca A. Jolly, Inessa Nelly Kartavykh, Brenden John Kessler, Joshua C. Laxton, Matthew Livingston, Andres Lopez Pozo, Alexander Xavier Luna,&amp;nbsp;Tucker Grey Malanowski, McKallum Shaw Malanowski, Janessa L. Medina-Gonzalez, Liangelis Kayliana Morales, Iesha Andrea Morales, Yuliia Morozova, Erin Patricia O'Donnell, Ryan John Okeefe, Zach David Oldenburg, Aliana Marie Olmeda, Adrian Ivy Page, Kendra Ann Paquette, Tanner William Parrow, David Christopher Perez, Monica Pich, Bailey Marie Prendergast, Kristen Provost, Jaileen Azalee Reyes, Jenna Marie Adelina Rinvil, Jalisa Adriana Rivera, Jarisel Andrea Rivera, Marissa Lee Rodrigues, Jonuan Alberto Rodriguez, Yesenia Roman, Anita Rotar, Sunrise Iaim Sanchez, Mohammad Shiban, Tatyana Stepus, Taylor Dean Sudyka, Shalyn Alexis Sullivan, Vashon S. Sutton, Nathan Paul Szukala, Rose Evelyn Tack, Cameisha Fallon Taylor-Smith, Tameka Shanygne Torres, Taylar Trohon, Kaylynn Tranese Tyler, Glorymar Vallellanes, Samora Winston Vanhorne, Angel Gabriel Vargas II, Taeshon Ricardo Watkins, Sage M. Young.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Doha:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Furkan Yildirim.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dudley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rachael Marie Taylor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Laura Anisimov, Katherine Mary Baxendale, Liz M. Colon, Mason Alexander DiPietro, Ashley Lynn Friel, Jeremy Michael Giroux, William John Milanczuk, Aleksandra Andreevna Orlova, Allison Ray Ranger, Kenne H. Thai, Tyler Jacob Zalewski, Robert Edward Zemba.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alexandra Joanne Adams, Sarah Akin, Lamia Amgdoul, Hind Bourhim, Brenda Lee Carrier, Zachary Anthony Clapp, Gabrielle D'Amour, Marlina Christine Devine, Gavin Daniel Downer, Natalie Samantha Dugas, Angelina Dvorak, Donald William Eggleston, Ashleigh Elaine Fox, Chandler Morgan Frantz, Anthony Giard, Isabella Gitana, Renee Hill, Alison Janocha, Morgan Ann Latour, Caroline Mary Laveck, Elizabeth Marie Loiselle, Tatiana Madera, Anna Marie Mascaro, Matthew McGrath, Emily Moszynski, Emma Lynn Pelletier, Summer Rose Poudrier, Jennifer M. Purdon, Aidan Daniel Rist, Sarah Sabo, Samson Stolar, Caleb Michael Subocz, Kyle Andrew Thoma, Zoe Jennelle Thomas, Noel Truehart, Faith Dawn Vittum, Alyssa Ware, Rosio Soledad Yunga-Lazo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Enfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Maya Nicole Matthews, Gia Marie Sellica.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Breanna A. Allen, Allison Dana Boucher, Joshua Daniel Carrier, Gabrielle Olive Duval, Zakia Hussain, Nick Edward Laviolette, Jaxon Kaleb Luke, Mia Margret McGregor, Noah Rivera, Danielle Nicole Robichaud, Sofia Shevchuk, Rebecca Kaneonapua Wong.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fiskdale:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amy Woods.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ariana Mei Espinas Aquilino, Edward Cade Benson, Meredith Jean Caven, Meredith Jean Caven, Alexa Mae-Wakefield Colly, Alexiz Monique Cruz, Nicholas Grimaldi, Aidan Layne Jones, Oliver E. King, Matthew Krueger, Khailee Elizabeth Lastowski, Laura Michon, Stephanie Marie Raftery, Karissa Marie Robinson, Anthony Rushmore Scalzo, Julian John Mayhew Skowron, Bunnary Reanna Teng, Megan Marie Tierney.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lauren Williams, Aiden Robert Beach, Alexis Marie Lapite, Tyler Laramee, Paige Lynn Maziarz, Nicholas Tyler Menard, Tristan Gordon Moe, Thomas Nathan, Natalya Rosenberg, Jessica Annette Roy, Diana Swanigan, Amelia Jean Tocchio.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Madison Amber Neiweem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Greenfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ashley B. Benedetti, Sarah Coulsey, Samantha Marie Cramer, Dominique Isabella Fitzroy, Elizabeth Sanchez, Amber Michelle Taylor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jessica Lynn Campbell, Trevor Matthew Ciaglo, Erin Frances Cleary, James Peter Fitzgibbons, Kaylena Gonzalez, Katelyn May Kelley, Jacob Scott Kenney, Bimal Patel, Leo George Russell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hampden:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ava Pauline Humphrey, Adison Oliveras, Adam Edward Poulin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hatfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ella Madeline Poudrier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hawley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gina Anne Barnhart.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Haydenville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Teagan Ann Andross, Zachary Michael O'Connell, Colette Rose Piotrowski.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ariana Stephanie Alvarado Diaz, Lily Margaret Angers, Sophia Leo-Tate Anthony, Tyler Jonathan Applebee, Kimberly Ashwood, Cari Joy Avalone, Branden Bedard, Fatima Bergman, Kylie Blaha, Enely Bonilla, Dustin Corey Bonnoyer, Joraima Dallys Brigantty, Dawne K. Brown, Pearl Abigail Burns, Alvin Rey Torres Carabuena, Yaritzia Castillo Torres, Pablo Noah Cespedes-Ashe, Gracie Chesmore, Yarilis Beatriz Conde Estremera, Adriana Corcino, Herick Cortez, Emma Cay Counter, Jeremy Misael Cruz, Julian Anatoly Danilchenko, Dioanna Alexzandra Davis, Christian De la Torre Santoyo, Eleanor Grace Donohue, Brendan Michael Duval, Aolanis Analy Figueroa Pinto, Ishmael Flores, April Irene Grabowski, Christian Guzik, Adaryn Livingstion Hagar, Nicole Louise Henchey, Victor Michel Herlemont, Isabella Cristina Joubert Rios, Nuriye Kartal, Jemima Mueni Kitsa, Jordan Martha Larkin, Daneisha Luciano, Eric Edward Lukomski, Oceana Maldonado, Denisse Marie Martinez, Luis Yandel Medina, Ritah Mutesi, Jamil Navarro, Ninoshka Marie Negron-Reyes, Bekir Yusuf Okatan, Genesis Arlene Perez, Elle Elizabeth Platanitis, Rosamond Jacinta Goncalves Porter, Mayumi Dalay Ramon, Jandel Resto, Adiaris Jarleys Reyes, Camryn Rist, Lexyanna Rivera, Erick Joel Rivera-Gonzalez, Nicole Rodriguez, Katelyn Jasmine Rodriguez, Yadiel Omar Rodriguez, Jomar Rodriguez, Katelyn Roque I, Katherine Ryan Rousseau, Hannah Autumn Savenko, Patrick John Sweeney, Stephen Andres Szewczyk, Brian Daniel Torres, Keilymar Vazquez Negron, Ayanna Lee Vega, Caridad Vega-Ramos, Rachel Joy Westcott, Eleanor White, Jadys Williams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Huntington:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shaliyah Toledo-Cruz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Indian Orchard:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amanda Marguerite Montalban, Victor Quazier Dos Reis Paulino.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lawrence:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Katherine Hiraldo De La Cruz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Staci Alice Barrett.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leeds:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Phoebe Adara Silliman.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leverett:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Emily Helen Owen, Maya Pierce.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bahadir Birer, Mary Micheala Crosby, Alize Nextaci Diaz, Lia Claire Lukezic, Benjamin Jacob Mahoney, Sarah Perez McAdoo, Ryan Holland Mcdonald, Braeden Jerrold Mrozek, Jack Mrozek, Abby Michelle O'Farrell, Daniel Theodore Perez, Alessandro Rocco, Madison Bonett Sullivan, Carlie Anne Woods.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nicholas Antonio Aleixo, Chloe P. Benard, Emma Rita Benard, Dylan Thomas Bernier, Kayla Ann Bourcier, Shannon Elizabeth Callahan, Martha Elizabeth Cobb, Andrew Joel Doming, Jonathan Paul Dos Santos, Abigail Douglas, Anthony Tyler Fortune, Jessica Rose Guberow, Sara Alves Killeen, Volha Kvashchanka, Abigail Reagan Lavoie, Cameron LeBlanc, Veronica Mendes, Jennifer Rubidia Molina I, Makayla Grace Nelson, Hayleigh Lee Paine, Olivia Nicole Parker, Zachary Rulen Rodrigues, Luke Gama Rodrigues, Andre Ilidio Rodrigues, Breana Rynn, Taylor Ann Santiago, Cecelia Elizabeth Spice, Evan Anthony Sweeney, Jazmin Shaibet Velazquez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mattapoisett:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Felix Alberto Perez III.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Midlothian:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Molly Gerrety.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Haley Anne Arventos, Sarah Brittany Boisvert, Ambar Mery Cabral, Joshua Alan Gorham, Paige Hebert, Dasia Renee Jones, Jessica Renae Kenyon, Owen Scott Kenyon, Madilynn T. Mason, Logan James Mitchell, Emily Lucille Nadeau, Kazelis Rosario, Elijah James Smith, Tyrone E. Wolf.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Montague:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kelsey Lynn Carey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Montgomery:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Preston Coffey.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;North Dighton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gabrielle Frances Ready.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;Leah Ansaldo, Hilary Vanesa Barraza I, Sarah Kathryn Belote, Natalie Caruk, Alexandra Marie Carvache, Alexandria Ann Casavant, Caroline Elisabeth Cole, Jesse Knox Conner, Bethany Fields,&amp;nbsp;Maddalena Figueroa-Starr, Imane Fikry, Imane Fikry, Mercedes Fitch, Zachary Harold Fox, Jesus Gonzalez, Susanna B. Hoffmann, Daniel Patrick Horton, Olivia Iarossi, Alyssa Kaylee Jost, Haomin Li, Juliette Long, Caitlin Menzyk, Orlando Morales, Christina Ruggiero-Corliss, Greta Sleegers, Gregor Miles Toulson Wimmer, Rebecca Gene Tremblay, Nathan William Wack, Brie-Ann Michelle Wilber, Daniel Aaron Winter, Harrison Scott Woodland.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Orange:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thomas John Thibeault.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kayla Rose Andre, Jeffry Vincent Black, Joseph Vincent Black, Damon Cole Cardenales, Elizabeth Rose Craig, Sharick Lorena Del Campo, Andrew K. Haley, Hannah Lis, Heather Lynch, Kevin Thomas Moriarty, Lauren Pari, Keith Edward Przechocki, Morgan Marie Thiphavong.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Russell:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;August Assarian, Amber Renae Coley, Katherine Murphy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shutesbury:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Olga Minina, Hunter Schieding.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Deerfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Terri Nicole Lindsey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lara A Asarese, Angela Rose Bessone, Monica Boivin, Lily Aileen Campbell, Ella R. Campbell, Bryan Clark, Patrick John Conway, Kimberly Michelle D'Amato, Helen Deater-Deckard, Alyssa Mary Dusseault, Lucas James Dyer, Alexandra Mieg Gates, Silas Gabriel Gelinas, Newton Hall, Aubrey Renee Jones, Shannon Leigh Lyman, Reese Melissa Mackenzie, Allyson O'Dell, Jacob Ryan Palmer, Amber Jade Patruno, Mickayla Patruno, Destiny Cheyenne Patterson, Ara Alexis Powers, Rebecca Reyes, Annalisa Rizzo, Amber Michelle Rodrigue, Marc Rogers, Josephine Roman, Jack Michael Shaughnessy, Liam Anthony Sibley-Welch, Rachel Tanya VazquezPerrin, Stephanie Marie Willemain, Maxwell Nicholas Young.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Megan Jean Adams, Joseph Robert Bartolucci, Vincent Robert Bartolucci, Olesya Bondar, Laci Enid Chapdelaine, Jessa Mae Craig, Emma Kathleen Czarniecki, Kyle Shawn Dale, Laurel Florek, Emerson William Folta, Wilson Mark Heath, Zeynep Ibic, Justin Andrew Meunier, Meredith Megan Mielke, Reagan Jessie Mott Jr., Liam Charles Packey, Alaina Grace Pellegrini, Matthew Steven Riel, Ambria Lynn Stine, Isabelle Judith Wiemer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southington, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Stephanie Victoria Nellis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kya Lorraine Cummings, Grace S. Hanna, Mia Elle Phillips, Elijah Vincent Robinson, Ronald Daniel Singh, Diana Viola Streete, Michael Roy Whelihan, Christopher Albert White, Jonathan Youens.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hector Aponte, Jewel Arguello, Barenda Bandara, Nicolette Tamra Barnett, Adriana B. Bello Lopez, Jose Yabiel Berrios, Ashley Berthiaume, Acianna Bethea, Hannah Mae Brooks, Joneiris Campusano-Santos, Chelsea Lynn Cavanaugh, Linda Cemeus, Justin Michael Cepeda, Elisa Chamorro, Zachary Michael Ciano, Akayla-Rain Mary Cobb, Mychal Anthony Connolly Jr., Colin Consedine, Donatien-Takeys Cooke, Aimee Cordero, Aleisha Mabel Correa Gomez, Hillary Zea Cox, Nareily Cruz, Anabel Cruz, Wigenid Cruz Giboyeaux, Paola Michelle Cruz Santiago, Matthew Jr. Cruz-Guzman, Jennifer Stephanie Cruz-Trejo, Kayla Beth Dagenais, Griffin John Daley, Arianna Jazmine Davila, Maria De Jesus Garcia, Paul Allison Decker, Kimberly A. Deuso, Jerry Elicier, Haven Shalom Erb, Yesli Anahi Escalante, Alyssa Espinosa, Renata Fabelo, Leann Fanion, Tanairy Fuentes, Hilcia Gedalia Gamez Mendez, Francisco Javier Garcia, Taishanet Garcia, Isabelle Catherine Garutti, Stephon Antquan Gibson, Janessa Michelle Giraud-Budd, Devon Jose Goncalves, Jhianny Clarimil Gonzalez Paulino, Sophia Sesinam Hallo, Alexia May Henley-Bisson, Olivia Rose Hersey Brown, Valeria I. Hodges, Yuliia Volodymyrivna Honhalo, Muhammed Lamin Jeng, Irianty Kailola, Karen Lebron, Aishea LaShawn Lewis, Zongyi Lin, Carla Lilliany Lopez, Emily Lucio, Monique Lumpkin, Antonio Luis Malave, Josean Ezequiel Maldonado-Santana, Yoly K. Marte,&amp;nbsp;Joe'Enthonie Martinez, Alanis Indira Martinez Alicea, Aidyl Melendez, Melainie Miranda, Matthew James Moran, Noah Michael Mulcahy, Antonio Mutti, Ilayshia Nevaeh Negron, Leslie Rose Nguyen,&amp;nbsp;Angelina Nguyen, Kayla Nguyen, Marisa April Nieto, Pauline Nizeyimana, Roberto Manuel O'Leary-Moreno, Alanis Ortiz, Alexis Grace Ouimette, Eddiel Perez, Southep Phetmany, Aidan Eric Plahna, Eddie Elizabeth Pomeroy, Aiquacha Powell, Leslie Ramirez Sanchez de Lopez, Camila Del Carmen Reyes, Eric Manuel Reyes Soto, Rosalynn Iris Rivas Cruz, Cynthia Rivera, Tatiana Rivera, Diana Marie Rodriguez, J-Ivan Rodriguez, Britany Rodriguez, Ashanty Marie Rosario, Joyce Adianez Sanchez Fontanez, Jenna Scripture, William Taikido Serrano, Eric Andre Sierra, Erika Marie Solis-Farnham, Faith Patricia Thompson, Ninoshka Marie Tirado Davila, Jonte Toro, Emily Tran, Jessica M. Urzedowski, James Gideon Willingham.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Suffield, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Patrick Bucior.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunderland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rachel Elizabeth Olds, Matthew Zachariah Barrows, Natalie Denoronha, Fernando Saravia.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Terryville, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dawn Butz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three Rivers:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Zackary Eric Aktiv, Suzanne Marie Larro, Joseph M. Voudren.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tolland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ashley Brianna Littlefield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wales:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gabryelle Makalyn Fullen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brenna Rose Chesley, Madisyn Helen Davis, Erin Demers, Kristen Marie Dubuque, Hannah Rose Jacques, Brittanie Larzazs-Rule, Brian C. Maraglia, Emily Zophia McGrail, Savannah Mary Mitchell,&amp;nbsp;Sachelys Perez, Alexis Rivera, Shalyn Loretta Royer, Angela Pauline Servant, Lisa A. Skutnik, Pandora Sage Washburn, Jeanette Marie Weatherwax, Caitlin Woodward.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Brookfield: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Morgen Alan Swallow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hussein Ali Hussein Al Atabi, Hussein Zamel Al Haron, Sila Hatice Albayrak, Tartel Husain Alkrad, Kiersten Annette, Savannah Leigh Bernard, McKayla Giselle Boman, Jacob Parker Bruni, Michelle Lee Caraballo, Ntakirutimana Kamali Chantal, Ryan Brady Colbert, Ingrid M. Cubias-Bonilla, Lianexis De Jesus Burgos, Kyle A. Delton, Emily Rose Drouin, Haleigh Holloway, Meghan Kennedy,&amp;nbsp;Zaeli Laviera, Nolan James Lessard, Tatyana Livchin, Benjamin Joseph MacGrath, Parker Scott Mason, Theresa Annamarie Mercado, Abigail Rose Michalek, Kaitlin Katie Elizabeth Miller, Shea Tonia Molbury, Madison Tyra Moore, Paige Marie Neal, Nessalyn Neth, Laura Valerie North, Mathew Scott ODonnell, Alessandra Petschke, Thomas Powell, Madisyn Elizabeth Rodriguez, Syeda Urefa Sada, Vadim Savitskiy, Anastasiia Somkina, Star Destiny Stratos, Ganna Tverdokhlib, Samantha Amelia Wiggins.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Yarmouth:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Leah Marie Healy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Eve Katherine Bartlett, Molly Eleanor Bernardara, Nicholas Andre Bradley, Clay Jameson Bradley, Abigail Beth Brenzel, Corrin Olivia Brockney, Dominic Anthony Campana, Jenna Marie Cardin, Raven Elexio Carrasquillo, Grace Olivia Clendenin, Jamie Renee Collier, Abigale Corliss, Jocelyn L. Correia, Grace David, Zabria Ashley Davis, Adrianne Fleck, Kevin Ediel Flores Colon, Mackenzie Allison Grace Frazier, Brooke Elisabeth Frisbie, Elizabeth Jane Galczynski, Nathaniel Thomas Garcia, Tricia Jean Goodreau, Michael David Goonan III, Moia Hamilton, Lynne M. Hebda, Noel Winters Herbele, Cole Alexander Jasmin, Tanya Judd, Nawal Hassan Langrial, Kaylee Marielle LaVertu, Somin Lee, Cheyenne Marie Lusby Seery, Curran David McKenzie, Solimar Michelle Navarro Nunez, Nataliia Parova, Emilie Pease, Michael David Phelps II, Teresa Mae Pieciak, Tetiana Riabova, Noah Matthew Rivera, Eric Joseph Romani, Hana Sadique, James Stephen Salzer, Jordyn Josephine Sanders, Ivan Alexandrovich Seleznev, Casey Stegbuchner, Jeffrey Gordon-Syler Tersavich, Valentina Nicole Vinces, Meagan Lee Vogel, Stephen Walbridge, Francis Joseph Weir Jr.,&amp;nbsp;Karina Yantsevich, Samuel F. Yesu.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westhampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ishetia Rose Black, Anjou Lynn Edwards, Gallivan Olivia Florek, Anna Hlava, Samantha Grace Johnson.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jose Aguila, Liam George Colclough, Martin Edward Cunningham, Michelle Kristine Czuber, Malyna Jade Dansereau, Deborah Ann Farnham, Mia Yareisha Figueroa, Nicholas A. Gentile, Miranda Lee Krauza, Olivia Catherine Picard, Alison Smythe, Sophia Strand, Alexa Taylor Sullivan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Williamsburg:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kelsey Ann Bean, Nora Elizabeth Goncalves, Jessica Lannon Liimatainen, Riley Marie Marney, Kaylee Rooney.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Woodside, Cal.:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Brayden Stroh.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Worthington:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mickayla Servello.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21040" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/marieb-alsc-opening" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241216T20:31:27" CategoryIds="4|3|193|165|228" FileName="x21040.xml" Name="Marieb ALSC Opening" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/Marieb-ALSC-ribbon-web.jpg" Title="A Major Moment" Abstract="Holyoke Community College celebrates the grand opening of its Marieb Adult Learner Success Center and Parent Learning Center." ThumbnailAltText="Marieb Adult Learner Success Center grand opening" IntroCopy="New centers continue Elaine Marieb legacy" Date="2024-12-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/Marieb-check-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Marieb ALSC check&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The grand opening celebration for the new Marieb Adult Learner Success Center and Parent Learning Center at Holyoke Community College began with the reading of a quote from the late Elaine Marieb, whose $1 million posthumous donation made them both possible:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Education lifts people up into a new life stage and enhances their quality of life,&amp;rdquo; read &amp;nbsp;Anne Morales Medina, HCC associate director of recruitment and enrollment management at the Dec. 11 event. &amp;ldquo;I can&amp;rsquo;t tell you how much my degrees added to my life &amp;ndash; beyond gaining knowledge, they gave me the self-confidence that enabled me to say, yes, I can do that.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marieb had been an adult learner herself, starting college in 1960 as a married mother with two young children and completing her bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree from Westfield State at the age of 28. She later added a master&amp;rsquo;s degree from Mount Holyoke College, a PhD from the University of Massachusetts, and a nursing degree from Holyoke Community College, where she taught biology for 24 years before becoming a world-renowned, best-selling author of anatomy and physiology textbooks. She died in December 2018.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The $1 million ceremonial check HCC received from the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Foundation in 2019 now sits on the windowsill of the Marieb Adult Learner Success Center, a HCC new support program for students 24 years and older. On the memo line, it says explicitly what the money was meant for: &amp;ldquo;supporting adult students at HCC.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Elaine believed in the power of adult learners and student parents to overcome the unique challenges and barriers they face,&amp;rdquo; said Medina, who oversees the new Marieb program and nearby Parent Learning Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Marieb Adult Learner Success Center itself is a small lounge and study area with adjoining staff offices. The nearby Parent Learning Center is a much larger space that contains a special desk with an attached and secure play or napping area for small children, a pack and play, changing station, computer nooks, large screen TV, conference table, art easel, learning corner with children&amp;rsquo;s books and toys, and a sitting area. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We are a space dedicated to HCC&amp;rsquo;s adult learner and student-parent community,&amp;rdquo; said Medina, &amp;ldquo;where students who are 24 or older, or any student parent, can receive admissions counseling, holistic advising, and career counseling, and attend workshops. The Parent Learning Center is a space where student parents can bring their children and study without feeling like they are being a distraction to others.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Medina said the program already has 200 HCC students enrolled since getting underway earlier this year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We have many students that are parents,&amp;rdquo; said Sharale Mathis, vice president of academic and student affairs. &amp;ldquo;Our job as a community college is to support every student that walks through the door with everything they walk through the door with. Through this generous donation and the launch of the Marieb Adult Learner Success Center and this Parent Learning Center, I hope our adult students and student parents know that we see you, we value you, and we support you.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Dec. 11 grand opening celebration included a ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony&amp;nbsp;inside the Parent Learning Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is truly a major moment for us as an institution,&amp;rdquo; said President George Timmons. &amp;ldquo;As I always say, we are unapologetic about removing barriers to student success, and this is just another example of how we treat and support the whole student.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Timmons concluded his remarks by thanking Elaine Marieb for the continuous support she provided for HCC both during her life and beyond.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Every student who walks through these doors and is successful is testimony to her legacy and commitment,&amp;rdquo; he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=HolyokeCommunityCollege&amp;amp;set=a.986335023529780&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;See more photos from the grand opening in our Facebook photo album ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) President George Timmons helps celebrate the grand opening of the Marieb Adult Learner Success Center and Parent Learning Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. (Above) Marieb Adult Learner Success Center staffers, from left, Momina Sims (career planning and placement coordinator); Amy Woody (program coordinator); Anne Morales Medina (associate director of recruitment and enrollment); Danielle Clough (academic counselor); and HCC alum Elizabeth Busker '21, in the Marieb Adult Learner Success Center.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21038" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/itsy-bitsy-stations" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241211T20:15:37" CategoryIds="4|3|165" FileName="x21038.xml" Name="Itsy Bitsy Stations" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/IB-Psych-Admissions-web.jpg" Title="Itsy Bitsy Expansion" Abstract="Student-parents now have access to containers of children's books, games, art supplies, and other items in five campus locations.  " ThumbnailAltText="Psych students in Admissions with Itsy Bitsy boxes." IntroCopy="Psych students create child-friendly stations around campus " Date="2024-12-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/IB-Psych-Advising-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Itsy Bitsy franchise continues to expand at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the second year in a row, students in Professor Sheryl Civjan&amp;rsquo;s Psychology of Women class have taken up the college&amp;rsquo;s &amp;ldquo;Itsy Bitsy&amp;rdquo; theme for a campus-based community service project. Last fall, Civjan&amp;rsquo;s students created the Itsy Bitsy Closet, transforming a storage room next to the college&amp;rsquo;s Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center into a family-friendly resource room full of donated books, clothes, and other children&amp;rsquo;s items &amp;ndash; all free to HCC student-parents.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This semester, they put together five Itsy Bitsy Stations &amp;ndash; containers of children&amp;rsquo;s books, games, small toys, art supplies, and other items &amp;ndash; that student-parents can access to occupy their kids when visiting certain campus offices, in particular: Financial Aid, Admissions, Advising, English as a Second Language, and the HCC Library.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Some college offices can be difficult to go to for appointments when you have kids,&amp;rdquo; said Civjan. &amp;ldquo;These boxes will give kids something to do while they&amp;rsquo;re parents are waiting.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Civjan said the idea came from staff at the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Students have shared that they are sometimes self-conscious when they are bringing their kids into campus offices,&amp;rdquo; said Emily Webber, director of the itsy Bitsy Child Watch, a free drop-in service for HCC student-parents. &amp;ldquo;This is an effort to make the campus feel more inclusive to student-parents and families. Having little play stations helps people feel more welcome. I talked to Sheryl about that, and her students took the idea and ran with it.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The idea for using &amp;ldquo;Itsy Bitsy&amp;rdquo; as the title for early childhood programs at HCC started in 2020 when, during the pandemic, HCC educators created a series of video interviews for early education students and professionals (the Itsy Bitsy Zoomcast). The theme grew into a title for a new suite of early education classrooms modeled after pre-school and kindergarten facilities (the Itsy Bitsy Learning Lab). The Itsy Bitsy Child Watch opened in 2022, followed last year by the Itsy Bitsy Closet, and this year by the Itsy Bitsy Stations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Civjan&amp;rsquo;s students put together three containers for the HCC Library, each targeting different age groups.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We found that students who have children don&amp;rsquo;t always have a safe, comfortable place where they can sit and feel like they&amp;rsquo;re not intruding on another person&amp;rsquo;s space,&amp;rdquo; said Rebecca Hardy, administrative assistant for the HCC Library. &amp;ldquo;So, we wanted to make sure that the students who do have children feel welcome and that their children have things to do to keep them quietly engaged.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student Olivia Jolley of South Hadley, whose team prepared boxes for the Admissions Office, said the project ties in directly to the themes of the class, and although she does not have children herself, Jolley said some of her classmates do.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;One had a baby a couple of weeks ago,&amp;rdquo; she said, &amp;ldquo;and she&amp;rsquo;s a single parent.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Webber said she appreciates the hard work Civjan&amp;rsquo;s students put into their projects.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I think it&amp;rsquo;s an ongoing partnership,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;I don&amp;rsquo;t know what will come next, but they do amazing things. The Itsy Bitsy Closet has been a great success. Students come by every day. Hopefully this will have a similar impact.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) HCC students Nicole Anderson, of Palmer, left; Olivia Jolley, of South Hadley, center; and Jennifer Molina, of Sunderland, hold containers for an Itsy Bitsy Station in the HCC Admissions office. (Above, from left) Lauren Williams, of Goshen; Elle Platanitis, of Holyoke; Sarah Schrijn, of Belchertown; and Victoria Guilmette, of Chicopee, hold a few of the items selected for an Itsy Bitsy Station in the HCC Advising office.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21034" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/board-appointments" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241204T17:05:27" CategoryIds="193|65" FileName="x21034.xml" Name="Board Appointments" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/Matt-M-Deb-R-web.jpg" Title="Four Aboard" Abstract="The HCC Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm of the college, has added four new members to its Board of Directors, including two alumni." ThumbnailAltText="New HCC Foundation board members Deborah Rodriguez and Matt Manganelli" IntroCopy="HCC Foundation welcomes new alumni board members" Date="2024-12-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/HCC-Board-Timmons-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Deb Rodriguez, President George Timmons, and Matt Manganelli&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC Foundation, Inc., the nonprofit fundraising arm of Holyoke Community College, has added four new members to its Board of Directors, including two alumni.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new board members are:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rob Cestola, of Southampton, a certified public accountant, and tax and finance consultant who serves as board treasurer for Dakin Humane Society; Dan Desrochers, of South Hadley, director of communications at Amherst College and former marketing director at Greenfield Community College; Deborah Rodriguez, of Holyoke, an HCC graduate from the class of 2004, licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and founder of FAROS counseling services; and Matt Manganelli, of Southampton, an HCC graduate from the class of 2009 and retail lending sales manager at Westfield Bank who serves on the Western Mass Mortgage Review Board for the Massachusetts Division of Banks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Attending Holyoke Community College and earning an accounting certificate was an important step in my return to higher education as an adult,&amp;rdquo; said Manganelli. &amp;ldquo;I went on to the University Without Walls program at the University of Massachusetts, graduating with a BA in accounting, and then Western New England University for my master&amp;rsquo;s.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;New board members attended their first meeting Dec. 3.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We are thrilled to welcome these community leaders to the HCC Foundation Board of Directors,&amp;rdquo; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC&amp;rsquo;s vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation. &amp;ldquo;The expertise and unique perspectives that Rob, Dan, Deborah, and Matt bring to the board&amp;nbsp;will strengthen our ability to advance the Foundation's mission, which is ultimately to support the success of every HCC student. This is such a committed and passionate board. Their leadership and good governance are what enables the HCC Foundation to be a strategic partner to the college.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation has total assets of $25.5 million and an endowment of $18 million, the largest of all 15 community colleges in Massachusetts, due in large part to nearly 200 endowed scholarships and other funds established by alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the college.&amp;nbsp;In 2024, the HCC Foundation provided more than $6 million to the college to support scholarships, academic programs, student support services, and facility improvements.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2023, the HCC Foundation Board of Directors was recognized by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges with the John W. Nason Award, a national honor that recognizes exceptional leadership and initiative.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC President George Timmons, center, welcomes alumni Deborah Rodriguez '04 and Matt Manganelli '09 to the HCC Foundation Board of Directors.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21032" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/fall-grads-2024" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250509T17:12:16" CategoryIds="3|65|165|673" FileName="x21032.xml" Name="Fall Grads 2024" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/Fall-Grad-2024-group-web.jpg" Title="'Forever HCC'" Abstract="In what has quickly become a new annual tradition, HCC celebrated its fall semester graduates with a special recognition ceremony." ThumbnailAltText="Fall Graduate Reception student speakers with President Timmons" IntroCopy="“This is no small feat. You worked hard for this. You deserve all the applause, the cheers, the embarrassments, the shout-outs. All of it. You deserve it all.” – Sharale Mathis, vice president of academic and student affairs" Date="2024-12-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/Fall-Grad-2024-group-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In what has quickly become a new annual tradition, Holyoke Community College celebrated its fall semester graduates with a special recognition ceremony on Monday, Dec. 2.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC initiated the fall ceremony in 2023 to engage graduates who complete their degrees and certificates in December, at the end of the fall semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We have a saying in our house: You finish what you start,&amp;rdquo; said President George Timmons, turning to the students on the stage of the Leslie Phillips Theater. &amp;ldquo;And you have finished what you started.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is really just the beginning of your celebrations as a college student,&amp;rdquo; he continued. &amp;ldquo;Today, we honor you because what you have just achieved deserves immediate recognition. At Commencement, on May 31, at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, we will come together again and formally welcome you as HCC alumni.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the HCC Registrar&amp;rsquo;s Office, 198 HCC students qualified as fall 2024 semester graduates, completing their academic requirements to earn either an associate degree or certificate. Many of them will transfer to four-year schools for the start of the spring 2025 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is no small feat,&amp;rdquo; said Sharale Mathis, vice president of academic and student affairs. &amp;ldquo;You worked hard for this. You deserve all the applause, the cheers, the embarrassments, the shout-outs. All of it. You deserve it all.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two graduating students were invited to address their classmates. Both talked about their initial struggles in college and finding support and success at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/alex-casavant&quot; title=&quot;Alex Casavant&quot;&gt;Alexandria Casavant&lt;/a&gt;, a liberal arts major from Northampton, started college at a four-year art school in New York, but was discouraged by racial inequality, a lack of support, and neglect for student safety.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Once I started attending HCC, I saw the difference almost instantly,&amp;rdquo; said Casavant, who is transferring to the University of Massachusetts Amherst to study music. &amp;ldquo;The staff was very kind to me and cared about what I had to say. I joined the Student Senate. &amp;nbsp;I could have never imagined myself doing that in high school, but, here, I felt like I could do anything, and I felt like I had the space to challenge myself.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/hilario-peralta&quot; title=&quot;Hilario Peralta&quot;&gt;Hilario &quot;Juji&quot; Peralta, &lt;/a&gt;a visual art major from Holyoke, enrolled at HCC in 2019, right after high school, He described his educational journey as a rollercoaster ride.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Being so young and having so much time on my own hands, it got a little overwhelming,&amp;rdquo; he said. &amp;ldquo;During my first semester, I struggled academically and really wasn&amp;rsquo;t sure of where I wanted to go or what I wanted to be.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He took two years off during the pandemic and came back determined to finish. With the help of advisers from HCC&amp;rsquo;s ALANA Men in Motion program (for students of color) and El Centro (for Hispanic and Latino students), he did.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;My experience here at HCC has been nothing but good memories and connections,&amp;rdquo; he said. &amp;ldquo;If there&amp;rsquo;s anything I would say about HCC and the people here, it is that it always gave me a sense of familiarity. I felt seen, heard, and understood. HCC has given me so many opportunities to explore my interests and develop my passions. It has empowered me to envision and take control of my future and believe in my skills and abilities.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;About 70 fall graduates sat on the stage for the ceremony, with the theater seats filled with faculty, staff, family members, and friends. Each of the students who attended was recognized individually and walked across the stage to shake hands with President Timmons, who placed an orange sash around their necks symbolizing their status as fall graduates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I know for many of you, this is just the beginning, whether it&amp;rsquo;s that first step into a new job, whether you&amp;rsquo;re transferring, whether you&amp;rsquo;re coming back &amp;ndash; some do come back for another degree, and some come back to work as well,&amp;rdquo; Mathis said. &amp;ldquo;So, whatever the next chapter of your life is, I want you to know that we&amp;rsquo;re not going anywhere. We will be here. Once you walk through the doors of HCC, you are forever HCC. We were here for you from the beginning, we&amp;rsquo;re here for you on this next step, and we&amp;rsquo;ll be here whenever you need us.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: President George Timmons, center, with student speakers Alexandria Casavant, left, and Hilario &quot;Juji&quot; Peralta, right, at HCC's reception for fall graduates on Monday, Dec. 2.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x19385" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/news-archive" Schema="NewsIndexPage" Locale="" Changed="20250715T16:57:43" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19385.xml" Name="News Archive" Title="News Archive" Abstract="The HCC Marketing &amp; Communications Department operates its own news bureau and regularly publishes stories on the college website about programs and people at HCC.   " ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19384" URL="x19384.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19384.xml" Name="News Archive" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x21124" URL="x21124.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:35:27" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21124.xml" Name="New 2024" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x20970" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/stem-week-2024" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:21" CategoryIds="193|417|165" FileName="x20970.xml" Name="STEM Week 2024" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/HCC-Bio-bubble-gum-web.jpg" Title="STEM Week 2024" Abstract="STEM Week at HCC runs from Oct. 21-24, with events and activites including agar art, origami, and mobius strip workshops, drone demonstrations, and cricket cookies. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC student examines bacteria culture in a petri dish" IntroCopy="HCC STEM Week 2024 runs Oct. 21-24" Date="2024-10-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/HCC-Bio-bubble-gum-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will recognize Massachusetts STEM Week (Oct. 21-25) with four days of activities and events, including a drone demonstration from the UMass Air aerial research group, agar art workshops (using colorful bacteria to paint), mobius strip magic, origami math, entomophagy (sampling treats made from edible insects), and much more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;STEM Week events at HCC begin at noon on Monday, Oct. 21, with an opening keynote presentation by Yadilette Rivera-Col&amp;oacute;n, Ph.D., associate professor of biology at Bay Path University. Rivera-Col&amp;oacute;n, who is also director of the university&amp;rsquo;s Center of Excellence for Women in STEM, will give a talk related to this year&amp;rsquo;s HCC STEM Week theme, &amp;ldquo;Reclaiming STEM Identities.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We know that, during colonialism, a lot of math and science ideas were stolen from Africa and other parts of the world and co-opted by white Europeans who got the credit for those innovations,&amp;rdquo; said Sharon Edwards, director of HCC&amp;rsquo;s STEM Starter Academy program and STEM Week organizer. &amp;ldquo;There are also certain marginalized groups that have been historically excluded from STEM fields, such as women and persons of color. &amp;lsquo;Reclaiming STEM Identities&amp;rsquo; is a way for them to reclaim their relationship to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rivera-Col&amp;oacute;n&amp;rsquo;s talk will lead into a 12:30 p.m. &amp;ldquo;brainstorming&amp;rdquo; event to launch the HCC Innovation Challenge, a month-long invention contest for HCC students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From 2-3 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 21, biology laboratory technician Kim Howell will lead an Agar Art workshop where participants will learn to paint using bacteria cultures. Finished artwork will be photographed and displayed in an agar art gallery in the HCC Campus Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Tuesday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., HCC will welcome 60 middle school students from Springfield Middle School and Holyoke STEM Academy for a series of fun-filled science, math and engineering-based activities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The students will get to explore agar art, origami, slime, and the magic of mobius strips,&amp;rdquo; said Edwards. &amp;ldquo;During a Lego Challenge, they will work in teams to build a model of some surprise item only one team member can see. Then, during something we&amp;rsquo;re calling &amp;lsquo;Bugs on the Move,&amp;rsquo; the students will have to use everyday items, such as rubber bands, masking tape, and wooden blocks to build a catapult or anything they can think of to see who can propel a plastic insect the farthest.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After lunch, at 12:30 p.m., in the HCC Courtyard, students will have the opportunity to sample &amp;ldquo;cricket cookies&amp;rdquo; served by HCC students from the Culinary Arts Truck.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Entomophagy is the practice of consuming insects as food, and a quarter of the world&amp;rsquo;s population already embraces this practice,&amp;rdquo; said Edwards. &amp;ldquo;The cookies are made from cricket flour. It&amp;rsquo;s very high in protein. You don&amp;rsquo;t even know they&amp;rsquo;re made from crickets when you look at them.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wednesday, Oct. 23, STEM Week events and activities, which are open to the public, include an Agar Art workshop (11 a.m., Marieb Building 114); a drone demonstration from UMass Air (11 a.m., HCC soccer field), followed by a talk from UMass Air drone experts (12:30 p.m., Bartley Center lobby); a &amp;ldquo;Reclaiming Your STEM Identity&amp;rdquo; panel discussion (12:30 p.m., Frost Building 309); Culinary Arts Food Truck Cricket Cookies (1:45 p.m., HCC Courtyard); STEM Game Night (5 p.m., Marieb Building 116).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Public events and activities on Thursday, Oct. 24, STEM Week include &amp;ldquo;Unraveling the Magic of Mobius Strips,&amp;rdquo; a hands-on activity (10 a.m., Kittredge Center 301-303); &amp;ldquo;Origami Math&amp;rdquo; (11 a.m., Kittredge Center 301-303), a closing keynote address from Marlowe Washington, HCC vice president of People, Culture and Equity (1 p.m., Kittredge Center 301-303), followed by a free showing of the feature film &amp;ldquo;The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,&amp;rdquo; starring Oprah Winfrey. The movie tells the story of a young African American woman who died of cervical cancer at 31, whose tissue samples, removed without consent, became the first immortalized cell line.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20952" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/computer-literacy" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:21" CategoryIds="69|193|194" FileName="x20952.xml" Name="Computer Literacy" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/HCC-student-compute-web.jpg" Title="Free Computer Classes" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is offering a free, remote, six-week beginner computer training course Oct. 9 through Nov. 25." ThumbnailAltText="HCC student in computer lab" IntroCopy="HCC offering free computer training" Date="2024-09-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/HCC-student-compute-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;HCC student in computer lab&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is offering a free six-week beginner computer training course starting Oct. 9. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The real-time, instructor-led online classes will run Mondays and Wednesdays Oct. 9 to Nov. 25, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Laptops and WiFi hotspots for internet access will be provided for students who need them. The program was originally scheduled to start Sept. 30.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program, run&amp;nbsp;In partnership with the Albany, N.Y.-based nonprofit CanCode Communities,&amp;nbsp;is aimed at helping individuals build essential computer skills for both personal and professional development. Participants will explore the Microsoft Office program, learn how to create resumes, manage calendars, and send email, and be introduced to the world of artificial intelligence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Funding for the program comes from the Western Mass Alliance for Digital Equity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To sign up for classes, please send an email to &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@albanycancode.org&quot;&gt;admissions@albanycancode.org&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or call 518-238-6808 (ext. 702).&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21008" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/polaroid-stories-feature" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:21" CategoryIds="193|65|165|226" FileName="x21008.xml" Name="Polaroid Stories Feature" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/Polaroid-Fence-Group-web.jpg" Title="Street Mythology" Abstract="The HCC Theater Department will present “Polaroid Stories,” a play by Naomi Iizuka that combines real-life stories of homeless youth with Greek myths, Nov. 21-23. " ThumbnailAltText="Polaroid Stories publicity shot" IntroCopy="HCC Theater Department to present &quot;Polaroid Stories&quot; Nov. 21-23" Date="2024-11-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/Polaroid-Bathroom-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Polaroid Storie&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As the title suggests, &amp;ldquo;Polaroid Stories,&amp;rdquo; a play by Naomi Iizuka, presents a series of linked vignettes &amp;ndash; snapshots, as it were &amp;ndash; in this case about homeless youth living on the streets of some unnamed, presumably American, city.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those snapshots capture their struggles, conflicts, hopes, and ambitions, but, like a Polaroid image, a full rendering only becomes clear over time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But it&amp;rsquo;s even more complex than that. The play, while based on interviews with real street kids, is also an adaptation of the ancient, epic poem &amp;ldquo;Metamorphoses,&amp;rdquo; written by the Roman poet Ovid in 8 A.D. By no coincidence, most of the characters have Greek names like Echo and Narcissus, Orpheus and Eurydice, Persephone, Dionysus, and Zeus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;What they experience in &amp;lsquo;Polaroid Stories&amp;rsquo; mirrors or somehow distorts the familiar tales we know from Greek mythology,&amp;rdquo; says Rose Schwietz Malla, guest-director of the Holyoke Community College Theater Department&amp;rsquo;s fall 2024 production of the play. &amp;nbsp;&amp;ldquo;&amp;rsquo;Metamorphoses&amp;rsquo; is a collection of stories about people and mythical figures experiencing change, transforming in some way, as do the characters in &amp;lsquo;Polaroid Stories.&amp;rsquo;&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will present &amp;ldquo;Polaroid Stories&amp;rdquo; Nov. 21-23 at 7:30 p.m. each night in the college&amp;rsquo;s Leslie Phillips Theater, with an additional matinee performance on Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. (The Friday, Nov. 22, show will be ASL-interpreted.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Schwietz Malla, a graduate student in the University of Massachusetts Amherst theater program, said she selected &amp;ldquo;Polaroid Stories&amp;rdquo; in part because of the way it elevates marginalized young people to the status of mythological figures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;In society and in school, we often learn the stories from Greek mythology but not necessarily the stories of young people who are unhoused,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;I think the play does a beautiful job of bringing you into their world. We sense their losses and longings and get a glimpse of what they care about and what carries them forward day to day through their challenges.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While the play is not as plot driven as most theatrical productions, there is a loose narrative arc as the different characters lives overlap. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It feels like being sunk into the world in which they live,&amp;rdquo; says Schwietz Malla. &amp;ldquo;Because it&amp;rsquo;s a play about young people in the voices of young people, it felt like something really fitting for a college environment. There&amp;rsquo;s a lot of anger in the play, a lot of passion and angst, and that&amp;rsquo;s exciting for young actors to dig into.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even people who haven&amp;rsquo;t read &amp;ldquo;Metamorphoses&amp;rdquo; should be familiar with the myths adapted for the stage, such as that of Narcissus, the beautiful young man who wastes away after falling in love with his own reflection; and Orpheus, who follows his lover Eurydice to the underworld in an ill-fated attempt to rescue her from death.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although they live rough lives on the mean streets, the addicts, prostitutes and runaways depicted in &amp;ldquo;Polaroid Stories&amp;rdquo; still have a zest for life, says Schwietz Malla.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;They have such a drive to be alive and experience more, and keep moving forward, and I find that really inspiring,&amp;rdquo; she says. &amp;ldquo;I hope the audience gets a sense of that too.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The cast&lt;/strong&gt;: D (Dionysus): Manuel Morales, of Holyoke; Eurydice: Arianna Davila, of Springfield; Persephone/Semele: Rae Roque; Orpheus: Zachary Ciano, of Springfield; Philomel: Tatianna Green, of Chicopee; SKINHEADgirl: Alison Smythe, of Wilbraham; Echo: Nicole Anderson, of Palmer; SKINHEADboy: Benjamin Richards, of Springfield; G (a.k.a. Zeus, Hades): G (a.k.a. Zeus, Hades: Brandon Rodriguez, of Springfield; Young Eurydice: Maryliz Maldonado.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IF YOU GO:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Polaroid Stories&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;By Naomi Iizuka&lt;br /&gt;Directed by Rose Schietz Malla&lt;br /&gt;Nov. 21-23, 7:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Nov. 23, 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke Community College&lt;br /&gt;Leslie Phillips Theater&lt;br /&gt;Tickets: $5 (HCC students, staff, and faculty); $10 (general admission); $8 (seniors). Available one hour before each show at the Leslie Phillips Box Office or call 413-552-2528 to reserve.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For audiences 13 and older&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20951" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/mathis-appointment" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:21" CategoryIds="66|193" FileName="x20951.xml" Name="Mathis Appointment" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/HCC-Sharale-Mathis-web.jpg" Title="National Appointment" Abstract="Vice President Sharale Mathis will serve on the Commission on Institutional Infrastructure and Transformation for the  American Association of Community Colleges, a national advocacy group. " ThumbnailAltText="Sharale Mathis" IntroCopy="“I believe that it is critical for an institution to be strategically and intentionally structured and supported by investments in human resources and technology. Such an organizational structure can have a profound impact on students’ persistence, retention, and completion.&quot; – Sharale Mathis, HCC vice president of academic and student affairs" Date="2024-09-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/HCC-Sharale-Mathis-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sharale W. Mathis, vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at Holyoke Community College, has been appointed to a national advisory board for community colleges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mathis, Ed.D., of Simsbury, Conn., was asked to join the Commission on Institutional Infrastructure and Transformation of the American Association of Community Colleges, the primary advocacy group for U.S. community colleges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her three-year term began July 1 and will run through June 2027.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The AACC&amp;rsquo;s Commission on Institutional Infrastructure and Transformation focuses on community college efforts to improve student success, which includes administrative processes, infrastructure, technology, and workforce development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It is an honor to be appointed to the AACC Commission on Institutional Infrastructure and Transformation,&amp;rdquo; Mathis said. &amp;ldquo;I believe that it is critical for an institution to be strategically and intentionally structured and supported by investments in human resources and technology. Such an organizational structure can have a profound impact on students&amp;rsquo; persistence, retention, and completion. I am excited to engage with fellow thought leaders on how community colleges can continue to be at the transformational forefront for student success.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As vice president of academic and student affairs at HCC, Mathis oversees all academic divisions as well as student records, the registrar&amp;rsquo;s office, planning and assessment, student success programs, library services, advising, career services, transfer affairs, admissions, and financial aid, among other areas.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She holds a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Hartfield, a master&amp;rsquo;s degree in biomedical sciences from Quinnipiac University, and a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree in biology from Eastern Connecticut State University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A native of Hartford, Mathis joined HCC in 2021 after serving as dean of academic and student affairs at Middlesex Community College in Connecticut, where she previously led the STEM division as director.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Sharale Mathis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20947" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/foundation-leader" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:23" CategoryIds="66|65" FileName="x20947.xml" Name="Foundation Leader" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/Amanda-Sbriscia-cropped.jpg" Title="Foundation Leader" Abstract="HCC Vice President Amanda Sbriscia has been named to a national advisory board focusing on issues related to college and university foundations.  " ThumbnailAltText="Amanda Sbriscia" IntroCopy="HCC VP named to national advisory council" Date="2024-09-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/Amanda-Sbriscia-cropped.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;551&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement at Holyoke Community College and executive director of the HCC Foundation, has been named to the Council of Foundation Leaders for the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The association (AGB) provides leadership and guidance to the governing boards of its member institutions. The Council of Foundation Leaders is an advisory committee that includes foundation professionals from 25 U.S. colleges and universities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Sbriscia is one of only two council members representing a community college and the only one from Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;It's an honor and a privilege to serve as a member of the Council on Foundation Leaders,&amp;rdquo; said Sbriscia. &amp;ldquo;Community colleges are hubs for educational and economic opportunity, and I commend AGB for including this voice around the table.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The HCC Foundation became a member of AGB in 2020 to help its board of directors navigate a complex bylaw revision process.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;Since then, AGB has been an invaluable resource that has elevated our work and helped us continuously strive for excellence in board governance,&amp;rdquo; said Sbriscia. &amp;ldquo;I look forward to learning from my colleagues at other institutions of all sizes, and also hope to contribute meaningfully to help us all navigate the changing education and fundraising landscape.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;In 2023, the HCC Foundation board of directors received the AGB&amp;rsquo;s John W. Nason Award, which is given annually to foundation boards that demonstrate exceptional leadership and initiative.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Guided by AGB, the HCC Foundation recently completed an 18-month strategic planning process to ensure its alignment with HCC&amp;rsquo;s vision and priorities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;As vice president of the division of Institutional Advancement, Sbriscia oversees the offices of development, grants, alumni relations, and marketing, and serves as executive director of the&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;HCC Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising corporation for the college. The HCC Foundation manages assets of $25.3 million, including an endowment of $18.3 million, the largest community college endowment in Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Sbriscia holds a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree in communication from Cedar Crest College, a master&amp;rsquo;s degree in higher education from Drexel University, and a doctorate in education in educational leadership from Gwynedd Mercy University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Last year, she was selected for a fellowship for aspiring college presidents by the AGB Institute for Leadership &amp;amp; Governance in Higher Education, a collaborative venture of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB), Miami University, and AGB Search, a search firm for college and university administrators.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;A native of Pennsylvania, she now resides in Granby.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Amanda Sbricia, vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20944" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-su24" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:23" CategoryIds="193|165" FileName="x20944.xml" Name="Deans List SU24" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Campus%20Beauty%20Shots/HCC-Campus-FA21-web.jpg" Title="Summer 2024 Dean's List" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize all the students who made the Dean's List for the Summer 2024 term." IntroCopy="HCC recognizes Dean's List students." Date="2024-09-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean&amp;rsquo;s List. A student is placed on the Dean&amp;rsquo;s List if their G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher. The students listed below have earned Dean&amp;rsquo;s List honors for the Summer 2024 term.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jacquelyn Chantal Bazelow, Holly Buffam, Samantha Elizabeth Wheeler.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Grace Koehler, Stephanie Santiago, Ana Tellez, Ngawang Tsetan, Ian Michael Waite.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Baldwinville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Robert Perry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Danielle Katherine Hope Foster, Michael Andrew Ludwig, McKenna Katherine Martin, Aura Suarez Oviedo, Caylin Quinn Trickey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chesterfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jacob Michael White.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lisa M. Belisle, Arleen Marie Berrios, Maritza Bravo, Franklin Thomas Button, Eduard M. Chadayev, Hanna Chernytska, Kostiantyn Chernytskyi, Natasha Marie Davis, Victoria Alexis Deida, Renea N. McClemmon, Adrian Ivy Page, Renee Pierre, Wilmary E. Ramos, Olga Elisa Rodriguez-Lebron.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conway:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Erin Phillips.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Brookfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Casey Castenir.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brianne Jones, Brady Angus Mackechnie.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brenda Lee Carrier, Christian Alberto Castro, Laura Gilbert, Cadence Hiller, Stien Nangoi Kusuma, Isabelle Cate Perusse, Danielle C. Plasse.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Joselyne Katrina Matos.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Benjamin Max Gottlieb, Tasia Lynn Sanderson, Ephraim Sieber, Eric Kendall Welch Jr.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Framingham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dana Elaiza Campuzano, Graciela Nancy Pedraza, Brina Salvatierra, Holly Colby Tighe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Goffstown, N.H.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jewlianna Karoline Ruggiero.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Stephanie Danielle Willyard.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hampden:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kathleen Scarlett O'Donnell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Chad Andrew Correia, Jalen J. Cortes, Robert Floyd Domina, Lily Margaret Flint, Sylvia Annette Garcia, Sarah Michelle Gray, Brendan Joseph Kavanah, Crystalline Amanda Lopez, Erin Frances O'Donnell, Keri Padua, Charlotte Price, Nilmarie Rivera, Aidan Alejandro Sugrue, Brian Daniel Torres.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Huntington:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chelsea O'brien.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Indian Orchard:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fajr Muhammad.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lake Pleasant:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brady Powell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Staci Alice Barrett.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Abby Michelle O'Farrell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Samantha Ann Crowther, Shawn Steven Gibbs, Johnny Jaworski, Kathleen Jett,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Abigail Jeannette Magee, Hayden Thomas Potorski, Faith Rains, Joao R. Santos, Evan Anthony Sweeney,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Collin David Taylor, Joshua Phillip Wenninger.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nicholas James Aliengena, Crystal Kenyon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Montgomery:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Liam McKellick.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Maxwell Townsend, Brie-Ann Michelle Wilber.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Stephanie N. Lupien.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jenna Marie Manning, Vanessa Marie Marrero, Jared T. Yetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Peru:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amber Lynn Pensivy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carlie A. Byer, Sarah Courtney, Mariangelis Guzman.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Spencer Richard Czarniecki, Alaina Grace Pellegrini, Stephanie Noelle Sawyer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Maxwell Adams Austin, Kelly Ann Campbell, Samantha Rae Jannene.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kymbur Valerie Baker-Johnson, Jamal Rhoden Cumberbatch, Rosa Arlene Diaz, Jennifer Marie Dixon, Barbbie Michelle Espada, Leann Fanion, Carmen M. Fidalgo, Alexander Luis Garcia, Stephon Antquan Gibson, Dale Rosemary Grant, Evangelina Hernandez, Melissa Marie Iglesias, Monica Mekhaiel Kuku,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brendalys Lopez, Paola Annette Mercado, Aaliyah Pace, Stefanie Alyssa Ramirez, Moises Elias Ramos-Hernandez, Roberto J. Rivera, Lisa Marie Santiago, Lucesita Scammon, Wanda Enid Torres, Keanaha Kimberly Wiggins.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Suffield, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dineili Marie Barreto, Patrick Bucior.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunderland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Benjamin Robert Peters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Turners Falls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Colleen Halley Dowd.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Waltham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Santos Yamileth Hernandez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nicole Marie Prue, Gavin Jett Peter Sawabi.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Hatfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rachel Louise Picard.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ingrid M. Cubias-Bonilla, Christopher James Demerski, Hafida Gas, Timothy J. Roy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Warren:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jerzey Mae Torres.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Taryn Kacie Black I, Corrin Olivia Brockney, Luz C. Caballero, Sorangely Candelario, Jenna Marie Cardin,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jeffrey Michael Collingwood, Katherine Theresa Dengler, Christina Manuela Gelmudinov, Amanda Marie Janisieski, Fathima Lafeer, Ryan Alan Paro, Jessica Lauren Starkey, Aimee Elizabeth Williams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Windsor Locks, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Caitlin Rose Loiselle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Worthington:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mickayla Sloan Servello.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20930" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/literacy-week" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:23" CategoryIds="4|193" FileName="x20930.xml" Name="Literacy Week" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/HCC-TIMMONS_READ.jpg" Title="Family Literacy Week" Abstract="Family Story Night featuring President George Timmons to highlight activities recognizing National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, Sept. 16-20. " ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons read to children during a campus event. " IntroCopy="Family Story Night to highlight Adult Education and Family Literacy Week events. " Date="2024-09-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/HCC-TIMMONS-CHILD-WATCH.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;President GeorgeTimmons read to children in HCC's Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center. &quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In recognition of National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, Holyoke Community College President George Timmons will read Eric Carle&amp;rsquo;s &lt;em&gt;The Very Hungry Caterpillar&lt;/em&gt; during Family Story Night at the college on Wednesday, Sept. 18.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Family Story Night will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on the second floor of the HCC Campus Center with arts and crafts, a selfie station, giveaways, and raffle prizes for children and their families. The book will be read first by President Timmons, with translation by American Sign Language interpreters, and then in Spanish by another HCC staff person. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The purpose of National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week is to promote &amp;nbsp;awareness about the importance of adult education and family literacy. This year it is being celebrated Sept. 16-20. HCC will be holding adult education and family literacy focused events each day. All are free and open to the public.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Monday, Sept. 16, El Centro (HCC&amp;rsquo;s bilingual student support program) will host Caf&amp;eacute; Con Leche, from 9-11 a.m. in the El Centro office on the second floor of the Campus Center, while the Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS) will hold a free technical training workshop at 10 a.m. in the tutoring centers on the second floor of the Donahue Building (room 248). At 5 p.m., the Marieb Adult Learner Success Center, the main organizer of the week&amp;rsquo;s events, will offer free refreshments in the Marieb Center (Frost Building, room 264).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Tuesday, Sept. 17, the Marieb Adult Learner Success Center will serve a free grab and go breakfast at 9 a.m. The Academic English as a Second Language program will host a workshop, &amp;ldquo;Spreading Positivity in Multiple Languages,&amp;rdquo; at 10 a.m. in the Campus Center room 227, and CAPS will hold an afternoon coffee hour at 5 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 11 a.m., in room 224 of the Campus Center, Kermit Dunkelberg, assistant vice president of adult basic education and workforce development, will moderate a panel of students who have completed various HCC adult education and workforce training program. That will be followed at 5:30 p.m. by Family Story Night.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Thursday, Sept. 19, the Marieb Center will again offer free grab and go breakfast at 9 a.m. At 11 a.m., Writing Center Coordinator Frank Johnson will lead a free writing workshop in Donahue room 248. At 5 p.m., HCC&amp;rsquo;s Office for Students with Disabilities and Deaf Services (Donahue 147) will serve free refreshments. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Friday, Sept 20, HCC&amp;rsquo;s Sensory Space will hold an open house from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and from 2-3 p.m., HCC will launch a new monthly support group for student-parents in the Marieb Center (Frost 264).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The week&amp;rsquo;s activities are sponsored by the Marieb Adult Learner Success Center in collaboration with other HCC programs, including the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center, Early Childhood Intitiatives, El Centro, ALANA Men in Motion, Integrative Learning, the Thrive Center and Food Pantry, and Student Activities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: President George Timmons reads to children in HCC's Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21018" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/a-quiet-fire" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:23" CategoryIds="3|193|65|225" FileName="x21018.xml" Name="A Quiet Fire" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/SPruell-x-09232024spruell017-web.jpg" Title="A Quiet Fire " Abstract="CONNECTION SPECIAL: As executive director of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, HCC alum Shaitia Spruell ’14 leads by example." ThumbnailAltText="Shaitia Spruell '14" IntroCopy="Massachusetts' top advocate for women leads by example" Date="2024-11-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/Spruell-Timmons-x-6V2A8937-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story also appears in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://theconnection.hcc.edu/issue/fall-2024/feature/a-quiet-fire-2256/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Fall 2024 issue&lt;/a&gt; of the HCC college magazine, The Connection.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By DOUG SCANLON&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shaitia Spruell &amp;rsquo;14 has always defied expectations.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She was the youngest stage manager in her high school&amp;rsquo;s theater department. She was the youngest board chair for the Springfield chapter of Neighbor to Neighbor, a nonprofit social service agency. And in 2022, at 28 years old, she became the youngest-ever executive director of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I still struggle with imposter syndrome all the time,&amp;rdquo; said Spruell, now 31. &amp;ldquo;But I have to remind myself: I paid my dues.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, MCSW for short, reviews the condition of women in Massachusetts, offers policy recommendations to improve access to opportunities, endorses and tracks legislation related to women&amp;rsquo;s rights, and provides various programs for women.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spruell&amp;rsquo;s days are busy, bordering on hectic. She might be leading a day-long workshop for young women in Girls Empowerment Leadership Initiative, the commission&amp;rsquo;s program for developing leadership and civic engagement skills to empower girls to advocate for themselves and their communities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some days she will host a Zoom call with the 19 volunteer commissioners across the state to gather details on what issues are affecting women in their communities. She might represent the commission at a conference, forge alliances with like-minded organizations to advocate for legislation, or contact the governor directly to advocate for a bill.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through it all, Spruell often has a young woman shadowing her&amp;thinsp;&amp;mdash;&amp;thinsp;an intern she&amp;rsquo;s mentoring, offering a firsthand look at what it means to be a leader in women&amp;rsquo;s advocacy. This commitment to nurturing the next generation of female leaders adds another layer to her already demanding schedule.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It&amp;rsquo;s exhausting work, but she is inspired.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Spruell&amp;rsquo;s desk there are two things that not only keep her driven but remind her of her humble beginnings at Holyoke Community College: a photograph of her two young boys smiling back at her and a packet of assigned readings on the causes of crime.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The photograph brings Spruell back to her early days at HCC when she discovered she was pregnant with her first child. Spruell had recently graduated from the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School, where she studied theater, a path she planned to continue at HCC. But becoming a mother caused her to reassess her priorities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I needed to figure out what I was going to do to make sure this little human grows up to be somebody who I will be proud of,&amp;rdquo; said Spruell. &amp;ldquo;And I thought the best way to do that is to lead by example.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The other item is a keepsake from an influential Learning Community course co-taught by Nicole Hendricks, former HCC professor of criminal justice, and Mary Orisich, professor of economics. The course, &amp;ldquo;Keep the Devil Way Down in the Hole: Exploring the Social, Political and Economic Causes of Criminality,&amp;rdquo; used the HBO series &amp;ldquo;The Wire&amp;rdquo; as a semester-long case study to examine why people commit crimes and how society, politics, and money play a part.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Shaitia gravitated to strong women on campus, and Nicole and Mary made a huge impression on her,&amp;rdquo; said Irma Medina, interim director of Integrative Learning programs and Spruell&amp;rsquo;s former adviser in the Pathways program. &amp;ldquo;During our conversations, I could see her grappling with the material and talking about how something had to be done, how these systems have to change.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Awakening to Social Issues&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a Learning Community, the course was structured around three-hour blocks of class time, allowing the instructors to dive deep into the material. For Hendricks, that time was necessary for covering the heavy material in the show.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Using &amp;lsquo;The Wire&amp;rsquo; made it very accessible. It allowed me to talk about structural disadvantage and a lot of the criminological theories through this amazing series,&amp;rdquo; said Hendricks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spruell was an active and engaged student in the class, but her interest in the course material continued long after the semester had ended. In the weeks and months that followed, Hendricks would frequently open her inbox to find emails from Spruell with articles and stories about topics related to the class&amp;thinsp;&amp;mdash;&amp;thinsp;the origins of gang violence, the effects of lead exposure, or the impact of police presence in schools.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I think the course gave Shaitia a framework and a language to understand her lived experience,&amp;rdquo; Hendricks said. &amp;ldquo;She&amp;rsquo;s somebody that seems very soft-spoken. But then behind that is so much substance. It&amp;rsquo;s like a quiet fire.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That fire began to spread.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spruell gave birth to a healthy baby boy, finished her classes, and transferred to Bay Path University where she majored in business. At the urging of a classmate, she began volunteering in the Springfield chapter of Neighbor to Neighbor, which works to address housing issues, prevent homelessness, and build political and economic power for people in the community.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was during those meetings that she became aware of the school-to-prison pipeline, which is characterized by a disproportionate tendency for minors from marginalized communities to become involved in the criminal justice system due to factors such as educational inequality, zero-tolerance policies, and increased police presence in schools. And when Spruell began to look at the demographics of who is most likely to end up on the wrong end of the pipeline, it painted a picture that closely resembled her son.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;And that&amp;rsquo;s when I started asking questions and trying to understand what was going on in my community,&amp;rdquo; Spruell said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Building a Career in Public Service&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By the time she graduated from Bay Path University, Spruell had an impressive resume and a clearer sense of who she&lt;br /&gt;was and how she wanted to change her community. She accepted a position with the Massachusetts Office of the Treasurer and Receiver General, working as a community engagement organizer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the same time, she was appointed as a commissioner on the Hampden County Commission on the Status of Women.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;And that&amp;rsquo;s how I got engaged civically,&amp;rdquo; Spruell said. &amp;ldquo;So, I learned how to be on a board and a commission and what leadership looks like for women in western Mass.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After a few years on the job, Spruell was promoted and tasked with managing women&amp;rsquo;s programming within the treasurer&amp;rsquo;s new Office of Economic Empowerment. The office is tasked with ensuring economic opportunity for all state residents, specifically concerning things like wage equality, making college affordable, and providing resources for small businesses.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The quiet fire started to rage.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spruell found that she had a passion for legislation, working through the process of getting a bill to the governor&amp;rsquo;s desk and signed into law. Identifying current bills and advocating for their passage was no longer enough. She wanted to spot unmet needs and help create the policies that would resolve them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The Office of Economic Empowerment really nurtured me, encouraging me to ask questions and giving me the space to explore what the department does and how the government and all these different constitutional offices worked,&amp;rdquo; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;And I just started daydreaming, thinking it would be so cool if I could get a job like this.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rising Through the Ranks&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When Spruell moved her family to the Worcester area she had to step down from the Hampden County commission. However, she wasn&amp;rsquo;t interested in starting over with another regional commission. She wanted to do bigger things.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spruell successfully applied to become a member of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women through the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators. She was appointed as the secretary for the legislative and public policy committee, eventually working her way to chair of the committee.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During that time, the commission helped the Commonwealth pass several bills to address equity gaps, including the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act in 2018, which prohibits employers from seeking salary history from potential employees and ensures that employees can discuss their wages without retaliation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I see her using the skills she developed at HCC in her current role; looking at gender gaps, looking at state-wide data,&amp;rdquo; Hendricks said. &amp;ldquo;I feel really lucky that the state has someone like her advocating on behalf of women and girls; we&amp;rsquo;re really fortunate that she&amp;rsquo;s in that role.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Empowering the Next Generation&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the last legislative session, the commission prioritized 14 bills, including the &amp;ldquo;I Am Bill,&amp;rdquo; which would increase access to menstrual products in schools, prisons, and homeless shelters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spruell has learned the value of building relationships. Although MCSW is blessed with dozens of passionate volunteers and employers, many legislative victories are won by partnering with like-minded organizations.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the &amp;ldquo;I Am Bill,&amp;rdquo; Spruell has been strengthening her relationship with the Massachusetts Menstrual Equity Coalition, a young activist group that advocates for menstrual equity. The bill unanimously passed the Massachusetts Senate in 2023 and is being considered by the House of Representatives.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We found that we really get their attention through the youth,&amp;rdquo; Spruell said. &amp;ldquo;And if you can master bringing in multiple audiences it just seems to work so much better.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the spring of 2023, the commission hosted the first in-person event for the annual Girls Empowerment Leadership Initiative. Spruell had to coordinate the bus transportation to move more than 100 girls from different corners of the state to the day-long experience in Worcester, where they participated in workshops around conflict resolution, public speaking, advocacy, and skill building.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;And we just really gave them space to ask the questions that they don&amp;rsquo;t really get the opportunity to ask,&amp;rdquo; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spruell is thrilled to be working in her dream job but looking forward to the day when she can pass off the reins to the next generation. So, seeing the ambitious young women who care about creating a more just society gives her hope for the future.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I don&amp;rsquo;t want to be 90 years old still fighting this,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;But in the meantime, I want somebody to rise up and lead.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Balancing Career and Family&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spruell lives in the Worcester area with her partner and two sons while working on her master&amp;rsquo;s degree in business administration from Fitchburg State University. During the spring of 2024, Spruell visited HCC to participate in a panel discussion on leadership and finding inspiration.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event gave her the opportunity to reflect on how she remains resilient despite all of life&amp;rsquo;s demands. She recalled juggling multiple jobs as a student at HCC to afford daycare for her son&amp;thinsp;&amp;mdash;&amp;thinsp;working retail at Finish Line, as a cashier at the MassMutual Center, and as a floating teller for United Bank. She pointed to her oldest son, Aaden, sitting in the back of the room.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Ultimately, everything that I do is for them,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;He is showing me that it was worth it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Shaitia Spruell '14; (Above) Spruell and her son Aaden chat with President George Timmons during a campus visit last April.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20950" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/igniting-success" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:23" CategoryIds="69|193|194" FileName="x20950.xml" Name="Igniting Success" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/Cyber-Kermit-award-web.jpg" Title="Igniting Success" Abstract="HCC received an award from the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission for a cybersecurity training program it runs in partnership with the state agency." ThumbnailAltText="Kermit Dunkelberg accepts award" IntroCopy="HCC honored for cybersecurity training program" Date="2024-09-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/CYBER-Kermit-panel-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Kermit Dunkelberg takes part in a panel discussion about job-driven training progams.&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College recently received the &amp;ldquo;Igniting Workforce Success&amp;rdquo; award from the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission for a cybersecurity training program it runs in partnership with the agency, which recently changed its name to MassAbility.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Specifically, the award recognizes HCC for its CyberOps training program, a free, nine-month remote program that trains MassAbility consumers to be cybersecurity analysts. MassAbility works with people with disabilities to empower their lives through counseling and various career and employment programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Kermit Dunkelberg, assistant vice president of adult basic education and workforce development, accepted the award on behalf of HCC at the MRC&amp;rsquo;s Igniting Workforce Success conference in June.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;We just completed our fourth year with MassRehab,&amp;rdquo; said Dunkelberg. &amp;ldquo;This award is a great recognition of that partnership. In MassRehab, which is now MassAbility, we have a great partner. They bring as much to the table as we do in terms of innovation and attentiveness to student success.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The pilot program launched by HCC and MassRehab in 2020 was the first of its kind in Massachusetts. Based on the program&amp;rsquo;s success, MRC launched a second with Roxbury Community College, which also received an Igniting Workforce Success award.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;Together we are re-envisioning employment and people&amp;rsquo;s lives,&amp;rdquo; MassAbility Commissioner Toni Wolf said in 2020 after the first cohort of students graduated from the HCC program. &amp;ldquo;In the wake of COVID-19, our perspective on what is possible for remote work is expanding on a daily basis, particularly how resilient and adaptive people with disabilities are. These Cisco certifications are nationally recognized and highly sought-after workplace credentials that will give these students the needed leverage to enter a high paying industry.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Since 2020, about 60 MassRehab clients have gone through the program, many emerging with paid internships that have led to full time, benefitted positions as cybersecurity analysts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;It was MassRehab&amp;rsquo;s vision to offer training in the area of cybersecurity,&amp;rdquo; said Dunkelberg. &amp;ldquo;This is by far the longest duration program that they run and the most expensive, because it is not only a long duration, but very intensive. These students are studying 30 hours a week for about 10 months, so it ends up being 900 hours of training, but the difference that it can make in someone&amp;rsquo;s life is huge in terms of economic self-sufficiency.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Once students complete the training, they take exams to qualify as Cisco Certified Support Technicians and Cisco Certified Networking Associates. Past program graduates have gone on to work as cybersecurity consultants and systems analysts for big tech companies, such as Dell Technologies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;The story we always like to tell is one about a participant from our first program class who was making pizza at Big Y,&amp;rdquo; Dunkelberg said. &amp;ldquo;Upon conclusion of the program he was making $80,000 a year as a consultant.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Other students have more modest but no less meaningful career outcomes, Dunkelberg said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;ve had four or five students intern here at HCC in our IT department,&amp;rdquo; he said. &amp;ldquo;For a lot of people, just getting that hands-on experience is the next step. Another one of our students got a job working in IT support at her local library, and that was just what she needed. Her family told us that before she went through our program, she hardly had a life outside her home. Having a job she could walk to was the perfect outcome for her.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;In 2023, program instructor Dalip Singh received the Above and Beyond Award from the Cisco Networking Academy for developing and teaching the cybersecurity class.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Overall, the program has been so successful, Dunkelberg said the agency wants to explore new training partnerships with HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Kermit Dunkelberg, HCC assistant vice president for adult basic education and workforce development, center, accepts the &quot;Igniting Workforce Success&quot; award from MassAbility Commissioner Toni Walsh, right. Also pictured: Salvador Pina, dean of workforce and business development at Roxbury Community College. The two colleges were recognized for the cybersecurity training programs they run in partnership with the state agency, formerly called the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission. (Above) Dunkelberg, right, takes part in a panel discussion about job-driven training.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20929" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/a-cut-above" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:23" CategoryIds="4|193" FileName="x20929.xml" Name="A Cut Above" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/HCC-THRIVE-RIBBON-web.jpg" Title="A Cut Above" Abstract="HCC held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the reopening and expansion of the Thrive Center and Food Pantry in a brand new space in the Kittredge Center." ThumbnailAltText="Ribbon-cutting marks reopening of Thrive Center and Food Pantry" IntroCopy="HCC celebrates expansion of Thrive Center and Food Pantry." Date="2024-09-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/HCC-THRIVE-TIMMONS-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;President George Timmons welcomes guests to the college's new food pantry. ntry.&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new Holyoke Community College food pantry is more than four times the size of the old one. More than that, it is now just steps away from the HCC Campus Center and cafeteria.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This new location feels so much more like a hub for our students to receive the support they need,&amp;rdquo; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement. &amp;ldquo;The shelves are well stocked. It&amp;rsquo;s bright, it&amp;rsquo;s accessible, and it&amp;rsquo;s judgment free, which is so important.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The occasion for her remarks was a Sept. 10 ribbon-cutting celebration marking the relocation and expansion of both the HCC Thrive Center and the food pantry. Prior to the move, the food pantry occupied a small space within the Thrive Center, which was located in a tight, reconfigured classroom on the second floor of the Frost Building.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, the Thrive Center and food pantry occupy dedicated, more spacious rooms side by side on the second floor of the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, which adjoins the Campus Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Thrive Center (formerly called the Thrive Student Resource Center) helps students address nonacademic issues that can interfere with their studies, such as food and housing insecurity, transportation, healthcare, childcare, utilities, and credit. Thrive also manages the food pantry. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;When you think about college and what it takes to be successful, there&amp;rsquo;s so many things that can prevent you from learning,&amp;rdquo; said President George Timmons. &amp;ldquo;So, this is just another opportunity for us to live up to our mission, which is being an institution of academic excellence that helps remove barriers to student success.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, inside the Thrive Center, Ben Ostiguy, Thrive coordinator, and Elizabeth Rivera, Thrive&amp;rsquo;s bilingual program assistant, each have their own offices where they can meet privately with students. There&amp;rsquo;s also an additional office for a soon-to-be hired food pantry manager.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Next door, in the food panty itself, black wire shelving units hold nonperishable food as well as school supplies, baby supplies, and personal care items &amp;ndash; all free. There is also a freezer for frozen food items and a refrigeration unit for drinks and perishable items. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;What I always tell folks is that our first impression is our first intervention, so the first impression we make with students is pretty critical,&amp;rdquo; said Ostiguy. &amp;ldquo;I think having a fresh space with updated equipment and designs sends the right message to students. It shows that the campus cares, that this is a priority, and that we are prepared to help them in meaningful ways.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before the ribbon-cutting, Sbriscia thanked the many donors and partners responsible for making the Thrive Center and food pantry successful, including the United Way of Pioneer Valley, the Holyoke Housing Authority, Rachel&amp;rsquo;s Table, the Caring Health Center, PeoplesBank, Stop and Shop, Gary Rome Hyundai, Hyundai America, One Holyoke CDC, Enlace de Familias, and Tech Foundry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;If you could, for a moment, just think about what it feels like to be hungry,&amp;rdquo; said Sbriscia, who is also executive director of the HCC Foundation, which manages a special fund on behalf of Thrive. &amp;ldquo;You&amp;rsquo;re irritable, you&amp;rsquo;re tired, you&amp;rsquo;re distracted. No student should have that feeling as they go through their day. This is a space that ensures that they get what they need so they can do what they are here to do, which is succeed in college and graduate.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20919" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/esports" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:24" CategoryIds="4|193|2|165" FileName="x20919.xml" Name="eSports" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202024/HCC-esports-Stewart-web.jpg" Title="HCC adding eSports" Abstract="HCC is hiring a head coach to lead its intercollegiate eSports team and has converted a classroom in the Bartley Center into an eSports facility." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Athletic Director Tom Stewart in the eSport room" IntroCopy="The new athletic team will compete in the Eastern College Athletic Conference. " Date="2024-09-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202024/HCC-esports-center-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;Tom Stewart in the new eSports room at HCC&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is adding another athletics team to its roster of intercollegiate sports. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Along with men&amp;rsquo;s and women&amp;rsquo;s soccer, cross country, golf, volleyball, men&amp;rsquo;s and women&amp;rsquo;s basketball, track and field, and baseball, HCC will soon begin recruiting students to play eSports.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In eSports &amp;ndash; short for electronic sports &amp;ndash; participants play online video games against individuals or other teams. Some of the more common collegiate-level eSports are Overwatch (a multiplayer, first-person shooter game), League of Legends (an arena-style battle game), and Rocket League (a vehicular soccer game).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;They are strategy games,&amp;rdquo; said HCC Athletics Director Tom Stewart, &amp;ldquo;thinking person&amp;rsquo;s games. Every athletic event is a thinking person&amp;rsquo;s game, but these are more strictly thinking person&amp;rsquo;s games, but they also require a measure of physical coordination and stamina.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to Stewart, HCC will be just the fourth community college in Massachusetts to create an eSports team, joining Mass Bay, Northern Essex, and Bunker Hill community colleges. The HCC team will be co-ed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re the only community college west of Worcester that&amp;rsquo;s going to have eSports,&amp;rdquo; he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although HCC belongs to the National Junior College Athletic Association, the NJCAA, its eSports team will compete in the Eastern College Athletic Conference, which has an eSports division.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last month, HCC posted an employment notice soliciting applicants for a head coach to lead the eSports team. Over the summer, a former classroom on the second floor of HCC&amp;rsquo;s Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation was converted into an eSports center and outfitted with 10 eSports stations that will allow two teams of five to play simultaneously. Each station includes a high-performance computer, keyboard, headset, mouse, and gaming controller. There&amp;rsquo;s a large screen monitor on the wall, where the coach can plan strategy and watch game play, and a small lounge area in the middle of the room for downtime.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Only members of the eSports team and their coaches will have access to the room for practices and competitions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is not going to be open to general students to come in here and bang away on these computers,&amp;rdquo; Stewart said. &amp;ldquo;They&amp;rsquo;re too expensive.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With this new offering, Stewart said the college is hoping to capitalize on the increasing popularity of professional Sports, a market expected to exceed $1 billion in revenue in the United States in 2024 and growing about 15 percent annually, according to Statista, an online industry database. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s the biggest growth sport in the county,&amp;rdquo; Stewart said. &amp;ldquo;I think it&amp;rsquo;s going to attract a different kind of kid. When local high schools find out we have an eSports team here, I think it&amp;rsquo;s going to help enrollment.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like all of HCC&amp;rsquo;s athletic teams, eSports will have academic eligibility requirements, as well as nutrition and fitness components.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s not a gaming club,&amp;rdquo; said Stewart. &amp;ldquo;Team members are not going to be able to kick it in here all day long instead of going to class. They&amp;rsquo;ll have to maintain their grades. It&amp;rsquo;s just another athletic offering to complement their overall educational experience.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: HCC Athletic Director Tom Stewart, in the new eSports facility inside the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20186" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sonia-dinnell" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:24" CategoryIds="66|193" FileName="x20186.xml" Name="Sonia Dinnell" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/DINALL-Campus-Composite-web.jpg" Title="Super Selection" Abstract="Sonia E. Dinnall, of Springfield, the new superintendent of Springfield Public Schools, was appointed to the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees by Gov. Maura Healey." ThumbnailAltText="Sonia Dinnall" IntroCopy="&quot;I am eager to contribute my knowledge and skills to enhance and strengthen the connection between our secondary and post-secondary institutions. My ultimate goal is to improve student outcomes and institutional success.” – HCC Trustee Sonia E. Dinnall" Date="2024-08-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/DINALL-Campus-Composite-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;New HCC Trustee Sonia Dinnall&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sonia E. Dinnall, the new superintendent of Springfield Public Schools, has been appointed to the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees by Gov. Maura Healey. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dinnall&amp;rsquo;s term will run until March 1, 2027.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dinnall was named superintendent of Springfield Public Schools in May and is the first woman to hold that position. She previously served as the principal of the Springfield High School of Commerce, executive director of college and career readiness for Hartford Public Schools, and supervisor of student support services for Springfield Public Schools. She started her career in education in 1991 as an eighth-grade science teacher in Forest Park Middle School.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;ldquo;&lt;/strong&gt;Throughout my 34-year career in education, the vast majority has been dedicated to fostering the integration of secondary and post-secondary education,&amp;rdquo; said Dinnall, who lives in Springfield. &amp;ldquo;As a member of the HCC Board of Trustees, I&amp;nbsp;am eager to contribute my knowledge and skills to enhance and strengthen the connection between our secondary and post-secondary institutions. My ultimate goal is to improve student outcomes and institutional success.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dinnall holds a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Lesley University, a master&amp;rsquo;s degree in psychology from Westfield State, a master&amp;rsquo;s degree in education from the University of Massachusetts, and a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree in biology and psychology from Westfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The HCC community is excited to have Dr. Dinnall join the Board of Trustees of Holyoke Community College,&amp;rdquo; said HCC President George Timmons. &amp;ldquo;She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, and I look forward to collaborating with her to increase and improve students' success from secondary schools to HCC. Dr. Dinnall is a welcome addition to a board of trustees committed to enhancing the college and removing barriers to student success.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dinnall will attend her first HCC board meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 27.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20160" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/marlowe-washington" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:24" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x20160.xml" Name="Marlowe Washington" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/Marlowe-Washington-web.jpg" Title="People Power" Abstract="Marlowe Washington, a pastor who holds doctorates in both education and ministry, is HCC's inaugural vice president of people, culture, and equity." ThumbnailAltText="Marlowe Washington" IntroCopy="HCC hires first VP of people, culture, and equity" Date="2024-07-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Marlowe Washington&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/Marlowe-Washington-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;Holyoke Community College recently welcomed Marlowe Washington, Ed.D., D.Min., as its first vice president of people, culture, and equity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this executive-level position, Washington serves as a strategic partner to President George Timmons, the HCC Cabinet, and all campus constituencies to advance culture, equity, diversity, and inclusion. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Washington&amp;nbsp;comes to HCC following his work as the inaugural senior diversity officer at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, N.Y., where he oversaw the continuation of the university's efforts supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He recently moved to Springfield, Mass., but maintains a residence in Rochester, N.Y., where he is pastor of the Agape Fellowship United Methodist Church.&amp;nbsp;He started his position at HCC on Monday, July 8.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am here, first of all, because the president's vision really resonated with me,&quot; Washington said. &quot;He said, 'I want to save lives,' and you don't normally hear that from a college president. That's not what they talk about. That was what sold me, because education is the great equalizer. It was for me in my personal life, as it was for President Timmons.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Washington is a New York City native who grew up in the Bronx.&amp;nbsp;A first-generation college graduate, he earned his bachelor's degree in political science from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, N.Y., a master's degree in divinity in urban ministry and planning from the New York Theological Seminary in Manhattan, N.Y., a doctorate in ministry from Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, N.Y., in transformational leadership and cultural intelligence, and a doctorate in education from St. John Fisher University in executive leadership in higher education.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am very excited about the hiring of Dr. Washington as our inaugural vice president for people, culture, and equity,&quot; said Timmons. &quot;I am excited about this enthusiasm, his excitement to be part of our team, to be part of our mission and vision. Being a first-generation college graduate and understanding the population we serve is really important.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In his role, Washington will oversee the Human Resources department, Title IX (federal prohibition against sex and gender discrimination), the college's Affirmative Action officer, and interim executive director of diversity, equity, and inclusion.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He is married to Mira Washington, a human resources professional. They have two adult children and three grandchildren. His office on the fourth floor of the HCC Kittredge Center is already filled with photographs of family members and other young people whom he calls his &quot;surrogate children.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They call me papa or dad or whatever,&quot; he said. &quot;I have a very strong relationship with them, and that's what I love about higher ed, because it's not just about educating, it's developing relationships. Really, 90 percent of diversity, equity and inclusion is about building relationships and building social connection. That's what I'm aiming to do here at HCC.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Marlowe Washington is HCC's first vice president of people, culture, and equity.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20086" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/phi-theta-kappa-2024" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:24" CategoryIds="4|3|165" FileName="x20086.xml" Name="Phi Theta Kappa 2024" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/Alicia-Beaton-web.jpg" Title="Phi Theta Kappa 2024" Abstract="HCC is proud to announce that 68 students have been accepted for membership into the college chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society for 2024." ThumbnailAltText="Student Senate President Alicia Beaton of Chicopee was one or 68 HCC students inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society during a campus celebration on May 1. " IntroCopy="HCC honors Phi Theta Kappa inductees for 2024" Date="2024-05-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Student Senate President Alicia Beaton&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/Alicia-Beaton-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is proud to announce that 68 HCC students have been accepted for membership into the Alpha Xi Omega chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society for 2024. Students are invited to join Phi Theta Kappa when they have completed 15 college credits while maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;HCC's 2024 inductees were recognized during a campus celebration on May 1.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Isabella Baird, Lexie Ephraim, Benjamin Keil, Saro Ntahobari, Brian Ung.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alex Brunelle, Hailey Garrow, Caterina Guerin, Josephine Jacobsen.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alicia Beaton, Cher Condino, Christopher Fondakowski, Angel Martinez Lopez, Kendra Paquette, David Perez, Steven Placzek, Renee Suckau.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dana Berrios, Nathan Biddulph, Evan Duso, Lincoln Kanelong.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fall River:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rachel Reynolds.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anneliese Townsend.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Framingham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Holly Tighe.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tenzing Kyizom.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Haydenville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Matthew Geary, Colette Piotrowski.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Maximilian Bruel, Tomas Colon, Daley Levesque, Erykka Rocha, Alondra Serrano,Patrick Sweeney.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Huntington:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rebecca Boisseau.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leeds:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Haley Miller.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kristen Fairthorne, Nikolaus Soja, Gabrielle Zebrowski.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;North Granby, Conn:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Isabella Brothers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jesse Conner, Dylan Cowart, Anthony Knowles.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plainfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mystie Ford.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Angela Bessone.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tyler Livingston, Justin Meunier.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kayla Carlin, Alivia Glynn, Mia Phillips.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jorgette Agramonte Garcia, Natalie Caruk, Monique Lumpkin, Dakotah Smith, Jessica Viruet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunderland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Matthew Barrows, Brenda McKenney.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Ryan Colbert, Ingrid Cubias-Bonilla, Minahil Gul, Bindiya Patel, Maya Zadie.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ashley Brazier, Ryan Defalco, Wandeliz Gonzalez Marrero, Travis Guin, Rhys Maryn, Sonja Pease, Sarah Shoemaker.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Student Senate President Alicia Beaton of Chicopee was one or 68 HCC students inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society during a campus celebration on May 1.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20087" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/stewart-njcaa-award" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:24" CategoryIds="4|66|2" FileName="x20087.xml" Name="Stewart NJCAA Award" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/Tom-Stewart-web.jpg" Title="Excellence Award  " Abstract="Last month, Tom Stewart, HCC director of athletics and student engagement, received the 2024 George E. Killian Award of Excellence from the National Junior College Athletic Association." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Athletic Director Tom Stewart" IntroCopy="Athletic Director Tom Stewart receives national award for excellence" Date="2024-05-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Tom Stewart, HCC director of athletics and student engagement, with students during Spring Fling. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/Stewart-students-spfling-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tom Stewart, director of athletics and student engagement at Holyoke Community College, is the recipient of the 2024 George E. Killian Award of Excellence, the highest award bestowed each year by the National Junior College Athletic Association.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The award is given to those who demonstrate the ideals of voluntarism, achievement, service, leadership, and excellence. It is named after George E. Killian, the first executive director of the NJCAA, which led for nearly 40 years. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Thank you for all you do to ensure a great student-athlete experience and for your dedication to the NJCAA,&quot; Christopher J. Parker, NJCAA president and chief executive officer, said in the award letter.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stewart, a resident of Westfield and a graduate of Westfield State University, has worked in college athletics for more than 35 years, the past 26 at HCC, where he has been director since 1999.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, he oversees nine intercollegiate sports programs and manages the David Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation. He serves on the NJCAA Board of Regents as the representative for Region 21. He chairs the NJCAA Division III Men's Golf Committee and the NJCAA Division III Women's Golf Committee while also serving on the NJCAA Track and Field Committee.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During his career, HCC has hosted nine NJCAA cross country championships and a track and field championship. In 2016, he was elected second vice president for the association's men's division. In that role, Stewart oversaw the complete budgetary activity of the association. He has previously served as the co-chair of the finance and budget committee.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stewart and other award winners were recognized April 17 in Charlotte, North Carolina, during the 2024 NJCAA annual convention.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Representing 550 schools, the NJCAA is the largest athletic association for two-year colleges in the United States. Stewart is the first recipient of the George E. Killian Award from any college in New England since it was first presented in 2006.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That means a lot,&quot; Stewart said. &quot;It's kind of a culmination of all my work for all these years. And as I'm winding down towards the end of my career, it's kind of a nice to be recognized, even though I'm not big on getting these kinds of awards.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stewart started his career in higher education at Westfield State where he worked for seven years as student activities administrator and director of intramurals and coached cross country. He was hired at HCC in 1996 as student activities director and became assistant athletic director in 1999 and athletic director in 2007. He now also supervises the Student Engagement department at HCC, which includes Student Activities and the Student Senate.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In October, he was inducted into the Westfield State University Athletics Hall of Fame. As an undergraduate there, Stewart was a four-year member of the WSU Owls cross country and track and field teams.&amp;nbsp;An all-conference runner in 1985 and 1987 in cross country, he won the Westfield State Invitational and was an all-New England runner in steeplechase his sophomore year.&amp;nbsp;The WSU cross country and track teams won conference titles all four years he was on the team.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Tom Stewart, above, with students in the campus courtyard during this year's Spring Fling event&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20089" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/free-hsv-program" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:24" CategoryIds="69|193|165|194" FileName="x20089.xml" Name="Free HSV Program" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-HSV-Maldonado-web.jpg" Title="Now Recruiting" Abstract="HCC is looking for students interested in working in the human services field to take part in a free, two-semester certificate program that starts in September." ThumbnailAltText="Sisters Alezza and Oceana Maldonado of Holyoke have just completed HCC's first free human services certificate program. " IntroCopy="HCC recruiting students for free human services training program" Date="2024-05-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Program graduate Crystal Kenyon, second from right, with her family, son Wyatt, husband Scott, and son Owen, far right. Kenyon is already working as an assistant in the case management department at Baystate Wing Hospital in Palmer. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/HCC-HSV-Kenyon-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is now recruiting students interested in working in the human services field for a free, two-semester certificate program that starts in September 2024.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the second year of the grant-funded human services certificate program, which started in the fall of 2023 after the college received a $1.28 million award from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. The grant covers the full cost of tuition, fees, books, and supplies for students who want to earn a certificate in human services and is coupled with a paid internship at participating local social service agencies.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's community partners in the grant include the Gandara Center, Craig's Doors, Mental Health Association, and Jewish Family Services The grant and the HCC program are intended to help address a shortage of workers in the human services industry.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This program is really meant to accelerate a student's entry into the workforce,&quot; said Donna Rowe, chair of HCC's Human Services program. &quot;It's wonderful that these four agencies have made this agreement with us. They're looking for workers, and we have students looking to get into the field.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The two-semester Human Services Internship Program is now looking to fill slots for up to 30 full-time students to start in the fall.&amp;nbsp;HCC celebrated the first cohort of students to complete the program on May 1.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Learning how to make a positive impact in people's lives has been a rewarding and meaningful journey,&quot; said graduating student Crystal Kenyon of Monson, who is already working as an assistant in the case management department at Baystate Wing Hospital in Palmer. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alezza Maldonado joined the program last fall with her sister, Oceana Maldonado, who both live in Holyoke. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is the perfect opportunity to gain more skills to grow in your career,&quot; said Alezza Maldonado, who works at One Holyoke. &quot;It is a well-developed program, and we had 100 percent support from the HCC faculty and staff. I think anyone would thrive in the program, even if they had been out of school for a long time.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The human services industry presents a wide variety of career options for people who are interested in providing care to children, seniors, adolescents, the homeless, or individuals dealing with substance abuse or mental health issues.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to the grant, the total savings for full-time students is estimated to be $5,384 per semester. During their second-semester internship, students will receive a stipend of $2,500, which will pay $20 an hour for 10 hours a week of on-the-job training and learning.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A 2018 report from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission detailed a gap of some 600 social/human service workers in western Massachusetts, a deficit that widened during the COVID-19 pandemic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There is definitely a big shortage of human service workers,&quot; said Amy Brandt, HCC dean of Health Sciences. &quot;It's a challenge for agencies who have a variety of workers at different levels. They don't have a lot of additional resources to develop that talent pool. They really are on shoestring budgets trying to provide services to the community. When you look at this grant, it's a huge investment that can really help fill their needs.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 24-credit human services certificate students earn can also be &quot;stacked&quot; or applied toward an associate degree in human services, which could then lead to a bachelor's degree in social work at a four-year college or university.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The program really has the potential to set students up for lifelong learning and career advancement,&quot; said Brandt,&amp;nbsp;&quot;and it's also helping these social service agencies meet their needs.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, or to apply, please visit:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/hsv-grant&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://hcc.edu/hsv-grant&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1715090681620000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw3nx1FkHDXcMhkANrd3T66L&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/hsv-grant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above)&amp;nbsp;Program graduate Crystal Kenyon, second&amp;nbsp;from right, with her family, son Wyatt, husband Scott, and son Owen, far right. Kenyon is already working as an assistant in the case management department at Baystate Wing Hospital in Palmer. Wyatt and Owen also both attend HCC. (Thumbanail)&amp;nbsp;Sisters Alezza Maldonado, left, and Oceana Maldonado, both of Holyoke, were part of the first cohort&amp;nbsp;of students in HCC's free human services certificate program. HCC is now recruiting students for the second cohort, set to begin in September.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20090" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/salamander-study" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:25" CategoryIds="66|3|193|165" FileName="x20090.xml" Name="Salamander Study" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/REd-Eft-closeup-web.jpg" Title="Salamander Study" Abstract="Environmental science students from HCC are participating in a nationwide project called the Student Network for Amphibian Pathogen Surveillance. " ThumbnailAltText="A red eft salamander found in the woods behind HCC" IntroCopy="HCC students hunt for salamander pathogen" Date="2024-05-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Students swab a salamander for the presence of a fungus. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/Sudents-swabbing-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Environmental science students at Holyoke Community College spent their last Friday class of the spring semester searching the wet woods behind campus for something no one wants to find.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's called &lt;em&gt;Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans&lt;/em&gt;, an emerging pathogen lethal to salamanders. But don't even ask the instructor, associate professor Laurel Carpenter, how to pronounce that.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We just call it 'Bsal,'&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The good news is the virulent Bsal fungus that has ravaged certain salamander species in Europe and Asia has not yet been found in North America.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The search for it, though, is on.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students from HCC and other colleges across the country are participating in a group project with a very clandestine sounding title: the Student Network for Amphibian Pathogen Surveillance. Known by its acronym SNAPS, the program is supported by the U.S. Geological Survey and Environment and Climate Change Canada.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Bsal is yet to be detected in North America but its accidental introduction is likely, making the early detection of Bsal essential for minimizing its negative impact,&quot; says the SNAPS website. &quot;Unfortunately, early detection is inherently challenging, requiring broad and long-term surveillance that can be expensive, time-consuming and logistically challenging. The Student Network for Amphibian Pathogen Surveillance (SNAPS) leverages student-power to conduct ongoing and cost-effective Bsal surveillance by incorporating surveillance into undergraduate curriculum.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To detect Bsal, however, one must first locate salamanders to examine, and lots of them. Fortunately, there are many in and around the stream that runs behind the west side of the HCC campus.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We basically just went around and turned over logs, rocks and leaves,&quot; said Holly Tighe of Northampton, a student in Carpenter's People and the Environment class. &quot;They like to hide.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The three species they searched for were the two-line salamander, the red eft salamander and the red-backed salamander, the ones most at risk. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once located, the salamanders, carefully handled by students wearing blue lab gloves, were temporarily remanded via plastic bag to a portable lab table on a nearby trail, where they were measured and gently swabbed &amp;ndash; on their backs, under their bellies, on their claws, and under their chins. The swabs were then swished around inside small, liquid-filled vials &amp;ndash; kind of like taking a COVID-19 test &amp;ndash; with each vial then labeled and logged on a chart. The salamanders were then returned to the general areas where they were found.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We need to collect at least 30 unique samples,&quot; Carpenter said. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The vials were destined for a lab at the University of Vermont in Burlington, where they will be analyzed for the presence of Bsal.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;People should care about the results, Carpenter said, because salamanders, like amphibians in general, are important environmental indicators.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They are both predators and prey,&quot; she said. &quot;They eat many of the insect pests that can cause disease. In some areas, they are also an important food source. Without them, some food chains would collapse. Salamanders are also susceptible to toxins in the environment. Their health or absence can alert us to possible concerns. They act as a sort of canary in the coal mine for us.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To see more photos, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.832056732290944&amp;amp;type=3&quot; title=&quot;Facebook photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;our facebook photo album ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) A red eft salamander found in the woods behind the HCC campus. (Above) HCC student Holly Tighe of Northampton, left, and her lab partner Chayton Honeywell of Belchertown, swap a salamander for the presence of&amp;nbsp;Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, an emerging pathogen lethal to salamanders.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20099" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/newman-fellowship-x20099" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250929T16:06:51" CategoryIds="3|193|417|165" FileName="x20099.xml" Name="Newman Fellowship" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-Newman-Black-web.jpg" Title="Catalyst for Change" Abstract="Student Joseph Black is the recipient of a Newman Civic Fellowship, a national award that recognizes leadership and a commitment to positive change in the community. " ThumbnailAltText="Joseph Black" IntroCopy="&quot;I'm trying to do something really big with this opportunity. I have a lot of ideas. I'm shooting for the stars, trying to hit the moon.&quot; – Joseph Black, environmental science major and Newman Civic Fellow" Date="2024-05-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Joseph Black explores the woods behind the HCC campus.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/HCC-Newman-Black-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presented with the opportunity to nominate a student for a Newman Civic Fellowship, a national award that recognizes leadership potential and a commitment to positive change in the community, Holyoke Community College Anthropology Professor Vanessa Martinez immediately thought of Joseph Black.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last fall, Black, an environmental science major and HCC STEM scholar, approached her about enrolling in her honors colloquium for the spring 2024 semester, Be the Change. At first, she wasn't sure the six-credit class would fit into his otherwise rigorous academic schedule.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;With STEM majors, there often isn't a lot of wiggle room to take courses that aren't prescribed in their discipline,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;His response: &quot;I'll take it as an extra class if I have to.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The course, which explores the concept of change in all its forms: societal, cultural, political, personal, mathematical, and religious, among others, fit right into Black's worldview. It also incorporated an environmentally focused, community-based learning project that meshed with his major.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I really want to do good in the world,&quot; Black told her.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Let's see how we can make this work,&quot; said Martinez.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This spring, as his professor, Martinez witnessed first-hand his excitement for the class, especially the group project, an Earth Day community cleanup students organized in partnership with One Holyoke Community Development Corporation and the Mass. Dept. of Environmental Protection. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The fact that he had come to me and advocated for himself to take my class - he was the first person who popped into my head,&quot; she said, recalling her decision to nominate him for the fellowship. &quot;He's sweet. He's Latino. He's kind. You know, human. With the fellowship, he'll get support to build his leadership skills.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier this month, Black, who lives in Palmer, found out he was chosen as a Newman Civic Fellow for 2024-2025 by Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities working to advance the public purposes of higher education. As such, he will join a cohort of 142 college students selected from 38 states for the year-long program. He is one of three community college students in Massachusetts named Newman Civic Fellows this year and the only one from western Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm surprised and excited,&quot; said Black. &quot;In high school, I wasn't the worst student, but I certainly wasn't the best student or anything like that. So, being able to take up a fellowship like this feels really good.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program is named for the late Frank Newman, one of Campus Compact's founders, a tireless advocate for civic engagement in higher education. In the spirit of Newman's leadership, U.S. colleges and universities are invited to nominate one exemplary community-committed student each year.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Black, 21, a first-generation college student, was born in southern California, one of seven siblings (and himself a triplet), son of a Colombian mother and Italian-American father who moved to Massachusetts when he was young.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In his personal statement for the fellowship, Black writes about how, growing up in a large family without a lot of money, he often sought refuge in the woods around his new hometown of Palmer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My love of nature has always been paramount in my life,&quot; he said. &quot;Spending afternoons surrounded by forests led to a deep adoration of the natural world and how it affects society. From raising money for endangered local species to river cleanups, I participated in as much advocacy for the environment as a kid could. But now, I am old enough to contribute a loud and active voice in the community. I want to use the skills and resources that schooling gives me to advocate for better environmental protections, raise awareness about issues that are impacting us, and ensure that higher-risk populations have their rights preserved.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cornerstone of the fellowship is the annual convening of Newman Civic Fellows, which offers intensive, in-person, skill-building and networking over three days. The fellowship also provides fellows with pathways to apply for exclusive opportunities, including mini grants to help fund community projects, scholarships, and post-graduate opportunities.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are honored to recognize such an outstanding group of community-committed students,&quot; said Campus Compact President Bobbie Laur. &quot;One of the best parts of the Newman Civic Fellowships is the richness of students' perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds &amp;ndash; and how these varied stories all led to their passionate engagement with the social, political, and environmental issues impacting our world. These students will be the catalysts for change on many levels, and we are privileged to help empower them to create that change.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a Newman fellow, Black will be responsible for developing his own community-based project in consultation with his mentor, Professor Martinez.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a really good networking opportunity, and having access to scholarships and grants is great,&quot; Black said, &quot;but the thing that I'm really excited about is this community-based project that I'm hoping will be very high impact.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Black is not the first HCC student to be awarded a Newman Civic Fellowship, but he is the first who will serve his fellowship year before graduating.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's the most exciting part,&quot; said Martinez. &quot;I get to keep him for another year. This is really the first time the HCC campus will benefit from the fellowship, rather than their transfer institution.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Black is looking forward to it as well.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm trying to do something really big with this opportunity,&quot; he said. &quot;I have a lot of ideas. I'm shooting for the stars, trying to hit the moon.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Environmental science major Joseph Black, explores the woods behind the HCC campus.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20103" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/faculty-staff-awards" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:25" CategoryIds="66|193" FileName="x20103.xml" Name="Faculty-Staff Awards" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-Martinez-Timmons-web.jpg" Title="Faculty, Staff Honored " Abstract="Professor Vanessa Martínez received the inaugural Dr. Christina Royal Equity and Action Award, named in honor of HCC's former president." ThumbnailAltText="Professor Vanessa Martínez accepts an award from President George Timmons" IntroCopy="&quot;I knew then this (HCC) was where I needed and wanted to be, because, together, we can make a significant impact on making this world a better place before we leave it.&quot; – Professor Vanessa Martínez" Date="2024-05-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Anthropology Professor Vanessa Mart&amp;iacute;nez accepting the inaugural Dr. Christina Royal Equity and Action Award from HCC President George Timmons.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/HCC-Martinez-Timmons-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College Anthropology Professor Vanessa Mart&amp;iacute;nez of Holyoke is the recipient of the inaugural Dr. Christina Royal Equity and Action Award, named in honor of HCC's former president.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The award was created by the HCC Board of Trustees to recognize a full-time member of the faculty or staff who, &quot;through their efforts on and off campus, supports a culture of transformational justice, works to remove barriers for historically marginalized groups, improves cultural competency through dialogue and education, exhibits leadership and best practices for social equity, or makes the larger community a more just and equitable place to live.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As HCC's fourth president, Royal broke many barriers as the first woman, first bi-racial, and first queer person to hold that position. She retired in July 2023.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The award was presented to Mart&amp;iacute;nez by Royal's successor, President George Timmons, during the annual faculty and staff awards ceremony May 15.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her colleagues refer to Professor Mart&amp;iacute;nez as an &quot;equity pioneer at HCC,&quot; Timmons said, &quot;sharing knowledge and working hard to open doors to traditionally underrepresented students.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mart&amp;iacute;nez is chair of the college's Community Based Learning Program and former chair of the HCC Honors Program. Born in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico, she holds a bachelor's degree from Columbus State University, a master's degree from Georgia State University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2020, she received the Elaine Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence, HCC's highest faculty honor. In 2022, she received the Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award from&amp;nbsp;Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education. She is also a past recipient of the &quot;Latino Teaching Excellence Award&quot; from then Governor Deval Patrick (2011), and a leadership fellowship from the American Anthropological Association (2015).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Off campus, Mart&amp;iacute;nez is the founder of the Springfield-based Women of Color Equity Initiative, a nonprofit that aims to increase access and resources that enhance the health and well-being of women of color.&amp;nbsp;She has been teaching at HCC since 2006.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This award is not mine alone,&quot; Mart&amp;iacute;nez said. &quot;I work in community, and collaboration is how we thrive. ... Receiving this award motivates me even more to continue my transformative justice and equity work.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mart&amp;iacute;nez noted that during her interview for a teaching position at HCC 18 years ago, she told the vice president of academic affairs she was the &quot;do good in the world type.&quot; The VP replied, &quot;So are we.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I knew then this was where I needed and wanted to be,&quot; Mart&amp;iacute;nez told the audience gathered for the awards ceremony in the Leslie Phillips Theater. &quot;Because together we can make a significant impact on making this world a better place before we leave it.&quot;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college also presented the Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence award to English Professor Fred Cooksey of Easthampton; the Idelia Smith Adjunct Faculty Award to Jessica Strano-Rex, clinical nursing instructor from Suffield, Conn.; the Outstanding Professional Staff Award to Mayra Diaz, senior executive assistant for student and academic affairs from Springfield; the Outstanding Classified Staff Award to Derek Swist, chemistry lab technician from Granby, Mass.; and the Outstanding Part-Time Staff Award to Susan Reade, literacy specialist and ESOL instructor from Northampton.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;HCC Anthropology Professor Vanessa Mart&amp;iacute;nez accepting the&amp;nbsp;inaugural Dr. Christina Royal Equity and Action Award from HCC President George Timmons.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20110" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/carineh-santana" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:25" CategoryIds="65|165|673" FileName="x20110.xml" Name="Carineh Santana" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-Carineh-Santana-web.jpg" Title="Standing, triumphant" Abstract="With support at HCC and at home, Carineh Santana '24 found new ways of representing her authentic self while completing her associate degree in engineering. " ThumbnailAltText="Carineh Santana '24 gives a speech at Commencement on June 1, 2024. " IntroCopy="&quot;My community – my family, and my support in El Centro, TRIO and STEM Starter Academy – helped me figure out what I wanted to be, who I am, showing me how to be my authentic self. They gave me the love I needed.&quot; – Carineh Santana '24" Date="2024-06-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Carineh Santana '24 after receiving her diploma at Commencement. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/HCC-Carineh-Santana-diploma-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 4px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: The following is the Commencement address delivered by student orator Carineh Santana '24 on June 1, 2024. Carineh is an engineering major on her way to the University of Massachusetts.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'C&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;ollege has always been something that I knew I would accomplish. It was something already written in my journey: the inevitable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So being here today, getting this far, is a no-brainer. What is shocking is the fact that I am up here in front of all these people talking about my journey through college.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am not sure how many sleepless nights could have prepared me for such a thing. If you asked me when I first started college if I would be up here speaking to you all, I would laugh and think you were insane. But here I am doing just that. Conquering my fear.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I made this opportunity possible, but not without some help from some very important and special people in my life.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My community &amp;ndash; my family and my support in El Centro, TRIO and STEM Starter Academy &amp;ndash; helped me figure out what I wanted to be, who I am, showing me how to be my authentic self. They gave me the love I needed.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am a first-generation Latina engineer. This is who I am, but it isn't all that I am. With the love and support of my TRIO and El Centro advisors, I found new ways of representing myself.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now I can say that I am a queer, Latinx, first-generation, woman engineer, a daughter and a sister.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is hard to be a queer, Latinx, first-generation woman engineer, a daughter and a sister. In many moments I felt like I didn't belong. Being in classes with predominantly white men, I always felt intimidated that I wasn't as smart as everyone else. Being a first-generation college student means I didn't have any idea what college was going to look like or what I was going to look like in it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I had no idea what to expect or how to navigate the next three years of my life. And yet, I persevered.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Being my truest self means I joined classes that no one expected me to. I was able to show my true colors all the time, allowing my real self in each classroom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It means not hiding my inner child while sitting in classes that scare me, letting her live her best life. It means continuing to put myself into challenging situations and finding ways to get through them on my terms, not how people expected me to.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It means accepting that I am one of a few Latinas in the field who will go on to become a leader, proving that women &amp;ndash; women of color &amp;ndash; can succeed in a &quot;man's field.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But challenges don't only occur in education and the field. Challenges occur in every part of our lives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How do you show up as your full self when life throws you unexplainable obstacles?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In August of 2023, I was hit by a car, (YES a REAL car), something I never thought would happen to me. I had a concussion all of that fall semester, and boy was that hell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I wasn't able to perform in my classes the way I knew I could, and that changed my mental health drastically. I really felt like giving up. I didn't want to go to my classes or be in school. I was in constant pain and had no motivation to continue.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was also devastated because this was the semester before my last, and it was starting to look like I wasn't going to graduate on my timeline the way I had planned.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All signs led to ANOTHER two semesters, and I wasn't at all happy with that idea. I had to endure a lot of pain, and in a lot of meetings, where my advisors tried their absolute best to keep my spirits high, helping me see the good and counteracting all the negativity I was feeling.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And yet, here I stand. I have overcome all my obstacles, all the challenges that were in my way. I succeeded because I kept pushing, and I kept going even when I felt I couldn't. I did not give up on myself when things looked hopeless, and I picked myself up and gave myself the strength I needed to continue. I persevered and will continue to do that as I go through the next chapter of my life.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Triumphant &amp;ndash; that is what I am.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here with you all. Here with my supporters who pushed me to be the best version of me. Here with all my peers, professors, advisors, and family members, who helped me on my journey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are here standing together triumphantly.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All that I do is for my mom and my sister. They are my biggest supporters. I wouldn't be as motivated to succeed in life if it were not for them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you both for being here for me today and every day. I am proud that I am an example for my sister. Because of me, she will know that she can be anything she wants regardless of what others think. She will know that she is a diamond in the rough and destined for greatness.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am thankful for my family and for the support of my community at HCC. I celebrate this accomplishment as my own because I kept going. Before being in any support service programs, I had an idea of what I wanted to be and who I am.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I had the potential but lacked the confidence to see that I was enough to succeed if only I kept going. To those who have not yet reached this peak, know that you, too, can make it if only you persevere.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is a place for you, a place where you belong, a place for you to learn to be your true authentic self.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To my peers, I see you, I believe in you, and I will meet you in the future that we will create and share with all our successes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Continue to be your truest self in the face of adversity. We made it!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations to the 2024 graduating class of Holyoke Community College!&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Carineh Santana '24, at Commencement&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20111" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/xinyan-jiang" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:25" CategoryIds="65|165|673" FileName="x20111.xml" Name="Xinyan Jiang" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-Xinyan-Jiang-web%280%29.jpg" Title="The Road Ahead" Abstract="Liberal arts major Xinyan Jiang '24 will continue her education at Amherst College in September after earning her associate degree from HCC on June 1. " ThumbnailAltText="Xinyan Jiang '24" IntroCopy="&quot;The road ahead was not always so clear, but one thing was clear to us all: we are better with an education than without it.&quot; – Xinyan Jiang '24" Date="2024-06-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Xinyan Jiang gives a Commencement address&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/Xinyan-Jiang-2-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: Liberal arts major Xinyan Jiang '24 delivered the following remarks as a student orator at Commencement on Saturday, June 1.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'W&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;elcome to the graduating class of 2024!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is an exciting time for students, family members, faculty, and everyone else who is here to celebrate our great success and what we have worked hard for in getting our degrees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We've strived and pushed forward despite challenges, difficulties, and hardships.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The road ahead was not always so clear, but one thing was clear to us all: we are better with an education than without it. The new ideas we were exposed to made us think differently about ourselves and the world. Our lives will move forward after graduation, but no matter what road we are on, we will continue on the path of self-discovery, learning, and growth.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here at HCC, we come from diverse backgrounds. Many of us are first in our families to attend college, many of us come from low-income households, and others of us are returning to school after time away.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But regardless of our different starting points, we all share one common experience, and that is, we did not have a clue of what to expect when we first arrived here.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How many of you knew which buildings were which, or knew the shortcuts to getting around places?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I've been here for two years, and I still haven't figured out how to move from one building to the next without getting wet!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The most important thing is that we're all in the same place now at HCC, and we will use our education to do great things moving forward.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some of us will use our education for self-fulfillment, some of us will take our two-year degree to a better job, and some of us will transfer to a four-year college and continue a formal education. But we're all still learning and growing, aren't we?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My journey to HCC, and now to Amherst College, was a unique one. I grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When I graduated from high school and people asked me what my next steps were, I said I wanted to go to Amherst College but was afraid of being far away from family and how I would manage to pay my bills.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A year later, I discovered that my uncle owned a restaurant across from Amherst College. And there I was, 17 years old, working at a restaurant right across from Amherst College, while I dreamed about someday being a part of that community.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But a dream stays a dream until it is acted upon. I cleaned tables and served customers for AN ENTIRE YEAR before I felt the urgency to apply to schools. When I was desperate for an education, I applied to UMass Amherst, but I was rejected due to a hastily prepared application.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This was a blow to my already fragile confidence. Day after day, working as a server/ cashier/ janitor, I felt my life stagnating. The monotony and lack of growth in these roles prevented me from seeing my potential as a person in the world capable of creating change.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yet, I did not give up. I continued to pursue what I believed was bigger than myself. I thought about the sacrifices that came before me &amp;ndash; my parents &amp;ndash; who arrived in the United States with nothing more than a handful of bills in their pockets and a relentless drive to provide a comfortable life for us.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Inspired by their courage, I realized that a single rejection could not deter my path.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A few months later, I discovered HCC through a friend who had previously attended the college. I researched HCC on my own time and found that it was two and a half hours of commuting by bus! I needed to transfer between three different buses with long waiting times in between. But my longing for higher education and thirst for knowledge made me unstoppable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For almost an entire year before I got my driver's license, I woke up before dawn to catch the first bus. From these experiences, I learned that sometimes what you've experienced might not be pleasant at the time, but when you look back many years later, you will have realized that every step you've taken was meaningful in shaping who you become today.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I would like to thank HCC for offering programs that have significantly benefited my education: the TRIO program, the SAMP program, Pathways, and the CAPS center. I would like to thank HCC for making these resources free and accessible on campus, and I know that you too have used these resources.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With their help and your hard work, we celebrate success here today. And because nobody does it alone, I would like to thank the professors who have inspired me and made a difference in my two years here.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Specifically, I'd like to thank Professor Dailey for believing in my dreams and my ability to achieve them. During my first semester at HCC,&amp;nbsp;Dailey shared a powerful message with us: &quot;People can never take your education away from you.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those words shook me to my core, making me realize that the knowledge and skills I was acquiring here were assets that could not be diminished or stripped away by external circumstances.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since then, I have decided to pursue this dream relentlessly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, I am proud to stand here at the graduation ceremony with all of you and celebrate getting our associate degrees.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you. &quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Xinyan Jiang '24 speaks at Commencement.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20109" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/jason-maurice" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:25" CategoryIds="673" FileName="x20109.xml" Name="Jason Maurice" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-Jason-Maurice-web.jpg" Title="'Be Proud'" Abstract="Jason Maurice, associate professor of psychology, gave the faculty address to graduates at HCC&quot;s 77th annual Commencement June 1. " ThumbnailAltText="Associate professor of psychology Jason Maurice" IntroCopy="&quot;As you continue to construct your life story, remember to live with kindness, compassion, and empathy toward others, for it is through our connections with one another that we do our best work.&quot; – Jason Maurice, associate professor of psychology" Date="2024-06-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jason Maurice&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/HCC-Jason-Maurice-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: Jason Maurice, associate professor of psychology, gave the following remarks during his faculty address to graduates at HCC&quot;s 77th annual Commencement June 1.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'I&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; want to welcome you all and thank you for coming out to recognize the accomplishments of the 2024 graduating class of Holyoke Community College. It is my privilege to give the faculty commencement speech today.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This speech is usually given by the winner of our Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence, which this year was Fred Cooksey. I'm sure if Professor Cooksey were here he would express his sincere gratitude to both the students who nominated him for the Marieb Award and his colleagues who chose him as this year's recipient.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Instead, it is my honor to celebrate the graduating class of 2024; AND, I had less time to prepare a speech so it will likely be shorter &amp;ndash; it's a win/win for everyone.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As an English professor, Fred would have inspired you with his beautiful prose. However, I'm a psychology professor, so instead I'm going to talk about scientific theory and research.&amp;nbsp;That other speech probably doesn't sound that bad now.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Graduates, each of you has a unique narrative, a story that has shaped you and brought you to this pivotal moment of achievement in your lives. The time you spent here at HCC has been just a small piece of your larger life-narrative, but, how will you weave your experiences here at Holyoke Community College into that larger life-narrative? And how will your time here change your future self?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Personality psychologist Dan McAdam's Theory of Narrative Identity suggests that we all construct an ever-changing life-narrative that creates consistency between our past, present, and future, providing us with a coherent identity.&amp;nbsp;In other words, HOW we tell the story of our past largely determines who we are in the present and how we will approach the future. Dr. McAdams and his colleagues conduct research through analyzing participants' life stories and have found several general themes in these autobiographical narratives, which can be found in everyone's life story.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While everyone's situation is unique, ALL of the graduates here will have their own stories about the struggles and sacrifices made for their education. Whether that's staying up all night to study for an exam, missing time with family to finish a paper, or retaking a particularly difficult class to get a better grade, you all have put in an immense amount of hard work and dedication, and, despite all of the set-backs, YOU DID IT.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;McAdams called these Redemption themes, where the events of your story begin in a relatively negative state but end on a positive. Those difficulties you faced, those struggles you endured, and the barriers you overcame led &amp;ndash; and will continue to lead &amp;ndash; to rewards and growth. It is important to include these types of stories in your life-narrative as they build what psychologists call self-efficacy &amp;ndash; a belief that you can achieve your goals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remembering these stories will increase your persistence, determination, and grit to help you overcome the inevitable obstacles we will all face in life. Or, perhaps despite today's achievement, some of you are experiencing Contamination themes in your current life-story.&amp;nbsp;McAdams described these themes as ones where the narrator is in a relatively negative place by the end of the story. Perhaps you didn't do as well as you had hoped and didn't get into the next educational program you were hoping to attend, or maybe you are having difficulty finding a job even with your new degree, or some unforeseen negative event has become the focus of your story.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Always remember, while the facts of your story do not change, you are the narrator of your life story and you have the power to intentionally construct your story &amp;ndash; there are opportunities for creating meaning and learning from every situation. Research has shown that people whose life-narrative involves finding positive meaning even from negative events tend to be happier and show higher emotional well-being.&amp;nbsp;And, when you find yourself in the midst of a Contamination moment in your life story, just keep moving forward, because there is a future Redemption story on the other side of that difficult moment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All of you will have stories of your time at HCC that involve you as a driving force behind your success &amp;ndash; you worked extra hard to pass that difficult course, you juggled work, family, and classes while maintaining your GPA, you pushed yourself and overcame challenges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;McAdams would call these themes of Agency &amp;ndash; agency involves empowerment, initiative, and personal achievement.&amp;nbsp;You should be proud of yourself because YOU ARE the driving force behind your success and achievements.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But, no one achieves success on their own. All of you will also have stories involving themes of Communion; that is, relationships and shared experiences with the people around you who helped move your story forward.&amp;nbsp;Your narratives will involve people, many of whom are here today, who supported you during your educational journey at HCC - friends and family who believed in you even when you didn't, professors who became mentors, or classmates who grew into lifelong friends.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As you continue to construct your life story, remember to live with kindness, compassion, and empathy toward others, for it is through our connections with one another that we do our best work.&amp;nbsp;As you reflect back on your time and experiences at HCC, how will you construct your narrative? How will you integrate these experiences into your life-story? What will be the predominant themes in your stories and how will that influence you as you begin your next chapter?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In closing, it is with sincere gratitude that I am able to represent the faculty at today's commencement and I want to express OUR immense pride in the 2024 graduates of HCC. We wish you all future success as you continue to construct your own unique narrative.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations 2024 graduates of Holyoke Community College!&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Associate professor of psychology Jason Maurice delivers the faculty address at Commencement on June 1.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20112" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/president-timmons" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:25" CategoryIds="66|673" FileName="x20112.xml" Name="President Timmons" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/Timmons-commencement-web.jpg" Title="'You found a way'" Abstract="During his first HCC Commencement address, President George Timmons praised graduates for their achievements and encouraged them to stay connected to HCC." ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons " IntroCopy="&quot;Your achievements are the combined result of what happens when you have the audacity to dream big; and when you harness the discipline to set goals – of all sizes and with varying timelines – and remain focused on achieving them.&quot; – President George Timmons" Date="2024-06-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President George Timmons &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/Timmons-commencement-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editors note: President George Timmons offered the following remarks to the class of 2024 during his first HCC Commencement ceremony on June 1.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'G&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;raduates, it is a joy to stand before you today and offer congratulations for all you have achieved that brings you to this moment. You have earned your college degree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I want to be clear in stating that you have earned the degree or certificate for which you are present today. You are not simply receiving it as a gift. It was not granted to you because of your charm or sense of humor. No one owed you a favor and said, &quot;You know, I think I'll give them a college degree...&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was earned. By you and you alone. You put in the work, and we are here today to celebrate you.&amp;nbsp;Your achievements are the combined result of what happens when you have the audacity to dream big; and when you harness the discipline to set goals &amp;ndash; of all sizes and with varying timelines &amp;ndash; and remain focused on achieving them.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But dreams and goals did not change the fact that, over the course of your journey at Holyoke Community College, there were some uphill battles. The obstacles you faced in the pursuit of your degree may have sometimes felt insurmountable.&amp;nbsp;Yet, you found a way forward.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I imagine that your forward progress was thanks in part to the friends, family, faculty, staff, scholarship donors, co-workers, and community members present today.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Graduates, please rise and join me in a round of applause for all those who have supported you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Members of the class of 2024, dreaming big and setting goals does not end when you walk across the stage today. By definition, &quot;Commencement&quot; signifies &quot;beginning,&quot; or the start of something ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, you will begin to chart a new path. You will do so with lessons learned from your time at Holyoke Community College. There will, no doubt, be more obstacles along your journey. But I have absolute confidence that you will meet them with the resilience, passion, and drive you developed while at HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The commencement we celebrate today also signifies the start of your new relationship with Holyoke Community College. This morning, you will hear from alumni whose relationship with HCC has only deepened since their time in the classroom, and that is my hope for each of you as well, that you will reflect on the transformational experience you had Holyoke Community College and consider the people and opportunities that helped shape who you are today.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You are a better writer, a critical thinker, an engaging presenter, inspiring artist, compassionate caregiver, and creative problem-solver because of your time at Holyoke Community College. You have added new layers to your identity. Chief among them: college graduate, and HCC alum.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;May your experiences at Holyoke Community College guide you along a path to greatness, and may you never forget where it all started.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Part of what drew me to Holyoke Community College were our shared values of innovation, collaboration, kindness, inclusion, and trust. These values unite our community and guide all that we do.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So, if I might offer you one final assignment before you cross the stage today:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The good news is &amp;ndash; there is no deadline for this assignment.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I just ask that you practice the following each day:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Lead with empathy and seek to understand;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Respect the uniqueness of every individual;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Take risks, be flexible, and learn from your mistakes;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Assume good will. Be honest with yourself and with others;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; And don't go it alone. Bring others together in pursuit of goals and the common good.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When we share these values, anything is possible.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations, Holyoke Community College class of 2024!&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: President George Timmons speaks to graduates at Commencement&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20118" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/grad-story" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:25" CategoryIds="66|65|673" FileName="x20118.xml" Name="Grad story" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-Grad-web-6V2A0974.jpg" Title="'You earned this'" Abstract="HCC celebrated the class of 2024 at its 77th Commencement ceremony June 1 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. " ThumbnailAltText="A grad celebrates at Commencement after receiving diploma" IntroCopy="HCC celebrates class of 2024 at 77th Commencement" Date="2024-06-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Nyasia Aguirre celebrates Commencement &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/HCC-Nyasia-Aguirre-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A college diploma is not a gift, Holyoke Community College President George Timmons told soon-to-be graduates of the class of 2024. Nor is it something granted based on charm or sense of humor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;No one owed you a favor,&quot; he said. &quot;It was earned. By you and you alone. You put in the work, and we are here today to celebrate you.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/president-timmons&quot;&gt;President Timmons offered his remarks&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;from the stage in the MassMutual Center arena during HCC's 77&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;nbsp;annual Commencement, praising graduates for having the &quot;audacity to dream big,&quot; setting goals &amp;ndash; and achieving them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Dreaming big and setting goals does not end when you walk across the stage today,&quot; he said. &quot;Today, you will begin to chart a new path. You will do so with lessons learned from your time at Holyoke Community College. There will, no doubt, be more obstacles along your journey. But I have absolute confidence that you will meet them with the same resilience, passion, and drive you developed while at HCC.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC awarded associate degrees and certificates to 709 graduates on Saturday, June 1. Graduates hail from 68 different Massachusetts cities and towns, states as far away as Florida and California, and countries including Russia, Chile, and Nepal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/jason-maurice&quot;&gt;In his faculty address&lt;/a&gt;, Jason Maurice, associate professor of psychology, gave graduates a micro-lesson on the Theory of Narrative Identity by personality psychologist Dan McAdams, who suggests that one's &quot;life-narrative&quot; is continually in flux, incorporating past, present and future.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;While everyone's situation is unique,&quot; he said, &quot;all the graduates here will have their own stories about the struggles and sacrifices made for their education. Whether that's staying up all night to study for an exam, missing time with family to finish a paper, or retaking a particularly difficult class to get a better grade, you all have put in an immense amount of hard work and dedication, and, despite all of the setbacks, you did it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The stories of graduates were one of the focal points of the ceremony, as two members of the class of 2024 took the stage to relate their own struggles.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/carineh-santana&quot;&gt;Carineh Santana,&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;of Holyoke, described the challenges of being a queer, Latina, first-generation college student while pursuing a career in engineering, a field dominated by white men.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In many moments,&quot; she said, &quot;I felt like I didn't belong. I felt intimidated that I wasn't as smart as everyone else.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With her associate degree from HCC complete, Santana will be moving on to the University of Massachusetts Amherst to pursue a bachelor's degree in engineering. She credited her family and HCC support programs TRIO, El Centro, and STEM Starter Academy with helping her overcome many challenges, which included a concussion that nearly derailed her college plans.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;And yet here I stand,&quot; she said. &quot;Triumphant &amp;ndash; that is what I am, here with you all, here with my supporters who pushed me to be the best version of me. Here with all my peers, professors, advisers, and family members, who helped me on my journey.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/xinyan-jiang&quot;&gt;Liberal arts major Xinyan Jiang &lt;/a&gt;of Amherst, a Chinese immigrant who grew up in Philadelphia, said she was inspired by the sacrifices of her parents, &quot;who arrived in the United States with nothing more than a handful of bills in their pockets and a relentless drive to provide a comfortable life for us.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jiang worked long hours in an Amherst restaurant cleaning and waiting tables before she felt the urgency to apply to college and was rejected in her initial attempt to go to UMass. Instead, she enrolled at HCC and in September will be attending Amherst College, her dream school.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We've strived and pushed forward despite challenges,&quot; she told her classmates. &quot;The road ahead was not always so clear, but one thing was clear to us all: we are better with an education than without it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Members of the HCC class of 2024 celebate Commencement at the MassMutual Center in Springfield on June 1.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20121" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-sp24" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:25" CategoryIds="3|65|165" FileName="x20121.xml" Name="Deans List SP24" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg" Title="Spring 2024 Dean's List" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize all the students who earned Dean's List honors for the Spring 2024 semester. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Campus Center" IntroCopy="HCC announces Spring 2024 Dean's List" Date="2024-06-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Campus Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. A student is placed on the Dean's List if their G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher. The students below have earned Dean's List honors for the Spring 2024 semester.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ian Gregory Burns, Dylan M. Christy, Kendyl Rose Donner, Megan Rae Duquette, Eric Andrew Jorgensen, Daniel J. Lathrop, Tatsiana Marcu, Elise Mackenzie Nooney, Arianna Rose Paglia, Phu Phan, Ryan May Simon-DeCoteau, Jillian Smith, Alina Jane Zalivchii.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Arin Andrews, Kai Francisco Caban, Alison Ruth Cunningham, Angel Amari DeJesus, Loic Doin, Lexie B. Ephraim, Daniele Weidlich Freitas, Elizabeth Christine Hanlon, Lily Hana Kaufman Harris, Benjamin Haupt, Xinyan Jiang, Andrew Jones, Benjamin Keil, Bogdan Konev, Yuxin Lei, Mingxi Pan, Zackary Taylor Reeve, Gabriel Scott, Andrew Joel Smith, Brianna M. Thompson-Blake, Katherine Wang, Joshua A. Werhane.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Joseph Baltazar, Eileen Rosemary Barrington, John William Barrington, Christine Victoria Bertone, Samual Bertsch, Chloe Breton, Jacob Daniel Chaisson, Elizabeth Pearl Charron, Rebekah Clough, Heather Conti, Carolyn Easton, Ethan Daniel Fay, Matt Fournier, Zacharie L. Gilley, Joel Daniel Gonzalez, Caterina Clementine Guerin, Lexi Ann Harris, Josephine Rae Jacobsen, Chloe Marie Jenks, Peter V. Kerantzas, Morgan Brier Kite, Hailey M. Lamica, Sarah Nicole Layzer, Callan Jeremy Martin, Karl McAvoy, Caleigh McCormack, Summer Alanna McLaughlin, Olga Minina, Brandon Thomas Morra, Kassidy Renee Morrissette, Caleb O'Brien, Justin Allen Pendrick, Abigail Rose Potter, Anja Potter, Tatiyana Rosario, Sarah Elizabeth Schrijn, Scott Adam Short, Elijah Cameron Smith, Aura Suarez Oviedo, Alex Silas Sussman, Neil David Toomey, Isabel Rose Vigneault, Max Porter Wojcik.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bernardston:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Molly Ladner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Blandford:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kaitlyn Phillips.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Boca Raton, Fla.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Katelyn Emily Lussier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bondsville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alice Peabody.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brimfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nicole M. Bessette, Breanna Arlene Goodrich, Harrison Meitzler.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chester:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Misty Raye Robitaille.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chesterfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Liliana Manley.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Elisa Nichole Albelo, Chance Daniel Almonte, Abigail Arriaga, Alicia Rose Beaton, Taylor Nicole Beauregard, Alyssa Bent, Sydney Linda Blanchette, Sophia Ann Bolston, Sarah Jamie Buckley, Nichole Bullock, Gabriel Louis Cedeno, Jacky Chan, Kostiantyn Chernytskyi, Liliana Eve Colon, Giovanni Cotto, Norah Culloo, Alex Del Valle, Alexzander Noel Delgado, David Paul Depalo, Abrianna Jade Doyle, Zachary Taylor Dubreuil, Mackenzie Rose Durand, Hannah Flowers, Christopher Fondakowski, Kseniia Allisa Fox, Zoe Marie Fydenkevez, Jaymen Pasi Gill-Suaava, Renee Gordon, Brianna Stefania Gracey, Colin Jeffrey Granger, Daudy Pasquale Guerrero, Victoria Margarite Guilmette, Megan Harrington, Kyren Harris, Chonvee Heng, Courtney Hernke, Kylie Amanda Hochrein, John Paul Hoppock, Dhyani Ife, Stacey Jarmuzewski, Danielle Monique Johnson, Rebecca A. Jolly, Natalia Lanice Nashi Jones, Keith Micheal Kiefer, Kyle Kokosa, Desarae Laboy, Carson Matthew Langlois, Joshua C. Laxton, Seunghyun Lee, Spencer Lawrence Lefebvre, Elisabeth Loiselle, Andres Lopez Pozo, Chantal Dalys Lugo, McKenna Aurore Malanowski, McKallum Shaw Malanowski, Arrianna Marsh, Angel Manuel Martinez Lopez, Meagan Monroe, Sara Monsalve, Evan Daniel Montero, Renee Ortiz, Shannon Lynn Paige, Kendra Ann Paquette, Sandra Elizabeth Parente, Tracy Deih Parsons, Hanna May Patrick, David Christopher Perez, Monica Pich, Morgan Catherine Pierog, Steven Michael Placzek, Andrew William Pont, Janira Portorreal, Brian Pride, Kristen Provost, Kari Shay Ribadeneyra, Diana Teresa Rivera, Hannah Rivera, Javier Rivera, Jessica M. Robienczak, Alondra Rodriguez-Rios, Yesenia Roman, Anita Rotar, Amelia Wiktoria Sadowski, Cassandera Marie Santoro, Mohamad Zuhir Sawan, Natalie Rose Sliwa, Samantha Lee Smith, Jonathan M. St. George, Renee Lee Suckau, Nathan Paul Szukala, Audreyona Lynnae Taylor, Cameisha Fallon Taylor-Smith, Isabel Cristina Teixeira, Ashley Ivelisse Terron, Vincent Edward Spencer Thaxton, Megan Marie Therrien, Nataliia Usach, Samora Winston Vanhorne, Sydney Rose Wietecha, Angelina Christina Williams, Andrew Nelson Williams Sr.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mayalan Anna Alameh, Katherine Mary Baxendale, Vincent Thomas Bednarzyk, Mason Alexander DiPietro, Viktoriia Fedosh, Madelynn Ayanna Gamber, Tahiadul Hoque, Scott LaFlamme Jr., Caitlin Rose Loiselle, John Margeson, William John Milanczuk, Nolan Michael Moore, Nina Halina Yelle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Otis:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Matthew Alexander Anthony.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alexandra Joanne Adams, Carissa Maire Batura, Nathan Alexander Biddulph, Brianna Dawn Brophy, Liam Edmund Burke, Zoe Clapp, Gabrielle D'Amour, Marlina Christine Devine, Gracelyn Helen Downer, Ashleigh Elaine Fox, Anthony Giard, Nataly Gonzalez, Jessica Lynne Grygorcewicz, Tiffany Jones, Lincoln Xavier KaneLong, Narvanie Lalchand, Nicole Lapointe, Caroline Mary Laveck, Jessica Leigh Leveille, Elizabeth Marie Loiselle, Justin Isaiah Malek, Robert Abel DeBerry Mobley, Nelson Kenneth Murphy, Drew J. Rackliffe, Khaila Kaoetzi Ramirez, Brandon James Reccord, Aidan Daniel Rist, Nicholas James Saccente, Karina Vaid, Casey Emma Wagner, Eleanor White, Kayleigh Ann Wright.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Enfield, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jasmine Antoine, Hannah Lorraine-Alison Boyd.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Erving:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;James Ryan Leclerc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Allison Dana Boucher, Laurel Louise Gielda, Amanda Hervieux, Sophia Hunt, Courtney Ann Matroni, Amanda Paige Ouellette, Alyssa Rondeau, Rowenn Stevens, Jessica Rae Taylor, Anneliese Townsend, Kelcie Elizabeth Velozo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Edward Cade Benson, William Frank Grady, Aidan Layne Jones, Oliver E. King, Elissa Nicole Lennon, Laura Michon, Geneva Mollins, Liliana Grace Pollard, Karissa Marie Robinson, Barbara Ann Santiago, Edward Charles Sarafin, Lucia Adams Warton.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sandra Alvarado, Adam J. Amidon, Maxwell Alan Anischik, Alexis Haziel Ariza, Denis Babic I, Jolanda Krystyna Dronski, Suzanne Charlotte Gordon, Olivia Lauren Hinkley, Garrett Michael Kosior I, Jan Ashlley Gumpal Masse, Colleen Marie McLaughlin, Nicholas Tyler Menard, Declan James Otto, Brayden Palmer, Natalya Rosenberg, Jessica Annette Roy, Tracie Lynn Sexton, Austin Jason Smith, Evan Alexander Yanosky.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Madison Amber Neiweem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Greenfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Stephen Buttaro, Katherine Ann Guzman.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gary Michael Andres Jr., Katelyn May Kelley, Skyler Lloyd, Casey Magas, Cole Tucker.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hampden:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Samantha Diane Burnett, Brendan Quinn Kessler, Adam Edward Poulin, Amy M. Scott.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hatfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ian Gaitenby-Smith.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Haydenville:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Zachary Michael O'Connell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Elizabeth Alvarado, Ryan Edward Aswegan, Maya A. Baksh, Jonathan Omar Benitez, Shae B. Blaisdell, Dustin Corey Bonnoyer, Liushka Borrero Ramos, Maximilian Alexander Bruel, Darien Bulgado, Katherine Mariel Cabrera Veloz, Alvin Rey Torres Carabuena, Andrea L. Cartabona, Yaritzia Castillo Torres, Luis Humberto Centeno, Lakeysha Tali Chavez, Ladeyshka Chavez, Michael Cranshaw, Jeremy Misael Cruz, Janiel Nehemias Cruz, Hayley Marie Cunningham, Destiny Zariah Davis, Christian De la Torre Santoyo, Brian Diaz, William Diaz Jr., Paige Hannah Dooley, Brendan Michael Duval, Margaret Eileen Farrell, Isabella Garbiel-Achorn, Karyna Gaston-Feliciano, Tessa Gauthier, Avery Haskins, Nicole Louise Henchey, Anamaria Bianca Ivan, Estrella Marie Jusino, Nuriye Kartal, Brendan Joseph Kavanah, Cathryne Mary Kennedy- Cruz, Jordan Martha Larkin, Daley S. Levesque, Gabriel Ernesto Linares, Kaizer Maximus Lopez, Raymond William Lora-Pena, Desiree Angelica Luna-Walsh, Khamauri Maitland, Oceana Maldonado, Lizbeth Martinez, Luis Yandel Medina, Jennifer Marie Monserrate, Alejandra Lee Morales, David Moses, Michael Ernest Pepe, Izaak Antonio Perez, Elle Elizabeth Platanitis, Rosamond Jacinta Goncalves Porter, Jessika Mar-lyn Richards, Camryn Rist, Erykka Rocha, Jessica Conceicoa Sanches, Chasity Santiago, Destene Santiago II, Matthew Santiago I, Marcus J. Simon, Victoria Rose Smith, Kristina Smith, Aidan Stark, Patrick John Sweeney, Adam Joseph Sypniak, Verenyse Vargas, Marangelly Vargas-Gonzalez, Mei-Lin Velez, Karen Webb, Aidan Clarence Whitley, Christine Winberg, Maria Fernanda Zaya, Ethan Malyke Zayas.&lt;strong&gt;Indian Orchard:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kimberlee Barrows.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Staci Alice Barrett.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leeds:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Haley Elizabeth Miller.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leverett:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Emily Helen Owen, Cole Quinlan Perkins.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sean Delson, Sadie Marceau Diana, Maevince Tolentino Dorotan, Anthony Ekmalian, Angela Gentile, Alisa Michelle Goldberg, Lauren Marie Parker, Brady Matthew Russell, Regan K. Ryczek.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kayla Ann Bourcier, Alexandra Antosia Bunko, Jonathan Paul Dos Santos, Kristen Marie Fairthorne, Kyle Tanner Fortune, Burak Ibas, Caitlyn Isabell Lanou, Jessica Rose Lasky, Abigail Reagan Lavoie, Daniel Lagoa Machado, Finn Vaz Mateus, Veronica Mendes, Makayla Grace Nelson, Elsa Shea Ouimette, Olivia Nicole Parker, Katelynn Carol Richard, Zachary Rulen Rodrigues, Victoria Avalon Sagan, Kayden Morgan Singleton, Nikolaus Soja, Cecelia Elizabeth Spice, Melissa Szumski, Cornelia del carmen Taveras III,Collin David Taylor, Gabrielle Marie Zebrowski.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mattapoisett:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Felix Alberto Perez III.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Millers Falls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Madison May Chmyzinski.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nicole Chambers, Madison Amber Farquhar, Kim Marie Harris, Lauren Marie Harris, Sienna Jorja Hebert, Crystal Kenyon, Madison Noelle Milne, Logan James Mitchell, Jack T. Mitchell, Emily Lucille Nadeau, Tyrone E. Wolf.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Montague:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Michaela Ocean Karle.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;New Salem:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rachel Smith.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;North Attleboro:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kevin Ryder.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;North Brookfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Roxann Teresa Banks.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;North Granby, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Isabella Rose Brothers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;North Hatfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Loni Thibault.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Leah Ansaldo, Owen Aptekar-Cassels, Sarah Kathryn Belote, Sophie Bennett, Aaron Michael Bergeron, Dahlia Jospehine Bialek, Peyton Boughton, Caroline Elisabeth Cole, Jesse Knox Conner, Dylan Thomas Cowart, Kimberly Jean Dahlberg, Melinda Marie De Arruda, Richard Paul De Arruda III, Bethany FieldsTatihana Gero, Ryan Christopher Gerwe, Kerri Lee Hammersley, Devan Alexis Hudson-Rockwell, Caitlin Menzyk, Caitlin Menzyk, Orlando Morales, Andrew Larry Gale Rudnicki, Christina Ruggiero-Corliss, August Alexander Shar, Rebecca Gene Tremblay, Nathan William Wack, Kai Emmett Winslow, Jeremy M. Wright Jr.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oceanside, Cal.:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Zasha Esther Valentin.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Orange:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thomas John Thibeault.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Payton Eleanor Baer, Chelsea Jean Bigos, Joseph Vincent Black, Grace J. Maria Cosby, Colin William Doktor, Jillian M. Doyle, Sara Vivian Dresser, Nichole May Spaulding, Tanner Edwin Wenzel, Rielle Renae Wynn.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Paxton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Aria Genevieve Stegbuchner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pittsfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Crystal Natalie Villanueva.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Russell:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Connor Michael Hourihan.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Savoy:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mystie Ford.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;S&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;helburne Falls:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Nathan Michael Jacques.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Deerfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Makayla Naomi Santos.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Judd Austin Allen, Yinia Maria Arce, Carol Ruth Balise, Angela Rose Bessone, Ella R. Campbell,&amp;nbsp;Sarah Sachs Carragher, Daniel Michael Conway, Isaac James Crouch, Helen Deater-Deckard, Max Stephen Doisneau, Alexandra Mieg Gates, Silas Gabriel Gelinas, Ashley L. Graziadei, Olivia Hann, Nick Thomas Hollis Jr., Laila May Kovacs, Alyssa Rae Lund, Reese Melissa Mackenzie, Sarayah Petra Manoogian, Brady Kyle Nestor, Jacob Ryan Palmer, Mickayla Patruno, Sean Adam Petit, Craig Pfister, Amber Michelle Rodrigue, Michelle L. Sherette, Jordyn Cade Sicard, Dominique Wilkins.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Walpole:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Andrew Edward Falzone.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jessa Mae Craig, Emma Kathleen Czarniecki, Kyle Shawn Dale, Emerson William Folta, Wilson Mark Heath, Tyler Hetu, Nicholas Michael Kubosiak, Charles Dean Little, Alexander Austin Mayo, Justin Andrew Meunier, Meredith Megan Mielke, Samantha Mae Moran, Liam Charles Packey, Katherine Nicole Pawlikowski, Shannyn Agnes Samuelson, Laila Jayne Skawski, Gabrielle Dominique St. John, Gabrielle Terasina Tisdale.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southbridge:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kody Janis Chamberlain.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jessecah Mary Gower, Lauren Hauser, James John Loughery Jr., Elijah Vincent Robinson, Brandon Gregory Schmidt, Ronald Daniel Singh, Diana Viola Streete, Alina Viktorchuk.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Daniel E. Abelin, Jorgette Agramonte Garcia, Nyasia Janyce Aguirre, Eric Lamoure Allen, Tatiana Alvarado, Jacob Emmanuel Amaro, Joshiel Enrique Aponte-Berly, Doris A. Arias, Nancy Baez-Zayas, Dantae Xavier Bates, Aurora Jubilee Burgess, Damanir Gabriella Carrasquillo, Zachary Michael Ciano, Sonia I. Colon, Colin Consedine, Donatien-Takeys Cooke, Aimee Cordero, Julian Cortes, Jonathan Cotto, Anabel Cruz, Wigenid Cruz Giboyeaux, Griffin John Daley, Devika Darjee, Krystina D'vonne Davis, Maria De Jesus Garcia, Mayra DeJesus, Amabely Dias Velasquez, Samantha Jo Dion, Julius Shelby Dixon, Marc G. Nelson Dortilus, Elhajj Malik ElShabazz, Virginia Lane Futrell, Devon Jose Goncalves, Jhianny Clarimil Gonzalez Paulino, One Green, Jennifer Hannigan, Taylor Autumn Hebert, Sonia Monique Kilpatrick, Michael Joseph Langone, Ryan Leonard, Zongyi Lin, Amisa Loochi, Cristian Alejandro Lopez, Janalis Luna, Aryanna Adalis Major, Antonio Luis Malave, Brendalee Mangual, Yoly K. Marte, Denisse Marie Martinez, Josiah Mickens, Glenn Craig Moore, Noah Michael Mulcahy, Marianna Navarro, Dhayonna Amma Nichols, Yadiel Nieves, Roberto Manuel O'Leary-Moreno, Shoshana P. Olkin, Awilda Oquendo, Ryan Patrick, Ian Eric Paxton, Tiziano Perra Jr., Aiquacha Powell, Shabani Ramazani, Leslie Leslie Ramirez Sanchez de Lopez, Christopher Daniel Rivera, Susan M. Rivera, Jarinelys Rivera, Tatiana Rivera, Daeshavana Robinson, Jonathan Rodriguez, Angela Marie Rodriguez-Hudyka, Robert H. Ryan, Mushab Samir, Estrella Nicole Santiago Quinones, Idalice Serrano, Candace Jean Skot, Dakotah Smith, Noah Isadore Staub, Jameasa Lucille Taylor, Kyle H. Thai, Angellese Thomas, Yamery Vasquez, Julianne E. Velez, John M. Vogel, Dazhari Lee Wilson, Dominique Marie Wise, Alexis Wolcott, Megan Zabik, Maelene Kristin Zavala.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Suffield, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Joy Beth Watroba.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunderland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Matthew Zachariah Barrows, Julissa Selen Colon, Sonia Valintina Szala-Krotkov.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three Rivers:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Zackary Eric Aktiv, Catherine Rose Caney, Natasha Susan Vazquez.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tolland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Maria Solek.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Turners Falls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Grace Lillian Grover.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vernon, Vt.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Paige Marie Neal.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wales:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gabryelle Makalyn Fullen, Esai Laferriere, Evan Michael Thomas, Brianna Rose Woodard.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nicholas Richard Bera, Shelly S. Bowder, Kristen Marie Dubuque, Briana Danielle Geane, Jenna Elizabeth Gunther, Hannah Rose Jacques, Brittney Lavigne, Christopher J. Mancuso, Summer Arlene Prevost, Shalyn Loretta Royer, Courtney Jean Shea, Theresa Marie Sutton, Arianna Vila, Pandora Sage Washburn, Jessica Robyn Waters Harris.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Warren:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Emma Mary Czaporowski, Alexis Marie Olearczyk.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Hartford, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Larissa Barriento.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hussein Zamel Al Haron, Shawq Husham Aljanabi, Kiersten Annette, Adrianna Grace Boardway, Hannah Camille Bonifacio, Christopher John Bowers, Jacob Parker Bruni, Ryan Brady Colbert, Savannah E. Comstock, Ingrid M. Cubias-Bonilla, Stephanie Michelle Danek, Pauline Renee Delton, Joseph Merrill Desrosiers, Emily Sandra Dodson, Emily Rose Drouin, Kiera Rose FitzGibbon, Gabriel Isaiah Gladden,Grace M. Gorman, Elizabeth A. Hart, Haleigh Holloway, Antonio Foster Horta-Lent, Alicia Marissa Jaundoo, Nadine Rachel Kaptyug, Corey Benjamin Kuang, April Lynne LaBombard, Viktor Lytvynenko,&amp;nbsp;Hannah Allisabeth Maiorano, Abigail Rose Michalek, Madison Tyra Moore, Brianna Catherine Morisset,Tatiana Nejelschi, Conor Eric Neumann, Craig Charles Nielsen, Eric Carl Ouellette, Sherie Alexandra Paredes, Bindiya Patel, Alessandra Petschke, Crystal Ramirez, Rosalynn Iris Rivas Cruz, Robenier Nathaniel Rivera, Allyson Rose Schempp, Jenna Scripture, Kaitlyn Nancy Sheehan, Alex Suarez,Niasia Torres, Duygu Yeniay Silva, Maya Grace Zadie.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Eve Katherine Bartlett, Alicia Carolina Booth, Emma Catherine Brumley, Katharine Marie Burzynski, Ambar Mery Cabral, Jenna Marie Cardin, Allyson Mary Carnes, Raven Elexio Carrasquillo, Jillian Elizabeth Carter, Sarah Elizabeth Circe, Jamie Renee Collier, Chelsea Margaret Conroy, Paige Abigail Cortis, Grace David, Stefanie D. Davis, Ryan Victor DeFalco, Laura Gabriella DelMonte, Isabella K. Dimino, Amanda Jillian Dupelle, Willow Eldridge, Staisha Kristina Engleman, Anjalina Maria Escalante, Kevin Ediel Flores Colon, Leah Tafadzwa Gara, Wandeliz Gonzalez Marrero, Michael David Goonan III, Travis David Guin, Quinn River Hamilton, Moia Hamilton, Elizabeth P. Hancharonak, Marissa Helms, Tahjae Neveah Hernandez, Robert Stephen Herrick, Alexander Hibert, Zuzanna Ela Hitchcock, Shaina Lorraine Horne, Lindsay Marie Hughes, Faith Meghan Johnson, McKenzie Grace Kiltonic, Caleb Martin Konopko, Elizabeth Sasha Kudrya, Nawal Hassan Langrial, Erica Nicole Levesque, Jessiam Lopez, Envii Marie Luciano, Cheyenne Marie Lusby Seery, Barbara McCoubrey, Caroline Elsie McKenzie, Moriah Jessica Morris, Stephen Charles Murphy, Michael Steffan Navarro Jr., Liana L. Parrilla, Emilie Pease, Dino Anthony Pietroniro, Amber Rose Plante, Joshua Procopio, Krista Marie Quaglieri, Sarah Elizabeth Reed, Raymond Lee Rivera, Ethan Miguel Romero, Dianelly Marie Salgado, Bradley Walter Sanders, David Tomas Santiago, Betsally Santos Castro, Kailyn Alexa Serrano-Rivera, Sarah Lorraine Shoemaker, Katelynn Sullivan, Heaven Leigh Timmerman, Valentina Nicole Vinces, Meagan Lee Vogel, Abigail Edith Wescott, Alyssa J. Wiatrowski, Liudmyla Yemelianova, Samuel F. Yesu, Fazna Zakir, Wunnyuriti Ismail Ziblim.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westhampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Elizabeth Enid Colon-Garcia, Gallivan Olivia Florek.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Zachary Alexander Clark, Madison Taylor Coite, Malyna Jade Dansereau, Grace Martin Dinelle, Deborah Ann Farnham, Madison Elizabeth Gallant, Nicholas A. Gentile, Rebecca L. Guertin, Miranda Lee Krauza,&amp;nbsp;Mariah Maggie Mahabir, Corey William Sharpe, Alison Smythe, Lindsey Nicole Tracy.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Williamsburg:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Johnathan Santiago.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Woburn:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mohamed Dahir Diriye.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20127" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/green-jobs-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:25" CategoryIds="69|194" FileName="x20127.xml" Name="Green Jobs Grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-EV-station-web.jpg" Title="Green Jobs Grant" Abstract="HCC has been awarded an $832,000 grant to help train workers for clean energy sector jobs, including EV charging station installers." ThumbnailAltText="A jeep charges up at an EV station on the HCC campus" IntroCopy="HCC awarded $832K grant" Date="2024-06-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;EV charging station at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/HCC-EV-station-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded an $832,000 grant to help train workers for clean energy sector jobs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The two-year grant, announced earlier this month, was part of an overall $3.4 million allocation from the Healey-Driscoll administration to three higher education institutions for climate-related workforce training initiatives. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC was the only institution in western Massachusetts to receive funding. Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology and Roxbury Community College, both in Boston, also received grant awards of $1.3 million each.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a great opportunity for the region,&quot; said Kermit Dunkelberg, HCC assistant vice president of adult education and workforce development. &quot;The state is putting a lot of investment into the clean energy sector, for a lot of reasons. To their credit, the Healey administration is very interested in getting some activity going in the western part of the state.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Overall, the grants will lead to green industry specific training for an estimated 400 individuals, 150 of them through HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dunkelberg said HCC and its community and industry partners will spend the next few months developing training programs in five areas: EV (electric vehicle) charging station installation; energy auditing; solar installation; green industry supervision and management; and green careers job readiness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You're starting to see electric vehicle charging stations more commonly now, but there is still a need to build a lot more of them, and there need to be people trained to do it,&quot; Dunkelberg said. &quot;And then, car companies will be able to sell more electric vehicles. All these things are connected.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In fact, he said, auto dealer Gary Rome wrote a letter in support of the grant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dunkelberg said there are businesses looking to get into the emerging EV station market, but it's difficult to start operations without enough trained employees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a chicken and egg problem,&quot; he said. &quot;We're going to be training people while these companies are trying to get their businesses going.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Electricians, he said, are critical in this emerging industry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In the clean energy sector, one of the biggest choke points, if not the biggest choke point, is the availability of enough training electricians to do the work,&quot; he said. &quot;To work as an EV charging station installer or a solar installer, you don't have to be a licensed electrician, but you have to have some experience as an electrician.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's partners in the grant include Holyoke Gas &amp;amp; Electric, Springfield Works, and the Coalition for Equitable Economy (CEE), an organization that supports businesses owned by persons of color. Holyoke Community College is a federally recognized Hispanic-Serving Institution, which was one of the eligibility requirements for the grant.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We'll be doing some small business development with the coalition with the goal of creating more opportunities for people of color,&quot; he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dunkelberg said he expects training to begin in early 2025 if not sooner. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC does a lot of work in the healthcare space,&quot; Dunkelberg said. &quot;This grant will enable us to provide opportunities in a totally different sector. There's a lot to learn here and new relationships to establish - quite a bit of groundwork to be done.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: A jeep charges up at one of the EV charging stations on the HCC campus.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20128" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/more-for-thrive" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:25" CategoryIds="69|193" FileName="x20128.xml" Name="More for Thrive" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/ROME-CHECK-web.jpg" Title="More for Thrive" Abstract="Auto dealer Gary Rome presented a $5,000 donation check to the HCC Foundation to support the college's Thrive Student Resource Center." ThumbnailAltText="Gary Rome presents a $5,000 donation check to HCC" IntroCopy="Auto dealer Gary Rome donates $5,000 for Thrive Student Resource Center" Date="2024-06-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Auto dealer Gary Rome presents a $5,000 ceremonial donation check to Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/ROME-CHECK-group-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Auto dealer Gary Rome presented a $5,000 donation check to the Holyoke Community College Foundation today to support the college's Thrive Student Resource Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The check is the result of funds raised in the foundation's annual &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; 24-hour fundraising campaign, which on April 23 raised a total of $164,313 for student-centered programs and scholarships. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to being on the HCC Foundation board, Rome is a regular donor, vocal advocate for HCC, and a key &quot;Together HCC&quot; partner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a campaign promotion this year, Rome, owner of Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke and Gary Rome Kia in Enfield, Conn., pledged to double all gifts from new donors up to $5,000.During the June 18 event, Rome presented an oversized, ceremonial check to Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Gary has been such a catalyst for the success of our 'Together HCC' campaign,&quot; said Sbriscia. &quot;His passion not only for the campaign, but for supporting our students, inspires others to do the same.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Thrive Center Student Resource Center manages the college's food pantry and provides services, such as food and housing assistance, that help address students' basic needs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It is our pleasure today to make this contribution to such a worthwhile initiative,&quot; said Rome, who was accompanied by his two vizslas, Daisy and Wynn. &quot;I think it's our responsibility to be a power of example and do all we can to help build a stronger community, and part of that is letting everyone know about the crown jewel we have right here, Holyoke Community College.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rome continued: &quot;My father told me, over and over again, 'What you put between your ears no one can ever take away,' so I want to help make sure that education is available to everyone.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Following the check presentation in the HCC Campus Center, Thrive Center Coordinator Ben Ostiguy led Rome on a tour of the center and HCC food pantry, which recently moved into larger spaces in the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I can't imagine being a student and trying to go to school without having breakfast or lunch,&quot; said Rome. &quot;We need to make food and housing available to students so that they can thrive and excel with their education.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;Together HCC&quot; campaign is a partnership between Rome and HCC that began in March 2020 to build community support and raise money for students experiencing financial distress during the pandemic. Since then, the event has become an annual day of giving to raise funds for the college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Thrive Center is such a critical space for our students that helps them remain on a path to earning their college degree,&quot; said Sbriscia. &quot;Thanks to Gary's support and gifts from so many of our alumni and friends, Thrive will continue to be a life-changing resource for our students.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Auto dealer Gary Rome presents a $5,000 ceremonial donation check to Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20146" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/mail-bonding" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:25" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x20146.xml" Name="Mail Bonding" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/Mail-Bonding-viewing-33_0-web.jpg" Title="Mail Bonding" Abstract="Holyoke Community College and Amherst College students created art, then mailed it to each other throughout the semester. The results? Out of the box." ThumbnailAltText="Mail bonding project" IntroCopy="HCC, Amherst College classes collaborate" Date="2024-07-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Mail bonding faculty&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/Mail-Bonding-faculty-47_0-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story was originally published June 17, 2024, on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amherst.edu/news/news_releases/2024/june/mail-bonding&quot; title=&quot;Mail Bonding&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Amherst College website.&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By KATHY WHITTEMORE&lt;br /&gt;Photos by JESSE GWILLIAM&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Courtesy of Amherst College&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Neither snow&amp;nbsp;nor&amp;nbsp;rain nor&amp;nbsp;heat nor gloom of night-nor Cold War repressions, nor Latin American regimes, nor the shaky post-pandemic postal service here in the Valley-has kept &quot;mail art&quot; creators from their appointed rounds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/m/mail-art&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Mail art&lt;/a&gt;, or postal art, is simply art that artists send through the mail to each other and beyond. Or, in this case, back and forth between the students in one Amherst College course and the students in one&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(HCC) course.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To address the backstory: Inspired by the Futurists and Dadaism, pop artist&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rayjohnsonestate.com/mail-art-ephemera#tab:thumbnails&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Ray Johnson&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;started sending out mail art in the 1950s. The practice resurfaced, later and elsewhere, as a work-around when authoritarian governments banned exhibits by certain artists.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.lomholtmailartarchive.dk/networkers/clemente-padin&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Clemente Pad&amp;iacute;n&lt;/a&gt;, jailed in 1977 during Uruguay's military dictatorship, wrote: &quot;Mail Art has become an instrument of battle and denunciation, calling on the tenacity of our peoples to win better, more humane living conditions, under the sign of social justice and peace.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amherst.edu/mm/673909&quot;&gt;Ludmila Ferrari&lt;/a&gt;, a visiting assistant professor of Spanish at Amherst, was inspired by this history-and decided to recreate it.&amp;nbsp;Thus, her course&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amherst.edu/mm/701247&quot;&gt;&quot;World-Making: Art in Times of Global War.&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For part of the curriculum, the students generated their own mail art-collages, poems, drawings and more-and then packaged them up for the students in the HCC course&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Documents/Publications/CC/CC_2023-24.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;'&lt;em&gt;Pa'lante compa&amp;ntilde;eros&lt;/em&gt;': Social Justice Movements in Black and Brown Communities.&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;It was taught by Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez (Latinx studies and Spanish) and Mark Clinton (political science and history).&amp;nbsp;The HCC students, in return, mailed their own creations to Amherst, as each group reacted to the other's offerings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Said Yakira Sameth, a Mount Holyoke College student in the Amherst class, &quot;It was like Christmas every time a package came. It was so exciting.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Exciting, but also mysterious, added Isabel Sanchez '26: &quot;It was like receiving a puzzle. We had no idea what they were trying to say, but I think that's what made it so fun.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Amherst students would work together to analyze the HCC student art and then, in response, mail back their own contributions.After a semester of presenting these presents, there was a presentation. The mailed art was displayed in the Community Room at Holyoke Public Library, and the students met each other face to face. That night, the delicious fragrance of arroz con pollo filled the room and a riot of art covered the walls.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some examples: A pencil drawing of a small school next to a prison, encircled by barbed wire, with the phrase &quot;The School-to-Prison Pipeline.&quot; A large sign with gold rickrack around it that said, &quot;History disintegrates the closer you get to life.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A picture of a tree with what looked like orange and yellow leaves but could be flames, with the caption: &quot;If this tree wasn't on fire, it would weep to watch what's happening to the hands that tended it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A mailing label which simply said, &quot;&lt;em&gt;Futuro Amigo&lt;/em&gt;.&quot;At the event, Ferrari talked about the meaning and strategy of mail art. &quot;It was developed when frontiers were closed, when artists could not collaborate because they were divided by political differences,&quot; she said. &quot;So we incorporated this technique to create channels in which we can have unique collaborations and communications among our students.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Added Guti&amp;eacute;rrez: &quot;Our course is thematic, and we were talking about social movements, and mail art is part of a social movement. And we were trying to erase this gap between Amherst and HCC and the city of Holyoke as well.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Note his use of the word &quot;gap.&quot;&amp;nbsp; That word became a turning point in this mail art experience.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's because the Amherst students had created a misguidedly bucolic drawing of how they pictured the HCC campus and sent it to Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When we got it, we were like, 'That's the total opposite,'&quot; said Anibella Reeves, a Latinx studies major at HCC. &quot;We don't have a waterfall, a bridge, a clock tower or anything like that. So we crossed out the picture and wrote 'The Gap' on it and sent it back to them. We wanted to show them that there's a big gap from what you think to how the reality is.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When the Amherst students received the marked-up image, they were taken aback.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;At first, I felt like sending the mail art was a fun experiment,&quot; said Enely Turbi Alvarez '24. &quot;But then there was this idea that was brought forth of the gap between us. That definitely wasn't a concept that we talked about in the beginning of the semester, but it grew organically out of the correspondence. And it was something that was pretty profound and serious.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC students, too, found they had gaps in their perceptions: Many thought of Amherst College as having a totally white&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amherst.edu/mm/316490&quot;&gt;student body,&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;before they learned otherwise.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Said Elias Villanueva Gomez '25, &quot;I grew up in Puerto Rico, and navigating life at Amherst can make you forget that you're part of a broader community.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He was grateful, he added, for this course and how mail art sparked deep thinking and rich conversation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Being able to mutually support each other?&quot; he said. &quot;That is something that can only come from this constant communication.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Ludmila Ferrari, visiting assistant professor of Spanish at Amherst College, stands with HCC professors Mark Clinton (political science) and Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez (Latinx Studies) in front of a mural in the community room at the Holyoke Public Library. (Thumbnail) Patrons view the mail art exhibit in the Holyoke Public Library.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20165" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/inauguration-speech" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:25" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x20165.xml" Name="Inauguration Speech" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-Timmons-speech-web-04192024timmons003.jpg" Title="'The Place for Me'" Abstract="On Friday, April 19, 2024, George Timmons gave these remarks during his inauguration as the fifth president of Holyoke Community College." ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons delivers his inauguration speech on April 19, 2024." IntroCopy="'Join me on this journey.&quot; – President George Timmons" Date="2024-04-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President George Timmons delivers his inauguration speech on April 19, 2024.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/TIMMONS-speech-point-web-6V2A9585.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: George Timmons delivered the following remarks on Friday, April 19, after being inaugurated as the fifth president of Holyoke Community College.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'I&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; am deeply honored to serve as the fifth president of Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like all journeys, this one would not have been possible without the help of many people. I have been fortunate to have the encouragement and love of family and friends, including the many academic leaders, coaches, and colleagues from whom I have learned &amp;ndash; and continue to learn &amp;ndash; the importance of perseverance, compassion, collaboration, and loving what you do.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To my brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi, who were family to me when I was yearning for a sense of brotherhood. My brothers here today epitomize the essence of Honorable Achievement in Every Field of Human Endeavor. Each day, I try to live by those words.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My parents, for giving me life and the opportunity to do this work.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My in-laws, Frank and Vivian, for their support and encouragement.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My extended family, for years of lifting me up and helping me see beyond my circumstances.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My brother Tyrell. If mom and dad were here today, I know they would be so proud of us. My journey pales in comparison to yours, and as much as I know &lt;em&gt;you&lt;/em&gt; look up to &lt;em&gt;me&lt;/em&gt;, I want you to know, I need you to know, that you are my hero.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My wife, Frankie. You have shared me with a profession that has often pulled me away from time with you and our kids. You recognized early-on that this was a calling for me, and you gave me space to pursue it. Thank you for your love, friendship, and true partnership.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And finally, I give thanks to my grandmothers, Elizabeth Perry and Ruby Tyson, for without whom I would not be standing here today.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ruby, now 91, raised me to be the man I am today. A man deeply humbled to be granted the opportunity to lead a truly exceptional community college.&amp;nbsp;Ruby taught me the value of education, which, she always said, will help you find your way, and, once earned, can never be taken away. Through both words and deeds, she taught me the value of a strong work ethic. Even if you're not the smartest person in the room, she told me, no one else can control how hard you work toward your goals.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But how does a kid who grows up in an environment where no one went to college, in a neighborhood where drug deals were the norm, who witnessed family members battle substance abuse, who was never the strongest student or the best athlete, and who was diagnosed with a learning disability in his late-30s &lt;em&gt;... &lt;/em&gt;become a college president?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'll be honest. Sometimes I pinch myself. The tremendous responsibility of this role &amp;ndash; of leading this institution &amp;ndash; is not lost on me.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I believe the answer to how I got here is the same collection of qualities that have led to the success of thousands of Holyoke Community College students over our 78-year history: Mindset. Hard work. And people believing in you almost more than you believe in yourself.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From the moment I was first introduced to Holyoke Community College, I knew this was the place for me. I was immediately drawn to words that seemed to jump off the page, calling me to explore the possibility of leading this extraordinary institution: &lt;em&gt;Educate. Inspire. Connect.&lt;/em&gt; A mission so simple, so direct, and yet so powerful that there can be no mistaking what we are about.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;A college of academic excellence known for helping students overcome barriers to success:&lt;/em&gt; A vision that boldly acknowledges that student success requires the combination of rigorous academic programs taught by exceptional faculty and the relentless commitment to supporting students outside the classroom.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I saw myself in these words and was drawn to an institution composed of people who, I quickly learned, are deeply committed to advancing this mission and vision every day.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today is a celebration: A celebration of diversity, excellence, and of what is possible when you &amp;nbsp;put students first. It's a celebration of our past and our potential. Today is a day to celebrate and reflect upon our strengths as an institution and the accomplishments we have achieved together.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today is also a celebration of the drive and spirit of those whose vision and commitment to educational access paved the way for Holyoke Community College today.&amp;nbsp;I stand before you as the fifth in a line of inspiring leaders of this institution, including Dr. Christina Royal, who is with us today. Dr. Royal, my thanks to you for handing off an institution poised to innovatively and collaboratively meet the needs of our students and driven to address the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I also stand on the shoulders of former presidents Bill Messner, David Bartley, and of course, George Frost. I am indebted to each of them.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Understanding and embracing the history of Holyoke Community College was important to me when joining this community as President, and I have had the honor of spending time with a number of truly remarkable alumni over the past few months.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As most of you know, at one time, the college was known as Holyoke Graduate School, and beginning in 1947, as Holyoke Junior College.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The staff at that time consisted of just two individuals: President George Frost and his secretary, Ellen Lynch. President Frost served in essentially every administrative role, functioning as dean of faculty, dean of students, admissions director, registrar, bursar, business manager, clerk, and, sometimes, if the reports are true, janitor. Holyoke Junior College faculty came from our neighboring four-year institutions, and classes were taught in the evenings to accommodate students' work schedules.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have learned about this part of our history directly from our alumni who lived it. They have taught me that the hallmarks of a Holyoke Junior College education then, remain our foundation today. It is a history I feel privileged to uphold as your president.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For Angela Wright, class of 1954, Holyoke Junior College gave her the opportunity to do everything &amp;ndash; participate in drama, student council, and the yearbook committee. But the best part, she said, was that she could work at the city market in the morning before going to class.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For Carl Eger, class of 1956, attending Holyoke enabled him to still take care of responsibilities at home as one of the older siblings in the household.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Peg Wendlandt, class of 1958, spoke of HJC as a family.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Francis Kane and Maurice Ferriter, class of 1956 and 1952, said the education at Holyoke was second to none.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And for Patrick Bresnahan '57 and Michael Sobon '68, after completing their military service, neither had any intention of going to college, but were encouraged by others to take that important step. In fact, Pat said George Frost approached him directly.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, some 70-plus years after Pat was approached directly by a certain George and encouraged to pursue a college degree, allow me to be the next George to approach you directly with a call to join me in this important work of increasing access and advancing student success.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is a place where lives are transformed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are a community that welcomes any individual seeking to find their path. And not only are you welcome here, you belong here.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are a place where parents can return to the classroom after years of being away and find a community that welcomes and uniquely supports them; a place that provides speakers of other languages with opportunities to develop new skills and find paths to meaningful careers; a place that, over the course of our entire history, has delivered a second-to-none academic experience.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To the educators, employers, elected officials, donors, alumni, and many friends gathered here today, I approach you with a call to champion the work of our community colleges. I challenge you to help HCC continue to deliver a nationally recognized community college education and experience through your advocacy, partnership, and financial support.&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We will partner with anyone who cares about building a brighter future for our community. Because an investment in Holyoke Community College is an investment in this region&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Let's remind our community that education is the great equalizer, and that community college is where it all begins.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than $10.2 million students are enrolled in our community colleges, representing 38 percent of all undergraduates nationwide, and over half of adults in our country with a bachelor's degree attended community colleges in their postsecondary trajectories.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Let's remember that knowledge is power. To whom much is given, much is required. A college education arms you with the critical thinking, problem solving, technical and teambuilding skills our world needs today.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But we are not just providing an education to the students enrolled in our courses. We are enabling students to set an example for their families. To earn a livable wage. To address challenges within their community. To chart a completely new path &amp;ndash; filled with potential &amp;ndash; for themselves and their children. We are elevating society.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At Holyoke Community College, we have done so much foundational and innovative work to set us up for where we are today. Our strategic plan continues to guide us; and our success is being measured in the ways we are prioritizing teaching and learning, equity and student success, workforce development and transfer, and financial sustainability.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The stakes have perhaps never been higher, as our nation and families in our own communities continue to question the value of a college degree. But I believe with all my heart that this is the best path to economic and social mobility.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today's challenges require good thinking. And Holyoke Community College is where the journey begins.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the things that inspire me about Holyoke Community College is our commitment to living our values of innovation, collaboration, kindness, inclusion, and trust. Do you know what these values have in common? Each word suggests the need for others; for unity and togetherness. None can be accomplished alone.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I believe we are better together - that what we are doing here at Holyoke Community College is bigger than any one individual.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our job is to create the conditions under which students will be inspired to succeed. We must enlighten and empower them to reach their goals. We do this by trusting one another to do our best work, by celebrating the diversity of perspectives that make us great, and by simply being good human beings.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I see a future for Holyoke Community College that is shaped by individuals from all backgrounds who choose to focus not on what divides us, but on what brings us together.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I see us responding to student needs and finding solutions to challenges with an energy and passion that make us the model for our peers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My commitment to you is to do my best to lead Holyoke Community College in ways that amplify its impact on every life it touches, allowing each of us to realize our potential.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have had the pleasure of meeting many of our students and getting to know them over the last semester-and-a-half, and doing so has been a source of great joy. They have talked to me about how Holyoke Community College feels like a family, and they mention specific faculty and staff by name who have been instrumental in their success.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They are the first in their family to go to college. They have dreams of owning their own business, of running for office; or becoming a teacher, nurse, veterinarian.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They have shared with me how grateful they are for our Food Pantry and the Thrive Student Resource Center, for the sense of community provided through El Centro and ALANA Men in Motion, and for the guidance of tutors in our writing and math centers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They've shared that sometimes, even with all of these resources and supports, they still question their ability to keep going &amp;ndash; to finish what they started.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I was an undergraduate student at Norfolk State University, with one year left before earning my degree, I ran out of financial aid. I had no way to pay for another year of college and began to question my ability to finish what I started.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I had been Student Government President, so I was fairly well-connected on campus. I was able to play a role in university events and initiatives, most of which were led by Carolyn Bell, then the Associate Vice President for Advancement and Director of Community Relations at Norfolk State. Carolyn learned about my dilemma. And what happened next would shape the entire trajectory of my career.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carolyn spoke with Dr. Harrison B. Wilson, then president of Norfolk State University. Dr. Wilson, acting solely on Carolyn's endorsement of me, funded my final year at Norfolk State University through the president's discretionary fund.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was able to finish what I started. And that was just the beginning.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mindset, hard work, and people who believe in you almost more than you believe in yourself... remember I mentioned these three points? There's a method to the madness.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I believe these are the keys to finding our unique purpose. As president of Holyoke Community College, it is my obligation - my purpose - to remind our students and community of the power of all three.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And so, number one: Look in the mirror and believe that you are capable of greatness. It begins with you. Mindset is everything, and you have the ability to manifest your success by beginning to see it for yourself. Faculty and staff: thank you for seeing beyond our students' circumstances, like Carolyn Bell did with me, and for helping them bring their dreams to life.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Number two: Out-work everyone else. No one can determine how hard you work toward your goals. Get involved, put yourself in situations that challenge and surprise you, and let people get to know you. Develop the discipline to remain focused on what matters most &amp;ndash; and go after it with everything you've got.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finally, recognize that throughout your journey, there will be people who will pour into you because they know you are meant to do extraordinary things. Carolyn Bell used her influence, knowledge, and wisdom to help others &amp;ndash; and I feel blessed to have been one of many beneficiaries of her personal mission. HCC is filled with &quot;Carolyn Bells&quot; &amp;ndash; people who care deeply about our students' success.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Friends and colleagues, together, we envision Holyoke Community College as a college of academic excellence known for helping students overcome barriers to success. We are called to advance that vision, in different ways, each and every day.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the end, when a single student finds their calling, discovers a talent, turns their life around, hones a skill, or finds the courage to speak up, the world becomes a better place. Potential becomes reality. We all benefit. That is the work we are doing at Holyoke Community College, and I can't think of a better way to spend a life.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And so, as the grateful fifth president of Holyoke Community College, I invite you to join me on this journey to &lt;em&gt;Educate. Inspire. Connect.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you.&quot;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: President George Timmons delivers his inauguration speech on April 19, 2024.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20101" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/awards-night-2024" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:25" CategoryIds="4|3|193|165" FileName="x20101.xml" Name="Awards Night 2024" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC_HONORS_Johnny-Garcia-TIMMONS-web.jpg" Title="Awards Night 2024" Abstract="HCC is proud to celebrate the students who earned honors and awards for their outstanding achievements during the 2023-2024 academic year." ThumbnailAltText="Award recipient Johnny Garcia '24 shakes hands with President George Timmons." IntroCopy="HCC celebrates students with honors and awards" Date="2024-05-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Maryagnelly Varas-Gonzalez shakes hands with President George Timmons. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/Maryangelly-honors-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is proud to celebrate the students who earned honors and awards for their outstanding achievements during the 2023-2024 academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Awardees were honored Wednesday, May 15, during a ceremony in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&amp;nbsp;Below is a list of HCC honorees and award recipients for the 2023-2024 academic year. Some students received multiple awards.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A full list of students along with their specific honors and awards can be found at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/honors-and-awards&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/awards2024&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC Honors &amp;amp; Awards for 2023-2024:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jacquelyn Bazelow, Kendyl Donner.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kai Caban, Daniele Freitas, Xinyan Jiang, Benjamin Keil, Willow Taylor, Zachary Welch.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Caterina Guerin (two awards), Nathaniel Knight.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bernardston:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Molly Ladner.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dina Artin, Alicia Beaton, Yalexia Bonilla, Briana Bowers, Zoe Fydenkevez, Johnny Garcia, Jelli Jones, Kyle Kokosa, McKallum Malanowski, Lance Rice, DeAndra Roy, Isabel Teixeira.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Vinnie Bednarzyk, Ben Giroux.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Carissa Batura, Gabrielle Carey, Nelson Murphy, Mary Alice Jester (two awards).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rowenn Stevens, Anneliese Townsend.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ariana Aquilino, Geneva Mollins, Karissa Robinson.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tyler Laramee, Jan Masse.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hartford, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Naiyah McGlamery.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hawley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gina Barnhart.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Maya Baksh, Shae Blaisdell, Max Bruel (two awards), Chris De la Torre Santoyo, William Diaz, Jose Perez, Erykka Rocha, Carineh Santana, Musa Simon, Collin Stasinos, Patrick Sweeney (three awards), Marangelly Vargas-Gonzalez, Aidan Whitley.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Huntington:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Caleb Labonte (three awards).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Indian Orchard:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kimberlee Barrows.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leverett:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cole Perkins.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Erin Mayou, Olivia Parker, Katelynn Richard, Gabby Zebrowski.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Madison Farquhar (three awards), Kristy Piwcio.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;North Granby, Conn.:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Isabella Brothers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alex Casavant, Dylan Cowart, Effie Fields, Barney Garcia (two awards), Kerri Hammersley.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chelsea Bigos, Joanne Lavallee.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Savoy:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mystie Ford.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Deerfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Scott Hoiberg, Makayla Santos.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sarah Carragher, Martin Gonzalez-Meyer, Dylan Graveline, Reese Mackenzie, Dominick Valentine.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gabrielle St. John (two awards).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Julie Barsalou.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nyasia Aguirre, Chloe Belhumeur, Dana Brenman, Alannah Brunt, Krystina Davis, Jerry Elicier, Caila Fernandes, Jesenia Fernandez, Michael Langone (two awards), Monique Lumpkin, Anibella Reeves, Annelisse Santana, Dakotah Smith, Noah Staub, Sarom Toum-Rivera, Sarah Wedderburn.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Suffield, Conn.:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Joy Watroba.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunderland:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sonia Szala-Krotkov.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Turners Falls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Grace Grover.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Xavier Williams.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Hartford, Conn.:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Larissa Barriento.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kiersten Annette, Adrianna Boardway, McKayla Boman, Eleanor Bonaparte, Svetlana Malancha, Brianna Morisset, Atayun Mustafa, Sergiu Stavila.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Olha Borova, Lindsey Dion, Leah Gara, Quinn Hamilton, Envii Luciano, Rhys Maryn, Michael Navarro, Ethan Romero.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Malyna Dansereau, Deborah Farnham, Madison Gallant, Alison Smythe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Environmental science major Johnny Garcia, of Chicopee, recipient of the TRIO Student Support Services Student Achievement Award, shakes hands with President George Timmons. (Above)&amp;nbsp;Culinary arts major Maryangelly Vargas-Gonzalez, of Holyoke, recipient of the McCoy Culinary Award, shakes hands with President George Timmons.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20070" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/first-letter" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:26" CategoryIds="4|165" FileName="x20070.xml" Name="First Letter" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/Kyren-Harris-poem-web.jpg" Title="First Letter" Abstract="Read the original poem HCC music major Kyren Harris performed during the inauguration ceremony of President George Timmons on Friday, April 19." ThumbnailAltText="Kyren Harris performs his poem &quot;First Letter&quot;" IntroCopy="&quot;And I swear to God you'll know my name. Yeah, I swear to God you'll know my name.&quot; – from &quot;First Letter,&quot; by Kyren Harris" Date="2024-04-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC music major Kyren Harris performs his original poem 'First Letter&amp;quot; during the inauguration of President George Timmons.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/Kyren-Harris-point-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: HCC music major Kyren Harris gave a spoken word performance during&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/truly-momentous&quot;&gt;the April 19 inauguration ceremony&lt;/a&gt; for President George Timmons.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;First Letter&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By KYREN HARRIS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Glancing at selections that I didn't choose&lt;br /&gt;All of my ancestors manifest as ghouls&lt;br /&gt;Standing in this room&lt;br /&gt;Table full&lt;br /&gt;Everybody wants to know what imma do &lt;br /&gt;Like I'm in a loop full of paper cuts&lt;br /&gt;White envelopes tryna chain me up&lt;br /&gt;Whole ensemble chanting&lt;br /&gt;Saying it's a blessing&lt;br /&gt;But I can't stress about it&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Told my family all right&lt;br /&gt;Hold tight&lt;br /&gt;Know it's been a long night&lt;br /&gt;Off I&lt;br /&gt;Go to sign my whole life &lt;br /&gt;For dimes&lt;br /&gt;So I chose the full ride&lt;br /&gt;Sent to NY with my luggage tied round my legs&lt;br /&gt;Trying not to trip&lt;br /&gt;Trying not to dip&lt;br /&gt;But I've been convinced &lt;br /&gt;This is where my skills&lt;br /&gt;Might just get me a deal&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Too good to be real&lt;br /&gt;I've been waiting years&lt;br /&gt;Guess we're really starting now&lt;br /&gt;Guess we're really starting now&lt;br /&gt;Make a name, hold it down&lt;br /&gt;Tried to get on stage but the curtains closed&lt;br /&gt;Never tried in my life&lt;br /&gt;Truth be told&lt;br /&gt;I had proper portions with purported goals&lt;br /&gt;Plenty opportunities I knew went cold&lt;br /&gt;Now I'm growing old&lt;br /&gt;Broken soles&lt;br /&gt;City life's been making all my sneaks erode&lt;br /&gt;Still ain't drop a single&lt;br /&gt;But the streets don't know&lt;br /&gt;Nobody really cares...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;--&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I just went to grab hay&lt;br /&gt;Pricked my finger&lt;br /&gt;Who the F- hid a needle for no reason?&lt;br /&gt;Guess it's just my luck&lt;br /&gt;Stuck up bums staring at me like I'm crumbs on their jeans, asking &quot;Who is he?&lt;br /&gt;Claims to be a rapper but he's weak&lt;br /&gt;Barely spits a verse without-&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Man I know what's going on in their heads when I say I'm tryna link&lt;br /&gt;Because they're superstars &lt;br /&gt;Freshmen, but they think that they're different &lt;br /&gt;Got a little tape and your name got some digits&lt;br /&gt;Following you&lt;br /&gt;Posts look like a GQ image&lt;br /&gt;Peers with a face like I'm a stain on their life &lt;br /&gt;Just by saying hello&lt;br /&gt;Know I won't forget&lt;br /&gt;Almost put you in my Death Note&lt;br /&gt;Rather see you live &lt;br /&gt;Come to grips with the fact you lost out on your hit&lt;br /&gt;Yea I know hurts&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;*Swear the shimmer made y'all fall for rank,&lt;br /&gt;When the glitter's gone we're all the same.&lt;br /&gt;Imma work my way up out this cage,&lt;br /&gt;And I swear to God you'll know my name.&lt;br /&gt;Yeah, I swear to God you'll know my name*&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: HCC music major Kyren Harris performs &quot;First Letter,&quot; an original poem, during the inauguration ceremony of President George Timmons on Friday, April 19.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20085" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/i-found-light" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:26" CategoryIds="193|70|165" FileName="x20085.xml" Name="I Found Light" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-IFLAAO-signing-web.jpg" Title="Shining More Light" Abstract="HCC and a Springfield nonprofit agreed to work closely to increase educational and training opportunities for young women at risk for homelessness." ThumbnailAltText="MOU signing" IntroCopy="HCC signs pact with Springfield nonprofit" Date="2024-05-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;I Found Light signing&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/HCC-IFLAAO-signing-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Representatives from Holyoke Community College and the Springfield-based nonprofit I Found the Light Against All Odds Foundation agreed this week to work closely to increase educational and workforce training opportunities for young women at risk for homelessness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC President George Timmons and Stefan B. Davis, CEO, president and founder of the Springfield-based I Found the Light Against All Odds Foundation met at the college on Tuesday, April 30, to sign a memorandum of understanding outlining the terms of the agreement. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I Found the Light Against All Odds Foundation provides support services for young women to help address social and economic issues that can lead to poverty and homelessness. Specifically, by signing this MOU, HCC and the foundation agree to broaden support services for area women, age 18-20, to help them obtain safe housing and career opportunities through education and training.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This agreement is firmly in line with HCC's mission and vision to remove barriers to student success,&quot; said Timmons, &quot;to break cycles of poverty and provide opportunities for education and training that will allow more young women to be successful, earn a livable wage, and enjoy all that life has to offer.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to statistics cited in the MOU, Hampden County has a poverty rate of 16.9 percent, which is higher than the national average of 11.5 percent. Meanwhile, the poverty rates in Springfield and Holyoke are even&amp;nbsp;higher at 25.5 percent and 26 percent, respectively.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;At the same time, research shows that many community college students in Massachusetts experience hunger and/or homelessness, as well as other types of basic needs insecurity that can serve as barriers to degree completion and thereby limit economic sustainability and mobility,&quot; the MOU states.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Thank you, Dr. Timmons and faculty and staff from Holyoke Community College for accepting us as being part of your family,&quot; said Davis. &quot;We look forward to working with you and your staff to help these young women that are in darkness, searching for light and education. These women have dealt with a lot of trauma throughout their lives and are looking for ways to end the cycle of poverty. This collaboration proves that we care about them and that they have our support.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through the agreement, the foundation is looking to connect with HCC's existing academic support services, such as admissions and financial aid counseling, as well as career and transfer advising, and more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a real natural fit between an agency that works to support young women and a college, HCC, which is known for its wraparound support model,&quot; said Jeff Hayden, HCC vice president of Business and Community Services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before the signing, Davis introduced a video about the I Found Light Against All Odds Foundation that featured interviews from two of its consumers. One of them was Alisandra Pantoja from Springfield, who attended Tuesday's event.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pantoja stood beside Davis as he put pen to paper. She will be taking advantage of all the opportunities outlined in the agreement as a student at HCC starting in September. She said she plans to major in human services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I like working with people,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;Stefan B. Davis, CEO and president of the Springfield-based I Found the Light Against All Odds Foundation, left, and HCC President George Timmons sign a memorandum of understanding between the two organizations, while I Found Light consumers Shakyra&amp;nbsp;Higgs, back left, and Alisandra Pantoja, both&amp;nbsp;of Springfield, look on.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20069" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/truly-momentous" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:26" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165" FileName="x20069.xml" Name="Truly Momentous" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-Timmons-hands-web.jpg" Title="'Truly Momentous'" Abstract="Holyoke Community College celebrated the life and career of President George Timmons during his inauguration on Friday, April 19. " ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons acknowledges the audience after his investitute" IntroCopy="&quot;In the end, when a single student finds their calling, discovers a talent, turns their life around, hones a skill, or finds the courage to speak up, the world is a better place. Potential becomes reality. We all benefit. That is the work we are doing at Holyoke Community College, and I can't think of a better way to spend a life.&quot; – President George Timmons" Date="2024-04-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President George Timmons addresses the audience&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/HCC-Timmons-audience-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In opening the inauguration ceremony of Holyoke Community College President George Timmons on Friday, April 19, his pastor, the Rev. Damone Paul Johnson, offered a parable about a high rise hotel. There was another elevator in the building, the attendant told a concerned guest &amp;ndash; a service elevator. That one is working, the attendant said. It goes to the top but stops on every floor.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Dr. Timmons has made it to the top,&quot; Johnson said, &quot;but he has stopped on every floor of service, dedication, and excellence.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like an episode of the old TV show &quot;This is your Life,&quot; people from nearly every stage of President Timmons' life and career in higher education stepped forward to honor him and attest to the qualities that make him &quot;the right person for this job,&quot; in the words of Patrick Tutwiler, Massachusetts secretary of education.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, hundreds more &amp;ndash; relatives, college friends, and former and current colleagues among them &amp;ndash; filled the Leslie Phillips Theater to capacity to celebrate his official installation as the fifth president of Holyoke Community College and his ascendance as the first African American man in the position.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In the past 78 years, we have come together as a college community only four times before to do what we are gathered to do today,&quot; said Vanessa Smith, interim chair of the HCC Board of Trustees. &quot;On average, we have hosted a presidential inauguration just once every decade and a half. This is an extraordinary occasion for many reasons, and because it is so rare, it is truly momentous.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Smith said it was Timmons' commitment to student success that stood out to her during the interview process last spring (he was hired in April 2023 and started in July) and called him a &quot;natural connector.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;All of the genuine interactions in the hallways, out in the community, or over a meal in our culinary arts institute clearly bring him joy,&quot; she said. &quot;His ability to inspire, motivate, and engage our community is among the many gifts he brings to Holyoke Community College. We need only look around this room to see the evidence of Dr. Timmons' ability to connect and form strong and lasting relationships.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Indeed, many in attendance wore bright green bow ties and socks in recognition of President Timmons' preferred dress style.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It is said that a bow tie represents confidence, individuality, and creativity,&quot; said Tutwiler, who prefers long ties but also chose a bow tie for the occasion. &quot;In donning a bow tie as he does, President Timmons is sending a message. In my view, it is a small, but not insignificant window into the type of leader he is and some of the wonderful qualities he will bring to his role.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student-trustee Barney Garcia talked how he had started off at HCC &quot;battered, lost,&quot; and &quot;depressed,&quot; someone who &quot;always wore a mask,&quot; &quot;too afraid to be myself.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It wasn't until I met Dr. Timmons, someone who is unapologetically himself, that I felt empowered to break that barrier and be unapologetically myself,&quot; Garcia said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Garcia said he and the president bonded over the fact that both were raised by grandparents, and that he had found in President Timmons &quot;an awesome bonus dad.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During their first meeting, Garcia said he recognized in the president, then one of four candidates for the job, the attributes that make a great leader.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It is true that basic leadership is about commanding authority and being able to lead, but that's why it's basic,&quot; Garcia said. &quot;Where true leaders go above and beyond is when they're able to tap into everyone's inner leader, helping them harness their inner potential to be their best selves.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&quot;In every conversation I've had the privilege of being a part of with him, he strives to make that connection, to tap into that person's or group's potential, helping them see what they can't see, like how he once was.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/inauguration-speech&quot;&gt;In his own remarks&lt;/a&gt;, President Timmons, talked a lot about how he once was and thanked all those people in his life who made it possible for him to be where he is today: academic leaders, coaches, and colleagues, his brothers from Kappa Alpha Psi, his fraternity at Norfolk State University, the historically Black college in Virginia where he earned his bachelor's degree; his parents, in-laws, and extended family; his brother, Tyrell; his wife, Frankie, and, last but not least, his grandmother, Ruby, now 91, who &quot;raised me to be the man I am today.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Ruby taught me the value of education, which, she always sad, will help you find your way, and, once earned, can never be taken away.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before coming to HCC, Timmons served as the provost and vice president of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, N.Y. He holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Bowling Green State University, a master's degree in higher education from Old Dominion University, and a bachelor's degree in financial management from Norfolk State University.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes, he said, he can't believe he finally achieved this long-sought dream to become a college president.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He asked: &quot;How does a kid who grows up in an environment where no one went to college, in a neighborhood where drug deals were the norm, who witnessed family members battle substance abuse, who was never the strongest student or the best athlete, and who was diagnosed with a learning disability in his late thirties become a college president?&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His answer: &quot;Mindset. Hard work. And people who believe in you almost more than you believe in yourself &amp;ndash; the same qualities that have led to the success of thousands of Holyoke Community College students over our 78-year history.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'll be honest,&quot; he said. &quot;Sometimes I pinch myself. The tremendous responsibility of this role is not lost on me.&quot;&amp;nbsp;From the moment he was introduced to HCC, he said, he knew it was the right place for him.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Among the things that inspire me about Holyoke Community College is our commitment to living our values of innovation, collaboration, kindness, inclusion, and trust, he said. Do you know what these values have in common? Each word suggests the need for others, for unity and togetherness. None can be accomplished alone.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As an undergraduate himself, he said, he learned first hand the impact a college president can have on the life of a student. When he ran out of financial aid during his final year at Norfolk State, President Harrison B. Wilson tapped into a discretionary fund so he could complete his bachelor's degree.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was able to finish what I started,&quot; he said. &quot;And that was just the beginning.&quot;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In the end,&quot; he said in conclusion, &quot;when a single student finds their calling, discovers a talent, turns their life around, hones a skill, or finds the courage to speak up, the world is a better place. Potential becomes reality. We all benefit. That is the work we are doing at Holyoke Community College, and I can't think of a better way to spend a life.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS fron the Inauguration of President George Timmons by CHRIS EVANS&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19347" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/timmons-interview" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:26" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x19347.xml" Name="Timmons Interview" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/GT-office-web-1.jpg" Title="A President's Story" Abstract="President George Timmons talks about his 30-year journey to become a college president, what attracted him to HCC, and why he wears bow ties and colorful socks. " ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons" IntroCopy="&quot;I'm unapologetic about who I am and my story and how I got here, and I hope it can help others achieve their goals, whatever they are.&quot; – President George Timmons" Date="2024-04-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President George Timmons&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/GT-office-web-1.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Editor's note: This interview was conducted by Editor-in-Chief Chris Yurko for the &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/News/CONNECTION-SP24-WEB.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Connection 2024&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Spring 2024 issue of The Connection&lt;/a&gt;, HCC's college magazine. It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;On your first-day tour of campus, you met Lindsey Pare, one of our alumni, who now works at HCC in Student Engagement. You seemed genuinely thrilled when sge told you the story of her educational journey and how she plans to continue on for an advanced degree.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm such a believer in education, meaning that it's a great equalizer. And I'll probably say that forever. I just feel, in America, if you get an education and you apply yourself that you can change your circumstances. And, so, when I see young people who are pursuing education and passionate about something that they want to do for a possible career, I get motivated by that. It's exciting for me to see that. I wasn't necessarily on that path at such a young age and I want to applaud that and encourage that.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In some of the other interviews you've done, you've said it would be presumptuous to come in as a new president with a preconceived agenda. Instead, your priority is to listen and to learn. Has anything you've learned so far surprised you about HCC or has it confirmed your impressions?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was a more confirmation of what I thought. People have been so welcoming. They have been so kind. I feel like I inherited a really good institution. The work that has been done up to this point is really great, and I'm very excited about the opportunity to work with this team.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You've said that your role is to promote student success, whatever that looks like, and not to dictate specific pathways. Would you like to talk more about that?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think students are changing, and what we did 10 years ago, in terms of servicing students, may not be what's required today. I think, as leaders of higher education and administrators at all levels of the organization, we need to make sure we are responsive to the needs of those we serve. We need to examine the impact of changing demographics and the impact of new technology. What are the needs of our students today? Are we responding to them appropriately? is a question we should all be asking ourselves. In the Northeast, the number of adult learners has significantly increased compared to the rest of the country. Are we prepared to respond to that? And if so, what does that look like? And, if not, what do we need to do to be responsive to that. One example of that is MassReconnect (the free state college program for students 25 and older). How we respond to that as an institution and as a state is really important.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How important was it to come in with a strategic plan already in place?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was phenomenal. The roadmap has been established. You guys have done an excellent job creating a framework for what needs to happen for this institution, and I have an obligation to execute it at a high level.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When did you decide that you wanted to be a college president and what led you to that?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This has been pretty much a 30-year journey for me. My undergraduate major was finance, and I went into the finance industry. In college, I was pretty decent with numbers, and you cannot grow up into Gen X and not be thinking Wall Street. That was the goal for everybody who was coming up who was interested in business. After I graduated, I worked in the banking industry, and I worked in the insurance industry. I quickly realized that that wasn't my calling.&amp;nbsp;I had an opportunity to reflect and was encouraged to go to a career counselor who sat down with me to discuss what I really enjoy. I took some standardized tests, and they gave me a summary of my interests. During the debriefing, the counselor said, I can't help but notice that you had a phenomenal time during your college years, and I said, yeah, I really enjoyed college, so much so that it took me six years to finish my undergrad degree at Norfolk State.&amp;nbsp;She said, Well, what about a career in higher ed, since that's kind of a place that seems to be comforting and exciting for you? I said, I don't mind teaching classes, but I don't want to be a full-time faculty. She said, what about administration? What about, you know, working in student affairs? Who's to say you can't be a college president? That was an epiphany. When I thought about all of the experiences I'd had as student government president while I was undergrad and having interactions with the college president, I thought, is that something that is really possible for me? And I said, you know what, I want to go for it. And, so, within a year, I applied to grad school and got in a master's degree program in higher ed with a minor in counseling, and I was on my journey to be a college president.&amp;nbsp;Chasing a profit or bottom line didn't seem appealing to me, I felt like there was more to life than that. Having an impact on shaping people's lives and providing a pathway for people to further themselves and get an education, given what education did for me, just seemed like a natural fit for me, and I don't regret it.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Let's go back and talk about your six years at Norfolk State University.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was not necessarily what you would call an exceptional student. I was an average student, but what really motivated me to continue in college and stay in school was that I was very active. From my very first year, I was a member of the student activities club, and then I became president of the student activities club, and got more engaged from there. I got involved in student government and eventually I was president of the student government association. I joined a fraternity and was vice president of my undergraduate chapter. From an early age I was identified as a person with potential leadership skills. My fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi, was great for me, because I was surrounded with people who were all driven by similar values in terms of wanting to go out into the world. And while we had fun, we were all there for a reason, and we motivated and supported each other through the good and bad times. That was really important for me.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Did your fraternity have a focus or theme?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Achievement. Striving to be the best that you can and take on leadership roles. Hence, I've always wanted to be in leadership roles and always wanted to achieve. Service is part of the fraternity's mantra, giving back to the community and giving back to the next generation. Those were instilled in me.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why did it take you six years to graduate?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Having too much fun.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;But you stuck with it. &lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perseverance. Right? And this is the story. You might look at me today and you say, man, this guy must have been really smart or just really had a lot handed to him, but it really is just the opposite of that. One thing I've carried with me is this notion of a strong work ethic that was instilled in me by my grandmother. And grit. And while I may have not always been the strongest student or the most successful student, I was determined to finish. That was always my goal &amp;ndash; I'm going to get through this. That was my mantra, that I'm just going to push through. There were some classes I excelled in and others that I struggled in, and, in full transparency, I had to take some classes over multiple times in order to get through. But that's that perseverance and grit.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why did you want to be the president of Holyoke Community College?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It really comes down to three things: it was the mission, the vision, and values that really spoke to me. &quot;Educate, Inspire, Connect&quot; is simple but powerful. You want to inspire people. You want to educate people. You want to connect them to pathways to success, whatever their goals are. Who doesn't want to be part of an institution known for academic excellence and removing barriers to student success? I mean, that's what we do. That resonates with me. We all face barriers. And then the whole notion of values: innovation and collaboration, trust, inclusion, kindness. Those speak to me both personally and professionally.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You've said the HCC student profile included in the job posting for president reminded you of your humble roots. You told one reporter, &quot;Their story is my story.&quot; How strongly did you feel that connection?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was instant. It was in perfect alignment with who I was as an individual, both professionally and personally. I believe my professional experiences, the positions I've held and the experiences that I've had have prepared me to help move the college forward and add value to this institution.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So let's go back to your roots. You grew up in Hartford, Conn.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I wasn't born in Hartford, but I was raised in Hartford. I'm an Army baby. My dad was in the Army, stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana, which is now Fort Henry Johnson. They changed the name just recently, for obvious reasons. (Henry Johnson was a Black World War II hero, Polk a Confederate general). So, Fort Henry Johnson is where I was born. And then, by the time that I was a toddler, three or four, we moved to Connecticut.&amp;nbsp;It was me and my younger brother living with our parents. Neither of my parents graduated from college. They graduated high school, but never went to college. And as times got difficult for us as a family, my mom and my dad made a difficult decision, because they really couldn't afford to take care of both of us, to be honest. I was always gravitating to my grandmother's house as a kid on weekends. My grandmother was living by herself and enjoyed my company. I was a good kid, for the most part, and so eventually my mom asked me one day, &quot;How would you like living with grandma for a while?&quot; Not really going into the details, but now as an adult I know what the impetus was behind that. I was like, Yeah, sure, why not? I love hanging out with grandma. So, I lived with my grandmother until I graduated from high school. I would go home and visit my parents on the weekends. They lived close by. We weren't too far apart. Maybe a mile or so. I could walk if had to, but I would go back and forth. I'd get dropped off and hang out with my brother and my cousins at the house and then I would go back on Sundays and go to school and live with grandma during the week, for the most part. She really started talking to me about work ethic and the value of education. And it wasn't necessarily about college, because she was very much of another era. Her brothers and siblings all were vocationally trained. One brother was a master plumber; another brother was a master mechanic. She just encouraged me to get an education because she thought that that would be important for me in terms of a livelihood and taking care of a family. But I just wasn't blessed with vocational skill sets. It was a running joke in my family that if I had to use my hands to eat I might not eat, and so I did understand that education was important, and that I had to find my way, and that once I earned it no one could take it away from me. That resonated. She always said, no one owes you anything. You have to go out and make your way and earn your keep. That was always embedded in me.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You went to public school?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I went to public school from kindergarten through my Ph.D. I am the product of the public school system in every way. I don't knock private education for those who go to privates. I'm less concerned about where you go as opposed to what you do with the education. How do you use it to help achieve your goals and dreams? That to me is really what is most important.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You've said you made a commitment to yourself at an early age that no one was going to outwork you. When did you realize that&lt;/strong&gt;?&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I knew that, in terms of grit, I was always going to achieve whatever I set my mind to. I became more focused on not getting outworked and achieving excellence when I became a dad at 28 and realized that I was now responsible for someone else. That was my first year of grad school. Having my first child was really eye-opening for me and realizing that I was not only responsible for providing for them, but also for instilling values, so I said, I got to step my game up. That's when I really started to excel. I said, You know what, I'm not going to be outworked, and so I graduated from Old Dominion with I think at 3.5-3.6 GPA and then, you know, got into the workspace and realized I needed to execute at a high level. I wanted to separate myself from the herd, whatever that meant. How do I do things differently so that I don't blend in with the crowd? That goes not only to how I conduct myself but to the bow ties and the socks. I've always tried to separate myself in a positive way, whether it was through leadership opportunities, vis a vie student government or through career progression, and then preparing myself through leadership training, professional development, and then being good at what I did.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What did your grandmother do for a living?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My grandmother actually worked for the state of Connecticut for 30 years, and she was a social worker. She didn't go to college. She went to community college and took courses, but she never graduated from college.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You're a first-generation college student. When did you start thinking college was a possibility or something that you wanted for yourself?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Where I grew up, in our community, graduating from high school was a big deal, and it was kind of like, OK, after high school, you work or maybe go into the military, but interestingly enough, I had the opportunity to go to a suburban middle class high school where there were clear expectations that there was something beyond high school. I would often see many of my fellow students wearing college sweatshirts. Maybe their parents went to college or their siblings were going, and I'm like, what's that about? What's the deal with this? And people would say, I'm going to Northeastern, or I'm going here, I'm going there, or whatever. It was a foregone conclusion that that was the expectation. That was new for me. So I thought, well, am I supposed to go to college? Maybe I should be going to college, if this is what is expected. And a lot of my friends whose parents went to college, honestly, they were living a lifestyle that I wanted to live, and one of the common denominators was that many of them had gone to college or had a trade that allowed them to provide a certain lifestyle.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How did you wind up at Norfolk State University and how important was it for you to attend an HBCU (Historically Black College or University)? &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was important, and, as an 18-year-old, I didn't realize how important it was at the time. Oddly enough, one of my father's friends, who was from Virginia, said, you should to an HBCU, and I was like, what's that? My mom and dad were like, Okay, well, you know, if he wants to do that, so it got on our radar, and I started exploring that.&amp;nbsp;My mom, myself and a friend of mine who was looking to go to college, we visited a couple of schools in Virginia, and I did the whole college tour thing. Norfolk State resonated to me the most, and I was fortunate enough to get in, and I had a great time.&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So your Ph.D. and much of your higher ed experience has focused on online learning and distance learning for adult learners. That experience must have been quite valuable at Columbia-Greene Community College during the pandemic.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Absolutely. I was in the online space before it was very popular, and I can even recall some of my colleagues saying, why would you want to do that and why are you hedging your career on this kind of obscure fad? But I didn't see it that way, especially with my introduction to adult-learner remote learning at Old Dominion University and its commitment to provide education to our servicemen and women. I realized how important it was to provide education to people who were place bound. Old Dominion was obviously in Norfolk, but TeleTechNet had satellite campuses on every community college within the state, which would theoretically allow individuals to complete an associate degree at the local community college and continue to earn a four-year degree at Old Dominion University via satellite. That unleashed my passion for nontraditional learning and adult learners and was something I felt was going to be very valuable to a certain segment of the population. And so I committed to it, and it's served me well throughout my career.&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You've said that community colleges are near and dear to your heart, but you yourself did not attend a community college. So where does that connection come from?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;It started with TeleTechNet. In my first job in higher ed as an Old Dominion University employee, I physically reported to Paul DeKamp Community College in Franklyn, Virginia. And so that was my foray and exposure to the mission of community colleges and the culture of community colleges, which left a lasting impression on me and resolved my commitment about working at open access institutions and serving those historically underserved.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You did a presentation in 2013 about how the past informs the future. I know you were talking about in the context of higher ed, but actually it seems like a lot of your past has informed your career.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your past experiences shape who you are and who you will become. I've been really fortunate to have a successful career and to do something that I enjoy doing. I think that really important. I'm almost 30 years in this higher ed space between being a student and working in this higher ed, and I enjoy it as much today as I did back then. Are there bad days? Of course. But in terms of fulfillment and what this brings me, I get up every morning with a zest and a zeal for what I do.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In response to a reporter's question about your educational strategy, you mentioned three questions that you're searching for answers to. One: Who are we serving (and are we serving them well). Two: Who are we not serving and why? Three: Who will we be serving (and are we prepared)? That pretty much covers everything, doesn't it?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a college president and, really, as an organization it is really about staying relevant. If you can't answer those three questions, then you're not doing your job or not doing your job effectively or efficiently. I think those are the fundamental questions that a leader should be asking themselves to help their team stay relevant and current.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What will success look like for you in this job, and what criteria will use to assess yourself?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think I will be governed by our strategic plan and our ability to execute on the goals identified in the strategic plan. I think that's the framework that has been established. There has been a lot of work and communal effort put into that. I would be remiss if I didn't execute on that because that legwork has already been done. And, so, our job is to deliver now.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Now for the hard-hitting questions. On your first day here, a new student complimented you on your socks. I believe that day they were bright green argyle. You laughed and said, 'socks and bowties, that's my thing.' How did that become your thing?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I've always gravitated to this New England preppy dress. That whole preppy kind of look has resonated with me for years. I really enjoy laughing, and I really enjoy having fun. I like to think I have a pretty outgoing personality, but in a professional space, particularly in higher ed, which is often conservative and formal, how do you begin to express your personality? Nine times out of 10, you're wearing suits and shirts. The areas where I felt like I could show a little bit of my personality were my bow ties and my socks, so that's something I've been doing ... I can't even remember. I think I own maybe two or three long ties. I've been wearing bow ties going back 15-20 years easily.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How many bow ties do you own?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Well over a hundred. When I was first starting to get into the bow tie space, people would buy me the pre-made, pre-tied bow ties. But all my bow ties are self-tied. Every single one.&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;That's a unique skill set.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I love it. I really love to tie my bow ties. To people who love bow ties, perfection is in the imperfection. That's how you can tell a person who ties their bow ties versus someone who has a pre-tied bowtie. Pre-tied bow ties are always perfect. It's just a fun way for me to express my personality. And when people don't remember your name, they call you &quot;The guy who works at your institution who wears the bowties.&quot; (He laughs).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So, you said you were 28 and in grad school when you and your wife, Frankie, had your first child.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;That's that must have been challenging.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I worked my way through school. I went to school at night and worked during the day. I worked for a credit card company as a customer service rep, believe it or not. It was part time, and they gave health care benefits. That was huge for me. I used to get yelled at by people who were unhappy with their credit card not working or this that and the other, but it taught me some real skills, like how to talk to people and how to defuse certain situations. As a customer service rep, they used to tell us to smile because your smile comes through on the phone. I learned that when someone's really yelling at you, you should listen, and even if you don't agree with them, say something like, I understand how you can feel that way. You're not saying, I agree with you, but you're empathizing with the person. Sometimes when people are really yelling at you, talk softly because if you talk softly it forces them to have to listen, and then they start to calm down. Little strategies that I still carry with me.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Even though you are just starting out at HCC, you've already made history as the first African American man to serve as president. That is significant. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think so. That's important for me. I think it's important for people of color to see someone in a leadership role who looks like them. I don't take it for granted because I know there were a lot of people who paved the way for me to get to this point in my life. I feel an obligation and a duty to do it with excellence and with professionalism, and that's something that I will always commit to, to try to give it my best.&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some of the best student stories are the ones about those who took a little bit longer to figure out where they wanted to go and where they needed to start.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some people might be embarrassed, but I let folks know it took me six years to get an undergrad degree. There is a moral to that. There's a reason why I say that. I go back to what I said earlier: no one can determine how hard you're going to work towards your goals but you. That's a true statement. Not your mom, not your dad. One hopes that those individuals or family members will support you, but for students who maybe come from challenging backgrounds, that may not be the case. That's OK. Because, at the end of the day, you get to decide how hard you're going to work toward your goals. That sole decision rests on your shoulders. You get to decide if you're going to put in 20 hours a week, 30 hours a week, or five hours a week. Are you going to stay the course when things don't go your way or don't go as planned? Are you going to have the grit and keep your eyes on the prize? You get to decide that, and only you get to decide that. If I can impart that and people understand the importance of what that represents, then I like to think I've made an impact.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Anything else you'd like to say?&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am who I am, and I'm unapologetic about who I am and my story and how I got here, and I hope it can help others achieve their goals, whatever they are. I used to have a running joke with a buddy of mine when I was in my Ph.D. program, I would say, &quot;Man, if I could just be like you,&quot; and he would say, &quot;Stop setting your goal so low; be better than me.&quot; There's a message to that, though. He was teaching me something, even though we were joking around, even though we were at this level, set the standard even higher. Be better. Be better. So, when I hear young kids say, &quot;Oh, I want to be a president like you,&quot; I'm like, &quot;be better than me.&quot; Whatever that is for you. Take it to the next level. Take it to the next level. It's important, so thank you for this. Thank you for letting me tell my story.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: President George Timmon relaxes in his HCC office.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20063" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/inauguration-week" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:26" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x20063.xml" Name="Inauguration Week" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-Mural-Casanas-Timmons-web.jpg" Title="Inauguration Week" Abstract="HCC will celebrate the inauguration of President George Timmons with three days of special events leading up to his investiture on Friday, April 19." ThumbnailAltText="Muralist Betsy Casanas with HCC President George Timmons " IntroCopy="HCC to celebrate President George Timmons during week of inauguration festivities " Date="2024-04-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Student Trustee Barney Garcia shakes hands with HCC President George Timmons.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/Timmons-Garcia-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will celebrate the inauguration of President George Timmons with three days of special events leading up to his investiture on Friday, April 19.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Following the Patriot's Day holiday, Inauguration Week at HCC will begin on Tuesday, April 16, as President Timmons reads to children of HCC students, faculty and staff in the college's Itsy Bitsy Child Watch center (9-10:30 a.m., first floor, Marieb Building).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From 12:30 to 2 p.m., The Campus Activities Team for Students is sponsoring a community crafting event of HCC-inspired crafts, including string art and origami.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tuesday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., members of the HCC community are invited to participate in the creation of a mural on the second floor of the Campus Center led by artist Betsy Casa&amp;ntilde;as, who designed and painted three other campus murals last summer. The theme of the new mural is &quot;Our Values on Display.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Wednesday, from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., in the campus courtyard, the HCC Culinary Arts Truck will be serving free light bites created by HCC culinary arts faculty and students. At the same time, inside the Campus Center, HCC will host a 413 Business Expo, featuring tables and displays from businesses in western Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Thursday, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Campus Center, Derek Estella, an academic counselor with the college's TRIO Support Services program, will moderate a panel of students and alumni talking about their HCC experiences. From 3 to 4:30 p.m., President Timmons will host &quot;The Foundation of Our Vision,&quot; a reception recognizing the work of HCC faculty and staff.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Throughout the entire week, the college radio station, WCCH-103.5 FM, will be playing a selection of President Timmons' favorite songs, and the college community is invited to pick up free HCC green bow ties to wear in honor of President Timmons' unique personal style (third floor lobby, Frost building).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The investiture ceremony will begin Friday at 11 a.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater on the second floor of the HCC Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts building. Timmons, who lives in Amherst, started working at HCC in July. He is the fifth president in the&amp;nbsp; 78-year history of the college and the first African-American man to serve in that position.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ceremony will start in the theater lobby of HCC's Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts building with a procession of faculty, staff, and distinguished guests, including presidents or their delegrates representing 29 other colleges and universities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Scheduled to speak during the ceremony will be: State Sen. John Velis; State Rep. Patricia Duffy; Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia; Patrick Tutwiler, Ph.D., Massachusetts secretary of education; Robert Awkward, Ph.D., assistant commissioner of academic effectiveness at the Mass. Dept. of Higher Education; Carlee Drummer, Ph.D., president of Columbia-Greene Community College; Quintin Bullock, DDS, president of the Community College of Allegheny County; and Briana Beaver-Timmons, President Timmons' eldest daughter (accompanied by her two younger siblings).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Barney Garcia of Northampton, the student representative on the HCC Board of Trustees, will offer remarks. The event will also feature performances by several HCC students: Ally Carnes of Westfield will sing the national anthem; William Rodriguez-Otero of Belchertown will give a spoken word performance; and music major Chestina Thrower of Springfield will sing &quot;Rise Up,&quot; by Andra Day, accompanied by the HCC chamber vocal ensemble.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vanessa Smith, interim chair of the HCC Board of Trustees, will present the presidential medallion to President Timmons, who will give a special address.A community reception will immediately follow the inauguration ceremony in the HCC Campus Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For those interested in attending, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/offices-and-administration/president-and-cabinet/the-inauguration-of-president-george-timmons-phd&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/inauguration24&lt;/a&gt; and follow the link to RSVP.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before coming to HCC, Timmons served as the provost and vice president of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, N.Y. He holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Bowling Green State University, a master's degree in higher education from Old Dominion University, and a bachelor's degree in financial management from Norfolk State University. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He succeeded President Christina Royal, who retired in July 2023.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO (Thumbnail): Muralist Betsy Casa&amp;ntilde;as, left, will be on campus to create a special mural in honor of the inauguration of President George Timmons right. (Above) Student Trustee Barney Garcia, left, greets new President George Timmons in the summer of 2023&lt;/em&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20055" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/arts-in-action" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:26" CategoryIds="193|165|226" FileName="x20055.xml" Name="Arts in Action " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-Arts-bass-web.jpg" Title="Arts in Action" Abstract="HCC will showcase the talents of students and faculty from the Visual Art, Music, and Theater departments during its first-ever &quot;Arts in Action&quot; event  April 10. " ThumbnailAltText="An HCC music student plays bass" IntroCopy="&quot;This is going to be a wonderful event because it brings all of us in fine and performing arts together.&quot; – Felice Caivano, chair, Visual Art department" Date="2024-04-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A student tours the Taber Art Gallery during the spring 2023 Student Art Exhibition.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/HCC-StudentArtShow-2023-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fine and performing arts will take center stage on Wednesday, April 10, as Holyoke Community College hosts its first-ever &quot;Arts in Action&quot; event, showcasing the talents of students and faculty from its &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/visual-art&quot;&gt;Visual Art&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/music&quot;&gt;Music, &lt;/a&gt;and&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/communication-media-and-theater-arts&quot;&gt;Theater&lt;/a&gt; departments.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will welcome more than 100 students from area high schools that day to visit the annual HCC student art show in the college art gallery, listen to live musical performances, observe demonstrations in the ceramics studio, and attend a full performance of&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/all-that-jazz&quot;&gt;HCC's spring theater production of &quot;The Great Gatsby&quot;&lt;/a&gt; in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So far, participating high schools include Easthampton, Holyoke, West Springfield, and Libertas Academy Charter School in Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is going to be a wonderful event because it brings all of us in fine and performing arts together,&quot; said Felice Caivano, chair of the HCC Visual Art department. &quot;We're excited to have 100-plus high school art students, possibly prospective students, coming, and for the community to see what we're doing in each of our departments.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most of the &quot;Arts in Action&quot; action takes place in the college's Fine and Performing Arts building. HCC music students will perform in the lobby outside the theater on the second floor. On the third floor, in art studio 325, Visual Art Professor Margie Rothermich will be sitting at the throwing wheel demonstrating pottery making.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event coincides with the opening of the annual Student Art Exhibition in the Taber Art Gallery inside the HCC Library on the second floor of the adjacent Donahue Building. The show opens April 10 and runs through May 1.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Following the ceramics demos and tours of the gallery, students will enter the theater to watch an 11 a.m. dress rehearsal of &quot;The Great Gatsby,&quot; the HCC Theater department's spring production, which starts its three-day run the following night, on April 11, at 7:30 p.m. The play, a stage adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, features a live jazz band on stage led by Music Professor Bob Ferrier, a jazz guitarist who is also the musical director for the show.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Bob Ferrier is a genius,&quot; said Theater Professor Pat Sandoval, director of the play. &quot;We want people to see the great work being done at HCC. We've got great departments here with incredibly talented and committed individuals. Just come and see what we do.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) A music student plays bass in one of the practice rooms in the Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts building. (Above) A student tours the Taber Art Gallery during the spring 2023 Student Art Exhibition.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20043" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/arise-sp24" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:26" CategoryIds="66|3|193|417|165" FileName="x20043.xml" Name="ARISE SP24" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Johnny-Garcia-shark-WEB.jpg" Title="STEM Conference" Abstract="HCC will host ARISE, an inaugural, daylong conference focused on increasing diversity and equity in STEM ­education, Friday, April 12." ThumbnailAltText="HCC STEM Scholar Johnny Garcia" IntroCopy="ARISE conference focuses on STEM equity" Date="2024-04-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Students in bio lab study the heart&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/Bio-lab-heart-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will welcome educators and students from the Pioneer Valley and beyond on Friday, April 12, for a daylong conference focused on increasing diversity and equity in STEM &amp;shy;education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Called ARISE &amp;ndash; Advancing Research and Innovation in STEM Equity &amp;ndash; the inaugural conference will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development on the main HCC campus at 303 Homestead Ave.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The conference will feature presentations, activities, workshops, and student-led panel discussions all focused on increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM - science, technology, education, and math. It was developed by HCC Math Professor Ileana Vasu, Ph.D., based on research she conducted during a sabbatical semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The mission of the conference is to offer participants the opportunity to reflect on implementing inclusive or culturally responsive strategies in their classrooms and institutions, share best practices and research around equity and inclusion, and to create a dynamic community focused on systemic change around STEM higher education practices,&quot; said Vasu, co-coordinator of the HCC STEM Scholars program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The morning keynote speaker for the conference is Nathaniel Whitaker, Ph.D., a professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who will give a talk titled &quot;A Mathematical Journey through Segregation and Hidden Figures,&quot; in which he will describe his personal journey as an African-American man growing up in the South to becoming department head and dean of one of the country's leading research institutions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The closing speaker is Vanessa Hill, Ph.D., a mathematics professor at Springfield Technical Community College. Hill, in a talk titled &quot;It's Well Worth the Effort: Be an Agent of Change,&quot; will discuss her experiences in STEM as a woman of color, as well as intervention strategies and the benefits of inclusive teaching.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In between, there will be more than a dozen breakout sessions led by educators and students from HCC, STCC, UMass, Westfield State University, and Bridgewater State University covering topics such as culturally responsive practices, community-based learning, mentorships, research, role models, increasing diversity, motivational strategies, and sustainability.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The conference is really for everybody working in higher education,&quot; Vasu said. &quot;A lot of us work in silos. We wanted to bring together people who are doing equity work, particularly equity work in STEM, but also in other disciplines because we can all learn from each other.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There will also be four student-centered panel discussions led by students who will talk about their research and participation in HCC's STEM Scholars program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We want to showcase the work our students are doing,&quot; said Vasu. &quot;Often there is a perception in science and other STEM disciplines that we are just teaching physics, for example, or math, and we don't worry about human values, but, in reality, what we do in the classroom, student to student, and teacher to student, really impacts whether those students thrive.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The conference is free for all members of the HCC community (faculty, staff, and students) as well as students from any other institution. The general conference fee is $99, which includes breakfast and lunch, but assistance is available for those who cannot afford the full amount. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more details about the conference or to register, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/arise-conference&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/arise-conference&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Environmental science major and HCC STEM Scholar Johnny Garcia '24 of Holyoke holds up a 3-D printed shark during a STEM Exploration event for high school students at HCC last year. Garcia will lead a panel discussion about community-based projects during the April 12 ARISE Conference at HCC. (Above) Students in a bio lab study the heart.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20024" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/all-that-jazz" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:26" CategoryIds="4|193|165|226" FileName="x20024.xml" Name="All That Jazz" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/Gatsby-Plaza-web.jpg" Title="All That Jazz" Abstract="The HCC Theater Department is bringing the Jazz Age to life with its spring production of F. Scott Fitzgerald's &quot;The Great Gatsby,&quot; April 11-13, in the Leslie Phillips Theater." ThumbnailAltText="Student actors rehearse for HCC Theater Department's spring 2024 production of The Great Gatsby." IntroCopy="HCC Theater Department staging The Great Gatsby, April 11-13" Date="2024-03-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Dress rehearsal for The Great Gatsby&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/Gatsby-Dancing-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While there is certainly a lyrical quality to the prose in F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, The Great Gatsby, set during the Jazz Age of the Roaring '20s, music, as important as it is to the story, does not literally project from the pages.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But it does literally sound from the stage during the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/x19379.xml&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College spring theater production of &quot;The Great Gatsby,&quot;&lt;/a&gt; which opens Thursday, April 11, and runs through Saturday, April 13.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this &quot;Gatsby,&quot; a five-piece jazz band is part of the ensemble cast and lends a live soundtrack to the tragic tale of the mysterious Jay Gatsby and his pursuit of long-lost love Daisy Buchanan.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Of all the theatrical adaptations now available &amp;ndash; the copyright for the book expired in 2021 &amp;ndash; HCC Theater Professor and director Patricia Sandoval chose the 2006 version written by playwright Simon Levy.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's well written, it was approved by the Fitzgerald estate, and uses a lot of Fitzgerald's language in it,&quot; said Sandoval.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than that, she said, she liked that Levy's stage directions include music, but that the cues don't call for specific songs to be played &amp;ndash; or live music at all, for that matter.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I liked that it was open ended,&quot; she said, &quot;so we picked the music.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;we&quot; in this case included herself, choreographer Tiffany Joseph, and guitarist and HCC Music Professor Bob Ferrier, the musical director and band leader for the play.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The show opens with a big dance number set to Irving Berlin's &quot;Putting on the Ritz.&quot; Benny Goodman's &quot;Sing Sing Sing&quot; leads the top of Act 2. The play also incorporates songs such as &quot;The Entertainer&quot; by Scott Joplin and others not necessarily written before 1922, when the story is set.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We wanted to choose music that would be familiar to the audience,&quot; Sandoval said, &quot;so they could feel a part of the energy. We wanted the music to be enjoyable.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;And the dancing is wonderful,&quot; she added. &quot;The Great Gatsby is a classic American story. The dancing is lively and lends to that story. It's entertaining, but it's also heartfelt.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For those not familiar with it, The Great Gatsby, both the book and the play, is narrated by the humble Nick Caraway (played by student actor Zachary Ciano of Springfield), who has moved east to learn the New York City bond trade. Much of the action takes place in the fictional Long Island enclave of West Egg, where Carraway meets his suspiciously rich neighbor, Jay Gatsby (Liam Galpin of Easthampton), who enlists him in a plot to reconnect with Carraway's cousin, Daisy (Alison Smythe of Wilbraham), now married to an unfaithful brute named Tom Buchanan (Joe Wilcox of Westfield). &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I find the story and the characters really compelling,&quot; Sandoval said. &quot;The juxtaposition of the decadence and the elegance, the betrayal, and the quest for love. It's the story of humans &amp;ndash; and the Jazz Age. The music of the era just really compelled me to celebrate that.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While some may be familiar with Gatsby, Sandoval hopes audience members see the characters in the HCC production as more than stereotypes.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;A lot has been written about this story, and a lot has been written about F. Scott Fitzgerald,&quot; Sandoval said, &quot;but I think what I'm trying to find in it is the hope that the character of Gatsby possesses. Things happen, but we, as humans, keep moving forward, looking for hope and love.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additional Cast:&lt;/strong&gt; Myrtle Wilson (Aolanis Figueroa Pinto, Holyoke);&amp;nbsp; George Wilson (Kazz Cuyler, Holyoke); Jordan Baker (Thea Shinholster, Springfield); Mr. McKee (Chandler Frantz, Easthampton); Mrs. McKee/Dancer 2/Policeman (Zoe Fydenkevez, Chicopee); Mrs. Michaelis (Clove Wood, Agawam); Meyer Wolfsheim/Party Host (Manual Morales, HCC alum); Dancer 1 (Serenety Rodriguez, Holyoke); Cigarette Girl (Wandeliz Gonzalez Marrero, Westfield); Drinks Girl (Gissel Santos, Holyoke).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;The Band:&lt;/strong&gt; Bob Ferrier (guitar); Ken Forfia (piano); Andy Kivela (drums); Bruce Krasin (clarinet, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); HCC student Kai Caban of Amherst (bass).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IF YOU GO:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Great Gatsby&quot;&lt;br /&gt;By F. Scott Fitzgerald&lt;br /&gt;Adapted for the stage by Simon Levy&lt;br /&gt;Directed by Patricia Sandoval&lt;br /&gt;April 11-13, 7:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;April 13, 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;April 12 show is ASL-interpreted&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke Community College&lt;br /&gt;Leslie Phillips Theater&lt;br /&gt;Tickets: $5 (HCC students, staff, and faculty); $10 (general admission); $8 (seniors). &lt;br /&gt;Available one hour before each show at the Leslie Phillips Box Office or call 413-552-2528 to reserve.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20023" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/summer-youth-2024" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:26" CategoryIds="4|193" FileName="x20023.xml" Name="Summer Youth 2024" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-Baking-Benton-rolling-web.jpg" Title="Summer Fun" Abstract="Registration is now open for Summer Youth Programs at HCC for youth aged 8-17 interested in baking, cooking, computers and sports. " ThumbnailAltText="Two girls in summer youth baking class in 2032" IntroCopy="Summer Youth Programs run July 8 to Aug. 16" Date="2024-03-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chef Maureen Benton supervises a student in her summer baking class.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/HCC-Baking-Benton-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With spring underway, it's not too early to start thinking about summer. Registration is now open for 2024 Summer Youth Programs at Holyoke Community College.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Starting July 8&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;and running through August 16&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;HCC&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;will offer 16 week-long summer programs in person on campus &amp;ndash; and many more online &amp;ndash; for youth aged 8 to 17 interested in baking, cooking, computers, and sports.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For more than 40 years, HCC has offered challenging, summer education activities for youth, providing early opportunities for students to experience a college environment guided and encouraged by experienced professionals.HCC's 2024 on-campus summer youth programs run Monday through Friday for one week, some for a full day, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and others for a half day, either 9 a.m. to noon, or 1 to 4 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All in-person programs will be held on the main HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave., except for cooking and baking classes, which are held at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 8-12:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Bake With Me&lt;/em&gt; (ages 11-14). Students will learn the art of creating tasty baked goods, pastries, and confections, from traditional bread baking to beautiful showpieces, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($399)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Summer Fun in the Kitchen with Chef Birchall &lt;/em&gt;(ages 11-14): Iconic summer dishes and an eclectic variety of seasonal meals will be featured as students prepare lunch for themselves and their fellow students, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($399)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 15-19:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Bake With Me&lt;/em&gt; (ages 11-14), 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($399)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Summer Fun in the Kitchen with Chef Birchall &lt;/em&gt;(ages 11-14), 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($399)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 22-26:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;All Spiced Up! Cooking with Anjula!&lt;/em&gt; (ages 9-14). Join Anjula Kanouja from India House restaurant in Northampton and learn how to play with Indian spices while creating some of her favorite summer dishes, all with a Desi twist, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($399)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Culinary Summer Fun with Chef Tracy!&lt;/em&gt; (ages 9-14). Learn new kitchen skills from Chef Tracy Carter as she creates some amazing culinary delights this summer, with a different focus each day: Pizza Party, Baking Basics, Breakfast for Champions, Tastes of Summer, Chopped Junior, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($399)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;ROBLOX Coders&lt;/em&gt;: Learn how to build 3D models and create an adventure in your ROBLOX world. Bring characters to life with unique animations you design, 9 a.m. to noon for ages 8-10; 1 to 4 p.m. for ages 11-14, ($199)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 29-Aug. 2:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Youth Soccer Clinic&lt;/em&gt; (ages 8-17): A comprehensive soccer clinic for young athletes taught by Rob Galazka, head coach of the HCC women's soccer team with assistance from top college soccer players, stressing basic and advanced skills with plenty of one-on-one instruction, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($299)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Make Your First Video Game&lt;/em&gt;: Go beyond the limitations of the traditional 2D game design and create an immersive 3D world. Students will learn the physics behind 3D games, explore beginner event scripting, level design, controlling the flow of gameplay, and storytelling, 9 a.m. to noon for ages 8-10; 1 to 4 p.m. for ages 11-14, ($199)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aug. 5-9:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Youth Baseball Clinic&lt;/em&gt; (ages 8-17): This fun-filled, challenging program emphasizes fundamental skills and baseball knowledge while building self-confidence and developing every player's ability to play more competitively, taught by head HCC baseball coach Ryan Magni, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., ($299)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Minecraft Modders&lt;/em&gt;: Customize your own Minecraft world: Learn scripting and logic statements to create a wide variety of new elements, gameplay mechanics, and world-generating mods to change the way you play Minecraft, 9 a.m. to noon for ages 8-10; 1 to 4 p.m. for ages 11-14, ($299)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aug. 12-16:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Code Breakers: &lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;Learn the basics of coding languages like HTML, JavaScript, and CSS through a series of web projects and design challenges each day and be on your way to becoming the next tech star, 9 a.m. to noon for ages 8-10, 1 to 4 p.m. for ages 11-14 ($199)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC also offers additional online-only versions of ROBLOX Coders, Video Game design, Minecraft Modders, and Code Breakers, and many other technology-based classes through its partner, Black Rocket.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register for in person or online Summer Youth Program classes, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/personal-enrichment/youth-programs&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/summer-youth&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20022" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/inauguration-4-19" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:26" CategoryIds="66|193" FileName="x20022.xml" Name="Inauguration 4-19" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/GT-HALL-3-web.jpg" Title="A New Chapter" Abstract="Holyoke Community College will mark a new chapter April 19 with the inauguration of George Timmons as its fifth president. " ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons outiside his HCC office" IntroCopy="HCC to celebrate President George Timmons with April 19 inauguration ceremony" Date="2024-03-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President George Timmons outside his office at HCC&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/GT-HALL-3-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will mark a new chapter on Friday, April 19, with the inauguration of George Timmons as its fifth president.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The investiture ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater on the second floor of the HCC Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts building.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Timmons, who lives in Amherst, started working at HCC in July. He is the fifth president in the&amp;nbsp; 78-year history of the college and the first African-American man to serve in that position.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ceremony will start in the theater lobby of HCC's Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts building with a procession of faculty, staff, and distinguished guests, including presidents from many other Massachusetts community colleges and four-year colleges and universities in the region.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also attending and offering brief remarks during the ceremony will be: State Sen. John Velis; State Rep. Patricia Duffy; Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia; Patrick Tutwiler, Ph.D., Massachusetts secretary of education; Robert Awkward, Ph.D., assistant commissioner of academic effectiveness at the Mass. Dept. of Higher Education; Carlee Drummer, Ph.D., president of Columbia-Greene Community College; Quintin Bullock, DDS, president of the Community College of Allegheny County; and Briana Beaver-Timmons, President Timmons' eldest daughter (accompanied by her two younger siblings).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Barney Garcia of Northampton, the student representative on the HCC Board of Trustees, will offer remarks. The event will also feature performances by several HCC students: Ally Carnes of Westfield will sing the national anthem; William Rodriguez-Otero of Belchertown will give a spoken word performance; and Chestina Thrower of Springfield will give a musical performance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vanessa Smith, interim chair of the HCC Board of Trustees, will present the presidential medallion to President Timmons, who will give a special address.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A community reception will immediately follow the inauguration ceremony in the HCC Campus Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For those interested in attending, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/offices-and-administration/president-and-cabinet/the-inauguration-of-president-george-timmons-phd&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/inauguration24&lt;/a&gt; and follow the link to RSVP.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before coming to HCC, Timmons served as the provost and vice president of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, N.Y. He holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Bowling Green State University, a master's degree in higher education from Old Dominion University, and a bachelor's degree in financial management from Norfolk State University. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He succeeded President Christina Royal, who retired in July 2023.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: President George Timmons&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19357" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/a-nursing-journey" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:27" CategoryIds="193|355|165|194" FileName="x19357.xml" Name="A Nursing Journey" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/Afrike-Phakos-at-the-CHE-web.gif" Title="A Nursing Journey" Abstract="Read the remarkable story of HCC nursing student Afrike Phakos, who was featured Feb. 18 in the Outlook 2024 section of the Republican newspaper." ThumbnailAltText="HCC nursing student Afrike Phakos works on a patient simulator at the Center for Health Education and Simulation" IntroCopy="HCC nursing student featured in Sunday Republican's Outlook 2024" Date="2024-02-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC nursing student Afrike Phakos&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/Afrike-Phakos-at-the-CHE-web.gif&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story was first published Feb. 18, 2024, in the Outlook 2024 section of the Springfield Republican and on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/&quot; title=&quot;MassLive&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MassLive&lt;/a&gt; under the headline,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/business/2024/02/outlook-2024-students-journey-to-a-nursing-degree-began-in-a-straw-hut-25-years-ago.html&quot; title=&quot;Link to MassLive story&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Student's journey to HCC nursing degree began in a straw hut 25 years ago&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By STAASI HEROPOULOS, for The Republican&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In June, Afrike Phakos will graduate from Holyoke Community College's nursing program, receiving her diploma during a ceremony at the college. But the first steps toward achieving this pinnacle began nearly 7,000 miles away in Wolaita Sodo, a small village in Ethiopia.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Phakos, 25, was born and lived with her three siblings and parents in a tiny straw hut, with a thatched roof and mud walls, an hour away from Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.&amp;nbsp;The hut had one room and a dirt floor. The entire family slept together on a straw mattress. None of the children went to school. They worked in the fields, picking peanuts, vegetables and fruit. The only time they wore shoes was on Sunday, when they went to church.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every day, the children hauled dirty water to their home from a creek a mile away. They boiled the water over an open fire to kill bacteria and viruses, before they could drink or cook with it. There was no electricity in the hut.&amp;nbsp;Dogs were considered to be wild animals; goats, cows and donkeys were the family pets.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I would take my goat for a walk, like someone would take their dog,&quot; said Phakos.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sudden death&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When she was 7 years old, Phakos' mother, Almaz, died unexpectedly. One of the neighbors pronounced her dead. He had no medical training, but everyone in the village came to him when they had a question about their health. No one knows her cause of death.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Phakos and her siblings were left with only their father, Bante, who was in the Ethiopian military. Officers gave him two days off to bury his wife and arrange for his children to be placed in an orphanage. He was then forced back into military service, away from Afrike and the others.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If Phakos had stayed in Ethiopia, she would have been married and started her own family when she was 15 years old. But she, a baby sister and an older brother were adopted by a Southampton couple &amp;ndash; Lisa Minter and Alex Phakos &amp;ndash; who already had six children.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Phakos and her siblings weren't sure how old they were when they came to America, because their birth dates on adoption forms were wrong. Doctors did a bone density test to determine their ages.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first car Afrike had ever seen was when she landed at Boston Logan International Airport, after a 16-hour flight from Africa.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was a crazy transition, because I didn't speak English and my new parents didn't understand us. But a family friend helped translate our conversations. We also learned English in private and public schools,&quot; said Phakos.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There was only work and no school for children in Wolaita Sodo. Phakos' first experience in a classroom was in Western Massachusetts. But she was so far behind her peers, her mother homeschooled her every summer until she caught up with others her age.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was all so surreal. I can't put it into words, because I would never be able to do those things in Ethiopia,&quot; she told The Republican.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Caring for her grandmother&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When Phakos was in the ninth grade, her aging American grandmother came to live with the family. They offered her hospice care, and Phakos was there to assist.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I remember asking to help, because I cared so deeply for her. She was the first grandmother I ever had in my life. I wanted her last days to be surrounded by the people she knew and loved. Elderly people lose dignity as they age. I want to give them the end they deserve, because they've lived such a long life,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Caring for her grandmother helped forge Phakos' interest in becoming a nurse. After she graduated from Hampshire Regional High School in Westhampton, she earned her certified nursing assistant degree at HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Everyone, including my mother, has always told me, way before I even said I wanted to be a nurse, that I was meant to be in a field where I could care for others,&quot; said Phakos. &quot;She knew I was meant for nursing, and I was like, 'You're crazy.' But now I look back, and she was right.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once Phakos became a CNA and took preliminary courses, she entered HCC's two-year associate in science nursing program. Between lectures, lab work at the school and clinical duties at three local hospitals &amp;ndash; plus working two or three part-time jobs at a time to pay bills, including tuition and books &amp;ndash; it's all been so arduous.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There's so much they need to teach us in two years,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Phakos has worked many overnight shifts in health care, at the Veterans' Home at Holyoke, and in private settings. When her patients were asleep, she'd keep an eye on them while pushing through her studies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She's earning high grades at HCC now &amp;ndash; all As and B-pluses &amp;ndash; but she admits the first semester started a bit rocky.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;No one prepares you for the difficulty of a nursing program. You hear people talk about it, but until your first semester, you don't understand how difficult it will be. It's a crazy amount of work,&quot; she said. &quot;The nursing program is not for the weak. There's definitely been times when you're knocked down over and over and you're like, 'Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?'&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Phakos' instructors are also nurses, working locally and giving students a realistic idea of what they can expect to see in hospitals that are understaffed and where the work is overwhelming.&amp;nbsp;Phakos knows what they're talking about, because she sees it first-hand when she's doing her own clinical work. Even with what she's seen and experienced &amp;ndash; including seeing &quot;people quitting left and right&quot; in the profession, Phakos' resolve remains strong.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If you have passion and go into nursing for the right reasons, no matter what obstacles are thrown at you, you're going to overcome them,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When Phakos receives her official nursing pin this spring, it might be unclear whether the toughest days are ahead or have been left behind in a small African village.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I know how hard it is, the traumatic things you go through in life. I've always been a caring person. I love working with kids, I love working with geriatric patients. There isn't an area I don't like,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Patients deserve the best care, and I'll provide it, no matter what.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by DON TREEGER / The Republican&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19348" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/collaboration-key" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:27" CategoryIds="69|66|193" FileName="x19348.xml" Name="Collaboration Key" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/GT-outlook-web.gif" Title="'Collaboration Key'" Abstract="Read President George Timmons' commentary from Outlook 2024, the Springfield Republican newspaper's special annual edition on the state of the regional economy." ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons, in his HCC office" IntroCopy="&quot;I want HCC to be known as a true community partner, one committed to the region's economic success.&quot; – HCC President George Timmons" Date="2024-02-22" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President George Timmons&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/GT-outlook-web.gif&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This commentary by President George Timmons was published Feb. 18 in the Outlook 2024 section of the Sunday Republican newspaper and Feb. 21 on MassLive under the headline, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/business/2024/02/outlook-2024-hcc-president-collaboration-key-to-regions-prosperity.html&quot; title=&quot;HCC President: Collaboration key to region's prosperity&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;HCC President: Collaboration key to region's prosperity.&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;M&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;y grandmother raised me to be an optimist.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She taught me the value of education, which, she always said, will help you find your way, and, once earned, can never be taken away.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through both words and deeds, she taught me the value of a strong work ethic. Even if you're not the smartest person in the room, she told me, no one else can control how hard you work toward your goals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I took those lessons to heart. I understood from an early age that education and hard work were the keys to my future.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Of course, Grandma was right. Because of the values she instilled in me, I was the first person in my family to go to college. A college degree provided me with opportunities unavailable to my parents, who could not afford to take care of both me and my brother.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I might not have always been the best student, but education and hard work led me to where I am today, the fifth president of Holyoke Community College, a job I could not be more excited and optimistic about.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I feel blessed to have inherited a bedrock institution with such a long, proud history.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During my interview for this job, I told the HCC Board of Trustees that, if hired, I would be of and for the community. I've tried my best to live up to that pledge.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I grew up not far away, in Hartford, but I'm new to Western Massachusetts. I've made it a priority to immerse myself in the community, attending as many events as possible, engaging with key stakeholders to better understand the relationships, challenges and opportunities here &amp;ndash; and figuring out how HCC can play an even more prominent role in advancing our community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is important work, and we must do it together.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I believe collaborations and partnerships are critical to any region's economic success. In my short time here, I've already seen great promise. During my first semester, I had the opportunity to take part in two grand-opening celebrations, one for the Tech Hub, a collaboration with Tech Foundry, the Alliance for Digital Equity, and many other corporate and community groups intent on closing equity gaps with regard to access to technology; the other was for the Holyoke Community Cupboard, a new regional food pantry managed by the United Way of Pioneer Valley at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am encouraged by the generous investments that have recently come our way from both the state and local groups. MassReconnect now allows any Massachusetts resident 25 and older to earn a community college degree at no cost. This pairs well with our own plan at HCC to open what we are calling the Adult Learner Success Center, a dedicated, wrap-around support program for our nontraditional students, who are generally older.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more traditional-age students, those under 25, the state has increased the numbers eligible for free community college through the MASSGrant Plus program, and has instituted scholarship programs for nursing students, as well as subsidized costs for international students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, the state recently awarded HCC (and its partners, including Baystate Health) a $1.46 million workforce grant to create a free program to recruit unemployed and underemployed individuals, train them first as nursing aides and then as nurses &amp;ndash; and find them jobs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Creating pathways to upward mobility is critical and demonstrates the value of community colleges to the regional economy. With so many new funding options available, there has never been a better time to be a community college student.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also this fall, HCC received a $600,000 grant from the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation to expand its free Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center, one of our many programs designed to address basic needs that can be barriers to a student's academic success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Private investments like that show great faith and confidence in the college. We don't take that for granted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I want HCC to be known as a true community partner, one committed to the region's economic success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm not a pessimist. I feel good about the region's prospects. I feel good about being here and making sure that HCC remains a pivotal contributor to the social and economic prosperity of Western Massachusetts. Because, if you're not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. At the end of the day, you've got to sit with yourself and ask, did you do anything to help make things better?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's pretty much how I grew up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;George Timmons, Ph.D., is the fifth president of Holyoke Community College.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19305" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/stem-fellow" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:27" CategoryIds="66|417|194" FileName="x19305.xml" Name="STEM Fellow" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/Laurel-Carpenter-web.jpg" Title="STEM Fellow" Abstract="Laurel Carpenter, associate professor of environmental science, was awarded a national fellowship focusing on STEM education at community colleges." ThumbnailAltText="HCC environmental science professor Laurel Carpenter" IntroCopy="HCC alum, professor awarded national fellowship" Date="2024-02-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC environmental science professor Laurel Carpenter&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/Laurel-Carpenter-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Laurel Carpenter, Holyoke Community College associate professor of environmental science, has been awarded a national fellowship focusing on STEM education at community colleges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The fellowship, from the Community College Presidents Initiative in STEM (CCPI-STEM), is intended for community college faculty and administrators pursuing graduate degrees and conducting research related to STEM education and workforce development. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carpenter is part of a cohort of just seven CCPI-STEM fellows for 2024-2025 and the only one from a college in the Northeast.Fellows are selected from a national pool of applicants, who are evaluated based on their education, STEM experience, leadership potential, community engagement, and research.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm very happy for Laurel,&quot; said Elizabeth Breton, interim dean of HCC's B-STEM division. &quot;She is a gifted instructor and engages the students in community projects. I think she will use this opportunity to benefit not only herself but the college as well.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A 2012 graduate of HCC, Carpenter is a wildlife biologist, chair of the HCC Environmental Studies Dept., co-coordinator of the HCC STEM Scholars program, and a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she is pursuing a doctorate in education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My research, very broadly, is looking at the retention of students in STEM programs at community colleges, and studying models of retention, because most or the retention models are based on four-year college students and their needs and experiences as opposed to students at community colleges,&quot; said Carpenter, who lives in South Hadley.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;CCPI-STEM fellows receive a $5,000 honorarium each year for two years to support their graduate studies. They also participate in professional development activities and are paired with a professional mentor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think what's most exciting is that this will allow me to network with other educators who are researching similar topics related to community colleges,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carpenter started taking classes at HCC in 2002 as a junior at South Hadley High School, but then transferred to Smith College for her bachelor's degree. From there, she went to UMass, where she earned a master's in wildlife conservation before returning to Smith for a master's degree in secondary science education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more than 10 years, she worked as a wildlife technician, wildlife biologist, lead educator and environmental interpreter for the U.S. Fish &amp;amp; Wildlife Service. While she was working, she returned to HCC to complete her associate degree in environmental science.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I started in 2002 and finished in 2012,&quot; she said. &quot;It's always kind of funny. How do I put that on my resume? I came back and finished my HCC degree after I had my master's degree. There were just some classes that I really wanted to take, like Spanish, site assessment, and aquatic ecology. Before I knew it, I only needed one more class, so I finished.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;CCPI-STEM is based at Prince George's Community College in Largo, Maryland.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: STEM fellow Laurel Carpenter in a biology lab at HCC.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19299" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/black-history-month-2024" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:27" CategoryIds="4|193|165|453" FileName="x19299.xml" Name="Black History Month 2024" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/Taber-Raishad-Glover-Work-web.jpg" Title="Black History Month" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is celebrating Black History Month in February with a series of events highlighting this year's national theme: &quot;African Americans and the Arts.&quot;" ThumbnailAltText="Visual arts professor Raishad J. Glover works on his installation in the Taber Art Gallery" IntroCopy="Events celebrate African Americans and the Arts" Date="2024-02-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Raishad J. Glover&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/Taber-Raishad-Sit-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is celebrating Black History Month in February with a series of events highlighting this year's national theme: &quot;African Americans and the Arts.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Events at HCC kick off Thurs., Feb. 8, at 11 a.m. with a presentation by HCC visual arts professor Raishad J. Glover, whose artwork is now on display in the college's Taber Art Gallery in a show titled&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/x19216.xml&quot;&gt;&quot;Geo-Spec: Cultural Introspection Wealth.&quot;&lt;/a&gt; Glover's talk, followed by a Q&amp;amp;A, will be held in Room 303 in HCC's Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Next week, on Wed., Feb 14, at 11 a.m., the college's Black Student Alliance and Latinx Empowerment Association (LEA Club) will co-host an open mic and &quot;Taste of the Diaspora&quot; event on the second floor of the Campus Center, with live student performances accompanied by food representing cultures of people whose descendants came from Africa.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Black History is made every day,&quot; President George Timmons said last week in a message to HCC students, faculty, and staff. &quot;Let's explore, teach, and celebrate Black history in February and beyond. As part of my own celebrations, I pay tribute to the members of the Black community on our campus, and in particular to my colleagues and members of the student body. I am proud to work and learn alongside you.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Black History Month events at HCC will continue on Wed., Feb. 21, at 11 a.m. with a performance by the Amherst Area Gospel Choir in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Thurs., Feb. 22, at 11 a.m., in Room 224 of the Campus Center, performance poet, playwright, and pop culture critic Nicole Young-Martin, Ed.D., will lead a program titled &quot;Write the Way,&quot; during which she will read from her own work and engage in a discussion with students about the importance of including marginalized voices in the literary canon.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Black History Month at HCC concludes on Feb. 28 at 11 a.m. with a &quot;Phenomenal Black Women's Panel&quot; in Room 224 of the Campus Center. Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n, director of HCC's El Centro program, will moderate a panel that includes Jada J. Waters, Ed.D., director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Middletown, Conn., public schools; Erika Slocumb, a Black history scholar and director of interpretation and visitor experience at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, Conn.; Kandice E. Jones, a counselor from the Center for Human Development; and Qua'Nae Golston-Thomas&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;a student activist at Holyoke High School and podcast host of &quot;Let's Talk With Qua'Nae&quot; on Holyoke Media.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;With this panel, we are creating an opportunity for our students to see their reflections mirrored, learning from the participants' insights about what it means to aspire to our dreams and what it takes to live them,&quot; Col&amp;oacute;n said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To learn more about Black History Month at HCC or to participate over Zoom, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/awareness-and-heritage/black-history-month&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/bhm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: HCC visual art professor Raishad J. Glover will talk about his artwork during a Black History Month presentation on Thursday, Feb. 8.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19296" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/center-opens" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:27" CategoryIds="193|65|165" FileName="x19296.xml" Name="Center Opens" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/SRC-LaureFreeman-FerozaSherzai-web.jpg" Title="Open Resource" Abstract="HCC celebrated the grand opening of its Scholarship Resource Center,  a new support service aimed at helping students apply for HCC scholarships. " ThumbnailAltText="Laura Freeman and Feroza Sherzai in the Scholarship Resource Center" IntroCopy="&quot;It's not always easy navigating financial aid or understanding expectations when you're filling out a scholarship application. Just having people who know the process there to support you makes it feel a little better.&quot; – Student Sunrise Iaim Smith " Date="2024-02-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ribbon-cutting ceremony opening Scholarship Resource Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/SRC-CUTTING-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Feroza Sherzai holds the distinction of being the first Holyoke Community College student to apply for a scholarship through the college's new Scholarship Resource Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sherzai, a Holyoke resident, arrived at the center on Wed., Jan. 31, just as the open house celebrating its grand opening got underway. She sat right down at one of the center's three computer work stations.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a very good opportunity for students,&quot; said Sherzai, a student in HCC's Academic English as a Second Language program. &quot;I came here to fill out the application. I had a lot of questions.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On hand to answer those questions was Laura Freeman, manager of stewardship and donor relations for HCC and coordinator of the center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She was very good,&quot; Sherzai said. &quot;She was very patient with me.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Scholarship Resource Center is the first of its kind among community colleges in Massachusetts. Its purpose: to make it easier for students to apply for scholarships that are available through the HCC Foundation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're here 9 to 5, Monday through Friday, to help with all things scholarship related,&quot; Freeman said. &quot;It's great to have this very warm, inviting and inclusive space where students can come and get the assistance they need.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Scholarship season for the 2024-2025 academic year officially opened on Monday, Jan. 29, and continues through Sunday, March 3.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each year, the HCC Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships worth&amp;nbsp;about $350,000 to more than 300 incoming, current, and transferring HCC students. Students must be currently enrolled at HCC or have been accepted for the upcoming academic year to be eligible. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The center saw a steady stream of students throughout the four-hour open house, which culminated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon led by President George Timmons.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is such an exciting time for HCC,&quot; he said, &quot;and we're excited to continue to provide services that remove barriers to education, and what a great way to start your academic career and journey than this wonderful, new, lovely space. Not only is it functional, but it's also social.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the other students who came to the open house was first-year student Sunrise Iaim Smith of Chicopee.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I read that HCC had created a new facility where we can get support in applying and be able to ask questions during the application process,&quot; Smith said. &quot;I figured that's a nice support to have. It's not always easy navigating financial aid or understanding expectations when you're filling out an application. Just having people who know the process there to support you makes it feel a little better, especially since it's my first time.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Scholarship Resource Center is located on the first floor of the Donahue Building. The center is open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students in need of assistance can drop in any time during office hours or schedule an appointment to meet with center staff.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Applicants only need to fill out a single online form to be automatically matched with the scholarships they are most qualified to receive. There are scholarships for new students, current students, and students transferring to other institutions, scholarships based on financial need, scholarships for students in specific majors, scholarships for residents of certain communities, and scholarships that recognize academic achievement.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information or for assistance, please contact the Scholarship Resource Center at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:scholarships@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;scholarships@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or visit the center in Donahue 158.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To view scholarship opportunities and begin the application process, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/scholarships&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;www.hcc.edu/scholarships&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions should be directed to Laura Freeman at 413-552-2613 or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:lfreeman@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;lfreeman@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See more photos in our &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.771584931671458&amp;amp;type=3&quot; title=&quot;Facebook Photo Album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Facebook photo album ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbail) Laura Freeman, manager of stewardship and donor relations, meets with student Feroza Sherzai in the Scholarship Resource Center. (Above) President George Timmons cuts the green ribbon celebrating the grand opening of HCC's new Scholarship Resource Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19275" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/junior-reunion" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:27" CategoryIds="4|193|65" FileName="x19275.xml" Name="Junior Reunion" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HJC-FranKane-AngelaWright-web.jpg" Title="Junior Reunion " Abstract="HCC will hold its first-ever reunion for graduates of Holyoke Junior College, its forerunner, on Wednesday, June 5, at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. " ThumbnailAltText="Holyoke Junior College alumni Francis Kane '56 and Angela Wright '54 outside the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute" IntroCopy="Holyoke Junior College Reunion set for Wed., June 5" Date="2024-01-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Holyoke Junior College alumni Frances Kane '56 and Angela Wright '54&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/HJC-FranKane-AngelaWright-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is putting out a call to all alumni who graduated from Holyoke Junior College between 1947 and 1964 to attend a special reunion celebration later this spring at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first-ever reunion event for graduates of Holyoke Junior College, the forerunner of HCC, will be held Wednesday, June 5, from 3-6 p.m., at the culinary arts institute on Race Street.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Founded in 1946 as Holyoke Graduate School, the name was changed to Holyoke Junior College in April 1947. After HJC joined the state's community college system in 1964, the name was changed yet again to Holyoke Community College, which was then located downtown on Sergeant Street and Pine Street in the former Holyoke High School building, which burned down in 1968.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a time for our oldest alumni to meet our new leader, President George Timmons, catch up with classmates, and reminisce about the good old days,&quot; said Julie Phillips, HCC director of development.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm getting older, and there are people I miss because they live far away,&quot; said Angela Wright, a graduate of Holyoke Junior College from the Class of 1954 and a member of the reunion planning committee. &quot;You don't often have a chance to catch up with classmates from your school. I don't know how many of us are left. I'd be thrilled to see them and just chat.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also on the reunion planning committee are alumni Maurice Ferriter '52, Barbara Meckel '54, Francis Kane '56, Carl Eger '56, Pat Bresnahan '57, Peg Wendlandt '58, Jim Izatt '59, and Michael &quot;Richie&quot; Sobon '64.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Holyoke Junior College was very good to me,&quot; Kane said recently at a reunion planning meeting. &quot;I was young. Coming out of high school, I didn't know where I was going to go. I went to Holyoke Junior College, which set me on my pace. I came back to the college in the early '70s to serve on the Board of Trustees under President David Bartley, and I've been there ever since. It's been wonderful to me. I've made a lot of friends, and I'd like to see who's left from my class.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information about the event or to secure your spot for the reunion, please contact John Sieracki at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:jsieracki@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;jsieracki@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; / 413-687-0322.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Holyoke Junior College alumni Francis Kane '56, left, and Angela Wright '54 enjoy their desserts after a recent reunion planning committee meeting at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Insitute.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19258" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/scholarship-resource-center" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:27" CategoryIds="193|65|165" FileName="x19258.xml" Name="Scholarship Resource Center" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/SRC-New-web.jpg" Title="Scholarship Central" Abstract="As scholarship season kicks in for the 2024-2025 academic year, HCC will celebrate the grand opening of a new Scholarship Resource Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC's new Scholarship Resource Center" IntroCopy="HCC Scholarship Resource Center first of its kind in Massachusetts" Date="2024-01-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Scholarship Resource Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/SRC-New-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As the Holyoke Community College Foundation prepares to begin accepting scholarship applications for the 2024-2025 academic year, HCC will celebrate the grand opening of its new Scholarship Resource Center with an open house and ribbon-cutting on Wednesday, Jan. 31.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Scholarship Resource Center, on the first floor of the Donahue Building, is the first of its kind among community colleges in Massachusetts and one of several recent changes aimed at making the scholarship application process simpler and easier for students.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're so excited that we have this beautiful space to help our students through the scholarship process,&quot; said Laura Freeman, HCC manager of stewardship and donor relations. &quot;While the main purpose of the center is to help students apply for scholarships, it's also a place to celebrate our scholarship donors and teach students the value of philanthropy and what it means not only to their own educational journey but to the community at large.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Scholarship season for the 2024-2025 academic year officially opens on Monday, Jan. 29. The application deadline is Sunday, March 3.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each year, the HCC Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships worth&amp;nbsp;about $350,000 to more than 300 incoming, current, and transferring HCC students. Students must be currently enrolled at HCC or have been accepted for the upcoming academic year to be eligible. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Jan. 31 open house will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with brief remarks from President George Timmons at 12 noon, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official grand opening. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Besides being treated to brownies and a hot cocoa bar, visitors will be eligible to win a raffle prize. Students who apply for scholarships during the open house will receive an extra raffle entry. The first 250 students who apply for scholarships this year will also receive a free HCC-branded beanie.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Scholarship Resource Center will be staffed Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students in need of assistance can drop in any time during office hours to ask questions or to use one of the center's three computer workstations. They can also schedule appointments to meet with Freeman or other center staffers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We can also help them submit their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), which they will need to apply for a scholarship,&quot; &amp;nbsp;Freeman said.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The center will also be hosting scholarship workshops both in person and remotely for those who need assistance with their applications.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think opening this space at the same time we're opening up scholarship applications is huge,&quot; Freeman said. &quot;Because now there is this dedicated space where there will be people to help students with their applications whenever they need it.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, HCC has introduced a new online application platform that should expedite the application process. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As in past years, applicants only need to fill out a single online form to be automatically matched with the scholarships they are most qualified to receive. There are scholarships for new students, current students, and students transferring to other institutions, scholarships based on financial need, scholarships for students in specific majors, scholarships for residents of certain communities, and scholarships that recognize academic achievement.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information or for assistance, please contact the Scholarship Resource Center at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:scholarships@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;scholarships@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or visit the center in Donahue 158.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To view scholarship opportunities and begin the application process, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/scholarships&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;www.hcc.edu/scholarships&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions should be directed to Laura Freeman at 413-552-2613 or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:lfreeman@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;lfreeman@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC will celebrate the grand opening of its new Scholarship Resource Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19212" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/healthy-cooking-sp24" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:28" CategoryIds="69" FileName="x19212.xml" Name="Healthy Cooking SP24" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-CAI-salad-plating-web.jpg" Title="Healthy Cooking " Abstract="HCC is running a series of noncredit cooking classes this spring for anyone interested in learning how to prepare healthier, more nutritious meals. " ThumbnailAltText="An HCC student plates salad during a class at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute" IntroCopy="Nutrition for Diabetes classes start Feb. 7" Date="2024-01-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Student plating salad&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/HCC-CAI-salad-plating-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you've made a New Year's resolution to eat healthier in 2024, Holyoke Community College might have just what you need. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college is running a series of noncredit cooking classes this spring focused on diabetes but geared toward anyone interested in learning how to prepare healthier, more nutritious meals.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classes in the &quot;Nutrition for Diabetes&quot; series run either on Tuesday or Wednesday nights beginning Feb. 7. All classes are held at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., and taught by Marissa Chiapperino,&amp;nbsp;a registered dietician and instructor in HCC's Culinary Arts program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Certain foods can lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes or help to manage it,&quot; Chiapperino said. &quot;Making healthy adjustments to your daily meal plan does not have to be hard or boring. Oftentimes, adding in sources of healthy fats, whole grains, and high fiber fruits and vegetables can boost flavor and decrease the risk of chronic disease.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each three-hour, stand-alone class will focus on a different theme. The first hour will be an education session with Chiapperino, followed by a two-hour hands-on cooking activity after which participants can take home leftovers and recipes that align with the nutritional topic of the evening.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wed., Feb. 7, 6-9 p.m.:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;What is a carbohydrate?&quot; (white bean egg shakshuka,&amp;nbsp;breakfast casserole, overnight oats,&amp;nbsp;vanilla bean pancakes,&amp;nbsp;salmon toast)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tues., March 5, 6-9 p.m.:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;What is a protein?&quot; (grilled skirt steak with chickpea salad,&amp;nbsp;fideo,&amp;nbsp;raspberry chicken,&amp;nbsp;tahini-baked cod)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wed., March 20, 6-9 p.m.:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;What is a fat?&quot; (smoothie bar,&amp;nbsp;zucchini fritters,&amp;nbsp;roasted chickpeas,&amp;nbsp;cheesy egg souffles, Vietnamese spring rolls with peanut sauce)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wed., April 17, 6-9 pm.:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;How to read a food label&quot; (grilled swordfish and pepper salad;&amp;nbsp;chicken, lemon and olive bake;&amp;nbsp;sweet potato berry muffins;&amp;nbsp;easy breakfast salad;&amp;nbsp;cheddar and herb savory overnight oats)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tues., April 30, 6-9 p.m.:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;What is a carbohydrate?&quot; (desserts for diabetes:&amp;nbsp;chocolate date spread,&amp;nbsp;oatmeal cookies,&amp;nbsp;orange chamomile blondies,&amp;nbsp;homemade popcorn four &amp;nbsp;ways,&amp;nbsp;caramelized spiced pears)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, on&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Tues., April 2, from 6-9 p.m&lt;/strong&gt;., Chiapperino will lead a similarly structured class on meal planning, &quot;Building a balanced meal,&quot; featuring chilled avocado and cucumber mint soup,&amp;nbsp;eggplant and lentil meatballs,&amp;nbsp;chili-stuffed spaghetti squash,&amp;nbsp;kale and fava bean salad,&amp;nbsp;and grain-free granola.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Making dietary changes can feel overwhelming,&quot; she said. &quot;In this class, we will talk about how meal planning can make or break your ability to lead a more nourishing life with food. The concepts discussed will be suitable for those with many different health concerns and also those who just want to get more comfortable in the kitchen.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chiapperino holds a bachelor of science degree in dietetics from the State University of New York at Oneonta and a masters of public health from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She specialized in medical nutrition therapy for critical care and oncology at Westchester Medical Center in New York and was the first bariatric dietician at Holyoke Medical Center, where she helped build their nutrition program.&amp;nbsp;She is a past president of the Western Massachusetts Dietetic Association and currently serves as executive secretary.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each session is $84.&amp;nbsp;For more information, or to register for classes, please go to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.coursestorm.com/category/culinary1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://hcc.coursestorm.com/category/culinary1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1704553804863000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw2UpeAzhAnTYCTF1hoBwhxh&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/healthy-cooking&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: A culinary student plates salad during a class at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Insitute.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19210" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/nurse-training-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:37:28" CategoryIds="193|355|194" FileName="x19210.xml" Name="Nurse Training Grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2024/HCC-GRANT-NURSING-web.jpg" Title="Nurse Training Grant" Abstract="HCC and its partners have been awarded a state grant worth nearly $1.46 million to recruit and train nurses to help area hospitals meet their workforce needs." ThumbnailAltText="An HCC nursing student practices on &quot;patient&quot; during a training exercise at the college's Center for Health Education &amp; Simulation." IntroCopy="Grant will help recruit and train nurses" Date="2024-01-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Student in simulation room at Center for Health Education&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2024/HCC-GRANT-NURSING-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College and its partners have been awarded a state grant worth nearly $1.46 million to recruit and train nurses to help area hospitals meet their workforce needs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier this month, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced a total of $3.9 million in Senator Kenneth J. Donnelly Workforce Success grants for six initiatives representing employers and collaborative organizations across the Commonwealth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The lion's share of that money &amp;ndash; $1,457,143 &amp;ndash; will go to an HCC-led training program to assist 86 unemployed or underemployed individuals transition from jobs as nursing aides to positions as licensed practical nurses. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The grants, funded through the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (WCTF) and distributed by the Commonwealth Corporation, aim to increase sustainable wage career pathways for Massachusetts residents facing employment barriers and improve the competitiveness of Massachusetts businesses by enhancing worker skills and productivity. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's partners in the grant include Baystate Medical Center, Baystate Wing Hospital, MassHire Hampden County, Springfield Works, and the National Fund for Workforce Solutions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are delighted about the Commonwealth Corporation's award to HCC and our many partners in this unique and innovative career pathway in nursing,&quot; said HCC President George Timmons. &quot;Healthcare is one of the largest industry sectors in our region, and it continues to grow. We hope that this pathway for licensed practical nurses will help create more family sustainable incomes for nursing assistants looking to advance in this exciting and rewarding career.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The multi-stage program will first recruit individuals to be trained as CNAs (certified nursing assistants), then help them obtain jobs at area hospitals while they continue their training in HCC's LPN program, all the while providing them with wrap-around support services. HCC already has an existing framework for CNA training through its Jump Start program, which is designed for individuals receiving public assistance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Every individual in Massachusetts should have access to quality job training, and our employers should have access to the skilled talent they need to do business,&quot; said Governor Maura Healey. &quot;Our workforce is our greatest competitive strength. The latest round of Workforce Success Grants is another example of our administration's commitment to expanding opportunities and expanding our lead.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The grants were announced Dec. 18 by Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones during a graduation event at the Boston-area African Bridge Network, which received $498,655.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To help leverage the state grant for the HCC-led project, the National Fund for Workforce Solutions invested $200,000 to incorporate the voices and lived experiences of participants in the design of the program to advance equitable employment outcomes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is an amazing achievement,&quot; said Anne Kandilis, director of Springfield WORKS/Working Cities Challenge. &quot;Sometimes we focus on the grant itself, but the 18 months of hard collaborative work that goes into proposing something this big is important to lift up too.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the Healey-Driscoll Administration, the grants are part of a strategic investment in the Massachusetts workforce to develop programs that support individuals facing barriers to employment, such as lack of formal schooling, language literacy, or past involvement with the criminal justice system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Investing in our workforce and our businesses is investing in the Massachusetts economy and puts the state in a position to succeed,&quot; said Lieutenant Governor Driscoll. &quot;These grants help organizations attract workers who may be unemployed, underemployed, or experiencing barriers to employment and provide the necessary skills they need to thrive. These grants will help us achieve our workforce development goals, expand our skilled talent pool, and strengthens our competitiveness.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The six grant-funded initiatives aim to train and hire 384 individuals over three years.The Springfield-based Entrepreneurial &amp;amp; Business Collaborative also received a grant worth $630,998 to&amp;nbsp;prepare 90 individuals for jobs in the hospitality industry. The group is partnering the Northampton Brewery, Granny's Baking Table, River Valley Market, Tandem Bagel Company, and Puerto Rico Bakery II.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other grant recipients include the Training and Upgrading Fund in Quincy ($717,220), Cambridge College, Inc., in Boston ($436,062), and Cape Cod Regional Technical High School District&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;in Harwich ($225,425).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: An HCC nursing student practices on &quot;patient&quot; during a training exercise at the college's Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x19382" URL="x19382.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19382.xml" Name="News 2023" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x19164" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/fall-graduate-reception" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241202T14:50:04" CategoryIds="4|3|65|165|673" FileName="x19164.xml" Name="Fall Graduate Reception" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-FA19.jpg" Title="Fall Graduate Reception" Abstract="For the first time in its 77-year history, HCC will celebrate its fall semester graduates with a special reception on Wed., Nov. 29." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Campus Fall colors" IntroCopy="HCC to hold inaugural fall graduate reception" Date="2023-11-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC fall campus&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-FA19.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the first time in its 77-year history, Holyoke Community College will celebrate its fall semester graduates with a special reception on Wed., Nov. 29.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's inaugural Fall Graduate Reception will run from 5-7 p.m. on the main HCC campus, beginning in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater for the official ceremony and continuing over appetizers and activities in the PeoplesBank Conference Room on the third floor of HCC's Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This will be a family-friendly event with food, photo opportunities, and fun as we recognize the accomplishments of HCC students who will complete their graduation requirements by the end of December and the fall 2023 semester,&quot; said Sharale Mathis, vice president of Academic and Student Affairs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the HCC Registrar's Office, 172 HCC students will be fall 2023 semester graduates, many of whom will transfer to four-year schools for the spring 2024 semester. Although fall graduates are always invited to attend HCC's formal Commencement ceremony in the spring, historically, many choose not to attend.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our goal with this ceremony is to celebrate our fall graduates, strengthen their connection to HCC in the hopes that they will remain engaged with the college and &amp;nbsp;attend our 76&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 1, 2024,&quot; Mathis said. &quot;I'm excited for this. I think everyone is excited about it.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the first part of the event in the Leslie Phillips Theater, new President George Timmons will offer some welcome remarks, followed by student speakers Alannah Brunt, a Latinx Studies major from Springfield, Marcos Figueroa, a Communications, Media, and Theater Arts major from Holyoke, and Angela Tindell-Gula, a Creative Writing major from Three Rivers. Julie Phillips, director of Institutional Development, will welcome the fall graduates as new members of HCC's Alumni Association.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;About 5:45 p.m., students and their families will be directed to the PeoplesBank Conference Room for appetizers, activities, and photo opportunities, and to collect their free HCC swag bag.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like spring Commencement, the Nov. 29 event will be livestreamed on the HCC website for those who cannot attend: &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/&quot;&gt;hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19186" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/fa23-grad-reception" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|3|65|165|673" FileName="x19186.xml" Name="FA23 Grad Reception" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/FA23GRADS-GROUP-28-web.jpg" Title="Fall Grads Feted" Abstract="For the first time in its 77-year history, Holyoke Communiy College celebrated its fall graduates with a special reception." ThumbnailAltText="Student speakers Marcos Figueroa, left, Angela Tindell-Gula, Alannah Milgros Brunt, with President George Timmons, right, at HCC's first Fall Graduate Reception on Wed., Nov. 29." IntroCopy="HCC celebrates fall graduates" Date="2023-12-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Student speakers Marcos Figueroa, left, Angela Tindell-Gula, Alannah Milgros Brunt, with President George Timmons, right, at HCC's first Fall Graduate Reception on Wed., Nov. 29.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/FA23GRADS-GROUP-28-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first time&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/alannah-milagros-brunt&quot;&gt;Alannah Brunt&lt;/a&gt; tried Holyoke Community College, she flunked out after one semester. The next semester, she only passed one class.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was working a ton of hours and had not yet invested in school,&quot; she recently said. &quot;I hadn't found a way to get excited about being a student. It was COVID times, folks, and it was not fun.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But Brunt eventually did find a way to get excited about college, and that led her to where she now stood &amp;ndash; on the stage of HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater as one of the student speakers for the college's first-ever Fall Graduate Reception, held on Nov. 29.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Fear not,&quot; said Brunt, who will complete her associate's degree in Latinx Studies this month before heading to the University of Massachusetts in the spring. &quot;In my journey at HCC, I found a community of people who became my village.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the HCC Registrar's Office, 172 HCC students will be fall 2023 graduates at the end of the current semester. Like Brunt, many of them will transfer to four-year schools in the spring. Although fall graduates are always invited to attend HCC's formal Commencement ceremony in the spring, historically, many do not attend.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is really just the beginning of your celebrations as a college graduate,&quot; said &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/fa23-grads-timmons&quot;&gt;President George Timmons&lt;/a&gt;. &quot;Today, we honor your achievements with this reception because what you just achieved deserves immediate recognition. In June, we will come together again and formally welcome you as HCC alumni.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The family-friendly event began in the HCC theater, followed by food and photo opportunities in the PeoplesBank Room of HCC's Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our goal with this ceremony is to celebrate our fall graduates, strengthen their connection to HCC in the hopes that they will remain engaged with the college and&amp;nbsp; attend our 76&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 1, 2024,&quot; said Sharale Mathis, HCC vice president of Academic and Student Affairs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The fall 2023 graduates and their families also heard from student &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/marcos-figueroa&quot;&gt;Marcos Figueroa&lt;/a&gt;, who had nearly completed his degree in criminal justice from the Universidad Interamericana in Puerto Rico before Hurricane Maria disrupted his life and education.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Fate led me here to Holyoke, Mass., and the doors of Holyoke Community College,&quot; said Figueroa, now a communications, media and theater arts major. &quot;I must say, I am extremely grateful. Here, I didn't just find refuge, I found my passion. Photography and cinematography became my new path &amp;ndash; a discovery that reshaped my life.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Figueroa is on his way to Emerson College to study filmmaking in the spring while working as a video journalist for WGBZ CBS-Boston.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Adapting to a new culture wasn't easy,&quot; he said, &quot;but it was through this journey that I met incredible individuals who became my guiding lights.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/angela-tindell-gula&quot;&gt;Angela Tindell-Gula&lt;/a&gt;, a creative writing major from Three Rivers, talked about &quot;surviving&quot; adolescence and deferring her college dreams for two decades as she became a wife, mother, and small business owner.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;No one could prepare you for how hard doing back to school as an adult would be,&quot; said Tindell-Gula, who will attend Westfield State University in the spring. &quot;Every day I fold my life lessons from the past and tuck them safely in my backpack, and that gives me the drive to put one foot in front of the other.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For Brunt, the recipe for college success was getting involved in campus life. She joined the college radio station, WCCH, and became a DJ. Through Student Engagement, she joined clubs &amp;ndash; &quot;Lots and lots of club,&quot; she said &amp;ndash; including the Radio Club, the Psychology Club, and the Latinx Empowerment Association (the LEA Club). She found an internship in the Financial Aid office through SAMP &amp;ndash; HCC's &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/student-ambassador-and-mentorship-program&quot;&gt;Student Ambassador Mentorship Program&lt;/a&gt;, and discovered &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/el-centro&quot;&gt;El Centro&lt;/a&gt;, a bilingual support program for HCC's Latinx students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At El Centro, Brunt said, &quot;I found people who look like me, who understand me, and who helped me navigate higher education in a way that I had never seen before. I love the community that El Centro provides and the people who are here who help me find joy.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To see more photos from this event, please go to our &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.733199345510017&amp;amp;type=3&quot; title=&quot;Faceook photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Facebook photo album ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Student speakers Marcos Figueroa, left, Angela Tindell-Gula, Alannah Milgros Brunt, with President George Timmons, right, at HCC's first Fall Graduate Reception on Wed., Nov. 29.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19181" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/board-chair-retires" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|66|353" FileName="x19181.xml" Name="Board Chair Retires" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Royal-Gilbert-Timmons-web.jpg" Title="Trustees' Chair Retires" Abstract="Robert Gilbert Jr. of West Springfield served with three HCC presidents during his 12-year tenure on the Board of Trustees and the last eight as chair. " ThumbnailAltText="Retired President Christina Royal, left, and current President George Timmons bid farewell to Robert Gilbert after his last meeting as chair of the HCC Board of Trustees." IntroCopy="Board of Trustees chair Robert Gilbert steps down" Date="2023-11-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Retired President Christina Royal, left, and current President George Timmons bid farewell to Robert Gilbert after his last meeting as chair of the HCC Board of Trustees.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Royal-Gilbert-Timmons-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Robert Gilbert Jr. has banged his last gavel as chair of the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees.&amp;nbsp;After serving as a trustee for 12 years, including the last eight as chair, the West Springfield resident and retired chairman of Dowd Insurance Agencies of Holyoke, retired after presiding over his last board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 28.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a bittersweet moment for me,&quot; he said. &quot;Serving on this board has been an incredible journey, one filled with challenges, triumphs, and, above all, a shared commitment to the betterment of this institution. I'm filled with gratitude for the privilege of working alongside such dedicated individuals, the collective passion for education and unwavering commitment to the success of our students, which has been the driving force behind every decision we've made.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gilbert was first appointed to the board in April 2011 by Gov. Deval Patrick, where he served in various capacities, including chair of the Audit Committee and member of the Finance Committee. In October 2015, Gov. Charlie Baker named him as board chair, succeeding Helen Caulton-Harris, commissioner of the Springfield department of Health and Human Services.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In his eight years as chair, Gilbert served alongside three HCC presidents: William Messner, who retired in 2016, Christina Royal, who retired in July, and George Timmons, HCC's fifth and current president.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The relationship between the chair and the president is vital to the success of any institution,&quot; Timmons said, &quot;and so I have considered myself fortunate to have spent so many of my hours with you, Bob. HCC is an exceptional place because of your leadership and commitment to the college. I want to thank you personally for your support of me in this transition, your wisdom and most importantly, your passion for Holyoke Community College.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Making a surprise appearance at Gilbert's last meeting was former President Royal, who praised him for his stewardship of the college.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I don't think, in my entire time knowing you, that you have not had your HCC pin on,&quot; she said. &quot;You have been such an advocate. I think everybody knows you as someone who has dedicated your whole career to supporting and lifting up this community. I am deeply grateful for your leadership and presence in the board chair role, and beyond this I look forward to just calling you 'friend.'&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On behalf of the college, as a token of gratitude, President Timmons presented the retiring board chair with a real chair emblazoned with the Holyoke Community College seal.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;While my time as trustee may be coming to an end,&quot; Gilbert said, &quot;my commitment to the mission and vision of the college remains unwavering. I am confident the Board of Trustees, in collaboration with the outstanding leadership of our very capable president, George Timmons, will continue to guide the institution to new heights.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Until Gov. Maura Healey names a successor, HCC trustee Vanessa Smith will serve as interim chair.&amp;nbsp;The Board of Trustee next meets in January 2024.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;Retired President Christina Royal, left, and current President George Timmons bid farewell to Robert Gilbert after his last meeting as chair of the HCC Board of Trustees.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19195" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/itsy-bitsy-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|70|165" FileName="x19195.xml" Name="Itsy Bitsy Grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Itsy-Ciaran-Renwick-Bubble-web.jpg" Title="A Giant Itsy Bitsy Grant" Abstract="HCC has been awarded a $600,000 grant from the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation to expand its Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program to serve more student-parents." ThumbnailAltText="Ciaran Murphy, assistant director of the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch, blows a bubble for 2-year-old Renwick Ransom. " IntroCopy="$600K grant will fund expansion of child watch program" Date="2023-12-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ciaran Murphy blows a bubble for 2-year-old Renwick Ransom&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Itsy-Ciaran-Renwick-Bubble-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded a $600,000 grant from the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation to expand its Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program to serve more student-parents.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Itsy Bitsy Child Watch is a free center on HCC's main campus for parents in need of short-term child care while they attend class, study, or meet with tutors and advisers. It opened as a pilot program for the fall 2022 semester with a $100,000 state allocation. At the time, HCC was only the second community college in Massachusetts, and the only one in western Massachusetts, to offer a free campus child watch service.&amp;nbsp;The center is open to HCC student-parents with children three months to 12 years old.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since its launch, the program has proven to be widely popular and transformational for many HCC students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Without it, &quot;I could not come to school,&quot; said biology major Alondra Serrano, of Holyoke, one of the first HCC student-parents to sign up for the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program last year for her daughter, Anna, now 3.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our first semester, we had 19 students enrolled,&quot; said Kimm Quinlan, director of HCC's Early Childhood Initiatives, which includes the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch. &quot;Now we have more than 40. After just one year, it has become clear that there is a demonstrable need and demand for expansion.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The $600,000 grant will enable HCC to relocate the center to a larger, fully renovated new space, hire additional staff, and extend its hours of operation to accommodate more children, especially during public school vacations, which do not always align with the college calendar.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC remains at the forefront of pioneering innovative pathways to enhance educational accessibility for every student,&quot; said Paul Belsito, executive director of the Davis Foundation. &quot;At HCC, the concept of community is a verb in action, and the success of The Itsy Bitsy Child Watch is a testament to this commitment. Here at the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation, we are honored to be able to contribute to the growth of this vibrant and impactful program, which not only offers the highest quality child care support to student-parents but also positions HCC as a proactive leader in early education and care as well as higher education.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sometime in 2024, the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch center, now located on the first floor of the Marieb Science building, will move to a renovated space on the second floor of the Frost Building, closer to other student service and support programs,&amp;nbsp; such as the Thrive Student Resource Center and Food Pantry; Homestead Market, which accepts SNAP benefits; CHD Mental Health Services; Financial Aid; and the new Elaine Marieb Adult Learner Success Center (also scheduled to open in 2024).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This investment will enable our early childhood team to provide high-quality early learning experiences for more children,&quot; said President George Timmons. &quot;The remodeled space will provide the youngest members of our campus community with ample opportunities to explore, play, and learn. Dozens more HCC student-parents will be able to attend classes and access campus-based student resources without having to worry about child care.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Based on one year of data, the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch has already proven to be having a positive impact on student retention, course completion, and success, said Quinlan. Fall 2022 to spring 2023 retention rates for students who used the child watch center were 86 percent, &quot;which is a really great number,&quot; while 82 percent completed all their courses, and on average saw their grade point averages increase by more than 1 point.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;So, we do think that reducing the barrier of child care and allowing students to attend class, meet with their advisers, and meet with tutors has absolutely helped this small group of people, and we hope that continues,&quot; Quinlan said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;Ciaran Murphy, assistant director of HCC's Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program, blows a bubble&amp;nbsp;for 2-year-old Renwick, the son of HCC liberal arts major Kya Ransom of Greenfield. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19187" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/fa23-grads-timmons" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19187.xml" Name="FA23 Grads Timmons" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/TIMMONS-web-20231127-HCC-Fall-grads-14.jpg" Title="'The True Spirit of HCC'" Abstract="President George Timmons gave the welcome address to graduating students and their families at HCC's first Fall Graduate Reception on Nov. 29." ThumbnailAltText="HCC President George Timmons" IntroCopy="&quot;Look around at your fellow graduates this evening. You represent the true spirit of Holyoke Community College – people from all backgrounds with all sorts of life experiences with one thing in common: the passion and the determination to earn your college degree.&quot; – President George Timmons" Date="2023-12-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC President George Timmons welcomes guests to the college's first-ever Fall Graduate Reception on Nov. 29.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/TIMMONS-web-20231127-HCC-Fall-grads-14.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;President George Timmons offered the following remarks at HCC's first-ever Fall Graduate Reception on Nov. 29.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'G&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;ood evening and congratulations to all our graduates!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am honored to be here celebrating each and every one of you and your outstanding accomplishments.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Look around at your fellow graduates this evening. You represent the true spirit of Holyoke Community College &amp;ndash; people from all backgrounds with all sorts of life experiences with one thing in common: the passion and the determination to earn your college degree.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I see parents balancing childcare while pursuing their studies. I see students who are the first in their family to graduate college. I see professionals working towards a career change. And I see students working hard to prepare themselves to transfer to a four-year university.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each of you made sacrifices to better your life and reach your potential. You spent long nights studying after tucking your children into bed. You wrote papers and studied for exams while juggling other priorities. You completed assignments after a long day of work. But through sheer commitment and resilience, here you stand today having completed your studies.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is really just the beginning of your celebrations as a college graduate. I encourage you to attend our full commencement ceremony in June to experience that milestone with hundreds of your fellow graduates. Today, we honor your achievements in this reception because what you just achieved deserves immediate recognition. In June, we will come together again and formally welcome you as HCC alumni.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your faculty and the entire HCC community could not be more proud of all that you have accomplished. And the same is true for your families &amp;ndash; the parents, grandparents, spouses, children, friends and extended family members surrounding you today, beaming with pride.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So as I conclude my remarks, I invite you to join me by standing if you are able, and extending a round of applause to them, as well as to yourselves. Together, you fill this space with inspiration and possibility.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations!&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: President George Timmons&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19162" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/community-cupboard" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|193" FileName="x19162.xml" Name="Community Cupboard" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Cupboard-cutting-web.jpg" Title="Open Pantry" Abstract="HCC and the United Way of Pioneer Valley celebrated the opening of the Holyoke Community Cupboard, a new food pantry housed at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. " ThumbnailAltText="Staff from United Way of Pioneer Valley and HCC cut the ribbon celebrating the grand opening of the Holyoke Community Cupboard." IntroCopy="HCC, United Way celebrate opening of food pantry" Date="2023-11-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;United Way of Pioneer Valley CEO Megan Moynihan and HCC president George Timmons at the  culinary arts institute&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-cupboard-Moynihan-Timmons-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The United Way of Pioneer Valley and Holyoke Community College celebrated the opening of the Holyoke Community Cupboard, a downtown food pantry that will allow residents to pick up free frozen and refrigerated foods in addition to the usual dry goods and shelf-stable items. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community Cupboard is located on the basement level of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., the scene of a November 2 ribbon-cutting and grand opening event. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a really special occasion,&quot; said HCC President George Timmons at the Nov. 2 event. &quot;It's important, and we want to do our part to try to be good community partners and help the city of Holyoke meet this need, and so we want to do that by providing healthy choices and healthy food and make it easy to access.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new food pantry, part of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts' network, will serve Holyoke residents as well as those from neighboring towns. It is open Thursdays from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're incredibly thankful for the collaboration,&quot; said Megan Moynihan, chief executive officer of the United Way of Pioneer Valley. &quot;Thank you so much for opening your arms to the United Way. We saw that there was a gap in services and that it was very important to get a food pantry into Holyoke. Capacity wise, we couldn't do it alone.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among those present and taking part in the ribbon-cutting were state Rep. Patricia Duffy, Andrew Morehouse, executive director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and Jordan Hart, an HCC alum and executive director of the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Over my 10 years of working here, it's been really great to see the evolution and how much HCC has really invested in downtown Holyoke,&quot; said Hart. &quot;Economic development in downtown is so important to all the businesses in the community, so HCC's presence down here with the culinary institute and the Picknelly Center (206 Maple St.) is really important. Congratulations to the United Way and HCC for your continued involvement in downtown Holyoke.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the third pantry operated by UWPV after the agency opened&amp;nbsp;sites in Springfield and Chicopee.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We hope to use this collaboration as a means of finding innovative solutions to food security and to collectively support other initiatives,&quot; said Lee Drewitz, UWPV director of program operations. &quot;This includes offering food demonstrations using food pantry staples and educating the community about the Emergency Food Pantry system.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC also operates a food pantry on campus as part of its Thrive Student Resource Center, which was founded in 2015 with assistance from the United Way of Pioneer Valley.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Officials from HCC and the United Way of Pioneer Valley cut the green ribbon to celebrate the opening of the Holyoke Community Cupboard at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. (Above) Megan Moynihan, CEO of the United Way of Pioneer Valley, and HCC President George Timmons gathered at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute Nov. 2 to open the new Holyoke Community Cupboard.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;xxx&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19196" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/giving-tree-2023" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165" FileName="x19196.xml" Name="Giving Tree 2023" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/GIving-Group-web.jpg" Title="All Wrapped Up" Abstract="This year, through the annual Giving Tree campaign, the HCC community fulfilled the holiday wishes of more than 300 clients from three local charities. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC staff members Laura Freeman, Michelle Vigneault, and Alexis Roach help loan carts with presents for WestMass Elder Care.   " IntroCopy="HCC celebrates 22nd annual Giving Tree campaign" Date="2023-12-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Giving Tree Committee 2023&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Giving-Committee-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Members of the Holyoke Community College community helped spread some holiday cheer earlier this month, as they delivered piles of wrapped and donated gifts to representatives from three local charities at the closing reception for the college's 22&lt;sup&gt;nd&lt;/sup&gt; annual Giving Tree campaign.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, the HCC community fulfilled the holiday wishes of more than 300 clients from Homework House, WestMass ElderCare, and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These gifts are very, very meaningful for our kids,&quot; said Virginia Dillon, executive director of Homework House, a free academic support program for Holyoke children. &quot;It's a happy time of year at Homework House. There's an air of excitement, but we also know that it can be fraught for the families who oftentimes have to make a choice between warm coats and clothing and gifts, or putting food on the table and buying presents. For our kids, this means that families will have something underneath their trees again this year, and we are ever so grateful for your continued generosity.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each year during the annual campaign, Giving Trees are set up in designated areas around campus. Participants choose tags from one of the nonprofit agencies based on the age of the recipient and their wish for a gift. The purchased gifts are then wrapped and stacked on tables for the closing celebration, when&amp;nbsp;HCC faculty, staff, and students join with representatives from the agencies to distribute the gifts and share food and stories.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC held its 2023 Giving Tree closing reception on Tuesday, Dec. 12, in the PeoplesBank Conference Center on the third floor of the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We have been part of this great tradition for many years now, and our participants couldn't be happier and more thankful for everything you do for us,&quot; said Nancy Allen-Scannell, executive director of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. &quot;We are located in Holyoke, and we serve families, young parents, who are struggling with their day-to-day lives. And now we have the great privilege of bringing presents to them, so they have something to put under their trees to celebrate with their kiddos, because no parent ever wants to feel like they can't provide for their kids.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year's Giving Tree campaign was the first for new HCC President George Timmons.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This warms my heart,&quot; he said. &quot;It is just another example of how we live out our values by being kind to our community during a difficult time of year for many people. Being able to give a little holiday joy and happiness this holiday season is really important to me and makes me very proud to be the leader of this great institution.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHOTO: (Above) Members of the HCC's 22nd annual Giving Tree committee hold some of the gifts collected for three local charities. (Thumbnail) HCC staff members Laura Freeman, Michelle Vigneault, and Alexis Roach help loan carts with presents for WestMass Elder Care.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19142" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/tech-hub-opens" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|193|194" FileName="x19142.xml" Name="Tech Hub Opens" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/TECH-HUB-FELLOWS-TV-GT-web.jpg" Title="Bridging the Gap" Abstract="Tech Foundry and HCC celebrated the grand opening of the Tech Hub, a new program aimed at bridging the gaps in digital equity in western Massachusetts. " ThumbnailAltText="Tech Hub group photo" IntroCopy="New facility located at HCC's Pickelly Adult &amp; Family Education Center" Date="2023-10-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Tech Hub ribbon-cutting photo&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/TECH-HUB-CUT-BEFORE-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like many women in her position, Lasharie Weems often felt overwhelmed. As a single, state-at-home mother with young boys in the home, one of the areas where she felt particularly overmatched was technology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My five-year old was probably more digitally literate than I was,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The remote instruction her children required during the pandemic proved even more baffling. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My older two sons go to a science and technology school,&quot; she said. &quot;I struggled to even help them with their homework.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Motivated by her children, Weems enrolled in Tech Foundry's free, 18-week IT Workforce Training program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Not only did I learn a tremendous amount about technology, but it brought my family closer together and helped me restore the confidence in myself that I hadn't felt in a long time,&quot; Weems said. &quot;It truly helped bridge the gap for me.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Weems, who lives in Chicopee, now works for Tech Foundry. She told her story earlier this week (Wed., Oct. 26) at the grand opening celebration for the Tech Hub, where she will be serving an as American Connection Corp fellow.&amp;nbsp;Tech Foundry's Tech Hub is a collaboration between Tech Foundry, Holyoke Community College, the Western Mass Alliance for Digital Equity, the Massachusetts Broadband Institute, Comcast, The Accelerate the Future Foundation, Google, Bulkley Richardson and many other corporate and community partners.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Based at HCC's Picknelly Adult &amp;amp; Family Education Center (PAFEC) at 206 Maple St, Tech Hub offers free digital skills training workshops, walk-in IT support and troubleshooting, Internet connectivity consultations, and computer distribution, as well as community outreach and education.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Today is an exciting occasion for all of us,&quot; Weems said to the crowd assembled outside the Tech Hub's digital classroom on the first floor of PAFEC. &quot;But, for me, it's a personal achievement as I celebrate the journey it took to get me here. Tech Hub is my opportunity to pay it forward, to help countless others identify and bridge the gap in digital equity.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tech Hub officially opened to the public on Thursday, Oct 26.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tricia Canavan, CEO of Tech Foundry, a Springfield-based nonprofit, said the Tech Hub project was an idea first discussed during the height of pandemic and has been a top priority of Tech Foundry ever since.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Tech Hub is a place where residents can gain access to the skills, computer equipment, tech support and reliable high speed internet connectivity needed to thrive in the digital world,&quot; she said. &quot;And we are offering these services free to all in our region thanks to our many funders and supporters.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dr. Frank Robinson, vice president for community relations and public health at BayState Health and chair of the Western Massachusetts Alliance for Digital Equity, noted that Tech Hub is supported by a $5.1 million grant the alliance received from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute. That grant provides funding for digital literacy, digital skills training, outreach and education, and connectivity - delivering equipment and wi-fi hotspots to people such as those who are housing unstable, homeless, or living in shelters.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We talked about a hub of services serving the entire region as one of our dreams,&quot; Robinson said. &quot;Well, we've gotten the cornerstone and foundation laid. We're starting here in Holyoke.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC President George Timmons said it was fitting for the Tech Hub to be based at PAFEC, one of HCC's satellite campuses in the heart of the city. PAFEC also houses HCC's Adult Learning Center as well as other community programs, including the Holyoke High Opportunity Academy, an alternative public high school program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PAFEC represents access, he said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The mission of Holyoke Community College is to educate, inspire and connect,&quot; he said. &quot;Through this initiative, we hope to promote access to technology and connectivity, digital literacy and education while giving individuals the tools they need to be successful. Today we celebrate an awesome opportunity to create a pathway to a better life.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mayor Joshua Garcia echoed President Timmons' comments and noted that four students who attend the Holyoke High Opportunity Academy at PAFEC have already signed up to be part of the Tech Hub program.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think we can all agree that digital literacy in 2023 is as vital as reading literacy was 50 years ago,&quot; he said. &quot;Whether it's filling out a job application, communicating with a customer, maintaining accessible records or even booking a flight, digital fluency is a necessary life skill. But the Tech Hub mission recognizes something else: that there exists a digital divide that is the result of inequities in access, opportunity, housing, income and schooling. The free training and support that will take place at this site and at community partner locations - it's going to be a liberating game-changer.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tech Hub is open noon to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with classes held from noon to 1 p.m. and 5-6 p.m. On Mondays and Fridays, Tech Hub manager Shannon Mumblo and Tech Hub fellows take their IT services into the community all around western Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To learn more and register for classes and helpdesk support, visit techhubmass.net&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19156" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/a-bright-new-boise" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|193|165|226" FileName="x19156.xml" Name="A Bright New Boise" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/BOISE-ALEX-WILL-TABLE-web.jpg" Title="A not-so private Idaho" Abstract="The HCC Theater Department presents its fall production of 'A Bright New Boise' by Samuel D. Hunter, directed by Tim Cochran, Nov. 16-18, in the Leslie Phillips Theater." ThumbnailAltText="Alex and Will in a scene from A Bright New Boise" IntroCopy="HCC production showcases another play by playwright Samuel D. Hunter" Date="2023-11-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A scene from A Bright New Boise&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/BOISE-WILL-PAULINE-ALEX-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2016, Holyoke Community College theater professor Tim Cochran directed &quot;The Whale&quot; for HCC's spring production. That show won an ensemble award at the New England Region Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since then, the play, about a morbidly obese man trying to reconcile with his estranged daughter, was adapted into a feature film that earned three Academy Awards in 2023, including one for lead actor Brendan Fraser.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cochran hasn't yet seen the movie, but the Oscar buzz inspired him to return to the work of the playwright, Samuel D. Hunter. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It reminded me how much I liked working on 'The Whale,'&quot; he said. &quot;Samuel D. Hunter writes plays that are really intimate and really put the acting front and center. You really feel like you're sneaking a peak at somebody's life unfolding before you.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The play that Cochran picked for the HCC Theater Department's fall 2023 production is Hunter's &amp;nbsp;&quot;A Bright New Boise,&quot; which, while lesser known now, debuted first and won an Obie Award in 2011.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC show runs Nov. 16-18 with performances at 7:30 p.m. and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sat., Nov. 18. The Friday, Nov. 17, show will be ASL-interpreted. All performances will be held in the Leslie Phillips Theater on the second floor of HCC's Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts building.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like &quot;The Whale&quot; &amp;ndash; and almost all of Hunter's other plays &amp;ndash; &quot;A Bright New Boise&quot; is set in Idaho, the playwright's home state. But Cochran, citing Hunter himself, says the location is not necessarily significant to the play's themes and insights.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He's not really saying anything about Idaho as much as saying something about the world that he knows,&quot; said Cochran. &quot;I think Samuel D. Hunter seems to be saying that conversations people are having in Idaho are the same as conversations we're having every place in America. So it really doesn't matter where it's set. There's a universality to it.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What is significant, though, is the location of individual scenes. Aside from a few set in a parking lot near an interstate highway, the rest of the &quot;action,&quot; such as it is, takes place in the break room of a Hobby Lobby retail store. That, by its very nature, invites commentary about &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;religion, consumerism, and capitalism. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I had a lot of retail jobs growing up,&quot; said Cochran. &quot;I mean a lot, like 23 by the time I was 23. There's a whole culture that goes on in any break room, and the cultures in every break room I've ever been part of in retail are so different.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Inside the Hobby Lobby break room of Hunter's &quot;A Bright New Boise,&quot; we meet new employee Will (played by student-actor Matthew Haughton of Springfield), a deeply religious man trying to reconnect with the son he gave up for adoption; Pauline (Caterina Guerin of Belchertown), the foul-mouthed store manager; Anna (Nyasia Aguirre of Springfield), a new employee who can't hold a job; Alex (Tora Mateo of Holyoke), an angry, dispirited teenager; and Leroy (Zo&amp;euml; Fydenkevez of Chicopee), a college art student who wears provocative &amp;ndash; and often obscene &amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp; shirts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The actors move in and out of the break room while a video monitor behind them continuously plays &quot;Hobby Lobby TV,&quot; a closed circuit broadcast featuring corporate pitchmen (Grace Kelly of Springfield and Joe Wilcox of Westfield) that is intermittently interrupted by footage from a medical operating room.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's really a play about people in confrontation with others who are not like them,&quot; said Cochran. &quot;How do we negotiate extreme points of view in everyday life?&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even though the play debuted in 2011, Cochran says it makes even more sense today, given the political climate and how divided American society has become.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's seriocomic, or what some people call a dramedy,&quot; said Cochran. &quot;It's funny, but it's also really powerful and heavy at times. If people like 'The Whale,' if they liked the movie, this is going to be a great play to see.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Student actors Matthew Haughton (left), Caterina Guerin, center, and Tora Mateo rehearse a scene from Samuel D. Hunter's &quot;A Bright New Boise.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19132" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/boost-for-nursing" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="193|355|165" FileName="x19132.xml" Name="Boost for Nursing" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/STEM-nursing-student-web.jpg" Title="A Boost for Nursing" Abstract="State officials and local legislators visited HCC's Center for Health Education and Simulation Tuesday to announce an $18M state-funded nursing scholarship program." ThumbnailAltText="A nursing student practices on a patient in an HCC simulation lab" IntroCopy="&quot;The new scholarship program was designed to attract, incentivize and encourage a pipeline of skilled nurses. Every single one of our currently enrolled community college nursing students will be able to attend this year for free.&quot; –  Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler" Date="2023-10-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;State officials tour HCC medical simulation center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/STEM-Tutwiler-Richard-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like so many of her Holyoke Community College classmates, Katelynn Richards struggled for many years as she tried to balance the demands of parenthood and a college education. As a stay-at-home mom of three special needs children, she had long deferred her dream of becoming a nurse. Affordability was a principal factor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now a second-year student in HCC's associate of science in nursing program, Richard is one of the beneficiaries of an $18 milliion state-funded scholarship initiative that will pay 100 percent of the costs of her nursing education &amp;ndash; and the education costs for all community college nursing students in Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The effects of receiving the scholarship funding impact my entire life,&quot; said Richard, who lives in Ludlow. &quot;It will allow me to have a healthier work and school family balance. It will cover all my expenses so I can focus on my education and pursue my dream degree in nursing.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Richard was present Tuesday, Oct. 17, as local legislators and representatives from the Healey-Driscoll administration visited HCC's Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation to announce the the funding initiative.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The new scholarship program was designed to attract, incentivize and encourage a pipeline of skilled nurses,&quot; said Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler, &quot;and I'm truly so thrilled to be able to announce this ... that every single one of our currently enrolled community college nursing students will be able to attend this year for free.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Statewide, there are about 3,000 students enrolled in community college nursing programs in Massachusetts, Tutwiler said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;State Sen. Jo Comerford called the $18 million funding allocation a &quot;historic investment,&quot; noting a report from the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association that shows western Massachusetts has the second highest number of people currently housed in hospitals awaiting nursing home beds.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's second only to the Metro Boston area,&quot; she said. &quot;And that's all connected to a workforce shortage. As the labor market blueprint for the Connecticut River Valley shows, a supply gap of well over 1,000 nurses are needed to meet demand.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones, Commissioner of Public Health Robbie Goldstein, state Sen. Adam Gomez, state Rep. Pat Duffy, and Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia were also present at Tuesday's event, which was scheduled as part of statewide STEM Week activities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;STEM Week has always been about encouraging students to see themselves in STEM,&quot; Tutwiler said. &quot;But this year, we're taking it a step further. This year, the theme is 'Your STEM Future.' For me, 'Your STEM Future' encapsulates so well the notion that our current students are the next generation of scientists, engineers, and inventors whose future innovations and insights and discoveries will serve to tackle the challenges we face in this society and to illuminate the possibilities we don't yet know exist. I know that rings true for our future health care leaders as well, and at a time when we clearly need more of them.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;STEM &amp;ndash; science, technology, engineering and math &amp;ndash; was on full display at the center as HCC staff members led a tour of HCC's state-of-the-art health education facility, which is home to the college's nursing and radiologic technology programs. Opened in 2015, the 11,000 square-foot facility includes flexible classrooms, student study areas, a radiology suite, a large radiology image library, and an image critique room, four private patient simulation rooms, two semi-private patient simulation rooms, three control rooms, two debriefing rooms, prop storage, prep spaces and two larger multi-bed lab spaces can be transformed into acute care or community environments.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Here, our nursing students learn the skills that prepare them to become capable, compassionate healthcare leaders,&quot; said HCC President George Timmons. Combined with MassReconnect, another new state program that provides free community college to students 25 and older, &quot;there has never been a better time to earn your college degree,&quot; he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) HCC nursing student Katelynn Richard, center, practices under the supervision of her instructor,&amp;nbsp;Dorothy Shannon MSN, RN, as Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler, left, state Sen. Jo Comerford, and HCC President George Timmons look on. (Thumbnail) An HCC nursing student practices on a medical mannequin in one of the medical simulation rooms at the Center for Health Education and Simulation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19135" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/taber-director" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|66|193|360|226" FileName="x19135.xml" Name="Taber Director" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Taber-Rushing-web.jpg" Title="Now Directing" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is pleased to welcome interdisciplinary artist Rachel Rushing as the new director of the college's Taber Art Gallery." ThumbnailAltText="Rachel Rushing" IntroCopy="&quot;Gallery work and working with artists is something I've always been really passionate about. I think galleries on college campuses are really important ways to connect students with the bigger art world.&quot;  – Rachel Rushing" Date="2023-10-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Director Rachel Rushing in the Taber Art Gallery at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Taber-Rushing-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is pleased to welcome Rachel Rushing as director of the college's Taber Art Gallery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Originally from Louisiana, Rushing is as an interdisciplinary artist with a special interest in photography. She comes to HCC by way of Dallas, where she worked with the Nasher Sculpture Center to develop the Visitor Experiences program and manage special projects, such as the 2022 exhibition of CARNE y ARENA, a virtual reality exhibition written and directed by Academy Award winning Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Gonz&amp;aacute;lez I&amp;ntilde;&amp;aacute;rritu that integrates viewers into the true accounts of refugees in their journey across the southern U.S. border.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rushing also founded and co-directed Sunset Art Studios, a social practice art gallery, residency, and studio in Dallas.&amp;nbsp;She holds a bachelor's degree in fine arts in photography from&amp;nbsp;Louisiana Tech University and a master's in fine arts in studio art from the University of North Texas.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She now lives in Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;'Hit the ground running'&quot; is an overused phrase, but it absolutely describes the energy Rachel's brought to the position,&quot; said Kim Hicks, dean of Social Sciences, Arts &amp;amp; Humanities. &quot;In the brief time she's been at HCC, she's made connections with faculty, students, and the Holyoke Public Library, one of our most reliable community partners.&amp;nbsp; She's mounted her first exhibit and has been working with the grants office on an application to the Holyoke Cultural Council.&amp;nbsp; Rachel has been making things happen.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rushing becomes only the second director since the gallery opened in 1998, succeeding founding director Amy Johnquest, who retired last spring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm really excited,&quot; she said. &quot;Gallery work and working with artists is something I've always been really passionate about. I think galleries on college campuses are really important ways to connect students with the bigger art world.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her first show as Taber director was an exhibition of photographs by John Leni Marcy titled &quot;The City on Paper: Representations of HolyoR&amp;iacute;can Life,&quot; which was curated and captioned by HCC students enrolled in Latinx Studies classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was thrilled to bring this project to HCC as my first exhibition as the Taber Art Gallery director,&quot; said Rushing. &quot;It combines many of my goals as gallery director, particularly cross-departmental collaboration, community connection, and inclusion through multilingual content. I'm looking forward to the Taber becoming an active space for students and the broader Pioneer Valley community through contemporary art and programming that expands&amp;nbsp;the&amp;nbsp;imagination and invites connection and creative exchange.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery, located of the lobby of the HCC Library on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, is free and open to the public Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. during regular school sessions.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19097" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/two-for-three" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="193|513|609" FileName="x19097.xml" Name="Two for Three" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Mural-cutting-inside-web.jpg" Title="Two for Three" Abstract="HCC faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends gathered during Hispanic Heritage Month festivities on Oct. 4 to celebrate three new campus murals with Latinx themes." ThumbnailAltText="HCC staff and students celebrate new murals with a ribbon-cutting outside El Centro" IntroCopy="HCC celebrates three new campus murals with two ribbon-cutting ceremonies during Hispanic Heritage Month festivities" Date="2023-10-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC staff and students cut a green ribbon&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Mural-cutting-outside-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One mural features a sepia-toned likeness of a bomba dancer and drummer and stands three stories tall over the Holyoke Community College courtyard. Another lines an entire wall on the second floor of the HCC Campus Center, spelling out &quot;E-L C-E-N-T-R-O&quot; in bold, blue letters from floor to ceiling behind silhouettes of icons of Latin American history. A third presents a brightly colored image of a traditional Puerto Rican vejigante mask, welcoming visitors to El Centro, a bilingual student-support program for HCC's Latinx students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All three were painted by muralist Betsy Casa&amp;ntilde;as in collaboration with the city of Holyoke and the nonprofit Beyond Walls project. While Casa&amp;ntilde;as completed the murals over the summer, they were officially &quot;unveiled&quot; Oct. 4 during Hispanic Heritage Month festivities that included a Latinx Fiesta and two ribbon-cutting ceremonies, one outside in the HCC courtyard and one inside by El Centro, both of them before large crowds.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I want to say that you showing up today matters,&quot; said Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n, director of El Centro. &quot;It shows the institution and our community that we have a voice and that we are unafraid to use it, and that the work that is being brought to our campus represents us and what we want to say about ourselves.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Casa&amp;ntilde;as returned to campus to participate in the day's celebrations and help cut the ribbons. Initially, she said, she did not know much about Holyoke or HCC before she was enlisted to paint the murals and was given complete freedom to create whatever she wanted. After doing some research and talking to Col&amp;oacute;n and others at HCC, she decided on the themes represented in each mural.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I felt that there was such a large Puerto Rican presence in Holyoke, I wanted to bring a little bit of Puerto Rico here,&quot; said Casa&amp;ntilde;as, who is Puerto Rican herself and lives in Philadelphia &amp;ndash; &quot;to see that reflection of ourselves on the walls.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The large outdoor mural of the bomba dancer and drummer, she said, is an actual representation of a classroom at the famous Tata Cepeda school in Puerto Rico.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They were rehearsing,&quot; said Casa&amp;ntilde;as. &quot;Tata Cepeda comes from seven generations of folkloric musicians, dancers, and drummers.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Muralist Betsy Casa&amp;ntilde;as and HCC President George Timmons stand in front of one of HCC's three new murals.&quot; height=&quot;634&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Mural-Casanas-Timmons-vertical-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;float: right; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;424&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the 16 figures on the large mural outside El Centro are baseball legend Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico), and Nobel-prize winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia), and many more lesser-known but no less important people, such as Luisa Moreno, a Guatemalan-born labor activist, Dr. Jose Gregorio Hernandez, a Venezuelan physician later declared a saint, and the Mirabal sisters, who were murdered after demonstrating against the dictator Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Casa&amp;ntilde;as called it &quot;a kind of starter package&quot; of Latin American history.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;So,&quot; she said, &quot;if you don't know who these guys are, look them up. There's incredible environmental activists. We have folks from the LGBTQ community. We have musicians that were just revolutionary in their time. We have absolutely incredible folks on the wall.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The final mural is inside El Centro, on the wall in the reception area that can be seen through glass windows all the way from the far side of the cafeteria. It's an image of a vejigante, a traditional Puerto Rican mask often worn during festivals to ward off evil spirits.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Not only are the murals beautiful,&quot; said Col&amp;oacute;n, &quot;but they show our students that their history has value, that they come from incredible stories of strength, success, bravery, and joy.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holding the scissors for both ribbon-cuttings was new President George Timmons.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These murals reflect what is possible for our students,&quot; he said. &quot;They showcase where we come from and what we can be. They are inspiring, they are vibrant, and they connect us to one another.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He noted that Hispanic/Latinx student enrollment at HCC is the highest it has ever been (31 percent).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What I love most about the murals,&quot; he said. &quot;They make our campus come alive. As a person who went to a minority-serving institution, I know how important it is to have someone that looks like you in positions on the front lines and in senior leadership, because it gives you hope of what you can be, particularly for those of us who are first-generation college students. It just opens up an endless doors of possibilities.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Members of the HCC community celebrated the debut of three new murals on campus with two ribbon-cutting ceremonies on Wed., Oct. 4. (Middle) Muralist Betsy Casa&amp;ntilde;as with HCC President George Timmons.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19100" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/nicole-hendricks" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="66|3|193" FileName="x19100.xml" Name="Nicole Hendricks" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Hendricks-sitting-web.jpg" Title="Inspiration Award" Abstract="HCC criminal justice professor Nicole Hendricks was honored by the African American Female Professor Award Association for her work both inside and outside the classroom" ThumbnailAltText="Nicole Hendricks at HCC, wearing a sash given to her by the African American Female Professor Award Association" IntroCopy="HCC professor honored by African American Female Professor Award Association" Date="2023-10-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Nicole Hendricks with her Inspiration Award&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Hendricks-standing-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College criminal justice professor Nicole J. Hendricks was honored Oct. 6 with an Inspiration Award from the African American Female Professor Award Association.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each year, the association celebrates a handful of Black female professors at its annual awards banquet, which this year was held at the Griswold Theater on the campus of American International College in Springfield.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hendricks, a 17-year faculty member at HCC, was one of four Black female professors to be recognized.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was a great honor to receive this award,&quot; said Hendricks, who lives in Holyoke. &quot;The ceremony itself was a great celebration of the incredible women who are working in education, and a wonderful moment to bring attention to the fact that so few college faculty are Black women, less than 2 percent.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That statistic was also emphasized by Traci Talbert, AAFPAA's president and founder, who said professors like Hendricks are making strides to improve diversity and inclusion at their institutions.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Just their presence alone helps to engage with the students and help them identify and relate,&quot; Talbert said. &quot;They are also working in affinity groups and doing other things on college campuses as well as in the community to ensure that these experiences continue to enhance and build equity.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hendricks has served as chair of the Criminal Justice Department at HCC and teaches a variety of courses in that area, including criminology and women's studies. She also teaches interdisciplinary courses as part of HCC's Learning Communities program. For example, in &quot;Reimagining Incarceration,&quot; she and her teaching partner, economics professor Mary Orisich, explore mass incarceration through the lens of feminist social justice theory, gender and sexuality studies, critical race theory, and political economy.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hendricks' efforts to reimagine incarceration extend well beyond the classroom. Together, she and Orisich founded Western Mass CORE (Community, Opportunity, Resources, Education), a prison education program based at HCC that seeks to facilitate pathways to college for people impacted by the criminal legal system.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Her strong commitment to education as a vehicle for social justice and societal change is evident in her work inside and outside the classroom,&quot; said Kim Hicks, HCC's dean of Arts and Humanities, who introduced Hendricks at the banquet and nominated her for the award.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In her own remarks at the banquet, Hendricks talked about the &quot;cognitive dissonance&quot; she experienced as a teenager visiting her older brother in prison while she was attending Deerfield Academy, an elite prep school, and later Wesleyan University, a private college in Middletown, Conn. (She also holds a master's degree in public administration in criminal justice from New York University.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She noted the &quot;glaring disparities&quot; of growing up in a mixed race household and seeing the advantages that had accumulated on her white, Italian-American mother's side of the family (college degrees, home ownership, and opportunity), while &quot;the path seemed more arduous&quot; for her Black father and his siblings.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;While very successful today,&quot; she said, &quot;none earned a bachelor's degree. My cousin LaToya and I became the first in our family to earn four-year college degrees. The disparities were unmistakable, and the unfairness and injustices had a profound impact on me.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College President George Timmons also attended the event and offered remarks at the banquet celebrating the Black women in his life, including his grandmother, who raised him, and his wife, Frankie, a tenured professor of criminal justice at Columbia-Greene Community College in New York.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I wouldn't be where I am today without them,&quot; he said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to a physical award inscribed with a personal message, Hendricks received an embroidered sash with colors representing African ancestry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In accepting the Inspiration Award, Hendricks said she also accepted the responsibility that goes along with it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It signifies, to me, a dedication to continuing to live my purpose,&quot; she said, &quot;fostering a political consciousness that places equity and racial justice at the center, and does so in community with others.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC criminal justice professor Nicole Hendricks&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19061" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hhm-2023" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|193|513|165|609" FileName="x19061.xml" Name="HHM 2023" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-HHM-PR-flag-web.jpg" Title="Hispanic Heritage Month" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month this year with a series of events celebrating Latinx history and culture, now through Oct. 18. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC staff members Sintique Carrillo and Sullynette Ortiz celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in 2022" IntroCopy="Events at HCC run through Oct. 18" Date="2023-09-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC students Barney Garcia, of Northampton, and Alannah Brunt, of Springfield, celebrate their Cuban heritage at HCC's 2022 Latinx Fiesta. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-Latinx-BarneyG-AllanahB-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month this year with a series of events celebrating Latinx history and culture.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hispanic Heritage Month Events at HCC begin Wed., Sept. 20, with a documentary about El Grito De Lares, the first major revolt against Spanish colonial rule in Puerto Rico, and continue through Oct. 18.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated nationally each year from September 15 through October 15 to recognize the cultural and historical influences of Hispanic Americans.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;During this month, we will spotlight the contributions, achievements, and histories of Hispanic communities with plenty of campus-wide events,&quot; HCC President George Timmons said in a Sept. 15 message to the HCC community, noting that Hispanic/Latinx students now represent 31 percent of the total student population at HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I want our Hispanic/Latinx faculty, staff, and students to know that, at Holyoke Community College, they can fully express their cultures and identities in whatever ways feel true to them,&quot; Timmons said. &quot;For our students, our certificates and degrees are pathways to upward mobility and for changing the narrative about who can succeed in the United States. As a community college serving a broad and diverse region, we aim to educate and bring joy and a great sense of pride to our community through the celebration of rich and diverse cultures.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hispanic Heritage Month events at HCC:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sept. 20, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., Leslie Phillips Theater&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;HCC will screen a documentary about El Grito De Lares (&quot;The Cry of Lares&quot;), otherwise known as the 1868 Lares Revolt, the first major revolt against colonial Spanish rule in Puerto Rico. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sept. 27, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., Leslie Phillips Theater&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;The group Duo Alturas will perform a musical program commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Chilean coup and the assassinations of activists Salvador Allende, Victor Jara, and Pablo Neruda all within the same month in September 1973.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sept. 30, Noon - 4 p.m., 24 Jones Ferry Road, Holyoke&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Nuestras Raices Annual Harvest Festival: This event celebrates culture and diversity, folklore, art, food, language through music, dances, and other cultural activities that promote economic opportunities for local farmers, locally owned businesses, and artists.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oct. 4, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Campus Center cafeteria&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Latinx Fiesta: Food, music, crafts, and a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. HCC faculty, staff, and students representing some 20 South American, Latin American, and Caribbean countries will each have their own table highlighting their individual cultures. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oct. 4, 11 a.m., Campus Center Courtyard (outside) / El Centro (inside) &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;HCC Mural Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: Join El Centro and muralist Betsy Casa&amp;ntilde;as to celebrate HCC's three new campus murals and all they symbolize for the institution and the community. The celebration will start outside (with mural number one) and then continue inside at El Centro at the second and third murals.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oct. 11,&amp;nbsp;11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., Campus Center cafeteria&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;PODEMOS (&quot;We can&quot;) Scholarship Fundraiser&lt;strong&gt;: &lt;/strong&gt;Support scholarships for Latinx students at HCC by purchasing delicious food prepared by HCC faculty and staff, sponsored by the HCC Hispanic Leadership Committee.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Oct. 18,&amp;nbsp;11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., Parking lot S outside Campus Center&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Holyoke Mural Tour&lt;strong&gt;: &lt;/strong&gt;Take a bus tour&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;of the 2023 Beyond Walls-sponsored murals in downtown Holyoke. (Limited seating on a first-come, first-served basis.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) HCC staff members Sintique Carrillo and Sullynette Ortiz celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in 2022. (Above) HCC students Barney Garcia, of Northampton, and Alannah Brunt, of Springfield, celebrate their Cuban heritage at HCC's 2022 Latinx Fiesta.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19062" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/rome-reception" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|4|193|70|165" FileName="x19062.xml" Name="Rome Reception" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-Timmons-Gilbert-1-Web.jpg" Title="A Warm Welcome" Abstract="The first public reception for new HCC President George Timmons included the presentation of a $5,000 donation check from car dealer Gary Rome for the HCC Thrive Center. " ThumbnailAltText="President George Timmons shakes hands with Robert Gilbert, chair of the HCC Board of Trustees." IntroCopy=" &quot;It's very important that we give everybody the tools to go to school, and it's important to bring awareness to Holyoke Community College because it is a hidden jewel right here in our community.&quot; – HCC Foundation board member Gary Rome" Date="2023-09-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC President George Timmons, center, accepts a ceremonial $5,000 donation check from Gary Rome, right. (Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement is holding the check on the left)&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-Sbriscia-Timmons-Rome-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College President George Timmons received a warm community welcome during a reception September 12 at the Gary Rome Hyundai dealership on Whiting Farms Road.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was the first public reception for Timmons, who began his tenure as HCC's fifth president on July 13.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As a business leader in the community, it is an honor to host President Timmons and introduce him at our dealership,&quot; said Rome. &quot;Together, we can join forces and accomplish great things for the future of HCC.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The reception followed the quarterly meeting of the HCC Foundation Board of Directors, on which Rome and President Timmons both sit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are excited to work with President Timmons,&quot; said HCC Foundation Board chair Corey Murphy, president of First American Insurance Agency. &quot;He is clear about wanting HCC to be acknowledged nationally for its efforts to support and inspire students, and he is eager to connect with donors to help us get there.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The reception included the presentation of a $5,000 check from Rome to the HCC Foundation for the benefit of HCC's Thrive Student Resource Center, which provides essential resources and support to students dealing with challenges such as food and housing insecurity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Mr. Rome has clearly shown his dedication to HCC and to the work the college is doing to help students achieve their academic and career goals, and we are very grateful for his donation,&quot; Timmons said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those in attendance included members of the 27-member HCC Foundation Board, as well as members of the HCC Board of Trustees and others from the community. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to being on the HCC Foundation board, Rome is a regular donor, vocal advocate for HCC, and partner in HCC's annual April &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; 24-hour fundraising campaign.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The money we raised that day goes to the President's Student Emergency Fund and Thrive Center to help students facing food insecurity and housing insecurity,&quot; said Rome. &quot;It's very important that we give everybody the tools to go to school, and it's important to bring awareness to Holyoke Community College because it is a hidden jewel right here in our community.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;President George Timmons shakes hands with Robert Gilbert, chair of the HCC Board of Trustees. (Above)&amp;nbsp;HCC President George Timmons, center, accepts a ceremonial $5,000 donation check from Gary Rome, right. (Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president&amp;nbsp;of Institutional Advancement is holding the check on the left) &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19049" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/summer-2023-deans-list" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x19049.xml" Name="Summer 2023 Dean's List" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Campus-Sept2021.jpg" Title="Summer 2023 Dean's List" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize all the students who earned Dean's List honors for the Summer 2023 term.  " ThumbnailAltText="HCC campus" IntroCopy="HCC announces Dean's List for Summer 2023 " Date="2023-09-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Campus&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-Campus-Sept2021.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. A student is placed on the Dean's List if their G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher. The students listed below have earned Dean's List honors for the Summer 2023 semester.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Ian Gregory Burns, Yiyu Liu, Patrick Michael Murphy, Jillian Smith.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Ikraam Mohammed Fazal, Saro Ntahobari.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Becket:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Corey Adam Armastus.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Joshua Ayinde Anderson, Rebekah Clough, Grace Drost.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brimfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Breanna Arlene Goodrich.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jessica Baez, Kostiantyn Chernytskyi, Emily Crosier, Vickie Kelliher, Kyle Kokosa, Angelina Christina Martel, Nelitza Martinez, Y Nguyen, Emily Gibson Page, Johanna Perez Nieves, Morgan Catherine Pierog, Jonathan M. St. George, Erin Elizabeth Stevens, Amber Sutherland, Angelis Nicole Vargas, Marta L. Zuluaga.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conway:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jennifer Snow.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Alan Martin, Laura Elizabeth McDermott, Devin James Reilly, Karina Vaid.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kushtrim Krasniqi, Angela Marie Majka, Anneliese Townsend.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Thomas James Geryk, Edward Charles Sarafin.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Framingham:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Claudia Maribel German Rivera.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Olivia Lauren Hinkley.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Greenfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Ashley Marie Holloway.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hatfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Claire Elizabeth Bennett.&amp;nbsp;Haydenville:Matthew Ryan Geary.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holland:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kara Cook.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Alvin Rey Torres Carabuena, Julia Cloutier, Emma Rose Huse, Vanessa L. Kane, Kafutshi Francoise Kayamba, Cathryne Mary Kennedy-Cruz, Joanna M. Lima, Kiara Sofia Lopez,Khamauri Maitland, Grisel Monserrate, Sabrina Roman-Hernandez, Melissa Ann Sepulveda,Marcus J. Simon, Kara Elizabeth Torres, Aidan Clarence Whitley.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Huntington:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Rebecca Thelma Boisseau, Leah May Wilson.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Indian Orchard:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kimberlee Barrows.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leeds:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Hannah Wood Wright.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lenox:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Joshua King.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Tyler Boutin, Lauren Marie Parker.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Aaron Gaumond, Danielle Christine Goncalves.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Dylan Thomas Cowart, Jeronimo Fernandez, Ryan Christopher Gerwe, Madeleine Gerwe Wolfe.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Hannah Marie Sliva.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Della Froeberg, Nicole Marie Theroux, Dominick Michael Valentine.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jaylynn Marie Grout, Wilson Mark Heath, Emily Yan.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kya Lorraine Cummings.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Haven Shalom Erb, Michelle Gama, Christian Daniel Guzman, Angela Denise Judkins, Kimberly Oyola, Brittany Parker, Hannah Paulo, Luz Denise Pizarro, Brianna Pooler, Virginia Reyes, Corrine Elizabeth Salkovitz, Jessica M. Urzedowski, Emilie Wilkinson.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three Rivers:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kirsten Desjardins.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Deana Marie Gaudet, Theresa Marie Sutton.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Hanan Bouayad, Taylor Louise LaFlamme-Champigny, Daniel Jamal Lanier, Auxana Joy Newell, Mansi K. Patel, Alex Suarez.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Dawn Lynn Bellows, Alicia Carolina Booth, Carissa Jacqueline Childs, Anna Catherine Collier,Catherine Nicole Jones, Katelynn Sullivan, Alyssa J. Wiatrowski.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kathryn Chevalier.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19050" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/wine-tasting" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|193|194" FileName="x19050.xml" Name="Wine Tasting" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Wine-tasting-withfood-web.jpg" Title="Wine Tasting Classes" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is launching a series of wine-tasting classes  for would-be connoisseurs who want to explore the vast complexities of wine while sampling select foods. " ThumbnailAltText="Wine and charcuterie" IntroCopy="HCC launching wine-tasting classes" Date="2023-09-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Wine and charcuterie&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Wine-tasting-withfood-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is launching a series of wine-tasting classes this month for would-be connoisseurs who want to explore the vast complexities of wine while sampling select foods.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Starting September 28, classes meet monthly on Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute 164 Race St. All are taught by gastronomy professional Hannah Morrow, a travel food educator and cheese specialist at Formaggio Kitchen in Boston.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each wine-tasting class has a different theme and food pairing:&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sept. 28: Biodynamic Wines (cheese and charcuterie)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;What are biodynamic wines? How do they assimilate and differ from natural wines or organic wines? Learn what methods are used during the farming, production, and bottling processes and why they're important to the end product we know and love. Light cheese and charcuterie accompaniments will be provided.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oct. 19: Oaked Wines (BBQ)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Oaked wines are found globally, but the U.S. is known for oaked whites. Participants will taste domestic and international oaked wines, learn how new and old oak affects wine structure and composition and where wine barrels are from and why they're effective in flavor addition and maturation. Menu items from Theodore's BBQ in Springfield will&amp;nbsp;ramp up the smokiness and flavor.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nov. 16: Skin Contact: Maceration and Beyond (Thanksgiving and chocolate)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;This class will get intimate with ideas about flavor, color and texture in wine. Why is ros&amp;eacute; red? How do you develop intense flavor and structure? What are the ideas behind terms like &quot;whole cluster,&quot; &quot;carbonic (maceration)&quot; and &quot;saignee.&quot; What is blending and how does that incorporate flavor and balance out the &quot;roundness&quot; of wine? Learn to find the perfect pairings for your family's Thanksgiving meal, and find out why skin contact pairs beautifully with varying types of dark chocolate.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dec. 14: Table Wines (holiday leftovers and hand pies)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Ever been to a restaurant and ordered the &quot;house wine&quot;? Often simple yet delicious, &quot;house&quot; or &quot;table&quot; wines are ubiquitous for a reason. We'll explore regionality and historical significance of table wines, how they're cultivated, bottled and served, and why they're so delicious and economical. At this point in the holiday season, leftovers might be stacking up in your fridge. Don't throw them away! Together we'll explore table wine and leftover pairings, both savory and sweet, in the form of hand pies.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cost for each session is $59. Seats are limited.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register, please go to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.coursestorm.com/category/culinary1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://hcc.coursestorm.com/category/culinary1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1694613025392000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0iJEL4ZkATF0qw5AWjwRxo&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/cookingfa23&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or call&amp;nbsp;413-552-2500.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Biodynamic wines, paired with cheese and charcutuerie, are the theme of the first wine-tasting class on Sept. 28 at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19005" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/chef-nadim-fa23" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="227|673" FileName="x19005.xml" Name="Chef Nadim FA23" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Chef-Nadim-outside-web3.jpg" Title="More kitchen secrets" Abstract="Chef Nadim Kashouh, owner of Nadim's Downtown Mediterranean Grill, will be sharing more kitchen secrets during a series of fall classes at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute." ThumbnailAltText="Chef Nadim Kashouh outside his springfield restaurant" IntroCopy="Chef Nadim returns for more cooking classes" Date="2023-08-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chef Nadim in his Springfield restaurant&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Chef-Nadim-web-1.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chef Nadim Kashouh, owner of the celebrated Springfield restaurant, Nadim's Downtown Mediterranean Grill, will be sharing more kitchen secrets during a series of fall classes at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kashouh taught his first-ever classes at HCC this summer and will return to Holyoke Community College four times this fall: Sept. 28, Oct. 19, Nov. 16, and Dec. 14.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All the classes will be held on Thursdays from 6-9 p.m. at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In each stand-alone class, participants will learn to cook &amp;ndash; and are encouraged to consume &amp;ndash; a different five-course meal right off the menu of Chef Nadim's popular restaurant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Each night's meal will be different,&quot; said Kashouh. &quot;We bring in staples like the hummus and baba ghanoush and stews that pair very well with rice. It's five courses. We do an appetizer, a salad, a meat, a starch, and a dessert.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chef Nadim will also be sharing some of his favorite wines imported from his native Lebanon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here are the menus for each night:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sept. 28: &lt;/strong&gt;Hummus, Baba, Tabouli, simmered chicken with Hashwee rice, Ismalia for dessert.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oct. 19: &lt;/strong&gt;Hummus, Cheese roll-up, Mediterranean salad, simmered lamb with Hashwee rice, rice pudding for dessert.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nov. 16: &lt;/strong&gt;Hummus, meat roll-up, Fattoush salad, Cannellini lamb stew served with rice pilaf, Ismalia for dessert.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dec. 14: &lt;/strong&gt;Hummus, Falafel, Tabouli, Green bean, and lamb stew served with rice pilaf and Rice pudding for dessert.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I promise it will be tons of fun,&quot; said Kashouh. &quot;It's a very interactive class. It's hands-on, if you want it to be. If you don't, it will still be three hours full of tasting, laughing, and enjoying what I'm putting together for them.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cost is $189 per session. Beer and wine is included in the cost.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.coursestorm.com/category/culinary1&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/cookingfa23&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHOTO: Chef Nadim in his Springfield restaurant&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19030" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hall-of-famer" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|193|68|2" FileName="x19030.xml" Name="Hall of Famer" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Tom-Stewart-Bartley-web.jpg" Title="Into the Hall" Abstract="Tom Stewart, HCC's director of Athletics and Student Engagement, is being inducted into the Westfield State University Athletics Hall of Fame." ThumbnailAltText="Tom Stewart in the Bartley Center" IntroCopy="Westfield State University to honor alum Tom Stewart" Date="2023-09-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Tom Stewart&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Tom-Stewart-Bartley-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Long-time Holyoke Community College staff member Tom Stewart will be inducted into the Westfield State University Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 13.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now HCC's director of Athletics and Student Engagement, the 1988 graduate of Westfield State will be one of five alumni honored during the university's 25&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary Hall of Fame induction ceremony on his alma mater's homecoming weekend.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As an undergraduate, Stewart was a four-year member of the WSU Owls cross country and track and field teams.&amp;nbsp;An all-conference runner in 1985 and 1987 in cross country, he won the Westfield State Invitational and was an all-New England runner in steeplechase his sophomore year.&amp;nbsp;The WSU cross country and track teams won conference titles all four years he was on the team.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a humbling thing,&quot; Stewart said of his induction. &quot;I ran there for four years, and there were better track runners than I was, and my teammates are already in. It was the glory years when we were there. It was our philosophy that we weren't gonna lose. We went to the national championship in cross country and we were 13 points away from winning the whole thing. There had been a snowstorm two days before. I was standing in ankle deep water at the starting line, and we were ready to go.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stewart, who lives in Westfield, is also being recognized for his work in athletics after college. Since 1991, he has been the meet administrator for the Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association of America, the oldest and longest-running high-level collegiate track and field championship in the Unites States. He also owns IC4Atrack.com, a meet management and timing company. As a referee, starter or timer, he has signed off on 15 American, Canadian, New Zealand, European or world record performances, including Yomif Kejelcha's world-record setting indoor mile at Boston University in March 2023 (3:47:01).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He has also served in various roles with the National Junior College Athletic Association, the largest athletic association for two-year colleges in the United States.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stewart started his career in higher education at Westfield State where he worked for seven years as student activities administrator and director of intramurals and coached cross country. He was hired at HCC in 1996 as student activities director and became assistant athletic director in 1999 and athletic director in 2007.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC athletic director Tom Stewart in the fitness room at the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18992" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/where-you-want-to-be" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|3|417|165" FileName="x18992.xml" Name="Where You Want to Be" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Alondra-Anna-Itsy-web.jpg" Title="Where You Want to Be" Abstract="From the Connection, the HCC college magazine: With the right support, HCC student Alondra Serrano takes a big leap and finds great success." ThumbnailAltText="Alondra Serrano and her dautghter Anna in the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center at HCC" IntroCopy="&quot;I've always wanted my story to impact other people, to help them succeed, because, you know, life is hard, and sometimes we don't always have the resources we need to succeed. But hearing someone else's story can motivate you, give you ideas of how to get where you want to be.&quot; – Alondra Serrano, 20" Date="2023-08-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Alondra Serrano escorts her daughter, Anna, into the Campus Center. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Alonda-Anna-walking-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story also appears in the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/AC/AC_SP23_FINAL-NO-4.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Connection Spring 2023&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Spring 2023 issue of The Connection,&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;the HCC college magazine.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By CHRIS YURKO&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;H&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;er long black hair pulled back tight into a bun, the young student, scalpel in hand, stared down at the laboratory table as still as the expired creatures pinned to her team's dissection tray, a freshwater clam with its guts exposed and an earthworm about to suffer the same fate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've never done any of this before,&quot; she said, explaining her hesitation. &quot;I've never dissected anything. I'm learning something that I've never seen.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a student last fall in General Zoology, Alondra Serrano saw a lot she'd never seen and learned even more, about herself as well as biology, her new major. A year ago, Serrano was three semesters deep into her HCC education and about halfway to an associate's degree in business administration, which she chose because it could be completed entirely online.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I started during the pandemic,&quot; she said, &quot;and I have a daughter, so coming to campus wasn't a choice for me. I didn't have anybody to take care of her, and daycare's pretty expensive. My husband works. One income is not a lot, but we didn't qualify for a voucher. At that point, all Icould do was take online classes, so business seemed like the perfect match for me.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And then...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the summer of 2022, HCC opened the &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/itsy-bitsy-child-watch&quot;&gt;Itsy Bitsy Child Watch&lt;/a&gt;, a free service for student-parents who need care for their children while they are on campus and in class. For many current and would-be HCC students, the earth shook with new possibilities.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Suddenly free from the bonds of stay-at-home motherhood, Serrano enrolled in an on-campus summer course to fulfill a lab science requirement. She chose STEM Explorations, a free program offered through the college's &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/stem-equity-programs&quot;&gt;STEM Starter Academy&lt;/a&gt;. The class provides an overview of&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem&quot;&gt;STEM&lt;/a&gt; (science, technology, engineering, and math) and, through hands-on classwork, lectures, and field trips, exposes students to specific STEM subjects, such as robotics, environmental science, geology, statistics, and marine biology.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;STEM Starter Academy reminded me of the passion that I had for science,&quot; said Negron, who had been an honors student at Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School in Holyoke. &quot;I remembered how great it was to be in a classroom and learning my favorite subject of always, which is biology.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Serrano was one of the first HCC students to sign up for the child watch program. Her daughter, Anna, turned 2 in December.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They take great care of her,&quot; Serrano said. &quot;When she started, she barely talked. Now she talks a lot. She's very social - not like me. She loves drawing. She likes to play and talk to everybody.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;STEM Starter Academy did more for Serrano than remind her of her love for biology. It showed her what an education and career in STEM could offer. Two moments from that summer stand out. One was a field trip to Boston's New England Aquarium, a place she'd never been. Her eyes light up with the memory.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I always wanted to go,&quot; she said. &quot;My daughter was with me. She just kept pointing at the fishes and the turtles.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The second, also a class trip, was an excursion to a biology lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where researchers were using zebrafish to study neural pathways in hopes of developing therapies for people prone to seizures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Oh, I loved that one,&quot; Serrano said. &quot;It was my favorite. That actually helped me decide that I wanted to be in the biology field. It was very - how you say it? - inspiring, because I got to see the equipment and all the technology that was used to support the research.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Melissa Paciulli, a STEM advisor and one of the field trip organizers, could see the spark as the idea revealed itself.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She left with a big smile on her face, like, oh, wow, this is awesome; this is what I want to do,&quot; said Paciulli.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the summer course, Serrano was also introduced to HCC's STEM Scholars Program and learned that if she changed her major to biology, she would be eligible to apply a scholarship from the National Science Foundation, which is available to STEM students at HCC through a competitive application process. If awarded, she would have all her college expenses covered, including tuition and fees.&amp;nbsp;To do that, though, she would have to give up most of the credits she'd earned as a business major and essentially start over.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I find her fearless in that sense, taking that leap of faith, being open to letting people guide her in that decision,&quot; said Irma Medina, coordinator of the Pathways transfer program and one of Serrano's many HCC advisors. &quot;For a lot of students, that is scary, the unknown of it, especially science and where that might lead, and, more importantly, how it relates to financial aid, which is often limited.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By the time she returned for the fall 2022 semester, Serrano had made the leap and been rewarded. She started the new academic year as an HCC STEM scholar.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When I found out, it was crazy, because I'm the first in my family to go to college,&quot; she said. &quot;I'm the first to get a scholarship. I come from a low-income family. It was all very impacting on me because I didn't think I would ever be able to go to college. The scholarship gave me the courage to see something else in me.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Born in Puerto Rico, Serrano grew up living mostly with her mother, who, she said, struggled to maintain a stable home life for her and her sisters. Often homeless, they moved back and forth between Puerto Rico and western Massachusetts, often staying with relatives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;I was always like one year there, one year here,&quot; she said. &quot;It was really hard because I couldn't catch both languages. My Spanish isn't that great. But neither is my English. I'm a little bit of both.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nevertheless, she graduated high school with a GPA of 3.9, even though there were times she had thought of dropping out, times when members of her own family urged her to drop out. But for one teacher - always available for a hug - and her boyfriend, Jos&amp;eacute;, now her husband, she probably would have.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've known him since I was 14,&quot; she said. &quot;He has been my most support. He said, you're not dropping out. Those two kept me going.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When it came time for college, she and Jos&amp;eacute; struck a deal. She would go first. He would support her with his job as a machine operator. Then it would be his turn. Her unexpected pregnancy didn't foil their plans. But Serrano felt obligated to pursue a degree she knew would quickly produce income, and she was already making some money at home selling clothes online.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Because we had a baby at an early age, we had to figure out how to get where we want to be,&quot; she said. &quot;I went for business because I wanted to open my own business.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last summer, she stood at the proverbial crossroads.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was like, this is the time for me to decide,&quot; she said. &quot;I could stay with the business degree, but I didn't feel happy where I was.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Business classes were easy for her, said Serrano, who had regularly made the Dean's List. As someone who struggles with math, though, science, she knew, would be more challenging.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When I was first coming to college, people in my family were like, 'you're not going to make it, you think it's easy?' she said. &quot;Well, I'm the kind of person that thinks it's not about it being easy. It's about how far are you willing to go in life? I'm willing to go far and make my life be successful because I don't want the history that I had as a child to repeat in my adulthood. The only way I can do that is working hard. And it's not always about working hard, but also working smart. Smart decisions bring you to where you are in life on the good path.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC, she said, was a smart decision. Choosing STEM was another.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I feel like I'm breaking the poverty cycle in my life,&quot; she said. &quot;Just being here in college is changing my life every day.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the fall 2022 semester, Serrano took four classes, two online and two in person. Each week, Monday through Thursday, while she attended her English and zoology classes on campus, Serrano dropped her daughter off at Itsy Bitsy Child Watch on the first floor of the Marieb Building.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So far, HCC is one of only two community colleges in Massachusetts to offer a free child watch service for its students. She can't imagine life without it now.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If there was no daycare,&quot; Serrano said, &quot;I could not come to school.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Besides the financial benefits of being a STEM Scholar, Serrano also became part of a learning community that incorporates mentoring, undergraduate research opportunities, honors coursework, community service, and internships.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That feeling of belonging is so important when you talk about STEM success,&quot; said HCC math professor Ileana Vasu, coordinator of the HCC STEM Scholars program. &quot;We're a really close family and very proud of our STEM community mentors and students.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Serrano is happy to be part of it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I have so many people guiding me,&quot; she said. &quot;It's awesome to have people that want to help you succeed and show you ways to succeed. I feel like I'm fulfilling my full potential in life, in my personal life, in my education life, and it's great. It's more than great.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So far so good.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She passed all her fall semester classes - three A's and a B.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Alondra Serrano and her daughter, Anna, in the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center. (Above) Serrano escorts her daughter into the HCC Campus Center on the way to child watch.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19004" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/massreconnect" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="449|193|165" FileName="x19004.xml" Name="MassReconnect" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Antonmarchi-MM-web.jpg" Title="Time to Reconnect" Abstract="HCC President George Timmons joined Gov. Maura Healey for the launch of MassReconnect – free community college for Massachusetts residents 25 and older. " ThumbnailAltText="Anonmarchis at Commencement" IntroCopy="State launches free community college program for 25+" Date="2023-08-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Antonmarchis at Commencement&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Antonmarchi-MM-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;WELLESLEY &amp;ndash; Holyoke Community College President George Timmons joined Gov. Maura T. Healey today to launch MassReconnect, the administration's new program establishing free community college for Massachusetts residents aged 25 and older.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The announcement event, held this morning at MassBay Community College, was attended by representatives from the Healey administration and Department of Higher Education, as well as the presidents of the state's 15 community colleges.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;MassReconnect will be transformative for thousands of students, for our amazing community colleges, and for our economy,&quot; Healey said. &quot;It will bolster the role of community colleges as economic drivers in our state and help us better meet the needs of businesses to find qualified, well-trained workers. We can also make progress in breaking cycles of intergenerational poverty by helping residents complete their higher education credentials so they can attain good jobs and build a career path. Our administration is grateful for the partnership of the Legislature to move forward on this critical program that will make our state more affordable, competitive and equitable.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The state is investing $20 million in MassReconnect for the first year of implementation. The funding covers the full cost of tuition and fees and includes an allowance for books and supplies for qualifying students. Additionally, each community college will receive $100,000 to support student and community program awareness, staffing, and program administration.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is an exciting moment for HCC and all Massachusetts community colleges,&quot; said Holyoke Community College President George Timmons. &quot;Our college's financial aid and student affairs teams have been working diligently to prepare for MassReconnect and to guide students through the process of enrolling at HCC. MassReconnect will enable our community colleges to do more of what we do best, which is serve students from all ages and all backgrounds, and provide them with an exceptional education that leads to employment and, ultimately, a stronger economy and thriving region.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC already serves more than 1,300 learners age 25 or older every year, and we know there are thousands of adults in our communities for whom MassReconnect can be the spark that helps them take that first step toward earning a college degree,&quot; Timmons said. &quot;HCC is uniquely equipped to serve adult learners when they arrive here - through our Itsy Bitsy Child Watch, Homestead Market, Adult Learner Success Center, and more.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MassReconnect starts immediately. There is still time for students to enroll for the fall 2023 semester. Qualifying students must be enrolled in at least six credits per semester in an approved program of study leading to an associate degree or certificate at one of the Commonwealth's 15 community colleges and complete the 2023-2024 FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid). There is no deadline to sign up.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fall semester classes at HCC begin Tuesday, Sept. 5, but there are also two additional flexible fall start dates, on Sept. 25 and Oct. 30.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information about MassReconnect at HCC, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/admission/massreconnect&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/massreconnect&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To qualify for MassReconnect, students must be 25 or older on the first day of their classes and be a permanent Massachusetts resident for at least one year at the start of the enrolled term. The program is limited to residents who have not previously earned a college degree (associates or bachelor's) who enroll in at least six credits per semester in an approved program of study leading to an associate degree or certificate at a community college.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our administration and our community college partners are ready to hit the ground running with MassReconnect this fall semester,&quot; said Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll. &quot;We encourage any eligible students who might have been holding off on taking that final step to enroll to do so now to begin this next stage of their education and career. &quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MassReconnect will likely support up to 6,500-8,000 community college students in the first year, which could grow to closer to 10,000 students by FY25, depending on how many students take advantage of the new opportunity. They could include current students, new students, or returning students who did not complete their degree. There are approximately 700,000 Massachusetts residents who have some college credit but no degree. MassReconnect will help bring back these students to finish their degrees, with the additional funding and support they may have been lacking the first time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In Massachusetts, we know that getting an education is a key to the middle class, supporting a family, building a life, and pursuing a brighter future. In this year's state budget, we thrust open the doors to those opportunities and countless others, by making community college free for people 25 and over, making nursing programs at community colleges free for all individuals, and setting our state on a path to universal free community college in 2024,&quot; said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). &quot;These proposals are a major step towards the Senate's Student Opportunity Plan and are crucial to ensuring residents have the tools to build the futures they dream of-right here in Massachusetts.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Quincy College also received $1.5 million in the FY24 budget to operate a similar program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;MassReconnect will create life-changing educational and career opportunities through free community college for qualifying residents at institutions such as Quincy College and at other community colleges across the Commonwealth, including for many residents from historically underserved communities,&quot; said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). &quot;This program will also help to address key labor shortages, while ensuring that Massachusetts possesses a highly trained workforce that is prepared for the industries of the future.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the event, the Healey-Driscoll Administration highlighted the first MassReconnect students at MassBay, celebrating the impact the program is expected to have for students across the state.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For adults coming to one of the fifteen community colleges across the Commonwealth, MassReconnect removes one of the biggest barriers to attendance: cost,&quot; said Jim Vander Hooven, president of Mount Wachusett Community College and chair of the Community College Council of Presidents. &quot;By making community college completely free for any adult over 25 in Massachusetts without a degree, the Healey-Driscoll Administration is making an historic investment in our state's workforce and providing hundreds of thousands of adults with a clear pathway to a career.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Commonwealth's 15 community colleges are a ticket to economic mobility for many Massachusetts residents, and thus are key drivers of our business and our economic success. Nationally, employees who have earned their associate degree are paid 18 percent more than workers with only a high school diploma, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And these well-paying jobs are just waiting to be filled-in July 2023 there were more than 26,000 unique job postings in the Commonwealth that specifically required an associate degree.&amp;nbsp;MassReconnect will harness the power of our community colleges by allowing workers to earn the training and education necessary for their career growth and reinforcing our pipeline of skilled industry professionals entering the workforce.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There's no doubt that with MassReconnect we will be able to change the lives of each of the students who take advantage of this historic opportunity to achieve their degree,&quot; said Secretary of Education Tutwiler. &quot;But beyond our students, this program will also strengthen the Commonwealth's economy and our public higher education system, By investing in our community college students, the Healey-Driscoll Administration is investing in the future of the Commonwealth.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;With the Healey-Driscoll Administration's record-breaking investment in higher education, including the highest levels of support for financial aid and scholarships the Commonwealth has ever seen, we will be able to expand access to higher learning more than ever before. MassReconnect is the centerpiece of that effort,&quot; said Commissioner of the Department of Higher Education Ortega. &quot;For all the Massachusetts adults out there who had to put their education on hold or didn't have the opportunity to pursue it in the first place, now is your chance to pursue a degree or certificate to advance your career and transform your life and that of your family.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18982" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/this-is-yours" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="66|193|165|609" FileName="x18982.xml" Name="This is Yours" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/EL-Centro-murals-web.jpg" Title="'This is Yours'" Abstract="From the Spring 2023 issue of The Connection, a feature story about HCC's El Centro program, &quot;A welcome invitation to HCC's Spanish-speaking students&quot;" ThumbnailAltText="The entrance to El Centro on the second floor of the HCC Campus Center" IntroCopy="El Centro a welcome invitation to HCC's Spanish-speaking students" Date="2023-07-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Academic counselor Sullynette Ortiz, right, works with student Diomary Guzman in El Centro.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Diomary-Sullynette-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story also appears in the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/AC/AC_SP23_FINAL-NO-4.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Connection Spring 2023&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Spring 2023 issue of The Connection,&lt;/a&gt; the HCC college magazine.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By DUSTY CHRISTENSEN&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In September, on Greishenys Lopez's first day as a Holyoke Community College nursing student, she didn't know what to do. Concepts like &quot;prerequisites&quot; were new to her, and she felt surrounded by English &amp;ndash; a change for Lopez, who grew up speaking Spanish and English in a bilingual home.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But then Lopez found El Centro, an academic-support space and community dedicated to the needs of Hispanic and Spanish-speaking students like her. Walking into El Centro's offices, where flags of Latin American countries hang on the windows and art from the Spanish-speaking world decorates the lobby, Lopez was able to connect with a bilingual advisor who made her feel a lot more comfortable with learning and the academic process.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It almost feels like a family,&quot; Lopez said. &quot;Here, we can talk our Spanish and we won't get made fun of for it. It's just the norm.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At El Centro, which opened its doors at HCC in the summer of 2022, students receive culturally responsive guidance toward graduation, transfer, or a career. In addition to academic advising and financial aid assistance, El Centro provides wraparound support services, helping students connect with HCC's tutoring center and child watch program, for example, or food pantry if they're experiencing hunger.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;El Centro was built from the ideas and beliefs of Latinx people on campus,&quot; said HCC alum Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n '13, the center's director. &quot;We wanted something by us, for us. It's very different to be helped by someone who has walked the same journey you are walking right now.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Col&amp;oacute;n would know. At 19, she dropped out of college after giving birth to her first child and started working. When she was 28, she applied for a clerk job at Gateway to College - a dual-enrollment program at HCC that allows those who have dropped out of high school to take college classes for both high-school and college credit. By then, Col&amp;oacute;n believed her opportunity to attend college had passed her by. Her HCC supervisor challenged that assumption.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She didn't say, 'Come in and answer phones,'&quot; Col&amp;oacute;n recalled. &quot;She said, 'Come and be part of building this culture &amp;ndash; and then encouraged me to go back to school.'&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's exactly what Col&amp;oacute;n did. She eventually received her associate's degree from HCC and a bachelor's degree from Smith College before heading to the University of Massachusetts Boston for her master's degree - all while working full time and parenting.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When Col&amp;oacute;n saw a posting for the director's position at El Centro, she felt all of her life experiences &amp;ndash; including her childhood growing up as a Puerto Rican in Springfield's North End &amp;ndash; leading her to apply.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;And I got it,&quot; she said. &quot;It just blew my mind ... Just this incredible sense of joy and nerves, and I felt, and still feel, a huge sense of responsibility. Not just to the students but also to everyone at the college and in the community who pushed for so many years for something like this to be created.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is a federally designated &quot;Hispanic-Serving Institution,&quot; or HSI, meaning that at least a quarter of its students identify as Hispanic, Latino, or Latinx. Many staff and faculty members are Latinx, too, and it was from those groups that the idea for El Centro emerged.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This didn't just come up out of nowhere,&quot; Col&amp;oacute;n said. 'It wasn't one person's idea.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college's support for Latinx students has evolved over the years. The El Centro space, for example, was built into the renovation plans for the HCC Campus Center, which reopened in September 2019, after a three-year, $43.5 million reconstruction. At first, El Centro was home to MAS, HCC's Multicultural Academic Services program, which began in 2006 as a way for the college to offer academic and personal support to its diverse student body.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But Hispanic faculty, staff, and students continued to push for a fully staffed, bilingual space with culturally responsive support services. Advocates included the college's Hispanic Leadership Committee, as well as HCC alum and longtime staff member Myriam Qui&amp;ntilde;ones '95, the founding director of MAS, who left HCC in 2022 to move back to Puerto Rico.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For HCC to have El Centro is really important because we are a Hispanic Serving Institution,&quot; said HCC Spanish professor Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, a member of the Hispanic Leadership Committee and chair of the Latinx Studies program. &quot;It creates this space where students who identify as Hispanic, Latino, or Latinx can find help, not only bilingual help but cultural help. It creates this possibility of belonging and placemaking to happen. There're always students there. It's important to have a vibrant space where students feel welcome.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When Sharale Mathis arrived in 2021 as HCC's new vice president of academic and student affairs, the process of creating El Centro was already moving forward. Because HCC is a Hispanic-Serving Institution, and because the college is located in a city where a majority of residents identify as Hispanic, Mathis said college leaders wanted to ensure HCC was doing all it could to meet the community's needs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;How do we do this?&quot; she asked. &quot;How do we provide the support services that they need to get them in the door, support them while they're here, and then make sure they're successful upon completion?&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For starters, El Centro's five-member staff is entirely bilingual &amp;ndash; an important detail not just for students who feel more comfortable speaking Spanish, but also for their families as they navigate the often esoteric world of academic credits and financial aid. Like Col&amp;oacute;n, many of the staff are from western Massachusetts and have experienced some of the same difficulties their students are now encountering.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've been there before,&quot; said Sintique Carrillo, El Centro's senior community outreach counselor and a Springfield native. &quot;I know what it's like to be a first-generation college student, to have that barrier with the language and terminology.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;El Centro's staff includes a financial services clerk, academic counselor, senior community outreach counselor, and student success counselor. Together they work to actively recruit students to the college, help them with applications and financial aid, provide academic support, and connect them with partners out in the community.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But more than that, Col&amp;oacute;n said, the staff wants to make El Centro a place &quot;where you feel comfortable bringing your culture, bringing your language, bringing yourself.&quot; Students can stop by for a biweekly caf&amp;eacute; con leche gathering at El Centro, where, Carrillo said, staff &quot;get some energy up&quot; and check in with students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;El Centro has also co-organized and hosted events and activities to make students feel welcome on campus. Those include a Latinx Fiesta, and a &quot;Bienvenidos&quot; event - Spanish for &quot;welcome&quot; - for first-time students arriving on campus in the fall. Also last fall, El Centro was the location of HCC's first-ever celebration of Di&amp;aacute; de los Muertos, a holiday celebrated in Mexico and other parts of the Spanish-speaking world that pays respects to those who have died. That event was organized together with the student-run LEA Club, the college's Latinx Empowerment Association.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While events like these can be fun, Col&amp;oacute;n added they are also part of HCC's efforts to make the college feel like home for students, where they don't just get by but can thrive as their authentic selves.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That kind of support is critical in Holyoke, where around half of residents have less than a bachelor's degree, Mathis said. If HCC wants to have an impact in its home community the college has to be able to communicate to families the importance of education and to push back against the perception of HCC as the &quot;college on the hill,&quot; isolated from the rest of the city.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It is truly equity-focused and understanding of the community that we serve,&quot; Mathis said. &quot;We want to be Holyoke's college - a place for career growth, lifelong learning, workforce advancement, and just a place where people feel they are at home, where they're welcome and they're appreciated.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's how Dylan Guzman feels. A first-year art student, Guzman stumbled upon El Centro one day when he was looking for the Student Engagement office to get his photo taken for his student ID. He said an El Centro staffer joked with him and made him feel at ease. Since then, he has made friends with other students at El Centro and has returned there often for academic support.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If you need to catch up on anything, you can come in here,&quot; he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rosie Lopez, who came to HCC through the Gateway to College program, said El Centro's staffers are &quot;very understanding and supportive, whether it's school related or home related.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I had this fear of coming into the room and there being a whole bunch of advisors with a serious demeanor,&quot; Lopez said. But instead, &quot;it's like a family member telling me, 'I want to be supportive but I also want you to be successful.'&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of those academic counselors in El Centro is Sully Netti, who, on any given day, can be seen helping students with everything from scheduling to email etiquette and understanding their syllabi. Netti said that El Centro's being a bicultural environment &quot;shifts the space, even if whoever walks in doesn't speak Spanish.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They help you with everything,&quot; said psychology student Diomary Guzman, Dylan's sister.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For many years, Col&amp;oacute;n said, if you were Hispanic on HCC's campus you likely had a story about feeling out of place and even, at times, unwelcome. The mission of El Centro is to change that.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This was a commitment from the institution and the people building it to say: 'No more,'&quot; Col&amp;oacute;n said. &quot;'Not only are you welcome, this is yours.' It has just been huge.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Dusty Christensen is a freelance writer living in Easthampton.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Above) Academic counselor Sullynette Ortiz, right, works with student Diomary Guzman in El Centro. (Thumbnail) The newly painted entrance to HCC's El Centro program.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18976" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/top-chef" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="66|3|193|165" FileName="x18976.xml" Name="Top Chef" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/CAI-Warren-Sherleymary-web.jpg" Title="Top Chef" Abstract="Culinary arts professor Warren Leigh has been named “Educator of the Year” by the Center for the Advancement of Food Service Education, a national industry group.  " ThumbnailAltText="Chef Warren Leigh, right, with culinary arts student Sherleymary Santiago of Springfield" IntroCopy="Culinary arts professor Warren Leigh named 'Educator of the Year'" Date="2023-07-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chef Warren Leigh with students at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/CAI-Warren-Class-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College culinary arts professor Warren Leigh has been named &quot;Educator of the Year&quot; by the Center for the Advancement of Food Service Education (CAF&amp;Eacute;), a national industry group.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leigh, a professional chef and restaurateur who has been teaching at HCC for 15 years, received his award June 21 at the 2023 CAF&amp;Eacute; Leadership Conference in Charleston, South Carolina.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's pretty cool,&quot; said Leigh, who lives in Springfield. &quot;It's nice to be recognized. It's humbling.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leigh also received honorable mention for CAFE's annual &quot;Community Outreach&quot; award. He was nominated for both by Chef Paul Sorgule, a retired culinary educator and president of Harvest America Ventures, &amp;nbsp;a restaurant consulting and training company.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sorgule said he has known Leigh for more than 40 years and has watched him mature into a talented chef, restaurateur, and teacher.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Even at a young age, he had a strong inclination towards serving others, and the kitchen drew him in,&quot; said Sorgule. &quot;His professional work and personal life experiences became the stories that brought his classrooms to life, but it is also his unwavering commitment to professional standards, his passion for the craft, and his unique empathy for students trying to figure out where they fit that makes him very special as an educator.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In receiving the Educator of the Year award, Leigh, co-chair of HCC's Culinary Arts program, was recognized for his part in designing the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, the college's state-of-the-art teaching facility on Race Street that opened in 2018; re-imagining the culinary arts curriculum; creating a line cook training program in collaboration with HCC's non-credit business and workforce division; and pushing forward on his concept for a mobile kitchen where students could learn food truck operations while also teaching the community about nutrition and healthy eating.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Throughout my 14 years of knowing Warren, first as a student and currently as a colleague, he has always had a heartfelt commitment to serving our students, as well as our greater community,&quot; Maureen Hindle, a culinary arts alum who now works as a lab tech at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, wrote in support of Leigh's nomination.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leigh holds a bachelor of science in food service administration from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a master's degree in management from the University of Phoenix. He trained extensively as a chef in Germany and Switzerland.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He is the owner, operator and executive chef for Hydrangea Catering &amp;amp; Consulting, and has worked over the years in many capacities at restaurants in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts, including The Standish House in Wethersfield, Madeleines in Windsor, and The Eatery in East Windsor, among others.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As a product of his work myself, I can attest to his superb teaching and knowledge,&quot; said HCC alum Matthew Enos '19, now an executive sous chef at Johnny's Bar and Grille in South Hadley. &quot;Chef Leigh has given me a great steppingstone to launch a career in culinary.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Chef Warren Leigh, right, with culinary arts student Sherleymary Santiago of Springfield (Above) Leigh, center, with students at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18967" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/endings-and-exits" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x18967.xml" Name="Endings and Exits" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/New-Pres-Royal-hide-web.jpg" Title="Endings and Exits" Abstract="As her time at HCC draws to a close, President Royal reflects on her decision to retire, her plans for the future and her legacy as leader of the state's oldest community college. " ThumbnailAltText="President Royal with one of her favorite books. " IntroCopy="Christina Royal, HCC's fourth president, reflects " Date="2023-07-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Retiring HCC president Royal holds one of her favorite books&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/New-Pres-Royal-book-web%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: An abridged version of this interview also appears in the &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/AC/AC_SP23_FINAL-NO-4.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Connection SP 23&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Spring 2023 issue of The Connection&lt;/a&gt;, the HCC college magazine.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By CHRIS YURKO&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Endings and exits are just as important as beginnings, says President Christina Royal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fittingly, when she announced last year that she intended to retire from HCC, she gave nearly a year's notice, enough time to tie up loose ends and help smooth the college's transition to its next president. Her last day is July 14.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It has been one of the greatest honors and privileges of my life to serve as the fourth president of this great institution,&quot; she said August 23 in a message to the HCC community, &quot;and now is the time to prepare for the next chapter of my life.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal, 50, made clear that she is not leaving HCC for another job and has no specific plans. Her choice of the word &quot;retirement&quot; to describe her actions, she said, was deliberate, marking a definitive break between her present job and whatever comes next.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;One of the greatest responsibilities of any leader is to know when and why to lead an institution and also when and why it is time to leave it,&quot; she said. &quot;I have spent a considerable amount of time reflecting about this life change, and my 'why' is simple and straightforward: I am seeking expansion and personal growth in the form of new learnings and experiences and an opportunity to pause and enjoy the present moments.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal started at HCC in January 2017 succeeding William Messner as HCC's fourth president, and making history as the first woman to hold the position.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In her announcement, Royal cited some of the milestones of her tenure: working collaboratively to develop HCC's first strategic plan, advancing equity across the institution; and investing in programs to support students' basic needs, such as creating the President's Student Emergency Fund (to provide grants to students facing immediate financial needs), opening Homestead Market (the first campus store in Massachusetts to accept SNAP benefits), partnering with Holyoke Housing Authority (to help students find affordable housing), and launching the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program (to provide HCC student-parents access to free, shortterm care for their children.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other highlights include opening the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street; reopening the HCC Campus Center after a two-year, $43.5 million renovation; establishing El Centro, a bilingual center dedicated to the needs of Latinx students; weathering a global pandemic; and celebrating HCC's 75th anniversary as the oldest two-year college in Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;President Royal has always known what needed to be done to take HCC to the next level, and she involved everyone in the process of moving the college forward,&quot; said Robert Gilbert, chair of the HCC Board of Trustees. &quot;The work to advance HCC's mission, vision, and strategic priorities will indeed continue. Without question, higher education as a sector is in for a lot of change as we look to the future, but Dr. Royal has prepared our institution well and set HCC up for success far beyond her tenure.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier this year, as she prepared for her final semester at HCC, President Royal sat down to talk about her decision to retire, her plans, and her legacy as HCC's fourth president.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have you ever had the feeling that you're on a kind of farewell tour?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last year, when I first announced that I would be retiring from HCC, there was an immediate reaction from people saying very nice things and offering their goodbyes, and I said, &quot;I've got a whole year ahead of me; I'm not going anywhere right away.&quot; When I'm speaking, I just try to remind people that it's not my final day yet. It's customary in the field of higher education for presidents to give a full year's notice. At HCC, though, that hasn't necessarily been the case. Because there have only been three presidents before me, I think maybe it seemed a bit unusual for folks, but I wanted to give the college the respect it deserved in having a peaceful transition of leadership to the fifth president.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Has your approach to the job changed since you made your announcement?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is a shift that happens, but the shift is more about, how do I prepare the institution for a new president? How do I provide a good transition point for an incoming president to be able to pick up that baton and go in whatever direction she or he may choose to. On the macro level, I still have the same priorities that I had before in terms of aligning with our strategic plan, working on the core areas highlighted in our NECHE accreditation report, hiring a vice president of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, donor engagement, and fundraising for a capital campaign.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why did you choose this moment to move on?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It wasn't an instant decision. I put a lot of thought and reflection into everything I do. I have said multiple times that it's not so much about my leaving HCC as it is about starting my next chapter and being able to make space in my life for other things that I haven't had time to focus on. I wanted to make sure that the institution was in a stable place post-pandemic. That was very important to me, making sure that we would be okay and that we were far enough on the other side of it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do you believe HCC is in a stable place?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I do. There will always be challenges; it doesn't matter what period it is in the college's history. There's always going to be challenges that an institution's facing or higher education is facing. However, with that said, I do think that we're in a good place, and we have a lot of external recognitions to validate that. We have a lot of new folks we have welcomed to the college. In responding to the pandemic, faculty and staff have had to completely rethink the work they do and how they do it. I think that we're at a place where people understand this shift and have acclimated to the ways their job roles have had to change to accommodate this new post-pandemic world, although I don't really like the term &quot;post-pandemic.&quot; We are in a different place than we were in 2020, clearly. Even 2021 and 2022 felt like the start of another layer of transition. I'm optimistic about 2023.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For most people, retirement means the end of their working life. You're only 50 years old.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Retirement to me signifies a completion and an ending of sorts, and that's what I wanted to communicate. Oftentimes, when people make an announcement at my age, the focus is so much on where they're going to. I wanted to be very intentional about disaggregating those things because I want to take a break before I transition to something else. I really did want to create some space and time for me to enjoy another chapter. I've got a lot of big things happening in my personal life. All very good things. It's also taken a lot to lead a college through a pandemic, and I thought this would be a perfect time to take a short break.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You must be fielding inquiries about possible new jobs.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I've pretty much said no to everything that has come my way, because I did really mean it when I said I wanted to have some space in between this and whatever's next. I'm putting my focus on having a break for the rest of 2023 and then starting something sometime in 2024. I have some personal projects that I just haven't had a chance to put as much time into, even decluttering my household, spending more time with family and friends. I want to travel a little bit more and just make some space for things that can be challenging with a job as intense as a college presidency.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do you have something specific in mind?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I might teach. I'm not necessarily thinking I would step into that full time, but teaching a class would be exciting when I think about that as a creative expression of my skill set and an opportunity to stay connected to students, which is what I really love.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You mentioned big things happening in your personal life. You recently got engaged.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yeah, there's a lot of big, big news. My partner Karen and I purchased a house in South Hadley. She's a designer, so she is fixing that up. I feel very grateful to be leaving HCC on a high when I feel like the college is doing good work. I feel I'm in a good space personally and professionally.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have you set a date yet?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not yet. I wanted to be able to fully focus on HCC this semester, this first half of the year, and so we are talking about a date in the fall, so sometime after I'm finished at HCC and I can give that the attention it deserves as well.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The two of you went together to HCC's semi-formal winter dance.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We really wanted to go and support students. I had gone down to the Campus Center for a holiday event, and a student was telling me about the dance and said that they had never attended any of their high school events because of the pandemic and that had really impacted them. That comment really brought to life another aspect of how people's worlds changed during the pandemic, particularly young folks at a key formative stage of life. They didn't get to experience some of the typical milestones others have, so there is a hole there. The semi-formal was a wonderful opportunity to allow them to experience something like that for the first time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You broke a lot of barriers as president of HCC: first woman, first person of color, first openly gay. How did that feel?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have spoken very openly and consistently about how important representation is. One of my very first HCC events was International Women's Day. I gave some remarks. People didn't really know me at that point. Afterward a lot of people came up to me and said how nice it was to have a woman as president, a queer person, a woman of color. All of these comments were about their being able to see themselves in leadership. Now, what you do in the role is also important; you have to be able to make a tangible impact by bringing people along, engaging people in the endeavors that you wish to lead. Not being able to see yourself in key roles really does limit your thinking about what's possible for yourself. I hadn't even started thinking about a college presidency until I worked for a president who was a woman of color. She said, &quot;You would be good at this someday.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Has HCC lived up to your expectations?&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It can be difficult when you're coming from outside the community. There's a lot to learn. You have to learn the college and the people in it, and you have to learn the community and you have to learn the history. And you have to learn where the region is going. You have to understand where the state's direction is focused. There's a lot of dimensions to really understanding what an institution stands for and what the needs are and how one can contribute. I felt like I had a pretty good sense of that coming in, and I felt like I had certainly had enough lived experiences that there were few big surprises. I felt prepared for what the experience would be. But, mostly, I could feel a sense of knowing where there was impact to be made. I tried to focus my time on impacting the institution in ways that I knew would serve the institution not just in the present but also in the future.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Early on in your administration you worked with the HCC Foundation to set up the President's Student Emergency Fund as a stop-gap for students in immediate financial distress. Since then you've donated money to the foundation to endow the Christina Royal Equity Promise Scholarship. Why were these important for you?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm proud of the work we've done collectively to elevate the equity agenda here. I'm proud of it not just because of the work I've done, but because the college is embracing that as a priority and recognizing that if we're truly going to be able to aspire to a promise of equity for all and to really help close the achievement gaps then we need to prioritize this at all levels. To do that we have to think about how we close the gaps that students experience that do not allow them to stay continuously enrolled in college. I wanted to be able to have a scholarship that allows us to help fill in those gaps as we continue to prioritize the equity agenda, continue to focus on how we can ensure that every student who comes to HCC with an aspiration to get a degree or credential to change their lives through the power of education has the ability to do so.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm so proud that we have spent a lot of time over the last several years prioritizing the ways we can help close those gaps. We've focused on giving faculty new professional development opportunities so that they can get more deeply engaged in equity through a curricular lens. We have focused more on basic needs for students so that we can ensure we are able to meet those challenges head on instead of seeing students quietly withdraw because they are facing&amp;nbsp; some other barrier beyond the classroom that they can't surmount. We've been focusing on closing achievement gaps, and we certainly know that financial gaps are a big part of what many of our students' experience. It's like trying to smooth over the potholes in the student experience so that it's a bit smoother and they don't get derailed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Food insecurity has been an important issue for you since you arrived, so it must have been satisfying to witness the opening of Homestead Market.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When we started our first strategic planning process, we wanted to conceptualize more tangibly what we were talking about as it related to basic needs, and we defined them as food insecurity, housing insecurity, transportation, and also childcare. However, during the pandemic, we also saw mental health needs emerge. We saw digital literacy needs emerge, and the definition of basic needs will continue to change over the years. So, it's about us being in tune with what students are experiencing at any given point. Addressing basic needs is fundamental to ensuring that students can stay focused on what they're here to do. They're here to change their lives through an education, and the purpose of the education for many of them is to create a better life for themselves and their families. And that's either through more job security, or a promotion or a career change, something to provide that stability so that they can focus on building futures for themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You've presided over a lot of grand openings since you arrived in 2017. Is there any one that stands out?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was really excited for all of them, but if I had to call one out it would be the Campus Center. I had toured the Campus Center when I was interviewing for this job and within weeks after starting we had to shut it down for reconstruction. It was such a difficult time because it was an area, even in its dilapidated condition, that was a focal point for students, and suddenly that didn't exist. And, so, we had to find other ways to create spaces for students to gather across the campus, and that was challenging. When we reopened the Campus Center, it was absolutely gorgeous. I knew it would be a space where students would congregate and it would do all the things we had wanted for a campus center. In February 2020, we invited Governor Baker and other key dignitaries to come for the grand opening. A month later we had to shut it down again along with the whole college. When the campus started to open up in the fall of 2021, I walked in there and it still had its new car smell, so to speak. I thought, OK, well here's our gift coming out of the pandemic. We have a brand new Campus Center. How are we going to make the most of this? It was a really great space to have to give students a sense of community again.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What's been your most memorable experience at HCC?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I've had a lot of memorable experiences. Most recently, painting the crosswalk outside the Campus Center with rainbow paint was very exciting. I have really enjoyed my time attending plays and hanging out with the theater students, particularly when they invited me to participate in the 24-hour theater festival and I had a chance to run lines with them. I loved going to the Woo Sox game with students and alums of the college. One of the students said it was his very first time in a ballpark, and so it was fun talking to him about my experiences going to ball games, and especially since I had aspired to be the first female professional baseball player. Those types of experiences are just so joyous.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The opening of the Homestead Market was a memorable event for me because it was birthed out of students. They asked for a place where they could use their SNAP benefits on campus. Being able to directly respond to a student request and meet that call and challenge was exciting.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As someone who identifies as queer, raising the first Pride flag was a huge honor. To be able to represent our LGBTQ community and bring more visibility to LGBTQ issues felt very rewarding to me. Going into the radio station and talking with students as they practice their interviewing skills on me and hearing why radio lights them up. Those experiences bring a lot of texture and excitement to my job. What's your favorite thing about HCC? My favorite thing about the college is how well it responds to the community. All of the ways we work to support the community, even beyond direct education, such as events and activities, summer youth camps that bring students in early and help parents for the summer. Workforce programs that help adult learners make short-term career changes or leap into a new profession. Helping students transfer to four-year schools. These are all the ways that we make a huge impact in our community.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And then, most recently, pickleball, which I'm very excited about. The community response has been amazing. It just shows you that there's a need for us. This college really does serve a key role in this community. We truly represent who we are.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What do you want to be remembered for as president of HCC?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are a few things that I hope people think about when they think about this period of HCC's history. Certainly, the fact that we have created a focus on more data information. Having a data-informed environment means that people are in a state of curiosity and&amp;nbsp; reflection when they look at data and they consider how they are making an impact. And it's okay to question the data. It's okay to think about the quality of stories associated with the data. But we need to examine what the data show us about how we're doing and how can we do better, and in what areas we are doing really well that we should be shouting from the rooftops.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Another area is process improvement. That's one of the less sexy areas of the institution, but it creates good bones about how an institution runs. The more efficiencies we're able to create the better we're able to maximize our human capital, the faculty and staff at the institution, to better serve students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The equity agenda is also near and dear to my heart, and that's an evolution. Where the institutional will be at in five years will be different than where we're at today. But to elevate the equity agenda, to put serious commitment and financial resources behind it, is something that I'm very proud of. To be leaving the institution as we're creating a cabinet level position to focus on equity really speaks to how serious the institution takes this topic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I couldn't list memorable moments without also thinking about getting the college safely through the pandemic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Surely, the pandemic was the biggest challenge you've faced as president.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There was a lot in my past that prepared me for the presidency. Nothing really prepared me or anyone to lead an institution through a pandemic. There was no playbook to follow. We were living through times nobody had experienced before. In that respect, it made it one of the most intense periods of my presidency, but I'm grateful for the decisions that we've made. I feel grateful that we were able to keep people safe. I was grateful we were able to keep students' educations going. There were a lot of people who needed stability and certainty and predictability during the pandemic, and faculty and staff, while they were experiencing being up-ended in the same way as everyone else, they provided that stability and comfort to students during a very difficult time.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We have students now that have, without it being their preferred option, graduated from HCC without ever stepping on campus. Those were new experiences. Now we're in a period of people wanting to come back and experiencing that engagement again and reconnecting with people, reconnecting with community, whether that's through student clubs or visiting faculty during office hours, or music rehearsals, or experiential learning. There's so much we offer in terms of the bricks and mortar of our campus. It was a huge period of reinvention.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You came in with the idea of being an approachable leader, active and visible in the community. Do you feel you've lived up to that?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I think being approachable is important, but it can be a little bit challenging, because people often see you first as the president and second as human. I have the same day-to-day struggles as everybody else and it can feel challenging in terms of helping people to see you as a person and a person who cares about them as well. Because, at the end of the day, nothing gets done if it's not with people. I knew that we wouldn't be able to move initiatives forward if it wasn't for the support of the community. I really give the majority of the credit to the faculty and staff who have helped with different initiatives and moved them forward. But, as far being approachable, I've tried to share in presentations or in conversations things about my personal life, to show the humanity of this role. I think that helps people recognize that while I sit with the responsibility of keeping this institution safe and fiscally sound and forward thinking, it's just as important to be able to connect with people so that I can tap into what's important to them and help support their initiatives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Student trustee Jay George said she appreciated the amount of time you've spent with her, talking about issues coming before the board of trustees.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I believe that coaching and mentorship is really important. It gives me an opportunity to exercise leadership in a different way and also share ways that my experiences have helped me learn and grow. I have learned a great deal hearing stories of other people's successes and failures. If can pass that along I'm very grateful to do so.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What's the most important thing you've learned as president of HCC?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The most important thing that I learned, or I should say, relearn over and over is that, at the end of the day, it is really all about people. It's all about the relationships. It's about what we can do together. Even if I did have all the best ideas, and I have some good ideas and others have a lot of great ideas, in this role it's about how you're able to champion others and gain the support of others to move in a common direction. When you have an institution this size that has a wide variety of perspectives, that can be one of the most complex and challenging endeavors. It's also the one of the most rewarding when we can get everybody on the same page.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;For example, creating a new shared governance model. This was huge. It was one of the areas that I spoke about when I first started, but there wasn't the appetite for focusing on that then, and I had to listen to folks . Even though I knew it was something that we needed to work on, the timing wasn't right. Later, there was a point where people were ready to work on that. And so then to be able to respond at that moment and work together to build a model that truly represents all of the people who represent our HCC community is very satisfying, because people have a voice now in the process of deciding the priorities of the institution and moving the institution forward. It starts with them having a voice and a seat at the table, to be able to help make change happen collaboratively.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Your windowsill has quite a few more books on it than it did six years ago. Are you taking them all with you?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I certainly believe that variety is important when it comes to reading, which is why you see books here on leadership and books on social justice and equity, and you see books on management and motivation, and books on data. They all&amp;nbsp; represent pieces of me. I haven't found one book that encapsulates everything. I enjoy a form of learning where I am constantly filling my head with different perspectives, because I can take something away from every single book and use it to inform my leadership. It's important to stay open and curious. I like to read because I love the idea of entertaining new ideas. The process of questioning is probably the greatest asset that I have as a leader, the willingness to entertain alternative pathways and ideas has kept me open and flexible. I think that was very important during the pandemic. So, I'd say they all have an important role. I've used as a lending library over the years and had different people come in and borrow books. I will leave many behind for the next president and also for the college, perhaps in the Center for Excellence. I will take a few with me.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I'm sure you'll be taking &quot;Oh, the Places You'll Go&quot; by Dr. Seuss. It seems particularly fitting now, given that you're leaving&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Exactly. It's right here. This is one of the first books I received as a gift of congratulations for my presidency by a former colleague.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What are you going to miss most about HCC?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Working with faculty, staff, and students. We are in the people business, and I've talked a lot about that and reminded people that while automation is important, and new forms of disrupting the way we do business is critical to our future, we are in the people business. I love interacting with people. I love that aspect of my job, being able to have a chance to see our faculty in the classroom, doing what they do best. That's been so powerful. It's part of my job as president to share those stories with the community at large so they can see the impact that HCC makes and why this is the place they should send their students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;U.S. presidents historically leave a letter for their successors with words of wisdom or advice. Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for the next president of HCC?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The advice I would share is that this is an institution headed in the right direction. With a leader who really embraces and supports and collaborates with faculty, staff, and students, the future is unlimited.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Outgoing President Christina Royal holds one of her favorite books.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18970" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/christina-royal-equity-award" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x18970.xml" Name="Christina Royal Equity Award" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Gilbert-Royal-web.jpg" Title="In her Honor" Abstract="The HCC Board of Trustees has established an annual award honoring the legacy of retiring President Christina Royal for her work as a champion of equity, diversity and inclusion." ThumbnailAltText="Board of Trustees chair Robert Gilbert with HCC President Christina Royal" IntroCopy="&quot;The list of Dr. Royal's accomplishments is long and leaves us inspired, and woven through it all has been her commitment to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion. Therefore, we believe it is fitting that our faculty and staff, the heartbeat of this institution, be acknowledged and celebrated for their efforts with an award that bears her name.&quot; – Robert Gilbert, board chair" Date="2023-07-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Gilbert Royal&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Gilbert-Royal-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees has established an annual award to honor the legacy of retiring President Christina Royal's work as a champion of equity, diversity and inclusion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Christina Royal Equity Award will be awarded annually to an HCC employee who demonstrates a sustained commitment to advancing equity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Creation of the award was announced June 27 by Robert Gilbert, chair of the Board of Trustees, during the board's regular monthly meeting, which was also President Royal's last. Her final day as president of HCC is Friday, July 14.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The list of Dr. Royal's accomplishments is long and leaves us inspired, and woven through it all has been her commitment to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion,&quot; Gilbert said. &quot;Therefore, we believe it is fitting that our faculty and staff, the heartbeat of this institution, be acknowledged and celebrated for their efforts with an award that bears her name.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Recipients of the annual award will receive a plaque along with a monetary award funded through the Holyoke Community College Foundation. So far, Gilbert said, contributions to the award fund total more than $10,000.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Recipients of the Christiana Royal Equity award may be supporting a culture of transformative justice, working to remove barriers for historically marginalized groups, improving cultural competency through dialogue and education, exhibiting leadership and best practice for social equity, or making the larger community a more just and equitable place to reside,&quot; said Gilbert, who noted that President Royal was not only the first woman to hold the position but also the first person of color and first queer person to serve as president of HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Royal said she had not expected any surprises during her final HCC board meeting. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Wow,&quot; she said, &quot;it touches my heart to hear about this award in my honor. When I think about the work that I'm most proud of over the last seven years, it is actually bringing and elevating equity into the conversation and into our strategic plan, and having a chance to really dig more into the data and really look at how we are able to provide an environment where all students can succeed.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal went on to thank the Board of Trustees for their guidance and support; the greater Holyoke community for fully embracing HCC; as well as faculty and staff; and HCC students, who are &quot;our future,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Thank you for the acknowledgement and the establishment of this award,&quot; she said. &quot;This means a great deal to me. It means that, beyond my tenure, the college is going to be committed to recognizing people doing this kind of work, and honoring and supporting and ultimately recognizing people who are making an impact.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a tradition she began several years ago, and what will be one of her final acts as the fourth president of HCC,&amp;nbsp; Royal will raise the Pride flag over the HCC campus on Friday, July 14, at 10 a.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A new era for HCC begins on Monday, July 17, when George Timmons, Ph.D., will begin his tenure as HCC's fifth president and the first African-American man to hold that position.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Board of Trustees chair Robert Gilbert and retiring President Christina Royal after her final board meting on June 27.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18958" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/global-seal-of-biliteracy" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="3|193|65|165" FileName="x18958.xml" Name="Global Seal of Biliteracy " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Global-Seal-Class-web.jpg" Title="Seal of Biliteracy" Abstract="Three recent graduates and one alum were among the HCC students who have earned their Global Seal of Biliteracy after passing a national exam. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Spanish Professor Monica Torregrosa and her students" IntroCopy="&quot;&quot;I know my Spanish speaking skills will help me out, and I wanted to integrate that into my career.&quot; – Inglyana Yard '23" Date="2023-06-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Spanish Professor Monica Torregrosa and her students&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Global-Seal-Class-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Three recent graduates and one older alum are among the nine Holyoke Community College students who recently received their Global Seal of Biliteracy, a national credential that recognizes functional literacy in two languages, in their case English and Spanish.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The nine students were enrolled this spring in Intermediate Spanish II with Professor Monica Torregrosa. For the last two years, Torregrosa has offered the Global Seal of Biliteracy test in place of a final exam.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The students are really motivated,&quot; she said. &quot;They come in with excitement. It makes them feel like they are really aiming for something that will be rewarding. This never happens on a final exam, where they come in all stressed out.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The four-plus hour proctored&amp;nbsp;test measures reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in the second language (Spanish)&amp;nbsp;and scores them according to national standards.&amp;nbsp;Students earning a 5 (Intermediate Proficiency) or higher in each of the skills qualify for the&amp;nbsp;Functional Proficiency Seal.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a skills-based test, not content based, and it is very intense,&quot; said Torregrosa. &quot;The test tells them what they can actually do with the language. It's great for their resumes, and for their sense of accomplishment. Studying a second language is super hard work, and these students did the work, sometimes at the expense of their own exhaustion.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Torregrosa noted that the Global Seal of Biliteracy is a recognized professional credential&amp;nbsp;that can be embedded as a badge on their LinkedIn profiles and can make them more appealing to employers. At the functional level, the seal shows employers that they can, for example, read forms and documents, answer simple customer questions, and give directions in Spanish.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hailey Phillips, a class valedictorian, graduated from HCC in June with her associate's degree in Latinx Studies. She is transferring to Mount Holyoke College, where she plans to study Spanish and education with the intention of becoming a Spanish teacher.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We live in a region with a lot of Spanish speaking people,&quot; said Phillips ,who lives in Westfield. &quot;I think it's a very valuable skill to have to have a second language you can speak, and I want to be able to communicate with people better.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carina Franco, from Southampton, a liberal arts major from the class of 2023, grew up in a Puerto Rican family but didn't learn much Spanish herself as a child, she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Going into college, I wanted to take Spanish classes to perfect my Spanish for the workforce,&quot; she said, &quot;because I see how many opportunities it has brought my mom and how many more people you can connect to.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Inglyana Yard, an HCC psychology major from the class of 2023, is pursuing a bachelor's degree in psych at Bay Path University. She plans to work as a counselor with young adolescents.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I wanted the certification because of the field I'm working in,&quot; she said. &quot;I know my Spanish speaking skills will help me out, and I wanted to integrate that into my career.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The other students who earned their Global Seal of Biliteracy are Leyron Perez of Springfield, Scott Lawrence of Holyoke, Nicholas Gentile of Wilbraham, Briana Bowers of Springfield, Isabela Soto of Chicopee, and 69-year-old Mark Friese, who has continued taking classes at HCC since earning an associate's degree in accounting in 2021. (Classes for those 60 and older cost only $50.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'd like to travel to Spain and Mexico a little bit,&quot; said Friese, who is retired from ISO New England. &quot;There's just so much material to cover and just to practice.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2022, 10 of Torregrosa's Intermediate Spanish students received their Global Seal of Biliteracy certifications. She's happy with the results. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a great validation,&quot; she said. &quot;It's been a great assessment tool for our department because students are proving that they can meet these national standards. It tells us we're on the right track.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Students hold their Global Seal of Biliteracy certificates. Seated: (Front) Nicholas Gentile, left, Leyron Perez, right; (Center) Inglyana Yard; (Back, l-r) Carina Franco, Scott Lawrence, Mark Friese, Hailey Phillips; Standing: Professor Monica Torregrosa. Not pictured: Briana Bowers, Isabela Soto.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18953" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/scholarships-2023-x18953" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250516T16:37:49" CategoryIds="3|65|165" FileName="x18953.xml" Name="Scholarships 2023" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-Honors-Barney-Garcia-web.jpg" Title="Scholarship Awards" Abstract="The HCC Foundation has awarded awarded 259 scholarships worth $304,125 to 249 incoming, current, and transferring HCC students for 2023-2024." ThumbnailAltText="Barney Garcia with President Royal" IntroCopy="HCC Foundation awards $304,000 in scholarships" Date="2023-06-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Barney Garcia, right, was the recipient of the Carol Hardy Business Scholarship for 2023-2024&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-Honors-Barney-Garcia-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation has awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships to students for the 2023-2024 academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, the HCC Foundation awarded 259 scholarships worth&amp;nbsp;$304,125 to 249 incoming, current, and transferring HCC students. Many students received multiple scholarship awards.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that works to advance the college's mission, vision, and values. Founded in 1968 as the Friends of Holyoke Community College, in response to a devastating fire that forced the college to rebuild on a new campus, the Foundation now manages assets of more than $20 million, the largest community college foundation endowment in Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An alphabetical list of all scholarship recipients and their awards can be viewed on the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/x18952.xml&quot;&gt;Schoalarships Awards page on the HCC website&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(Above) Barney Garcia, right, was the recipient of the Carol Hardy Business Scholarship for 2023-2024&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18950" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-sp23" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|3|193|65|165" FileName="x18950.xml" Name="Dean's List SP23" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-Honors-Adia-Samba-Quee-web.jpg" Title="Spring 2023 Dean's List" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize all the students who earned Dean's List honors for the Spring 2023 semester. " ThumbnailAltText="Honors and Awards Night 2023" IntroCopy="HCC announces Dean's List for Spring 2023 semester" Date="2023-06-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Henry Zucco accepts congratulations from President Christina Royal&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-Honors-Henry-Zucco-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. A student is placed on the Dean's List if his or her G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Follow the link below to see an alphabetical listing of all the HCC students who&amp;nbsp;earned Dean's List status for the Spring 2023 semester.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/deans-list&quot;&gt;Dean's List ....&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Henry Zucco of Holyoke accepts congratulation from President Christina Royal at HCC's&amp;nbsp;annual&amp;nbsp;Honors &amp;amp; Awards night in May 2023. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Adia&amp;nbsp;Samba-Quee&amp;nbsp;of Springfield accepts congratulation from President Christina Royal at HCC's&amp;nbsp;annual&amp;nbsp;Honors &amp;amp; Awards night in May 2023. Both earned Dean's List honors for the Spring 2023 semester.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18951" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/bartley-mourned" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="66|193|65" FileName="x18951.xml" Name="Bartley Mourned" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Bartley-Center-Family2-web.jpg" Title="Good for this Place" Abstract="The HCC community is mourning the passing of its second president, David M. Bartley '54, a proud alum and fierce advocate for community college education." ThumbnailAltText="David Bartley and his family outside the HCC facility dedicated in his honor.  " IntroCopy="HCC community mourns death of David Bartley '54" Date="2023-06-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;David Bartley in the President's Office at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/DMB-Office-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As Holyoke Community College prepares to bid farewell to its fourth president and welcome its fifth next month, the HCC community is mourning the passing of its second president, David M. Bartley '54, a proud alum and fierce advocate for community college education and especially for HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bartley, 88, a lifelong resident of Holyoke and a former Massachusetts Speaker of the House, died Tuesday, June 13, after several weeks of hospice care. He served as president of the college from July 1975 to January 2004, a time of extraordinary growth and expansion, succeeding George Frost, the founding president of HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm gonna miss him. I'm really going to miss him,&quot; said Tom Stewart, HCC director of Athletics, Activities, and Clubs, who worked with Bartley for eight years before the latter retired, and maintained a close relationship with him thereafter. &quot;He was really good for this place. He loved the school. He wanted kids to succeed.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stewart, who is also director of the campus facility named for the former president, the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation, said Bartley's philosophy is epitomized by the quote on the dedication plaque outside the building: &quot;Holyoke Community College is four walls and a future.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That was his big thing,&quot; said Stewart.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Francis Kane '56, a friend of Bartley's since grammar school, called Bartley a great innovator, motivator, and visionary.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He was a great leader,&quot; said Kane, who served as a college trustee during Bartley's presidency. &quot;He never expected you to do anything that he wouldn't do himself.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/news/2023/06/holyokes-david-m-bartley-author-of-special-education-law-past-hcc-president-dies-at-88.html&quot; title=&quot;HCC community mourns death of former president David Bartley '54&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Read more on MassLive ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bartley lived his entire life in Holyoke in the Irish, working-class neighborhood of Elmwood, not far from what was then called Holyoke Junior College, where he enrolled in 1952 after graduating from Sacred Heart High School.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During a 2021 interview, Bartley credited George Frost, the founding president of HCC, for instilling in him a love of learning and a desire to pursue greater goals.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He was my mentor, my friend, and the greatest guy I ever met in terms of education,&quot; Bartley said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HJC, Bartley studied liberal arts and developed some of the political skills that would serve him well later as a state legislator and Speaker of the House. He was elected president of his freshman class and vice president of his sophomore class. He was a member of the yearbook staff, co-director of the annual variety show, and parliamentarian of the Student Council. &amp;nbsp;He also played baseball and captained the HCC men's basketball team.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For graduation, the faculty selected Bartley as the student who most contributed to Holyoke Junior College.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After HJC, Bartley transferred to the University of Massachusetts, where he was a star in the classroom and on the basketball court. After earning his bachelor's degree, he taught for four years at Forest Park Junior High School in Springfield.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Politics, however, ultimately trumped education. He won a seat in the Massachusetts Legislature representing Holyoke in 1963. He assumed the Speaker's post in 1969 at the age of 32 and remains the youngest to have ever served in that position.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As Speaker, Bartley's influence was critical in securing the state funds required to construct a new campus on Homestead Avenue after a 1968 fire destroyed the main campus building on Sergeant Street. To get it done, he worked together with another Holyoke native, Maurice Donahue, then president of the Massachusetts Senate.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Without him being in the House and Maurice Donahue being in the Senate, we're not sitting here right now,&quot; said Stewart. &quot;This place is still a farm. It's not Holyoke Community College.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His legislative highlights included the Bartley-Fox Act, which imposed a one-year prison sentence for illegal gun possession, and Chapter 766 legislation that supported mainstreaming special needs students in public schools.&amp;nbsp;In 1975, a year after the opening of the new campus, Bartley left the Legislature to succeed George Frost as president of HCC. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He had done all of the hard work; all I had to do was administer,&quot; Bartley said. Like Frost, Bartley said, &quot;I wanted to ensure that everyone had an opportunity for an education in Western Massachusetts.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nevertheless, Bartley did a lot of hard work himself over the course of his 28 years as HCC president and left an indelible legacy.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of his first initiatives as president was to start an alumni association, and the person he tapped to run it was none other than his mentor and predecessor, George Frost. In the 1980s, at Bartley's behest, HCC created the first philanthropic community college foundation in Massachusetts, the nonprofit HCC Foundation, which was launched with $200 left over from a fundraising organization created after the 1968 fire called the Friends of Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What the hell is a foundation, David?&quot; Kane, then a trustee, remembers saying at the time. &quot;And he starts off with, we're going to spend the first two years raising friends of the college, people that we know are capable of helping us out with money, letting them know what's going on at the college, and getting the message out through the media, and then we got to the point where we had to raise the money.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And they did.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Foundation awarded its first student scholarship in 1987. By the time Bartley retired in 2004, the Foundation endowment had reached $3 million. Today, the Foundation manages assets of more than $20 million and over the years has awarded more than $10 million in student scholarships while also helping the college build key academic facilities, including the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, the Center for Health Education and Simulation, and the&amp;nbsp;HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During his tenure, Bartley oversaw the construction of the Campus Center and the athletic facility he had long sought while also laying the groundwork for the Kittredge Center, which opened in 2006.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He was a key backer of biology professor Elaine Marieb '80 as she built her career as a textbook author and became HCC's largest benefactor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;He loved Elaine Marieb and courted her when she was here,&quot; said Stewart. &quot;He courted her after she left and her book took off. He gave her the support that she needed. She was very good to us. A lot of that was because of David Bartley.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He was never shy about using his political influence to benefit the college.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I have wonderful memories of him,&quot; said Idelia Smith, assistant vice president of Academic Affairs and a 41-year employee of HCC. &quot;He was great fun to be with, and he drove far too fast. He loved the big Buicks.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Smith remembers Bartley loading up his Buick Electra 225 with HCC staff and tearing down the Mass Pike to the State House to lobby the legislature for money. &quot;He'd roll underneath the State House and use the parapet where the legislators came in,&quot; said Smith. &quot;He stood up out of the car like he owned the place. They still referred to him as Mr. Speaker and he walked through like he was still the Speaker. We were terribly impressed. It was really nice to be with him because he knew who he was.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bartley, so family oriented in his personal life, brought that sensibility to his work at HCC, supporting faculty and staff through personal difficulties and making exceptions to rules and regulations to help them. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He was good to us and to me, specifically,&quot; said Smith. &quot;He was very fatherly. It was wonderful having someone like that at the helm.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Unlike many college presidents, Bartley was not an &quot;academic stalwart,&quot; said Stewart. Though he did later go back to UMass for his master's degree and Ph.D, he was more of &quot;people person.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Nobody was too big or too small for David,&quot; said Stewart. &quot;Everybody was part of David's team. He treated everybody the same, which was unusual for a man in his position.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He was not above bending over to pick up trash or pulling over to assist a groundskeeper with car trouble, Stewart said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And he ran a tight ship.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We all got a piece of David once in a while,&quot; said Stewart. &quot;The old line was, 'If you can't get it done, I'll find someone who will get it done.' And it got done.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His demands could sometimes cause friction, and he knew it.&amp;nbsp;&quot;He always said to me, 'Tommy, it's very lonely at the top, and it's very windy too,&quot; said Stewart.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While Bartley was president, enrollment at the college grew from about 2,000 to more than 6,500.&amp;nbsp;He remains the only community college graduate in Massachusetts history to serve their alma mater as president.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I have been at this college nearly 30 years,&quot; Bartley said in 2003. &quot;Each year has been exciting and rewarding. I have watched dramatic changes occur at this institution over the past three decades. There are challenges ahead, but the college is well positioned to continue its role as one of the leading community colleges in the state.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In retirement, he remained closely connected to the college, playing in the HCC Foundation's annual fundraising golf tournament that he co-founded as president, serving for many years on the HCC Foundation's board of directors, and creating the Dr. David M. '54 and Bette Bartley Scholarship through the Foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In her first days as HCC's fourth president, Christina Royal received a letter from Bartley welcoming her to the community, a gesture she greatly appreciated. A friendship grew out of their conversations over the years about the college, the city, and the region.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He was present at my inauguration in the fall of 2017, and I distinctly remember looking his way during a moment of applause. He seemed so very proud of this college,&quot; said Royal, who will retire in July and be succeeded by George Timmons, who will become HCC's fifth president. &quot;HCC would not be the gem it is today without former President Bartley. How fortunate we are to have been beneficiaries of his leadership and generosity.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bartley leaves his wife of nearly 60 years, Bette Bartley, sons Myles Bartley, a New York lawyer, and David K. Bartley, a lawyer and Holyoke City Councilor, and daughter Susan Bartley, who works at MassMutual Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, June 20 at 9 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church, 1945 Northampton St., Holyoke, MA 01040.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Calling hours will be held at the Barry J. Farrell Funeral Home, 2049 Northampton Street, Holyoke, MA, on Monday, June 19 from 4 to 7:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Dr. David M. '54 and Bette Bartley Scholarship, Holyoke Community College Foundation, Holyoke Community College, 303 Homestead Ave., Holyoke, MA 01040; Blessed Sacrament School; or the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.legacy.com/charity/memorial-charity-donations/?cobrand=masslive&quot;&gt;charity of one's choice&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;STORY by CHRIS YURKO with contributions from DENNIS HOHENBERGER&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) David M. Bartley works the phones in the President's Office at HCC. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;David Bartley and his family outside the HCC facility dedicated in his honor.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18942" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/summer-youth-2023" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69" FileName="x18942.xml" Name="Summer Youth 2023" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-Summer-Soccer-web.jpg" Title="Summer Fun" Abstract="July 10 through Aug. 25, HCC will offer 17, week-long summer programs in person at HCC for youth aged 8 to 17 interested in everything from cooking to computers.  " ThumbnailAltText="Student in summer soccer clinic at HCC" IntroCopy="Summer Youth classes run July 10 to Aug. 25" Date="2023-06-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Summer youth baking class at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Summer-Youth-Baking-2022-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registration is now open for Holyoke Community College's 2023 Summer Youth Programs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Starting July 10&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;and running through August 25&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;HCC&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;will offer 17, week-long summer programs in person at HCC &amp;ndash; and many more online &amp;ndash; for youth aged 8 to 17 interested in everything from baking, cooking, wilderness survival, and computers, to YouTube, soccer, baseball, and basketball. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more than 40 years, HCC has offered challenging, summer education activities for youth, providing early opportunities for students to experience a college environment guided and encouraged by experienced professionals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's 2023 on-campus summer youth programs run Monday through Friday for one week, some for a full day, 9 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m., and others for a half day, either 9 a.m. to noon, or 1 to 4 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This summer marks the post-pandemic return of HCC's Summer Youth sports programs in soccer, baseball, and basketball, as well as the popular wilderness survival course.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are excited to be able to offer a more diverse and robust collection of youth programming this summer and look forward to continuing to grow our course catalog in years to come,&quot; said Arvard Lingham, coordinator of Non-Credit Programming and Kittredge Center Operations.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All in-person programs will be held on the main HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave., except for cooking and baking classes, which are held at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., Holyoke:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 10-14:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Bake With Me&lt;/em&gt; (Ages 11-14). Students will learn the art of creating tasty baked goods, pastries, and confections, from traditional bread baking to beautiful showpieces, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($399)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cooking with Chef Dino&lt;/em&gt; (Ages 9-12). Students will build knowledge, skills and confidence as they have fun learning to prepare dishes from around the globe, classic cooking techniques, kitchen etiquette, service and proper table manners, as well as safety and nutrition, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($399)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Into the Wild! Wilderness Survival&lt;/em&gt; (Ages 8-11). Explore fields, forests, and wildlife habitats while learning basic survival skills. Learn what to pack and how to track, read a compass, build shelter, fire, and much more. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($289)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 17-21:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Youth Baseball Clinic&lt;/em&gt; (Ages 8-17). This fun-filled, challenging program that emphasizes fundamental skills and baseball knowledge while building self-confidence and developing every player's ability to play more competitively. Instructor: Ryan Magni, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ($179)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 24-28:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Youth Basketball Clinic&lt;/em&gt; (Ages 8-17). This fun-filled, challenging program emphasizes fundamental skills and basketball knowledge while building self-confidence and developing every player's ability to be more competitive. Clinic director: Chris Montemayor, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ($179)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 31-Aug. 4:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Code Breakers, In Person&lt;/em&gt; (Ages 11-14). Learn the basics of coding languages like HTML, JavaScript, and CSS through a series of web projects and design challenges each day and be on your way to becoming the next tech star, 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. ($179)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Youth Soccer Clinic&lt;/em&gt; (Ages 6-16). A comprehensive soccer clinic for young athletes taught by Rob Galazka, head coach of the HCC women's soccer team with assistance from top college soccer players, stressing basic and advanced skills with plenty of one-on-one instruction, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ($179)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aug. 7-11:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Bake With Me&lt;/em&gt; (Ages 11-14), 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($399)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cooking with Chef Dino&lt;/em&gt; (advanced) (Ages 10-14). Learn what it's like to work in a busy, restaurant kitchen in a safe and successful fashion. Select recipes, plan menus and gain experience working every kitchen station: saut&amp;eacute;, grill, fry, baking and more, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($399)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Minecraft Redstone Engineers, In Person&lt;/em&gt; (Ages 8-10). Take the next step beyond simply &quot;playing&quot; Minecraft and become a true Redstone engineer, 9 a.m. to 12 or 1 to 4 p.m. ($179)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Youth Robotic STEM Week&lt;/em&gt; (Ages 12-16). A fun, educational way to learn about robotics and coding, designed for students of any skill level, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($289)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aug. 14-18:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;YouTube Content Creators, In Person&lt;/em&gt; (Ages 11-14). Explore the variety of content and personalities that exist on YouTube and how to find your own niche, 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. ($179)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aug. 21-25:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;ROBLOX Makers, In Person&lt;/em&gt; (Ages 8-10). Learn how to build 3D models and create an adventure in your ROBLOX world. Bring characters to life with unique animations you design, 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. ($179).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC also offers more than a dozen online, computer-oriented summer programs through Black Rocket.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/personal-enrichment/youth-programs&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/summer-youth&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: (Above) A student cuts vegetables during at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute during a summer youth cooking class in 2022. (Thumbnail) A student runs drills in an HCC summer soccer clinic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18943" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/chef-nadim" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|193" FileName="x18943.xml" Name="Chef Nadim" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Chef-Nadim-web-1.jpg" Title="Kitchen Secrets" Abstract="For the first time, Chef Nadim Kashouh, owner of Nadim's Downtown Mediterranean Grill in Springfield, teach a series of single-session classes at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute." ThumbnailAltText="Chef Nadim Kashouh in the kitchen of his Springfield Restaurant, Nadin's Downtown Mediterranean Grill" IntroCopy="The next class will be held July 10" Date="2023-06-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chef Nadim in the kitchen of his Springfield restaurant&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Chef-Nadim-web-1.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A 2021 news article labeled Nadim's Downtown Mediterranean Grill Springfield's &quot;best-known secret.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, for the first time, the restaurant's owner, Chef Nadim Kashouh, will share a few secrets from his kitchen through a series of single-session classes at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is offering &quot;Cooking with Chef Nadim&quot; twice this summer, on Thursday, June 15, from 6-9 p.m., and again on Monday, July 10, from 6-9 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/owner-of-nadims-downtown-mediterranean-grill-shares-culinary-secrets-with-cooking-classes/&quot; title=&quot;Cooking with Chef Nadim story on Channel 22&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See the story on WWLP-22News ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Chef Nadim has built a local reputation of creative and delectable&amp;nbsp;cooking,&quot; said Jeffrey Hayden, HCC vice president of Business and Community Services.&amp;nbsp;&quot;We are very excited to bring these classes to Western Massachusetts.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During each stand-alone, three-hour class, participants will learn to cook - and are encouraged to consume- a five-course meal right off the menu of Chef Nadim's popular restaurant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They're going to get the knowledge to prepare and serve fresh recipes with ingredients from the Mediterranean,&quot; said Kashouh. &quot;We have a beautiful five-course class that includes an appetizer, a salad, a meat, a starch, and a dessert. It's a nice way of trying Mediterranean and be a hands-on participant. It'll be lots of fun.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The five-course meal will begin with a hummus appetizer and tabouli salad followed by Hashwee' Rice (Chef Nadim's special rice topped with almonds), simmered chicken topped with gravy, and concluding with Ismalia, shredded phyllo dough stuffed with Ricotta cheese, baked and topped with rose water.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to being delicious, Mediterranean food is also very healthy, Kashouh notes, and has in fact helped him lose 60 pounds himself during the past eight months.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I always say, knowledge is power,&quot; said Kashouh, &quot;and knowing how to prepare some of the healthiest foods is definitely a plus. Hopefully we'll have some folks who will be interested in that.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A few seats are still available for the June 15 session. The cost is $150 per session.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beer and wine are also included with the dinner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.coursestorm.com/course/cooking-with-chef-nadim-food-094-51-crn-26043&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/chef-nadim&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Chef Nadim prepares chicken skewers in the kitchen of his Springfield restaurant. (Thumbnail) Chef Nadim, shows off a salad outside his downtown restaurant.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18937" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/this-is-huge" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="66|193|165|673" FileName="x18937.xml" Name="This is huge" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-graduation-3-web.jpg" Title="'This is huge'" Abstract="HCC conferred degrees and certificates upon 686 graduates from 72 Massachusetts cities and towns, states as far away as Florida and Texas, and countries including Uganda, and China. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC student Eileen Gates of Blandford celebrates her graduation from HCC" IntroCopy="HCC celebrates Class of 2023" Date="2023-06-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graduates enter the MassMutual Center for Commencement 2023&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-Graduation-1-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College President Christina Royal offered her congratulations as well as some advice to the Class of 2023 Saturday as she presided over her final HCC Commencement before her planned retirement next month.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Every Commencement is special because it is the realization of intentions you set forth when you first became an HCC student,&quot; she said during the June 3 event at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For some, earning a college degree was a two-year dream; for others, she said, a two-decade dream.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Don't stop dreaming big for your life,&quot; she said. &quot;As we celebrate you today, you get to finally put a gold star or checkmark next to your dream of becoming a college graduate. This is huge.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC conferred associate degrees and certificates upon 686 graduates from 72 different Massachusetts cities and towns, states as far away as Florida and Texas, and countries including Uganda, Colombia, India, and China. Their average age is 28, with the oldest being 69.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Diversity is our strength as an institution,&quot; Royal said. &quot;And your uniqueness is your strength as an HCC graduate. I encourage you to embrace your unique gifts and leverage them to help you accomplish your goals in life.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Biology professor Joseph Bruseo of Palmer, recipient of the 2023 Elaine Marieb Chair for Teaching Excellence Award, led the procession of graduates into the MassMutual Center arena and gave &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/joseph-bruseo-speech&quot;&gt;the faculty address&lt;/a&gt;. He talked about the importance of life-long learning and how the acquisition of knowledge is the first step on the path to wisdom.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Your educational experience is based on the accumulation of facts or other important information,&quot; he said. &quot;This is the initial step in the transition from knowledge to wisdom. Wisdom comes from the application of those facts, being able to assess what is true or right, and to apply the knowledge you have gained. As our knowledge base expands, our wisdom grows.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Henry Zucco '23, an environmental science major from Holyoke, delivered &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/henry-zucco-speech&quot;&gt;the student address &lt;/a&gt;to his classmates, acknowledging how the community of his peers and HCC faculty and staff helped him overcome self-doubt.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For each of you here graduating and attending today, you are all part of the process of building a better future for yourselves, for your families, your communities, and the world,&quot; said Zucco, who will continue his education at Bowdoin College. &quot;You all are the hope that we so desperately need.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Holyoke Community College has become more than just a college to me,&quot; he added. &quot;It has become like a home to me, and the community has become my family. I will feel the impact that HCC has made on me for the rest of my life.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other Commencement highlights included the recitation of an original poem by Latinx Studies major and student-poet Mishie Serrano of Westfield titled&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/mishie-serrano-performance&quot;&gt;&quot;Lessons from Redirections,&quot;&lt;/a&gt; about growing up in a Spanish-speaking household and going to college during the COVID-19 pandemic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On behalf of the college, Royal handed out Distinguished Service Awards to two area professionals for their dedication to and support of the college and community: Mariah Levine of South Hadley, director of Preschool at the Holyoke YMCA; and Jason Pacheco of Ludlow, manager of Workforce Planning and Compensation for Baystate Health.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/royal-remarks-2023&quot;&gt;In her own remarks, &lt;/a&gt;President Royal talked about the challenges she faced growing up as a queer, bi-racial women and shared her experiences of self-realization.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;'Be authentically you,&quot; said Royal, who was not only the first woman to serve as president of HCC but also the first gay and person of color to be president of the college. &quot;We spend so much time in life trying to please others. I'm encouraging each of you to be proud of who you are. The messages about what I couldn't be or do &amp;ndash; when I was younger &amp;ndash; were louder than the ones telling me that anything is possible.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She wanted to play baseball, she said, but was encouraged to play softball; wanted to wear pants, but was asked to wear dresses; was encouraged to omit she is half-Black because she could pass for white; was told to not to &quot;be so assertive&quot; as it wasn't becoming of a woman; was told not to display a picture of her girlfriend on her desk at work if she wanted to get promoted.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Somewhere along the way, I started listening more to my inner voice rather than these outside voices, and I realized that I had to become an example of the authenticity I wanted to see in others,&quot; she said. &quot;All you can be is you, and as long as you are authentically you, it is enough. You are enough.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Members of the HCC Class of 2023 celebrate as they enter the MassMutual Center for Commencement. (Thumbnail) Eileen Gates of Blandford (Veterinary and Animal Science) celebrates her graduation from HCC June 3.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18935" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/joseph-bruseo-speech" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="66|193|165|673" FileName="x18935.xml" Name="Joseph Bruseo Speech" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/COMMENCE-Joe-Bruseo-web.jpg" Title="Strive to be wise" Abstract="Biology Professor Joe Bruseo delivered the faculty address to the Class of 2023, encouraging graduates to keep learning and describing the difference between knowledge and wisdeom." ThumbnailAltText="Biology Professor Joseph Bruseo delivers the faculty address to the Class of 2023 at Commencement June 3." IntroCopy="&quot;We should all strive to become wise individuals. That starts with acquiring a workable knowledge base.  That is what you have started here.  As you continue on your life’s path, you should work with that knowledge, add to it, question it, and apply it in meaningful ways.&quot; – Professor Joseph Bruseo" Date="2023-06-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Biology Professor Joseph Bruseo delivers the faculty address at Commencement 2023. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/COMMENCE-Joe-Bruseo-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Commencement 2023&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Faculty Address&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By JOSEPH BRUSEO&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Professor of Biology&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recipient of the 2023 Elaine Marieb Chair for Teaching Excellence Award&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&quot;W&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;e are here today to recognize and celebrate your wonderful achievement, the awarding of your degree. You have invested a considerable amount of time and effort into the process, taking classes while juggling all of the other aspects of your life, all culminating in this day. You should feel a sense of pride and accomplishment and take time to revel in it. But you should not consider this an end to your journey.&amp;nbsp; In many ways, your adventure is just beginning. Your education, either formally or practically, does not stop here. It is why this ceremony is called a commencement, a beginning. You acquired the skills and knowledge to move forward, to go out into the world and apply what you have learned. That is what your degree signifies - that you have achieved a level of basic technical and academic knowledge and developed a set of transferrable skills. How you apply the knowledge is up to you. You may continue on to a four-year program, or enter the workforce, or advance in your career. Regardless of your path, your learning must not end here.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learning is a continuous process, something that develops and strengthens over time. It builds on itself, becoming more intricate and detailed as you progress. Think back to all of the courses you have taken here.&amp;nbsp; You have been exposed to a lot of information.&amp;nbsp; How will you use that knowledge?&amp;nbsp; Is all of it important, or useful?&amp;nbsp; While it may not be apparent now, it will have some utility in the future.&amp;nbsp;Your college experience has also taught you valuable skills.&amp;nbsp; You learned the importance of time management and meeting a deadline. You were given the opportunity to socialize, make friends and forge professional connections.&amp;nbsp; Just as important, you were taught how to critically assess information, how to question its validity and application.&amp;nbsp; There comes a point where knowledge leads to wisdom.&amp;nbsp; Your educational experience is based in the accumulation of facts or other important information. Wisdom derives from both that knowledge and its context, those experiences you have in relation to the knowledge.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the initial step in the transition from knowledge to wisdom. Wisdom comes from the application of those facts, being able to assess what is true or right, and to apply the knowledge you have gained. As our knowledge base expands, our wisdom grows.&amp;nbsp;Technology has been a boon to our education, but it can also be a crutch.&amp;nbsp; It is very easy to Google a topic and find an answer - but is it the true answer?&amp;nbsp; How accurate is the information you are being shown?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That is one of the beautiful things about an education - you learn to critically assess what you've been told, to determine if what you are hearing is accurate based on the knowledge you have. The clich&amp;eacute; of &quot;knowledge is power&quot; is very true, particularly in the technological age in which we live, where information is available at the click of a button.&amp;nbsp; It is also a way to question what you hear - does that sound right based on what you know? Is it possible to see that concept from a different perspective?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As we learn more about the world around us, our view changes - what has been accepted as fact may, in reality, be a skewed version of the truth.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are many concepts that have been presented as constant, but that may just be because we are not assessing it from different perspectives. By assessing its validity, we can determine if what we observe is, in fact, true.&amp;nbsp; This is what an education provides you - the ability to assess information and determine its validity, to question current knowledge, and pioneer new thought.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the link between knowledge and wisdom.&amp;nbsp;So, what do you do with all of this knowledge you have accumulated? How much of what you learned in class do you remember? What are you able to actually recall? Quite often you may have felt overwhelmed by the amount of information presented to you in a course, and, once the class is over, there's a tendency to forget much of what you learned in our classes, unless you use that information beyond the classroom setting.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You are not going to remember all of the scientific names for the phyla of animals, or what happens during the chemical reactions of the Krebs cycle, or the flow of blood through all of the structures in the heart - unless it is something that you encounter once you leave here.&amp;nbsp; Even then, there will be bits of information that you think you forgot, but believe it or not, they are tucked away in your memory and will come out again at the strangest times and places.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For example, you may be on Facebook and see a video that discusses cellular intelligence in a fungus (the acellular slime mold of the genus &lt;em&gt;Physarum&lt;/em&gt;), and you may remember that in some phylogenies, fungi are considered the group of living things most closely related to the animals.&amp;nbsp; This is knowledge that you may have forgotten, but when it comes up in a practical situation, you recall it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Memory can be like an old photo album.&amp;nbsp; The pictures (information) are there, but unless you look at them, you may forget about them.&amp;nbsp; If you don't look at them for a while, they may start to fade.&amp;nbsp; When you see them, you recall the circumstances around which they were taken.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Knowledge works in a similar way.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;We should all strive to become wise individuals. That starts with acquiring a workable knowledge base.&amp;nbsp; That is what you have started here.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As you continue on your life's path, you should work with that knowledge, add to it, question it, and apply it in meaningful ways.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To quote the English poet William Cowper, &quot;Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much.&amp;nbsp; Wisdom is humble that he knows not more.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Be proud you have learned so much, be humble that you know not more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Professor Joseph Bruseo delivers the faculty address to the Class of 2023 at Commencement.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18936" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/mishie-serrano-performance" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="193|165|673" FileName="x18936.xml" Name="Mishie Serrano Performance" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/COMMENCE-Mishie-Serrano-web.jpg" Title="Poetic Lessons" Abstract="Latinx Studies major and student-poet Mishie Serrano recited an orginal poem as part of HCC's 76th Commencement, &quot;Lessons from Redirections.&quot;" ThumbnailAltText="HCC Latinx Studies major recites an original poem for Commencement 2023. " IntroCopy="&quot;I am grateful to be here today ... Because I’d like to celebrate ... The unconventional Beauty and ... All that that comes with ... Redirection.&quot; – Student-poet Mishie Serrano" Date="2023-06-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Latinx Studies major Mishie Serrano recites an original poem at Commencement 2023.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/COMMENCE-Mishie-Serrano-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Commencement 2023&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Student Performance&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lessons from Redirections&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By MISHIE SERRANO (Latinx Studies)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Life&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Truly is teaching me&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;That although our original plans&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;May have come undone&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;The experiences that have come to take their place&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Have more beauty&lt;br /&gt;That one would have imagined.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I began my first semester back at HCC&lt;br /&gt;After a 3 year hiatus&amp;nbsp;I battled with imposter syndrome.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Not new to this feeling&amp;nbsp;I would fidget in my seat&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;And lose myself to music beats in my headphones.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;A habit I dragged from surviving high school.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am grateful to be here today&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Because I'd like to celebrate&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;The unconventional &lt;br /&gt;Beauty and&amp;nbsp;All that that comes with&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Redirection.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/News/Lessons%20from%20Redirections-Mishie-Serrano.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lessons from Redirections&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here to read the rest of Mishie's poem ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Latinx Studies major Mishie Serrano recites an original poem for Commencement 2023.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18933" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/royal-remarks-2023" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165|673" FileName="x18933.xml" Name="Royal Remarks 2023" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/COMMENCE-23-ROYAL-diplomas-web.jpg" Title="'Be authentically you'" Abstract="President Christina Royal offered her advice and congratulations to the Class of 2023 as she presided over her last HCC Commencement Saturday before her retirement. " ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal hands out diplomas at Commencement on Sat., June 3." IntroCopy="&quot;You are enough. And when you feel that moment of standing in your own power and showing the world exactly who you are, you will find that you are more than enough, because your light will shine so brightly that it will illuminate your amazing gifts, talents, strengths, and abilities for the world to see.&quot; – President Christina Royal" Date="2023-06-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Christina Royal hands out diplomas at Commencement 2023&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/COMMENCE-23-ROYAL-diplomas-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Commencement Address 2023&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By HCC President Christina Royal&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&quot;T&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;he past seven years as president of HCC have been an incredible experience where I've had the pleasure of working alongside world class faculty, relentlessly supportive staff, an amazing leadership team and board, and an ambitious and engaged Student Senate &amp;ndash; This is a college that believes in every student who walks through our doors.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the past several years, I've had an opportunity to connect with thousands of students, including many of you these past few weeks during Honors &amp;amp; Awards ceremony, Cap and Gown pickup, the Nursing Pinning Ceremony, TRIO, Transitions Program Graduation/Transfer Celebration, the NSF STEM Scholars Project Presentations, and EL Centro's first birthday celebration, among many others.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I want to share just three brief reminders that I think every graduate could benefit from hearing as you embark on the next chapter of your lives:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;First, Dream big and spend time nurturing those dreams.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every commencement is special because it is the realization of intentions you set forth when you first became an HCC student. For some, this was a two-year dream; others, this was a two-decade dream to earn your college degree. Don't stop dreaming BIG for your life. As we celebrate you today, you get to finally put a gold star or checkmark next to your dream of becoming a college graduate. This is huge.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And sometimes as we get older, there is a sense of responsibility that takes hold and we push those wild dreams aside for more practical considerations. While you attend to the practical matters of your life, always have a big dream to aspire to. And nurture it. Visualize it. Tell others about it. Take baby steps towards making it happen. Before you know it, you'll be celebrating another big accomplishment that you never dreamed possible.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Second, Spend time with lots of different people.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You are a reflection of the 5-10 people you spend the most time with. At HCC, you have had the opportunity to be in class with people of different genders and gender expressions, races, religions, abilities, people with different sexual orientations, speakers of many different languages, people from differing political persuasions, with differing ideologies, and cultural backgrounds.&amp;nbsp;You've had a chance to interact with, debate and discuss, and participate in clubs and activities with people who are very different from you. Diversity is our strength as an institution. And your uniqueness is your strength as an HCC graduate. I encourage you to embrace your unique gifts and leverage them to help you accomplish your goals in life. What makes you so amazing is your individuality. And that is enhanced when you widen your circles. So, spend time with lots of different people. And when you meet new people, keep being curious. Ask more questions. Seek to understand rather than judge. Stay open to new experiences.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And finally, be authentically you. And, be the best you that you can be. We spend so much time in life trying to please others. I'm encouraging each of you to be proud of who you are.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The messages about what I couldn't be or do &amp;ndash; when I was younger &amp;ndash; were louder than the ones telling me that anything is possible:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I wanted to play baseball, but I was encouraged to play softball.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I wanted to wear pants, but was asked to wear dresses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was encouraged to omit that I'm half-Black because I could pass for being white.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was told to not to &quot;be so assertive&quot; as it wasn't becoming of a woman.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was told not to display a picture of my girlfriend on my desk at work IF I wanted to get promoted.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Somewhere along the way, I started listening more to my inner voice rather than these outside voices, and I realized that I had to become an example of the authenticity I wanted to see in others.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All you can be is you, and as long as you are authentically you, it is enough.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You are enough. And when you feel that moment of standing in your own power and showing the world exactly who you are, you will find that you are more than enough, because your light will shine so brightly that it will illuminate your amazing gifts, talents, strengths, and abilities for the world to see.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Or as some would say, JUST DO YOU!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you for the honor and privilege of being your president.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: President Christina Royal hands out diplomas at Commencement on Sat., June 3.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18934" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/henry-zucco-speech" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="417|165|673" FileName="x18934.xml" Name="Henry Zucco speech" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Henry-Zucco-holyoke-orator-web.jpg" Title="'You all are the hope'" Abstract="STEM Scholar Henry Zucco '23 delivered the student address to the Class of 2023, describing how the HCC community helped him overcome self-doubt." ThumbnailAltText="Henry Zucco '23 delivers the student address at Commencement 2023" IntroCopy="&quot;Self-doubt used to hold me down, but through the community at HCC I have realized that there is hope, and I am capable of success, so are all of you.&quot; – Henry Zucco '23" Date="2023-06-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Henry Zucco '23 delivers the student address at Commencement 2023&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Henry-Zucco-holyoke-orator-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Commencement 2023&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Student Adress&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By HENRY ZUCCO '23 (Environmental Science)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC STEM Scholar&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&quot;W&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;hen I look out at all of you, I see the boundless effort you have put into achieving great things, building a stronger community, and advancing your intellectual, academic, and personal selves. Congratulations to each and every graduating student today!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is no small feat. We all came to HCC with the intention of pushing ourselves further towards greatness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I started here in Fall 2020, it was the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic. Classes were entirely virtual, and we faced adversity every single day, but together we didn't give up and here we are finishing out strong. I know many of you work jobs, full time or part time, and many of you have families you are raising and loved ones you are caring for.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For my part, I have worked a job every day of my academic career at HCC. But still, we made time to write papers for Humanities classes and do labs for Science classes because all these obligations and all these challenges have not stopped the community at HCC from coming together and proving that we are a part of the HCC family. We have persisted to overcome one obstacle after another, sharing our strength and never losing sight of our goals.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Along my academic journey the biggest challenge I have faced has been doubt, doubt in my own ability to succeed and get ahead.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Self-doubt is like a little shadow that's always by your side, watching and waiting for its chance to critique you. I am sure there are some of you out there who experience self-doubt as I have experienced it, but I am here today to tell you that feeding that doubt is not worth it. Everyone here has the ability to succeed, to&amp;nbsp;pass with good grades, transfer to a great school, and get a degree. I know I struggled, every day with self-doubt but here I am graduating and transferring to Bowdoin College this coming fall.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Self-doubt used to hold me down, but through the community at HCC I have realized that there is hope, and I am capable of success, so are all of you.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During my time at HCC, I have had the immense honor of working alongside a brilliant cohort of STEM Scholars and amazing instructors in the NSF STEM Scholars Program. Through this group I was able to appreciate the value that every one of us holds within ourselves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your experiences, your knowledge, your language, family, and friends, all build into your own inherent value. With this value, you are making important contributions to the longevity of the HCC community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC creates a culture of involved collaboration, impressive academic talent, and true diversity.&amp;nbsp;It is so easy to get caught up in worrying about what the future may hold for us, forgetting what we hold in this moment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We have come together today to celebrate not only the closing of a chapter, but also the beginning of something so much more than the end.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For each of you here graduating and attending today, you are all part of the process of building a better future for yourselves, for your families, your communities, and the world.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You all are the hope that we so desperately need.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Everyone at HCC has worked boundlessly to create a culture that fosters deeply educated, critical, bright, creative, and hopeful graduates who will move on to achieve personal and professional greatness.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has become more than just a college to me. It has become like a home to me, and the community has become my family. I will feel the impact that HCC has made on me for the rest of my life, and this is true for you all as well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is a force of positive growth in the community that will continue for generations to come, lifting individuals and families and supporting them as they achieve their full potential.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations, everyone, and good luck in all your next chapters! Thank you.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Henry Zucco '23 delivers the student address to the Class of 2023 at Commencement June 3.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18929" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/greener-day" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="66|193|65|165" FileName="x18929.xml" Name="Greener Day" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-GIVING-2023-web.jpg" Title="Greener Day" Abstract="The HCC Foundation shattered its annual &quot;Together HCC&quot; one-day giving campaign record in 2023, raising $252K in 24 hours for scholarships and student-support programs." ThumbnailAltText="HCC students hold up signs promoting the college's one-day &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign. " IntroCopy="2023 Together HCC campaign raises $252K" Date="2023-05-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC students hold up signs promoting the college's one-day &amp;quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&amp;quot; campaign. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-GIVING-2023-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation shattered its annual &quot;Together HCC&quot; one-day giving campaign record in 2023, raising $251,859 in 24 hours for scholarships and student-support programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the college led a historic day of giving on April 25 during the third annual &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign.&amp;nbsp;Organizers had set a goal of 400 donors for the one-day fund drive. The final tally was 506. Last year, the Together HCC campaign raised $192,000 from 418 donors, itself a record.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For the third straight year, the Together HCC campaign has exceeded expectations as our network of alumni, faculty, staff, and friends continue to show how much they care about HCC students,&quot; said Julie Phillips, HCC's interim director of Development. &quot;With so many people giving what they can, it shows our students that we are invested in their success.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC alumni made up the majority of donors at 43 percent, followed by HCC faculty and staff at 27 percent; 18 percent from friends of the college, 5 percent from parents, and 4 percent from students. Donors gave from as far away as California and Hawaii.Together they unlocked more than $140,000 in challenge pledges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of those came from campaign partner Gary Rome, owner of Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke and Gary Rome Kia in Enfield, Conn., who donated $5,000. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am thrilled to celebrate yet another successful year of partnering with HCC for its 'Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives' campaign,&quot; said Gary Rome. &quot;It is truly remarkable to witness the generosity of our community as we come together to ensure that a college education remains accessible to all. I hope my example encourages others to help build a stronger community.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC alum Arien Monti, who graduated in 2022 with her associate's degree in marketing and business adminisration, said a scholarship from the HCC Foundation and a stipend from the President's Student Emergency Fund were critical to her success at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The student emergency fund helped with one month's rent after my son and I had been homeless when I was a new student and rebuilding my life,&quot; said Monti, who lives in West Springfield. &quot;I am graduating from Westsfield State this fall with my bachelor's degree and am building my career in marketing and real estate thanks to HCC and the many alumni and friends who support students like me.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anyone who missed this year's day of giving and still wants to contribute can do so at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.givecampus.com/schools/HolyokeCommunityCollege/togetherhcc-drive-to-change-lives-2023&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/drive&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;HCC students hold up signs promoting the college's one-day &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18927" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/honors-and-awards" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240520T16:23:06" CategoryIds="4|3|165" FileName="x18927.xml" Name="Honors &amp; Awards" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-Honors-Barney-Garcia-web.jpg" Title="Awards Night 2023!" Abstract="HCC is proud to celebrate the students who earned honors and awards for their outstanding achievements during the 2022-2023 academic year." ThumbnailAltText="Barney Garcia shakes hands with President Christina Royal" IntroCopy="HCC celebrates students with honors and awards" Date="2023-05-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Royal shakes hands with Darlene Mitchell&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-Honors-Darlene-Mitchell-webjpg.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is proud to celebrate the students who earned honors and awards for their outstanding achievements during the 2022-2023 academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Awardees were honored Wednesday, May 17, during a ceremony at the HCC Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation. It was HCC's first in-person honors and awards celebration since 2019.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Below is a list of HCC honorees and award recipients for the 2022-2023 academic year. Some students received multiple awards.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A full list of students along with their specific honors and awards can be found at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/achievements/honors-and-awards&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/awards2023&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC Honors &amp;amp; Awards for 2022-2023:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Taylor Provost&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Isabella Baird, Madison Larner, Bassihi Siri, Joshua Taylor, Virginia Wardlaw&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Hailey Garrow&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Anastasia Antipieva, Alicia Beaton, Michelle Cosme Serrano, Caleb Dion, Nathaniel Dumas, Zoe Fydenkevez, Jaal Gardin, Joni George, Nelitza Martinez, Janessa Medina-Gonzalez, Nathan Roberts, Olga Rodriguez-Lebron, John Serrano&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Olivia Labonte&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Carissa Batura, Joel Bergstrom, Janine DiCarlo, Ariel Tourmaline, Mary-Alice Wieland&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fall River:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Rachel Reynolds&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Angela Majka, Colin Malecki&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Enette Claxton-Toliver, Emily Langer, Nicole Perez&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Breann Hackett, Mirranda Longo, Karlie Moriarty, Rosalynn Vollbrecht&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hampden:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Haley Granger&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Samantha Antil, Cedric Ayvazian, Shae Blaisdell, Jacob Carbin-O'Brien, Ileana Casillas,Shalimar De Jesus, Rozer Harfoush, Linnette Hernandez, Conner McDermott, Maxwell Perez,Edil Ramsahai, Erykka Jhyles Rocha, Carineh Santana, Henry Zucco&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Huntington:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Justin Shatwell, Christofer Thrasher&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Eva Sweeney&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Carly Chambers, Katelynn Richard&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Miami Beach, Florida:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Simone Kingcade&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Bianca Roncarati&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;North Adams:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Rachel Olander&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;North Amherst:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kelandra Hurd&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Alexandria Casavant, Diana Chavez DeMiranda, Barney Garcia, Jozelyn Ne, Jeffrey Wang&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Matthew Johnson, Christopher Muldrew&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Russell:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kayleigh Wright&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rutland:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Davis Allyn&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Somers, Conn.:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jacob Kalinowski&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Scarlett Granger, Jiovanny Montanez Moret, Sandra Sellers, Emma Boryczka, Catherine Longpre&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Meredith Mielke, Shawn Mitchell, Gabrielle St. John&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Emma Cronin, Jacquelyn Crosler, Rebecka Hills-McGarry&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Nyasia Aguirre, Jean Aladin, Nathan Alvarez, Kaylee Edwards, Briana Graves, Monique LaFleur,Darlene Mitchell, Meagan Rodriguez, Yarianis Rosado Figueroa, Adia Samba-Quee, Aiyana Soto,Jailyne Torres&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Suffield, Conn.:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Mabel Peguero&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three Rivers:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Angela Tindell-Gula&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Shelly Bowder, Kearstyn Davis, Serenity Hull, Xavier Williams&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Zachary DiFronzo, Minahil Gul, Maurice Ramogi, Isabella Vega&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Matthew Bruno, Jordan Cooper, Anna Hryhorenko, Caroline McKenzie, Brian Merriam,Hailey Phillips, Dino Pietroniro, Ethan Romero, Minoshkielee Serrano, Troy Stucenski&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Haseeb Hafeez, Alison Smythe&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Williamsburg:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Alivia Brisson, Tristan Pitzi&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Worthington:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Ann McGinley&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) President Christina Royal congratulates HCC student Barney Garcia of Northampton, recipient of the&amp;nbsp;Carol Hardy Business Scholarship and the HCC Service Award. (Above) President Royal congratulates student Darlene Mitchell of Springfield, recipient of the&amp;nbsp;Jane Gilman Award for Excellence in Human Services.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18923" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/marieb-bruseo" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|66|193|417|673" FileName="x18923.xml" Name="Marieb-Bruseo" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Joe-Bruseo-web.jpg" Title="Step by Step" Abstract="Biology professor Joe Bruseo, recipient of this year's Marieb Award for teaching excellence, will lead the procession of graduates into the MassMutual Center for Commencement." ThumbnailAltText="Joe Bruseo will lead the procession of graduates, faculty and staff at HCC's 76th Commencement on June. 3" IntroCopy="Professor Joe Bruseo is the recipient of 2023 Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence" Date="2023-05-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC biology professor Joe Bruseo&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Joe-Bruseo-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Joseph Bruseo, professor of biology and recipient of the 2023 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence Award, will lead the procession of graduates and give the keynote address at the 76th Commencement of Holyoke Community College on Saturday, June 3.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Commencement exercises begin at 10 a.m. at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A resident of Palmer, Bruseo has been teaching biology at HCC since 2005.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It is a big honor,&quot; said Bruseo. &quot;I know there's a lot of people that are up for this every year. I kind of see it as an award for just doing my job. I don't try to do anythig special or above and beyond just to chase an award. Everything is student motivated. Their success is my success.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Marieb Award, endowed by the late HCC professor emeritus Elaine Marieb '80, recognizes a full-time member of the faculty for outstanding classroom teaching. Award recipients serve for one year, receive a small stipend for professional development, lead the procession at Commencement, and give the keynote graduation speech.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, HCC will confer associate degrees and certificates to more than 600 graduates from the class of 2023.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A handful of students from this year's class will also be featured on stage. Environmental Science major Henry Zucco '23 of Holyoke will be the student orator; Latinx Studies major Mishie Serrano '23 of Westfield will deliver a spoken word performance of original poetry; Veterinary and Animal Science / Veterinary Technician major Kelandra Hurd '23 of Amherst, the Student Senate president, will present the class gift; and Liberal Arts major Luis Pinto-Jimenez '23 of Holyoke will offer a recognition of student ornamentation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For those who cannot attend in person, HCC will stream the Commencement ceremony live over the Internet. The live stream will be available through a link on the main page of the college website, &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/&quot;&gt;www.hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;, where other details about this year's Commencement can also be found.&amp;nbsp;The event will be American Sign Language interpreted.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bruseo earned his bachelor's degree in biology from Rutger's University in his home state of New Jersey before going on for a master's degree in wildlife management from Frostburg State University in Maryland and a Ph.D. in biology from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Along the way, and before coming to HCC, he worked as a small mammal biologist at Wildlife International and a lab coordinator at Amherst College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a preview of his speech, Bruseo shared that he had a rough start himself in college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I always relate to students that, my first undergrad year, I ended up withdrawing from my general bio course because I was gonna fail it. I took it again the next semester and got an A,&quot; he said. &quot;So, I tell them, you try your best. Not everyone is at the same point of readiness. Learning is a building process. You go step by step.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Particularly at a community college, there's a wide diversity of learning styles, students with outside commitments,&quot; he said. &quot;You're always juggling. Everyone is in a different spot. Some need more work. Others are a little more self-sufficient, but, in the end, you kind of get everybody going in the same direction.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Professor Joseph Bruseo in a biology lab at HCC&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18924" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hsv-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|97|193|194" FileName="x18924.xml" Name="HSV Grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-GANDARA-FAIR-web.jpg" Title="'A huge investment'" Abstract="A $1.28M grant will cover the full cost of tuition, fees, books, and supplies for students who want to earn a certificate in human services coupled with a paid internship at a local agency.  " ThumbnailAltText="Staff from the Gandara Center talk to a potential employee at a recent job fair at HCC." IntroCopy="$1.28M grant funding free social services internship program" Date="2023-05-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Staff from the Gandara Center talk to a potential employee at a recent job fair at HCC.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-GANDARA-FAIR-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to a $1.28 million grant, Holyoke Community College is now recruiting students for a free new certificate and internship program meant to help address a shortage of workers in the human services industry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The grant, from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health &amp;amp; Human Services, will cover the full cost of tuition, fees, books, and supplies for students who want to earn a certificate in human services coupled with a paid internship at one of four local social service agencies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Partnering with HCC on the grant are the Gandara Center, ServiceNet, Mental Health Association, and Jewish Family Services.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This program is really meant to accelerate a student's entry into the workforce,&quot; said Donna Rowe, chair of HCC's Human Services program. &quot;It's wonderful that these four agencies have made this agreement with us. They're looking for workers, and we have students looking to get into the field.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The two-semester Social Service Internship Program will begin in the 2023-2024 academic year, with up to 30 students starting this fall and another 30 next spring. Recruiting for those two classes is underway.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The human services industry presents a wide variety of career options for people who are interested in providing care to children, seniors, adolescents, the homeless, or individuals dealing with substance abuse or mental health issues.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a great opportunity for students to get into this field, get their academic and their learning experiences with us and then have a placement with a community agency that could end up as a full-time paid position after their internship,&quot; Rowe said. &quot;Plus, their tuition and books and everything else is paid for. That's huge.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The total savings on attendance is estimated to be $5,384 per semester for full-time students. During their second-semester internship, students will receive a stipend of $2,500, which equates to roughly $20 an hour for 10 hours a week.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A 2018 report from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission detailed a gap of some 600 social/human service workers in western Massachusetts, a deficit that has only widened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There is definitely a big shortage of human service workers,&quot; said Amy Brandt, HCC dean of Health Sciences, &quot;and it's a challenge for agencies who have a variety of workers at different levels. They don't have a lot of additional resources to develop that talent pool. They really are on shoestring budgets trying to provide services to the community. When you look at this grant, it's a huge investment that can really help fill their needs.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Social Service Internship Program is modeled after other successful, grant-funded certificate / internship programs HCC has developed in the areas of community health and engineering.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, the grant provides for the creation of two new full-time positions, a human services certificate coordinator to focus on recruiting, planning, and academic support,&amp;nbsp; and a social-services coordinator to coordinate the internships and help students with any non-academic issues that might interfere with their educations.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;A lot of community college students have complicated lives that impact their success in school, for instance they might be at risk of having their power turned off or they are facing housing insecurity or childcare issues,&quot; said Brandt. &quot;The social services coordinator is there to be somewhat of a case manager, to help students find the resources at the college or in the community they need so they can remain successful in the program.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 24-credit human services certificate students earn can also be &quot;stacked&quot; or applied toward an associate degree in human services, which could then lead to a bachelor's degree in social work.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The program really has the potential to set students up for lifelong learning and career advancement,&quot; said Brandt, &amp;nbsp;&quot;and it's also helping these social service agencies meet their needs.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information or to complete a general interest form, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences/human-services/human-services-grant&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/hsv-grant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Staff from the Gandara Center talk to a potential employee at a recent job fair held at HCC.The Gandara Center is one of the partner agencies working with HCC on a new social service internship program.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18922" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/wsu-hcc-nursing" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="193|355|225" FileName="x18922.xml" Name="WSU-HCC Nursing" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/WSU-HCC-Group-web.jpg" Title="Dual Intent " Abstract="A new agreement will create a pathway for students to earn both an associate's and bachelor's degree in nursing by being simultaneously enrolled at both HCC and Westfield State. " ThumbnailAltText="Faculty and staff from Westfield State University and HCC" IntroCopy="Concurrent enrollment nursing program first in the state" Date="2023-05-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;WSU President Linda Thompson shakes hands with HCC President Christina Royal&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/WSU-HCC-Shake-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College and Westfield State University today signed an agreement creating a new pathway for students to earn both an associate's degree and bachelor's degree in nursing by being simultaneously enrolled in both schools.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The concurrent enrollment program is the first of its kind in the Commonwealth and designed to&amp;nbsp;help address nursing shortages by increasing the number of&amp;nbsp;students accepted into a bachelor of nursing degree program and allowing them to earn their degrees faster.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think that what we are able to accomplish here will be the standard in the future,&quot; Sharale Mathis, HCC vice president of Academic and Student Affairs, said during a signing ceremony today at HCC. &quot;Through this partnership, we will be able to feed that nursing pipeline and make sure we are putting forward the strongest educated workforce in nursing. This kind of collaboration is needed between associate degree programs and university programs to help fill those critical vacancies in the workforce for baccalaureate prepared nurses.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The way it works is simple, she said: When students enroll at HCC for nursing, all they need to do is check a box on their application to indicate they are interested in the concurrent program with Westfield State.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;At that point, they're in,&quot; Mathis said. &quot;No additional application is needed for Westfield State.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During their first year at HCC, students will complete their general education courses and health science prerequisites; during their second and third years they will take classes both at HCC and Westfield State to complete their associate's degree in nursing. Then, as registered nurses, they will complete their fourth year at Westfield on the way to a bachelor's degree in nursing.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think this is the way of the future,&quot; said Westfield State University President Linda Thompson. &quot;We really have to look at ways that we educate young people without causing them to feel like they have a burden when they graduate.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to a Massachusetts Health Policy Commission report, registered nurse vacancy rates in acute-care hospitals doubled from 6.4 percent in 2019 to 13.6 percent in 2022, and employment in nursing and residential care facilities has not recovered since the pandemic and remains below 2018 levels.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thompson, herself a nurse, noted that she sits on the board for Baystate Health, so understands firsthand the industry needs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are not just desperate for nurses,&quot; Thompson said. &quot;We're desperate for every type of profession to work in the healthcare sector, so I do hope this is the first of many opportunities for us.&quot;&amp;nbsp;HCC President Christina Royal agreed.&amp;nbsp;&quot;This truly is an impressive program,&quot; Royal said. &quot;We're so excited to be able to work together to create more ease of access for students. We know that sometimes just the transfer process alone can create extra hurdles for students. I have found in my experience working with Westfield State and President Thompson that Westfield is just as committed to access and equity as HCC, and looking for ways that we can help streamline the process for students and get them onto a full pathway so they can have a tremendous career is what this partnership is going to do.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program is slated to begin in the fall 2024 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Westfield State University President Linda Thompson and HCC President Christina Royal shake hands after signing the new nursing partnership. (Thumbnail) Faculty and staff from the two schools gather for a photo after the signing ceremony.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18916" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/phi-theta-kappa-spring-2023" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240502T14:55:43" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x18916.xml" Name="Phi Theta Kappa Spring 2023" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/EVA-SWEENEY-GLOBE-web.jpg" Title="You're honored!" Abstract="HCC's Spring 2023 Phi Theta Kappa national honor society inductees will be recognized in a virtual ceremony on Thursday, May 18, 2023.   " ThumbnailAltText="Eva Sweeney '23 is one of HCC's newest Phi Theta Kappa honor society inductees." IntroCopy="HCC to honor Phi Theta Kappa inductees" Date="2023-05-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Eva Sweeney '23&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/EVA-SWEENEY-GLOBE-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Holyoke Community College is proud to announce that 78 HCC students have been accepted for membership into the Alpha Xi Omega chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society for Spring 2023. Students are invited to join Phi Theta Kappa when they have completed 15 college credits while maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher.&amp;nbsp;HCC's Spring 2023 inductees will be recognized in a virtual ceremony on Thursday, May 18, 2023. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Ashley May Decoteau&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kevin Komoyingo&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Hailey Lamica, Dmitri Weise&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chesterfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Liliana Manley&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Nicole&amp;nbsp; Asselin, Shalene Bracetty, Caleb Dion, Mackenzie Durand, Emily Kosek, Janessa Medina-Gonzalez, Liangelis Morales, Caleb Wales-Petit&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Heather Abourizk, Olivia Downs, Grace Kimball, Michael Lucier&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Alyssa Burgess, Lily Dunphy, Assya Houfr, Henry Norton&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Erving:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;James Leclerc&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fall River:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Rachel Reynolds&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kyle Nardi&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Samuel Bridgman, Jacob Brittain, Emily Langer&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jan Ashley Masse&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hadley:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Grace Koehler&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Sharon-Shawn Bell, Shae Blaisdell, Hayley Cunningham, Nashia Douglas, Kafutshi Kayamba, Lydia Mazza, Kara Torres, Theo Way, Henry Zucco&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Huntington:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Christofer Thrasher&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Eva Sweeney&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Carly Chambers, Christopher Lapointe, Elsa Ouimette, Jacob Parker, Katelynn Richard&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;North Adams:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Rachel Olander&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kimberly Dahlberg, Jayda Frederick, Jozelyn Ne, Jeffrey Wang&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Claudette Fernandes, Matthew Johnson&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Emma Boryczka, Alice Ladley, Cat Longpre, Sthela Sibley-Welch&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Deerfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;David Williams&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Aliyah Hall, Katherine Pawlikowski, Alexandra Seney&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Mia Phillips&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Luzuany Mercedes, Idalice Serrano&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Suffield, Conn.:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Patrick Bucior&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three Rivers:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Angela Tindell-Gula&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Lisette Antonmarchi, Luis Antonmarchi, Zachary Difronzo, Maria Pless&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Dylan Chartier&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Rhys Cook, Lindsey Dion, Allison Duffy, Angelica Gavrilov, Megan Weidig&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Deborah Farnham, John Robinson&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Williamsburg:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Alivia Brisson&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: New PTK inductee Eva Sweeney '23 of Longmeadow&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18913" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/magic-moments" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x18913.xml" Name="Magic Moments" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-Royal-reaction-web.jpg" Title="Magic Moments" Abstract="During a retirement celebration in her honor, President Christina Royal shared stories about significant moments in her life and the themes that shaped her presidency. " ThumbnailAltText="President Royal reacts to remarks at her retirement celebration." IntroCopy="&quot;The success of any leader is reflective of the quality of the team surrounding them. All of my successes, and I mean all, are of this college, but there is not a single initiative that I undertook that I accomplished on my own.&quot; – President Christina Royal" Date="2023-05-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Royal reacts to applause after her retirement celebration speech&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/ROYAL_Thanks-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke Community College celebrated the leadership of President Christina Royal on Wednesday, May 3, in advance of her retirement in July. She offered the following remarks at the end of a series of speeches honoring her legacy as HCC's fourth presdent.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Photographs from the celebration can be viewed in our &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.608501554646464&amp;amp;type=3&quot; title=&quot;Facebook photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Facebook album ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Watch the entire &lt;a href=&quot;https://holyokemedia.org/holyoke-community-college-honors-and-celebrates-president-christina-royal-in-retirement-ceremony/&quot; title=&quot;Celebrating President Royal&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;speaking program on Holyoke Media ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 24pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'I&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;'m just so touched by all of the remarks that all of your shared today. I'm truly speechless and am just deeply grateful for the meaning behind them and how heartfelt they were.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is truly such a privilege that so many of you came out today to celebrate with me this afternoon.&amp;nbsp;There are so many people to thank and so many stories to recount. But there are three foundational pillars that have guided my life and leadership that I wanted to briefly talk about, including having a growth mindset, recognizing that representation matters, and focusing on unlearning. So I'd like to share just a few stories of significant moments in my life and presidency.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first is about growth mindset.&amp;nbsp;When I was a little girl, I found a magic set at the Salvation Army, which is where we frequently shopped. It was a huge set, but it had all of the pieces, a deck of cards ribbons to pull up sleeves and hats, and most importantly, a magic wand. I loved magic, and I learned all of the tricks and proceeded to have magic shows in the neighborhood with my friends. And it was exciting. They were enamored by me being able to guess the card that they pulled out from a deck or to be able to decipher which shell the penny was under. And while my time using magic was all child's play, I felt that there was a very powerful lesson in learning magic. It was an understanding and belief that the mind was so powerful it could make you believe or not believe anything, including about yourself.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To some degree, the future is an illusion that's shaped by our thoughts and our beliefs about what may happen in the future. Helping students to embody a growth mindset and realize the potential that's within them is what HCC does best. A term that came up in our strategic planning process was relentless encouragement. That's what we provide to students, relentless encouragement and the support for them to succeed. We have so many students, including first-generation students with parents who have never attended college, and others who may not yet have been told or shown how to utilize their own potentials and gifts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That magical deck of cards opened up my mind to the world of endless possibilities. And our faculty and our staff do the same for our students. I am amazed by our students and what they're capable of, and also what they believe for themselves. They are indeed our future, and they are going to change our communities, their families and the world.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I want to also talk a little bit about representation and why it's so important. Shortly after becoming president, the college held an event for celebrating women International Women's Day, and they asked me to speak at that event. That was one of my first events. I shared stories from my own life to help students, faculty and staff get to know me as a person and who I was as a leader. I spoke about being born as a bi-racial person in 1972, the same year Title Nine was enacted, but also only five years after laws changed in the United States to allow a black man to marry a white woman. I am the product of this change. If you've never seen Loving versus Loving, a movie that highlights this period of racial change, I really encourage you to do so.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After my remarks at the &amp;nbsp;International Women's Day, several people came up to me to say things like, thank you for being our first female president. Thank you for being open about your identity as a queer person. Thank you for sharing your experiences about being a light-skinned person of color from others who could also identify such as some Latinos, Native Americans, two-spirited individuals. And what I really learned in that moment was representation matters. You never know who is watching. I remember what it was like growing up without role models. Sometimes it's hard to dream it if you can't see it. And the best I could hope for was for me serving in this role would inspire others to break glass ceilings where progress has yet to be achieved.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And speaking of progress, when I was a final candidate for the presidency for HCC, all of the finalists were female, every single one of them. This was groundbreaking for a college that had previously had only three male presidents. And fast forward to today. The finalist pool for my replacement was an all BiPOC group of finalists. Every single one of them was a person of color. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm so grateful for the work that we've done together at this college to create the conditions for this to be possible. And it's the best testament to our equity work. And I'm excited that Dr. George Timmons, with all of his amazing gifts, will also become the first African-American president at HCC.&amp;nbsp;I've had a few meetings with him thus far. And I believe his ability to connect with students through his own live experiences will become apparent to everyone who works for him. And it gives me a lot of encouragement about the future of HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our success as an institution has not been in our growth, it's been in our ability to unlearn outdated practices and assumptions that limit our ability to see the exponential possibilities before us. This is our differentiator, and it's what I believe makes us a great institution.&amp;nbsp;One of my first presentations to the college community was on the topic of unlearning, and the faculty, staff and students through an activity that we did after brainstormed some amazing ways that we needed to unlearn our current way of doing business to ascend to the next level from old assumptions about what our students need and want to the outdated concept that we're a two-year college when 65% of our students are part time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We started to reimagine possibilities by strengthening academic programs, expanding and initiatives to support our students of color and rebuild our workforce programs to create better pathways into credit certificate and degree programs.&amp;nbsp;And to double down on student basic needs. The pandemic helped us to unleash the power of taking risks and trying new approaches. Because it up-ended all of us and it served as a catalyst for unlearning and preparing for an ever-changing world of reimagined possibilities. It is challenging for any human to change the way they do things.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Think about how difficult it is to change our daily routine or daily tasks. Let's think about that for a moment. We're creatures of habit, we like routine. So for example, when the Mass. Department of Transportation changed all the exit numbers on I91 and the Mass Pike, it took me a long time to remember the correct exit to get to work or to tell people who were visiting our house what exit to get off, because I had that old number in my head.&amp;nbsp;Or when my assistant restructured our digital file folder. And my first instinct was to look for the old file name and instead I couldn't figure out how to access her files. You can see then, just how these small differences translate to how difficult it is to make institutional change&amp;nbsp;I also think about when new software upgrades change the interface and you can't quite figure out where the copy paste button is anymore.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But our ability to retool the curriculum, and revise processes for greater efficiencies, these adaptations are the cornerstone to our ability to let go of what no longer serves us and transform, and this reflects another strength of HCC, a way that we collectively leverage the pandemic for positive change.&amp;nbsp;The success of any leader is reflective of the quality of the team surrounding them. All of my successes, and I mean all, are of this college, but there is not a single initiative that I undertook that I accomplished on my own.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our investments in equity, affordability, access, and academic rigor make HCC a first choice rather than a last stop. And I know you believe that too.&amp;nbsp;We are fortunate to have a community that believes in the work that we are doing and other community colleges are doing and the important role that we play in workforce development and economic development.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is a first choice because of all of you so let me share a few notes of gratitude. I want to start by thanking the Board of Trustees under the leadership of our Chairman Bob Gilbert, for your dedication and belief in our college and students. Bob, you have supported me and challenged me from day one. But, most importantly, you believed in my vision for the institution. Thank you for that.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I want to thank our faculty and staff, whose commitment to our mission, vision and values inside and outside of the classroom are evident every day and reflect the heart of what we do, and also highlight the importance that we've placed on transfer, that we want students to start here and finish elsewhere. So thank you so much for the work that you do.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students, in particular our Student Senate and our student trustees who through the years I've had a chance to work with seven of them. You are why we are here. Your willingness and your desire to co-create your own educational experience is inspiring, and gives me the greatest hope for our future. We are cultivating the next generation of leaders right now, right here.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I also want to thank our community. Our reputation is a reflection of your belief in HCC and your willingness to partner alongside of us. And so many of you are also alumni who have gone on to assume leadership roles in our region, which is another powerful testament to HCC and you continue to come and you give back to the college in so many different ways.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I also want to thank our elected officials. It's not always easy leading a college on the other side of what's seen as the nerve center of the state, but our elected officials ensure that HCC remains relevant, critical and at the forefront of conversations at the state level.&amp;nbsp;Community colleges educate half of all public higher education students in Massachusetts, and Western Mass plays an important role in that. My presidential colleagues and our MACC office, both two and four year presidents who have collectively a lot of insight and from whom I've learned so much, have an attitude of collaboration and partnership that allows us to lift up higher education in our region and across the state.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And our alumni, every one of whom has had their lives changed in some way by attending HCC. They come back and they give their time. They give back with financial support, and they epitomize HCC's amazing legacy of academic student support. You give us strong roots, and you help us thrive with decades to come. Our donors, many of whom are HCC alumni, as well as those who also recognize the power of education to transform lives and positively change the trajectory of a student's future, and they want to pay it forward.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm especially grateful that in the audience today we have Peg and Gary Wendlandt, whose recent $10 million estate gift will impact students on a level rarely seen among community colleges. This is trailblazing at its best.&amp;nbsp;Peg once told me that in 1958 Holyoke Junior College felt like family to her. And thanks to our donors, it continues to feel like family for so many of our students. I'm deeply grateful not only for your gift, but for your friendship. They have supported the vision we've enacted for the college, and students are right at the center of it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In truth, there are so many champions for HCC who have supported me, who have advocated for our collective work to ensure student success, and whose own leadership has been an inspiration to me. There are just too many people to think individually, but please know you're all part of my journey.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And finally, I want to thank my fianc&amp;eacute; Karen for her love and support. She is the amazing woman supporting me as I hold space for the college and the community. And she believes in my gifts and understands the work that I'm here to do in this lifetime and helps me see the world from a whole new perspective. And I can't wait to have more time with you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And now I'm embarking on some more firsts in my life, including getting married to my beautiful partner and leaving the college presidency, a job I love. In many respects, this feels like a first, since it's not the norm for someone to leave the presidency without another job. But I'm not leaving the presidency for another job. I'm leaving because I feel called to something greater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My purpose in being president in this moment at the college's history is significant. And my work is done. And instead of rushing into something else, I'm doing what every leader should do when they feel unsure about what's next, which is to pause. So I'm embarking on a self-imposed sabbatical to figure out what I'm meant to do in the world next.&amp;nbsp;In the process.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I feel like I'm also giving people permission to settle into the unknown. While I'm stepping into the unknown personally, there's a lot known about the future of HCC. We have a strategic plan that charts our path and prioritizes equity and student success. We have a committed Board of Trustees that is in alignment with the college. We have exceptional faculty and staff who every day demonstrate their belief in our students and utilize their expertise to improve their academic programs and staff initiatives.&amp;nbsp;We have a community that is invested in our success. And students, we have students who inspire us every day with their ideas, dreams for the future, and help us to design the student experience they want to have.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the story of the college's impressive history, my leadership is just one piece of a long and impressive timeline. You all will continue that legacy going forward, grounded in our mission to educate, inspire, and connect.&amp;nbsp;Thank you for the honor and privilege of being your fourth president. It truly has been an experience of a lifetime.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19177" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sp24-noncredit-classes" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|194" FileName="x19177.xml" Name="SP24 Noncredit classes" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/painting_noncredit-web.jpg" Title="Noncredit Classes" Abstract="Piano, painting, sewing, photography, wine tasting, cooking, and bartending are just a few of the short-term, noncredit classes being offered this spring at HCC. " ThumbnailAltText="Painting class at HCC" IntroCopy="Registration open for Spring 2024 noncredit classes" Date="2023-11-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Painting class at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/painting_noncredit-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spread the joy of lifelong learning this holiday season by giving yourself - or someone you care about - the gift of a short-term, noncredit class at Holyoke Community College.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Business &amp;amp; Community Services division has opened registration for its Spring 2024 catalog of personal enrichment and professional development classes.&amp;nbsp;The spring calendar begins Jan. 29, with individual classes running on different schedules throughout the spring semester. Many are available as single sessions that cost as little as $39.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Personal enrichment classes for spring include piano lessons, dance, acrylic painting, watercolor painting, pen and ink drawing, sewing, digital photography, voiceover coaching, conversational Spanish, French, and Polish, Spanish for healthcare workers, wine tasting, cooking, and bartending.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the professional development area, HCC is offering classes in cannabis core training, Microsoft Office, QuickBooks, ServSafe, K-12 continuing education, investment strategies, trusts, and estate planning, as well as certification programs for people interested in becoming medical interpreters, real estate salesperson, and notary publics.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most classes meet in the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development on the main HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave. Cooking, wine tasting, and bartending classes meet at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To see complete spring course listings and schedules, or to register, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/bcs&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/bcs&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check back often as more classes will be added as spring approaches.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18897" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/royal-party" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x18897.xml" Name="Royal Party" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/New-Pres-Royal-book-web.jpg" Title="Presidential Fete" Abstract="Members of the HCC community and beyond will gather on Wednesday, May 3, for a retirement celebration honoring the leadership of President Christina Royal. " ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal" IntroCopy="HCC to celebrate Prsident Royal May 3" Date="2023-05-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Royal in her office at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/New-Pres-Royal-book-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nearly 200 HCC students, faculty and staff members, alumni, trustees, educators, elected officials, and friends are expected to attend a retirement celebration in honor of Holyoke Community College President Christina Royal on Wednesday, May 3.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The celebration will be held on the second floor of the HCC Campus Center from 3-5 p.m.&amp;nbsp;Among those confirmed to attend are state Sen. John Velis, state Rep. Pat Duffy, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia, and Noe Ortega, commissioner of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event will feature food from HCC dining services and include a green carpet promenade for paparrazi moments with President Royal, whiteboards where guests can write messages of thanks and inspiration, and a giant Lite-Brite - eight feet wide and four feet deep - that is meant to symbolize President Royal's future-focused leadership.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A speaking program is scheduled to begin at 3:45 p.m. with remarks from Velis, Duffy, and Garcia, along with several HCC students, staff members and alumni, culminating with remarks from President Royal.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It is difficult to pack into just two hours how much President Royal has meant to our community and this region,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement and the official emcee for the event. &quot;Her leadership as HCC's fourth president has inspired us and has lifted the college to new heights. This will be a celebration of Dr. Royal as well as all we have accomplished together with her visionary leadership.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal began her tenure as president of HCC in January 2017 and immediately set the college on a course to create its first Strategic Plan. In August, she announced that she would retire after the 2022-2023 academic year. Her last day at the college will be Friday, July 14. Her last three weeks will overlap with the first three of HCC's next president, George Timmons, who was named her successor last week by the HCC Board of Trustees.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, to RSVP to attend the event, to send President Royal a message or donate in her honor to the President's Student Emergency Fund, please go to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/offices-and-administration/president-and-cabinet/president-royals-retirement-celebration&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/celebration&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;President Christina Royal, in her office, holds a Dr. Seuss book, Oh, the Places You'll Go, a gift to her from a colleague after she was hired at HCC.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18893" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/wne-hcc-pact" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="97|165|225" FileName="x18893.xml" Name="WNE-HCC Pact" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-WNEU-sign-web.jpg" Title="Joint Admissions" Abstract="HCC and Western New England University signed an agreement April 25 intended to strengthen existing partnerships and facilitate an easier transfer pathway. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC President Christina Royal, right, and WNE Provost and Sr. Vice President of Academic Affairs Maria Toyoda sign a joint admissions agreement April 25 at HCC." IntroCopy="HCC, Western New England sign agreement" Date="2023-04-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Maria Toyoda from WNE and Christina Royal from HCC sign a joint admissions agreement&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-WNEU-shake-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Western New England University and Holyoke Community College signed a joint admissions agreement yesterday intended to strengthen existing academic and student support partnerships and facilitate an easier transfer pathway from HCC to WNEU.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Representatives from the two colleges gathered at the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development at HCC, where HCC President Christina Royal and WNE Provost and Sr. Vice President of Academic Affairs Maria Toyoda put pen to paper. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're really grateful to be able to expand our partnership with Western New England University and to be able to continue to strengthen the opportunities for students who want to start at HCC and transfer to Western New England,&quot; said HCC President Christina Royal. &quot;Students experience such a nurturing atmosphere here at HCC, and we are so grateful that Western New England recognizes that and helps to create a supportive environment for transfer students as they embark on their next level of education.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The joint admissions program will serve as a guideline to simplify the transfer process for eligible HCC students to WNE after they complete their associate's degrees and meet other conditions.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I would echo the comments made by President Royal,&quot; said Toyoda. &quot;We are so proud to be collaborators and partners with an institution that believes as strongly as we do in preparing our students for the future of work. I also want to take the opportunity to recognize the faculty of both HCC and Western New England University, as well as the admissions staff and the advisors who make this possible and who put students' success at the center of everything that they do.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the agreement, students will be informed about the opportunity to participate in the joint admissions program when they apply to HCC. To qualify, students must earn a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 and at least a C- or better in their major coursework, and complete their associate's degree.Students who satisfy the requirements are then eligible for several benefits, including guaranteed acceptance and junior status at WNE upon matriculation with an associate's degree, 60 transfer credits, and waiver of the WNE general university requirements for students completing their associate's degree and what's called the Mass Transfer General Education Foundation Block.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students seeking joint admission into specialized programs, including but not limited to business, engineering, computer science, chemistry, or biology must satisfy all program requirements and earn the minimum cumulative grade point average established for those programs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more details on transfer agreements between HCC and WNE, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/advising-career-and-transfer-center/transfer&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/transfer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS:&amp;nbsp;HCC President Christina Royal, right, and WNE Provost and Sr. Vice President of Academic Affairs Maria Toyoda sign a joint admissions agreement April 25 at HCC.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18895" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/historic-signing" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|193|165|225" FileName="x18895.xml" Name="Historic Signing" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Benitez-Royal-shake-web.jpg" Title="'Historic' Signing" Abstract="The agreement between HCC and AIC  will allow HCC students to live in residence halls and apartments on the AIC campus in Springfield at a discounted rate. " ThumbnailAltText="AIC President Hubert Benitez and HCC President Christina Royal shake after signing 'historic' deal" IntroCopy="&quot;This agreement does more than just provide housing for our students; it will also give them a taste of college life beyond HCC.&quot; – President Christina Royal" Date="2023-04-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;AIC President Hubert Benitez and HCC President Christina Royal shake sign 'historic' deal&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Benitez-Royal-signing-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Representatives from American International College and Holyoke Community College yesterday signed a &quot;historic&quot; agreement that will allow HCC students to live in residence halls and apartments on the AIC campus in Springfield. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;This is definitely a momentous event for both AIC and HCC,&quot; Sharale Mathis, HCC vice president of Academic and Student Affairs, said during the signing ceremony at HCC. &quot;As we know, our students come in with a whole host of challenges, and it's fortunate to have such a partnership with AIC that will help us address their basic needs. It's exciting to be present now with the presidents of AIC and HCC to engage in this historic signing.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The agreement calls for AIC to discount their room rates for HCC students, making college housing available and affordable to community college students for the first time at AIC. The housing option will be offered to all HCC students 18 years and older who are enrolled full or part-time and in good academic standing. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think today is a hallmark on how public and private institutions truly should work together,&quot; said AIC President Hubert Benitez. &quot;This is a prime example of two teams, two institutions that have a similar mission of providing access and opportunity.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the agreement, HCC students who opt to live at AIC will have access to other amenities there as well, including health services, the college library, laundry facilities, and a gym. A food plan and parking are also available for an additional cost. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is no age limit for students, couples can live together, and campus apartments are also a possibility. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The AIC housing option will allow HCC to expand its recruiting range of student-athletes and might also benefit international students, as well as those struggling to find affordable places to live. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For Holyoke Community College, we've been committed to addressing housing insecurity and homelessness for many years, and looking for different ways to strengthen partnerships in support of our students has been a primary goal,&quot; said HCC President Christina Royal. &quot;This agreement does more than just provide housing for our students; it will also give them a taste of college life beyond HCC. It gives them a window into what their futures will look like when they think about transfer possibilities and helps immerse them in another college environment, which are all big wins for our students.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC students could be moving into AIC housing as early as August for the fall semester, which at HCC begins in September.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The more we can create these bridges, the more we can create and strengthen these pipelines, the better our communities will be served,&quot; said Benitez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC and AIC will hold a joint information session about the housing program on Wed., May 3, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the HCC campus courtyard during the annual Spring Fling celebration celebrating the end of classes for the academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The courtyard will be flooded with students, and we're excited to make them aware or this amazing opportunity,&quot; Mathis said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above)&amp;nbsp;AIC President Hubert Benitez and HCC President Christina Royal sign &quot;historic&quot; agreement&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18875" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/aic-housing-pact" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="193|165" FileName="x18875.xml" Name="AIC Housing Pact" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/AIC-Campus-10-23-MR.jpg" Title="New Housing Option" Abstract="Starting this fall, HCC students who need housing will be able to to live in residence halls and apartments on the campus of American International College in Springfield." ThumbnailAltText="AIC campus" IntroCopy="AIC makes housing available to HCC students" Date="2023-04-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;AIC campus&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/AIC-Campus-10-23-MR.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A new agreement between American International College and Holyoke Community College will allow HCC students who need housing to live in residence halls and apartments on the AIC campus in Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;AIC President Hubert Benitez, HCC President Christina Royal&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;,&lt;/span&gt; and other representatives from the two colleges will meet to sign the student housing pact on Thursday, April 27, at noon in conference room 309 in the Frost Building on the HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave in Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The agreement calls for AIC to discount their room rates for HCC students, making college housing available and affordable to community college students for the first time at AIC. The housing option will be available to all HCC students 18 years and older who are enrolled full or part-time and in good academic standing. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There's no age limit,&quot; said Renee Tastad, HCC dean of Enrollment Management and assistant vice president of Student Affairs, &quot;and students don't have to be single. If they're a couple, they can live together. Campus apartments are also a possibility, which is great. We're super excited.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC students who opt to live at AIC will also have access to other amenities there, including health services, the college library, laundry facilities, and a gym. A food plan and parking are also available for an additional cost. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tastad said the AIC housing will allow HCC to expand its recruiting range of student-athletes, most of whom now live within 30 miles of campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If we could recruit in New York and the eastern part of the state we could draw more athletes to our sports programs,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beyond that, she said HCC students who now live in unstable situations might also receive an advantage from living in housing at AIC, while international students could also benefit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We have a really hard time helping our international students find housing in the area that's safe, affordable, and within a reasonable distance of a bus line,&quot; Tastad said. &quot;AIC offers all of that.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tastad said HCC students could be moving into AIC housing as early as August for the fall semester, which at HCC begins In September.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We gave them our academic calendar, and so they're adjusting all of their systems,&quot; Tastad said. &quot;They've been really accommodating.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;AIC Vice President for Student Affairs Matthew Scott is equally enthusiastic about the housing partnership.&quot;AIC is delighted to be part of the solution to the pressing housing and affordability challenges in the region by offering secure and affordable housing options to HCC students,&quot; said Scott.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Because of this collaboration, HCC students can access not only safe and stable accommodation but also can take advantage of AIC's campus amenities and resources while pursuing their associate degree. In addition to the joint articulation agreements signed last year, this agreement is a significant milestone in strengthening the partnership between our institutions.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: AIC campus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18883" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/george-timmons" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|4|66|193|194" FileName="x18883.xml" Name="George Timmons" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/George-Timmons-standing-web.jpg" Title="'A Strong Leader'" Abstract="The Board of Trustees today voted to approve George Timmons to succeed Christina Royal as the next president of Holyoke Community College.  " ThumbnailAltText="George Timmons at HCC" IntroCopy="Trustees select George Timmons as next president" Date="2023-04-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;George Timmons, during a recent visit to HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/George-Timmons-Forum-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Calling him &quot;creative,&quot; &quot;innovative, and a &quot;strong leader&quot; who would be an &quot;excellent ambassador for the college,&quot; the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees today voted in favor of George Timmons as the next president of HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Timmons, Ph.D., is now provost and senior vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at Columbia Greene Community College in Hudson, New York.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Robert Gilbert, chair of the HCC Board of Trustees, said Timmons is expected to start his term as HCC's fifth president the last week of June, pending approval from the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education on May 9.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're excited to have voted Dr. George Timmons as the fifth president of Holyoke Community College,&quot; Gilbert said. &quot;We're looking forward to his leadership, his work with the entire community, and his ability to lead this institution for the success of the students, faculty, and staff.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During deliberations, trustees noted that the strength of all four finalists for president made the exercise of of choosing difficult.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Besides Timmons, the other finalists were Noem&amp;iacute; Custodia-Lora, vice president of the Lawrence Campus and Community Relations at Northern Essex Community College in Massachusetts; Tony D. Hawkins, former provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, Continuing Education and Workforce Development at Frederick Community College in Maryland; and Arlene Rodr&amp;iacute;guez, provost and vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at Middlesex Community College in Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each of the four finalists visited HCC earlier this month for a day and a half of tours, open forums, presentations, and interviews.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I have struggled because each brings their own unique talents and skills, said Trustee Vanessa Smith, &quot;but the one who embodies the whole package for me is Dr. George Timmons.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After initially failing to reach a majority, the board ultimately voted for Timmons by a margin of 6-2-2. A third, ceremonial vote was unanimous.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We had four very diverse candidates,&quot; Trustee Yolanda Johnson said, &quot;but the candidate I could envision leading HCC is George Timmons. He is a leader who could build on what has already been accomplished under President Royal. He is well prepared to build on that foundation, and he has a story that could resonate with our black and brown students and move the needle on enrollment.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trustee Smith recalled something Timmons said during one of his interviews that really sealed her choice: If approved as the next HCC president, he said, &quot;I will be in and of this community.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In August, Royal, who's been with HCC since January 2017, announced that she would retire after the 2022-2023 academic year. Her last day will be July 14. Her last three weeks at HCC will overlap with Timmons' first three.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm thrilled that the process was inclusive of all voices in our community,&quot; she said, &quot;and that our Board of Trustees really took the feedback and the perspectives of all our constituency groups - faculty, staff, students, community - into consideration while deliberating, and now I'm excited to be able to start the transition and prepare Dr. Timmons for serving as the fifth president to help set him up for success as he leads HCC into the future.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Timmons, 54, holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio; a master's degree in higher education from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and a bachelor's degree in financial management from Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia.&amp;nbsp;He has held his position as provost and senior vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at Columbia-Greene Community College since 2019. Before that, he worked at Excelsior College in Albany, N.Y., where he held a number of administrative positions culminating with dean of the School of Liberal Arts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: George Timmons talks to faculty and staff during an open forum at HCC earlier this month.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18874" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/team-together" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="66|193|65|165" FileName="x18874.xml" Name="Team 'Together'" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-Radio-Rome-Guzman-web.jpg" Title="Team 'Together'" Abstract="Auto dealer Gary Rome is again partnering with HCC for the &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Live&quot; one-day fundraising campaign on Tuesday, April 25." ThumbnailAltText="Auto dealer Gary Rome and HCC student-DJ Gabriel Guzman in the studio of WCCH 103.5 FM, the HCC college radio station." IntroCopy="Auto dealer Gary Rome partnering again on &quot;Together HCC&quot; campaign" Date="2023-04-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Auto dealer Gary Rome and HCC student DJ Gabriel Guzman of Chicopee &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-Radio-Rome-Guzman-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;NOTE: Although this year's day is done, it's not too late to give. To make a donation, go to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.givecampus.com/schools/HolyokeCommunityCollege/togetherhcc-drive-to-change-lives-2023&quot; title=&quot;Drive to Change Lives&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/drive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Auto dealer Gary Rome is again partnering with the HCC Foundation for a one-day campaign to raise money for student support programs and academic resources at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The third annual &quot;Together HCC: The Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign is set for Tuesday, April 25, and will run a full 24 hours, from 12:01 a.m. to midnight.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Donations can be made through a secure portal on the HCC website: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.givecampus.com/schools/HolyokeCommunityCollege/togetherhcc-drive-to-change-lives-2022&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/drive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The goal of the campaign is to raise money for five areas that directly support HCC students: academic excellence and innovation; scholarships; the Thrive Student Resource Center and Food Pantry; the President's Student Emergency Fund; and the HCC Foundation's general, unrestricted fund.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rome, owner of Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke and Gary Rome Kia in Enfield, Conn., has pledged a challenge donation of $5,000 once 500 people like, comment, or share Gary Rome Hyundai's Facebook post announcing a giveaway for Red Sox vs. Yankees tickets. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am happy to be partnering with HCC for a third consecutive year because I am so passionate about making sure a college education is accessible to everyone,&quot; said Rome, a member of the HCC Foundation Board of Directors. &quot;'Together HCC: The Drive to Change Lives' is one day where we really can make a difference.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, alum Peg Wendlandt '58 and her husband Gary will supplement each gift from new donors with a $250 donation of their own up to $100,000. Altogether, the one-day campaign has the potential to unlock more than $140,000 in matching donations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;With multiple challenge gifts in place, every donation has the potential to be doubled, or even tripled, said Julie Phillips, interim director of institutional advancement. &quot;For our alumni and friends, there is no better time to make their gift.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation launched &quot;Together HCC: A Campaign for Caring&quot; in March 2020 to build community support and raise money for students experiencing financial distress during the pandemic. As part of that campaign, members of the HCC community - students, staff, faculty, alumni, relatives and college friends - were asked to use the hashtag #TogetherHCC to share stories and images on social media that demonstrated the resilience of the college community in response to the COVID-19 crisis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In its first year, the campaign raised $40,000 for the President's Student Emergency Fund and was selected as a finalist for a national Bellwether award. The following year, with Rome signed on, HCC added the &quot;Drive to Change Lives&quot; theme and raised more than $122,000 for student support programs. Last year, HCC raised $192,000 during its day of giving.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We believe that all students deserve access to a great education,&quot; said Phillips. &quot;On April 25, donations will not only help remove barriers to student success like hunger, homelessness, and housing insecurity, but will instill a sense of pride in our students and faculty by showing them how much we believe in them.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO; Auto dealer Gary Rome visits the college radio station last year in advance of the &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; fundraising campaijn. Next to him is HCC student-DJ Gabriel Guzman.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18829" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/stop-kiss-advance" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|193|165|226" FileName="x18829.xml" Name="Stop Kiss Advance" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/STOPKISS-Callie-Sara-web.jpg" Title="'Stop Kiss,' a love story" Abstract="The HCC Theater Department will present &quot;Stop Kiss,&quot; a play by Diana Son, directed by Susanna Apgar, April 13-15 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee performance April 15 at 2 p.m." ThumbnailAltText="HCC student actors Kit McKenzie (as Callie) and Em D'Alesandro (as Sara) rehearse a scene from &quot;Stop Kiss&quot;" IntroCopy="HCC Theater presents &quot;Stop Kiss&quot; April 13-15" Date="2023-04-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Daneion Blake (as George) and Kit McKenzie (as Callie) rehearse a scene from &amp;quot;Stop Kiss&amp;quot;&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/STOP-KISS-George-Callie-couchjpg.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The plot of Diana Son's play &quot;Stop Kiss,&quot; the Holyoke Community College Theater Department's spring 2023 production, centers around a vicious attack the audience never witnesses on stage. Nevertheless, that absent scene serves as the pivot point in the narrative between the events leading up to it and what comes next.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's really two storylines,&quot; said director Susanna Apgar, an HCC alum, graduate of Smith College, and playwright long involved in the Pioneer Valley theater scene. &quot;The way she wrote it is quite fascinating. It's one chronological story, but it jumps back and forth in time, scene by scene. It's the story of these two women falling in love, and it's also the story of the aftermath of the attack &amp;ndash; a gay bashing attack &amp;ndash; which leaves one of them in a coma.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will present &quot;Stop Kiss&quot; April 13-15 at 7:30 p.m. in the college's Leslie Phillips Theater with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sat., April 15. The Friday, April 14, show will be ASL-interpreted.&amp;nbsp;Tickets are $5 for members of the HCC community; $8 for seniors and non-HCC students; and $10 &amp;nbsp;general admission. They are available at the door one hour before showtime or by calling 413-552-2528 for reservations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Stop Kiss&quot; focuses on the evolving relationship between Callie, an insecure New Yorker (played by HCC student-actor Kit McKenzie of Westfield) and her new friend Sara, a self-assured Midwest transplant (Em D'Allesandro of Westfield). The kiss in the title refers to their first, which also becomes the catalyst for the attack.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a great title, because it can mean so many things,&quot; said Apgar, of Easthampton. &quot;It can mean the kiss was stopped, but it can also mean to stop denying who you are and just kiss already.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Stop Kiss&quot; opened in New York City in 1998 and the following year received the Media Award for Best New York Production from GLAAD, the Gay &amp;amp; Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. This year marks the play's 25&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary.&amp;nbsp;Apgar said she chose it because the themes and issues the play raises are still as relevant today as when it first premiered.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;On the one hand, I simply wanted to celebrate this beautiful love story, that journey of self-discovery that develops through a relationship with another person,&quot; she said. &quot;On the other hand, I picked it in response to the current political climate.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Apgar notes that a lot of queer art and media came out in the '90s following the devastation of the AIDS crisis of the '80s and the political indifference that surrounded it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Here we are now in this moment where there are bills spreading like wildfire, with politicians trying to legislate people's existence,&quot; she said. &quot;It's just a very ugly climate right now, particularly for trans folks, but also for the whole LGBTQIA community. We've moved forward in a lot of really important ways, but we're also hitting reverse in some important ways.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Apgar, founder and artistic director of Strident Theater, said the actors and production crew have enjoyed analyzing the script and learning about the history behind it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was 19 when this play debuted, and in 1998, the language around queer identities was much more limited and much more rigid. I personally couldn't find a category that I fit into,&quot; said Apgar, who identifies as queer and non-binary. &quot;Now I'm working with students two decades younger wrangling with a text from 25 years ago, and we're finding the most wonderful insights together.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cast: Kit McKenzie of Westfield (Callie), Em D'Allesandro of Westfield (Sara), Daneion Blake of Springfield (George), Nathan Alvarez of Springfield (Peter), Henry Ramos of Holyoke (Detective Cole), Kate Hebert (Mrs. Winsley), Nyasia Aguirre of Springfield (Nurse).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC student actors Kit McKenzie (as Callie) and Em D'Alesandro (as Sara) rehearse a scene from &quot;Stop Kiss.&quot; (Above)&amp;nbsp;Daneion Blake (as George) and Kit McKenzie (as Callie) rehearse a scene from &quot;Stop Kiss.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18873" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/wendlandt-gift" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|66|65|165" FileName="x18873.xml" Name="Wendlandt Gift" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-Wendlandts-web.jpg" Title="For the Future" Abstract="The planned gift from Peg '58 and Gary Wendlandt, estimated to be more than $10 million, will be the largest ever given to a community college in Massachusetts. " ThumbnailAltText="Gary and Peg Wendlandt " IntroCopy="Peg '58 and Gary Wendlandt pledge $10 million estate gift " Date="2023-04-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Gary and Peg Wendlandt&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-Wendlandts-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has received a pledge of more than $10 million, the largest single gift commitment in the college's 77-year history and one of the largest gifts ever to any community college.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The pledged gift is included in the estate plan of HCC alum Margaret (Peg) Wendlandt '58 and her husband, Gary Wendlandt, longtime supporters and frequent donors to the college. The money, estimated to be at least $10 million, will go toward student scholarships and the college's greatest needs,&amp;nbsp;&quot;Education&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;has made a great deal of difference in our lives and how we have succeeded over the years,&quot; Peg Wendlandt said a few years ago. &quot;Gary and I both received scholarships to assist us in achieving our goals of education and feel fortunate that we can help others do the same.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Wendlandts' many gifts to the college in their lifetime already total more than $1 million and include donations to the President's Student Emergency Fund and two endowed scholarships administered by the HCC Foundation: the Peg '58 and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship (for students with financial need) and the Peg '58 and Gary Wendlandt Health Scholarship (for students in nursing and health-related fields).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In each of the past two years alone, the Wendlandts have made matching gift donations of $100,000 during the HCC Foundation's one-day &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; fundraising campaign. This year, the Wendlandts have again pledged to match up to $100,000 in gifts from new donors and alumni for &lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/togetherhcc&quot; title=&quot;Link to Together HCC page&quot;&gt;this year's campaign on Tuesday, April 25&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Peg and Gary are our greatest champions for giving days and regularly offer challenges to inspire others to give,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation. &quot;In this way, they are truly extraordinary donors - thinking about the needs students face today while also creating the conditions for future students to succeed.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Christina Royal first met Peg Wendlandt at an alumni event at Pizzeria Uno in Springfield early in her tenure at HCC. She remembers Wendlandt chiding her for only mentioning alumni from &quot;HCC&quot; and not those from HJC - Holyoke Junior College - a mistake she never made again.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I really appreciated that, and I've appreciated the friendship that has developed since then,&quot; Royal said. &quot;The Wendlandts have been so supportive of the direction of the college and my vision for this institution, never forgetting that it's all about students.&quot;&amp;nbsp;She noted too that the Wendlandts are not absentee donors but remain intensely interested and engaged in college activities, initiatives, and programs. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's humbling to think about them providing the largest gift ever to a community college in Massachusetts, and I'm deeply grateful,&quot; Royal said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Peg (Laframboise) Wendlandt graduated from Cathedral High School in Springfield before enrolling at HCC when it was still called Holyoke Junior College. After graduating, &amp;nbsp;she went on to the University of Massachusetts and later to the Western New England School of Law. Her career included work as a family law attorney, substitute teacher in Holyoke Public Schools and an actuarial assistant at MassMutual. As the first HCC alumna to earn a law degree, she received a Distinguished Alumni Award from HCC in 2007. In 2014, she received a Distinguished Service Award at Commencement. Gary Wendlandt is a graduate of Washington University and a retired insurance executive. They now live in New York City.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;News of the Wendlandt's historic pledge comes at a time of leadership transition at HCC, and so their gift takes on even greater significance,&quot; said Robert Gilbert, chair of the HCC Board of Trustees. &quot;On one hand, their commitment celebrates the relationship they have developed with President Royal over the last six and a half years, and on the other, they are demonstrating their commitment to HCC's mission and vision with a gift that will impact future generations.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation, a 501(c)(3), has been a strategic partner of the college ever since it was founded in 1968 as the Friends of Holyoke Community College, in response to a devastating fire that forced the college to rebuild on a new campus. It now manages assets of more than $20 million, the largest community college foundation endowment in Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the years, HCC has been the beneficiary of two $1 million donations, one from HCC alum and Yankee Candle Company founder Michael Kittredge in 2003 and another from the estate of HCC alum, professor emeritus and textbook author Elaine Marieb, as well as a $7.5 million donation in 2020 from the Marieb Foundation, which was then the single largest donation ever to a community college in Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The $10 million-plus gift from the Wendlandts will be among the largest so far to any community college in the United States, rivaling a $15 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott to Amarillo College in Texas in 2021 and a $10 million gift to Arapahoe Community College in Colorado from the Sturm Family Foundation in 2019.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Community colleges serve roughly 45 percent of all undergraduates in the United States and are deserving of our support,&quot; Gilbert said. &quot;We are expanding access to higher education and preparing students for the workforce, and we intend to do that for decades to come. Peg and Gary's estate commitment enables us to advance HCC's mission well beyond any of our lifetimes.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Gary and Peg Wendlandt&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18802" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/final-four" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x18802.xml" Name="Final Four" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/New-prez-comp.jpg" Title="Meet the Final Four" Abstract="The search committee evaluating applicants to become HCC's next president has whittled a field of 50 down to four finalists." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Final Four" IntroCopy="Search narrows for HCC's fifth president" Date="2023-03-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC presidential finalists&quot; height=&quot;318&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/FInalists-composite.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is one step closer to hiring its next president.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC search committee evaluating candidates to succeed President Christina Royal has whittled a field of 50 down to four. All four finalists have many years of experience in higher education and now hold top-level administration positions at community colleges in the Northeast, and all four are persons of color, two Latinas and two African-American men.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They are: Noem&amp;iacute; Custodia-Lora, vice president of the Lawrence Campus and Community Relations at Northern Essex Community College in Massachusetts; Tony D. Hawkins, former provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, Continuing Education and Workforce Development at Frederick Community College in Maryland; Arlene Rodr&amp;iacute;guez, provost and vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at Middlesex Community College in Massachusetts; and George Timmons, provost and senior vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at Columbia Greene Community College in New York.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The announcement was made today (Thursday, March 30) in a message to the HCC community from Eleanor P. Williams, chair of the search committee and vice chair of the HCC Board of Trustees, and Robert Gilbert, chair of the HCC Board of Trustees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As conversations continue toward the selection of HCC's fifth president, we have total confidence that the candidate selected from among our finalists will bring strong, inspiring leadership to the college,&quot; they said in a joint statement. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In August, Royal, who's been with HCC since January 2017, announced that she would retire after the 2022-2023 academic year. Her last day will be July 14, and she expects to assist with the transition to the next administration.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 18-member search committee included five members of the HCC Board of Trustees - Williams, Gilbert, Vanessa Smith, Ted Hebert, and Ivonne Vidal; three HCC faculty members; seven HCC staff members; one member of the HCC Foundation Board of Directors; and one student; as well as Robert Awkward, assistant commissioner for Academic Effectiveness at the Massachusetts Dept. of Higher Education. Four members of the search committee were also HCC alumni.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To aid in the search process, HCC retained the Pauly Group, Inc., a national consulting firm, which previously assisted the college in the hiring of Royal, HCC's fourth president.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This truly is an exciting time for the HCC community as we seek to find the next leader for the college,&quot; Williams said in a separate statement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each of the four finalists has been invited to visit the HCC campus for a day and a half of tours, open forums, presentations, and interviews: April 6-7, Noem&amp;iacute; Custodia-Lora; April 10-11, George Timmons; April 11-12, Tony D. Hawkins; April 13-14, Arlene Rodr&amp;iacute;guez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Custodia-Lora, a former biology professor, holds a Ph.D. in physiology and endocrinology from Boston University, and a bachelor's degree in biology from the Universidad de Puerto Rico.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Timmons holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Bowling Green State University, a master's degree in higher education from Old Dominion University, and a bachelor's degree in financial management from Norfolk State University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hawkins, a former professor of speech, communication and theater, holds a Ph.D. in higher education, leadership and technology from New York University, a certificate of advanced study in administration, planning and social policy from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, a master's degree in speech communication from the University of Georgia, and a bachelor's degree in mass communications from Towson State University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rodr&amp;iacute;guez, a former English professor, holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a master's degree in English from Lehigh University, and a bachelor's degree in English from Fordham University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Board of Trustees is expected to vote to approve a new president at its next meeting on Tuesday, April 25.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The search attracted a strong and diverse pool of candidates,&quot; said board chair Gilbert. &quot;While replacing the leadership of President Royal is a daunting task, our finalists exhibit qualities that will continue our journey as a college of excellence. I thank trustee and search committee chair Eleanor Williams for her leadership as well as members of the search committee for their dedication to the search process.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Full resumes of the candidates can be viewed at &lt;a href=&quot;http://hccpresidentialsearch.com/finalists&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;hccpresidentialsearch.com/finalists&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: (Above, from left to right) Noem&amp;iacute; Custodia-Lora, Tony D. Hawkins, Arlene Rodr&amp;iacute;guez, and George Timmons are the four finalists vying to be the next president of Holyoke Community College.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18804" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/elms-hcc-signing" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="3|417|165|225" FileName="x18804.xml" Name="Elms-HCC Signing" Thumbnail="/images/Elms-HCC-presidents-web.jpg" Title="HCC, Elms ink pact" Abstract="The transfer agreement between the two colleges will make it easier for HCC students to complete their bachelor's degree at Elms College in biology or biotechnology. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC President Christina Royal and Elms College President Harry Dumas shake hands after signing a transfer agreement. " IntroCopy="Agreement benefits biology and biotechnology majors" Date="2023-04-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Staff and faculty from Elms and HCC pause after signing a transfer agreement &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Elm-HCC-group.-webjpg.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College and College of Our Lady of the Elms signed a transfer agreement March 30 that will make it easier for HCC students to complete their bachelor's degree at Elms College in biology or biotechnology.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC students who earn an associate's degree in biology or biotechnology with a minimum GPA of 2.0 will be able to transfer at least 60 credits and enroll into Elms College's bachelor degree programs in either biology or biotechnology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Elms College has been a college of choice for many Holyoke Community College students,&quot; said HCC President Christina Royal, Ph.D. &quot;We are excited to expand our partnership for the benefit of our students who want a seamless transfer experience in STEM fields of study.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The agreement is effective immediately so that HCC biology and biotechnology students who graduate this spring and meet the requirements of the agreement can matriculate into Elms this fall as third-year students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are delighted to partner once again with Holyoke Community College to offer students an opportunity to continue their education at Elms College,&quot; said Elms President Harry E. Dumay. &quot;The increase in college graduates resulting from this agreement will serve our shared goal of improving access to higher education for all students.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For information about the program, contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@elms.edu&quot;&gt;admissions@elms.edu&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Elms College President Harry Dumay, Ph.D., MBA, and Holyoke Community College President Christina Royal, Ph.D., shake hands after signing an articulation transfer agreement. (Above)&amp;nbsp;Elms College President Harry Dumay, Ph.D., MBA, Holyoke Community College President Christina Royal, Ph.D., and representatives from both institutions celebrating the signing of the transfer agreement between HCC and Elms.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18781" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cori-event" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|66|3|97|193|194" FileName="x18781.xml" Name="CORI Event" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/WNEU-Justice-bus-web.jpg" Title="Legal Clinic/Job Fair" Abstract="Coinciding with Second Chance Month, HCC will host a free criminal record expungement and sealing clinic and CORI-friendly job fair on April 6 from 3-6 p.m. in the Bartley Center." ThumbnailAltText="The Justice Bus, from WNE School of Law 'sCenter for Social Justice" IntroCopy="HCC hosting free legal clinic and CORI-friendly job fair April 6" Date="2023-03-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Justice Bus from WNE School of Law Center for Social Justice&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/WNEU-Justice-bus-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Western Mass CORE at Holyoke Community College, in partnership with Western New England School of Law's Center for Social Justice and MassHire Holyoke, will host a criminal record expungement and sealing clinic and CORI-friendly job fair at HCC on Thursday, April 6.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The clinic and job fair will be held from 3-6 p.m. in HCC's Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation on the main HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event is free and open to the public and will provide an opportunity for people with criminal records to get free legal advice, learn about the criminal record expungement and sealing process, obtain a free copy of their CORI report (criminal offender record information), and connect with potential employers and community and college resources.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event coincides with the national recognition of April as &quot;Second Chance Month,&quot; a time to reaffirm the importance of helping people reenter society after being incarcerated.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;A criminal record can create significant barriers to employment, housing, and education,&quot; said Nicole Hendricks, co-coordinator of WMass CORE, a college pathways program for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. &quot;As a program that serves people with criminal records, this touches on every aspect of somebody's life and can make it very difficult to be successful. Even a minor offense can limit opportunities to move forward.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;WMass CORE was founded in 2019 by Hendricks, a professor of criminal justice at HCC, and Mary Orisich, professor of economics. CORE stands for &quot;community, opportunity, resources, and education.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There's data showing that our particular area - Hampden County - has a disproportionate number of residents who have been impacted by the criminal legal system,&quot; said Orisich. &quot;So this type of event speaks to a significant need in our community.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Western New England School of Law's Center for Social Justice is sending about a dozen legal volunteers, including CSJ staff attorney Gladys Vila-Carreras and attorney Crispin Birnbaum, an Access to Justice fellow focusing on clients with criminal records, who will supervise local attorneys and student volunteers from the law school. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MassHire anticipates that representatives from more than 30 area employers will attend &amp;nbsp;the job fair along with 15 or so support service organizations.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Many individuals with criminal records face challenges when it comes to finding employment due to their criminal history,&quot; said&amp;nbsp;Ramona Rivera-Reno, executive director of the Reentry and Recovery Program at MassHire Holyoke. &quot;A CORI-friendly job fair provides a space where these individuals can connect with employers who are willing to consider their qualifications and skills rather than solely focus on their criminal history. Everyone deserves a fair chance to prove themselves, regardless of their background.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Center for Social Justice will be sending the Justice Bus, its free mobile legal clinic, which will be parked outside the Bartley Center during the event.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We look forward to connecting with the community and bringing our free legal kiosks and other area resources to anyone in need of legal assistance,&quot; said Ariel Clemmer, director of the Center for Social Justice.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Representatives will be attending from the Hampden County Sheriff Department's All Inclusive Support Service program (AISS), HCC's Culinary Arts program, HCC's Thrive Student Resource Center and Food Pantry, and El Centro, HCC's support center for Hispanic and Latinx students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There will also be free food and music.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is going to be a massive event,&quot; said Hendricks. &quot;We are excited to welcome a large crowd to celebrate second chances and unlock opportunities.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will provide free transportation to campus from the Maple Street bus terminal in downtown Holyoke via La Guagua, the college's community shuttle, and to the Bartley Center from the bus circle in the middle of the campus.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pre-registration for the event is recommended but not required. To register, please go to:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.eventbrite.com/e/expungementsealing-clinic-job-fair-tickets-568135547717&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/CORI&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please bring a photo ID.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: The Justice Bus, from the Center for Social Justice at Western New England School of Law.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18786" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/commish-tour" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|66|165" FileName="x18786.xml" Name="Commish Tour" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-Ortega-ChildWatch-web%280%29.jpg" Title="Commissioner Visit" Abstract="Noe Ortega, the state's new commissioner of higher education, visited HCC Wednesday, March 22, for a campus tour and conversations with students, faculty, and staff. " ThumbnailAltText="DHE Commissioner Noe Ortega visits the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center at HCC" IntroCopy="Mass. higher ed chief makes first HCC visit" Date="2023-03-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;DHE Commiisioner Noe Ortega with his HCC tour guides&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/COMMISH-GROUP-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Noe Ortega, the new Massachusetts commissioner of higher education, seemed quite at home during a visit last week to the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center at Holyoke Community College. Not long after he set foot in the room, a 1-year-old boy named Isaiah began handing him blocks and toys.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I have to tell you,&quot; Ortega had said moments before, &quot;I got my start in education as a toddler teacher.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The child watch center, a free drop-in service for HCC student-parents, was one of the many stops Commissioner Ortega made March 22 during a tour of the college. Accompanied by HCC President Christina Royal and a coterie of students and staff, he also visited the Thrive Student Resource Center and Food Pantry, Homestead Market (the first campus store in Massachusetts to accept SNAP benefits), the Center for Life Sciences, and El Centro (HCC's bilingual student support and service center).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I really want to get a sense or what the student experience is when they come to HCC,&quot; Ortega said during the tour. &quot;What are the things that greet them, that make them feel like they are part of an environment where they're going to thrive and be successful.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The visit to HCC was part of the commissioner's orientation tour of state colleges and universities. He was hired as the state's higher education commissioner in August after serving as education secretary in Pennsylvania. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The commissioner had the opportunity to hear students talk about their college experiences and aspirations; faculty and staff highlighted the points of distinction that make HCC notable; and he toured spaces that show the investments and innovations&amp;nbsp;we've made to support a rigorous&amp;nbsp;academic experience and support for basic needs,&quot; said President Christina Royal. &quot;Above all, the commissioner had a chance to see the heart and soul of what makes HCC so special - how we prioritize student success wrapped with lots of encouragement and support.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After the campus tour, Commissioner Ortega sat down to talk to President Royal and other college administrators. Later, he joined students, faculty, staff, and trustees for a lunchtime discussion.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The commissioner and I talk about HCC frequently,&quot; said Royal. &quot;However, nothing is more impactful than being on campus interacting with students, staff, and faculty, or, as he said, 'breaking bread with our community.'&amp;nbsp;I left work that day feeling grateful that the commissioner now knows HCC personally and will be an even stronger advocate for us and all the community colleges in Massachusetts.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.583890513774235&amp;amp;type=3&quot; title=&quot;Facebook photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos of Commissioner Noe Ortega's visit in our Facebook photo album ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Higher Education Commissioner Noe Ortega, seconf from left, visits the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center during a tour of HCC. (Above) Commissioner Ortega, second from right, with his HCC tour guides: HCC student senator Alicia Beaton, President Christina Royal, HCC student Samya Robles, and HCC student senator Carissa Batura.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18767" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/shining-moment" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|4|66|193" FileName="x18767.xml" Name="Shining Moment" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/AC-FA20-CHRISTINA-MASKED-web%280%29.jpg" Title="'A Shining Moment'" Abstract="On the third anniversary of her message announcing that HCC would be going remote, HCC president Christina Royal reflects on the COVID-19 pandemic. " ThumbnailAltText="Presidebnt Christina Royal, during a meeting in the early day or the pandemic" IntroCopy="President Royal reflects on third anniversary of COVID-19 pandenic" Date="2023-03-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;National guard troops collect donations of PPE at HCC for frontline workers battling the coronavirus pandemic in spring 2020. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/AC-FA20-PPE-Guard-carry-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pandemic shifts a 'shining moment in history of HCC'&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;HCC president offers reflections on third anniversary of COVID-19 announcement&lt;/em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: The following commentary was also published in &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gazettenet.com/Guest-columnist-Christina-Royal-50289136&quot; title=&quot;Pandemic shifts a shining moment for HCC&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;the March 17 edition of the Daily Hampshire Gazette&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and on&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/opinion/2023/03/amid-pandemic-stress-at-hcc-we-found-moments-of-joy-commentary.html&quot; title=&quot;Pandemic op-ed&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;March 24 on MassLive&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By CHRISTINA ROYAL&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Monday, March 13, marked the third anniversary of my message to the Holyoke Community College community, announcing that, following spring break 2020, all academic courses (and soon nearly all campus services) would go fully remote due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, no one could have anticipated how long that would last or how the pandemic would reshape our world. Not surprisingly, our community immediately set out to build new structures, content, and services that would allow our students to learn in new and innovative ways. We rallied around our mission to &quot;educate, inspire, and connect&quot; and leaned into our values as an institution of academic excellence that helps students overcome barriers to success.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While everyone dealt with COVID on an individual level, as a community we remained focused on students &amp;ndash; always our number one priority. Faculty revamped their courses and adjusted their teaching practices. Staff modified processes and procedures and made weekly phone calls to each of our students to offer support, even from a distance. The administration kept teams and the entire college informed through increased communications and frequent, virtual town hall meetings as we sought ways to remain connected as the physical campus grew increasingly quiet. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We provided laptops, Chromebooks, and Wi-Fi hotspots to every student &amp;ndash; credit and noncredit &amp;ndash; and also to every member of our faculty and staff who needed them. Stimulus funding enabled us to increase investments in equity initiatives aimed at closing achievement gaps, create professional development opportunities for faculty and staff, address budget shortfalls, and continue to meet strategic goals as well as write off unpaid account balances for our students from the previous few semesters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the height of the pandemic, staff from our Thrive Student Resource Center and Food Pantry made house calls, delivering meals and technology to students who could not travel to the campus to pick them up.&amp;nbsp;We were an early responder and implementer of safety protocols. As a good neighbor and community partner, we donated healthcare supplies to area hospitals and health centers. In partnership with the Holyoke Board of Health and the healthcare company Curative, HCC became a busy regional COVID-19 testing site.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite the ongoing uncertainty and stress, there were joyful moments, too. Some of my fondest memories are times when our community came together in new and creative ways, such as students meeting on Zoom to play Pictionary on game night, the virtual performances put on by our theater and music departments, the virtual celebrations we held in place of in-person Commencement. We shared photos from our remote-work locations of ourselves drinking hot cocoa from our favorite mugs to celebrate the winter holidays. We created the hashtag &quot;Together HCC&quot; to send messages of hope to our students and colleagues on social media, a tagline we have incorporated into the theme of our annual &quot;Drive to Change Lives&quot; 24-hour fundraising campaign, with the next set for Tuesday, April 25.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The history books will include other HCC milestones from this period. The college completed an intensive &amp;ndash; and successful &amp;ndash; 10-year reaccreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education. And, in 2021, we marked the college's 75th anniversary virtually before gathering on campus for a spectacular in-person celebration in May 2022.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We reached another milestone earlier this month as the presidents of all 15 &amp;nbsp;Massachusetts community colleges announced that, following the spring 2023 semester, proof of COVID-19 vaccination would no longer be required for faculty, staff, and students. Although we will continue to emphasize sanitation protocols and encourage vaccinations (and social distancing, masking, and testing when necessary), this represents a prudent and timely next step.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many people suffered tremendous losses during the pandemic, loss of loved ones, friends, livelihoods. Despite the pandemic and all it wrought, I believe this period was a shining moment in the history of HCC. We found ways to make it work because we never lost sight of the reason we exist.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As we look ahead, we will continue to grow and change as needed. We will advance our equity work and celebrate our diversity because we know how much it contributes to our students' success and to our collective greatness. We will embrace innovation and take risks as we imagine endless possibilities for our future as we continue to provide opportunities for people from all backgrounds to achieve their educational goals and create better lives for themselves and their families.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) HCC president Christina Royal sits for a meeting in her office during the early days of the pandemic. (Above) U.S. Army National Guard troops collect boxes of personal protection equipment the college donated for frontline worker battling the coronavirus pandemic in spring 2020.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18582" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/wmass-core-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x18582.xml" Name="WMass CORE Grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/WMassCORE-Lesley-web.jpg" Title="CORE Support" Abstract="A $81,605 Bridges to College grant will allow HCC's Western Mass CORE program to expand community outreach to adult learners who have been previously incarcerated." ThumbnailAltText="HCC professor Naomi Lesley teaches a composition class at the Ludlow jail through WMass CORE." IntroCopy="WMass CORE awarded grant to expand community outreach" Date="2023-01-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC professor Naomi Lesley teaches a composition class at the Ludlow jail through WMass CORE.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/WMassCORE-Lesley-point-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded an $81,605 Bridges to College grant from the Mass. Dept. of Higher Education to expand community outreach to adult learners who have been previously incarcerated.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Specifically, the money goes to Western Mass CORE, an HCC program that works in partnership with the Hampden County Sheriff's Department to facilitate pathways to education for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;CORE stands for &quot;community, opportunity, resources, and education.&quot; The program was founded in 2019 by two HCC professors, Nicole Hendricks (criminal justice) and Mary Orisich (economics).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our goal is to teach classes inside jails and connect people with college who want to continue their education, and to do that requires a lot of outreach, advising, and mentoring,&quot; said Hendricks. &quot;In the past year, we've been focusing quite a bit on post-incarceration support, working with individuals who are on supervised release or who may be living in a Sheriff's Department facility.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Bridges to College grant will allow WMass CORE to expand office hours, advising services, and information sessions at the Hampden County Sheriff's Dept.'s AISS facility, located in the WW Johnson Life Center on State Street in Springfield. AISS stands for All Inclusive Support Services (formerly &quot;After Incarceration Support Services&quot;). The grant will also support the hiring of a new community navigator position to lead this outreach work. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is WMass CORE's third Bridges to College grant as project lead.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Mary and Nicole's commitment to this population is admirable, and I am so proud of the work they do to serve the community,&quot; said Sharale Mathis, HCC vice president of Academic and Student Affairs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The grant also will provide funding for WMass CORE to host a series of community events, including a monthly children's story hour at the Holyoke Public Library for parents who have been previously incarcerated and their children; and community coffee hours at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On March 24, as part of the grant and in partnership with Western New England University, WMass CORE will host an expungement event and CORI-friendly career fair in HCC's Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation, where formerly incarcerated individuals will be able to consult with lawyers to help have their criminal records expunged.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The new grant plan centers on deepening connections, building relationships, networking, and increasing college readiness,&quot; Hendricks said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the meantime, WMass CORE will continue its work inside the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow and the Western Massachusetts Regional Women's Correctional Center in Chicopee. This spring, at the Ludlow jail, Hendricks will teach a criminology course while Orisich will lead an economics class. At the women's jail, HCC theater professor Patricia Sandoval will teach a fundamentals of acting class.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's going to be the first arts course we're offering,&quot; Hendricks said. &quot;We will also continue to do a lot of other programming inside the jails, including book groups, which have been a powerful way to connect with students there.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS courtesy of the Daily Hampshire Gazette: HCC professor Naomi Lesley teaches a composition class at the Ludlow jail through WMass CORE.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18761" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/shining-star" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|66|193" FileName="x18761.xml" Name="Shining Star" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-Chicopee-Chamber-group-web.jpg" Title="Nonprofit of the Year" Abstract="The Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce recognized HCC as the 2023 Nonprofit of the Year Award winner at its annual Shining Stars gala at the Castle of Knights. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC students and staff in the HCC Courtyard" IntroCopy="HCC named Nonprofit of the Year" Date="2023-03-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Shining Star Award&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-Chicopee-Chamber-group-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been named Nonprofit of the Year by the Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC was one four recipients of the chamber's Shining Star Awards for 2023, which were presented March 3 during a celebration at the Castle of Knights in Chicopee. The Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce presents Shining Star Awards each year to an outstanding business, citizen, nonprofit, and volunteer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Christina Royal accepted the award on behalf of HCC.&quot;We are honored to be the recipients of the 2023 Nonprofit of the Year award from the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce,&quot; Royal said. &quot;Chicopee is one of the top communities from which we draw students, and we serve them proudly. We also have great partnerships with Chicopee businesses and organizations, including Sunshine Village, Chicopee High School, and Elms College, as well as several faculty, staff, and board members who live there. We continue to invest in developing creative pathways for students that address workforce needs in this region.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Event emcee Michelle Wirth, co-owner of Mercedes-Benz of Springfield and founder of Feel Good Shop Local, said that HCC has come a long way since 1946 when it was founded as the city-sponsored Holyoke Junior College, but that its mission and commitment to community has remained a constant throughout the decades.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are proud to celebrate HCC not only as a member of the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce since 1998, but as an important pathway to education for so many Chicopee residents,&quot; Wirth said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In selecting HCC as Nonprofit of the Year, the chamber nominating committee noted that HCC is the oldest two-year college in Massachusetts and serves as a critical pathway for education for Chicopee residents:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;More than 7,000 students are enrolled in the college's credit and workforce programming annually, with Chicopee ranking third among its top communities. A partnership between Chicopee High School and HCC provides a health science academy to students looking to explore career options. And the HCC Foundation, which manages the largest endowment of any community college in the Commonwealth, awards more than 30 scholarships to students residing in Chicopee each year.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC's mission to &lt;em&gt;Educate, Inspire, and Connect i&lt;/em&gt;s embedded in everything they do,&quot; Wirth said. &quot;As a college of and for the community, HCC exists to create opportunity for learners of all ages, coming from all backgrounds, so that students can create better lives for themselves and their families ... and ultimately strengthen our region in the process.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The committee also recognized HCC's emphasis on addressing needs of students beyond academics, citing the President's Student Emergency Fund for immediate financial needs, the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch, which provides free on-campus services to student-parents, the Career Closet, which supplies free business attire for students for job interviews, free PVTA bus passes, and Homestead Market, the first campus store at any public college or university in Massachusetts to accept SNAP benefits.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC is passionate about helping students overcome all the barriers that often get in the way of a college education,&quot; said Wirth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wirth also noted some other &quot;shining stars&quot; at the chamber event - the students from HCC's culinary arts program who baked black-and-white cookies for guests.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC President Christina Royal, front center left, and Robert Gilbert, chair of the HCC Board of Trustees, front center right, gather with HCC students and staff for a photo celebrating the the college's Shining Star Award from the Greater Chicopee Chambe of Commerce.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18704" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/zonta-award" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x18704.xml" Name="Zonta Award" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/President-Royal-FA22-web.jpg" Title="Woman of the Year" Abstract="Coinciding with its celebration of International Women's Day, the Zonta Club of Quaboag Valley honored President Christina Royal with its first Woman of the Year Award." ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal in her office at HCC" IntroCopy="Zonta Club of Quaboag Valley to honor President Royal" Date="2023-02-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Christina Royal&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/President-Royal-FA22-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/zonta-club-of-quaboag-valley-honors-first-woman-of-year-award-to-hcc-president/&quot; title=&quot;Zonta Club honors President Royal as Woman of the Year&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WWLP-22News: Zonta Club of Quaboag Valley honors HCC president as Woman of the Year&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the many &quot;firsts&quot; of Christina Royal's career are these: first woman president of Holyoke Community College; first openly gay president of Holyoke Community College; and first bi-racial president of Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To that barrier-breaking resume, she can now add another, as the Zonta Club of Quaboag Valley honors President Royal next month with its first-ever Woman of the Year award. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Zonta Club of Quaboag Valley will celebrate Royal with a special dinner at the Ludlow Country Club on Monday, March 13, at 5:30 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are so delighted to honor President Royal,&quot; said Mary Knight, secretary of the Zonta Club of Quaboag Valley. &quot;One of the key things Zonta does is work to improve the lives of women and girls. That's our mission all over the world, and we've been around for 103 years, so this is a really big deal.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event coincides with the Zonta Club's celebration of International Women's Day, which this year will be recognized on Wed., March 8.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;International Women's Day is something that's honored around the world, especially in Zonta because that's our focus,&quot; said Knight. &quot;This year, we wanted to find someone who really epitomizes the ideals of Zonta. This is the very first time we've honored someone for International Women's Day. When we learned that President Royal would be retiring in July 2023, we knew we needed to celebrate her accomplishments and legacy as a pioneer.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tickets for the event are $35 per person or $25 for students. Space is limited,&amp;nbsp;and an RSVP is requested by Thursday, March 2.&amp;nbsp;Please go to &lt;a href=&quot;https://zontaqv.org/hcc/&quot;&gt;zontaqv.org/hcc/&lt;/a&gt; to see registration and payment options.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to commemorating President Royal's accomplishments, the Zonta Club will present her with a cash award for a charity or project of her choice. Donations can be made to the Zonta Foundation for Women in honor of President Royal.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal started at HCC in January 2017 as the fourth president of the college. In selecting Royal for Woman of the Year, the Zonta Club noted these milestones from her tenure at HCC: working collaboratively to develop the college's &amp;nbsp;first strategic plan; advancing equity across the institution; and investing in programs to support students' basic needs, such as establishing the President's Student Emergency Fund through the HCC Foundation (to provide grants to student facing immediate financial needs), opening Homestead Market (the first campus store in Massachusetts to accept SNAP benefits), partnering with the Holyoke Housing Authority (to help students find affordable housing), and launching the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Program (to provide HCC student-parents access to free, short-term care for their children.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other highlights include her opening of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street; reopening the Campus Center after a two-year, $43.5 million renovation; establishing El Centro, a bilingual center dedicated to the needs of Latinx students; weathering a global pandemic; celebrating HCC's 75th anniversary as the oldest two-year college in Massachusetts; and for the first time raising flags on campus in recognition of Pride month and International Transgender Day of Visibility.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC president Christina Royal in her office at HCC&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18706" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/upward-and-onward" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|66|193|360" FileName="x18706.xml" Name="Upward and Onward" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Amy-Johnquest-farewell-web.jpg" Title="'Upward and Onward'" Abstract="As she prepares to retire from HCC, Amy Johnquest has curated her final exhibition, an homage to her 24 years as Taber Art Gallery director.  " ThumbnailAltText="Amy Johnquest, in HCC's Taber Art Gallery" IntroCopy="Taber Art Gallery director final exhibition &quot;a love letter&quot;" Date="2023-02-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Amy Johnquest&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Amy_johnquest-horse.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Back in the old days,&quot; she says, before the Taber Art Gallery existed, Amy Johnquest managed what was then a casual gallery on the lower level of the Campus Center near the Holyoke Community College cafeteria.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After a few years, though, she decided HCC needed a more formal area to display the work of local artists. &quot;Because,&quot; she recently recalled, &quot;down there, you had students necking on couches, and, nothing wrong with, but not in the gallery, you know? There were coffee splatters on the walls. It was just a hard place to show artwork.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She put out a query to college administrators about the same time local businessman Donald Taber was searching for a place to house his art collection.The collaboration became the Taber Art Gallery, with Johnquest installed as its first - and so far only - director.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's first and foremost purpose was to be a teaching gallery, so that students could come in and get an idea of what the art world is like,&quot; said Johnquest. &quot;I've always for the most part shown area artists because the Valley is just full of fabulous talent.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As she prepares to retire from HCC at the end of the spring semester, Johnquest has curated her final exhibition, &quot;Upward and Onward,&quot; an homage to her 24 years as Taber Art Gallery director. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My big goodbye,&quot; she calls it. &quot;My love letter. My thank-you note to the folks and cosmic forces that swirled around and got me here.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Upward and Onward&quot; will be on display in the Taber Art Gallery through March 3.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I do feel a little sad,&quot; said Johnquest, who lives in Holyoke and maintains an art studio in Easthampton. &quot;A person's job, especially if they like what they do and love what they do, it's very much part of their identity. And when you leave that job, you're leaving a part of your identity. I am 64, which is a good age. I'll be spending a lot more time in my studio, so I am looking forward to that.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Johnquest invited friends, family members, and colleagues to contribute their art to &quot;Upward and Onward,&quot; which also includes photos and paintings of herself as a child growing up in a town with the art-worthy name of Novelty, Ohio. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I brought in works from my personal collection as well as from the college, and tossed in a couple of my own paintings,&quot; said Johnquest, whose nickname in the Valley art scene is &quot;Banner Queen.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The result is an exhibition of some 150 pieces from more than 40 contributors.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My goal was to include everything - which was very nearly accomplished,&quot; said Johnquest. &quot;There is a whole art to the installation process. It's much like creating a collage. One needs to find a way to bring companionship to disparate works, to give the entire space a sense of flow, and though quite crowded, give a sense that the individual pieces can stand alone as well as talk nicely with each other.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The only preplanned part of the installation, she said, was peppering the gallery with photos of people kissing. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Because, well, like I said, this is a love letter.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery, located off the lobby of the HCC Library on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during regular school sessions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please contact Amy Johnquest, at (413) 552-2614.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Director Amy Johnquest takes a final spin around the Taber Art Gallery.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18664" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/pickleball-clinics" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|193|2" FileName="x18664.xml" Name="Pickleball clinics" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Pickleball-doubles-web.jpg" Title="Learn to Play Pickeball" Abstract="Starting Feb. 11, HCC will begin a series of Saturday pickleball clinics for beginners and those who want to improve their game all the way up to tournament-level play.  " ThumbnailAltText="Area pickleball players make use of the new indoor courts at HCC." IntroCopy="HCC launching Saturday pickleball clinics starting Feb. 11" Date="2023-01-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Starting Feb. 11, HCC will begin a series of Saturday pickleball clinics for beginners and those who want to improve their game all the way up to tournament-level play.  &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Pickleball-doubles-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Starting Feb. 11, Holyoke Community College will begin a series of Saturday pickleball clinics for beginners and those who want to improve their game all the way up to tournament-level play. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a new craze, it's good for the community, and we're a community-based organization,&quot; said Tom Stewart, HCC's director of Athletics. &quot;Our goal is to offer something for all abilities, all ages, and all levels. Whether you're a beginner or more advanced player, there are other people we can place you with.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The group classes will be led by pickleball coach and racquet sports instructor Kelly Canniff, who has 25 years' experience educating children, adolescents, and adults.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All sessions run on Saturdays from 8 to 9:30 a.m. on the new indoor pickleball courts at Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation on the main HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave.&amp;nbsp;The cost for each three-session series is $75.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Beginner Pickleball&lt;/strong&gt; will run on three consecutive Saturdays starting Feb. 11 and covers the rules of play, court layout, equipment, basic game play, and strategy.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Advanced Beginner Pickleball&lt;/strong&gt; will run March 4, 18, and April 1 and is designed for players who have taken the beginner classes or already have some familiarity and experience with the game and want to advance their play by improving their groundstrokes, overhead shots, volleys and serves, and add direction, control, and accuracy. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'Intermediate Pickleball&lt;/strong&gt; runs April 8, 15, and 22 and will help players better understand court positioning, sustain longer rallies, improve strokes, volley, and drop shots; and focus on moving to the NVZ line, which marks the &quot;non-volley zone,&quot; also known as the &quot;kitchen.&quot;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Advanced Pickleball &lt;/strong&gt;- May 13, 20, and 27 - is designed to prepare players for tournament-level play, with practice to help them improve shot variety and accuracy and develop better strategies for playing doubles.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.coursestorm.com/category/health-fitness&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/health-and-fitness&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Area pickleball players make use of the new indoor courts at HCC.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18656" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/scholarships-2023" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="3|65|165" FileName="x18656.xml" Name="Scholarships 2023" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-scholars-2022-web.jpg" Title="'Tis Scholarship Season " Abstract="Last year, the HCC Foundation awarded 337 scholarships worth close to $400,000 to 239 incoming, current, and transferring HCC students. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC scholarship recipients Bailey Pennington, an engineering major, and Eva Sweeney, a chemistry major, both from Longmeadow, celebrate their awards at the HCC Foundation Scholarship Reception in November 2022" IntroCopy="HCC Foundation scholarship deadline March 10" Date="2023-01-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC scholarship recipients Bailey Pennington, an engineering major, and Eva Sweeney, a chemistry major, both from Longmeadow, celebrate their awards at the HCC Foundation Scholarship Reception in November 2022&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-scholars-2022-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation has begun accepting scholarship applications for the 2023-2024 academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Scholarship season opened Monday, Jan. 30. The application deadline is Friday, March 10.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last year, the HCC Foundation awarded 337 scholarships worth&amp;nbsp;close to $400,000 to 239 incoming, current, and transferring HCC students. Many students received multiple scholarship awards.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students must be currently enrolled at HCC or have been accepted for the upcoming academic year to be eligible for scholarships, which are awarded through the HCC Foundation, HCC's nonprofit fundraising corporation. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The HCC Foundation was established over half a century ago in order to keep the dream of an affordable, accessible, high-quality education alive to create opportunities for students of all ages, from all backgrounds, and to inspire those students to achieve their dreams,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director or the HCC Foundation.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the last two and a half years, as HCC and the world navigated a global pandemic, nearly 30 new scholarships were established through the HCC Foundation, enabling the Foundation to award more money for 2022-2023 than ever before.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm honored and humbled to be a scholarship recipient,&quot; said HCC student Meagan Rodriguez, a Springfield resident who is studying veterinary and animal science at HCC. &quot;My time at HCC has been nothing short of transformative. I'm so grateful to have been able to competently navigate academia with the support of my fellow classmates, the phenomenal HCC staff, and the incredible support of the generous donors who see the value of investing in education for others.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Applicants only need to fill out a single online form to be automatically matched with the scholarships they are most qualified to receive. There are scholarships for new students, current students and students transferring to other institutions, scholarships based on financial need, scholarships for students in specific majors, scholarships for residents of certain communities, and scholarships that recognize academic achievement.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To view scholarship opportunities and begin the application process, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/scholarships&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;www.hcc.edu/scholarships&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;Questions should be directed to Sasha Toledo, HCC Scholarship and Donor Relations, at 413-552-2481, or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:stoledo@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;stoledo@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC scholarship recipients Bailey Pennington, an engineering major, and Eva Sweeney, a chemistry major, both from Longmeadow, celebrate their awards at the HCC Foundation Scholarship Reception in November 2022.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18623" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/finding-the-words" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|3|193|65" FileName="x18623.xml" Name="Finding the Words" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/VOICES-Lisa-Alex-web.jpg" Title="Screen Time" Abstract="A new documentary that had its origins in the classrooms of HCC, &quot;Finding the Words: The Story of Voices from Inside&quot; premiered Jan. 28, at Northampton's Academy of Music." ThumbnailAltText="HCC English professors Lisa Mahon, left, and Alex Wagman. " IntroCopy="New documentary had its origins at HCC. " Date="2023-01-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sonia Mendez, who went on to graduate from HCC in 2020, reads her poetry during a Voices from Inside event at HCC in November 2015.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-VOICES-SONIA-MENDEZ-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Saturday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m., Northampton's Academy of Music will premiere &quot;Finding the Words: The Story of Voices from Inside,&quot; a new documentary about women who write to overcome their experiences with incarceration and addiction.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Weaving together personal narratives along with insights from area experts, &quot;Finding the Words&quot; brings viewers inside the Franklin County Jail, into the homes of formerly incarcerated women, and into local community centers and theaters as the women read their work and share their stories.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The whole idea of the documentary is to try to dispel myths about women who are incarcerated in America,&quot; said Lisa Mahon, a professor of English at Holyoke Community College and one of the scholars interviewed for the film.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although the Voices from Inside program started in 1999, the film had its origins in the classrooms of HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a very HCC, home-grown production,&quot; said HCC English professor and videographer Alex Wagman, one of the film's executive producers, who began working on the project during a sabbatical semester with the support of a $15,000 grant from MassHumanities in 2019.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Voices from Inside first came to Wagman's attention through the group's performances at HCC and through Mahon, whose students have long collaborated with the women in the group through the college's Service Learning Program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've always had the women come into my class in some way, shape, or form,&quot; said Mahon, who has been working with Voices from Inside for more than a decade. &quot;I also teach their writing in my classes.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The film features interviews with Mahon, who ran a writing workshop at the women's jail in Chicopee during her own sabbatical semester a few years ago, as well as HCC criminal justice professors Nicole Hendricks and Adina Giannelli, president of the Voices from Inside board of directors.&amp;nbsp;Several other HCC professors who do not appear on screen also served as research consultants: Mary Orisich, professor of economics; Vanessa Martinez, professor of anthropology; and Katharine Daube, professor of sociology.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of the main women featured in the documentary is HCC and Voices from Inside alum Sonia Mendez, who graduated from HCC in 2020 after first reading her poetry on campus during a Voices from Inside presentation in 2015. (Mendez is also featured on the film's promotional posters.) Aundrea Marschoun '21, another HCC alum, worked as a videographer, and the music was composed by HCC English instructor and singer-songwriter Kelly Vogel.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;State Sen. Jo Comerford will help introduce the film at the Academy. Following the screening, the filmmakers and the women featured in the documentary will participate in a Q&amp;amp;A. The entire program will be livestreamed by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3eCWN6WY4k&quot;&gt;Northampton Open Media&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Saturday's premiere is sponsored by Arts Equity Group and the City of Northampton. Tickets are free but should be reserved in advance through the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.aomtheatre.com/event/finding-the-words-an-original-documentary-film/&quot;&gt;Academy of Music website&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wagman said the filmmakers have also been asked to show the documentary this spring at the Franklin County Jail, the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Framingham, and the Care Center in Holyoke. Several faculty members also intend to screen the film for their students, including Mahon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm bringing in the poetry of the women, and then we're going to watch the documentary,' said Mahon who added that Voices from Inside will return to the HCC campus April 28 for their first post-pandemic performance.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They'll be in the theater,&quot; she said. &quot;This is a very 'Voices from Inside' oriented semester.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.finding-the-words.com/&quot;&gt;View the trailer for &quot;Finding the Words&quot; ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Sonia Mendez, who went on to graduate from HCC in 2020, reads her poetry during a Voices from Inside event at HCC in November 2015. Mendez's story is featured in the new documentary, &quot;Finding the Words: The story of Voices from Inside.&quot; (Thumbnail) HCC English professor Alex Wagman, right with camera, served as executive producer for the documentary while HCC English professor Lisa Mahon, left, also appears in the film.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18617" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/abe-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="321|69|193|194" FileName="x18617.xml" Name="ABE grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-ABE-HPS-web.jpg" Title="Grant lifts adult ed " Abstract="The $1.27M state grant supports programming at HCC's adult learning centers in Holyoke and Ludlow and classes offered through the college's partners in the Juntos Collaborative. " ThumbnailAltText="Instructor Bryan Barsolou works with students Jhovan Serrano and Melodie Rossy during an adult basic education class offered by the Holyoke Public Schools Opportunity Academy – one of HCC's partners in the Juntos Collaborative – at the HCC Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center on Maple Street in Holyoke. " IntroCopy="$1.27 million grant will expand adult ed services" Date="2023-01-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;- one of HCC's partners in the Juntos Collaborative - &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-ABE-HPS-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded $1.273 million in state funds to expand its adult education programs in Holyoke and other communities in Hampden County.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The money, from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, is part of a five-year, $250 million allocation to 74 institutions announced last month by the outgoing Baker administration. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This historic level of funding to adult education service providers across the Commonwealth will open up additional seats for adult learners to gain knowledge and career skills,&quot; said former Governor Charlie Baker. &quot;These grants will benefit not only residents, but employers and communities across the Commonwealth.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's $1.273 million allocation represents a nearly 20 percent boost for its English for Speakers of Other Languages programs over funding levels for fiscal 2023, which ends June 30. This was the open and competitive grant cycle for HCC's DESE-funded adult education offerings, and will cover FY '24-28, which begins July 1.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The funds support direct programming at HCC's Adult Learning Center in Holyoke and HCC's Ludlow Area Adult Learning Center, as well as classes offered through the college's partners in the Juntos Collaborative: The Care Center, the Community Education Project, Holyoke Public Schools Opportunity Academy, and MassHire Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;&lt;em&gt;Juntos&lt;/em&gt; means 'together' in Spanish. Overall, the HCC/Juntos Collaborative received a 14 percent increase in funding over current levels, and will serve 8 percent more students,&quot; said Pesha Black, director of HCC's English for Speakers of Other Languages programs, which is part of the college's department of Adult Education and Workforce Development. &quot;The expansion is primarily in ESOL services, and is based on strong past performance as well as community need. Immigrants, refugees, and other multilingual learners are a tremendous asset to our region, and we're excited to provide increased access to services to help these communities achieve their education, career, and civic engagement goals.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will be adding ESOL seats in West Springfield, in partnership with the West Springfield Public Library, and Holyoke, in addition to continuing remote and in-person classes in Ludlow, in partnership with Hubbard Memorial Library.&amp;nbsp;In addition to ESOL, grant funds will serve students earning their high school equivalency through adult basic education services.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In adult basic education, we are focused on getting the word out about our existing free services, and building on the unique strengths of each partner to accelerate students' attainment of high school equivalency and take the next steps toward their college and career goals,&quot; said Black.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The goal behind the $48.2 million in state funding is to expand adult education services to new programs and provide 5,000 total seats for adult basic education students and more than 16,000 for adult English learners.&amp;nbsp;In the first year of funding, fiscal year 2024, approximately $48.2 million in competitive grants will go to adult education service providers and an additional $2 million to adult education programs in state correctional institutions. Adult basic education is funded through a combination of state and federal funds, including the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Title II.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Supporting adult students with essential foundational education and language skills provides an onramp to college and career options that will prepare adults for innovative jobs growing in the Commonwealth,&quot; said former Lt. Governor Karyn Polito.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Office of Adult and Community Learning Services within the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education administers the state's no-cost public adult education system through community adult learning centers and correctional institutions across 16 local workforce development areas in the Commonwealth.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The goal is to foster collaborations within communities that enhance student success in higher education and employment,&quot; said former Education Secretary James Peyser. &quot;We are very pleased to award this historic level of funding that ensures there are significant resources available to many more adult students across the Commonwealth for years to come.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Instructor Bryan Barsolou, left, works with adult education students students Jhovan Serrano, 26, of Springfield, and Melodie Rossy, 43, of Holyoke, during an English Language Arts class offered by the Holyoke Public Schools Opportunity Academy at the HCC Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center on Maple Street in Holyoke. The HPS Opportunity Academy is one of HCC's partners in the Juntos Collaborative, which will benefit from a $1.27 million state grant.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18609" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-fall-2022" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x18609.xml" Name="Deans List Fall 2022" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-KC-CC-FA20.jpg" Title="Fall 2022 Dean's List" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize all the students who earned Dean's List honors for the Fall 2022 semester. " ThumbnailAltText="Fall image of HCC Campus Center and Kittredge Cente" IntroCopy="HCC announces Dean's List for Fall 2022 semester" Date="2023-01-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Fall image of HCC Campus Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-KC-CC-FA20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. A student is placed on the Dean's List if his or her G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Follow the link below to see an alphabetical listing of all the HCC students who&amp;nbsp;earned Dean's List status for the Fall 2022 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/deans-list&quot;&gt;Dean's List ....&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18593" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/full-circle" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|3|193|65|165" FileName="x18593.xml" Name="Full Circle" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Murdock-laptop.jpg" Title="Full Circle" Abstract="From The Connection: Ainsley Murdock ’19 thrived in the supportive environment at HCC. Last fall she returned as a learning coach to help current students find success." ThumbnailAltText="HCC alum Ashley Murdock works with a student in the Campus Center. " IntroCopy="Alum Ashley Murdock '19 returns to HCC as an educational coach " Date="2023-01-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC alum Ashley Murdock, left, and HCC student&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Murdock-student-MR.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDITOR'S NOTE: This story also appears in the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Documents/Publications/AC/AC_FA22_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Fall 2022 Connection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Fall 2022 issue of The Connection&lt;/a&gt;, the HCC college magazine.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By DOUG SCANLON&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a student in 2017, Ainsley Murdock '19 took what turned out to be one of her favorite HCC classes, Climate Fiction with English professor Elizabeth Trobaugh.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last spring, five years later, Murdock, a liberal arts major who went on for a bachelor's degree at Bay Path University, found herself back in the same HCC class. This time, though, she was there as an educational coach, working with a current student through HCC's MAICEI program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MAICEI, which stands for the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative, is a state-funded program that supports disabled high school graduates from the age of 18 to 22 as they progress through college and helps them transition to their next stage in life. In her role, Murdock assists students like Nikayla Rogers, who was enrolled in Trobaugh's Climate Fiction course.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Outside of class, Murdock helps Rogers and other MAICEI students process lectures, organize their assignments, develop time-management plans, set up appointments for tutoring, and otherwise manage their day-to-day campus activities. The work is extremely personal, says Murdock, who remembers her own struggles as a college student with ADHD.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I had to do things a little differently to accomplish the same things as other people,&quot; she said. &quot;So now that I work with students with disabilities, I feel like the work I'm doing is important and impactful. These students have so much drive and so much passion and they just want to live a life like everybody else. And being a part of helping them gain the skills they need to do that is meaningful for me and I really enjoy it.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Murdock is employed as a paraprofessional by Agawam High School, from which she was assigned to work at HCC with Rogers, who lives in Agawam.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I knew I was going to end up at either HCC or Westfield State, and I was really hoping that it would be HCC,&quot; said Murdock.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She got her wish.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trobaugh remembers Murdock as a student who was enthusiastic about learning and helping others.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Ainsley modeled good classroom citizenship with her participation in class discussions and activities and her spirit of goodwill,&quot; Trobaugh said. &quot;It is no surprise to me that she is devoting herself now to helping other students learn and succeed.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The final assignment for Climate Fiction requires each student to write a short story demonstrating their understanding of climate change hazards and storytelling techniques. Just for kicks, Murdock dug up her own final from 2017, and Trobaugh invited her to read it to the class.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;To this day, taking that class was probably one of my favorite experiences at HCC,&quot; Murdock said. &quot;Professor Trobaugh helped me realize that I enjoy going to school and learning new things. And she was also one of the easiest professors to talk to when I needed help with anything.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a student, Murdock appreciated the supportive environment at HCC. Although she was reserved in high school, she gained confidence in HCC's intensive Learning Community classes.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Because you're with the same small group of people, it helped me break out of my shell and made it easier to form relationships with my classmates,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As Murdock became more comfortable, her grades improved. In thinking about life after HCC, she talked to her visual arts professor, Victor Katz, about transferring to a four-year school.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was very thankful that someone had actually cared to ask me what my plans were and to sit down and help explain to me what options were available,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eventually, she transferred to Bay Path, where she made the Dean's List each semester and graduated with her bachelor's degree in psychology and a 3.7 GPA.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC really set the foundation for everything that I have achieved,&quot; she said. &quot;It was at HCC that I learned that I love learning and helped me realize what I wanted to do. If I didn't come here, I don't know if I would have figured that out.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) HCC alum Ashley Murdock '19, left, with student Nikayla Rogers. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Learning coach and HCC alum Ashley Murdock, left, works with HCC student Nikayla Rogers.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18601" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/foundation-award" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="66|193|65" FileName="x18601.xml" Name="Foundation Award" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-ROME-Check.jpg" Title="Foundation Honors" Abstract="The HCC Foundation Board of Directors is one of five recipients of the 2023 Nason Award, a national honor that recognizes exceptional leadership and initiative. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Foundation board chair Corey Murphy, left, auto dealer and HCC Foundation board member Gary Rome, HCC student Carolina Pena, and President Christina Royal hold a ceremonial donation check from Rome at his Hyundai dealership in Holyoke in May 2021." IntroCopy="HCC Foundation board recognized for exceptional leadership, initiative" Date="2023-01-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Foundation board chair Corey Murphy, left, auto dealer and HCC Foundation board member Gary Rome, HCC student Carolina Pena, and President Christina Royal hold a ceremonial donation check from Rome at his Hyundai dealership in Holyoke in May 2021.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-ROME-Check.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation has been selected for the &lt;a href=&quot;https://agb.org/award/&quot;&gt;John W. Nason Award for Board Leadership&lt;/a&gt; by the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agb.org&quot;&gt;Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agb.org&quot;&gt;AGB&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Established in 1992, the Nason Award is presented to higher education governing boards that demonstrate exceptional leadership and initiative. The five recipients of this year's award addressed pressing issues related to transformational student success efforts, according to AGB and its mission partner, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.tiaa.org/public/&quot;&gt;TIAA&lt;/a&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It is such an honor for the HCC Foundation to be recognized by AGB through this prestigious award,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation. &quot;Our board's work to advance the college's mission is inspiring, but I am especially grateful for the board's strategic approach to governance. We have drawn from AGB's resources in recent years to guide our efforts, and the result has been a more engaged, knowledgeable, innovative, and nimble board of directors, and that has a very real and positive impact on HCC students.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year's honorees were chosen from a diverse array of nominations illustrating the essential work of boards from four-year public and private colleges and universities, two-year institutions, and institutionally related foundations. Each recipient was recognized for its justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion-related programs and initiatives as well as its efforts to enhance student success.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the award announcement, AGB recognized the HCC Foundation Board of Directors for &quot;investing in community essentials to shape a strong future&quot; amidst a fluctuating market. Namely, the HCC Foundation board prioritized equity by increasing investments in its Student Emergency Fund, established the Bienvenidos Scholarship for Latinx students, and secured support from philanthropic partners to combat food insecurity on campus. The board also prioritized its racial makeup; developed orientation and mentor programs for board members; and created a strategic memorandum of understanding to align its efforts with the needs of the college.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Recipients of the 2023 awards will be honored at AGB's Foundation Leadership Forum Jan. 29-31 and National Conference on Trusteeship, April 2-4.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Having the HCC Foundation recognized by AGB for the efforts we have been making is a very exciting event,&quot; said Corey Murphy, chair of the HCC Foundation board and president of First American Insurance in Chicopee. &quot;Keeping a clear focus on supporting the college in its mission and helping our students overcome barriers has allowed us to adapt to the new challenges both face. It is so rewarding to be able to work with so many people on such a worthy cause, and to be honored with the Nason Award is a great tribute to our efforts.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that works to advance the college's vision as an institution of academic excellence known for helping students overcome barriers to success. Founded in 1968 as the Friends of Holyoke Community College, in response to a devastating fire that forced the college to rebuild on a new campus, the Foundation has been a strategic partner of the college ever since and now manages assets of more than $20 million, the largest community college foundation endowment in Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;Over the years, the HCC Foundation has awarded more than $10 million in scholarships to deserving students while also helping the college build key academic facilities, including the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, the Center for Health Education and Simulation, and the&amp;nbsp; HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Nason Award is named for higher education leader John W. Nason, who served as the chair of the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council and helped more than 4,000 interned students continue their college studies across the nation during World War II.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation Board of Directors was selected alongside the Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees, the Texas Christian University Board of Trustees, the Utah State University Foundation Board of Directors, and the Xavier University of Louisiana Board of Trustees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Strategic governing boards play a vital role in assuring the value and vitality of higher education,&quot; said Henry Stoever, AGB president and chief executive officer. &quot;We are grateful for these boards' contributions to creating a more just, equitable, and inclusive environment for all students, and we hope that their efforts will inspire more boards to hone their strategic thought partnership with chief executives and leadership teams. I am impressed by the achievements of our honorees, and I look forward to their future strides in promoting student success - for all students.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;AGB is the nation's premier organization advocating strategic board governance in higher education. TIAA is a Fortune 100 financial services organization dedicated to helping its clients pursue financial well-being.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;HCC Foundation board chair Corey Murphy, left, auto dealer and HCC Foundation board member Gary Rome, HCC student Carolina Pena, and President Christina Royal hold a ceremonial donation check from Rome at his Hyundai dealership in Holyoke in May 2021. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18587" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/from-the-heart" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="193|65" FileName="x18587.xml" Name="From the Heart" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/Red-JoeWright_web.jpg" Title="From the Heart" Abstract="From The Connection, the HCC college magazine: HCC mourns the passing of Joseph Wright '54, alum, trustee, HCC Foundation founder, donor, community leader." ThumbnailAltText="Joseph Wright '54" IntroCopy="HCC mourns the passing of Joseph Wright '54" Date="2023-01-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC alums Angela and Joseph Wright '54&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Angela-and-Joe-Wright-MR.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDITOR'S NOTE: This story also appears in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Documents/Publications/AC/AC_FA22_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Fall 2022 Connection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Fall 2022 issue of The Connection&lt;/a&gt;, the HCC college magazine.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By DOUG SCANLON&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Servicemen's Readjustment Act, also known as the G.I. Bill. With its passage, thousands of World War II veterans who otherwise could not have afforded college now had the opportunity to attend.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of them was Joseph T. Wright of Northampton, Mass. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the war, Wright had served in the U.S. Air Force. In 1952, using the G.I. Bill (and under the guidance of President George Frost), Wright enrolled at Holyoke Junior College. That began a 70-year relationship with the school - now HCC - that ended on April 24, 2022, with his death at the age of 92.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Joe's impact on HCC is immeasurable,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation. &quot;I remember him saying that his heart belonged to HCC. In so many ways, Joe was the heart of HCC. He brought incredible joy and passion to his service as a board member, donor, and alum. In the 75-year history of the college, Joe Wright stands out.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Indeed, Wright poured his heart into everything he did. During his first year at HJC, he was elected to student council; sophomore year, he served as president. He served as co-editor of Latch Key, the college yearbook, and participated in the annual variety show. At graduation in 1954, he was awarded the William Whiting Prize for excellence in public speaking and the Stanley Ross Prize for outstanding citizenship. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most importantly, he found his heart at HJC - classmate Angela Cataldo '54, whom he married and whose hometown of Holyoke he adopted. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They were a match from day one,&quot; said Frances Kane '56, a member of the HCC Foundation Board of Directors and a longtime friend. &quot;They were just a great couple, and they never left Holyoke.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After finishing school and getting married, Joe and Angela Wright built their new home in Holyoke and raised three children there. Wright began to work for his father-in-law, Frank Cataldo, founder of the Food Mart chain of grocery stores. As senior vice president, Wright oversaw the construction and growth of the supermarket chain to more than 40 stores in western Massachusetts and Connecticut. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Joe had 5,000 employees at Food Mart, and he knew everybody - knew their first names, knew their kids' names,&quot; said Angela. &quot;I still meet people on the street all the time who comment on what a joy it was working for Joe.&quot; &amp;nbsp; Through the years, the Wrights became even more embedded in city affairs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When someone mentions Holyoke, the two people I think of are Angie and Joe Wright,&quot; said Paul Boudreau '67, former member of the HCC Board of Trustees and the HCC Foundation Board of Directors, and longtime friend of the couple. &quot;They just don't make people like Joe and Angie anymore - the commitment, the devotion, the motivation to give up their time and parts of their life to make where they live a better community. That's what made them so unique.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wright served on numerous boards and committees in Holyoke. Angela recalls many nights during bad snow storms when her husband, as commissioner of Public Works, would ride in one of the city's plows to ensure the streets were clear and safe. In particular, she said, her husband wanted to be certain local doctors could respond to calls when needed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In January 1968, after the fire that burned HCC's main building, the former high school on Sargeant Street, Wright trudged through the charred remains with his mentor, HCC president George Frost, searching for whatever files could be salvaged. (Many of those scorched documents survive to this day in the archives of the HCC Library.) &lt;img alt=&quot;Joe Wright's 1954 yearbook photo&quot; height=&quot;354&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/Joe-Wright-Yearbook-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;float: right; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wright and Frost were determined to keep the college in Holyoke when such an outcome was far from assured. Frost tapped Wright for help organizing local business, education, and civic leaders to raise money for a new HCC campus. The success of the nonprofit he co-founded, Friends of Holyoke Community College (later to become the HCC Foundation), saved the school and proved Wright's knack for fundraising. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When Joe believed in a product, he could convince you to buy it,&quot; said Kane. &quot;And he believed in the product of whatever he was fundraising for. If he was involved, he was 100 percent in.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wright served on the HCC Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2013 and on the HCC Foundation board of directors from its inception in 1968 until 2017, remaining affiliated thereafter as director emeritus. (Angela was also a long-serving member of the HCC Alumni Council.)&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through their efforts, and their own private donations, the Wrights helped build the Foundation's endowment into what it is today - the largest of any community college in Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to his work for HCC, Wright led fundraising efforts for Holyoke Hospital, Blessed Sacrament School, and the United Way, and many other organizations. When Mountain Park, the beloved local amusement park on Mount Tom, was closing, the Wrights organized a campaign to save the Merry-Go-Round and relocate it to Holyoke's Heritage State Park, where it remains. At the time, they even volunteered to help paint the horses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wright was always curious and engaged. According to Angela, when their son Joe entered the U.S. Naval Academy, Joe studied up on the Navy. When their daughter, Jo-Ann Davis, started practicing labor law, he began learning about labor law. If he became friends with a doctor, Wright wanted to learn everything there was to know about their field of practice. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He had a passion for traveling the world and meeting people, learning how they thought,&quot; said Sue Ellen Panitch, a former HCC trustee and current member of the HCC Foundation board, &quot;and he had a remarkable ability to draw them out.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Providing monetary support to the college was never enough. Wright was also an unflinching advocate for HCC and never forgot everything George Frost had done for him when he was starting out as a student. During an interview about the 50th anniversary of the HCC Foundation for the spring 2019 issue of The Connection, Wright recounted what he told HCC students through the years: &quot;Never forget the opportunity you got here that laid the foundation for the rest of your life.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In that article, Wright credited HCC for preparing him for transfer to Boston University and launching his career in retail, from which he retired as executive vice president of the New England division of the Waldbaum's supermarket chain. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over eight decades, Wright's devotion to HCC never wavered. Once, during a meeting with a friend from B.U., he brushed aside any notion of donating to his other alma mater. &quot;Don't send me any appeals,&quot; Wright told his former classmate. &quot;My heart belongs to Holyoke Community College.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wright had HCC's heart as well. In 1984, the college honored him with a Distinguished Service Award at Commencement and did so again along with Angela in 2003, when they delivered a joint Commencement address. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Joe Wright may be gone but his many contributions to HCC live on through the three scholarships he and Angela set up through the HCC Foundation: the Elena and Frank Cataldo Scholarship (for business students); the Rosemarie Cataldo Fitzpatrick '56 Scholarship in Nursing; and the Joseph and Angela Wright Scholarship - the first scholarship ever endowed by the HCC Foundation. There are now 165. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Joe was a great guy, who brought his joy of life and his enduring love of family and friends to all of us,&quot; said Angela. &quot;He lived a full life. He really did.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And he will be missed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Joseph Wright '54; (Above) Angela and Joseph Wright.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19211" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-fall-2023" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250214T15:35:45" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x19211.xml" Name="Deans List Fall 2023" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2023/HCC-FA19.jpg" Title="Fall 2023 Dean's List" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize all the students who earned Dean's List honors for the Fall 2023 semester. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Fall Campus" IntroCopy="HCC announces Dean's List for Fall 2023 semester" Date="2024-01-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC fall campus&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2023/HCC-FA19.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. A student is placed on the Dean's List if their G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher. The students listed below have earned Dean's List honors for the Fall 2023 semester.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jacquelyn Chantal Bazelow, Ian Gregory Burns, Samantha Elizabeth Coard, Kendyl Rose Donner, Kiley Dugan, Jenna Marie Gay, Lillian Mallon Kennedy, Daniel J. Lathrop, Hsinju Lu, Patrick Michael Murphy, Elise Mackenzie Nooney, Chelsea Normand, Jillian Smith, Jordan Charles Stallworth, Shelby Stathis, Alina Jane Zalivchii, Zachary Xavier Zollo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sandra Alvarado, Isabella Coleman Baird, Kai Francisco Caban, Carlos Stiven Jovel Cruz, Lexie B. Ephraim, Daniele Weidlich Freitas, Elizabeth Christine Hanlon, Lily Hana Kaufman Harris, Benjamin Haupt, Benjamin Keil, Adam Thomas Kellogg, Bogdan Konev, Jiaoqi Liu, Norma Alexandra Mejia Ayala, Marie Christine Siri, Tenzin Tsering, Nguyen Hai Trieu Vu, Katherine Wang, Virginia Eve Wardlaw.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ashfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Robert Lizotte.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Joseph Baltazar, John William Barrington, Eileen Rosemary Barrington, Nathan Benoit, Christine Victoria Bertone, Amber Ashley Blinn, Riley Jared Breen, Chloe Breton, Aaron Patrick Brown, Alex Joseph Brunelle, Meghan Muriel Carey, Ceren Meryem Cayan, Jacob Daniel Chaisson, Natalie Layne Daigle, Matt Fournier, Hailey Marie Garrow, Olivia Rose Golenski, Joel Daniel Gonzalez, Caterina Clementine Guerin, Lexi Ann Harris, Brianna Jaiden Hauschild, Bridget Clare Hegarty, Chloe Marie Jenks, Morgan Brier Kite, Hailey M. Lamica, McKenna Katherine Martin, David Peter Mastalerz, Caleigh McCormack, Olga Minina, Kassidy Renee Morrissette, Sienna Riley Murch, Justin Allen Pendrick, Hali Jean Race, Kevin J. Reidy, Ebony Ivory Shaughnessy, Elijah Cameron Smith, Dmitri Matthew Weise, Sophia Williams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bernardston:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Molly Ladner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Blandford:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Elizabeth Anne Breau.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brimfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nicole M. Bessette, William St. Marie.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chester:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Noah Alexander Primack, Misty Raye Robitaille.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chesterfield:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Liliana Manley.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amwag Al Jebur, Sara Al-Jebur, Jada Marie Andino, Jasmine Antoine, Dina Artin, Alicia Rose Beaton, Arleen Marie Berrios, Sydney Linda Blanchette, Sophia Ann Bolston, Yalexia Bonilla, Sarah Jamie Buckley, Leah Valerie Cheney, Cher L. Condino, Alana Jane Cooley, Deborah Rose Cruz, Alexzander Noel Delgado, Zachary Taylor Dubreuil, Dylan M. English, Hannah Flowers, Kseniia Allisa Fox, Zoe Marie Fydenkevez I, Joni Michel George, Theodore Joseph Gordon, Gregner Julissa Gotay Quinones, Jenna Nicole Hajdamowicz, Gianna Harris, Kyren Harris, Alexander Ryan Hines, Mariah Holloway, McKenna Rose Houldson, Rebecca A. Jolly, Natalia Lanice Nashi Jones, Iryna Kravchenko, Nicole Y. Kynard, Joshua C. Laxton, Elisabeth Loiselle, Andres Lopez Pozo, Jason Lee Lozado, McKenna Aurore Malanowski, McKallum Shaw Malanowski, Angel Manuel Martinez Lopez, Evan Daniel Montero, Liangelis Kayliana Morales, Kendra Ann Paquette, Emma Claire Pasterczyk, Hanna May Patrick, David Christopher Perez, Renee Pierre, Steven Michael Placzek, Brian Pride, Hailey Shea Prive, Wilmary E. Ramos, Lance Louis Rice, Jenna Marie Adelina Rinvil, Jazmin J. Rivera, Diana Teresa Rivera, Daeshavana Robinson, Dominik Anthony Rodrigo, Alondra Rodriguez-Rios,&amp;nbsp;DeAndra Roy, Amya Justice Ruiz, Breana Rynn, Mohamad Zuhir Sawan, Shalyn Sullivan, Matthew Tyler Terkelsen, Ashley Ivelisse Terron, Nataliia Usach, Glorymar Vallellanes, Carlos David Vasquez, Kyler Joel Viafara, Mykayla Rae Wabnig.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Heather Rose Abourizk, Vincent Thomas Bednarzyk, Andrew Bordoni, Nicolas Paul Brosseau, Nicholas Andrew Clear, Liz M. Colon, Michelle Lynne Coombs, Mason Alexander DiPietro, Thomas Jack Fitzgerald, Ashley Lynn Friel, Tahiadul Hoque, Kendrick Wayne LaFleche, Carissa Laushway, Caitlin Rose Loiselle, Caitlin Elizabeth MacDonnell, Tracy Lynn Martin, Allison Ray Ranger, Kelly Jane Tyler, Nina Halina Yelle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Alexandra Joanne Adams, Sarah Akin, Selah Rotas Axelrad, Nathan Alexander Biddulph, Hind Bourhim, Kyle William Brosseau, Maxime Capitaine, Brenda Lee Carrier, Marlina Christine Devine, Gracelyn Helen Downer, Alexander Lawrence Fisher, Laura Gangne, Cadence Hiller, Assya Houfr, Tiffany Jones, Helen Louise Korczak, McKenzie Rose McCarthy, Nelson Kenneth Murphy, Joseph Leon Penarrieta, Danielle C., Plasse, Sarah Sabo, Amber Slawski, Meghan Genevieve Teague, Zoe Jennelle Thomas, Casey Emma Wagner, Mary-Alice Wieland, Madelyn Elizabeth Wodecki, Akif Edward Yilmaz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Enfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Seunghyun Lee.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Erving:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;James Ryan Leclerc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fall River:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Rachel Lynn Marie Reynolds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Allison Dana Boucher, Emma-Liegh Cook, Mia Kayla-Michelle Johnson, Veronica Sheila Kozak, Courtney Ann Matroni, Alyssa Rondeau, Rowenn Stevens, Jessica Rae Taylor, Anneliese Townsend.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fitchburg:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Briana Lee Marizan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Riley Elizabeth Delano, Fatima Ibrahimi, Aidan Layne Jones, Oliver E. King, Tsultrem Kunsang, Liliana Grace Pollard, Stephanie Marie Raftery, Lindsey Reopel, Barbara Ann Santiago, Edward Charles Sarafin, Jonas Michael Shea, Ephraim Sieber, Megan Marie Tierney.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Framingham:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Holly Colby Tighe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Goshen:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Lauren Williams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Maxwell Alan Anischik, Alexis Haziel Ariza, Irene Bouchard, Jordan Croteau, Kaila Deprey, Tyler Laramee, Paige Lynn Maziarz, Colleen Marie McLaughlin, Nicholas Tyler Menard, Karlie Bridget Moriarty, Thomas Nathan, Sam D. Ortensi, Declan James Otto, Jessica Annette Roy, Diana Swanigan, Amelia Jean Tocchio, Stephanie Danielle Willyard.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Great Barrington:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Ruth Arroyo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Greenfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kate Joanne Boyd, Katherine Ann Guzman, Eva Bliss Pruitt-Dahl, Kya Aliana Ransom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hadley:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jacob Scott Kenney, Grace Koehler, Tenzing Gangpukyigang Kyizom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hampden:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Madison Elizabeth Gallant, Brittany Moreland, Adam Edward Poulin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hatfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Carter James Woodward.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hawley:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Gina Anne Barnhart.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Haydenville:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Colette Rose Piotrowski.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hinsdale:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Rachel Elizabeth Olds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holland:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;John Paul Nash.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Dayshel Erika Allen, Kelsie Anne Bacon, Roselyn Baez, Maya A. Baksh, Emily Bayliss, Fatima Bergman, Dustin Corey Bonnoyer, Kelsy Margaret Brainard, Dawne K. Brown, Maximilian Alexander Bruel, Nancy Virginia Capron, Gabriel Louis Cedeno, Ladeyshka Chavez, Veronica Luisa Colon, Jalen J. Cortes, Alexander Joseph Dumas, Brendan Michael Duval, Alina Rose Fairlie, Marcos Denzel Figueroa, Amanda Freeman, Karyna Gaston-Feliciano, Omarily Gomez, Kaylany Gracia, Brian David Hager, Nicole Louise Henchey, Elijay Jesus Jauridez, Alivia Regan Kaifer, Nuriye Kartal, Zachary Thomas Kent, Stephanie Lorraine Kuplast, Daneisha Luciano, Alezza R. Maldonado, Amanda Maldonado, Oceana Maldonado, Yalexis Marie Martinez, Jose Antonio Mateo, Joseph Nathen Moquin, Taleishka Meiry Morales Babilonia, Yara C. Nevarez-Martinez, Erin Frances O'Donnell, Marianne O'Leary, Steven Joseph Pinkney, Charlotte Price, Cameron Christian Proulx, Mayumi Dalay Ramon, Edil R. Ramsahai, Moira Catherine Reardon, Tatiana Mabel Restrepo I, Crystal Eileen Reyes, Ellen E. Rice, Jessika Mar-lyn Richards, Camryn Rist, Nicole Rodriguez, Adelaida Rodriguez, Jose Emanuel Roman, Katherine Ryan Rousseau, Rebeca Marie Santiago, Jayshalee Santos, Alondra Marie Serrano, Aramis Jadiel Serrano, Olivia Margaret Shaughnessy, Collin Stasinos, Ian Micheal Streciwilk, Aidan Alejandro Sugrue, Patrick John Sweeney, Pablo Kai Tapion, Kara Elizabeth Torres, Yanitza Lee Torres, Marangelly Vargas-Gonzalez, Nilmarie Velazquez, Rachel Joy Westcott, Emily Anne Whitelock.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Huntington:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Danielle Rose Canedy, Caleb Labonte, Dylan Douglass Nicolle, Leah May Wilson.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Indian Orchard:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Cynthia Annete Burgos, Sabrina Cancel, Amanda Marguerite Montalban.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lake Pleasant:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Brady Powell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lee:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Staci Alice Barrett.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leeds:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Haley Elizabeth Miller.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leverett:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Cole Quinlan Perkins, Amelia Ella Starkweather&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;.&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Aiden Dewolf, Sadie Marceau Diana, Binyamin Zev Fenster, Angela Gentile, Robert E Kelley Jr., Aidan Joseph McGeary, Abby Michelle O'Farrell, Alessandro Rocco, Dylan Rodriguez-Shaw.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longs, South Carolina:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Logan Tyler Lapierre.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Faith E. Ackerman, Lorraine T. Askew, Logan Mathew Cognac, Madissyn Rose Dowland, Kyle Gerson Fontoura, Tyler Joseph Goncalves, Daudy Pasquale Guerrero, Burak Ibas, Johnny Jaworski, Kathleen Jett, Hannah Marie Lanzarotto, Abigail Reagan Lavoie, Natalie Mateo, Finn Vaz Mateus, Veronica Mendes, Jennifer Rubidia Molina I, Makayla Grace Nelson, Elsa Shea Ouimette, Olivia Nicole Parker, Sabrina Quiterio, Maria Louisa Racine, Victoria Avalon Sagan, Joao R. Santos, Kayden Morgan Singleton, Nikolaus Soja, Joseph Paul Villano, Joshua Phillip Wenninger, Gabrielle Marie Zebrowski.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methuen&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Rachael Lynn Chapline.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kristal Bready, Madison Amber Farquhar, Kim Marie Harris, Lauren Marie Harris, Sienna Jorja Hebert, Crystal Kenyon, Madison Noelle Milne, Emily Lucille Nadeau, Kristy Marie Piwcio, Emily Danielle Roberts, Jacob Rock, Tyrone E. Wolf.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Montague:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Michaela Ocean Karle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Montgomery:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Autumn Nicole Hamblin&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;New Salem:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Desiree Lee Doane.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;North Hatfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Loni Thibault.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Athena Bogdan, Jesse Knox Conner, Zachary Harold Fox, Kerri Lee Hammersley, Diana Michelle Hernandez, Anthony Scott Knowles, Jacob Kris, James John Loughery Jr., Justin Charles Michaels, Jozelyn Chandara Ne, Linedith Orta-Collazo, Rebecca Gene Tremblay, Nathan William Wack.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Stephanie N. Lupien, Andrea Lynn Roman.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oceanside, California:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Zasha Esther Valentin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Orange:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Thomas John Thibeault.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Nicole Anderson, Chelsea Jean Bigos, Damon Cole Cardenales, Colin William Doktor, Jillian M. Doyle, Joanne Catherine Lavallee, Emily Mcmillan, Andrea Elizabeth Marie Morris, Nichole May Spaulding, Tanner Edwin Wenzel, Jared T. Yetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pelham:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Anna Gloria Clini.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pittsfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Sonia Quizhpi Caguana, Crystal Natalie Villanueva.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ponce, Puerto Rico:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Natalia Nunez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Russell:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Amber Renae Coley, Connor Michael Hourihan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Savoy:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Mystie Ford.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Deerfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Scott William Hoiberg, Makayla Naomi Santos.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Yinia Maria Arce, Angela Rose Bessone, Elise M. Brumer, Daniel Michael Conway, Isaac James Crouch, Kelsey Alison Dearborn, Maxim Gwydion Ferdman-Hayden, Alexandra Mieg Gates, Onix Omar Gonzalez, Martin Fabian Gonzalez-Meyer, Dylan Graveline, Mariangelis Guzman, Cayden Jeffrey Henriques, Reese Melissa Mackenzie, Brady Kyle Nestor, Jacob Ryan Palmer, Mickayla Patruno, Camden M. Pete, Theodore Ferris Reilly, Jessica Yamileth Saravia, Jordyn Cade Sicard, Megan Judith Squire, Dominick Michael Valentine, Stephanie Marie Willemain, Emily Grace Wojtczak.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Benjamin Kenneth Adams, Joseph Robert Bartolucci, Vincent Robert Bartolucci, Olesya Bondar, Laci Enid Chapdelaine, Jessa Mae Craig, Emma Kathleen Czarniecki, Spencer Richard Czarniecki, Kyle Shawn Dale, Emerson William Folta, Wilson Mark Heath, Zeynep Ibic, Brooke Ireland Kavanaugh, Sarah Bree Mason I, Justin Andrew Meunier, Meredith Megan Mielke, Emily Margret Pawlikowski, Shannyn Agnes Samuelson, Jack L. Seney, Gabrielle Dominique St. John, Ava Christine Tellier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kelly Ann Campbell, Kya Lorraine Cummings, Samantha Rae Jannene, Ella Jasmine Kinchak, Elijah Vincent Robinson, Brandon Gregory Schmidt, Ronald Daniel Singh, Alina Viktorchuk, Reiley Donavynne Young.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Ivetteliz Adames, Jorgette Agramonte Garcia, Nyasia Janyce Aguirre, Eric Lamoure Allen, Tatiana Alvarado, Milagros Alverio, Hector Aponte, Astrid Baez, Nancy Baez-Zayas, Kymbur Valerie Baker-Johnson, Dantae Xavier Bates, Jonathan Jospeh Boire, Andrea Marvalyn Brathwaite, Dana Brenman, Basilio Castro Jr., Aura Carolina Chaj Tomas, Aimee Cordero, Matthew Jr Cruz-Guzman, Jennifer Stephanie Cruz-Trejo, Griffin John Daley, Alexis Daniels, Xonaya-Icis Sky Davila, Keyla M. Diaz, Virginia Dones, Ryan Jay Donofrio, Jerry Elicier, Haven Shalom Erb, Caila Fernandes, Janessa Michelle Giraud-Budd, Samantha Gonzalez, Elizabeth June Green, Waylon Harris, Sophia Guiliane Hrycay, Shaniyah Jones, Michael Joseph Langone, Zongyi Lin, Janalis Luna, Aryanna Adalis Major, Brendalee Mangual, Denisse Marie Martinez, Joe'Enthonie Martinez, Riley Mcinnis, Paola Annette Mercado, Joseph Mercolino, Norma Carolina Moreno, Anaya Corinne Ruby Myers, Katieanne Jo Nagel, Kayla Nguyen, Andrew Daniel O'Connor, Marie Osorio, Alexis Grace Ouimette, Eddie Elizabeth Pomeroy, Tania Marie Pultz, Stefanie Alyssa Ramirez, Moises Elias Ramos-Hernandez, Anibella Sylvia Reeves, Benjamin Richards, Jennifer Lee Rivera, Natalya Krystal Rivera, Alejandra Lyanne Rivera, Yarianis Rosado Figueroa, Tashiana Marie Salinas, Sherleymary Santiago, Karen Serna Serna Giraldo, Thania Arie Shinholster, Dakotah Smith, Noah Isadore Staub, Kyle H. Thai, Kristen Beth Thiel, Ninoshka Marie Tirado Davila, Brittany Nicole Trombley, Adriana Teresa Vargas Perez, Anthony Vega, Leeshaynet Velazquez, Karol Villafane, Rylie Michael Wynn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Suffield, Conn.:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Patrick Bucior.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunderland:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Matthew Zachariah Barrows, Natalie Denoronha, Brenda Lee Mckenney, Johnathan Santiago, Sonia Valintina Szala-Krotkov.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three Rivers:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Angela June Tindell-Gula&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Turners Falls:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Colleen Halley Dowd, Grace Lillian Grover.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wales:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Gabryelle Makalyn Fullen, Daniel Bruce Stebbins, Evan Michael Thomas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Shelly S. Bowder, Dylan Michael Chartier, Justin Walter Dauksewich, Kristen Marie Dubuque, Amanda Mae Jacques, Summer Arlene Prevost, Nicole Marie Prue, Anna Belle Turek, Brian Matthew Zylich.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Warren:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Christina Mary Pereira.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Hartford, Conn.:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Larissa Barriento.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Hatfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Rachel Louise Picard.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Mohammed Abather Abdulrazaq, Hussein Zamel Al Haron, Shawq Husham Aljanabi, Kiersten Annette, Mustafa Berke Atayun, Elliott B. Berz, Adria Rose Blaser, Sophia Antoinette Boardway, McKayla Giselle Boman, Eleanor Bonaparte, Andrew Lee Brodkin, Ryan Brady Colbert, Ingrid M. Cubias-Bonilla, Joseph Merrill Desrosiers, Jadalynn Flucker, Hafida Gas, Antonio Foster Horta-Lent, Alicia Marissa Jaundoo, Natalie Elizabeth Jones, Taimoor khan, Ethan Kibbe, Celeste Lapolice-Vautrain, Svetlana Malancha, Abigail Rose Michalek, Madison Tyra Moore, Alyssa Renee Morisset, Conor Eric Neumann, Chelsea O'Neil, Bindiya Patel, Jonathan Reale, Brooke Kelley Richards, Timothy J. Roy, Katherine Elizabeth Ryan, Syeda Urefa Sada, Ariana Marie Santiago, Harrison Sloat, Star Destiny Stratos, Aminata Tamba, Niasia Torres, Julianne E. Velez, Maya Grace Zadie.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Warren:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Melissa Jo Drago.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westborough:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Bhargav Bikash Thakuria.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Alexia Mariah Agosto, Gabriela Artin, Mihails Berezuns, Erin Blake, Olha Borova, Ashley Noelle Brazier, Isabella Rose Brothers, Alyona Amy Brutskaya, Katharine Marie Burzynski, Sarah Elizabeth Circe, Jeffrey Michael Collingwood, Paige Abigail Cortis, Nicholas Albert Couchon, Ryan Victor DeFalco, Katherine Theresa Dengler, Lindsey Kristine Dion, Diana Dovganyuk, William Richard Folsom, Angelica Gavrilov, Christina Manuela Gelmudinov, Caitlyn Gomez, Wandeliz Gonzalez Marrero, Mary Esther Goretskiy, Travis David Guin, Marissa Helms, Noel Winters Herbele, Tahjae Neveah Hernandez, Lizmarie Jimenez Diaz, Leanora Ruth Kirouac, Caleb Martin Konopko, Jill Michele Krueger, Khristina Kukharchuk, Nawal Hassan Langrial, Joshua David Lecrenski, Envii Marie Luciano, Rhys Ruby Maryn, Curran David McKenzie, Michael Steffan Navarro Jr., Paul Ortega, Adareasheia Rose Pinsly, Krista Marie Quaglieri, Darryll Nycole Roberts, Lyla Dawn Roybal, Dianelly Marie Salgado, Bradley Walter Sanders, Lailany Desiree Santa-Gomez, David Tomas Santiago, Sarah Lorraine Shoemaker, Cheyenne Marie Slack, Amy Elizabeth Smith, Logan M. Symmons, Leah Marie Urbanski, Abigail Edith Wescott, Liudmyla Yemelianova, Samuel F. Yesu, Fazna Zakir.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westhampton:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Gallivan Olivia Florek, Emily Danielle Souza.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Niya Envy Carrasquillo, Zachary Alexander Clark, Madison Taylor Coite, Casey Coulter, Malyna Jade Dansereau, Bailey Towne Donovan, Nicholas A. Gentile, Alison Smythe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Williamsburg:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Alivia Kathleen Brisson, Andrew Gordon Delisle, Jessica Lannon Liimatainen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Windsor:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Erin Marie Roch.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Windsor Locks, Conn.:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Rainey Dae Wise&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Worcester&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Manuel Castanon, Lauren Pomrink.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x13057" URL="x13057.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13057.xml" Name="News 2022" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x18475" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/scholarships-2022" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|65|165" FileName="x18475.xml" Name="Scholarships 2022" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/Scholars-Rodriguez-Royal-Connolly-web.jpg" Title="Awardees Celebrated" Abstract="The HCC Foundation awarded a recorded number of scholarships for 2022-2023 – more than 300 – worth close to $400,000 to students. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC student scholar Meagan Rodriguez, President Christina Royal, and alum Mychal Connolly '04 at the Nov. 9 HCC Foundation scholarship reception" IntroCopy="HCC Foundation awards $400K in scholarships" Date="2022-11-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC scholarship awardee and student speaker Meagan Rodriguez at the Nov. 9 HCC Foundation scholarship reception&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/Scholars-Meagan-Rodriguez-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation has awarded close to $400,000 in scholarships to students for the 2022-2023 academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The scholarship awardees &amp;ndash; and the donors who make those scholarships possible &amp;ndash; were celebrated at a Nov. 9 reception in the HCC Campus Center.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, the HCC Foundation awarded 337 scholarships worth&amp;nbsp;close to $400,000 to 239 incoming, current, and transferring HCC students. Many students received multiple scholarship awards.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The HCC Foundation was established over half a century ago in order to keep the dream of an affordable, accessible, high-quality education alive to create opportunities for students of all ages, from all backgrounds, and to inspire those students to achieve their dreams,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director or the HCC Foundation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sbriscia noted that over the last two and a half years, as HCC and the world navigated a global pandemic, nearly 30 new scholarships were established through the HCC Foundation, enabling the Foundation to award more money than ever before.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm honored and humbled to have been a scholarship recipient this year,&quot; said student speaker Meagan Rodriguez, a Springfield resident who is studying veterinary and animal science at HCC. &quot;My time at HCC has been nothing short of transformative. I'm so grateful to have been able to competently navigate academia with the support of my fellow classmates, the phenomenal HCC staff, and the incredible support of the generous donors who see the value of investing in education for others.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other speakers included President Christina Royal HCC alum and donor Mychal Connolly '04, who established the StandOutTruck.com Celeste Berger Annual Scholarship this year.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x18468.xml&quot;&gt;Congratulations to all of this year's recipients ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) HCC president Christina Royal, center, stands with HCC student speaker (and scholarship awardee) Meagan Rodriguez of Springfield, and alumni speaker Mychal Connolly '04 at the HCC Foundation's Nov. 9 scholarship reception. (Above) Scholarship awardee Meagan Rodriguez of Springfield talked about how scholarships have allowed her to further her studies in veterinary and animal science.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18455" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/men-on-boats-advance" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165|226" FileName="x18455.xml" Name="Men On Boats Advance" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-Boats-Waterfall-web.jpg" Title="Irony on the River" Abstract="Despite the title, there are few men and no boats in the HCC Theater Dept.'s fall production of &quot;Men On Boats,&quot; to be presented Nov 17-19 in the Leslie Phillips Theater. " ThumbnailAltText="Actors rehearse a scene from the HCC producton of Men on Boats" IntroCopy="HCC Theater presents 'Men On Boats' Nov. 17-19" Date="2022-11-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A scene from Men on Boats&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-Boats-Waterfall-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite the title, there are few men and no boats in the Holyoke Community College Theater Department's fall 2022 production of &quot;Men On Boats.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;No boats, and no men, hardly,&quot; said the director, HCC theater professor Pat Sandoval.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That is by design.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The play, written by Jaclyn Backhaus, is a &quot;true-ish&quot; retelling of an 1869 expedition down the Green and Colorado rivers and through the Grand Canyon, viewed through a contemporary lens. A historically accurate portrayal would have demanded the 10 explorers in the four boats be played by cisgender white men. According to the playwright's directions, however, &quot;The cast should be made up entirely of people who are not.&quot; She specifically mentions including female-identifying, racially diverse actors, as well as LBGTQ, nonbinary, or others.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We have a wonderfully diverse population at Holyoke Community College, and I wanted to invite anybody and everybody on the spectrum to audition,&quot; Sandoval said.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The result is a 12-member, gender-fluid cast that includes 10 women or nonbinary persons and two men. Only one of the &quot;men on boats&quot; is a man.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's just the way it turned out,&quot; Sandoval said. &quot;I didn't ask anyone who auditioned where they fit in. I just thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to cast the best student-actors and not consider whether they were male or female.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will present &quot;Men On Boats&quot; Nov. 17-19 at 7:30 p.m. in the college's Leslie Phillips Theater with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sat., Nov. 19. The Friday, Nov. 18, show will be ASL-interpreted.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x18409.xml&quot;&gt;See related event, Wed., Nov. 9: Indigenous Voices from the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC student-actor Vesper Soto of Springfield leads the cast as Major John Wesley Powell, the one-armed Civil War veteran who was commissioned by the Smithsonian Institute to captain a nine-member volunteer crew and map the uncharted western terrain, record geological data, and document their encounters with indigenous people.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The play chronicles their adventures &amp;ndash; and misadventures &amp;ndash; along the way.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although the play is not a comedy, Sandoval said the humor in it comes from the irony of a (mostly) non-male and non-white cast playing male characters, as well as the incorporation of contemporary point of views and language. (The characters say &quot;like&quot; and &quot;cool&quot; a lot.)&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The story is more interesting with mostly women, and it's funnier,&quot; Sandoval said. &quot;But the comedy comes from real life as opposed to slapstick or camp.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As for the boats, or lack thereof, Sandoval said some productions of the play have actors wearing them like aprons as they move around the stage, but she and stage designer Matt Whiton decided instead to rely on the audience to imagine them.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I believe the audience comes in ready to believe, and if the actors are doing their part, it works,&quot; Sandoval said. &quot;We imagine them going over waterfalls, and we imagine that they're starving, and we all just believe. When the audience is watching 'Romeo and Juliet,' no one stands up in the theater and yells, 'He didn't really die. Don't worry.' The audience accepts this. So, the first scene in 'Men on Boats' is them on the river, and they've got paddles, and they're paddling, and I believe the audience will go along with it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The cast:&lt;/strong&gt;John Wesley Powell (Vesper Soto&amp;nbsp;of Springfield; William Dunn (Tora Mateo of Holyoke); John Colton Sumner (Virginia Wardlaw of Amherst); Old Shady (Debra Mattoon of Indian Orchard); Bradley (Grace Kelly&amp;nbsp;of Springfield); Seneca Howland (Alison Smythe of Wilbraham); Frank Goodman (Zo&amp;euml; Fydenkevez of Chicopee); Hall (Shaina O'Malley&amp;nbsp;of Easthampton); Hawkins (HCC alum Jayda-Luna Aponte of South Hadley); O.G. Howland/The Bishop (Isabela Rosado of Springfield); Tsauwiat&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;(Juan Carlos Lebron of Chicopee); Mr. Asa (Jocelyn Lopez of Holyoke).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If You Go:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Men on Boats&lt;br /&gt;By Jaclyn Backhaus&lt;br /&gt;Directed by Patricia Sandoval&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke Community College&lt;br /&gt;Leslie Phillips TheaterNov. 17-19, 7:30 p.m.Sat., Nov. 19, 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Tickets available at the door: $10 (general admission); $5 (HCC community); $8 (seniors and non-HCC students)&lt;br /&gt;Call box office at 413-552-2528 to reserve.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18449" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/presidential-search" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x18449.xml" Name="Presidential Search" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-ROYAL-horizontal.jpg" Title="Who's Next?" Abstract="HCC has assembled a 21-member search committee and retained a national consulting firm to help find and hire the college's fifth president. " ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal" IntroCopy="HCC launches search for college's fifth president" Date="2022-11-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC President Christina Royal will retire after the 2022-2023 academic year.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/President-Royal-FA22-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The search is on for the next president of Holyoke Community College.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has assembled a 21-member search committee and retained the Pauly Group, Inc., a national consulting firm that assists in the recruiting and hiring of community college executives. Angela Provart, Pauly Group president, is working directly with the committee. Provart previously assisted the college in the presidential search that led to the hiring of Christina Royal, HCC's fourth president.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In August, Royal, who's been with HCC since January 2017, &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/retirement-announcement&quot;&gt;announced that she would retire&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;after the 2022-2023 academic year. Her last day will be July 14, and she expects to assist with the transition to the next administration.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I realize that a lot of people are paying attention to this search, and they should be,&quot; said search committee chair Eleanor P. Williams, a member of the HCC Board of Trustees and an attorney at MassMutual. &quot;The decision about who will lead HCC is an important one. The committee will put forward a slate of candidates, one of whom will be the next president of the college. We are all grateful to have been chosen to serve on this committee, and we take our responsibility very seriously.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Provart hosted a virtual Town Hall with members of the HCC campus community on Nov. 2 to learn more about the college's needs and expectations. A second Town Hall is scheduled for Wed., Nov. 30, from noon to 1 p.m. for HCC faculty, staff, and students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Williams said the Presidential&amp;nbsp;Search&amp;nbsp;Committee&amp;nbsp;hopes to select a slate of semifinal candidates by March and conduct interviews later that month. Finalists will be invited to visit the college and meet with the&amp;nbsp;Board&amp;nbsp;of Trustees and various campus groups in early to mid-April.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Everyone who interacts with the&amp;nbsp;finalists&amp;nbsp;will have an opportunity to share their feedback,&quot; Williams said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The search committee represents a large cross-section of campus and community stakeholders and includes five members of the HCC Board of Trustees &amp;ndash; Williams, Vanessa Smith, Ted Hebert, Ivonne Vidal, and Robert Gilbert, the board chair; five HCC faculty members; eight HCC staff members representing various campus constituencies; one HCC Foundation trustee; and one student; as well as Anthony Soto, superintendent of Holyoke Public Schools; and Robert Awkward, assistant commissioner for Academic Effectiveness at the Massachusetts Dept. of Higher Education.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information on the search for HCC's fifth president will be posted on the college website.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: President Christina Royal&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18416" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/top-100-women" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x18416.xml" Name="Top 100 Women" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/President-Royal-FA22-web.jpg" Title="Leading by Example" Abstract="For the second year in a row, HCC has been named one of the top women-led businesses in Massachusetts by The Women's Edge, a nonprofit that supports female business leaders." ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal" IntroCopy="HCC again named to list of top 100 women-led businesses in Mass. " Date="2022-10-31" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Christina Royal&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/President-Royal-FA22-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the second year in a row, Holyoke Community College has been named one of the top women-led businesses in Massachusetts by the &lt;em&gt;Boston Globe Magazine&lt;/em&gt; and The Women's Edge, formerly the Commonwealth Institute, a nonprofit that supports top female business leaders.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 22nd&amp;nbsp;annual list of the &quot;Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts&quot; was &amp;nbsp;announced in Boston Friday at a breakfast celebrating the 100 organizations and their leaders. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They run health care companies, universities and colleges, financial institutions, nonprofits, construction firms and more &amp;ndash; they're the women power players of the Bay State,&quot; says the introduction to the Top 100 list. &quot;Responsible for thousands of employees and billions in revenue, the women featured here drive the Massachusetts economy. Taken together, the 100 companies on this list represent a total revenue and operating budget of $75.9 billion.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC and its president, Christina Royal, were ranked number 61. The full list was published Oct. 30 in the annual&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/10/28/magazine/top-100-women-led-businesses-massachusetts-2022/&quot; title=&quot;Women and Power&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Women &amp;amp; Power&quot; edition&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;of the&lt;em&gt; Globe Magazine&lt;/em&gt;. Royal was also one of 11 executives from the list featured in a separate article, &quot;'Resist the temptation to fit the mold': Eleven leaders share insights on cultivating diverse, dynamic teams in challenging times.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For me, as a multiracial, queer woman, these identities are not separate from me as a leader, so I encourage everyone to be as authentic as possible,&quot; Royal said in response to an interviewer's question about diversity in leadership. &quot;I encourage people to resist the temptation to fit the mold of others and instead recognize that their individuality is their gift to others in this world.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jeffrey Hayden, HCC's vice president of Business and Community Services, nominated HCC and President Royal for the award.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;President Royal's outstanding leadership has led to innovation, flexibility, and a singular focus on student success,&quot; Hayden said.&amp;nbsp;&quot;This recognition confirms her commitment to excellence and the development of collaborations that support student advancement.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal has been the president of HCC since January 2017. She is the fourth president in HCC's 75-year history and the first woman to hold that office.&amp;nbsp;In August, she announced that she will retire from HCC after the 2022-2023 academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement, accepted the award Friday on behalf of HCC and President Royal, who was traveling in Israel as part of a delegation of educators from the United States.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There was so much joyful mingling and networking as hundreds of us gathered to celebrate these remarkable women leaders,&quot; Sbriscia said. &quot;During the breakfast, we were honored to hear from Governor Baker, who used his time at the podium to celebrate the amazing work of his wife, First Lady Lauren Baker. Being surrounded by inspirational&amp;nbsp;women leading organizations across the Commonwealth was a great way to begin a Friday morning.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also making the Top 100 list at number 59 was HCC alum and&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/linda-markham&quot;&gt;Westfield-native Linda Markham '83&lt;/a&gt;, president of Cape Air and Nantucket Airlines, based in Hyannis, Mass.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To compile the list, The Women's Edge examined revenue or operating budgets for each organization as well as other variables, including number of full-time employees in the state, workplace and management diversity, and innovative projects.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: President Christina Royal in her office at HCC&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18388" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/urban-trees-slp" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x18388.xml" Name="Urban Trees SLP" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-Trees-Tablet-ewb.jpg" Title="Botany on the Beat" Abstract="As a service learning project this fall, botany students at HCC are helping Holyoke assess the health and diversity of city trees as part of an urban forest equity plan.  " ThumbnailAltText="Botany student Lauren Perkins take a photo of a pin oak along Northampton Street in Holyoke." IntroCopy="HCC students assess city trees for service learning project" Date="2022-10-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Tyler Edwards, left, ane Timothy Corser measure the diameter of a maple tree on Northampton Street in Holyoke .&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-tree-measure-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One recent Friday, a dozen or so botany students from HCC gathered downtown to size up some trees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Everybody needs a tablet, a tape measure, and a map,&quot; said associate professor Sage Franetovich, their teacher.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fully equipped, the students split off in small groups and headed down the sidewalks along Northampton Street not far from Holyoke High, where they began examining pin oaks, crab apples, sugar maples, catalpa, and the other city trees marked on their maps. They used the tablets to take photos, a phone app to help identify the species, their studied judgment to evaluate the relative health of each one, and special tape measures to calculate diameter, a key metric in the forestry industry.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Diameter tells us a little bit about how big the trees are and how wide the canopy spread is, which helps us determine heat mitigation for the trees,&quot; Franetovich explained.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Heat mitigation is what this exercise was all about.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a service learning project this fall, Franetovich's General Botany class volunteered to participate in an urban tree inventory for the city of Holyoke as part of its&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.holyoke.org/ufep/&quot;&gt;Urban Forest Equity Plan&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The city's goal is to assess the health and diversity of its trees and plant more where they are lacking,&quot; said Franetovich, &quot;because trees do so many good things for people. They not only help with mental health, they improve air quality, and, most importantly, they allow for climate resilience. In downtown Holyoke, there are heat islands in some areas because of a lack of trees. On a hot day when the sun beats down on the pavement, the heat doesn't really have anywhere to go. Tree coverage helps a lot with that. So this is climate justice in action &amp;ndash; with trees.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before they got started, Franetovich's students had a project orientation from Yoni Glogower, the city's director of Conservation and Sustainability.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Completing Holyoke's public tree inventory is one of the major recommendations that came out of our 2021 Urban Forest Equity Plan,&quot; said Glogower, &quot;and The Office&amp;nbsp;of Conservation and Sustainability was grateful to work with professors at Holyoke Community College and Smith College to help collect measurements. The city will use the information gathered by students to better understand the character of our urban canopy, make&amp;nbsp;data-informed management&amp;nbsp;decisions, and track progress over time.&amp;nbsp;This is community science at its best and we hope it can be sustained as an ongoing collaboration with HCC and Smith.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So far, Franetovich's students have spent two Friday lab periods on the city streets, collecting data that they are sharing with the botany students at Smith who are also working on the urban tree inventory project.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We share equipment, we share maps, and we divvy up the area,&quot; said Franetovich.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They also share at least one student, HCC alum &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/point-scholarship&quot;&gt;Avery Maltz '22&lt;/a&gt;, who majored in botany at HCC and worked closely with Franetovich as caretaker of the &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/avery-maltz&quot;&gt;HCC Greenhouse&lt;/a&gt;. Maltz is now a lab assistant in the botany program at Smith. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's really nice to see that connection,&quot; Franetovich said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Above) Botany students Tyler Edwards, left, and Timothy Corser measure the diameter of a maple tree for an urban tree inventory project. (Thumbnail) Lauren Perkins takes a photograph of a pin oak.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13539" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/trunk-or-treat-2022" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165" FileName="x13539.xml" Name="Trunk or Treat 2022" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/x-HCC-TT-BumbleB-web.jpg" Title="Trunk or Treat Again" Abstract="HCC will hold its annual. community Trunk or Treat pre-Halloween celebration on Friday, Oct. 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. in parking Lot M." ThumbnailAltText="A scene from Trunk or Treat 2021" IntroCopy="HCC to host annual Trunk or Treat pre-Halloween celebration Oct. 28" Date="2022-10-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Veterinary program hands out treats at HCC &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/x-HCC-TT-Bones-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visitors to Holyoke Community College on Fri., Oct. 28, can expect to see the usual ghosts, witches, and ghouls, along with an assortment of characters from their favorite children's movies, games, and TV shows as the college celebrates Halloween with its annual Trunk or Treat event.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than 40 HCC departments, programs, and student clubs, as well as community groups and area businesses have already signed up to decorate vehicles for this year's event.Trunk&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;Treat&amp;nbsp;runs from 5 to 7 p.m. in Parking Lot M in front of the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation on the main HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last year, organizers estimated that some 2,000 to 3,000 children &amp;ndash; plus their parents &amp;ndash; attended. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Trunk or Treat at HCC is always a big hit,&quot; said Sheila Gould, program director of HCC's Early Childhood Education program, one of the organizers and sponsors. &quot;This year we are in a new parking lot &amp;ndash; Lot M &amp;ndash; which is larger and has better lighting than the one we've used in previous years. This year we're also giving out special HCC Trunk or Treat bags to the first 1,000 children who show up.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year's trunk sponsors from HCC include the Education Dept., Student Engagement, Veterinary and Animal Science, Dance Club, ASL Club, Japanese Anime Club, C.A.M.O. Club, Radiologic Technology, El Centro, Student Records, Early Childhood Grants Initiative, Culinary Club, Business Dept., President's Cabinet, Disney Club, Nursing Dept., Student Senate, STEM Club, Latinx Empowerment Association, Psychology Club, Radio Club, Animation Club, and Dungeons &amp;amp; Dragons Club.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From the community: Dean Technical High School Hawks, Holyoke Police Dept., Berkshire Hathaway, Valley Opportunity Council, YWCA, Mass. Dept. for Children and Families Holyoke, Positive Regard Network/Center School, NexGen Roofing, Elms College: The Teachers' Lounge, Holyoke Credit Union, Y Kids Learning Center, Girls Inc. of the Valley, and Holyoke Public Schools-Early Childhood program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trunk themes change every year. For 2022, they include crayons, rubber ducks, happy clowns, a witch's house, haunted house, Jurassic Park, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hungry Hungry Hippos, construction, Hocus Pocus, Paw Patrol, bones, Encanto, Star Wars, spooky fun prom, M&amp;amp;M's, Frozen, Ratatouille, Disney villains, Muppets, Mary Poppins, Spiderman and Marvel superheroes, outer space, pumpkin patch, Alice in Wonderland, the Multiverse, and Ghostbusters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prizes are awarded to vehicle sponsors in various categories including Best Executed Theme, Scariest&amp;nbsp;Trunk, Best Costumes, and Most Original.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each vehicle will be handing out free Halloween&amp;nbsp;treats&amp;nbsp;and also have non-food items for children with dietary restrictions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trunk&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;Treat&amp;nbsp;at HCC started in 2017 as a safe, fun, and early alternative to traditional trick-or-treating&amp;nbsp;on Halloween night. Rather than going door to door seeking Halloween&amp;nbsp;treats, children go &quot;trunk&amp;nbsp;to&amp;nbsp;trunk&quot; to collect their candy, visiting cars decorated with seasonal themes and familiar stories and characters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event is free and open to the public and will be held outdoors, rain&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;shine. Children must be accompanied by an adult.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13494" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/prsa-conference" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|193|165" FileName="x13494.xml" Name="PRSA Conference " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-HHM-PR-flag-web.jpg" Title="Puerto Rican Futures" Abstract="HCC and STCC are co-hosting the 2022 conference of the Puerto Rican Studies Association, which expects to draw more than 200 scholars and others for the three-day event, Oct. 14-16. " ThumbnailAltText="Staff from the El Centro program at Holyoke Community College celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month beneath a Puerto Rican flag during a campus fiesta on Oct. 5." IntroCopy="Puerto Rican Studies Association conference free to HCC and STCC communities" Date="2022-10-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Staff from the El Centro program at Holyoke Community College celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month beneath a Puerto Rican flag during a campus fiesta on Oct. 5.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-HHM-PR-flag-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Moriviv&amp;iacute; is a medicinal perennial native to the Caribbean and Latin America.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Known by many names &amp;ndash; &quot;touch me not,&quot; &quot;live and die,&quot; &quot;shame plant,&quot; &quot;humble plant,&quot; &quot;sensitive plant,&quot; and &quot;shy plant'' &amp;ndash; the moriviv&amp;iacute; grows under the shade of bushy trees and in full sun, produces pink blossoms, and appears dead only to revive when a source of agitation is removed or repelled.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Moriviv&amp;iacute; is also the theme the Puerto Rican Studies Associaton adopted this year for its national conference, which is being hosted jointly by Holyoke Community College and Springfield Technical Community College Oct. 14-16.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than 200 scholars, researchers, academics, artists, and others are expected to attend the three-day conference, &quot;Moriviv&amp;iacute;: Activating Puerto Rican Futures.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Thinking through the diverse ecologies of human and non-human resistance that surround us, we offer the moriviv&amp;iacute; as a metaphor for imagining Puerto Rican futures thriving in the diaspora and on the archipelago,&quot; the PRSA executive council states in its conference materials. &quot;We're excited to convene academics, practitioners, professionals, artists, and activists for our conference in Holyoke and Springfield.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The conference, which is free to all students, faculty, and staff at HCC and STCC, features more than 100 sessions, roundtables, and workshops on the subjects of race, natural disasters, debt, displacement, climate, education, labor, politics, citizenship, agriculture, art, resistance, and more.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the sessions, there will be panels featuring professors from Amherst College and HCC as well as an HCC student panel moderated by Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, associate professor of Spanish and coordinator of HCC's Latinx Studies program.&amp;nbsp;Conference participants are also invited to take a bus and walking tour of downtown Holyoke on Sat., Oct. 15, from 1:45-3:45 p.m., led by local historian Maria Salgado-Cartegena.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're so happy to be hosting this year's PRSA conference with our friends at STCC and shining a light on our local communities and their close connections to Puerto Rico,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &quot;It's especially meaningful given that we are also &amp;nbsp;now celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both HCC and STCC are federally designated Hispanic Serving Institutions, which means more than 25 percent of students who attend the two schools identify as Hispanic or Latino. According to the 2010 Census, Holyoke has the largest Puerto Rican population per capita of any city in the continental U.S. &amp;ndash; 44.7 percent.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most of the conference events take place on the HCC campus during the day; STCC will host the PRSA commencement dinner and gala on the evening of Sat., Oct. 15, with a keynote address from B&amp;aacute;rbara Abad&amp;iacute;a-Rexach, professor of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please follow this link to see the conference schedule: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ricanstudies.com/logistics&quot;&gt;ricanstudies.com/logistics&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registration fees, which include breakfast and lunch each day and dinner on Saturday, run on a sliding scale from $30 to $200 based on income. To register, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ricanstudies.com/registration&quot;&gt;ricanstudies.com/registration&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The registration deadline is Fri., Oct. 7.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;Staff from the El Centro program at Holyoke Community College celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month beneath a Puerto Rican flag during a campus fiesta on Oct. 5.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13482" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/banned-books" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|193|165" FileName="x13482.xml" Name="Banned Books" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/Banned-sign-web.jpg" Title="Revered and Reviled" Abstract="Some of the most celebrated books of all time are now on prominent display in the HCC Bookstore in an effort to combat efforts by some U.S. communities to ban them. " IntroCopy="&quot;We've had the display up for the whole month of September, and as long as people are still interested, we'll keep it up.&quot; – HCC Bookstore manager Sara Avery" Date="2022-09-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Table of banned books at the HCC Bookstore&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/Banned-books-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The list includes some of the most revered works in literary history &amp;ndash; and some of the most reviled.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All too often, they are one and the same: books like Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, Toni Morrison's Beloved, Joseph Heller's Catch-22, J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and Alex Haley's Autobiography of Malcom X, to name a few.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And all of them, more than 200, remain banned in 2022 by one or more school districts in the U.S.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Most of them are classics, which is interesting,&quot; says Sara Avery, manager of the Holyoke Community College bookstore.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each year, the American Library Association and other anti-censorship groups promote Banned Books Week, which this year was recognized Sept. 18-24. The HCC Bookstore has had a table of banned books prominently displayed since the beginning of the fall semester, right next to the checkout counter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's been really successful,&quot; Avery said. &quot;It's been a topic of conversation for a lot of people. Some of the books we even pulled off the shelves for our display because they're used in classes here at HCC.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not only have people been buying the books, she said, the display itself has generated a lot of questions from students about why they are banned and by whom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The answers can be found on a spreadsheet list that complements the display &amp;ndash; seven pages of book titles, along with the authors' names, the states where they are banned, and the reason, including:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I Know Why the Cages Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou (Maryland, &quot;likely to corrupt minors&quot;).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates, by Wes Moore (Springfield, Mass., &quot;drug and alcohol use&quot;)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare (Washington, &quot;vulgar language and sexual innuendo&quot;)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale, by Art Spiegelman (Tennessee, &quot;swear words and nude figures&quot;)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Avery said she does not intend to remove the display any time soon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We've had it up for the whole month, and as long as people are still interested in it, we'll keep it up,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: A display of banned books at the HCC Bookstore.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13442" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/reader-raves" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|65|165" FileName="x13442.xml" Name="Reader Raves" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/Readers-Rave-Award-web.jpg" Title="Best of the Best" Abstract="Holyoke Community College was selected as &quot;Best College or University&quot; for 2023 in the annual MassLive/Springfield Republican Reader Raves poll. " ThumbnailAltText="Readers Raves award" IntroCopy="HCC named Best College/University in MassLive/Springfield Republican Reader Raves poll" Date="2022-09-22" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Christina Royal, surrounded by the HCC Cabinet, holds the Readers Raves Award for Best College or University&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/Readers-Rave-cabinet-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College was selected as &quot;Best College or University&quot; for 2023 in the annual MassLive/Springfield Republican Reader Raves poll.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Voting for Reader Raves 2023 began June 5 and by July 31 had logged nearly 57,000 votes in 100 categories, including &quot;Best College or University.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Readers have raved again, and we are celebrating 10 Years of the Best!&quot; the Republican said in its introduction to its Reader Raves 2023 results. &quot;Launched in 2012 as a biannual 'Best Of' poll ... readers were asked to vote for the best of the best in News, Business, Entertainment, Pioneer Valley Life and Sports. Now in its 13th cycle of voting, Reader Raves has continued to grow and evolved from a seasonally based poll to a highly anticipated and beloved celebration honoring the 'Who's Who' of local businesses in Western Massachusetts.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC and other Reader Raves winners will be honored at the annual Reader Raves banquet on Oct. 19 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;While accepting their award, Reader Raves 2023 winners and their guests will enjoy a celebratory evening of food, fun, and plenty of surprises.&quot; according to the Republcan. &quot;So, without further ado, raise a glass as we present and congratulate the 2023 Reader Raves winners!&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: President Christina Royal, surrounded by the HCC Cabinet, holds the college's Reader Raves award for 2023.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13421" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/pickleball" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|2" FileName="x13421.xml" Name="Pickleball " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-Pickleball-2-web.jpg" Title="Now Serving" Abstract="The Bartley Center for Athletics &amp; Recreation at HCC is now open for pickleball, the fastest growing sport in the U.S., after the college recently installed seven new indoor courts." ThumbnailAltText="HCC debuts pickleball courts" IntroCopy="HCC opens seven indoor pickleball courts" Date="2022-09-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC debuts pickleball courts&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-pickleball-1-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation at Holyoke Community College is now open for pickleball five days a week after the college recently installed seven indoor courts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now,&amp;nbsp;for just a $5 per visit fee, any member of the general public can come to HCC to play what has been touted as &quot;the fastest growing sport in America.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're offering the courts and all the equipment &amp;ndash; nets, balls, and paddles,&quot; said HCC president and avid pickleball player Christina Royal. &quot;We have everything here you need to play, and it's all new.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The pickleball courts at the &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/bartley-center&quot;&gt;Bartley Center &lt;/a&gt;are available Mondays through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Courts cannot be reserved in advance but instead are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no pickleball fee for HCC students and other Bartley Center members.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's exciting to create more access to the Bartley Center,&quot; said Royal. &quot;We already have a lot of people that utilize the facilities for basketball or for working out in our fitness room. Here's another way we can open up our campus to the community.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pickleball, which is like a hybrid of tennis, table tennis and badmitton, became possible at HCC after the floor in the Bartley Center gym was redone over the summer. Inserts for existing indoor tennis nets were removed, and&amp;nbsp; permanent pickleball court lines installed.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Tennis is a dying sport at the junior college level,&quot; said Bartley Center director Tom Stewart, who serves on the Board of Regents for the National Junior College Athletic Association. &quot;There are no junior colleges in New England that have tennis anymore. Tennis used to be so popular you couldn't get on a court. Now people are having a harder time getting courts for pickleball, particularly indoors.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal, once a competitive amateur tennis player, started playing pickleball a few years ago at the suggestion of former HCC trustee Julie Pokela. At the time, Royal was looking for a way to get some exercise and relieve some stress from her busy new job at HCC.&amp;nbsp;She found pickleball to be the perfect outlet and a lot easier on her knees than tennis.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I love competitive sports, and I've played them all my life, so to be able to get back into that was really thrilling,&quot; she said. &quot;When I'm interested in something I go full immersion, so I got my own equipment and started playing regularly.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Three years ago, Royal was playing in a pickleball league in Easthampton and invited Stewart to watch.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She said, I'd love to get pickleball courts at HCC,&quot; Stewart said. &quot;The floor was scheduled to be redone anyway. I said, when we redo the floor, we'll put them in.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stewart and Royal both envision the college hosting pickleball leagues and tournaments.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In addition to my own passion for the sport, there's a real opportunity here from an economic development perspective for our region to draw more visitors to the area for pickleball,&quot; Royal said. &quot;That creates all sorts of business opportunities.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although she hasn't tested out the new courts yet, Royal said she plans to and is excited HCC will be able to introduce new players to the game and at a very low cost.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Five dollars is a very low barrier for entry compared to other sports,&quot; Royal said. &quot;I think that is a really important part from a community engagement point of view. I want us to be as consistent with our athletics as we are with other services at the college. We're always thinking about access and affordability. To me, this is another expression of that.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new pickleball courts drew a small crowd the first day they were open in August. One of the players, Barbara Decker of Sunderland, said she usually plays in Amherst. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We've been buying chalk and drawing our own courts,&quot; she said. &quot;This is way better.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Pickleball players try out the new inoor courts at HCC's Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13410" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/upright" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x13410.xml" Name="Upright" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/Upright-group-web.jpg" Title="High-tech partners" Abstract="Holyoke and Springfield Technical community colleges announced a joint partnership with Upright Education to offer job-ready training in high-tech fields. " ThumbnailAltText="Upright announcement group photo" IntroCopy="HCC, STCC announce partnership with Upright Education" Date="2022-09-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Upright group&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/Upright-group-web%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College and Springfield Technical Community College announced a partnership with Upright Education to offer job-ready training in high-tech fields, including software development and design.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In an announcement today, college officials said they were excited to partner with Upright, a workforce training company, to create more technical jobs, including in the growing information technology (IT) sector and skilled labor opportunities for the Western Massachusetts workforce.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The colleges and Upright are offering online educational opportunities for adult learners looking for a new career in technology. No experience is necessary to enroll.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Upright president and CEO Benjamin Boas and the presidents of both colleges participated in a formal announcement at STCC on Tues., Sept. 13.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;STCC is excited to partner with Upright Education to offer short-term certificate programs that will help anyone in Western Massachusetts who would like to change their career or develop technical skills to find jobs in high-demand fields, which includes high tech,&quot; said STCC president John B. Cook said. &quot;This new partnership aligns strongly with STCC's technical mission and helps meet the demand for skilled workers in the region.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC is happy to join in the announcement of our joint partnership with Upright to provide 21st century skills for today's job seeker,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal said.&amp;nbsp;&quot;The development of skills in IT will make our students more ready for the jobs in the future. Upright, HCC, and STCC will help make jobseekers of Western Mass. job ready.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Along with Greenfield Community College, Upright now partners with three different colleges in the Massachusetts area. These partnerships represent Upright's investment in the growing tech sector in the state, particularly surrounding Springfield, which Boston Business Journals ranked &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/springfield-ranked-1-in-the-nation-for-tech-job-growth/&quot;&gt;the #1 city in the country&lt;/a&gt; for tech job growth in 2021.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Massachusetts has received support and resources for its tech sector from major companies in the tech industry, including an annual donation of $500,000 of cloud computing resources from Microsoft. Upright's presence also continues to grow in the Northeast more broadly, where its partnerships include multiple schools in New York and Vermont, and nationally, where it has signed 11 total education partnerships to date.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Adults working hourly jobs want salaried careers where they can work remotely, enjoy a comfortable lifestyle, and reside in a neighborhood that doesn't break the bank,&quot; said Benny Boas, CEO and founder of Upright Education. &quot;Western Massachusetts represents a landscape that is ripe for providing these career opportunities in the growing tech economy. Upright's partnership with Springfield Technical Community College and Holyoke Community College provides direct-to-career pathways for in-demand technology jobs through accessible programs, which don't require industry experience or a college degree.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Upright's full- and part-time boot camps and individual courses currently maintain a job placement rate of 92 percent and offer a 30 percent increase in salary for students coming from prior careers, according to the company.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Expanding services in areas like Springfield supports Upright's mission of stimulating economic growth in areas where large populations of working adults stand to benefit from innovative educational opportunities and skilled training in burgeoning professional fields like software development and designing visual elements on a website and improving user experience and user interface with the website (UX/UI design). Upright is proud to be taking this vital step toward its stated goals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For anyone interested in learning more about these programs, an informational session hosted by the enrollment team will be held on Zoom Thurs., Sept. 22, at noon. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bootcamp-info-session-tickets-414756787717&quot;&gt;Register here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To browse the Upright courses being offered through HCC and STCC, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://bootcamp.hcc.edu/&quot; title=&quot;Link to upright website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;bootcamp.hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://stcc.webflow.io/&quot;&gt;stcc.webflow.io&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13380" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/readers-choice-2022" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x13380.xml" Name="Readers Choice 2022" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/READERS-CHOICE-2022-web.jpg" Title="Best Again!" Abstract="Holyoke Community College has been voted the best two-year college in the Pioneer Valley by readers of the Daily Hampshire Gazette for the 10th year in a row." ThumbnailAltText="HCC students and administrator celebrate HCC's honor as best two-year college in the Daily Hampshire Gazette's Readers Choice Awards" IntroCopy="HCC voted best two-year college for 2022." Date="2022-09-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;2022 Readers Choice Awards&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/READERS-CHOICE-2022-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been voted the best two-year college in the Pioneer Valley by readers of the Daily Hampshire Gazette for the 10th year in a row.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://view.publitas.com/p222-4389/readers-choice-2022/page/14-15&quot; title=&quot;DHG Readers Choice Awards 2022&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See the Gazette's Readers Choice Awards for 2022 ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC students join Sharale Mathis, vice president of Academic &amp;amp; Student Affairs, back left, and President Christina Royal, to celebrate HCC's Readers Choice Award as the best two-year college for 2022.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13362" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cannabis-fa22" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|227|194" FileName="x13362.xml" Name="Cannabis FA22" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/Mill-Town-Agron-web%280%29.jpg" Title="Fall Cannabis Classes" Abstract="The Cannabis Education Center at HCC has announced its fall schedule of cannabis industry training classses, beginning Sept. 10-11 with Cannabis Core: Foundations of the Industry." ThumbnailAltText="Julia Agron, assistant project coordinator for HCC's Cannabis Education Center, tours Mill Town Agriculture, a cannabis culivation company in Holyoke. " IntroCopy="Cannabis Education Center announces fall schedule" Date="2022-08-31" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Julia Agron, assistant project coordinator for HCC's Cannabis Education Center, tours Mill Town Agriculture, a cannabis culivation company in Holyoke. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/Mill-Town-Agron-web%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cannabis Education Center at Holyoke Community College will begin its fall schedule of industry training programs Sept. 10-11 with Cannabis Core: Foundations of the Industry, a two-day, introductory cannabis course.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Additional Cannabis Core programs are set for&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;Oct. 1-2, Oct. 29-30, and Dec. 10-11. All classes meet over Zoom on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cannabis Core program provides an overview of the cannabis industry in Massachusetts and is geared for people looking for general knowledge as they consider a cannabis career. The program is a foundational course and a prerequisite for the CEC's four career track courses: cultivation assistant, extraction technician, culinary assistant, and patient services/retail associate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The CEC is now partnering on its cannabis industry programs with Green Path Training, an accredited RVT - Responsible Vendor Trainer.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Green Path Training brings Responsible Vendor Training to HCC for the first time,&quot; said Julia Agron, the CEC's assistant project coordinator. &quot;This will allow our local and state-wide cannabis businesses to benefit from the highest quality classes available for their current and future employees.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All businesses in Massachusetts licensed by the Cannabis Control Commission are required to provide RVT for their cultivators, managers, and employees involved in the handling and sale of marijuana for adult and/or medical use. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Green Path founder Ellen Brown will be joining the CEC team as one of the instructors for the &amp;nbsp;Cannabis Core: Foundations of the Industry classes. Brown is an award-winning educator and industry leader and U.S. Air Force veteran. For over a decade she has been a pioneer in the cannabis industry, training thousands of students around the world.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Cannabis Education Center is honored and excited to have such a knowledgeable, experienced educator and industry professional join our roster,&quot; said Agron.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Full CEC fall cannabis training program schedule:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cannabis Core: Foundations of the Industry: &lt;/strong&gt;Sept. 9-10, Oct. 1-2, Oct. 29-30, Dec. 10-11&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;(Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Zoom)&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cultivation Assistant:&lt;/strong&gt; Session 1: Sept. 18, Sept. 25, Oct. 2,- Oct. 9; Session 2: Nov. 27, Dec. 4, Dec. 11, Dec. 18. (Sundays, 4:30-6 p.m., Zoom and asynchronous online classes)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Extraction Technician:&lt;/strong&gt; Oct 15, Oct. 22, Oct. 29, Nov. 5&amp;nbsp; (Saturdays 10-11:30 a.m. Zoom and asynchronous online classes)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Culinary Assistant:&lt;/strong&gt; Oct 18, Oct. 20, Oct. 25, Oct. 27, Nov. 1, Nov. 3 6-9 p.m. (Tuesdays and Thursdays, first two classes over Zoom, the rest in-person at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., Holyoke)&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Patient Services/Retail Associate&lt;/strong&gt;: Nov. 5, Nov. 6, Nov. 12, Nov. 13, Nov. 19, Nov. 20 ( Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m - 1 p.m. over Zoom)&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cost of the Cannabis Core training is $599 and career track programs are $799, but scholarships are available to those who qualify.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register, please go to &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.coursestorm.com/category/cannabis-training&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/cannabis-core&lt;/a&gt; or call Julia Agron at 413-335-6540.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cannabis Education Center is a partnership between HCC and Elevate Northeast and based out of HCC's Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development. Elevate Northeast is a Massachusetts-based, women-founded 501(c)(3) nonprofit, created to support the Northeast U.S.'s growing cannabis industry through workforce training, education and advocacy.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information on these and other cannabis industry programs can be found on the Cannabis Education Center's website - &lt;a href=&quot;http://cannabiseducationcenter.org/&quot;&gt;cannabiseducationcenter.org&lt;/a&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;Julia Agron, assistant project coordinator for HCC's Cannabis Education Center, tours Mill Town Agriculture, a cannabis cultivation company in Holyoke.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13342" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/retirement-announcement" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13342.xml" Name="Retirement Announcement" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/President-Royal-right.jpg" Title="Retirement Message" Abstract="A message to the HCC community from President Christina Royal" ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal" IntroCopy="President Royal announces retirement" Date="2022-08-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Dear HCC students, faculty, staff, alumni, and donors,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am writing to share with you that I have decided to retire in my seventh year as president of Holyoke Community College, making this my last academic year. My last day will be July 14, 2023. It has been one of the greatest honors and privileges of my life to serve as the fourth president of this great institution, and now it is time to prepare for the next chapter of my life.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of the greatest responsibilities of any leader is to know when and why to lead an institution and also when and why it is time to leave it. I have spent a considerable amount of time in reflection about this life change, and my 'why' is simple and straightforward: I am seeking expansion and personal growth in the form of new learnings and experiences, and an opportunity to pause and enjoy the present moments.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I still remember the moment in 2016 when our board chair, Bob Gilbert, called to inform me that the board had chosen me as the next president to lead HCC. I was overwhelmed with emotion as I knew in my heart that Holyoke Community College was where I was meant to be. Indeed, I chose HCC as much as HCC chose me. I have been passionate about education since childhood, particularly as a tool for intellectual and spiritual growth, but also as a means to improving one's social and economic mobility. Education has been and remains a very personal endeavor to me and I believe there is no greater approach to transformation than through learning. I have witnessed this at HCC in our classrooms with extraordinary faculty; with staff as they guide students along their path; in students' reflections from service learning projects, honors inductions, when they receive an HCC Foundation scholarship or a letter of acceptance to the four-year institution of their choosing, at Nursing Pinning ceremonies, and in tears of joy at Commencement. Cultivating these transformative experiences for students is what makes our institution truly remarkable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am humbled by and proud of the work we have accomplished together. Among our many milestones over the past several years is our collaborative work to develop HCC's first strategic plan. And now as we start a new academic year, the second iteration of that plan represents a more focused vision and priorities that set our direction for the near future. As a community of learners and educators, we now also have a revised model of shared governance that supports greater inclusion and is representative of HCC today.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are advancing equity across the institution, recognizing that our collective work is a testament to our institutional growth and a reflection of our deep commitment to our students. We are ensuring that every student who comes to HCC can achieve their dreams, in whatever way they define academic success. HCC has acknowledged that racial equity, as well as other forms of equity, is structural and addressing systemic oppression requires an awareness of and a willingness to rectify the shortcomings in ourselves and our approach to the work, in order to embrace a future where our BIPOC students can achieve the same level of success as our white students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We have boldly invested in supporting students' basic needs because we know that academic success requires compassionate support of the whole learner. We created the President's Student Emergency Fund in 2017 to provide financial support to students with unanticipated emergencies that could derail their educational journey. We have subsequently invested in:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Transportation by providing bus passes to every student who needs one.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Food Insecurity by creating the Homestead Market and becoming the first public institution in Massachusetts to accept federal SNAP benefits.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Housing Insecurity by serving as a community connector to help students access available housing resources, including a partnership with the Holyoke Housing Authority.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Childcare by launching the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Program to provide HCC parents with short-term care for their children while they attend a class or access services on campus.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Mental Health by partnering with the Center for Human Development (CHD) to make in-person and virtual mental health services available to HCC students.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We have also faced the most significant pandemic of our lifetime. After absorbing the gravity of this international crisis, what I remember most clearly about March 2020 was the incredible sense of community that emerged in order to keep our students moving forward. Faculty, staff, and students adapted to a world that is now forever changed. We helped our community remain safe during the pandemic, and we became a stronger, more compassionate institution on the other side of this crisis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While we are a regional community college, we continue to pay homage to our roots in Holyoke. We opened the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street, which offers credit and non-credit programming while serving as a community hub and space for events and functions in downtown Holyoke. And on our main campus, we established and expanded El Centro, a center dedicated to meeting the needs of our Latinx students and fostering a greater sense of belonging.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We celebrated 75 years as the oldest two-year college in Massachusetts and we marked the HCC Foundation's 50th anniversary. Both milestones enabled us to reflect on the building blocks of achievement that led to our present success, and to appreciate our beginnings as an institution built by a small staff and faculty teaching at elite schools who wanted to provide an affordable, high quality education to working class citizens. Still, decades later, and with these same principles, we continue to adapt to the changing needs of our students and community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Milestones and achievements will continue throughout this coming academic year, and I look forward to experiencing them with you. I remain committed to supporting the important work of Holyoke Community College and to ensuring a smooth transition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I continue to reflect on the extraordinary resilience of the HCC community. We have seen this resilience time and time again throughout our history. Change, in its many forms, can feel difficult. Yet, in times of change &amp;ndash; from our founding and in recent years &amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp;HCC has been a beacon of light, hope, and opportunity for this community. This is what matters, and it is what I am certain will continue for years to come. I have learned so much at Holyoke Community College, and I have immense gratitude to each of you for allowing me to serve as your president.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With respect and appreciation,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Christina&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13341" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/royal-to-retire" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|65|165" FileName="x13341.xml" Name="Royal to Retire" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-75-Royal-remarks-web.jpg" Title="Royal to Retire" Abstract="In a message to the HCC community, President Christina Royal announced that she will retire from the college after the 2022-2023 academic year. " ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal" IntroCopy="President Christina Royal to retire after 2022-2023 academic year" Date="2022-08-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Christina Royal&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-ROYAL-horizontal.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College President Christina Royal will retire from the college after the 2022-2023 academic year, she annouced today.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her last day will be July 14, 2023.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It has been one of the greatest honors and privileges of my life to serve as the fourth president of this great institution,&quot; she said in a message to the HCC community, &quot;and now is the time to prepare for the next chapter of my life.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal, 50, said she is not leaving HCC for another job and has no specific plans.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;One of the greatest responsibilities of any leader is to know when and why to lead an institution and also when and why it is time to leave it,&quot; she said. &quot;I have spent a considerable amount of time reflecting about this life change, and my 'why' is simple and straightforward: I am seeking expansion and personal growth in the form of new learnings and experiences and an opportunity to pause and enjoy the present moments.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/retirement-announcement&quot;&gt;Read the full text of her message.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal started at HCC in January 2017. She is the fourth president in the 75-year history of HCC and not only the first woman to hold the position but the first openly gay and first bi-racial person to serve HCC as president.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;President Royal's understanding of higher education and the management of higher education has been invaluable to the board and to me personally,&quot; said Robert Gilbert, chair of the HCC Board of Trustees. &quot;She has always known what needed to be done to take HCC to the next level and she involved everyone in the process of moving the college forward.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Presidential search plans will begin immediately.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;President Royal has laid a strong foundation with her Cabinet that will, I have no doubt, successfully carry out the daily activities of the college over this year and beyond,&quot; he said. &quot;The work to advance HCC's mission, vision, and strategic priorities will indeed continue. Without question, higher education as a sector is in for a lot of change as we look to the future, but Dr. Royal has prepared our institution well and has set HCC up for success far beyond her tenure.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before coming to HCC, Royal served as provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. Prior to that she was associate vice president for e-learning and innovation at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland and director of technology-assisted learning for the School of Graduate and Continuing Education for Marist College.&amp;nbsp;She holds a PhD in education from Capella University and a master of arts in educational psychology and a bachelor of arts in math from Marist.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In her announcement, Royal cited some of the milestones of her tenure: working collaboratively to develop HCC's first strategic plan, advancing equity across the institution; and investing in programs to support students' basic needs, such as creating the President's Student Emergency Fund (to provide grants to student facing immediate financial needs), opening Homestead Market (the first campus store in Massachusetts to accept SNAP benefits), partnering with Holyoke Housing Authority (to help students find affordable housing), and launching the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Program (to provide HCC student-parents access to free, short-term care for their children.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other highlights include opening the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street; reopening the Campus Center after a two-year, $43.5 million renovation; establishing El Centro, a bilingual center dedicated to the needs of Latinx students; weathering a global pandemic; and celebrating HCC's 75&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary as the oldest two-year college in Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Change, in its many forms, can feel difficult,&quot; she said. &quot;Yet, in times of change &amp;ndash; from our founding and in recent years &amp;ndash; HCC has been a beacon of light, hope, and opportunity for this community. This is what matters, and it is what I am certain will continue for years to come.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: HCC President Christina Royal&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13338" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/bienvenidos22" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="97|193|165" FileName="x13338.xml" Name="Bienvenidos22" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/Bien-awardees-group-web.jpg" Title="Bienvenidos dos" Abstract="On Sat., Aug. 27, HCC will host its second annual Bienvenidos celebration, a half-day event specifically created for new, returning, and prospective Latinx students. " ThumbnailAltText="Bienvenidos 2021" IntroCopy="A celebration for HCC's Latinx students" Date="2022-08-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Bienvenidos 2021&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/Bien-awardees-group-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will host its second annual Bienvenidos celebration on Sat., Aug. 27.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The half-day event for current, new and prospective Latinx students&amp;nbsp;will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the second floor of the HCC Campus Center, right outside El Centro, the campus hub of support and cultural activities for HCC's Latinx students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think the name in Spanish captures this event perfectly,&quot; said Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n, director of El Centro and a member of HCC's Hispanic Leadership Committee, which organized the event. &quot;Although Bienvenidos means 'welcome,' there's something a little bit dry about the word welcome. Bienvenidos, culturally, is more like a welcome where you grab someone by the hand and lead them into the house. Our Bienvenidos is about seeing our new students and returning students and prospective students and saying, 'You are so welcome here. We are so happy to have you here, and we want to show you that there already exists a community here that wants to help you and support you.'&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event is free and open to all.&amp;nbsp;To register, please to to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/events/bienvenidos&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/bienvenidos22&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bienvenidos will begin at 9:30 a.m. with &quot;Caf&amp;eacute; Con Leche&quot; &amp;ndash; coffee and home-baked Puerto Rican breakfast treats, such as quesitos (flaky pastries filled with sweet cheese), and besitos de coco (a kind of shredded coconut cookie).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Christina Royal will deliver the official Bienvenidos welcome, followed by remarks from Sharale Mathis, HCC's vice president of Academic &amp;amp; Student Affairs, and Col&amp;oacute;n, who will introduce El Centro.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;El Centro is a place for Latinx students to receive wraparound support from the minute they walk into HCC until the day they cross the stage at graduation,&quot; said Col&amp;oacute;n.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Besides Col&amp;oacute;n, El Centro's staff includes two senior community outreach workers, an academic counselor, a financial services advisor, and a clerk, all bilingual and bicultural.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;El Centro is built for Latinx students,&quot; she said. &quot;We're providing a place for wraparound support and also a place to celebrate people's culture. Bienvenidos is specifically for Latinx students because, as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, HCC has a duty to these particular students, to ensure their success.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bienvenidos will include a panel of Latinx alumni talking about their experiences at HCC: Maritza Santiago '15, a clinician at Brightside for Families and Children; Alexandra Santiago '21, an HCC Latinx Studies major now at Westfield State University; and Angel Vargas '22, an HCC computer science major now at UMass Amherst.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After that, HCC Spanish professor Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, coordinator of HCC's Latinx Studies program and co-coordinator of HCC's Honors program, will lead a workshop titled &quot;Placemaking.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lunch is being catered by Sabon Latino, a Dominican/Puerto Rican restaurant in Chicopee with entertainment provided by the music and dance company Bomba de Aqu&amp;iacute;, led by Holyoke's Brendal&amp;iacute;z Cepeda.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Attendees will receive goodie bags filled with school supplies and other items and be eligible for raffle prizes, including a laptop.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please send an email to &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:elcentro@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Link to El Centro email&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;elcentro@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or call 413-552-2052. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC Latinx students attend the first annual Bienvenidos celebration in August 2021.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13331" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/leadership-fa22" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x13331.xml" Name="Leadership FA22" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Tracye-Whitfield.jpg" Title="Leadership Series" Abstract="Trayce Whitfield, executive director of the Coalition for an Equitable Economy, will lead off HCC's fall Women's Leadership Series on Sept. 21, with &quot;Leaning Into the Positive.&quot;  " IntroCopy="HCC's fall Women's Leadership Series begins Sept. 21" Date="2022-08-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Trayce Whitfield&quot; height=&quot;505&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Tracye-Whitfield.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will begin its fall 2022 Women's Leadership Series on Wed., Sept. 21, with presenter Trayce Whitfield, executive director of the Coalition for an Equitable Economy, leading&amp;nbsp;a discussion titled &quot;Leaning Into the Positive.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whitfield will be followed in subsequent months by Michelle Lemoi, chief operating officer of&amp;nbsp;Zora Builders in Newton, Mass.; Christina Royal, president of HCC; and Suzanne Blake, a career coach and consultant based in Medfield, Mass.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All sessions run from noon to 1 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month over Zoom.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During each session, participants will join prominent women leaders for discussions on relevant topics and ideas to help their leadership development. They will also have the opportunity to form a supportive network to help navigate their own careers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This will be the sixth semester HCC has offered this lunchtime series over Zoom, allowing women the opportunity for connection, networking, and professional development at a time and place that is convenient for them,&quot; said Michele Cabral, an adjunct professor of business and organizer of HCC's Women's Leadership Series.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whitfield, the first guest presenter, is the former director of contract sales for HCC's division of Business &amp;amp; Community Services. In 2020, she was honored by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women as a 2020 Commonwealth Heroine.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fall 2022 HCC Women's Leadership Luncheon Series:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sept. 21:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&quot;Leaning into the Positive&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;-&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;Trayce Whitfield, executive director, Coalition for an Equitable Economy&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oct. 19:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&quot;How claiming 'I don't know' opens us up opportunities to bolster confidence!&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;-&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;Michelle Lemoi, chief operating officer, Zora Builders&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nov. 16:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;Growth Mindset&quot;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;- Christina Royal, president, Holyoke Community College&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dec. 21:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;Ask for It and Get It&quot;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;-&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;Suzanne Blake, executive coach&amp;nbsp;The cost of each session is $25.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The full four-session series can be purchased for $75.&amp;nbsp;Please contact Lanre Ajayi, HCC's executive director of Education &amp;amp; Corporate Learning,&amp;nbsp;at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:lajayi@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;lajayi@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;if pricing is an issue.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registration will open soon at:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.coursestorm.com/category/women-s-leadership-series&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://hcc.coursestorm.com/category/women-s-leadership-series&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1660663380935000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0wcSQeRLMAtmaRC3xMolhb&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/womens-leadership&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Space is limited, so advance registration is required.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Trayce Whitfireld of Springfield will be the first guest presenter at HCC's fall 2022 Women's Leadership Series.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13310" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/courses-of-distinction" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3" FileName="x13310.xml" Name="Courses of Distinction" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/Three-comp.jpg" Title="Courses of Distinction" Abstract="Three members of the HCC faculty were recently recognized with awards from Massachusetts Colleges Online for their innovative approaches to remote learning. " ThumbnailAltText="Sage Franetovich, Geoffrey Cunningham, Lisa Mahon" IntroCopy="Three HCC faculty members recognized for innovative teaching" Date="2022-07-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sage Franetovich, Geoffrey Cunningham, Lisa Mahon&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/Three-comp.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Three members of the Holyoke Community College faculty were recently recognized with 2022 Courses of Distinction awards from Massachusetts Colleges Online: Geoffrey Cunningham (music), Sage Franetovich (biology), and Lisa Mahon (English).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;MCO is a collaborative of public state higher education institutions involved in the design, delivery, management, and assessment of online, blended, and other technology-mediated learning formats. The Courses of Distinction Awards recognize faculty whose course designs and practices best exemplify online education's potential to enhance teaching and learning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Franetovich and Mahon received awards in the &quot;online asynchronous&quot; category, Franetovich for General Biology I and Mahon for English Composition II.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The pandemic pushed me to learn new ways to engage with my students,&quot; said Franetovich, who lives in Ashfield.&amp;nbsp;&quot;I used virtual labs and a lab kit that includes a microscope so students could interact with biology in multiple ways.&amp;nbsp;With the funding from the CARES Act, the microscope kits were free for students and they could keep them.&amp;nbsp;This put over 650 microscopes into the hands of our students.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I had never taught online until the pandemic forced me to,&quot; said Mahon, a resident of Easthampton and coordinator of HCC's Service Learning Program.&amp;nbsp;&quot;I discovered that Kaltura videos, especially video quizzes, could allow to me to deliver course material in an engaging way on par with my face-to-face classes.&amp;nbsp; I also discovered that Google docs could both offer students a way to collaborate in their writing and also &amp;ndash; with Google slides &amp;ndash; students could create a repository of shared resources to draw from for their essays. &quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cunningham, of Pittsfield, earned his award in the category of &quot;open education&quot; (incorporating free online textbooks and other material) into his Music Theory I class.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Like many, for me the pandemic brought a lot of new challenges to my work as a teacher,&quot; said Cunningham. &quot;One of the bright sides of it all has been the additional training and experience with technology and distance-learning strategies, as well as the overall intention and effort to expand accessibility wherever and whenever possible. In researching the ever-evolving OER resources, we discovered a music theory textbook that we adopted and integrated into our courses. This results in a zero-materials cost for the four-semester sequence of classes. It means big savings in the end for our music students.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Sage Franetovich, Geoffrey Cunningham, Lisa Mahon&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13304" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/free-chw-training" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|194|357" FileName="x13304.xml" Name="Free CHW Training" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CHE-FA19%280%29.jpg" Title="Free CHW Training" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is now accepting applications for its free community health worker training and apprenticeship program. Classes start in September. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC's Center for Health Education &amp; Simulation" IntroCopy="Free HCC Community Health Worker training program begins in September" Date="2022-07-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC CHE&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CHE-FA19%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is now accepting applications for its free Community Health Worker training and apprenticeship program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program begins in September&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;and is tuition free thanks to a federal grant HCC received in 2020.The purpose of the four-year, $1.89 million grant, awarded in 2020 from the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) is to increase the number of CHWs qualified to help children and families affected by opioid use. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HRSA's Opioid-Impacted Family Support Program supports training programs like HCC's CHW program that enhance and expand paraprofessionals knowledge, skills, and expertise.&amp;nbsp;The training involves college level coursework during the first year, as well as supervised field work experience at Behavioral Health Network in Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classes are held in person at HCC and require basic computer proficiency and literacy skills.&amp;nbsp;After the first year, students can apply for a full-time, paid apprenticeship placement &amp;ndash; the first of its kind in western Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the pre-apprenticeship training at HCC, students take two core Community Health Worker classes across two consecutive semesters.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The HCC Community Health Worker Apprenticeship Program is an initiative that offers free training for people interested in pursuing community health and human services,&quot; said Tina Tartaglia, CHW project coordinator. &quot;There is a specific focus on teaching students&amp;nbsp;how to&amp;nbsp;support children and families affected by opioid use and substance use disorders.&amp;nbsp;Students with lived experience are encouraged to apply.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the third year of the four-year grant, which aims to train 25 individuals as CHWs each year. The grant also provides stipends to students as incentives to complete the program and seek employment in the field.&amp;nbsp;Students who enter an apprenticeship after they finish training are eligible for an additional annual stipend of $7,500.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;COVID-19 has made clear how essential community health workers are in addressing the wide range of physical, behavioral and mental health issues faced by members of our community,&quot; President Royal said in 2020 after the HRSA grant was awarded. &quot;Through this program and with our partners, we will not only have the ability to support more families struggling with substance use, but we will also be creating more jobs in a sector central to our region's economic growth.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's partners in the grant include Behavioral Health Network, Holyoke Health Center, and the MassHire Hampden Country Workforce Board.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information or to apply, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/foundations-of-health/community-health-worker-apprenticeship-program&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/chw-free&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC's Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation on Jarvis Avenue.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13294" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/directly-connected" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165|225" FileName="x13294.xml" Name="Directly Connected" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-AIC-SHAKE-1-web.jpg" Title="Direct Connection" Abstract="HCC students who transfer to AIC will now automatically receive a $4,000 scholarship, in addition to earned merit scholarships, before any need-based aid is awarded. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal shakes hands with AIC president Hubert Benitez at  June 23 signing at HCC." IntroCopy="HCC signs transfer pact with AIC" Date="2022-06-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal and AIC president Hubert Benitez sign an agreement between the two colleges. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-AIC-SIGNING-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC and American International College have signed an articulation agreement formally establishing a close academic relationship between the two colleges.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This accord between HCC and AIC aligns academic programs that enhance the seamless transition of HCC graduates and qualified candidates from HCC and promotes a smooth, successful transfer to AIC.&amp;nbsp;This agreement offers time and cost savings for students by recognizing the coursework pursued at the community college and demonstrates the ongoing commitment of both AIC and HCC to the community and its students, by ensuring that educational pathways are created for all those who wish to consider a degree in higher education.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Administrators from the two colleges met at HCC on June 23 to sign the agreement. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are excited to develop more transfer opportunities for our HCC students by expanding our partnership with AIC and providing students with even more pathways to a four-year degree,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At AIC, the program is referred to as Direct Connect. Direct Connect transfer students automatically receive a $4,000 scholarship, in addition to their earned merit scholarship, before any need-based aid is awarded. This means Direct Connect students can earn up to $18,000 in financial gift aid &amp;ndash; not loans &amp;ndash; before being evaluated for additional need-based aid. And, unlike some other transfer articulation agreements, the Direct Connect program at AIC allows students to study and major in their area of interest while attending HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are honored to have entered into a partnership with Holyoke Community College,&quot; said AIC president Hubert Benitez. &quot;The execution of articulation agreements with our community colleges exemplifies AIC's vision of expanding the services we provide to our students and to the communities we serve. AIC is ready to welcome students who are seeking a sense of belonging, innovative education, and profound student experiences. In this time where the value of education is being questioned, we are ensuring that students not lose time or credits in the transition.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information about American International College's Direct Connect program can be found online at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aic.edu&quot;&gt;www.aic.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: HCC president Christina Royal and AIC president Hubert Benitez sign an articulation agreement between the two schools June 23 at HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13292" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-spring-2022" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|65|165" FileName="x13292.xml" Name="Deans List Spring 2022" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg" Title="Spring 2022 Deans List " Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize all the students who earned Dean's List honors for the Spring 2022 semester. " ThumbnailAltText="Spring image of HCC Campus Center " IntroCopy="HCC announces Dean's List for Spring 2022 semester" Date="2022-06-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Campus Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. A student is placed on the Dean's List if his or her G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Follow the link below to see an alphabetical listing of all the HCC students who&amp;nbsp;earned Dean's List status for the Spring 2022 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/deans-list&quot;&gt;Dean's List ....&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13279" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/dsa-connolly" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|65" FileName="x13279.xml" Name="DSA-Connolly" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-Royal-Connolly-web.jpg" Title="'A champion for HCC'" Abstract="HCC alum Mychal Connolly '04, a 'serial entrepreneur' from Springfield, received the 2022 Distinguished Service Award at the college's 75th Commencement on June 4." ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal presents the 2022 Distinguished Service Award to alum Mychal Connolly '04." IntroCopy="HCC alum Mychal Connolly '04 receives Distinguished Service Award" Date="2022-06-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal presents the 2022 DSA to alum Mychal Connolly '04.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-Royal-Connolly-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Springfield entrepreneur Mychal Connolly received the Distinguished Service Award from Holyoke Community College at its 75&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary commencement June 4. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A 2004 graduate of HCC, Connolly is co-founder of Stinky Cakes, a newborn baby gift company, and creator and chief brand ambassador of StandOutTruck.com, a digital mobile advertising and marketing agency.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Myke grew up in the Bahamas and has always been driven to follow his dreams,&quot; said President Christina Royal at the June 4 ceremony held at the MassMutual Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A self-professed &quot;serial entrepreneur,&quot; Connolly studied visual arts at HCC, where he was also a DJ for WCCH, the college radio station, played tennis, and served on the Student Senate. While volunteering at an event one evening, he met HCC alum Michael Kittredge, the founder of Yankee Candle Company. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Myke was inspired by Mr. Kittredge that day and has been passionate about paying it forward ever since,&quot; Royal said. &quot;He credits HCC not only for providing him with a pathway to an affordable quality education, but also for connecting him to many of his mentors who were instrumental in his entrepreneurial beginnings.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Connolly has served as an alumni mentor for the HCC Alumni Champions Mentorship Network, and last year established an annual scholarship through the HCC Foundation for business and marketing majors. He has also worked as a volunteer for HCC's annual &quot;Together HCC &amp;ndash; Drive to Change Lives&quot; fundraising campaigns.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Myke can be found talking about the impact of a Holyoke Community College education all across our region &amp;ndash; in boardrooms, with aspiring leaders, and all along the streets of western Massachusetts thanks to the Stand Out Truck,&quot; Royal said. &quot;He is a champion for HCC and we are pleased to celebrate his service to the college by recognizing him as this year's Distinguished Service Award winner.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: President Christina Royal presents the 2022 Distiinguished Service Award to alum Mychal Connolly at Commencement on June 4.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13252" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/commencement-2022-x13252" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|3|193|65|165" FileName="x13252.xml" Name="Commencement 2022" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-Smiles.bear-web.jpg" Title="'More Than Hope'" Abstract="HCC held its 75th Commencement on Sat., June 4, celebrating the classes of 2022, 2021, and 2020, in its first in-person graduation ceremony since pre-pandemic 2019. " ThumbnailAltText="A graduating HCC student receives her diplomas" IntroCopy="HCC celebrates classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022" Date="2022-06-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Deanna Bach performs Looking to the Future, a song she wrote for graduation&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-Deanna-Bach-uke.-webjpg.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Flanked by her favorite plush toys &amp;ndash; Big Bird, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and the Very Hungry Caterpillar &amp;ndash; early childhood education professor Sheila Gould invoked the late children's author Eric Carle in her message to new graduates of Holyoke Community College.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When reflecting on his book, &lt;em&gt;The Very Hungry Caterpillar&lt;/em&gt; and its illustrations, Eric Carle describes how the story is one about hope,&quot; said &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sheila-gould-speech&quot;&gt;Gould, the faculty speaker at HCC's 75th Anniversary Commencement&lt;/a&gt;. &quot;For the past two years, we have had to cling to hope, and often dig for it. But you all did more than hope. You worked towards a goal and achieved it.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Sat., June 4, HCC celebrated 665 graduates from the Class of 2022, as well as dozens more &amp;nbsp;from the classes of 2020 and 2021, which had been denied in-person graduation ceremonies because of the COVID-19 pandemic.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even as the event at Springfield's MassMutual Center followed the same script as previous ceremonies there, the pandemic &amp;ndash; as well as other global events &amp;ndash; loomed large in the remarks of Commencement speakers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our world has been affected on so many levels, personally, professionally, culturally, spiritually, and academically,&quot; said President Christina Royal. &quot;And in the midst of it all, you made the decision to get a college education. You persevered through the most unpredictable circumstances and decided to forge ahead.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And now, she continued, &quot;you have something very certain &amp;ndash; a college degree. Your education is designed to prepare you for the world in which you're graduating.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC awarded a total of 691 associate degrees and certificates to its Class of 2022. Graduates range in age from 18 to 65 and hail from 66 different Massachusetts cities and towns as well as the states of Connecticut, Vermont, Florida, North Carolina, and South Dakota, and the countries as far away as Tanzania, Turkey, and Vietnam.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As recipient of the 2022 Elaine Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence, Gould, an associate professor of Education from Chicopee, led the procession of graduates, faculty and staff into the arena and gave the faculty address. In her speech, Gould referenced the Itsy Bitsy Spider and encouraged graduates to follow the wisdom of Mr. Rogers, represented on the podium in the form of a bobblehead doll.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;According to Fred Rogers, my other obsession, 'The greatest gift you can ever give is your authentic self,&quot; she said. &quot;I know that to be true personally as a former HCC student and now as a faculty member ... As you make connections and expand your web, please remember to lead with love, lead with joy, lead with kindness, and be brave enough to be your authentic self and hold space for others to do the same in your presence.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/yannelis-cruz-speech&quot;&gt;Class speaker Yannelis Cruz&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;talked about the &quot;irrational&quot; stigma many still attach to a community college education, and how, despite initial self-doubt, HCC helped her gain the confidence to pursue her associate degree in biology in the hopes of one day becoming a pediatric surgeon.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I truly believe my experience here was something I would not have gotten from any other institution,&quot; said Cruz, who is from Springfield. &quot;I am proud to be a part of HCC and its diverse community. At times I felt maybe college was not meant for me or maybe I was not smart enough to continue. And while I've had my fair share of struggles, I stand before you as the first woman in my family to graduate college &amp;ndash; and I will continue my education after this.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cruz noted that, through HCC and her work as student trustee, she had learned to be an agent of social change.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I realized at HCC that I could make an impact in my community and family one day, to be active in social movements that would change things for the better,&quot; she said. &quot;And because of HCC, I have a support system I would never have thought I would have, one that allows me to be of service to others in my community, to help make invisible people visible and to give voice to the voiceless.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In other highlights from HCC's 75&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Anniversary Commencement, the college awarded its &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/dsa-connolly&quot;&gt;Distinguished Service Award to Springfield entrepreneur Mychal Connolly&lt;/a&gt;, an HCC alum from the class of 2004 and owner of Stand Out Truck, a digital mobile billboard company.&amp;nbsp;Liberal arts major Deanna Bach '22 of Longmeadow, accompanying herself on the ukulele, performed &quot;Looking to the Future,&quot; an original song she wrote for the occasion. Elena Ciampa '22 of Florence also performed an original song, &quot;Bust it Out,&quot; she sang with the HCC jazz combo. Carolyn Sicbaldi '22 of South Hadley presented the class gift, a flowering dogwood tree with a plaque at its base that also recognizes the classes of 2020 and 2021.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) A member of the Class of 2022 celebrates after receiving her diplooma. (Above) Deanna Bach performs &quot;Looking to the Future&quot; at HCC's 75th Anniversary Commencement on Sat., June 4.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13251" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/yannelis-cruz-speech" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|3|65|165" FileName="x13251.xml" Name="Yannelis Cruz Speech" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/Yannelis-2022-Smile-web.jpg" Title="'Because of HCC'" Abstract="In her Commencement address, student trustee Yannelis Cruz '22 talked about her initial doubts and struggles and how she gained confidence through college service. " ThumbnailAltText="Yannelis Cruz '22 delivers the student address at Commencment 2022" IntroCopy="'I realized at HCC that I could make an impact in my community and family one day, to be active in social movements that would change things for the better. Because of HCC, I have a support system I never thought I would have, one that allows me to be of service to others in my community, to help make invisible people visible and to give voice to the voiceless.' – Yannelis Cruz '22" Date="2022-06-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Yannelis Cruz delivers the faculty address at Commencement 2022.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/Yannelis-2022-Smile-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Commencement 2022&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Student Address&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By YANNELIS CRUZ '22&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Student Trustee&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations, class of 2022! Can I hear you say &quot;We did it&quot; on the count of 1, 2, 3!!!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The past two years we have seen unprecedented times of uncertainty, pain, stress, and loss, but we have persisted in our journeys both academically and personally. From opening our laptops to attend class to learning how to manage our lives through a pandemic, we have fought to make our future brighter than our beginnings, and we have fought to have our voices heard as loud as they can be.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I entered Holyoke Community College, I was not sure where it would lead me, though I quickly became aware that the stigmas attached to community college students were irrational. I truly believe my experience here was something I would not have gotten from any other institution. I am proud to be a part of HCC and its diverse community.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At times I felt maybe college was not meant for me or maybe I was not smart enough to continue. And while I've had my fair share of struggles, I stand before you as the first woman in my family to graduate college &amp;ndash; and I will continue my education after this.&amp;nbsp;As young as the age of 10, I started noticing the lack of representation of people who looked like me and shared experiences I had in the places I admired the most &amp;ndash; from the doctors who treated me, to the educators who taught me. I didn't see myself as the hero of stories in television and movies or as an ordinary person of value in commercials or posters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What does it mean for a person, especially a young person, to look around and not see their human experiences represented? It means for that person to become &amp;ndash; both in the eyes of others and in their own eyes &amp;ndash; invisible, nonexistent.&amp;nbsp;I realized at HCC that I could make an impact in my community and family one day, to be active in social movements that would change things for the better. And because of HCC I have a support system I never thought I would have, one that allows me to be of service to others in my community, to help make invisible people visible and to give voice to the voiceless.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During my time as HCC's student trustee, I have been an agent of social change. I was able to establish a transit committee and co-chair it because I saw the barrier being put on students' education due to transportation services. I saw my peers' needs not being met and struggling to come to HCC just to get an education everyone rightly deserves, So I knew I needed to help.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My colleague and I spoke to the PTVA representative and advocated for change and created surveys to make sure we understood every student's needs. Currently we have been working on providing a student rideshare option for students and by students as we know how important a community is. I was also able to help participate in a student-led OER initiative to allow students to have the option to have the same quality education without being a financial burden. OER, also known as Open Educational Resources, help aid students to receive free to low cost online textbooks in a time where students are unable to easily afford these materials.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This experience allowed me to better understand the HCC student community. Now I understand that it takes a village to make a change, not an individual.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But I know my story is not very different from many graduates sitting here today, and that's what makes students from HCC unique and powerful. With students coming from many different backgrounds, races, and cultures, HCC didn't make us &amp;ndash; we made HCC, by making changes and standing up for what we believe in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today we have broken through walls of doubt and fear as first-generation college students, as students who are parents aspiring to have a better future for themselves and their children, and as students breaking through societal barriers saying they can when many others said they could not.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today is a day of celebration and success, and while you sit in your cap and gown, you should feel a sense of accomplishment for completing this incredible milestone. Whether you are continuing your educational journey elsewhere or starting your new career, be proud of yourself and who you are becoming.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College opened doors for me I could not even imagine were possible. Thank you, Irma, Myriam, and Vanessa,&amp;nbsp;for being my support at HCC, my partner and my family. And for the Class of 2022, I will leave you with this quote: &quot;Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations Class of 2022. &quot;Now it is time for us to fly.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Yannelis Cruz '22 of Springfield delivers the student address at HCC 75th Commencement on June 4, 2022.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13250" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sheila-gould-speech" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|65|165" FileName="x13250.xml" Name="Sheila Gould Speech" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/SHEILA-G-arms-web.jpg" Title="'Your Authentic Self'" Abstract="Flanked by her favorite plush toys, HCC early childhood education professor Sheila Gould delivered the faculty address at HCC's 75th Anniversary Commencement, Sat., June 4." ThumbnailAltText="Sheila Gould delivers the faculty address at Commencement 2022. " IntroCopy="&quot;As you make connections and expand your web, please remember to lead with love, lead with joy, lead with kindness, and be brave enough to be your authentic self and hold space for others to do the same in your presence ...&quot; – Sheila Gould" Date="2022-06-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sheila Gould delivers the faculty address at Commencement 2022. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/SHEILA-G-arms-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Commencement 2022 Faculty Address&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By SHEILA GOULD&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;HCC associate professor of Education&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recipient of the 2022 Elaine Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thank you, Dr. Mathis for the wonderful introduction.&amp;nbsp;I am the youngest of a family of eight children so it feels strange to not have to talk over anyone!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am absolutely honored to address the Holyoke Community College graduating class of 2022! For some reason, the biggest moments in my life seem to align with some sort of anniversary.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Twenty years ago today, I graduated from Holyoke High School. I have three beautiful children. All of my children were born on a family member's wedding anniversary. I was the 50th Grand Colleen of the Holyoke St Patrick's Day Parade. That reminds me ... President Royal, can you hand me that, please?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(Pres. Royal hands Sheila tiara)&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you. That's better. Back to anniversaries ... Today, I get to address you all on the 75th anniversary of HCC and it is truly a dream come true for this Holyoke girl.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have met me, you know that I have a minor ... well, major obsession with all things Eric Carle. In particular, my little friend the Very Hungry Caterpillar. When reflecting on his book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and its illustrations, Eric Carle describes how the story is one about hope. For the past two years, we have had to cling to hope, and often dig for it. But you all did more than hope. You worked towards a goal and achieved it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For me, teaching at HCC throughout the pandemic made it easy to be hopeful. I get to help people become teachers. It is an honor and a responsibility and I am continuously inspired by those who choose a career in education. I have found that HCC students show passion, dedication and fortitude each and every semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For 75 years, HCC has been a beacon of hope and opportunity in and out of the classroom. Eager to learn more about a topic and start a career, this is the place!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Looking to make friends and find belonging, come on in! Need someone trustworthy to talk to, no problem.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Need help with transportation, housing, or food? We have got you.&amp;nbsp;And now ... need help with child care? WE. HAVE. GOT. YOU!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are still more reasons that HCC shines and my favorite reason is all of us.&amp;nbsp;According to Fred Rogers, my other obsession, &quot;The greatest gift you ever give is your authentic self.&quot;&amp;nbsp; I think the greatest gift that HCC gives is the invitation to come learn and work as your authentic self. Your whole self.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I know that to be true personally as a former HCC student and now as a faculty member.&amp;nbsp;When I first started to work at HCC, I was afraid that I wouldn't fit in in higher ed. I was teaching preschoolers one week and college students at HCC the next. I sing when I wash my hands. I wear really bright colors and I am overly enthusiastic when I greet someone. As an early childhood professional, I am trained to have an animated demeanor. This may not bode well in Zoom meetings at times but it is who I am.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At first, I assumed that I would have to change to fit into higher ed. Be more serious. Speak more formally. Dress in neutral tones. I worried that my extremely expressive personality would not be welcome. I could not have been more wrong.&amp;nbsp;I have been able to laugh, create and collaborate with colleagues across campus. I have interacted with students who shared their biggest fears and dreams with me. I have celebrated and comforted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was able to come to HCC, and succeed because I was able to be my authentic self in this space.&amp;nbsp;Growing up in Holyoke, I knew HCC's campus in other ways. I attended DARE camp on campus, I watched my siblings' track practices and meets here, and my dad taught me to drive in the parking lots.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My real HCC story began when I was 21 years old and had to take a class at HCC to obtain work in a local preschool. Little did I know that one day, my professor would be my colleague and mentor. Thank you, Mary Lynch.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Be sure to remember how your HCC story started. I wonder where it will take you?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your professors, and the staff who supported you, truly care about you. My students, those early education heroes sitting among you, know that I refer to the feedback I leave on their work as my love notes. I tell them to read it and hear my cheerful voice in their head encouraging them along. I know what it feels like to read faculty feedback on your work that changes you.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once, while I was teaching preschool and working on my master's at night, I got a paper back in class. My professor wrote something on it that changed my life and changed how I saw myself. She wrote: &quot;You will be a leader in this field.&quot; Thank you, Dr. Barbara Dautritch.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A leader? Me? I respected her too much to dismiss the words. She believed in me and I would not let her down. I would find a way to be a leader in early education and care just as I know my students will too.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your fields need you too. Your professors and the staff at HCC believe in you. You could never let us down because we already know what you are made of. You showed us every day by the choices you made that got you to today.&amp;nbsp;I told you I have some sort of kismet connection with anniversaries and I think it is a reminder that celebrations are important.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Milestones, big and little, deserve celebration. Life is unexpected. Celebrate when you can. Celebrate yourself and celebrate others.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, I want to celebrate the graduates of the HCC class of 2022 for all the ways they have succeeded.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please cheer with your whole heart when applicable.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cheer if you are a first generation graduate!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cheer if&amp;nbsp; you worked while in school!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cheer if you cared for children and family while in school!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cheer if you dreaded online learning but did it anyway!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cheer if you have a wonderful support system or if you did this independently!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And lastly .... cheer if you went to college in a global pandemic!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These accomplishments may seem itsy bitsy as you get through your day-to-day commitments but together, they form the many small connections that make a very strong web.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As you make connections and expand your web, please remember to lead with love, lead with joy, lead with kindness, and be brave enough to be your authentic self and hold space for others to do the same in your presence.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations class of 2022. I am so proud of you, just the way you are.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Sheila Gould delivers the faculty address at Commencement June 4.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13244" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/asn-pinning-2022" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|355|165" FileName="x13244.xml" Name="ASN Pinning 2022" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-ASN-2022-web.jpg" Title="Pinned! Class of 2022" Abstract="Holyoke Community College celebrated its newest nursing graduates May 26 with a traditional pinning ceremony at the Center for Health Education &amp; Simulation." ThumbnailAltText="HCC ASN Class of 2022" IntroCopy="HCC celebrates ASN Class of 2022" Date="2022-05-31" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC ASN Class of 2022&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-ASN-2022-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College celebrated the graduation of 57 students from its Associate in Science in Nursing degree program on Thursday, May 26.&amp;nbsp;The students were recognized during a pinning ceremony at HCC's Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation during which they were formally inducted into the health care field as soon-to-be registered nursing professionals. During a traditional pinning ceremony, new nursing graduates light candles, receive their nursing pin from a registered nurse, and recite the Nightingale Pledge.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10160091128984330&amp;amp;type=3&quot; title=&quot;FB photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Check out more photos in our Facebook photo album ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The graduates, many of whom are already working, will sit for their exams before becoming licensed as registered nurses.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College, Associate of Science in Nursing program graduates for 2022:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Christine Briggs, Mercyline Nyairo&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Karell Zea&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Shelbi Moore&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bloomfield, Conn.:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Sashea Wright&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brookfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Johanna Bosen&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chesterfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Michelle (Jasinski) Corbett&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Yelena Bazukina, Elizabeth Brunault, Kassandra O'Connor, Laura Paul, Melissa Perry, Matthew Tetreault&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Priscilla Choi&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Maya Grindrod, Peter Solis&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Taunya Jasperson&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Nicole Sicard&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hadley:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Tera Evenson&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hartford, Conn.:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Latisha Abraham&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Haydenville:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Alexandra Pinschmidt&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jeffery Agyemang, Daniel Cardinal, Alison Coulombe, Brenna Fogarty, Maggie Snow&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Indian Orchard:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Leejay Moore&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Meghan LaPointe&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Dawn Rogers&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Nhut Nguyen&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Annalese Guerin, Melissa Kirkpatrick, Thalia Rivers, Caralyn Williams&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southbridge:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Savasia Crawford&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Lisa Morris&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Ashley Brown, Aniely Figueroa, Timothy Guilmain, Katya-Denae Lilley, Shauna Martinez, Valbona Mehmeti, Alecandre Rankins-Lee, Allison Riffenburg, Carmen Rivas,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Briana Anair&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Lyminhphuc Phan&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Tiffany Bergeron, Jacquelyn Gaulin, Lillie Johnson, Elvira Kazimirova, Veronica Machuca, Jaime Mason, Nicole (Niemiec) McGrath, Geraldine O'Sullivan, Kelsey Pitoniak&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Page Dahl&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13221" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/canna-fair-6-1-22" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|193|194" FileName="x13221.xml" Name="Canna Fair 6-1-22" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/Mill-Town-Agron-web.jpg" Title="Cannabis Job Fair" Abstract="HCC and Mass CultivatED will host a career fair on Wed., June 1, with local and statewide cannabis retailers looking to hire workers in an industry that has eclipsed $3 billion in sales." ThumbnailAltText="Julia Agron, assistant project coordinator for HCC's Cannabis Education Center, tours the growing operation at Mill Town Agriculture in Holyoke. Mill Town will be one of the cannabis businesses attending a June 1 career fair at Holyoke Community College." IntroCopy="HCC, Mass CultivatED cannabis careers fair June 1, 4:30-6:30 p.m." Date="2022-05-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Julia Agron, assistant project coordinator for HCC's Cannabis Education Center, tours the growing operation at Mill Town Agriculture in Holyoke. Mill Town will be one of the cannabis businesses attending a June 1 career fair at Holyoke Community College.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/Mill-Town-Agron-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will host a cannabis careers fair on Wed., June 1, with local and statewide cannabis retailers looking to hire workers in an industry that has eclipsed $3 billion in sales since 2018.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The fair will run from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the PeoplesBank Conference Room on the third floor of the HCC Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development on the main HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://cannabiseducationcenter.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://cannabiseducationcenter.org/&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1653410472586000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw2gCqtnnmM5-uM4lGCekxY_&quot;&gt;HCC Cannabis Education Center&lt;/a&gt; is partnering on the fair with &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masscultivated.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.masscultivated.com/&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1653410472586000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw364kGKAciaf8TKJOlwho86&quot;&gt;Mass CultivatED&lt;/a&gt;, a public-private partnership that seeks to empower people negatively impacted by marijuana drug laws through education, job training and legal services.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the companies expected to attend: Canna Provisions, GTI, Milltown Agriculture, MyAnalytics Labs,&amp;nbsp;Trulieve, Affinity, EZ Hire&amp;nbsp;Cannabis, Curaleaf, Pleasantrees, Buudda Brothers, Holyoke&amp;nbsp;Cannabis, and more. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a great opportunity for folks interested in entering the&amp;nbsp;cannabis&amp;nbsp;industry to connect with the companies in our region that are hiring, learn more about the CEC and Mass CultivatED programs, and explore how the&amp;nbsp;cannabis&amp;nbsp;industry can support our region,&quot; said Julia Agron, assistant project coordinator, HCC Cannabis Education Center. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, adult use marijuana sales surpassed $3 billion as of May 14, 2022. Since the first two retail stores opened in Massachusetts in November 2018, the state industry has grown to 216 marijuana retailers and 11 delivery businesses. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are incredibly proud to partner with Holyoke Community College to host this cannabis&amp;nbsp;job&amp;nbsp;fair,&quot; said Ryan Dominguez, executive director for Mass CultivatED. &quot;We are excited to provide students and community members interested in the&amp;nbsp;cannabis&amp;nbsp;industry with an easy and informal way to connect with local companies to learn about different jobs in the&amp;nbsp;cannabis&amp;nbsp;industry as well as educational and free legal programs that they can access. We hope this event will lead to direct hire opportunities and create pathways for us to establish a diverse industry focused on social equity.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The fair is free, and attendees are encouraged to bring their resumes. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register for this in-person event, please go to &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1e6JeZ-Y7ZGTlvoENrdRHF--GOFNBOAIukmfAom9xiFw/viewform?edit_requested=true&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1e6JeZ-Y7ZGTlvoENrdRHF--GOFNBOAIukmfAom9xiFw/viewform?edit_requested%3Dtrue&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1653410472586000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1GLXaae5t-MmMWtpaswCil&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/cannafair-register&lt;/a&gt; or call 413-552-2320. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To learn more, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://cannabiseducationcenter.org&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://cannabiseducationcenter.org&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1653410472586000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0w2FEqTNwLFxpjX6g-g8z1&quot;&gt;cannabiseducationcenter.org&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://masscultivated.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://masscultivated.com&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1653410472586000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw3AbtM2vxrigrrqKD5-5932&quot;&gt;masscultivated.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;Julia Agron, assistant project coordinator for HCC's Cannabis Education Center, tours the growing operation at Mill Town Agriculture in Holyoke. Mill Town will be one of the cannabis businesses attending a June 1 career fair at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13219" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/marieb-award-2022" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|65|165" FileName="x13219.xml" Name="Marieb Award 2022" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-Itsy-Bitsy-Gould-Web.jpg" Title="Leader of the Pack" Abstract="As recipient of the 2022 Elaine Marieb Award, associate professor Sheila Gould will lead the Commencement procession and give the keynote address to graduates on June 4.  " ThumbnailAltText="HCC associate professor of Education Sheila Gould" IntroCopy="Associate professor Sheila Gould receives 2022 Elaine Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence" Date="2022-05-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sheila Gould in HCC's Itsy Bitsy Learning Lab&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-Itsy-Bitsy-Gould-Web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sheila Gould, associate professor of Education and recipient of the&amp;nbsp;2022&amp;nbsp;Elaine Marieb Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence, will lead the procession of graduates and give the keynote address at the 75th&lt;sup&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/sup&gt;Commencement&amp;nbsp;of Holyoke Community College, Sat., June 4, beginning at 10 a.m. at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A Holyoke native and graduate of Holyoke High School who now lives in Chicopee, Gould is coordinator of HCC's Early Childhood Education program, co-host of HCC's Itsy Bitsy Zoomcast, and one of the co-founders of HCC's new Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program.&amp;nbsp;The Marieb Award, endowed by the late HCC professor emeritus Elaine Marieb '80, recognizes a full-time member of the faculty for outstanding classroom teaching. Award recipients serve for one year, receive a small stipend for professional development, lead the procession at&amp;nbsp;Commencement, and also give the keynote graduation speech.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Sheila is anything but Itsy Bitsy,&quot; said her close colleague, education professor Tricia Kiefer during a faculty and staff meeting introducing Gould as this year's Marieb Award winner. &quot;She certainly deserves this honor.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At Commencement, HCC will confer associate degrees and certificates to more than 600 graduates from the class of 2022. Alumni from the classes of 2020 and 2021, who were not able to celebrate their graduations in person because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will also be recognized as HCC marks its 75&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; year as the oldest community college in Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college was founded in 1946 as Holyoke Graduate School and held its first Commencement exercises in 1948 as Holyoke Junior College, conferring degrees to 14 graduates.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This year's Commencement takes on an even greater meaning as we celebrate the college's 75th anniversary,&quot; said President Christina Royal. &quot;This is the perfect time for our community to come together and show our students how proud we are of their achievements.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A handful of those students will be featured center stage. Biology major Yannelis Cruz '22 of Springfield will give a speech as student orator. Carolyn Sicbaldi '22 of South Hadley will present the class gift. Liberal arts major Deanna Bach '22 of Longmeadow and music major Elena Ciampa '22 of Florence will give musical performances. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For those who cannot attend, HCC will stream the&amp;nbsp;Commencement&amp;nbsp;ceremony live over the Internet. The live stream will be available through a link on the main page of the college website,&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.hcc.edu&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1653065027473000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw2MCuJHqZcdx9NUt7GMidhq&quot;&gt;www.hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Detailed information can be found at&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.hcc.edu/&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1653065027473000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw2VqZWvEsRoICJV306WNlnS&quot;&gt;www.hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event will be American Sign Language interpreted.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Sheila Gould, associate professor of Education, will lead the procession of graduates, faculty and staff at HCC's 75th anniversary Commencement on June 4, 2022.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13218" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/awards-night" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|3|165" FileName="x13218.xml" Name="Awards Night!" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg" Title="Awards Night 2022" Abstract="HCC is proud to celebrate the students who earned honors and awards for their outstanding achievements during the 2021-2022 academic year." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Campus Center" IntroCopy="HCC celebrates students with honors and awards" Date="2022-05-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Campus Center with spring flowers&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is proud to celebrate the students who earned honors and awards for their outstanding achievements during the 2021-2022 academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Awardees were honored in a virtual ceremony on Wed., May 18.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Those of you being honored tonight were chosen by HCC faculty and staff as representative of the best and brightest within your discipline,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &quot;We applaud your achievements and acknowledge that they have not come without your hard work and sacrifice.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Below is a list of HCC honorees and award recipients by town for the 2021-2022 academic year.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The virtual ceremony and an alphabetical list of recipients along with their specific honors and awards can be found by visiting:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/x13207.xml&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/honors-awards&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Honors &amp;amp; Awards 2021-2022 by town:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Maria Lempke, Mercyline Nyairo.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Liam Ashburn, Elisha Cox, Cody Rooney.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Ashley Alderman, Jessica Duseau, Romone Gordon, Caterina Guerin, Shelbi Moore.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Caitlyn Black, Kassandra Guerrero, Laura Paul, Kimberly Santos.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conway:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jennifer Snow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Priscilla Choi.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;John Andert, Carissa Batura, Joel Bergstrom, Nexus Hannus, Alex Hartley, Assya Houfr, Helen Korczak, Rachel Picard, Ryan Seiler, Nathan Smith.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Colin Malecki.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Elena Ciampa, Alexander Colson, Lauren Fleit, Erin Haenlin, Emily Langer, Logan Tumal.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Mirranda Longo.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hampden:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Amy Scott.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Haydenville:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kala Garrido.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Lindsay Baldyga, Shae Blaisdell, Corie Canavan, Nashia Douglas, Bri Jefferson, Magdalena Mackowiak, Ziarra Martinez, Dillon Nash, Meghan Pion, Shawn Prairie, Jelytza Ramos, Zelia Rodriguez, Henry Zucco.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Huntington:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Stephanie Turgeon.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leeds:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Emily Barcomb.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Eva Sweeney.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Faith Ackerman, Audrey Pilon.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kristal Bready, Joshua Granger&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;North Amherst:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Kelandra Hurd&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Maya Flanary, Tanner Johnson, Robert Johnson, Alexandra Keup, Avery Maltz, Gwen Nabad, Miren Neyra Alcantara, Lauren Norman, Preston Thompson.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pownal, Vt.:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Bear Champion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Russell:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Jordan Cooper.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;David Williams, Sviatlana Bushmakina, Alison Descheneaux, Josh King, Catherine Longpre, Emma Pouliot, Carolyn Sicbaldi.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southampton:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Ethan Flematti, Shawn Mitchell.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Alina Antropova, Anastasia Antropova, Carey Pope.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Dana Brenman, Alannah Brunt, Julio Colon, Yannelis Cruz, Deziree Jernigan, Grace Kelly, Ron Montgomery, Savana Paciulli, Mikey Perez, Brandon Rodriguez, Abaigeal Russell, Pat Ryan, Idalice Serrano.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Briana Anair, Morgan Orszulak.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Ashley Bellio, Brendon Bousquet, Kate Drewnowski, Hafida Gas, Keshav Joshi, Maria Pless, Heather Robinson.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Dan Cardinal, Carly Carpenter, Nathan George, Jaymee Hall, Nicholas H. Kane, Kylea McGrath, Elizabeth Rowbotham, Emily Souza, Ethan White&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13215" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/jkc-award" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x13215.xml" Name="JKC Award" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/Miren-Neyra-Alcantara-web.jpg" Title="'It feels unreal'" Abstract="Graduating Latinx Studies major Miren Neyra Alcántara has been awarded a prestigious transfer scholarship from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. " ThumbnailAltText="Miren Neyra Alcántara" IntroCopy="Graduating HCC student awarded prestigious Jack Kent Cooke transfer scholarship" Date="2022-05-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Irma Medina, Miren Alc&amp;aacute;ntara, Mark Broadbent&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-Miren-JKC-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a student at Holyoke Community College, Miren Neyra Alc&amp;aacute;ntara has already amassed more honors, awards, and accolades for her academic achievements, campus leadership, and community engagement than most post-grads working on their PhDs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The recognitions have only picked up momentum as the 24-year-old Latinx Studies major careers toward Commencement on June 4, when she will graduate as a valedictorian with the class of 2022.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While fielding acceptance letters to some of the top private colleges in the U.S., including Smith, Mount Holyoke, Williams, Pomona, and Princeton &amp;ndash; so far &amp;ndash; Alc&amp;aacute;ntara learned she will represent HCC next month as one of the state Dept. of Higher Education's &quot;29 Who Shine,&quot; an annual award presented to one graduating student from each of the 29 public colleges and universities in Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps even more impressive: The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation awarded Alc&amp;aacute;ntara a transfer scholarship worth up to $55,000 a year to complete her bachelor's degree. The Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship is the largest private scholarship in the nation for community college students transferring to four-year schools.&amp;nbsp;She was one of just three students in Massachusetts selected for the Cooke transfer scholarship this year and one of 100 in the U.S.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It feels unreal. I can't believe it,&quot; said Alc&amp;aacute;ntara, an international student from Mexico who now lives in Northampton. &quot;It's been such a long process, such a hard process.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She is the sixth HCC student to receive the Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship since 2008.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a very prestigious recognition from a national organization known to award large scholarships to exceptional, talented community college students who demonstrate high academic achievement and financial need,&quot; said Irma Medina, coordinator of HCC's Pathways program and Alc&amp;aacute;ntara's transfer adviser. &quot;The process is more competitive than most of the schools they apply to. I'm absolutely in awe of this young lady and her personal journey.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That journey began in Mexico City, where Alc&amp;aacute;ntara grew up. After her parents divorced, she was forced out of middle school because of an unpaid bill. She could not attend high school because her academic records were withheld. Instead, she taught herself and at 17 earned the Mexican equivalent of a GED.&amp;nbsp;For the next few years, she worked, crocheting and sewing cat and dog beds and reusable produce bags that she sold to raise money to attend college in the United States.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Initially accepted to Emerson College, she soon realized she could not afford private school costs without taking out huge loans. In Boston, by chance, she met an HCC Admissions counselor who deals with international students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was so easy to get started at HCC,&quot; Alc&amp;aacute;ntara said. &quot;The amount of support I've received has been incredible. I've loved my time at HCC.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since arriving at HCC in the fall of 2019, Alc&amp;aacute;ntara has maintained a perfect GPA of 4.0, along the way earning academic awards for Honors, Spanish, Latinx Studies, Service Learning, Citizenship, Outstanding Character and Service to Others, and more, as well as multiple scholarships from the HCC Foundation.&amp;nbsp;In 2020, she won the HCC Library's annual BUILD research competition for an academic paper about immigrant women farmworkers. In 2021, she was named to the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society's All-Massachusetts Academic Team, was a finalist for &lt;em&gt;Business West&lt;/em&gt; magazine's Young Woman of Impact Award, and received a year-long Newman Civic Fellowship from Campus Compact for community engagement.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her academic work and extracurricular activities tend to focus on issues related to cultural and identity representation, reproductive justice, body autonomy, food insecurity, and immigration.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Outside the classroom, Alc&amp;aacute;ntara distinguished herself as president of HCC's Latinx Empowerment Association (the HCC LEA Club) and co-founder and president of the Mujeres and Non-Binary Student Alliance, which focuses on issues such as menstrual equity and reproductive rights. She is a research volunteer at the Women of Color Healthy Equity Collective, an advocacy group for mothers of color in Springfield; a volunteer with the Planting Literacy Program, where she teaches Spanish and English to migrant farmworkers; and an organizer in training with the Pioneer Valley Workers Center in Northampton, which advocates for workers rights. She also works a peer tutor in the HCC Writing Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think that I'm able to do so much because I'm able to find the connections in everything,&quot; she said. &quot;I think my studies and my academics are strengthened by the community work that I do.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wherever she goes for her bachelor's degree, Alc&amp;aacute;ntara plans to double major in Latinx Studies and Women and Gender Studies, and follow that with a master's degree in immigrant advocacy.&amp;nbsp;Ultimately, she wants to be a college professor while remaining engaged in social justice work and community advocacy.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I don't think I would be able to do any job if I lost that component,&quot; she said. &quot;I may be international. I was not born here. I didn't grow up here, but I'm part of this community, so I play an active part in it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Miren Neyra Alc&amp;aacute;ntara. (Above) Alc&amp;aacute;ntara holds a certificate announcing her award from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, with Irma Medina, Pathways Program coordinator, and Mark Broadbent, HCC Transfer Affairs coordinator.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13212" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/itsy-bitsy-grand" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165" FileName="x13212.xml" Name="Itsy Bitsy Grand" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-Child-Hands-web.jpg" Title="Itsy Bitsy Grand" Abstract="State Sen. John Velis and Rep. Pat Duffy helped celebrate HCC's new, free child watch program in advance of its official May 24 opening for the start of summer classes. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC President Christina Royal, state Sen. John Velis, and state Rep. Pat Duffy get ready to add their handprints to the sign heralding the opening of the Itsy Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center at HCC on May 4. " IntroCopy="HCC's free child watch center opening May 24" Date="2022-05-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ribbon cutting for Itsy Bitsy Child Watch at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-Itsy-Bitsy-ribbon-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kara Torres has tried to make the most of her first year at Holyoke Community College. Besides studying accounting, she has a work-study job in the Student Engagement office and an internship with the college's Student Ambassador Mentorship Program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As the mother of 8-year-old twins, though, things have not always gone smoothly. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When their school is closed for teacher service days or their school vacations don't line up with ours, it becomes difficult, because it's either me or my wife who has to stay home,&quot; said the 29-year-old Holyoke resident. &quot;This semester, I had to stay home for a week during their spring break so my wife could go to work. I had to miss some classes.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She hopes that the opening of HCC's free child watch center will help alleviate some of the stress and anxiety of being a parent and a college student.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;With my busy schedule, I can't wait for them to be able to come in and be involved with this program,&quot; she said on Wed., May 4, during the grand-opening celebration for the college's Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center. &quot;If anything happens now, I'll be able to bring my kids with me to school. That makes me very excited.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Torres is not the only one excited. The Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center was packed with HCC faculty, staff, students, as well as state and local officials getting their first look at the new facility on the first floor of the HCC Marieb Building. The celebration was held in advance of the center's official opening on Monday, May 24.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I always say this, but every time I come to HCC something good is happening,&quot; said state Sen. John Velis of Westfield, who helped cut the grand opening ribbon. &quot;You talk about food insecurity, housing, child care &amp;ndash; all important issues. Every time I come here you're addressing one of them, so kudos to everybody in this room.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Velis was key to securing a $100,000 allocation in the 2022 state budget to get the child watch program started.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;So many students have to make a choice between an education and child care,&quot; he said. &quot;That shouldn't be a choice they have to make.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;State Rep. Pat Duffy of Holyoke also took part, joining Velis and others for the ribbon-cutting. She talked about a recent budget meeting she had at the State House with House Ways and Means chair Aaron Michlewitz, who told her his focus for the fiscal year was on workforce development and education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Well, that's music to my ears, Mr. Chair,&quot; she said she told him, &quot;because my top priority is Holyoke Community College&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I mean, just the work that you all do,&quot; she told the crowd at HCC, &quot;the support you give our community, your recognition of who our students are and what they need &amp;ndash; you're helping our employers, you're helping our families. I'm just so thrilled to be here today in this bright, beautiful room.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC student parents will be able to start dropping their children off for child watch on May 24, the first day of summer classes. HCC is just the second community college in the state &amp;ndash; and the only one in Western Massachusetts &amp;ndash; to offer a child watch service for its students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2017, HCC embarked on a strategic planning process that included a significant focus on basic needs that many HCC students struggle with: food insecurity, housing insecurity, transportation, and child care.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're excited to be able to make good on our promise to focus on the child care needs for our students,&quot; said President Christina Royal. &quot;And that's what today is about, delivering on that promise to to help our student-parents be successful while they continue to change their lives through the power of education.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Itsy Bitsy Child Watch takes its name from the classic nursery rhyme, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, a name also borrowed for the Itsy Bitsy Zoomcast, a recorded series focused on early education co-hosted by HCC faculty and staff, and the HCC Early Childhood Education department's Itsy Bitsy Learning Lab.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Itsy Bitsy everything,&quot; said Sheila Gould, director of HCC's Early Childhood Education program. &quot;The name really comes from this idea that small connections make really strong webs. This is a beautiful community. I graduated from Holyoke High. I took my first education classes at HCC. So, to be leading this department and seeing this come to life today means a lot to me personally. I just hope that this can be an example for more colleges.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC President Christina Royal, state Sen. John Velis (Westfield), and state Rep. Pat Duffy (Holyoke) get ready to add their handprints to a for the Itsy Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center at HCC on May 4. (Above) Royal, Velis, Duffy and others cut the ribbon celebrating the opening of the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center at HCC.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13210" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/together-2022" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|65|165" FileName="x13210.xml" Name="Together 2022" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-Radio-Rome-Guzman-web.jpg" Title="Driving Support" Abstract="The HCC Foundation's second annual, one-day &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign raised more than $192,000 for scholarships and student support programs. " ThumbnailAltText="Auto dealer Gary Rome stops by the HCC college radio station, WCCH 103.5 FM, to record a segment promoting HCC's &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign. " IntroCopy="&quot;Together HCC&quot; campaign raises $192,000 for student support programs" Date="2022-05-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Gary Rome with HCC student DJ Gabe Guzman of Chicopee&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-Radio-Rome-Guzman-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of Holyoke Community College led a historic day of giving last month, raising more than $192,000 for student support programs during its one-day &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Organizers had set a goal of 300 donors for the 24-hour, April 26, fund drive. The final tally was 418, a 41 percent increase from 2021.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The 'Together HCC' campaign has proven to be one of the best examples of how much this community cares about the success of HCC students,&quot; said Patrick Carpenter, HCC director of Institutional Advancement. &quot;When we come together and give what we can, the results are nothing short of astounding.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Auto dealer Gary Rome, an HCC Foundation board member, led the way with a $5,000 challenge when the campaign met its goals of securing 300 donors.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My father always said, 'Gary, your education is something no one can take away from you.' I think that everyone who wants a college education should have that opportunity and I want to do everything I can to make it accessible for all,&quot; Rome said. &quot;I got involved with the HCC Foundation and continue to support this campaign in part to help dispel the misconception that community colleges receive all their funding from the state, and highlight how important it is to raise funds to help support our community college.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Another alumni donor was Dylan Pilon '12 of Springfield, a former scholarship recipient who graduated from HCC debt free, which allowed him to start his own company, Cloud 9 Marketing in East Longmeadow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've been fortunate to build relationships with fellow alumni and HCC faculty over the past decade,&quot; said Pilon, who matched $10 for each of the first 100 alumni donors for a gift of&amp;nbsp; $1,000. &quot;HCC has positively impacted so many lives because of the continued support from alumni.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Caleb Curd, a current HCC student from Westfield, said that receiving an HCC Foundation scholarship is what made college possible for him.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Knowing that somebody had the heart to support students like myself really blew me away,&quot; Curd said. &quot;And it inspired me to think about how I can use this time as a springboard to serve other people.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to Rome and Pilon, Peg '58 and Gary Wendlandt, Jim Izatt '59, trustee Robert Gilbert, Foundation board member Carl Eger '56 and Shirley Eger, and HCC president Christina Royal all posed matching and challenge gifts for the campaign.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Much of the campaign's success can be attributed to the effort of volunteers, including Paul Rogers '81,'13, and Stevie Converse, faculty advisor for WCCH 103.5, who worked with students to provide programming for the college's radio station in support of the campaign. Additionally, Myke Connolly '04 of Stand Out Truck literally drove to change lives, spreading the campaign's message throughout the region with his mobile billboard company, StandOutTruck.com.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Donors from 22 different states made gifts during the 24-hour campaign; nearly half are alumni.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The heart of Together HCC is our network of alumni, faculty, staff, and community friends,&quot; said Julie Phillips, coordinator of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. &quot;Because of this community, students can worry less about how they will afford next semester's tuition or groceries for their families, so they can focus more on their studies.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;Auto dealer Gary Rome, left, stops by the HCC college radio station, WCCH 103.5 FM, to record a segment promoting HCC's &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign with HCC student DJ Gabe Guzman of Chicopee.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13206" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/timsgiving" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|165" FileName="x13206.xml" Name="Timsgiving" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/TIMMY_THOMPSON-web.jpg" Title="A Happy Timsgiving" Abstract="The Thompson family – Robert '73, Kathleen '72, Kara '04, and Chris – have created a special event and scholarship in memory of their son and brother Timothy '00." ThumbnailAltText="Timothy &quot;Timmy&quot; Thompson '00" IntroCopy="Thompson family creates scholarship in memory of son and brother Timothy '00" Date="2022-05-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Timmy Thompson, left and his brother Chris carve a turkey&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/TIMMY-TURKEY-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story also appears in the &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/AC/AC_SP22_x.pdf&quot; title=&quot;The Connection Spring 2022&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Spring 2022 edition of HCC's college magazine, &lt;em&gt;The Connection&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, under the headline &quot;Finding a Way Through the Pain.&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By DOUG SCANLON&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On Nov. 22, 2019 &amp;ndash; pre-pandemic times &amp;ndash; several dozen friends, family members, and supporters gathered inside Nosh Caf&amp;egrave; and Restaurant in Springfield, Mass., to celebrate something called &quot;Timsgiving.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To understand Timsgiving, one must first appreciate the significance of rosemary mashed potatoes. That was the signature dish of Timothy &quot;Timmy&quot; Thompson '00, one that he picked up as a culinary arts student at HCC and introduced to his family more than 20 years ago, before his tragic death from opioid overdose in 2004, just weeks after his 24th birthday.&amp;nbsp;In fact, the roots of Timsgiving go back even further than that.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Timmy was the second child of three. His father, Robert '73, was one of nine siblings, his mother, Kathleen '72, one of seven. During his youth, Timmy, his sister Kara '04, brother Chris, and all of their aunts, uncles, and cousins would bond by cooking together at family gatherings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Everyone would show their love by feeding each other, and I think that's something that always resonated with him,&quot; said Kara.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As Timmy matured, so did his interest in food, a hobby that grew toward a career.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was a natural progression when Tim decided to study culinary arts at HCC,&quot; said Kathleen. &quot;He had always been a hands-on type of learner, so the program was perfect for him.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Soon Timmy was trying out new recipes at home. The rosemary mashed potatoes became a staple of Thanksgiving in the Thompson home, a tradition that continues to this day.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After his passing, Timmy's family started exploring ways to honor his memory. Kara contacted the HCC Foundation. Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement, then invited Kara and her parents to tour the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, and they began to talk about setting up a scholarship in Timmy's name.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It felt like things were finally in motion, like we finally had a plan to help us through the pain of losing a brother, losing a son, and keeping that alive while making a difference for someone else,&quot; Kara said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To promote the scholarship, and bring together family and friends, Kara and her parents came up with the idea of TimmyGives, the organizing entity for Timsgiving and other fundraising platforms that honor Timmy.&amp;nbsp;Timsgiving was meant to build upon the tradition of sharing good food among family and friends while also raising money for the Timothy &quot;Timmy&quot; M. Thompson Memorial Scholarship, which will provide tuition assistance to a deserving student enrolled in the college's culinary arts or hospitality management programs. (Additionally, Timsgiving raised funds for the Community Music School of Springfield &amp;ndash; Timmy was also a drummer &amp;ndash; and Baystate Health Foundation.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was an honor to be present at that inaugural Timsgiving,&quot; said Sbriscia. &quot;Kara and her family created an atmosphere filled with joy and hope with amazing food and music &amp;ndash; all the things Timmy loved. The scholarship they have established at HCC will not only create opportunities for future generations of culinary arts students, it will enable those students to learn about Timmy and carry his memory forward.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The evening was such a success the family decided to make it an annual event. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, they decided to put Timsgiving on pause. But that didn't mean supporting a great cause had to wait.&amp;nbsp;Last fall, Peg '58 and Gary Wendlandt issued a donor challenge that included a $5,000 contribution for gifts of $1,000 or more to any existing HCC fund, including Timmy's scholarship. With the Wendlandts' matching gift, and another generous donation from Kara, the scholarship is close to being endowed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Thompsons are excited about the possibilities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We hope to help financially challenged students who share Tim's passion for food and cooking,&quot; said Kathleen. &quot;We know he would be proud of this award in his name, and it brings us great joy and pride to fund it. It keeps him ever present to us, to know he is helping others.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adds Kara: &quot;This whole process has brought my family a lot of joy, a lot of closure, and helped ease some pain that we were hanging on to.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;If you are interested in contributing to the Timothy &quot;Timmy&quot; M. Thompson Memorial Scholarship or establishing a scholarship to honor someone else, please contact HCC's office of Institutional Advancement at 413.552.2746&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Timmy Thompson '00 and his brother Chris carve up a turkey one Thanksgiving Day. (Thumbnail) Timothy &quot;Timmy&quot; Thompson '00&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13203" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hcc-marks-75" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193|65|165" FileName="x13203.xml" Name="HCC Marks 75" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/75th-Flowers-web.jpg" Title="HCC lauded as 'pioneer'" Abstract="Holyoke Community College celebrated its 75th anniversary with food, fanfare and fun during a daylong celebration on campus and beyond.  " ThumbnailAltText="75th anniversary bouquet" IntroCopy="HCC celebrates 75 years as oldest community college in Mass. " Date="2022-05-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;OSDDS faculty and staff celebrate HCC's 75th&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/75-OSDDS-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The party was well worth the wait.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After delays and uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Holyoke Community College celebrated its 75&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Anniversary on Thursday, May 5, as the oldest two-year college in Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Throughout the day, HCC hosted a series of events on campus and online showcasing the work of HCC students and programs. WCCH 103.5 FM, the college radio station, welcomed alumni into the studio as guest DJs. Teachers, alumni and students met over Zoom to discuss the programs that have most impacted their lives, in particular honors, transfer, service learning and STEM. There were tours of the college's early childhood education suite, art demonstrations, theater and literary exhibitions, free cupcakes in the courtyard, music, salsa dancing, and more.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The daylong festivities concluded with a community reception on Race Street at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute catered by students in the college's culinary arts program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This has been an extraordinary day,&quot; said President Christina Royal, welcoming the crowd at the college's downtown facility. &quot;Seventy-five years &amp;ndash; that's a lot to celebrate.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC was founded in September 1946 as Holyoke Graduate School, later changing its name to Holyoke Junior College, and finally becoming Holyoke Community College when it joined the state college system in 1964.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;A lot has changed in 75 years,&quot; Royal said, &quot;but what hasn't changed is our core and central purpose. HCC was created by faculty from prestigious four-year colleges who wanted to make education more accessible and bring it to the working class so that everybody who wanted an education could get one.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke city councilors David K. Bartley (son of HCC's second president, David M. Bartley) and Will Puello presented her with an official resolution from the Holyoke City Council: &quot;Congratulations to Holyoke Community College, in recognition of their seventy-fifth anniversary educating thousands and stands today at a pioneer of higher education.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We recognize that there's a lot of different ways that we can make a difference in the community, but there's no better way than improving the lives of our citizens through the power of education,&quot; Royal said. &quot;It is still today one of the most transformative ways that we can increase social and economic mobility for people, their families, and communities at large.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal, who had met with a group of alumni over lunch earlier in the day, noted how moved and humbled she was to hear stories of those who could speak first-hand about the origins of the college, its founding president George Frost, and the great fire that consumed the original downtown campus building in 1968.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They didn't have to rebuild HCC,&quot; Royal said. &quot;There were other options, other colleges. But there was something distinct enough that the community decided to fight for HCC and to ultimately to buy the Sheehan dairy farm on Homestead Avenue to rebuild it in a space that would allow the college to grow and become what it is today.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Several HCC alumni and students were also invited to take their turns at the mic.&amp;nbsp;Matthew McMahon, a cybersecurity analyst from the class of 2006, talked about the importance of HCC's interdisciplinary Learning Community classes in his education and career trajectory.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC gave me the tools to implement lifelong learning and a growth mindset,&quot; he said. &quot;The Learning Communities taught me that I can approach complex topics from different perspectives. I have implemented this cross-discipline strategy repeatedly throughout my life. It has been a big factor in my success, especially now with my work in the field of emerging technologies. I've taken classes at six different colleges. I've got several degrees. I've never seen anything that really compares to HCC.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yannelis Cruz, a biology major, STEM scholar, and student trustee from Springfield, came from a family where, as a woman, she was not expected to go to college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC gave me hope for me and my family, so that in the future I can make an impact,&quot; she said. &quot;HCC allowed me to become a leader.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Harry Hill graduated from HCC in 2013 with his degree in graphic design. He now works as a graphic designer in the college's Marketing Department.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I want the world to know that HCC is as liberating as you make it,&quot; he said. &quot;Today's themes and that of the past 75 years are academic excellence, innovation and opportunity, themes that HCC has embodied completely. Without these foundational ideas, HCC would be just another institution where performative measures outweigh impactful actions. I crafted my future using the skills I learned at Holyoke Community College.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Soon after graduating in 2021 from HCC's culinary arts program, Brianni Couture started a business called Brinny's Hand Pies in Agawam. Along with several other culinary arts alumni, Couture spent much of the night behind the scenes, helping to prepare appetizers in the kitchens.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Without the fantastic and supportive staff and instructors at this college, I would not be the chef I am today,&quot; Couture said. &quot;They gave me the foundation to feel confident and secure within myself to explore all different types of food and culinary techniques. I will forever be grateful to this college. It is a community with an indomitable heart.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;More on HCC's 75th Anniversary:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/news/2022/05/holyoke-community-college-celebrates-75-years.html&quot; title=&quot;HCC marks milestone&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See Celebrating 75 Years! on MassLive ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/holyoke-community-college-celebrates-75-years/&quot; title=&quot;Story on 22 News&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See the story on WWLP-22News ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/news/2022/05/hcc-marks-75th-anniversary-with-may-5-celebration.html&quot; title=&quot;MassLive photo gallery&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See the photo gallery on MassLive ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10160034061519330&amp;amp;type=3&quot; title=&quot;Facebook photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See our own Facebook photo album capturing the day's festivities ....&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO (above): Staff from HCC's Office of Students with Disabilities and Deaf Services celebrate the college's 75th anniversary with free cupcakes in the HCC Courtyard.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13195" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/grinspoon-awards-sp22" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165|194" FileName="x13195.xml" Name="Grinspoon Awards SP22" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/Alex_P-closup-web.jpg" Title="Winning Pitch" Abstract="HCC nursing student Alexandra Pinschmidt '22 won the top prize at the annual Grinspoon Elevator Pitch Contest while Jacob Remillard won a Concept award for his new business. " ThumbnailAltText="Alexandra Pinschmidt won top honors in the 2022 Grinspoon Elevator Pitch Contest for her business idea, &quot;The Hip Squeezer.&quot;" IntroCopy="HCC students take home Grinspoon awards" Date="2022-04-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student Jacob Remillard won a $500 award from the Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative for his start-up business, Student Painters. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/Jake-R-student-painters-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College nursing student Alexandra Pinschmidt '22 drew on her years of experience working as a doula to come up with the idea for The Hip Squeezer, a tool to help relieve the pain of contractions for women during child birth. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;As a doula, I provide physical and emotional support during labor,&quot; Pinschmidt explains. &quot;What my clients love most is the double hip squeeze. You stand behind the pregnant person and squeeze their hips during a contraction. They love it. It provides so much relief. I feel like a hero. But after three or four, my arms are exhausted ... Imagine a simple squeezing tool that uses mechanical advantage, not your biceps. It's useful for doulas, nurses, midwives, doctors, and expectant families. By helping our moms cope with labor longer, we reduce the need for potentially risky interventions like epidurals and C sections. The Hip Squeezer. On that special day, our babies, moms, and our arms will be happy.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although The Hip Squeezer is at the moment only an idea, Pinschmidt's product pitch, quoted in part above, earned her top honors in the Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative's annual Elevator Pitch Contest, held Wed., April 27, at the Log Cabin in Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pinschmidt, 43, a mother of two herself from Haydenville, earned the top prize of $850 as one of three winners selected by a panel of judges from 13 contestants representing colleges throughout the Pioneer Valley. The previous week, Pinschmidt won $1,000 for The Hip Squeezer at EforAll Holyoke's April pitch contest, taking home third place plus the audience award.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After she graduates from HCC in June, Pinschmidt will begin a midwifery program at Baystate Hospital in Springfield. She plans to use her award money to conduct market research on The Hip Squeezer before moving on to design a prototype.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, HCC business major Jacob Remillard, a dual-enrolled student at the University of Massachusetts, earned a $300 Concept Award from Grinspoon for his new business, Student Painters. The South Hadley resident, who plans to major in managerial economics at UMass, said he has so far amassed $48,000 in revenue during his first month of operation. He already employs four marketers and two painters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'd like to be running a crew of five painters,&quot; he said. &quot;I'm almost booked up for the summer.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) HCC nursing student Alexandra Pinschmidt '22 prepares to deliver her winning pitch for The Hip Squeezer. (Above) Jacob Remillard of South Hadley displays some&amp;nbsp; marketing materials for his new business, Student Painters, at the Grinspoon Entrpreneurship Initiative's annual awards banquet at the Log Cabin April 27.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13194" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hcc-75th" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|193|65|165" FileName="x13194.xml" Name="HCC 75th" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Campus-Sept2021.jpg" Title="Celebrating 75" Abstract="HCC will mark its 75th anniversary on Thursday, May 5, with events that celebrate its past, present, and future as the Commonwealth's oldest community college." ThumbnailAltText="HCC campus" IntroCopy="HCC set to mark 75th anniversary" Date="2022-05-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC campus&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-Campus-Sept2021.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will mark its 75&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary on Thursday, May 5, with events that celebrate its past, present, and future as the Commonwealth's oldest community college.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Festivities begin as early as 9 a.m. with special programming from the college radio station, continue throughout the day with student presentations, program tours and exhibitions, open houses, demonstrations, alumni panels, food, music, and dancing, and culminate with a community reception from 5 to 7 p.m. at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in downtown Holyoke.All events are free and open to the public.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/celebrating-75&quot;&gt;HCC was founded in September 1946 as Holyoke Graduate School&lt;/a&gt;, later changing its name to Holyoke Junior College, and finally Holyoke Community College. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our 75th anniversary enables us to celebrate our remarkable past, and provides us an opportunity to define our bright future,&quot; said President Christina Royal. &quot;HCC was built and rebuilt by innovative and resilient individuals, who we are proud to honor as part of our history. That history has laid the foundation for who we are today, and it inspires us to advance excellence, increase equity, and foster innovation for years to come. Our celebration is for our community &amp;ndash; past and present &amp;ndash; and for the future of HCC.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Events will take place all around campus and online from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., before concluding at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute at 164 Race St., for the community reception, where guests will enjoy food prepared by HCC Culinary Arts students and chefs from MGM Springfield, beverages from White Lion Brewing and Arcpoint Brewing; live music performed by HCC music students and faculty; demonstrations of workforce training programs; and brief remarks from current students and HCC alumni.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Community members are encouraged to RSVP at &lt;a href=&quot;/x13063.xml&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/75th-event &lt;/a&gt;although walk-ins are also welcome.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;75&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Anniversary Schedule of Events:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conducting a Nobel Prize-Winning Physics Experiment&lt;/strong&gt;, 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Frost 365: HCC physics students recreate the Millikan Oil Drop Experiment, first conducted in 1909, later winning the Nobel Prize in 1923.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ceramics Wheel-Throwing Demonstration&lt;/strong&gt;, 10:30 a.m. - noon, room 325, Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts building: HCC arts students and faculty work the wheel.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Free Cupcakes in the Courtyard&lt;/strong&gt;, 11:30 - 2 p.m., HCC Courtyard, from The Cupcake Bake, mobile cupcake truck.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;El Centro and Student Engagement Music, Food and Fun&lt;/strong&gt;, 12:30 - 2 p.m., second floor, Campus Center: appetizers from Sabor Latino Restaurant in Chicopee; Salsa and Bachata dancing led by Holyoke dance instructor Kenneth Roche.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Memorial Tree Dedication Honoring late HCC philosophy professor Don Hanover&lt;/strong&gt;, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Campus Garden outside second floor of Campus Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Signs with Friends&lt;/strong&gt;, 1:30 -2:30 p.m., second floor lobby, Campus Center: Visit with members of HCC's ASL Club and Deaf Studies Department to learn how to communicate a few words and concepts in a new way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Veterinary and Animal Science Department Open House&lt;/strong&gt;, second floor, Marieb Science Building: Bring in your pet for a free nail trimming, tour the veterinary lab, and learn about HCC's academic programs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All Day Events:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Music and Memories, &lt;/strong&gt;9 a.m. - 4 p.m. WCCH 103.5, Donahue 103: radio station tours; HCC students and alumni invited on the air to share stories of their HCC experiences; DJs will devote each hour of the day to a different musical decade.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Education Department Open House&lt;/strong&gt;, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Donahue 154-156: transcript reviews for early educators; tours of new Education Department suite including Itsy Bitsy Learning lab model classroom and teacher resource room; free raffles for teaching materials including STEM kits, sensory items, books and more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Theater Department Open House&lt;/strong&gt;, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Leslie Phillips Theater, Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Building. Get a peek behind the curtain and see the &quot;room where it happens,&quot; featuring music and images from the Theater Department's Spring 2022 production of William Shakespeare's &quot;A Midsummer Night's Dream.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Visual Arts &amp;nbsp;Exhibitions&lt;/strong&gt;, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., FPA building third floor, Campus Center, Media Arts Center student artwork and photography from HCC alum and instructor Christopher Lizon '96.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Panel Discussions (Please&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/x13063.xml&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to sign up for these Zoom events):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;It's an Honor: Pathways to Changing Our Communities&lt;/strong&gt;, 10-11 a.m., Zoom (and Center for Excellence, room 265): Alumni discuss their experiences in HCC's Honors and Pathways programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Service Learning from our Students' Perspective,&lt;/strong&gt; 1:30-2:15 p.m., Zoom (and Campus Center 103): HCC students talk about making a difference in the community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;STEM Cohorts for Research and Engagement&lt;/strong&gt;, 1:30-2:25 p.m., Zoom (and Center for Excellence, room 265): HCC STEM students and faculty talk about their work in the STEM Scholars program.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13193" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/itsy-bitsy-celebration" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x13193.xml" Name="Itsy Bitsy Celebration" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-Leslie-Pildor-web.jpg" Title="An Itsy Bitsy Debut" Abstract="Today, May 4, HCC will celebrate the opening of the college's free, drop-in, Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center with finger paint, chalk, bubbles, and a ribbon-cutting. " ThumbnailAltText="Leslie Pilder is the inaugural director of HCC's Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program" IntroCopy="HCC to celebrate launch of free, drop-in child watch program May 4" Date="2022-04-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Leslie Pilder is the director of the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-Leslie-Pildor-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will celebrate the launch of its free Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program on Wed., May 4, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by state Sen. John Velis (D-Westfield), who was instrumental in securing the funds for the pilot project.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The celebration will begin at 10 a.m. in the new Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center, Room 130, on the first floor of the Marieb Building on the main HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This will be a joyful day,&quot; said Sheila Gould, director of HCC's Early Childhood Education program. &quot;We will celebrate with finger paint, chalk, bubbles and itsy bitsy scissors to cut the ribbon. The ribbon-cutting signifies a big step for HCC as we culminate years of work to bring this service to our students. It shows that HCC continues to support the whole student and that we aim to directly remove barriers to student success.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event will also be an opportunity to introduce the inaugural director of the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center, Leslie Klein Pilder of Florence, a longtime early childhood educator and the recently retired executive director of Nonotuck Community School in Northampton.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;With Leslie in place as the director, we are ready and eager to welcome the children of our students,&quot; said Gould. &quot;The space looks beautiful and welcoming. The policies and procedures Leslie has designed ensure that our students will know their children will be safe, loved, and have a great time while on campus.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Itsy Bitsy Child Watch will officially open for business on May 24 on the first day of Summer Session I classes.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm very happy to join the HCC community as the first director of the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center,&quot; said Pilder.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;HCC's free, drop-in child-watch program is for student-parents who need safe and affordable supervision for their children while they tend to their college studies. Once the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch opens, HCC will be just the second community college in the state &amp;ndash; and the only one in Western Massachusetts &amp;ndash; to offer a child watch service for its students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As part of our strategic plan, we've been focused a lot on basic needs, and one of those basic needs is child care,&quot; said President Christina Royal, who will also attend the ribbon-cutting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The pilot phase of the program is being funded through a $100,000 allocation in the 2022 Massachusetts budget secured by Sen. Velis.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For parents looking to begin or support their education, finding reliable childcare is always a barrier,&quot; Velis said. &quot;This new program will help make a real difference in the lives of so many families, and I am proud I was able to advocate for HCC to receive these funds.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Itsy Bitsy Child Watch takes its name from the classic children's book,&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;The Itsy Bitsy Spider&lt;/em&gt;, a name that was also borrowed for the Itsy Bitsy Zoomcast, a recorded series focused on early education co-hosted by Gould and Liz Charland-Tait, lead coach for the Strong Start Early Childhood Education Professional Development Center at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Longtime early childhood educator Leslie Pilder is the director of HCC's new Itsy Bitsy Child Care Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13174" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/bat-cave" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|360" FileName="x13174.xml" Name="Bat Cave" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/Alix-Hegeler-web.jpg" Title="Batcave and Beyond" Abstract="An exhibition celebrating the work of the late HCC Visual Arts professor Alix Hegeler will be on display in the Taber Art Gallery until May 9, with a closing reception that day from 4-7 p.m." ThumbnailAltText="Alix Hegeler" IntroCopy="Exhibition celebrates work and inspiration of late HCC professor Alix Hegeler" Date="2022-04-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Alix Hegeler Untitled&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/Alix-Untitled-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A sign on the door identifies Room 317 in the Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Building at Holyoke Community College as the &quot;Graphics Studio.&quot; But HCC art students who have studied printmaking there through the years know it better as &quot;The Batcave&quot; &amp;shy;- lair of the late HCC Visual Art professor Alix Hegeler.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hegeler, a painter, printmaker, and collage artist from Sunderland, died in October after a brief battle with cancer. Now through May 9, the Taber Art Gallery at HCC is presenting &quot;The Batcave and Beyond,&quot; an exhibition of Hegeler's artwork alongside the artwork of the students she inspired. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Alix's passing is a deep loss for me as well as the school,&quot; said Taber director Amy Johnquest. &quot;She was a fierce, beautiful soul who cared deeply about her work, and in particular, the welfare of her students. The walls of art she curated from her classes for the annual student art shows were always outstanding and meticulous. I was fortunate to have her as a friend as well as a colleague. I miss her dearly.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;On Monday, May 9, the gallery will host a closing reception and celebration honoring Hegeler from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will be a tent and refreshments set on the plaza outside the gallery on the second floor of the Donahue Building. Announcements will be followed by an open mic at 6 p.m. for anyone who wants to speak.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For &quot;The Batcave and Beyond,&quot; the Taber Gallery accepted submissions of artwork from her former students who were either influenced by Hegeler or that were created while they studied with her.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;After 35 years teaching art at Holyoke Community College, Alix impacted many students,&quot; said Johnquest. &quot;Over 30 students submitted work. There are over 80 pieces art in this exhibition, which includes works by Alix as well as artists who were her students.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some of those students have already left messages to their former teacher in the gallery guest book:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Your talented teachings shine through in everyone's work. I wish you could have seen how your teaching has impacted the progress of all your students' work.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Alix, I think you would have loved this. We sure loved you. RIP.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery, located of the lobby of the HCC Library on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during regular school sessions. For more information, please contact Amy Johnquest, at (413) 552-2614.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Alix Hegeler, by Lourdes Lebron; (Above) Untitled, by Alix Hegeler.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13170" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/curative-testing" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193" FileName="x13170.xml" Name="Curative Testing" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/New-COVID-truck.jpg" Title="Testing Returns" Abstract="HCC is partnering with Curative and the Holyoke Board of Health to offer free PCR tests seven days a week through Curative's mobile COVID-19 testing trailer, starting April 27. " ThumbnailAltText="Curative has moved its mobile testing lab from the Holyoke Mall to Holyoke Community College," IntroCopy="COVID-19 testing again available at HCC " Date="2022-04-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;COVID-19 testing at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/New-COVID-truck.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Starting Wed., April 27, COVID-19 testing will resume at Holyoke Community College.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is partnering with Curative and the Holyoke Board of Health to offer free PCR tests seven days a week through Curative's mobile COVID-19 testing trailer. The Curative trailer was previously stationed at the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Testing is available Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday, 10 am. to 2 p.m. in Parking Lot M outside the Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation on the main HCC campus at 303 Homestead Ave.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;State-sponsored Stop the Spread testing at HCC ended on March 31. Before that, HCC had been a COVID-19 testing site since the summer of 2020.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Curative uses self-collected, shallow nasal PCR tests. Results are generally available in 1-2 days. Testing is free. Appointments are preferred. Slots can be reserved at &lt;a href=&quot;https://book.curative.com/sites/34933&quot;&gt;cur.tv/hcc&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Walk-ins are also welcome.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Testing hours may change due to inclement weather or holidays. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information about the program is available at &lt;a href=&quot;http://curative.com/&quot;&gt;curative.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Curative's mobile COVID-19 testing trailer opens at HCC on Wed., April 27.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13139" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/midsummers-night" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|165|226" FileName="x13139.xml" Name="Midsummer's Night" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/Mid-Lys-Herm-hands-web.jpg" Title="Into the Woods(tock)" Abstract="HCC's spring 2022 production of &quot;A Midsummer Night's Dream&quot; – April 21-23 – transports Shakespeare's classic, fairy-inspired farce into the 1960s, full of love, fun, and chaos. " ThumbnailAltText="Actors rehearse a scene from HCC's spring 2022 production of Shakepeare's &quot;A Midsummer Night's Dream&quot;" IntroCopy="HCC production of &quot;A Midsummer Night's Dream&quot; offers '60s take on Shakespeare's classic comedy" Date="2022-04-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student actors Pat Ryan (Lysander) and Grace Kelly (Helena) rehearse a scene from &amp;quot;A Midsummer Night's Dream.&amp;quot;&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/Mid-Dem-Hel-2-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While Shakespeare set his chaotic comedy &quot;A Midsummer Night's Dream&quot; in ancient Greece, it's not the same ancient Greece described in history texts. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Much of the action takes place in a magical forest full of mischievous fairies manipulating the affections of mortals. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a kind of mythical ancient Greece,&quot; says Holyoke Community College theater professor Tim Cochran. &quot;When Shakespeare wrote plays, he wanted the audience to escape to a different time, a different place. In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' instead of historical realism, he was trying to get people to think about magic and myth. Most of what we know about fairy myth comes from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.'&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Theater Department's spring production of &quot;A Midsummer Night's Dream&quot; maintains the play's location &amp;ndash; Athens &amp;ndash; while shifting the action into a more modern age - the 1960s. Instead of white togas, these characters sport bright floral prints, short skirts, bell-bottom jeans, and tie-dye.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We've set this play in 1969, right at the point where people were getting into their VW vans and traveling to Woodstock,&quot; says Cochran, the director. &quot;We're doing a lot of '60s music. There's some dance, a little singing. Constrained by their parents, the rebellious teenagers in the play escape to the woods, where there is more freedom and love is a little bit more fluid.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will present &quot;A Midsummer Night's Dream&quot; April 21-23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater with a 2 p.m. matinee on April 23. The Friday, April 22, show will be ASL-interpreted.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the play, Shakespeare presents a tangle of multiple plotlines. As Theseus, duke of Athens, prepares to marry Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, a ragtag group of laborers vie for stage time in a play to be performed at the wedding feast. Meanwhile, Egeus solicits the duke's enforcement of his daughter Hermia's pending nuptials to Demetrius. Hermia, as it turns out, loves Lysander, while her friend Helena is in love with Demetrius. The two young couples &amp;ndash; and others &amp;ndash; run off to the woods, where Oberon and Titania, the quarreling fairy king and queen, dispatch one of their minions, Puck, to sort things out.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The result? Mayhem.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Somehow, Shakespeare crammed these storylines together and it works very nicely,&quot; says Cochran. &quot;It's actually a very accessible play. There's something for everybody.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cochran's last show for HCC, in fall 2020, was an original play called &quot;Fatal Fisticuffs&quot; that relied heavily on streaming technology to present a mix of remote live action and pre-corded video that was presented to audiences virtually during the pandemic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I said to myself that when we get the theater opened up again I want to do a piece of Shakespeare that's fun,&quot; he says. &quot;'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is quintessential fun. It's really a celebration of theater.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As in all of Shakespeare's comedies, there is a lot of visual humor and bawdy dialogue, but in a Looney Tunes kind of way, suggestive more than overt, such that the production is appropriate for families and all but the youngest children. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I want people to come out and have a good time,&quot; says Cochran. &quot;I mean, it's tough to put on a play like Midsummer in the midst of all this stuff that's going on in the world, but it could also be the escape we need, put a smile on our faces, spend an enjoyable night at the theater, maybe demystify Shakespeare a little bit.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Principal cast:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Duke Theseus: Daneion Blake (Springfield); Queen Hippolyta: Briana Graves (Agawam); Egeus: McKenzie Kiltonic (Westfield); Hermia: Luna Aponte '21 (South Hadley); Lysander: Ethan White (Westfield); Helena: Grace Kelly (Florence); Demetrius: Pat Ryan (Springfield); Titania: Virginia Wardlaw (Amherst); Oberon: Brandon Rodriguez (Springfield); Puck: Mikey Perez (Springfield).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If You Go:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&quot;A Midsummer Night's Dream&quot;&lt;br /&gt;April 21-23, 7:30 p.m.; April 23, 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;By William Shakespeare&lt;br /&gt;Directed by Tim Cochran&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke Community College&lt;br /&gt;Leslie Phillips Theater&lt;br /&gt;All tickets: $5&lt;br /&gt;(Available at the door or in advance, 413-552-2528)&lt;br /&gt;Masks required&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbail) Student and alumni actors rehearse a scene from HCC's spring 2022 production of &quot;A Midsummer Night's Dream.&quot; (Above) HCC student actors Pat Ryan and Grace Kelly rehearse a scene.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13137" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/together-again" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|165" FileName="x13137.xml" Name="Together Again" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-ROME-WEB.jpg" Title="Together Again" Abstract="Auto dealer Gary Rome is partnering with the HCC Foundation for the second annual &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; fundraising campaign on Tues., April 26. " ThumbnailAltText="Gary Rome recently visited HCC with his dog Daisy to record some radio spots for the upcoming Together HCC fundraising campaign. " IntroCopy="Auto dealer Gary Rome on board for April 26 HCC Foundation fundraiser" Date="2022-04-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Gary Rome recently visited HCC with his dog Daisy to record some radio spots for the upcoming Together HCC fundraising campaign. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-ROME-WEB.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Auto dealer Gary Rome is again partnering with the HCC Foundation for a one-day campaign to raise money for student support programs and scholarships at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The second annual &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign is set for Tuesday, April 26, and will run a full 24 hours, from 12:01 a.m. to midnight.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Donations can be made through a secure portal on the HCC website: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.givecampus.com/schools/HolyokeCommunityCollege/togetherhcc-drive-to-change-lives-2022&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/drive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The goal of the campaign is to raise money for four areas that directly support HCC students: scholarships; the Thrive Student Resource Center and Food Pantry; the President's Student Emergency Fund; and the HCC Foundation's general, unrestricted fund.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rome, owner of Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke, has pledged a challenge donation of $5,000 once 300 donors make a gift to the campaign.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My father always said, 'Gary, your education is something no one can take away,'&quot; said Rome, a member of the HCC Foundation board of directors. &quot;This is why I am so passionate about making sure a college education is accessible to everyone. I am honored to again be a part of 'Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives.' This one day, working together, we really can make a difference.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, alum Peg Wendlandt '58 and her husband Gary will supplement each gift from new donors with a $250 donation of their own. Altogether, the one-day campaign has the potential to unlock more than $131,000 in matching donations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC alumni and friends have made challenge gifts that will enable donors to have an even greater impact,&quot; said Julie Phillips, HCC coordinator of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. &quot;Gifts can be doubled, even tripled on this day. With 40,000 alumni nationwide, we can have a direct and massive impact on our students.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation launched &quot;Together HCC: A Campaign for Caring&quot; in March 2020 to build community support and raise money for students experiencing financial distress during the pandemic. As part of that campaign, members of the HCC community &amp;ndash; students, staff, faculty, alumni, relatives and college friends &amp;ndash; were asked to use the hashtag #TogetherHCC to share stories and images on social media that demonstrated the resilience of the college community in response to the COVID-19 crisis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In its first year, the campaign raised $40,000 for the President's Student Emergency Fund and was selected as a finalist for a national Bellwether award. Last year, with Rome signed on, HCC added the &quot;Drive to Change Lives&quot; theme and raised more than $122,000 for student support programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;On any given day, challenges faced by our students include hunger, homelessness and housing insecurity, affordable healthcare, lack of access to adequate technology, and childcare,&quot; said Phillips. &quot;For a lot of people, community college is their only affordable option. Gifts made on April 26 will have an immediate impact helping today's students stay on track and remain focused on their academic success.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To donate, please visit: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.givecampus.com/schools/HolyokeCommunityCollege/togetherhcc-drive-to-change-lives-2022&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/drive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Gary Rome recently visited HCC with his dog Daisy to record some radio spots for the upcoming Together HCC fundraising campaign.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13062" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/voices-carry" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|451|165" FileName="x13062.xml" Name="Voices Carry" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-Radio-Grace-Kelly-webjpg.jpg" Title="Voices Carry" Abstract="A plea to college radio stations around the world seeking messages of support for students in Ukraine elicited responses from three continents – including one from WCCH at HCC." ThumbnailAltText="HCC student Grace Kelly in the booth at WCCH for her Wednesday afternoon radio show." IntroCopy="HCC Radio Club sends message of hope to students in Ukraine" Date="2022-03-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Radio Club in the WCCH studio. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-Radio-Club-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The day Russia invaded, the emergency call went out to college radio stations around the world.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are emailing you to please ask for your support and solidarity for the people of Ukraine, and especially the students in the country,&quot; said the Feb. 24 message from the College Radio Foundation, a New Jersey-based nonprofit. &quot;We need your urgent participation! We have only a limited window of time.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the next 24 hours, representatives from some 50 college stations on three continents responded the best way they knew &amp;ndash; by recording their own voices. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.collegeradio.org/&quot; title=&quot;College Radio Foundation&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;The College Radio Foundation&lt;/a&gt; compiled the audio clips into a 37-minute file that was sent to OstRadio at National University Ostroh Academy in Ostroh, Ukraine, west of Kyiv, the capital. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The far-flung clips came from Ireland, Spain, Canada, Italy, Costa Rica, Colombia, Greece, Slovakia, Colorado, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Florida, California, Mississippi, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Hawaii &amp;ndash; and Holyoke Community College, home of &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/clubs-and-organizations/identity-clubs&quot;&gt;WCCH&lt;/a&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are the students from 103.5 WCCH in Holyoke, a city in western Massachusetts in the U.S.A. We stand with you in Ostroh and all across Ukraine. Please know we are in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, and we wish you safety, unity, and eventual peace for you and your homeland.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The soothing voice on the WCCH clip belongs to Stevie Converse, an adjunct professor of communications at HCC and adviser to the HCC Radio Club. Converse sent the message on behalf of the club and the station.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We only had 24 hours, and by the time I saw the email we were at hour 19,&quot; said Converse. &quot;It was the day of the snowstorm, and the college was closed, so I put the word out to our station students to approve sending a message. We were the only station in Massachusetts to participate. It was just something we could do, and I thought it was important for WCCH to take part.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The audio compilation was posted online on SoundCloud and broadcast on STUD Radio in Lviv, which sent it to universities throughout Ukraine.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://soundcloud.com/collegeradioday/college-radio-stands-with-ukraine-full-version?utm_source=clipboard&amp;amp;utm_medium=text&amp;amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing&quot; title=&quot;College Radio message to people of Ukraine&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Listen to the message on SoundCloud ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;STUD Radio was able to share the audio content far and wide,&quot; said a follow-up message from the College Radio Foundation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But that wasn't the end of it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A few days later, STUD Radio coordinated a response to the world from Ukrainian students involved in college radio. About a dozen students sent audio clips of their own, recorded on their cell phones as they were sheltering from the war. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Hi, I'm from Lviv, and I need your help, wherever you are,&quot; said one young woman. &quot;I love my city, my country, and will never give it away to anyone. I beg you, support Ukrainians. Get out on the streets and don't be afraid to say the truth out loud. Together we will stop this horror.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other students responded from Kyiv, Donetsk, Prymorsk, Nadvirna, and other cities. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm from Chernobyl, and my brave, free country is dying,&quot; said another woman. &quot;I ask you ... &amp;nbsp;please, act. Go to the rallies. If you can, donate money. Spread the real information. Just don't be silent.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;WCCH started playing the &quot;message to the world&quot; from the Ukrainian students on the air. Last week, the College Radio Foundation organized a coordinated response, asking stations to play the message for an hour on Thursday, March 10, starting at 10 a.m. E.S.T. as a show of solidarity.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://soundcloud.com/collegeradioday/ukraine-students-message-to-the-world&quot; title=&quot;Ukraine students's message to the world&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Listen to the Ukraine students' message to the world ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We always talk about how college radio is a community,&quot; said HCC student Trystan Lajoie of Agawam, a member of the radio club and a WCCH DJ. &quot;We have a tight-knit community here, but worldwide college radio is an even bigger community. And now, because of this war, there's a hole in this community. It's one of those things where we can't do much, but we have to do all we can to help and just do everything we can to make sure these people are OK, even if it's just sending messages and hearing back from them, knowing that they are alive, and they are safe.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Wed., March 9, at the beginning of their bi-weekly club meeting, HCC students listened to the pleas from their radio peers half a world away, some hearing the recording for the first time.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It might be a small thing, but at least it's something for them to know they're not alone,&quot; said &amp;nbsp;Alannah Brunt of Springfield. &quot;There might not be much we can do, but listening is the best first step into actually taking action.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Club members noted that such an exchange of messages worldwide would not have been possible without the Internet, email, cell phones and other technology available today.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's one thing to see it on the news and see the devastation through pictures,&quot; said Converse. &quot;But to hear their voices was just, I mean, I can cry thinking about it. That's the power of audio. It's important to understand through our ears, so we can get it into our hearts. And for them to be able to hear our voices &amp;ndash; it's different than reading. It's different to hear somebody tell you, we're behind you. We are praying for you. We will do everything we can to help you.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On March 4, STUD Radio and the College Radio Foundation distributed a second message to the world from college radio students in Ukraine, this one in multiple languages.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In extremely challenging circumstances, the students in Ukraine have put together an audio update for us,&quot; wrote Rob Quicke, founder of the College Radio Foundation. &quot;We were told that we would probably not hear from the students again, as the situation in Ukraine is dire, so we are grateful to hear from them. Have a listen.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://soundcloud.com/collegeradioday/college-radio-update-from-ukraine&quot; title=&quot;Update from students of Ukraine&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Update from students of Ukraine (multilingual) ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Links to all the recordings can also be found on the College Radio Foundation website: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.collegeradio.org&quot; title=&quot;College Radio Foundation&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;collegeradio.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) HCC student DJ Grace Kelly of Springfield gets ready for her noon-time show on WCCH 103.5 FM. (Above) The HCC Radio Club gathers Wed., March 9, for their bi-weekly Wednesday meeting.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13058" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/wmass-core" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|193" FileName="x13058.xml" Name="WMass CORE" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/WMassCORE-group-WEB.jpg" Title="CORE Principles" Abstract="Western Mass CORE, founded in 2019 by HCC professors Mary Orisich and Nicole Hendricks, aims to help incarcerated and post-incarcerated individuals transition into college. " ThumbnailAltText="WMass CORE staff" IntroCopy="Prison education program founded by HCC professors" Date="2022-03-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;WMass CORE staff&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/WMassCORE-lounge-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By RONNI GORDON&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For 31-year-old Bramin, one of the most interesting aspects of the &quot;Epidemics in History&quot; course he took last fall was hearing the opinions of his classmates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our views and stances on certain topics challenged us to consider not only one's thoughts, but their emotions as well,&quot; he wrote in an email. &quot;I never realized interpretation of the same reading affects everyone differently on all levels.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By &quot;everyone,&quot; he meant residents of the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow enrolled in the online course taught by Holyoke Community College economics professor Mary Orisich.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The course was being offered at the jail through an innovative new HCC program called Western Mass CORE, founded in 2019 by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/academic-support/western-mass-core#:~:text=mission,to%20local%20colleges%20and%20universities.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Orisich and her HCC colleague, criminal justice professor Nicole Hendricks, during a joint sabbatical. CORE stands for community, opportunity, resources, and education; its purpose is to help incarcerated individuals transition into higher education.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hendricks and Orisich are frequent partners in HCC learning communities, courses that combine two academic disciplines focused on a common theme, such as the relationship between socioeconomic conditions and incarceration, or what Orisich calls &quot;the carceral world.&quot; The prison education program was a way for the pair to put their commitment to social justice and equity into action.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our main objective is to facilitate an academic pathway and provide support for incarcerated people,&quot; Hendricks said. &quot;We're building a pathway to college.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC belongs to the Massachusetts Prison Education Consortium, whose members affirm that providing high-quality postsecondary education in prison benefits both individuals and society.&amp;nbsp;Western Mass CORE builds on an HCC partnership with the Hampden County Sheriff's Department and the state Department of Higher Education. It is funded in part through a state &quot;Bridges to College Grant.&quot; In January, HCC received $58,027 for CORE, a $6,000 increase over the &quot;Bridges to College Grant&quot; awarded to the college in 2021.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Moreover, HCC has provided substantial assistance to Western Mass CORE that has enabled the program to hire a full-time senior staff assistant, Alethea Melanson.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to classes, students involved in CORE can take advantage of academic support programs offered by HCC, such as tutoring and writing assistance. Orisich notes, though, that CORE also provides access to non-academic services such as admissions and financial aid counseling, career advising, referrals to housing and food assistance programs, and help with any other potential enrollment obstacles.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're providing wraparound support,&quot; she said. &quot;We're validating students, saying 'You have a right to be in college if that's a path you want to pursue.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Orisich's seven-week &quot;Epidemics in History&quot; class examined timely issues, such as the differences between pandemics, epidemics, and outbreaks, and lessons learned (and not learned) from the 1918 influenza pandemic.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That course and others he's taken through CORE have clearly inspired Bramin, who asked that his last name not be used. He said he hopes to attend HCC upon his release.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm actually a bit ashamed that it took for me to be incarcerated for me to be willing to further my education,&quot; he wrote, &quot;but with these courses I've also learned it's never too late to learn something new. No matter the situation!&quot;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through CORE, HCC has offered college preparatory classes at the Western Massachusetts Regional Women's Correctional Center in Chicopee, starting with &quot;Introduction to Gender and Women's Studies,&quot; co-taught by Hendricks and Orisich. Readings included essays by Adrienne Rich, bell hooks, and Gloria Steinem. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last summer, so-called &quot;hy-flex&quot; technology (&quot;hybrid&quot; and &quot;flexible&quot;) allowed them to teach &quot;Anthropology 114 &amp;ndash; Understanding Diversity&quot; simultaneously at both the women's and men's institutions. Students who successfully completed this and the history of epidemics course earned three college credits.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;David Cedrone, associate commissioner of Workforce Development for the state's Dept. of Higher Education, said he was impressed when he sat in on one of the Zoom classes.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I heard rich deep conversation and saw individuals really committed to the experience,&quot; he said.&amp;nbsp;&quot;HCC is exploring the nuances of what students coming out of&amp;nbsp;incarceration need. There's so much value in having a college partnership to&amp;nbsp;research best practices for this population and make it work.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And research shows these programs do work. A recent report from the Vera Institute of Justice stated that &quot;Among other benefits to individuals, families, communities, and prisons &amp;ndash; incarcerated people who participate in prison education programs are 43 percent less likely to recidivate than those who do not.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Later this spring, CORE &amp;ndash; up until now operating out of the two professors' HCC offices &amp;ndash; will have a grand opening for a dedicated campus center that includes a lounge and office on the first floor of HCC's Frost Building.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We need to have a specific space to have a presence on campus,&quot; Hendricks said. &quot;This is saying to our students, 'We have an actual location that is specifically for you.'&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;CORE courses running for the spring 2022 term include an English class at the Ludlow jail, a political science class taught by an Amherst College professor at the women's center, and a statistics class taught over Zoom at both institutions at the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Western Mass CORE staff: Alethea Melanson, senior staff assistant; HCC economics professor Mary Orisich; HCC criminal justice professor Nicole Hendricks. (Above) Orisich, Melanson, and Hendricks talk about the program in the WMass CORE lounge on the HCC campus.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12028" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/pioneering-guide" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x12028.xml" Name="Pioneering Guide" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/Myriam-Q-heart-web.jpg" Title="A Pioneering Guide" Abstract="Holyoke Community College alum Myriam Quiñones '95 bid farewell to HCC last week after serving for 21 years as a key advisor to Latinx and international students." ThumbnailAltText="Myriam Quiñones talks at HCC during a farewell party" IntroCopy="Longtime advisor Myriam Quiñones '95 bids farewell to HCC " Date="2022-04-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Myriam Qui&amp;ntilde;ones talks to a student in her office at HCC.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/MyriamQ-student-MR.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's note: This article was first published April 1, 2022, in the Daily Hampshire Gazette under the headline, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gazettenet.com/Longtime-Holyoke-Community-College-educator-Myriam-Quinones-leaving-college-45713634&quot; title=&quot;Pioneering college guide Myriam Qui&amp;ntilde;ones leaving HCC behind&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Pioneering&amp;nbsp;college guide Myriam Qui&amp;ntilde;ones leaving HCC behind.&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By DUSTY CHRISTENSEN&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Courtesy of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gazettenet.com/&quot;&gt;Daily Hampshire Gazette&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; When Xiomara Rivera first got to Holyoke Community College, she had no idea what to do.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I didn't know what financial aid was,&quot; she said. Nor did she know what classes she needed to take.&amp;nbsp;&quot;I felt a little bit lost,&quot; she admitted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That was until she met Myriam Qui&amp;ntilde;ones, however, the coordinator of HCC's Multicultural Academic Services program. Eating lunch in a small conference room at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where Qui&amp;ntilde;ones had taken a group of students on a&amp;nbsp;&quot;transfer tour,&quot; Rivera said that Qui&amp;ntilde;ones helped her sort everything out and feel more confident &amp;ndash; a sentiment echoed by fellow HCC student Jiovanny Monta&amp;ntilde;ez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Without her, I would have flopped at STCC,&quot; Monta&amp;ntilde;ez said, referring to Springfield Technical Community College. But as he was struggling at that college, he got on the phone with Qui&amp;ntilde;ones about transferring to HCC and has been doing well in college since.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Within two hours, I was enrolled at HCC, enrolled in classes and had my financial aid all set up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For the past 16 years, Qui&amp;ntilde;ones has been ensuring that HCC's students have access to bilingual services that she wished she had when she first came to the college herself &amp;ndash; but this group &amp;nbsp;will be the last she helps herself.Friday marked the end of an era; it was Qui&amp;ntilde;ones' last day at HCC after 21 years working there. She and her wife &amp;ndash; well-known local organizer Jossie Valent&amp;iacute;n, a former Holyoke city councilor and HCC counselor &amp;ndash; are moving back to Puerto Rico.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When somebody first drove Qui&amp;ntilde;ones &quot;from downtown to the hill&quot; where HCC stood, she had only recently arrived from Puerto Rico as a 18-year-old single mother who had dropped out of high school. As someone who had &quot;no intention of going to college,&quot; she said that she too was lost in an unfamiliar institution where she and other Hispanic students felt marginalized. She recalled being in the cafeteria with a group of friends and getting &quot;shut down&quot; by somebody at the college who said they were &quot;too loud.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We had a specific corner we'd go to to be as far away as we could,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But that's no longer the case. Sitting in her office Wednesday in the college's &quot;El Centro&quot; area, which houses her Multicultural Academic Services program and other student services, she said she often hears students in the nearby cafeteria speaking loudly and happily, unafraid:&amp;nbsp;&quot;It's very different and it feels good.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A big reason for that welcoming environment is Qui&amp;ntilde;ones, who has fought for more inclusive policies for students of color, LGBTQ students, those whose first language isn't English and many more ever since being hired as the school's English as a second language program coordinator in 2003.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We worked together for quite a while trying to serve the urgent needs of our students, particularly those who spoke relatively little English,&quot; said community activist Orlando Isaza, who worked for a time with Qui&amp;ntilde;ones&amp;nbsp;in the ESL program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Isaza, who ended up officiating the wedding of Qui&amp;ntilde;ones and Valent&amp;iacute;n, said that Qui&amp;ntilde;ones' work was critical for so many students over the years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I love Myriam,&quot; she said. &quot;I think she's a great woman and I was very honored to work with her and be at her side.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Though Holyoke was not her first home, Qui&amp;ntilde;ones embraced the city and became an institution unto herself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She's the one who made me really fall in love with the community&quot; of Holyoke, said Valent&amp;iacute;n, who met Qui&amp;ntilde;ones at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Qui&amp;ntilde;ones was on the search committee for a bilingual counselor position Valent&amp;iacute;n had applied to. The two became coworkers, and it wasn't long before they moved in together, Qui&amp;ntilde;ones said. They've been together ever since.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She made me want to get involved, pushed me to say I wanted to run for office,&quot; Valent&amp;iacute;n said. &quot;She just literally encouraged and supported me every step of the way.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2006, Qui&amp;ntilde;ones was named as the first coordinator of the college's Multicultural Academic Services program, or MAS. She said that for more than a decade she has been fighting for a fully staffed space that provides culturally responsive services to the many students who, like her, arrived at the college needing to take ESL classes or wanting a comfortable place to turn as a student of color who may be the first in their family to attend college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Qui&amp;ntilde;ones' own parents live in Puerto Rico, as does Valent&amp;iacute;n's aging father. And when Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017, the couple got involved in relief efforts but yearned to do more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We realized that was not enough,&quot; Qui&amp;ntilde;ones said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We were changed people and we felt like we want to be part of this beautiful island again,&quot; was how Valent&amp;iacute;n put it.So the couple started making plans.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They sold their home in Holyoke and have laid the groundwork to return to the place both had left so long ago; Qui&amp;ntilde;ones arrived on the U.S. mainland 32 years ago and Valent&amp;iacute;n 23 years ago.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Saturday, April 2, they depart for Nashville, to spend time with one of their two daughters and their young grandchildren.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They would have left earlier, Qui&amp;ntilde;ones said, but wanted to wait until their younger child graduated from college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Though they don't know what they'll do full time in Puerto Rico, they are excited to spend time with family and friends and decide where to put their roots down. Qui&amp;ntilde;ones said it's her dream to start her own tourism business eventually.Qui&amp;ntilde;ones and Valent&amp;iacute;n also said they felt at peace leaving Holyoke after the most recent citywide election, which produced the most diverse City Council in the city's history and the first Latino mayor of Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I leave happy,&quot; Qui&amp;ntilde;ones said. &quot;I am so proud of this city that saw me become the professional woman I am today.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Dusty Christensen can be reached at dchristensen@gazettenet.com.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12824" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/snap-success" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x12824.xml" Name="SNAP Success" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/SNAP-Luis-swipe-website.jpg" Title="SNAP Success" Abstract="HCC's Homestead Market is now the only campus store at any public college or university in the state to accept SNAP benefits, or what used to be called food stamps. " ThumbnailAltText="Luis Pinto-Jimenez uses his EBT card to buy groceries at HCC's Homestead Market. " IntroCopy="Homestead Market begins accepting SNAP benefits " Date="2022-03-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC food service director Kevin Vincent celebrates with HCC student Luis Pinto-Jimenez arfter the later successfully used his EBT card from the Mass. Dept. of Transitional Assistance to buy groceries at HCC's Homestead Market.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/SNAP-SUCCES.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With one swipe, Holyoke Community College student Luis Pinto-Jimenez made history.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Thursday, March 24, Pinto-Jimenez used his EBT card from the Mass. Dept. of Transitional Assistance to make a purchase at HCC's Homestead Market. In so doing, he became the first student ever to use a federal food benefits card to buy groceries at one of the state's public colleges or universities.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm super happy that everything is so convenient, and it's all worked out after so much time,&quot; said Pinto-Jimenez, who lives in Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In February, after many months, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture finally granted HCC's request to accept SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits at Homestead Market, the college's on-campus convenience store. The DTA administers SNAP for residents of Massachusetts. It took until March 24 to install a card reader that could link to the state's EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) system.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's very exciting,&quot; said HCC food services director Kevin Vincent. &quot;It's been a tough process, but it's awesome.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The market, which opened last fall on the second floor of HCC's Frost building, is now the only campus store at any public college or university in Massachusetts to accept SNAP benefits, or what used to be called food stamps.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is what we've been waiting for,&quot; said Mark Pronovost, HCC's former food services director, who started the process of opening Homestead Market at HCC before he retired in August 2021. Pronovost was on hand to see Pinto-Jimenez make the first swipe using his EBT card.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The store is a collaboration between the college, its food service vendor, Aramark Dining Services, and HCC's Thrive Student Resource Center, which operates the college's food pantry and also helps low-income students apply for SNAP benefits.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The market is the latest HCC effort to address food insecurity on campus. According to a 2020 basic needs survey, 46 percent of HCC students said they experience low or very low levels of food security, far above the national average. The initiative for opening a campus store that could accept SNAP benefits started in 2018 with HCC's Student Senate.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The opening of Homestead Market takes our work to the next level by providing students with access to fresh produce, pantry essentials and quick meals that can be purchased with SNAP benefits,&quot; President Christina Royal said last fall at the grand opening of Homestead Market. &quot;This means that students who would otherwise have to find transportation from campus to buy groceries can pick up their milk, bread, eggs and other basic food items right here, and they can afford it.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of those students is Pinto-Jimenez, who relies on public transportation to get around.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I take the bus,&quot; he said. &quot;As a student who doesn't have a car, it's really hard finding a way to go to the supermarket.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Food shopping has gotten much easier for Pinto-Jimenez since the opening of Homestead Market.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As a student who volunteers a lot at HCC and spends a lot of time on campus, it's helpful to have a store right here where I can go and get my groceries,&quot; he said. &quot;It's super convenient. We all know math equations don't make sense when you're hungry. I'm so happy that students who need help don't have to worry about where to go to get food.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) HCC food services director Kevin Vincent celebrates with student Luis Pinto-Jimenez after the latter successfully used his EBT card to buy groceries at Homestead Market on March 24. (Thumbnail) Pinto-Jimenez gets ready to make history at HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13022" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/trans-flag-raising" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x13022.xml" Name="Trans flag raising" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-Trans-Flag-web.jpg" Title="Flying High" Abstract="In recognition of International Transgender Day of Visibility on Thursday, March 31, Holyoke Community College raised the trans pride flag over campus." ThumbnailAltText="Transf" IntroCopy="HCC recognizes International Transgender Day of Visibility with flag-raising " Date="2022-03-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Trans flagraising ceremony at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-Trans-Flag-welcome-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In advance of International Transgender Day of Visibility, Holyoke Community College held a recognition ceremony Monday, raising the baby blue, pink, and white-striped transgender pride flag over the campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite the cold and windy conditions, about two dozen HCC students, faculty and staff turned out to watch President Christina Royal raise the flag.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;International Transgender Day of Visibility is Thursday, March 31.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are very excited today to be able to raise the flag in support of transgender individuals and to recognize the day of transgender visibility,&quot; Royal said. &quot;At HCC, over the last several years, I've heard from many trans students who wanted us to do better. And a part of that work is really being able to meet students like we do, in all cases, across various identity groups, and to find ways as an institution to support them in the best way possible to ensure their success.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;International Transgender Day of Visibility is a day dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of transgender and gender-nonconforming people and raise awareness about transgender issues.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In terms of the work that we specifically have been doing in this area, our goal is to become a trans-affirming campus,&quot; said Royal. &quot;That, point blank, is what we're working towards.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As such, she said, &quot;HCC recognizes students and the names they want to use.&quot; The college has also been working to increase the number of gender-neutral bathrooms on campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's a big step,&quot; she said. &quot;I'm excited that we have been making progress and that we will continue to. At HCC we recognize that we are a reflection of our community. As our community keeps changing, we as a college will continue to change.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to a 2021 magazine article in &lt;em&gt;seventeen&lt;/em&gt;, Monica Helms, a Navy veteran and transgender woman, created the transgender pride flag in 1999.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The light blue is the traditional color for baby boys, pink is for girls, and the white in the middle is for those who are transitioning, those who feel they have a neutral gender or no gender, and those who are intersexed,&quot; Helms explained.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She designed the flag to look the same from every direction, no matter how it's held.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC biology major Avery Maltz (they/them) said that before they enrolled at HCC they didn't feel safe enough to come out for fear of losing their job and housing.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;During my time at HCC, I realized that it would be safe for me to transition and live as who I am,&quot; Maltz said to the crowd. &quot;It has not been a perfectly smooth path. But I do see changes being made. I see engagement. And that's really the most important thing is that I continue to see &amp;ndash; people engaging with the work. That's how progress happens. I'm just grateful to be graduating from HCC this semester as an out, trans-person who can talk to you all about that and have this flag going up behind me. That's something I never thought would happen.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) The trans pride flag flies over the HCC campus. (Above) President Christina Royal offers some remarks before raising the trans pride flag on Monday, March 28.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13081" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/mask-mandate" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165" FileName="x13081.xml" Name="Mask Mandate" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-BIO-MASKS-web.jpg" Title="HCC to Unmask" Abstract="As of May 20, after the end of the spring semester, students, faculty, staff and visitors will no longer be required to wear masks inside campus buildings. " ThumbnailAltText="Biology students participate in a lab exercise earlier this spring" IntroCopy="College to lift mask mandate on May 20" Date="2022-04-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC students in bio lab&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-BIO-MASKS-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will lift its mask mandate on Friday, May 20, after the end of the Spring 2022 semester. After that, students, faculty, staff, and visitors will no longer be required to wear masks inside campus buildings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Summer session classes at HCC begin on May 24. Registration for both summer and fall classes opens on Monday, April 4.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a message Thursday, March 30, to the HCC community, President Christina Royal cited the low number of new COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts as well as current mask guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and state Dept. of Public Health as reasons for making the shift to a mask-optional environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This transition aligns with similar decisions being made at all Massachusetts community colleges this spring,&quot; Royal said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In her statement, Royal acknowledged that people may have different levels of comfort with the decision.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For many of you, this news may come as a relief,&quot; she said. &quot;For others, you may still not feel safe without your mask. Both are understandable. I ask that as a community, we practice our values of kindness, inclusion, and trust. I ask that we make those who continue to mask feel comfortable, respected, and welcome as part of our community. The health and safety of our community remains of utmost importance.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal said that the college will continue to remain flexible regarding its mask policy if future conditions should warrant revision.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We will continue to follow the guidance of the medical community as it relates to the pandemic, remaining attentive to the unique needs of communities we serve,&quot; she said. &quot;I appreciate having the opportunity to engage in conversation with many of you on this topic during recent Town Halls and in other forums. Like every decision, there are a variety of perspectives. I share this news now in order for our community to have maximum time for transition.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On March 17, HCC announced that it would return to in-person graduation for the first time since 2019. HCC's 75th Anniversary&amp;nbsp;Commencement&amp;nbsp;will be held on Sat., June 4, at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC biology students participate in a lab exercise earlier this semester. After May 20, students will no longer ber required to wear masks in class.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13079" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/commencement-2022" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165" FileName="x13079.xml" Name="Commencement 2022" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Cynthia-Rivera-pose.jpg" Title="In-Person Pomp" Abstract="For the first time since 2019, Holyoke Community College will celebrate graduates with an in-person ceremony June 4 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield." ThumbnailAltText="Cynthia Rivera, HCC Class of 2021, celebrates at HCC prior to a virtual graduation ceremony last year. " IntroCopy="HCC 75th Anniversary Commencement June 4 at MassMutual Center in Springfield" Date="2022-03-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Cynthia Rivera in her cap and gown&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Cynthia-Rivera-pose.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the first time since 2019, Holyoke Community College will celebrate its new graduates with an in-person ceremony at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's 75th Anniversary Commencement will take place on Sat., June 4, starting at 10 a.m. at the downtown Springfield arena. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, graduation ceremonies for the classes of 2020 and 2021 were held virtually.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With infection rates in decline and community mask mandates lifting, HCC's College Affairs Committee advised that an in-person ceremony could be held safely this year.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It is with great enthusiasm that I announce that we will be able to celebrate this important moment for our students&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;in person&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;this spring,&quot; HCC president Christina Royal said in a March 16 message to the HCC community. &quot;The ceremony will include all of the pomp and circumstance and unique HCC energy we have always looked forward to at Commencement.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As in past in-person ceremonies, HCC will honor the professor recognized with the Elaine Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence, who will lead the procession of graduates, faculty and staff into the arena and give a commencement address to the Class of 2022. The ceremony will also include student performances and speeches.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Most of all, we will deliver a day our students truly deserve and have worked so hard for,&quot; Royal said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Graduates from HCC's classes of 2020 and 2021, who were not able to celebrate their graduations in person, will be invited to participate in Commencement this spring as the college celebrates its 75th anniversary as the oldest community college in Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This year's Commencement takes on even greater meaning as we also celebrate the college's 75th anniversary,&quot; Royal said. &quot;Like each of you, I look forward to this opportunity to celebrate our students' success.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once confirmed, information regarding safety measures as well as other event details will be posted on the Commencement page on the HCC website:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/commencement&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://hcc.edu/commencement&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1647622526323000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0LiKBj0_evROTjPWMYn7FS&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/commencement&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In advance of Commencement, HCC will also be hosting cap and gown pickup celebrations on campus in May.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is the perfect time for our community to come together and show our students how proud we are of their achievements,&quot; Royal said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO Cynthia Rivera, HCC Class of 2021, celebrates in her cap and gown in advance of HCC's 2021 Commencement, which was held virtually.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13020" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/theater-awards-2022" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|65|165|226" FileName="x13020.xml" Name="Theater Awards 2022" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-LUCI-MINO-web.jpg" Title="Theater Awards " Abstract="The HCC Theater Department won six awards for playwriting, collaboration, and stage management at the annual Region I Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC music alum Luci Mino performs an original song for the spring 2021 production of &quot;In These Times.&quot;" IntroCopy="HCC garners six awards at the 2022 Kennedy Center American College a Theater Festival" Date="2022-04-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC music alum Luci Mino performs in &amp;quot;In These Times.&amp;quot;&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-LUCI-MINO-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once again, the Holyoke Community College Theater Department was recognized with multiple awards at the annual Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC earned a total of six awards for two 2021 productions: four for&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/in-these-times&quot;&gt;&quot;In These Times,&quot;&lt;/a&gt; an original work presented remotely that recounts the experiences of students during the COVID-19 pandemic; and two for&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/jesus-hopped&quot;&gt;&quot;Jesus Hopped the A Train,&quot;&lt;/a&gt; a traditional stage play set in the Rikers Island prison.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC belongs to KCACTF Region I, whose festival was held virtually in January. KCACTF Region I includes colleges and universities in northern New York and all six New England states. Awards are based on the recommendations of respondents, who travel around the country to view college theater productions and offer critiques.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, three HCC students were honored in the category of Playwriting for their contributions to &quot;In These Times,&quot; Nicole Couture of Southampton for&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/apollo&quot;&gt;&quot;Apollo,&quot;&lt;/a&gt; a story about adopting an ailing shelter dog; Andre Rodrigues of Ludlow for&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/racially-profiled&quot;&gt;&quot;Racially Profiled,&quot;&lt;/a&gt; a piece about his interactions with black and white police officers; and Alia Alabsi of Northampton, a 2021 HCC graduate now at Smith College, for her poem&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/capacity-to-prevail&quot;&gt;&quot;Capacity to Prevail.&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're very pleased to have student work recognized by the Kennedy Center,&quot; said HCC theater professor Pat Sandoval, who conceived of and directed &quot;In These Times,&quot; which was presented in spring 2021. &quot;It's an incredible accomplishment for HCC students to receive awards for playwriting.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For &quot;In These Times,&quot; Sandoval asked students from all areas of the college to write first-person accounts of their lives during the pandemic. She auditioned students and theater alumni to perform those stories, and complemented the monologues with music and art contributed by other members of the HCC community. The cast included 18 actors performing 40 different monologues during the 90-minute online show. Eight student and alumni musicians pre-recorded performances, including original music. More than 40 students and alumni contributed art that was displayed between the monologues and music.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sandoval said it was particularly meaningful that HCC's Theater, Music, and Visual Art departments garnered a Kennedy Center award for Collaboration for their work on &quot;In These Times.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's very special and exciting to be celebrated for collaboration,&quot; said Sandoval. &quot;I really have to thank Felice Caivano (Visual Arts department chair) and Elissa Brill Pashkin (Music department chair) for agreeing to work on this together. It could have just been an evening of presentations, but it wasn't. We had to collaborate to make it a cohesive piece of storytelling, and it all worked.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two HCC students, Julio Colon of Springfield, and Madison Robitaille of Thorndike, received awards for Stage Management for their work on the fall 2021 production of &quot;Jesus Hopped the A Train,&quot; a play by Stephen Adly Guirgis, was directed by HCC theater alum Axel Cruz.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/communication-media-and-theater-arts&quot;&gt;HCC Theater Department&lt;/a&gt; has now won 18 KCACTF awards over the past decade for individual acting, ensemble acting, dedication to a script, stage managing, best original music, playwriting, and collaboration.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Theater Department puts on two full productions each academic year, one in the fall and one in the spring. Rehearsals are now underway for the HCC Theater Department's spring 2022 production of Shakespeare's &quot;A Midsummer Night's Dream.&quot; Directed by HCC theater professor Tim Cochran, the show will be presented in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater April 21-23.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC music alum Luci Mino '18 performs &quot;When,&quot; an original song she wrote for the college's spring 2021 production of &quot;In These Times,&quot; which received a award for Collaboration at the 2022 Region I Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12786" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/family-pride" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|65|194" FileName="x12786.xml" Name="Family Pride" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/Maylene-Jennifer-Scott-2-web.jpg" Title="Family Pride" Abstract="From The Connection: Jennifer Scott's HCC graduation tassel inspired her daughter, Maylene Rodriguez Scott, to pursue her own college dreams – and a dream job at HCC.   " ThumbnailAltText="Maylene and Jennifer Scott " IntroCopy="&quot;It really excites me and feels like I'm in the right setting. Even though I didn't go to HCC myself, it still means a lot to me because my mom went there.&quot;  – Maylene Rodriguez Scott, daughter of Jennifer Scott '10, '19" Date="2022-12-22" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Maylene and Jennifer Scott&quot; height=&quot;730&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/Scotts-deeper-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDITOR'S NOTE: This story also appears in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Documents/Publications/AC/AC_FA22_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Fall 2022 Connection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Fall 2022 issue of The Connection&lt;/a&gt;, the HCC college magazine.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By LAURIE LOISEL &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When it comes to Jennifer Scott and her daughter, Maylene Rodriguez Scott, it's hard to say who inspires the other more. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Growing up, Maylene watched as her mother, a single parent working full time, pursued an associate degree at Holyoke Community College. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After Maylene graduated from Amherst Regional High School in 2015, Jennifer watched her daughter put herself through the University of Massachusetts, where she graduated in 2020 with honors, a bachelor's degree in sociology and educational policy, and minimal debt while working in the university's financial aid office. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Theirs is not only a story of perseverance but one that illustrates the profound power a community college education has to transform individual lives &amp;ndash; and families. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maylene, now 25, was a toddler when her mother entered HCC's Jump Start program. After dropping out of Chicopee High School and leaving a troubled relationship, Scott was getting by on public assistance, but she wanted a job. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eventually, Scott found &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/jump-start&quot;&gt;Jump Start&lt;/a&gt;, a free HCC program created in the mid-1990s that provides specialized job training, job skills preparation, career placement services, and support for disadvantaged people looking to join the workforce. It was perfect for her. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Scott, 42, says the program provided an essential foundation that helped build her confidence. In addition to specific job skills, Jump Start instructors taught her how to prepare resumes and cover letters, how to dress for interviews and communicate with potential employers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They never were judgmental and that was a really big thing,&quot; she said. &quot;They were teaching you what you needed to know in the real world to be successful. They treated you with kindness and respect. I was never discouraged.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the time, Scott was on her own and found their gentle support and the connections she made with other students to be just what she needed. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There wasn't anybody pushing me to do it except the people in the Jump Start program,&quot; she said. &quot;I don't think I'd be where I am if I wasn't able to get that foundation. It was really a savior.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The effort paid off. After completing Jump Start's customer service training track, she was offered jobs in banking and medical billing.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The main goal of the program is to get participants off public assistance by preparing them with immediate, marketable work skills,&quot; said Jump Start coordinator Aimee Funk. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But before that can happen, she said, staff individually assess each participant to identify barriers to success &amp;ndash; and work with them to make sure their needs are met. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's not one facet that makes a student,&quot; she said. &quot;It's a circle of things.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/getting-a-jump&quot;&gt;See Accompanying Story: Getting a Jump&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although Jump Start is all about putting people into the workforce, the staff there hope participants will return to HCC at some point to continue their educations. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That was the case for Jennifer Scott. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While thrilled to find a job after Jump Start, she eventually returned to HCC, where she began to chip away at her associate degree in human services, working full time, taking two or three classes each semester at night, occasionally taking a semester off, until she had finally earned enough credits to graduate in 2010. Later, Scott returned to HCC again for a certificate in addiction studies. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maylene has vivid memories of her mother's years at HCC, often tagging along to campus when she was a young student at Wildwood Elementary School in Amherst, where she grew up.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was the first time I'd ever seen another school,&quot; Maylene said, &quot;and I remember walking through the halls and thinking 'Wow! This is Mom's school. It's so big!&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over time, she came to understand how hard her mother was working, especially when, for example, Scott would collect Maylene from her after-school program following a day's work, and then head off to a night class. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She remembers, too, the sweet rewards: The day her mother received her graduation tassel, she placed it on her rearview mirror, where it still hangs &amp;ndash; a symbol of her achievement. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;That is something I can do for myself, &lt;/em&gt;Maylene realized. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After Scott earned her associate degree, a YWCA internship working with people leaving relationships marred by domestic violence led to a job in Palmer District Court as an advocate working with victims and survivors. Eventually, she earned a promotion to supervisor, managing advocates in several courts in western Massachusetts. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two years ago, she got a job as a case specialist in the Eastern Hampshire District Court Probation Department in Belchertown. When Scott saw the job posting, she was intimidated, but her daughter encouraged her to apply, and, in the end, Scott was selected out of a field of 90 applicants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She couldn't be prouder of me,&quot; Scott said of Maylene. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On occasion, when Scott wonders how she got the job, given that she does not have a bachelor's degree, her daughter sets her straight. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;No, you definitely beat 90 people,&quot; Maylene tells her. &quot;Don't downplay it.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After taking a City Year gap program in Boston, Maylene remembers opening her financial aid letter from UMass and finding it so confusing she thought she wouldn't be able to afford to go. Encouraged by one of her mother's friends, she went to the financial aid office for help deciphering the aid package. Turned out, she'd misread it. Not only were her costs covered, she was told she could apply for an additional scholarship for Amherst High graduates. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That experience made her want to better understand college financing, which she got first-hand at a work-study job in the financial aid office, where she worked her entire four years at UMass. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It made me very passionate about helping people understand their financial aid so they could walk away saying they know what their options are,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She thrived academically, majoring in education policy and sociology, and taking some graduate courses about college accessibility, higher education finance, economics and public policy. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Those were the classes when I thought, 'Wow, learning is really fun,'&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After graduation, she was hired full time in the financial aid office and then worked for a year at Community Action Pioneer Valley, a nonprofit that connects low-income Valley residents with fuel assistance, food benefits and other resources. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then, in fall 2021, she saw a job opening in the Financial Aid office at HCC, applied and got it.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's her dream job,&quot; her mother said. &quot;I'm so proud of her.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maylene began her job as an HCC financial aid counselor in October. She sees it as an opportunity to work for an institution whose mission is accessibility for all. She especially loves that HCC offers programs like Jump Start that meet students wherever they are on the road to education and self-improvement. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It really excites me and feels like I'm in the right setting,&quot; she said. &quot;Even though I didn't go to HCC myself, it still means a lot to me because my mom went there.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, Jennifer Scott loves her job in the court's probation office. She took a semester at Elms College, thinking she might continue on for a bachelor's degree. Though Scott is not so sure, there is someone in her life who is.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My daughter,&quot; she said, &quot;is really adamant that I should.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS courtesy of Jennifer Scott: HCC alum Jennifer Scott '10, '19, right, and her daughter, Maylene Rodriguez Scott, a financial aid counselor at HCC.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18537" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/covid-testing-to-end" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x18537.xml" Name="COVID testing to end" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-Curative-trailer-web.jpg" Title="Testing to End" Abstract="The healthcare company Curative will end its COVID-19 testing program at Holyoke Community College on Dec. 31; HCC has hosted COVID testing since August 2020.   " ThumbnailAltText="COVID testing trailers at HCC" IntroCopy="HCC has hosted COVID-19 testing since August 2020. " Date="2022-12-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;COVID-19 testing at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-Curative-trailer-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Curative will end its COVID-19 testing program at Holyoke Community College on Dec. 31, 2022.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has been a host site for COVID-19 testing since the summer of 2020, soon after the pandemic began, initially through the state's Stop the Spread testing program. The healthcare company Curative has been offering free COVID-19 tests at HCC since April 2022 in partnership with the college and the Holyoke Board of Health.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC was more than happy to provide our facilities over the last two and half years so people in the community could get tested,&quot; said Narayan Sampath, HCC vice president of Administration and Finance. &quot;As a community college, it is our responsibility to be there for the residents of neighboring cities and towns in any way we can. We owe a lot to our facilities and campus safety departments, who worked closely with Curative and the Holyoke Boad of Health to make it happen.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC was informed about the program's closure in an email last month from Marlon Marte, Curative's New England manager.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When we responded to the pandemic back in 2020, we knew we had an opportunity to serve communities and people across the U.S. with access to easy and affordable COVID-19 testing,&quot; Marte said. &quot;Through on-the-ground partnerships such as ours, we made testing more accessible and helped mitigate the biggest public health crisis in our country in more than a century. We should all be proud of what we've been able to achieve in helping the country navigate through these difficult and challenging years. Now, as demand for our method of testing decreases significantly with the prevalence of other options, it's clear our job is done and we are entering a post-pandemic era. With that in mind, effective January 1, 2023, Curative will conclude our COVID-19 testing services.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Until then, Curative will continue to offer testing at HCC in parking lot R, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We thank you again for your steadfast partnership as we navigated the uncharted waters of COVID together,&quot; Marte said. &quot;Communities are safer and healthier because of your commitment.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Curative uses self-collected, shallow nasal PCR tests. Results are generally available in 1-2 days. Testing is free. Slots can be reserved at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://book.curative.com/sites/34933&quot;&gt;cur.tv/hcc&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;Appointments are preferred.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Testing hours may change due to inclement weather or holidays. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Additional Massachusetts testing loctations can be found at: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.gov/info-details/find-a-covid-19-test&quot;&gt;mass.gov/covid &lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Curative COVID-19 testing trailers at HCC&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18540" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hcc-accolades" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|355|452|70|165" FileName="x18540.xml" Name="HCC Accolades" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-NURSING-2022-WEb.jpg" Title="HCC Accolades" Abstract="HCC's registered nursing program was ranked one of the best in Massachusetts for 2023 while the college was also recognized with an award for best student support services.   " IntroCopy="College lauded for nursing program, student support services" Date="2022-12-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student-nurses practice their craft in the college's Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-NURSING-2022-WEb.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Holyoke Community College's associate degree program in nursing was ranked one of the best in Massachusetts by RegisteredNursing.org, an online repository of information and educational resources for registered nurses and those aspiring to enter the field.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, HCC also received the award for &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.intelligent.com/best-community-colleges/massachusetts/#holyoke_community_college&quot; title=&quot;Best Support Services&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Best Student Support Services&lt;/a&gt; from Intelligent.com in its 2023 listings of the top community colleges in Massachusetts. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In its &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.registerednursing.org/state/massachusetts/#rankings&quot; title=&quot;RN Rankings&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2023 RN program rankings&lt;/a&gt;, RegisteredNursing.org listed HCC's associate of science in nursing degree program (ADN) fifth among 41 college and university programs in Massachusetts and number one in the state west of Worcester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To determine its rankings, RegisteredNursing.org analyzed student performance over the previous five years on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Aspiring registered nurses in the United States must pass the exam before they may begin to practice. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are firm believers in providing students with all the information possible to make the right choice when selecting a nursing school,&quot; RegisteredNursing.org said in its introduction to the 2023 rankings. &quot;With this in mind, we feel a great way to provide this transparency is through studying nursing programs and their students' performance on the NCLEX-RN exam.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For 2023, RegisteredNursing.org gave HCC a score of 94.96, an average that gives greater weight to NCLEX-RN pass rates in the most recent exam year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's nursing and radiologic technology programs are based at the college's Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation on Jarvis Avenue, near the main HCC campus on Homestead Avenue.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also, Intelligent.com, an online guide to higher education, recently gave HCC its award for Best Student Support Services in its 2023 listings for the top community colleges in Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC prides itself on its student support services, particular in areas that address barriers outside the classroom that may hinder a student's ability to succeed, such as its Thrive Student Resource Center and Food Pantry; its Homestead Market, a campus convenience store that accepts SNAP benefits (federal food subsidies); and its free Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program, which was singled out in Intelligent.com's report on HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC student Abby Lavoie, of Ludlow, has been dropping off her 18-month-old daughter at HCC's Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center this fall so she can attend classes on campus.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's the only reason I'm able to come to school,&quot; she recently said. &quot;I wouldn't be here without it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC student-nurses practice their craft at the college's Center for Health Education and Simulation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12668" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/canna-core-sp22" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|194" FileName="x12668.xml" Name="Canna Core SP22" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Marijuana-cultivation.jpg" Title="Spring Training" Abstract="The Cannabis Education Center at HCC will offer its first Cannabis Core job training course of 2022 on Sat., Jan. 22, and Sunday, Jan. 23, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day over Zoom." ThumbnailAltText="cannabis cultivation facility" IntroCopy="Spring 2022 cannabis industry training classes begin January 22" Date="2022-01-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Cannabis cultivation facility&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Marijuana-cultivation.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cannabis Education Center at Holyoke Community College has announced its schedule of industry training programs for the spring 2022 semester.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The CEC will offer four 12-hour, introductory Cannabis Core educational training courses with the first&amp;nbsp; et to run Sat., Jan. 22, and Sunday, Jan. 23, from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. each day over Zoom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cannabis Core program provides an overview of the cannabis industry in Massachusetts and is geared for people looking for general knowledge as they consider a cannabis career. During four, three-hour sessions, students will interact with cannabis experts and guest speakers in reviews of the plant, various cannabis products, the endocannabinoid system, laws and prohibition, growing and plant care, labeling, packaging, testing, employment considerations, and more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Core program is a foundational course and a prerequisite for the following career track courses: patient services associate (classes start Feb. 5), cultivation assistant (starting Feb. 26), extraction technician (April 2), and culinary assistant (April 19).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Additional Cannabis Core programs will run Feb. 19-20, March 19-20, and April 5-6.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cost of the Cannabis Core training is $599, but scholarships are available to those who qualify.To register, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.coursestorm.com/category/cannabis-training&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/cannabis-core&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cannabis Education Center is a partnership between HCC and Elevate Northeast and based out of HCC's Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Elevate Northeast is a Massachusetts-based, women-founded 501(c)(3) nonprofit, created to support the Northeast's growing cannabis industry through workforce training, education and advocacy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information on these and other cannabis industry programs can be found on the Cannabis Education Center's website &amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cannabiseducationcenter.org/&quot;&gt;cannabiseducationcenter.org&lt;/a&gt; or by calling 413-552-2320.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12823" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/andy-morse" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|65" FileName="x12823.xml" Name="Andy Morse" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/ANDY-MORSE-2.jpg" Title="Tutor Extraordinaire" Abstract="The HCC community is mourning the loss of alum Andrew Morse '12, who touched countless lives while working for more than a decade as a tutor in the college's Writing Center. " ThumbnailAltText="Andrew Morse in the HCC Writing Center" IntroCopy="HCC mourns loss of tutor Andrew Morse '12 " Date="2022-03-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Andy Morse in the HCC Writing Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/ANDY-MORSE-3.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During more than a decade of service to Holyoke Community College as a tutor, Andrew Morse '12 spent countless hours in the Writing Center, where he had often sought assistance himself as a student.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;Without the support services that were available to me, I may not have stayed in school,&quot; Morse said during an interview in 2019. &quot;Working one on one with tutors really helped me feel more comfortable and confident. I continue to work at the Writing Center because I highly value the work that we do. Many of our students face rigorous challenges and responsibilities both inside and outside of school, so it feels good to be in a position where I can offer students both encouragement and help refining their academic skills.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, the HCC community is mourning the loss of Morse, 34, who passed away Feb. 23 after a 3&amp;frac12;-year battle with cancer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Andy was one of our most steadfast colleagues,&quot; said his supervisor Frank Johnson, Writing Center coordinator. &quot;He was an HCC alum, tutor extraordinaire, mentor, and person whose spirit and demeanor could set anyone at ease and make them feel like the most important person in the room. I cannot stress how deeply this loss feels.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Morse grew up in Southampton and graduated from Hampshire Regional High School in 2006. He entered HCC as a first-generation, nontraditional student. A communications major, he joined the school newspaper, hoping to be a sports columnist, and was eventually named editor.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He often brought his work to the Writing Center. Recognizing Morse's skills, Johnson hired him as a peer tutor. He continued working there as an undergraduate at UMass. After receiving his bachelor's degree in communications, Morse earned his status at HCC as a professional tutor. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He was easily one of the best tutors to ever work with me,&quot; said Johnson. &quot;He had a natural&amp;nbsp;talent for helping people see abilities they didn't believe they had.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Morse's wife, Michelle, in an obituary she wrote at his request, called her husband &quot;a fantastic writer&quot; who had a thoughtful way with spoken as well as written words.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He had an innate ability to make a lasting connection with each and every person he encountered,&quot; she wrote.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To call him a sports &quot;fan&quot; doesn't do justice to the word.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Andy knew more about sports than anyone I've ever met,&quot; Michelle wrote. &quot;I'd often catch him typing away on his color-coordinated spreadsheets, filled with the trade ideas he had for professional sports teams, often putting most ESPN analysts to shame. He waited all year for the NBA Draft, which he dubbed his 'Christmas.'&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They married in October 2017, just 10 months before he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;His diagnosis, while incredibly gut-wrenching and life-changing, made us love deeper, laugh harder, and live each day to the fullest,&quot; she wrote. &quot;Thank you for showing me what true love is and for leaving a lasting impression on my heart and on the lives of everyone you met.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His obituary was published in the March 2, 2022, issue of the &lt;em&gt;Daily Hampshire Gazette&lt;/em&gt; and can be &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/gazettenet/name/andrew-morse-obituary?n=andrew-morse&amp;amp;pid=201487124&amp;amp;fbclid=IwAR30dpEp5mdaseo9deNjqfw5Z2JlN34Zp1fN0uTvwb45vpnbzJUYT4poqq4&quot;&gt;read online here&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Andrew Morse at work in the HCC Writing Center in 2019.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12805" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/going-mobile" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|66|3|193|165|194" FileName="x12805.xml" Name="Going Mobile" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-Leigh-prep-web.jpg" Title="Going Mobile" Abstract="HCC has been awarded a $147,000 state grant to buy a &quot;kitchen on wheels&quot; to take its culinary arts operation on the road for education and community outreach. " ThumbnailAltText="Chef Warren Leigh slices a grilled duck breast during a class at the HCC MGM Cuinary Arts Institute " IntroCopy="HCC awarded grant for mobile food lab" Date="2022-02-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC culinary arts alum Nicole Ortiz got her start in the food industry with a mobile trailer, which provides a lower cost of entry than opening a brick and mortar establlishment.e&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-Oritz-TRUCK-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When is a food truck not a food truck? When it's a mobile culinary arts laboratory.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded a $147,000 Skills Capital Grant to purchase a truck for its culinary arts program that will be used as a mobile kitchen for community outreach and education.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's not our intention to sell food out of the truck as a means to generate revenue,&quot; said HCC professor Warren Leigh, co-chair of the culinary arts program. &quot;We're not going to set up on the corner and sell tacos and hot dogs. We are absolutely going to cook in it, but the main purpose is to engage in community service. At the same time, our students will learn about food truck operations and how to work in that smaller space.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The funds, from Governor Baker's Workforce Skills Cabinet, are part of a new $3.3 million package of grants to 20 educational organizations in Massachusetts for updating equipment and expanding student enrollment in career education programs. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the award letter, HCC will use the $147,000 to purchase and outfit a &quot;mobile food lab to provide students access to new hands-on/experiential learning.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The mobile kitchen will be used to support both credit and noncredit culinary arts programs and incorporate other areas of study including nutrition, health, business and entrepreneurship. HCC's grant application notes that residents of Holyoke face a high level of food insecurity and downtown Holyoke has been identified as a &quot;food desert.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC will deploy the truck to bring food to neighborhoods of downtown Holyoke,&quot; it says. In addition, HCC plans to connect this project to its downtown Freight Farms initiative with a focus on basic nutrition, local produce and healthy eating.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leigh envisions using the mobile food lab to engage community partners such as the Holyoke Boys &amp;amp; Girls Club and area food pantries. Students will meet with representatives from area organizations to create menus based on ingredients of their choice or what might be seasonally available.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We'll be there with our kitchen on wheels and help them understand that they can take this product XYZ and make it into something interesting, cooked in a fashion they would like,&quot; said Leigh.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once the truck arrives &amp;ndash; sometime later this year &amp;ndash; food truck operations will be worked into the current culinary arts curriculum in both credit and non-credit courses such as event planning and line-cook training. Students will have to learn to cook in a more confined area than the generous workstations provided in the spacious kitchens at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute and figure out logistics, such as how to dispose of dirty &quot;grey&quot; water, replenish the kitchen with fresh water, and maintain a stable power source.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You have to have a production plan, just like you do in a restaurant, but now it's even more important because you're going into a vehicle and driving away from your home base,&quot; said Leigh. &quot;It's like catering off site. You have to bring everything you need.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to statistics, the growth of food trucks outpaced restaurant growth 5.5 percent to 4.3 percent in 2021, spurred in part by the COVID-19 pandemic. IBIS World, a research journal, said the industry was already experiencing rapid growth in the five years before.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What's really cool about food trucks is that it allows you to enter the industry much more inexpensively,&quot; said Leigh. &quot;If you're opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant from scratch, the vent hood alone can cost $20,000 to $50,000, so it's a much lower bar getting started. It's great way to put in a minimal investment and test out your concept without a lot of risk.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He cites the example of HCC culinary arts alum Nicole Ortiz, who wrote a letter in support of the grant and started her own culinary career with her Crave food truck business. Ortiz now also runs Crave restaurant on High Street in Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Nicole started with that small trailer that she bought with a grant from EforAll (Holyoke SPARK's Entrepreneurship for All initiative),&quot; said Leigh. &quot;She got going and now she's in a brick and mortar site.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leigh said the HCC mobile food lab will have an awning like a food truck and a window to pass out food and will also be equipped with cameras in the cooking area and a flat-screen TV on the outside so people can see what's going on inside.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Other organizations, their idea of engaging with the community is pop-up tents and Bunsen burners,&quot; said Leigh. &quot;We're going to show up, and it's going to look like a professional operation. It &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt; be a professional operation.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Chef Warren Leigh slices a pan-seared duck breast during a class at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. (Above)&amp;nbsp;HCC culinary arts alum Nicole Ortiz got her start in businesss with a mobile food trailer, which provides a much lower cost of entry into the food-service industry than opening a brick and mortar establishment. Now, she has both.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12810" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/menstrual-equity" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165" FileName="x12810.xml" Name="Menstrual Equity " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-ME-JGi-web.jpg" Title="HCC Cares About M.E." Abstract="Holyoke Community College has launched an initiative to ensure menstrual products are widely available on campus and free to anyone who needs them." ThumbnailAltText="HCC student J. Gi with M.E. box" IntroCopy="College launches menstrual equity campaign" Date="2022-03-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student Shoshana Olkin places an M.E. box in the HCC Library. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/NEW-ME-Shoshana-Library-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In March 2014, at an International Women's Day conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Jyoti Sanghera, chief of economic and social issues for the United Nations Human Rights Office, said &quot;stigma around menstruation and menstrual hygiene is a violation of several human rights; most importantly, the right to human dignity.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The issue of &quot;menstrual equity,&quot; Sanghera and others argue, is inexorably linked to other fundamental rights as well, such as access to clean water, adequate sanitation, and personal hygiene products.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;A life with dignity requires access to adequate menstrual health and hygiene for individuals who experience this natural biological process,&quot; lawyer Ashley Ward wrote in the Immigration and Human Rights Law Review in November 2021.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This spring, Holyoke Community College launched a menstrual equity initiative of its own to ensure menstrual products are widely available on campus and free for anyone who needs them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Menstrual equity really is a contemporary conversation,&quot; said HCC student J. Gi, a former student trustee leading the &quot;HCC Cares About M.E.&quot; campaign. &quot;It's something that is taking off in different areas around the world. Access to menstrual products not only affects health, but can also impact attendance in school. Providing products to people who just don't carry them around in their bags all the time means they will be able to sit through longer exams and stay in class all day.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The initiative places M.E. boxes containing a variety of free menstrual products in public areas around the HCC campus. The boxes were decorated and assembled by Gi and Rosemary Fiedler, coordinator of HCC's &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/thrive-center&quot;&gt;Thrive Student Resource Cente&lt;/a&gt;r, which operates the college food pantry and is sponsoring the M.E. campaign. So far, there are nine M.E. boxes spread around campus and plans to set up more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'd like to see at least one box on every floor in every building,&quot; said Gi. &quot;Students should not be required to divert their attention from their classes to ambulate across campus to find something that is so critical. Having strategically placed stations will expand access.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gi and Fiedler rolled out the &quot;HCC Cares About M.E.&quot; in Feburary, in advance of Women's History Month. Before that, the only places on campus to secure menstrual products were the coin-operated vending machines in the women's bathrooms, which are not always fully stocked, and in Thrive, where they are offered free through the food pantry. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Menstrual products are expensive,&quot; said Fiedler. &quot;Students who are on SNAP (federal food subsidies) cannot use their benefits to purchase menstrual products. It's all about breaking down non-academic barriers. It goes along with school supplies, housing, food, and transportation. This is one small thing we can do as an institution that can profoundly improve a student's day-to-day experience, and that's what Thrive's mission is all about.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gi took on the menstrual equity campaign as a personal project in 2021. As student trustee, she served on the Massachusetts Student Advisory Council, where she got a fuller understanding of basic needs and other issues as experienced by students across the state. In talking to other student trustees, she learned about a similar initiative at UMass Dartmouth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;At HCC, the faculty has been extraordinary in their support of this,&quot; said Gi, a computer science major and HCC STEM Scholar. &quot;HCC has so many powerful women, starting at the top with President Royal. It only seems natural that women, powerful women, would want to see other women succeed, and that's what menstrual equity will help to accomplish.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Besides the boxes, Gi put together an &quot;HCC Cares About M.E.&quot; promotional campaign with the help of designers in the HCC Marketing office. She also created&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeF9KDJ4KKrzbegc2Gb78SjYMjlFDXKRNZonyb8-wM7WAZbUg/viewform&quot; title=&quot;M.E. survey&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;a survey to solicit feedback&lt;/a&gt; on the types of products people want. For her STEM Scholars service-learning project, she is designing a computer inventory management system to track the stock of supplies in the M.E. boxes, which each contain tampons, pads in a variety of sizes, and Diva Cups, a reusable menstrual device that can cost $30 each.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Using this kind of grassroots-style platform is superior to a third-party system like vending machines,&quot; said Gi. &quot;These open-vend baskets are more equitable. By making them visible we are also challenging period stigma. We're acknowledging that menstruation is something that happens every single day all around us, and it's really not something we should be afraid to talk about.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To see a current list of M.E. box locations, please go to:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/menstrual-equity&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/me&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) HCC sudent J. Gi is leading the &quot;HCC Cares About M.E.&quot; initiative, a campaign to provide free menstrual products on the HCC campus. (Above) HCC student Shoshana Olkin places an M.E. box in the HCC Library in Feburary at the start of the campaign.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12751" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/camera-ready" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|193|165|194" FileName="x12751.xml" Name="Camera Ready" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/FOOD-display-web.jpg" Title="Camera Ready" Abstract="In one course running this semester at Holyoke Community College, student chefs are learning to prepare mouth-watering meals that look great but might not taste too  good. " ThumbnailAltText="Chef Tracy Carter takes a photo of a bagel breakfast sandwich display at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts institute during her Food Styling class." IntroCopy="HCC food styling course stresses flair over flavor" Date="2022-02-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student chef Kyle Rondeau prepares his bagel sandwich for a promotional photograph.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/FOOD-Kyle-tracy-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In one course running this semester at Holyoke Community College, student chefs are learning to prepare concoctions no diner would ever want to consume. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During their first week, for instance, students made ice cream out of shortening sprinkled with black pepper. More recently, they used soy sauce and dish soap to &quot;brew&quot; coffee to accompany their bagel breakfast sandwiches.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The ice cream really blew my mind because it looked so realistic,&quot; said student Maggie Ehrlich.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In most culinary arts classes, presentation is emphasized as much as flavor. But in Chef Tracy Carter's Food Styling course, flavor isn't important at all; only looks matter.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Food styling is a culinary arts specialty in which chefs prepare menu items to look mouthwatering in photographs for use in advertising or to illustrate cookbook recipes.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I don't necessarily expect my students to become professional food stylists,&quot; said Carter, &quot;but I want them to be able to market themselves after graduation. What better way than to have them create a nice-looking portfolio of images of the food that they cook?&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carter, who grew up in Springfield and now lives in Chicopee, understands the craft. She is a professional food stylist herself and spent years as a stylist and culinary producer at the Food Network, where she worked behind the scenes on competitive cooking shows such as &quot;Chopped&quot; and &quot;Beat Bobby Flay.&quot;&amp;nbsp;Her recent food styling work is showcased in &quot;More Veggies Please!&quot; a cookbook by chef and TV host Nikki Dinki published by BenBella Books in October 2021.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When you're illustrating a certain recipe, you've got to make that recipe shine,&quot; said Carter during one of her classes at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Details matter.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm teaching my students to look more closely at their food,&quot; she said. &quot;They may never have paid attention to the way the cream cheese is smeared on a bagel before, but it makes a difference when you're taking a photo of it. We're just learning to pay attention to the elements we can control to make food look just a little bit better.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To be fair, not everything is inedible, but the insider tricks food stylists use to prepare items for photos can make some unpalatable.&amp;nbsp;Shortening, for one, is a practical substitute for real ice cream. (&quot;It doesn't melt and we can manipulate it for the camera,&quot; she said.) A sprinkle of black pepper adds the illusion of vanilla bean. Corn syrup mixed with food coloring provides an inexpensive alternative to maple syrup. Soy sauce is a quick substitute for black coffee, and dollop of dish soap gives it froth for a faux cappuccino.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I use a clothes steamer to melt cheese because the moisture of the steam keeps the cheese looking nice and moist,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Preparing fried eggs is a multi-step process that involves cooking the albumen first and then adding the yolk on top so it sits high, followed by a dousing of non-cook spray and placement on an egg mattress made from tightly stretched plastic wrap for later use. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The class has been extremely eye-opening,&quot; said Ehrlich, who lives in Holyoke and will graduate from HCC in June with her associate degree in culinary arts. &quot;To have this in our arsenal, so to speak, is an extra perk.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carter's students, all in their final semester, have &amp;nbsp;learned how to style hot and cold beverages and slices of cake with other classes planned focusing on cr&amp;egrave;me brul&amp;eacute;e, poached eggs, and a full bakery with decorating props.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For the final, they'll have to prepare a breakfast spread,&quot; she said. &quot;A stack of pancakes, a fried egg, bacon or meat of some sort, and a drink &amp;ndash; all the things we've done in the course.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During one February class, students prepared bagels donated by Standard Bagel, an Easthampton-based startup. &quot;I want to support local businesses who might not have a budget for marketing,&quot; Carter said. &quot;So we ask them to donate some products, and we take some promotional shots for them. This way the students also get to learn how to work with a client.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students started by setting up the fresh bagels in different configurations, whole and then stacked, and then styled their breakfast sandwiches. They browned bagels using a butane torch. Some added fried eggs, others meticulously added cream cheese, lox and capers, and then placed the finished items on a black tray or wooden carving board.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I don't touch their food,&quot; said Carter. &quot;This is their art, their vision, and this allows them to be creative.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The final products were placed on a serving cart and wheeled out of the kitchen and into their photo studio &amp;ndash; a hallway with vast windows that provide dramatic natural lighting.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We pray to the sun gods every week,&quot; Carter said. &quot;We have a ring light that we can use but nothing showcases food better than sunshine.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10159897185474330&amp;amp;type=3&quot; title=&quot;Facebook photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos of HCC's Food Styling class in our Facebook photo album ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Chef Tracy Carter snaps a photo of an assembly of bagel sandwiches in her Food Styling class at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. (Above) HCC culinary arts student Kyle Rondeau of Easthampton sets up his bagel sandwich for a photograph as instructor Tracy Carter looks on.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12770" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/celebrating-75" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193|65|165" FileName="x12770.xml" Name="Celebrating 75" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/FROST-HJC-1946-web.jpg" Title="Celebrating 75" Abstract="As HCC celebrates its 75th anniversary, President Royal and HCC alumni look back at the college's founding in 1946 and its legacy as a trailblazer in Mass. public higher education." ThumbnailAltText="HCC's first president George Frost stands by a sign for Holyoke Junior College. " IntroCopy="HCC celebrates 75th year as trailblazer" Date="2022-02-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Students study anatomy in this undated photo&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-lab-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story was published on Page K10 in the Feb. 20 edition of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://repub-print.com/section?content=outlook2022&quot; title=&quot;HCC celebrates 75th year as trailblazer&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Springfield Republican's Outlook 2022&lt;/a&gt; section and on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/business/2022/02/holyoke-community-college-celebrates-75th-year-as-a-trailblazer.html&quot; title=&quot;HCC celebrates 75&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Feb. 23 on Masslive&lt;/a&gt; under the headline, &quot;Holyoke Community College celebrates 75th year as trailblazer&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By RON CHIMELIS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Courtesy of the Springfield Republican and&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/&quot; title=&quot;MassLive&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; MassLive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HOLYOKE &amp;ndash; Not only can the origin of the Massachusetts community college system be found in Holyoke, but the history of Holyoke Community College predates even the concept itself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;We existed before community colleges were even enacted. Our early roots speak to the innovation we represent today,&quot; said Christina Royal, the president of an institution marking 75 years of educating a remarkably diverse range of students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal is just the fourth president of a college whose founding director, George E. Frost, served from 1946-75. Much credit for the college's growth has gone to David M. Bartley, a former Massachusetts speaker of the House who followed Frost as president, and used both his political strength and educational zeal to set HCC on its modern course.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A 75th anniversary celebration is planned for May 5, &quot;dependent on things (with the COVID-19 pandemic) moving in the right direction,&quot; Royal said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When it began, HCC was hardly the institution it is today. Its 1946 beginnings as Holyoke Graduate School, later Holyoke Junior College, came more than a decade before the Massachusetts community college system was formally created between 1958 and 1960.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We did not have our own faculty, so we had professors from Smith College, Mount Holyoke, University of Massachusetts, American International, Springfield College, Westfield State and Amherst College,&quot; said 1958 graduate Margaret &quot;Peg&quot; Wendlandt, who, with her husband, Gary, has been a major donor to the school.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Those professors were looking for a little extra money, so we were lucky. We got the best and the brightest,&quot; said 1956 graduate Francis M. Kane, a former trustees chairman who still serves on the HCC Foundation board of directors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The school also lacked a physical structure. &quot;We went to school in the late afternoon or early evening at Holyoke High School,&quot; Kane said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By 1968, Holyoke had a new high school and college used the former building. But on Jan. 4, 1968, it burned to the ground, causing students to take classes at various locations while the city successfully scrambled to keep the college in Holyoke &amp;ndash; and, by 1974, open a new campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For many whose connection predates those transformative years, Holyoke Community College remains special.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My older brother had gone to Holyoke Junior College. My grandmother and uncle lived at 96 Beech St., and I could walk there,&quot; Wendlandt recalled. &quot;I had graduated from high school and had a job as a long-distance telephone operator for New England (Telephone and Telegraph Co.). They had maybe 200 of those, a dozen supervisors and one chief operator, and I didn't see much of a future there, so I decided to go to college.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By July, it was too late to apply for other schools. With Frost's encouragement, Wendlandt chose the college down the street.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I loved it. I blossomed there, if you will, and went on to UMass and then to work at MassMutual,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wendlandt's husband did not attend the college, which adopted its current name in 1964, but he has become a partner in supporting it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The path to success for any institution is when the people who have had success, like my wife, give back,&quot; he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal's 2017 arrival came as community colleges continued rising, not just as affordable avenues for a two-year associate degree, but as a pathway to four-year colleges, the workforce and lifelong learning. Royal said old perceptions of limited scope linger, but progress is being made.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We think of the front end (of learning), but HCC is also a launching pad. Our alumni include successful doctors, attorneys, leaders of nonprofits and other critical careers. The strength of any college is what its students contribute to the world,&quot; Royal said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There is still some stigma to community colleges as a last resort, but we are much more &amp;ndash; a first option,&quot; Royal said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From 1964-75, Holyoke had rare political influence, with either Bartley serving as speaker of the House or fellow Holyoker Maurice A. Donahue as Senate president &amp;ndash; and for a brief time, both at once. Kane credits both for fueling HCC's modern transformation, with particular praise for Bartley, whose 29-year run as HCC president ended in 2004.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This year has been the 75th year of both the Boston Celtics and HCC. Red Auerbach built the Celtics, and David Bartley was the Red Auerbach of HCC,&quot; Kane said. &quot;Among many achievements, he started the college's foundation from scratch, and it's still helping students today.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kane was the first of three generations of his family to use Holyoke Community College (still known as Holyoke Junior College in his day) as launch points to four-year colleges. Royal said that transfer path is one of many options the college affords today.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Community colleges educate the entry-level job force. They have been gaining recognition and respect for their success with preparedness and as a key engine in workforce development,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal's tenure has been marked by innovation. She says the college's mission is to provide opportunity for all categories of racial, ethnic, economic and sexual identities. Adult learners, and those with unique job or family demands, are similarly welcomed, she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Of the current HCC population, Royal said 12% have documented disabilities. The door is kept open for their success as well, she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When the COVID-19 pandemic prompted campus closings in March of 2020, HCC was well-positioned because Royal had advocated flexible learning platforms for 20 years. She said in-person education remains important but that online options will remain accessible, up to date and of high quality, long after the pandemic has ended.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Providing student services is crucial, she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We still educate a lot of first-generation college students who don't have family they can talk to about college,&quot; said Royal, who added the school is working to meet the differing needs within its student population.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adult students might be more interested in knowing how to navigate the worlds of investment or purchasing, she said, while younger learners might emphasize issues of social justice. She also said the traditional step-by-step growth path from high school to college, and then to the workforce, is giving way to more &quot;intersectionality,&quot; and overlapping of steps &amp;ndash; and that HCC must meet those changing needs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The advantages of access and affordability have been drilled into people's minds, and we offer that but much more,&quot; Royal said.&quot;Many students ask themselves, is college even possible? What we offer is that anything is possible. If your desire is to attend a prestigious four-year school, you can start here and finish anywhere - anywhere.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS from the HCC archives: (Thumbnail) HCC's first president, George Frost, stands by the main college sign for Holyoke Junior College after the name was changed from Holyoke Graduate School in 1947. (Above) Students study anatomy in a science lab.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12717" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/ready-made" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|193|194" FileName="x12717.xml" Name="Ready Made" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-PAFEC_FRONT-web.jpg" Title="Ready Made" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is launching a free training program Feb. 28 for individuals who want to get started in the manufacturing industry.  " ThumbnailAltText="PAFEC" IntroCopy="HCC launching free manufacturing training program" Date="2022-02-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;PAFEC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-PAFEC_FRONT-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is launching a free training program for individuals who want to get started in the manufacturing industry. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;HCC's free Introduction to Manufacturing Techniques program begins Monday, Feb. 28, with options for both morning and afternoon sessions over two or three weeks. Group 1 classes meet Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon until March 10; Group 2 meets Monday through Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m. until March 17.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All classes meet in person at HCC's downtown location, the Picknelly Adult &amp;amp; Family Education Center (PAFEC) at 206 Maple St., Holyoke. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A second round of classes (Groups 3 and 4) begins March 28.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program, designed in collaboration with area businesses, will provide entry-level knowledge and skills for employment in the manufacturing sector in the Holyoke area. Classes are geared for students already employed by area companies or looking to gain entry into the industry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The course will cover general manufacturing processes and principles, math skills for manufacturing, problem-solving strategies, an overview of quality control standards such as Lean and ISO 9000, and career expectations and professional behavior.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A $50,000 allocation in the state budget provided the seed money to get the program started.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Holyoke employers need a trained workforce and Holyoke constituents need career-track jobs,&quot; said state Rep. Pat Duffy (D-Holyoke), who advocated for the funding.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to labor and workforce date, 9.7% of jobs in Holyoke are in manufacturing compared to 6.7% statewide.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're grateful to Rep. Duffy for advocating for this funding on behalf of the college,&quot; President Christina Royal said last year after the funding was announced. &quot;Manufacturing is an important employment sector in Holyoke and one with deep historical roots. Despite the city's high unemployment rate, a significant number of manufacturing jobs in Holyoke remain vacant.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participants will also be connected to area employers and receive job placement assistance through HCC and MassHire Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We believe the program will benefit jobseekers, incumbent workers, and businesses of Holyoke and the region alike,&quot; Royal said. &quot;Ultimately, the goal is to help lift individuals out of poverty and meet the needs of the business community.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please note: Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required to attend on-campus classes at HCC, including those held at PAFEC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information or to sign up, please contact Paul Sheehan at psheehan@hcc.edu/413-437-0062 or fill out the inquiry form online at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/intro-to-manufacturing-techniques&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/manufacturing&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12935" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/now-presenting" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193" FileName="x12935.xml" Name="Now Presenting" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/ACCT-Award-2-8-22-web.jpg" Title="Now Presenting" Abstract="HCC president Christina Royal presented U.S. Rep. Richard Neal '70 with an education service award on behalf of two national groups that support community colleges." ThumbnailAltText="President Royal presents an award to Congressman Richie Neal in Washington D.C." IntroCopy="Congressman Richard Neal '70 receives 2022 National Education Service Award" Date="2022-02-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;awards presentation&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/ACCT-Award-2-8-22-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congressman Richard E. Neal, D-Massachusetts, received the 2022 National Education Service Award earlier this week at the Community College National Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College President Christina Royal introduced Neal and presented the award to him on behalf of the Association of Community College Trustees and the American Association of Community Colleges, the summit organizers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This annual award honors a national leader who has made extraordinary contributions to national public policies and resources that support education, training, and post-secondary learning.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, Congressman Neal has worked tirelessly to fix the tax code in a way that would benefit community college students and support workforce training programs,&quot; Royal said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She noted that Rep. Neal is a key proponent of the Tax-Free Pell Grant Act, which would exempt students from being taxed on the portion of their Pell award that exceeds tuition costs. He was also instrumental in securing $1.2 billion in funding for a potential successor to the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College Career Training Grants in proposed legislation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The community college system in America plays a critical role in preparing individuals for the workforce,&quot; said Congressman Neal, an HCC alum from 1970 who now represents the First Congressional District of Massachusetts. &quot;I have been a longtime supporter of our community colleges because they are successful. They provide technical career training, serve as a steppingstone, and welcome individuals looking to retrain or refresh their skillset.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Western and central Massachusetts is lucky to have many of these types of educational options right outside their doors and at their fingertips,&quot; he said. &quot;I am thankful for this recognition, and I am committed to continuing to provide for the community college system so that all students have a path to higher education.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Royal previously served on the AACC's Commission on College Readiness.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was an honor to present Congressman Neal with this award,&quot; President Royal said after the Tuesday night reception at D.C.'s Marriot Marquis Hotel, where she attended the weeklong summit. &quot;He has long been an advocate for progressive programs and federal funding for community colleges and our students, particularly in the area of workforce training. He recognizes that investments in our community colleges support regional growth, job creation, and economic mobility for individuals and families. I know this was a proud moment for him as it also was for me and should be for all the communities in Massachusetts that he represents.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Previous winners of the National Education Service Award include President Barack Obama in 2010.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHOTO courtesy of ACCT:&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;L to R: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Richard Rhodes, American Association of Community Colleges Board Chair and President, Austin Community College, Texas; Chairman Neal; Christina Royal, President, Holyoke Community College, Massachusetts; James Cooksey, ACCT Board Chair and Trustee, Moberly Area Community College, Missouri; Jee Hang Lee, ACCT President and CEO&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12673" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/getting-a-jump" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|227|194" FileName="x12673.xml" Name="Getting a Jump" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/JUMP-Bryana-WEB.jpg" Title="Getting a Jump" Abstract="Over the past 20 years, HCC's Jump Start program has helped thousands of people get off public assistance and prepared them to enter the workforce. " ThumbnailAltText="Bryana Westbooks of Springfield listens to her CNA instructor, Mary Meffen R.N., in her Jump Start class at HCC." IntroCopy="HCC Jump Start program finalist for national award" Date="2022-02-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Mary Meffen instructs student Angela Colarusso of Holyoke in the proper method for conducting range-of-motion exercises on patients in her Jump Start class.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/JUMP-Angela-Mary-WEB.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This is a companion story to &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/family-pride&quot;&gt;Family Pride&lt;/a&gt;, about Jump Start alum Jennifer Scott and her daughter, Maylene Rodriguez Scott.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's Jump Start program is on the short list for an award in workforce development from the Bellwether College Consortium. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After being nominated for the prestigious Bellwether award, Jump Start staff learned the program is among 10 finalists from a field of 700 vying for Bellwether awards in their category.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a testament to the program itself and the length of time it's been around,&quot; said Jump Start coordinator Aimee Funk. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jump Start is an entirely free program that works with people on state assistance who are looking for short-term training in marketable skills to land jobs that earn a living wage so they can transition into the workforce. The program offers training in high-demand jobs that are particularly marketable, including certified nursing assistants &amp;ndash; the program has certified 1,000 CNAs &amp;ndash; pharmacy technicians, culinary technicians, preschool workers, and school bus or truck drivers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to the vocational training, program staff provide support to participants in areas of their lives that might be getting in the way of their training. If they need help with childcare, housing, food or recovery services, for example, Jump Start connects them to appropriate community resources. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If the student is stabilized in the major areas of their life, they will have a good chance of completing the program,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once students have completed their program of study, staff continue working with them. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's very much a wrap-around service,&quot; said Funk. &quot;Once they're done with training, our staff help with placement and follow them for a year to make sure they are successfully integrating into the workplace.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In its 20-plus years, Jump Start has enrolled 2,000 participants, placing over 70 percent in jobs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;ndash; LAURIE LOISEL&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Bryana Westbooks of Springfield listens to her CNA instructor, Mary Meffen R.N., in her Jump Start class at HCC. (Above) Meffen instructs student Angela Colarusso of Holyoke in the proper method for conducting range-of-motion exercises on patients in her Jump Start class.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12446" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/pages" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|360|226" FileName="x12446.xml" Name="Pages" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-TABER-CRESSOTTI-web.jpg" Title="More Page Views" Abstract="The Taber Art Gallery exhibit by retired art professor Frank Cressotti, &quot;Pages: Paintings on Newspaper,&quot; has been extended through Thursday, March 24.   " ThumbnailAltText="Frank Cressotti inspects his work in the Taber Art Gallery" IntroCopy="Taber Gallery exhibit by retired art professor Frank Cressotti on display through March 10" Date="2022-02-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Retired HCC viausl arts professor Frank Cressotti inspects his work. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-TABER-CRESSOTTI-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Several years ago, artist Frank Cressotti found a new purpose for the old newspapers piled up in his Southampton home and studio. While working on a series of figurative paintings, he started using the newspapers to soak up excess paint from the canvas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;Over time, I would use the same newspaper over and over again,&quot; Cressotti said. &quot;I had stacks of this blotting paper, and I liked the way it looked, so I started fooling around with them. Little by little, they became something in and of themselves.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The result is &quot;Pages: Paintings on Newspaper,&quot; a new collection on display through March 10 in the Taber Art Gallery at Holyoke Community College, where Cressotti taught art and painting for 46 years until retiring in 2015.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cressotti, 76, who still serves as curator of the HCC and Donald Taber art collections, will give a gallery talk about his current project on Thursday, Feb. 17, at 9:30 a.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's an honor and a privilege to have Frank's work here,&quot; said Taber Art Gallery director Amy Johnquest. &quot;The way the paint absorbs on the surface of the newspaper is beautiful and not like anything I've ever seen before.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cressotti explained that the process of turning the delicate newsprint into art took time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I wanted the paint to build slowly and get away from making some kind of a precious mark and being in too much control,&quot; he said. &quot;I would paint an area and blot it, which would take paint off and spread it over the medium.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He then had to lay the newspaper sheets out flat to dry between applications. That took up a lot of studio space, he said, and made the process longer. The finished works have an almost woven texture. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My sister was a quilter, and my mother used to make braided rugs,&quot; he said. &quot;Some of the pieces remind me of the braided rugs my mom used to make.&quot;Often, the photos, advertisements, and stories from the newspapers &amp;ndash; almost exclusively the &lt;em&gt;Springfield Republican&lt;/em&gt; &amp;ndash; can still be seen through the paint.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As I was blotting and rubbing, I'm reading obituaries &amp;ndash; sometimes of people I know -&amp;nbsp;I'm reading the town news, the sports sections, recipes,&quot; he said. &quot;So I was getting into what was going on in the community by way of making the paintings, even though that has nothing to do with the paintings themselves.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a twist on philosopher Marshall McLuhan's famous phrase, the medium is definitely NOT the message in Cressotti's work &amp;ndash; it's the messenger that's the medium.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've always liked newspapers, he said. &quot;I hope they never go away, even though that is not being done for that purpose. I'm happy to recycle them. I've always worked that way, trying to incorporate things that were around, to give them another use or purpose, rather than dumping stuff out and throwing things away.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery, located of the lobby of the HCC Library on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during regular school sessions.For more information, please contact Amy Johnquest, at (413) 552-2614.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Artist Frank Cressotti inspects his work in the Taber Art Gallery at HCC.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12863" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/itsy-bitsy-child-watch" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|4|66|3|193|165" FileName="x12863.xml" Name="Itsy Bitsy Child Watch" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-Itsy-Bitsy-Gould-Web.jpg" Title="Watch Me Now" Abstract="HCC will soon introduce a free, drop-in child watch program for students who need safe and affordable supervision for their children while they attend classes. " ThumbnailAltText="Sheila Gould sits in the Itsy Bitsy Learning Lab at HCC" IntroCopy="HCC introducing free, child watch program" Date="2022-01-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sheila Gould in HCC's Itsy Bitsy Learnin Lab&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-Itsy-Bitsy-Gould-Web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will soon introduce a free, drop-in child-watch program for parents who need safe and affordable supervision for their children while they tend to their college studies. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch opens, HCC will be just the second community college in the state &amp;ndash; and the only one in Western Massachusetts &amp;ndash; to offer a child watch service for its students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As part of our strategic plan, we've been focused a lot on basic needs,&quot; said President Christina Royal, &quot;and one of those basic needs is child care.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/itsy-bitsy-child-watch&quot;&gt;The Itsy Bitsy Child Watch&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;will offer free, short-term care to children six weeks to 12 years old, provided their parents sign up in advance and remain inside on the Homestead Avenue campus. Parents will be given a restaurant pager to alert them to return if necessary. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's not our goal to be in the daycare business,&quot; Royal said. &quot;Our goal is to be able to serve our students by providing short-term child watch they can access while they attend class or a tutoring session or other educational supports. That is our focus, and it's been a long road to get here.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The pilot phase is being funded through a $100,000 allocation in the 2022 Massachusetts budget secured by state Sen. John Velis.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For parents looking to begin or support their education, finding reliable childcare is always a barrier,&quot; Velis said. &quot;This new program will help make a real difference in the lives of so many families, and I am proud I was able to advocate for HCC to receive these funds.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is in the process of hiring an interim director to get the child watch program up and running. Many of the details still need to be worked out, such as days and hours of operation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're going to determine hours based on student needs,&quot; said Sheila Gould, director of HCC's Early Childhood Education program. &quot;Our hope is that in the future, our academic departments will align their courses to run when the child watch is open.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gould, also an HCC professor, was part of the team that put together the child watch proposal. While the idea for an on-campus child watch program had been kicking around for a few years it gained more momentum during the pandemic, when many area child care centers shut down, some never to reopen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As a mom myself and a mom who is still going to school, child care is a barrier,&quot; said Gould, who grew up in Holyoke and now lives in Chicopee. &quot;It's a real barrier. The more I got involved working here and advising, the more stories I heard from students who couldn't take a class or had to drop a class or had too many absences because of child care issues.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Itsy Bitsy Child Watch takes its name from the classic children's book, &lt;em&gt;The Itsy Bitsy Spider&lt;/em&gt;, a name that was also borrowed for the Itsy Bitsy Zoomcast, a recorded series focused on early education co-hosted by Gould and Liz Charland-Tait, lead coach for the Strong Start Early Childhood Education Professional Development Center at HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Itsy Bitsy Child Watch will be located on the first floor of the Marieb Building in a corner space that had been a child care center back in the 1970s, not long after HCC opened the Homestead Avenue campus.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Historically, it was a pre-school, so it's kind of exciting to bring this life back to that space,&quot; Gould said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Equipment is on order. The d&amp;eacute;cor and furnishings will closely match what is now in HCC's Itsy Bitsy Learning Lab, an early education program space set up to mimic a pre-school, with child-size tables, play areas, and book nooks.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our plan is to create an advisory team to make sure everything that happens in the child watch program is the highest quality,&quot; said Gould. &quot;Kids will get the absolute best in terms of interactions and access to activities and developmentally appropriate materials for all ages.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gould also expects that the child watch center will provide work-study positions and other opportunities for students interested in early education or elementary education.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Students will be able to invent activities that can come to life in the child watch program, so there is also the potential for service-learning projects,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;P&lt;em&gt;HOTOS: Sheila Gould, director of HCC's Ealy Childhood Education program, in the Itsy Bitsy Learning Lab, which is serving as a model for HCC's Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program set to open in March.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Pending approval of HCC's license-exempt model&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12862" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hotel-training" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x12862.xml" Name="Hotel Training" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HOTEL-BED-web.jpg" Title="Hotel Training" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is offering a free, six-week training program for people interested in starting a career in the hotel industry.   " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Hotel Lab" IntroCopy="Free hotel industry training program starts Feb. 1 " Date="2022-01-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Hotel TRAINING LAB&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HOTEL-FULL-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For anyone interested in jumpstarting a career in the hospitality industry, Holyoke Community College is running a free, six-week hotel training program starting Feb. 1. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The hands-on, in-person classes for hotel front desk workers and hotel room attendants will take place in HCC's hotel training lab on the second floor of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street in downtown Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program runs on Tuesday and Thursdays, Feb. 1 &amp;nbsp;through March 10, 5:30-8:30 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The course will provide students with up-to-date knowledge of the hotel industry, hands-on experience for front desk and/or room attendant roles, workplace skills, resume building, interviewing, job search assistance, and connections to local employers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hcc-offering-free-hotel-industry-training/&quot; title=&quot;22News story on HCC's hotel training&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See the story on WWLP-22News ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's hotel lab was equipped using $35,000 from a 2019 Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant, which funds purchases for educational initiatives linked to workforce needs.The lab is a classroom set up like a hotel reception area with front desk and adjoining guest room and equipped with industry-level technology and software.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Hospitality is a key industry in our region,&quot; said Jeff Hayden, HCC vice president of Business and Community Services. &quot;The hotel lab gives students the ability to learn in a model hotel room and reception lobby, gain knowledge about key card access systems, and understand point-of-sale technology. This is the kind of experiential training employers have been asking for.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;No high school diploma or GED/HiSET test is required for admission.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Offered as part of HCC's Business &amp;amp; Workforce Development division, the hotel training course is free to qualifying applicants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please contact Laura Smith, HCC job placement assistant and career development counselor, at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:lsmith@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link lsmith@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;lsmith@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; / &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2833&quot;&gt;413.552.2833&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: HCC's Hotel Training Lab is located on the second floor of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street in Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12739" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/leadership-sp22" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|194" FileName="x12739.xml" Name="Leadership SP22" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-Kittredge-Center-Exterior.jpg" Title="Leadership Series" Abstract="The Women's Leadership Series returns for Spring 2022 on Jan. 26 with a full schedule of dynamic women leading discussions on topics relevant to career development. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Kittredge Center for Business &amp; Workforce Development" IntroCopy="Spring 2022 Women's Leadership Series returns for spring Jan. 26" Date="2022-01-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Kittredge Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-Kittredge-Center-Exterior.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will begin its spring 2022 Women's Leadership Series on Wed., Jan. 26, with&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;Dawn DiStefano, president and chief executive officer of Square One in Springfield, who will give a presentation titled &quot;What's the Worst that Can Happen?&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All sessions run from noon to 1 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month over Zoom.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During each session, participants will join prominent women leaders for discussions on relevant topics and ideas to help their leadership development. They will also have the opportunity to form a supportive network to help navigate their own careers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The sessions are interactive and perfect for&amp;nbsp;professional women who want to connect,&quot; said Michele Cabral, HCC executive director of Business, Corporate and Professional Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spring 2022 HCC Women's Leadership Luncheon Series:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jan. 26:&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&quot;What's the Worst that Can Happen?&quot;&lt;em&gt; - &lt;/em&gt;Dawn DiStefano, president &amp;amp; CEO, Square One&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feb. 23:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Growth Mindset&quot;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;- Christina Royal, president, Holyoke Community College&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;March 30:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Finding Your Mentors&quot;&lt;em&gt; - &lt;/em&gt;Willie Maddox, executive VP &amp;amp; chief risk officer, ACBB&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;April 27:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;My Ankle is Made of Steel&quot;&lt;em&gt; - &lt;/em&gt;Nicole LaChapelle, mayor, City of Easthampton&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;May 25:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Self Love&quot;&lt;em&gt; - &lt;/em&gt;Shawntsi Baret, leadership coach,&amp;nbsp;owner, SBSWF Consulting&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cost of each session is $25. The full five-session series can be purchased for $100.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cost, however, will not be a barrier to participation. If pricing is an issue, please contact Michele Cabral at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mcabral@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;mcabral@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Space is limited. Advance registration is required.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.coursestorm.com/category/women-s-leadership-series&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/womens-leadership&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12574" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-fall-2021" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x12574.xml" Name="Deans List Fall 2021" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-KC-CC-FA20.jpg" Title="Deans List Fall 2021" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize all the students who earned Dean's List honors for the Fall 2021 semester. " ThumbnailAltText="Fall image of HCC Campus Center and Kittredge Cente" IntroCopy="HCC announces Dean's List for Fall 2021 semester" Date="2022-01-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Fall image of HCC Campus Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-KC-CC-FA20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. A student is placed on the Dean's List if his or her G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Follow the link below to see an alphabetical listing of all the HCC students who&amp;nbsp;earned Dean's List status for the Fall 2021 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/deans-list&quot;&gt;Dean's List ....&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12453" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/martinez-award" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|193" FileName="x12453.xml" Name="Martinez Award" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Vanessa-Martinez-portrait.jpg" Title="Civic Minded" Abstract="Prof. Vanessa Martínez has received a national award from Campus Compact in recognition of teaching and scholarship that inspires students to get involved in their communities. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC anthropology professor Vanessa Martinez " IntroCopy="&quot;I have always been someone who believes in leaving the world better than you found it, values instilled by my parents. While I do not do this work for the recognition, I also realize how important these awards are in reminding us that we are seen, valued and respected.&quot;               – Prof. Vanessa Martínez" Date="2022-01-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Vanessa Martinez gets ready to deliver her Commencement address to the classes of 2020 and 2021. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Vanessa-Martinez-speech.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College professor of anthropology Vanessa Mart&amp;iacute;nez of Holyoke is the recipient of the 2022 Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award from &lt;a href=&quot;https://compact.org/&quot;&gt;Campus Compact&lt;/a&gt;, a national coalition of colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The award, presented in partnership with Brown University's Swearer Center, recognizes senior faculty who practice exemplary engaged scholarship through teaching and research. Recipients are selected on the basis of their collaboration with communities, institutional impact, and high-quality academic work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Holyoke Community College is incredibly fortunate to have Vanessa Mart&amp;iacute;nez among its faculty,&quot; said Lisa Mahon, professor of English and service-learning coordinator at Holyoke Community College in a letter nominating Mart&amp;iacute;nez for the award. &quot;Her outstanding commitment to community-based learning, teaching, and advocacy has positively impacted our students, staff, and faculty, as well as the greater Holyoke community.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mart&amp;iacute;nez was recognized for teaching and scholarship that inspires students to take on leadership roles in their communities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through academic work that focuses on storytelling, culturally responsive instruction, and cultural humility, Mart&amp;iacute;nez invites diverse groups of students to learn about community-based organizations, advocate and fundraise for community needs based on engaged research, and think critically about the role they play in their communities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One example is the Women of Color Health Equity Collective, a Springfield-based nonprofit organization she co-founded to provide communities of color better access to maternal health, therapeutic services and support.&amp;nbsp; Through the collective, students learn about the social determinants of health and the role social inequality plays in health outcomes while researching community needs and developing advocacy plans to help create change.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a wonderful and distinguished honor, and well deserved,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &quot;Professor Mart&amp;iacute;nez continues to be actively engaged in our community and our region is better for it. It reflects positively for our students, who get to witness some exercising civic engagement beyond the classroom.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mart&amp;iacute;nez is also co-coordinator of HCC's Honors Program and co-leads a new community leadership certificate program at the college to give students formal training to continue work at community organizations and take on leadership roles.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I have always been someone who believes in leaving the world better than you found it, values instilled by my parents,&quot; Mart&amp;iacute;nez said. &quot;While I do not do this work for the recognition, I also realize how important these awards are in reminding us that we are seen, valued and respected.&amp;nbsp;It means so much, especially given how difficult the pandemic has been on the world.&amp;nbsp;Seguir&amp;eacute; haciendo todo lo posible para hacer mi comunidad y nuestro mundo un mejor lugar para todos.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Born in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico, Mart&amp;iacute;nez holds a bachelor's degree from Columbus State University, a master's degree from Georgia State University, and a PhD from the University of Massachusetts. In 2011, she received the &quot;Latino Teaching Excellence Award&quot; from then governor Deval Patrick, and in 2015 she was selected as a Leadership Fellow by the American Anthropological Association.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2020, Mart&amp;iacute;nez received the Elaine Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence, HCC's highest faculty honor. She has been teaching at HCC since 2006.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award is named in honor of Thomas Ehrlich, former chair of the Campus Compact board of directors and president emeritus of Indiana University. The award is presented annually as part of Campus Compact's Impact Awards, which recognize the outstanding work of individuals and institutions in pursuit of the public purposes of higher education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mart&amp;iacute;nez will share the 2022 award with Kimberly Buch, a professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. They and other award recipients will be recognized at Compact22, Campus Compact's virtual conference, March 29-31.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Vanessa Mart&amp;iacute;nez delivers a Commencement address in June 2021.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12794" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/on-ukraine" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x12794.xml" Name="On Ukraine" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Campus-Sept2021.jpg" Title="Message On Ukraine" Abstract="During this time of crisis in Ukraine, HCC offers its support to members of the HCC community with ties there and to all those unsettled by recent events in that region of the world. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Campus" IntroCopy="From HCC's vice president of Academic and Student Affairs" Date="2022-02-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Campus photo&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-Campus-Sept2021.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dear HCC Community,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The crisis in Ukraine is very upsetting. Our HCC community includes individuals from Ukraine at our main campus as well as at our Ludlow Area Adult Learning Center, and through our Accelerated Career English (ACE) program, with family members still living there. No doubt, our diverse community of learners is being impacted in countless ways.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let us all hope for the safety and welfare of those in harm's way, and provide comfort to anyone who needs it. Witnessing what is unfolding in Eastern Europe is difficult, especially at a time when communities all over the world have been worn down by the pandemic. If you or someone you know needs support, I encourage you to seek counseling and assistance:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For our students&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/caring-for-yourself/mental-health-support&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;please click here&lt;/a&gt; to connect with support services provided through our partnership with CHD.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For our employees&lt;/strong&gt;, AllOne Health, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available to you and can be accessed by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/human-resources&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;clicking here&lt;/a&gt; and selecting the Benefits drop-down.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the coming days and weeks, let us look out for one another. The economic disruptions that may soon follow make our &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/student-resources/thrive-center&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Thrive Student Resource Center&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/alumni-and-friends/the-hcc-foundation/presidents-student-emergency-fund#:~:text=The%20President's%20Student%20Emergency%20Fund,them%20from%20continuing%20their%20education.&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;President's Student Emergency Fund&lt;/a&gt;, and other student resources all the more critical to share with your students. For everyone in our HCC community, especially those who have family and friends in the region of Ukraine, please know that we are here to support you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sincerely,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sharale W. Mathis, Ed.D.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vice President, Academic and Student Affairs&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13061" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/test-site-closing" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x13061.xml" Name="Test Site Closing" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2022/HCC-COVID-3-9-22.jpg" Title="Test Site To Close" Abstract="Due to declining infection rates and a steep reduction in demand for tests, the Stop the Spread COVID-19 testing program at HCC will conclude at the end of March.   " ThumbnailAltText="A lone car awaits COVID-19 testing at HCC March 9." IntroCopy="HCC COVID-19 test site closing March 31. " Date="2022-03-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A lone car awaits COVID-19 testing at HCC March 9.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2022/HCC-COVID-3-9-22.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Due to a rapid decline in infection rates and dwindling demand for COVID-19 tests, the Stop the Spread testing program at Holyoke Community College will conclude at the end of the month. &lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thursday, March 31, will be the final day of testing at HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has served as a state-sponsored Stop the Spread testing since the program was initiated in the summer of 2020. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last week, Gov. Charlie Baker's administration announced that it will be winding down the free PCR testing program, with 30 of the 41 sites in Massachusetts scheduled to close at the end of March. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the Baker administration, testing sites have seen a 80 percent decrease in demand since the beginning of January, when the omicron variant of COVID was at its peak, also noting that at-home rapid antigen tests are now widely available either for free or through insurance reimbursement. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PCR testing will still be available locally after March at the Holyoke Mall, in Easthampton, in Springfield, and at other sites around the state. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To find a testing site, go to:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.gov/info-details/find-a-covid-19-test&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.mass.gov/info-details/find-a-covid-19-test&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1646930912745000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw2lxaLpHmEkoxx0qoEJXBXE&quot;&gt;https://www.mass.gov/info-&lt;wbr /&gt;details/find-a-covid-19-test&lt;/a&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Until April 1, drive-through COVID-19 testing at HCC will continue six days a week in Parking Lot M by the Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation on HCC's main campus at 303 Homestead Ave. &amp;nbsp; The HCC testing site is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.; and Tuesday and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Testing remains free to all Massachusetts residents and is conducted on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are no appointments and no referral is necessary. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Testing may sometimes be cancelled due to inclement weather.Be sure to visit the Holyoke Board of Health website for up-to-date information on cancellations: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1646930912745000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw3qNdIP0yo3Bqw1Kd1svjTA&quot;&gt;https://www.holyoke.org/&lt;wbr /&gt;departments/board-of-health&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: A lone car awaits COVID-19 testing at Holyoke Community College on Wednesday, March 9.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x19381" URL="x19381.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19381.xml" Name="News 2021" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x11710" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/building-happiness" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|193" FileName="x11710.xml" Name="Building Happiness" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Happy-VICTOR.jpg" Title="Building Happiness" Abstract="In the Feb. 6 workshop, Pam Victor, a comedian and improv facilitator, will lead participants on an experiential exploration of happiness and resilience building. " ThumbnailAltText="Pam Victor" IntroCopy="HCC offering &quot;Happiness&quot; workshop Feb. 6 " Date="2021-01-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Pam Victor&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Happy-VICTOR.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Past year get you down? Need a brighter outlook for 2021?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke Community College has a class for you.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is partnering with Pam Victor, president and founder of Happier Valley Comedy, to offer &quot;Establishing Resilience: Building Happiness,&quot; a 2-&amp;frac12; hour Zoom workshop on Sat., Feb. 6, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Victor, a comedian and improv facilitator who prefers the title &quot;head of happiness,&quot; will lead participants on an experiential exploration of happiness and resilience building to enhance their joy and ease at work and home. She will share stress-relieving exercises and techniques to help people bring more well-being, laughter, gratitude, and play into their daily lives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Finding more joy in 2021 is a priority for me,&quot; said Michele Cabral, HCC executive director of Business, Corporate and Professional Development. &quot;As a participant in Pam's 30-day 'Happiness Experiment,' I can tell you without doubt that this class is for everyone. In this single session, participants will get an introduction into the full program while Pam shares many useful tips and resources to help people get an uplifting start to the new year.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Accoding to its website, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.happiervalley.com/&quot;&gt;happiervalley.com&lt;/a&gt;, Happier Valley Comedy, based in Hadley, is Western Mass's first and only comedy theater and training program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cost of the Feb. 6 class is $99.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.3dcartstores.com/Establishing-Resilience-Building-Happiness_p_17529.html&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/happiness&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by Sandra Costello:&amp;nbsp;Pam Victor, president, founder, and &quot;head of happiness&quot; at Happier Valley Comedy&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12643" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/regexpress" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|97|193" FileName="x12643.xml" Name="RegExpress" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Campus-Center-students.jpg" Title="Registration Express" Abstract="HCC will host &quot;Registration Express&quot; on Sat., Jan. 15, when prospective students can get everything done they need to before the start of the Spring semester – all in one day." ThumbnailAltText="Students walking into the HCC Campus Center" IntroCopy="HCC to host enrollment event on January 15" Date="2021-12-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Students walk into the HCC Campus Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-Campus-Center-students.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will host &quot;Registration Express&quot; for the Spring 2022 semester on Sat., Jan. 15, when prospective students can apply for admission, take the college placement test, meet with an academic adviser, register for classes, and set up financial aid &amp;ndash; all in one day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;HCC's Registration Express event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the main campus at 303 Homestead Ave. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Spring 2022 semester begins Monday, Jan. 24. HCC also has Flex Start dates on Feb. 14 (Spring Start II) and March 28 (Spring Start III). Full-term spring classes run for 14 weeks. Spring Start II classes run for 12 weeks. Spring Start III classes run for seven.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We know our students' lives are busy and complicated, especially on weekdays,&quot; said Mark Hudgik, director of Admissions. &quot;By expanding our service offerings to include a Saturday we hope to create an opportunity for students who want to register for&amp;nbsp;spring classes but maybe haven't had the time to do so.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those who can't make it in person on January 15 can access Registration Express via Zoom or visit campus another day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Admissions and Advising offices on the first floor of the Campus Center are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. (4:30 p.m. on Fridays).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the spring semester, students must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend classes on campus.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students must submit proof of their vaccination status before being allowed to register for on-campus classes.&amp;nbsp;Students who plan to register only for online or remote classes do not have to submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please note that masks are required inside all campus buildings regardless of vaccination status.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information and instructions about accessing Registration Express on January 15 via Zoom, please contact HCC Admissions at 413-552-2321 / &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or visit us online at &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/&quot;&gt;hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12766" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/new-directors" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|65|165" FileName="x12766.xml" Name="New directors" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Campus-Sept2021.jpg" Title="New Foundation Faces" Abstract="Three alumni are among the four new directors added to the board of the HCC Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm of Holyoke Community College.   " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Campus" IntroCopy="Three alumni among those newly appointed to HCC Foundation board of directors" Date="2021-12-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC campus&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-Campus-Sept2021.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm of Holyoke Community College, has added four new members to its board of directors, including three alumni. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wendy Fox '16,&lt;/strong&gt; of Holyoke, is director of curriculum development for Onramp Invest, a crypto-asset management company. A graduate of HCC and the Isenberg School of Management, Fox has worked with the UMass Foundation Board and UMass Alumni Board as an administrative fellow for corporate engagement at the university.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maura Greaney '93&lt;/strong&gt;, of Brooklyn, N.Y., is director of philanthropy, development communications and special events for the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. Greaney has an extensive background in nonprofit fundraising, grant writing, event planning and development. A Holyoke native and the daughter of two HCC alums, Howard and Ellen Greaney, she earned her bachelor's degree from Mount Holyoke College and a master's from UMass Boston.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Erin Godfrey,&lt;/strong&gt; of Ludlow, is director of Odyssey House, a program of Viability, a Holyoke nonprofit that supports individuals with disabilities and other societal disadvantages. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Godfrey's husband, Chris Godfrey, attended HCC through the support of the college's veterans programs, and both were involved with the HCC Military Club while he was a student. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Camille Theriaque '12&lt;/strong&gt;, of Holyoke, is a licensed clinical social worker with MiraVista Behavioral Health Center in Holyoke. As a student at HCC searching for a second career, Theriaque, a retired Holyoke firefighter, received a &quot;29 Who Shine&quot; award from the state Dept. of Higher Education as well as a prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship. She earned her bachelor's degree at Mount Holyoke and a master's degree from Smith.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC gave me back my life with a purpose, lifelong friends and renewed my love of learning,&quot; Theriaque said in her board application. &quot;I truly loved my time there and want to give back to the college that gave me so much more than an education.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Foundation board approved the appointment of the new directors to three-year terms at its annual meeting on Dec. 7.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are delighted to have Wendy, Maura, Erin and Camille join the board,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC's vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation. &quot;They have a passion for our mission and bring a rich and diverse wealth of professional experience as well as intrinsic understanding of our students.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation has total net assets of $21.4 million and an endowment of $15 million, the largest of all 15 community colleges in Massachusetts, thanks in large part to more than 170 endowed scholarships established by alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12702" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/honoring-soup" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65" FileName="x12702.xml" Name="Honoring 'Soup'" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/New-Campbell-plaque-wen.jpg" Title="Honoring 'Soup'" Abstract="Benjamin Campbell '09, Maine state trooper, Easthampton native, and HCC alum, was killed on the side of a highway in 2019 as he came to the aid of a stranded motorist. " ThumbnailAltText="Plaque honoring HCC alum, Det. Ben Campbell '09" IntroCopy="Memorial walkway and fountain dedicated to HCC alum Benjamin Campbell '09" Date="2021-12-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Benjamin Campbell Memorial Walkway in Easthampton's Nonotuck Park&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Campbell-walkway-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story appears in the Fall 2021 issue of HCC's alumni magazine,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/AC/AC_FA21_xm.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Fall 2021 Connection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;The Connection.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to his friends, Ben Campbell '09 was one of the best hitters and defensive first basemen ever to come out of Easthampton Little League - &quot;a stoic presence on the field and as good a ballplayer as he was a teammate and friend.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They called him &quot;Soup.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After graduating from HCC with an associate degree in criminal justice and earning his bachelor's from Westfield State, Campbell went on to become a state trooper in Maine. On April 3, 2019, Det. Benjamin James Campbell, age 31, was killed in a freak accident on the side of Interstate 95 in Hampden, Maine. On his way to work that morning, he stopped to help a stranded motorist. Two wheels dislodged from a passing logging truck as it changed lanes to avoid the stopped vehicles. One of them struck Campbell.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His friends and former teammates spent two years planning and raising money for a fitting tribute. The Ben Campbell Memorial Walkway and a fountain were dedicated on June 26, 2021, at the Little League ballfields in Easthampton's Nonotuck Park. His wife, Hilary, and young son, Everett, took the first sips from the fountain. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are two plaques on the fountain's base, which is shaped like home plate. One shows Campbell's likeness wearing his state trooper's hat. The other reads, in part:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Ben 'Soup' Campbell ... was an integral member of the 1999 Little League All Stars state tournament run and the 2001 Junior League All Star State Championship team, including hitting a walk off Grand Slam to defeat Toms River, N.J., then continued his success on the field with American Legion Post 224, Smith Vocational High School, Holyoke Community College and Westfield State College. ... Ben exemplified everything that is great about Easthampton baseball: integrity, teamwork, and a love of the game ... He's sorely missed by his family, teammates, coaches, and friends, and should be an example for every ballplayer looking to make a positive impact on and off the field.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12732" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/terrific-tuesday" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|165" FileName="x12732.xml" Name="Terrific Tuesday" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Wendlandts-Web.jpg" Title="Terrific Tuesday" Abstract="The HCC Foundation beat its Giving Tuesday goal this year, raising $44,585, thanks in large part to a triple challenge gift from alum Peg Wendlandt '58 and her husband, Gary." IntroCopy="HCC beats one-day fundraising goal, raises $44,585" Date="2021-12-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Peg '58 and Gary Wendlandt&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-Wendlandts-Web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through the collective efforts of alumni, faculty, staff, retirees, board members, and friends, the Holyoke Community College Foundation exceeded its Giving Tuesday goal this year, raising $16,055 for the President's Student Emergency Fund, student scholarships, and the HCC Thrive Student Resource Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not only that, but thanks to a fundraising challenge, Peg Wendlandt '58 and her husband Gary donated an additional $28,530 to the President's Student Emergency Fund, for a Giving Tuesday total of $44,585.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Thanks to Peg and Gary's matching gift, we raised $42,795 for the President's Student Emergency Fund on Giving Tuesday this year,&quot; said Julie Phillips, HCC coordinator of Alumni Affairs. &quot;Alumni from as far away as Illinois, Florida, and North Carolina answered the call to support HCC students this year. We are humbled and deeply grateful for all their generosity and support.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving that was celebrated on November 30 this year.&amp;nbsp;The HCC Foundation's goal for Giving Tuesday 2021 was $15,000. HCC alum Margaret &quot;Peg&quot; (Laframboise) Wendlandt '58 and her husband Gary pledged to triple donations designated for the President's Student Emergency Fund.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/triple-impact&quot;&gt;The Wendlandts' challenge&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;was part of a larger pledge they made to the foundation this fall. If the HCC Foundation raises $50,000 by Dec. 30, 2021, the Wendlandts will give an additional $100,000 to the Student Emergency Fund.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC President Christina Royal established the President's Student Emergency Fund in 2017 to assist students facing immediate and critical financial needs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Longtime supporters of the college, the Wendlandts have twice before made challenge pledges to support the emergency fund, one for $20,000 and another for $100,000.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's not too late to contribute and triple your impact,&quot; Phillips said. &quot;For every $50 we get before the end of the year, the Wendlandts will donate $100.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To make a donation to the HCC's Student Emergency Fund, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/13339/donations/new?donation_type=general&amp;amp;bblinkid=255865299&amp;amp;bbemailid=35443680&amp;amp;bbejrid=-2126453613&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/triple-impact&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12736" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/fighting-hunger" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|3|193|165" FileName="x12736.xml" Name="Fighting Hunger" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Royal-Market-web.jpg" Title="Fighting Hunger" Abstract="In a commentary published in CommonWealth Magazine and Springfield Republican, HCC President Christina Royal stressed the importance of addressing food insecurity." ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal addresses an audience gathered for the grand opening of Homestead Market" IntroCopy="&quot;Students who experience food insecurity have the same desires as everyone else to change their lives through the power of education and positively contribute to their communities and the world at large. Once we address their most basic needs, we see them thrive.&quot; – President Christina Royal" Date="2021-12-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Royal and others hold a bag full of groceries from Homestead Market&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HOMESTEAD-FOUR-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: At the Nov. 4 grand opening celebration of HCC&quot;s Homestead Market, President Christina Royal gave an address about food insecurity. Her remarks were adapted into a commentary that was published in both CommonWealth Magazine and the Springfield Republican newspaper.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By CHRISTINA ROYAL&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whenever I talk about food insecurity I ask people to take a moment and think about how it feels to be hungry. I mean, &lt;em&gt;really &lt;/em&gt;hungry. Not just like you're running late for lunch, but what it means to miss a meal. To miss an entire day of eating. Could you write a term paper? Could you ace a test? Could you engage in a meaningful conversation with your academic advisor about your future?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, in addition to being hungry, imagine that you are also not sure where your next meal will come from. Do you think you could focus enough to get to class?&amp;nbsp;Sometimes people respond that students just need to build some resiliency, dig deep and push through. But what if there's nothing to tap into because your body is so depleted from lack of nourishment?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many students at Holyoke Community College don't have to imagine this scenario. They're living it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2020, we learned from a basic needs survey that 46 percent our students experience low or very low levels of food security. Half of all the respondents said that they can't afford to eat balanced meals.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This was pre-pandemic, and we know that the pandemic has exacerbated a lot of these basic needs issues. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, we have made it a priority to address these non-academic barriers, which can fundamentally cripple a student's ability to succeed in the classroom.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/college-market-to-accept-snap-benefits/&quot; title=&quot;Commentary on food insecurity&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Read the entire commentary in CommonWealth Magazine ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/opinion/2021/12/students-shouldnt-be-burdened-by-hunger-guest-viewpoint.html&quot; title=&quot;Guest viewpoint on MassLive&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;On MassLive ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Documents/About/News/HUNGER-12-5-21.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Republican guest viewpoint&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;In the Sunday Republican ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gazettenet.com/Guest-columnist-Christina-Royal-43911913&quot; title=&quot;HCC market latests step toward reducing food insecurity&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;On Gazettenet ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/News/Market-DHG-12-11-21.pdf&quot; title=&quot;HCC market latest step toward reducing food insecurity&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;In the Daily Hampshire Gazette ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) HCC president Christina Royal talks before the opening of Homestead Market. (Above) Andrew Moorehouse, director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, President Royal, state Rep. Pat Duffy and state Sen. John Velis, during the grand opening of Homestead Market.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12735" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/julianna-knapczyk" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165|194" FileName="x12735.xml" Name="Julianna Knapczyk" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Julanna-K-onion-WEB.jpg" Title="Spettacolare!" Abstract="Julianna Knapczyk gave up a career in finance to explore culinary arts at HCC; she'll soon be off to Calabria, Italy, to continue her training as a professional chef. " ThumbnailAltText="Julianna Knapczyk cuts an onion" IntroCopy="HCC culinary arts student to continue chef training in Italy" Date="2021-12-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Julianna Knapczyk in the kitchen at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Julianna-Knapczyk-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By LAURIE LOISEL&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dressed alike in their black-and-white checkered pants and crisp white chef's coats bearing the Holyoke Community College insignia, they gather before class around a table in the banquet room of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. Just before 5 p.m., Chef Warren Leigh enters and greets his students cheerfully.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He reminds them what's expected to pass this course, most importantly: mastering precision knife skills, maintaining a sparkling workstation, cooking without burning. (&quot;That's a fail,&quot; says Leigh, though his eyes reveal the smile underneath his mask.)&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the menu this early December evening: risotto, pan-seared salmon, and Vichy-style root vegetables.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;All right, let's get in the kitchen,&quot; he says, turning heel to head into the stainless steel-gleaming instruction kitchen, students in puffy white chef's hats following behind like little ducklings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What takes the longest to cook today?&quot; he asks.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Risotto,&quot; they answer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;But you can't start it until your vegetables are cut, right?&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And so it goes with Chef Leigh &amp;ndash; chief instructor, drill sergeant, coach, cheerleader. Tonight is the class's second with this menu. Whenever possible, he gives students multiple opportunities to improve if not perfect a dish.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the students taking to their stations is 27-year-old Julianna Knapczyk of Easthampton. She begins carefully cutting and measuring vegetables, hoping to improve her Vichy dish, a mix of onions, carrots and celeriac cooked in butter, sugar and water (named Vichy after a town in France.) Chef Leigh's feedback the first time around was that her Vichy veggies weren't sweet enough.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This time she plans to cook the onions longer and more slowly to draw out the natural sugars.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Knapczyk appreciates Leigh's teaching style.&amp;nbsp;&quot;He's not one to mince words,&quot; she says, not noticing the pun.&amp;nbsp;&quot;If something is bad, he'll tell you to fix it, but he's encouraging at the same time.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;About eight months ago, Knapczyk left a career in finance to pursue her passion for food and cooking. That career shift was partly motivated by changes ushered in by the pandemic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But only partly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After graduating from the University of Massachusetts in 2016 with a degree in economics, she moved to Boston, working for three years as a market trader and researcher for State Street Bank, followed by two more at a startup solar investment firm.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In June of 2020, her lease up and working remotely, she moved back home with her parents &amp;ndash; and reassessed her future. A career in finance was secure but she felt a pull to turn her longtime hobby into a career.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Food had always been a creative outlet for Knapczyk. When she cooked for her parents and sister, self-described foodies, they noticed the great care she took in food preparation and presentation.&amp;nbsp;Professionally, she had front of house experience, working in high school and college as a server at the Log Cabin and Delaney House and at a tapas restaurant in Northampton. But she had no professional kitchen experience. How could she could break into the field without that?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She began looking into the Italian Culinary Institute in Calabria, Italy, which offers an immersive three-month program. But she had concerns: What if she discovered cooking professionally really wasn't for her? How would she get on in an advanced program like that as a completely self-taught cook?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As it happened, while browsing the Internet in September, she was floored to learn about HCC's Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street in downtown Holyoke, just minutes from her Easthampton home. Not only that, there was a 10-week&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/free-line-cook-training&quot;&gt;Line Cook Training&lt;/a&gt; course starting a few days later, on Oct. 5. Not only that, the program was free.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That sounds too good to be true,&quot; she thought.&amp;nbsp;She signed up, figuring she would build some skills and see if she really liked cooking professionally.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has offered free Line Cook Training in a repeating cycle for the past four years thanks to grants from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission Community Mitigation Fund, which draws from taxes paid by the three casinos in Massachusetts, including MGM Springfield, which supplied some of the funding for construction of the Culinary Arts Institute.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This round of classes wraps up December 17, and another starts January 26.&amp;nbsp;The program runs through HCC's office of Business and Workforce Development. Students can earn ServSafe certification and develop skills needed to work in a professional kitchen. The course also offers resume preparation, mock interviews, and career counseling, and students receive free ServSafe books and full chef uniforms.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We do a really good job of helping them get prepared to get a job,&quot; says Leigh.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Knapzyk threw herself into the program, which runs three nights a week from 5-9 p.m. The first three weeks met online, where students received instruction in culinary history, and culinary math, and learned about the tools, equipment, and ingredients they'd be using in the Culinary Arts Institute's commercial-grade kitchen.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We were really prepared once we walked in the doors,&quot; says Knapczyk.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And now, she's prepared to move on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just a few weeks in, Knapczyk signed up for the culinary institute in Italy. She starts January 8.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She says her HCC training has been invaluable. She's learned how to stand properly while using a cutting board to avoid back fatigue (and pain) during long hours in the kitchen and how to make basic cuts and precision cuts. She's learned different cooking methods &amp;ndash; moist techniques like blanching and poaching and dry techniques like pan frying and deep frying &amp;ndash; as well as the importance of plating and presentation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From the start, Leigh said, Knapczyk was a standout, getting to class early, taking instruction&amp;nbsp;well, volunteering for extra work, eager to learn and practice.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She improves every day,&quot; he said. &quot;For her, it is just trusting her new skillset.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even though Knapczyk will be the first of his students to head off to Europe for further culinary training, Leigh is not surprised.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She's a star.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nearing the end of the second night of salmon, risotto and Vichy vegetables, Chef Leigh circulated around the kitchen, sampling his students' creations &amp;ndash; and sharing in their success. Knapczyk was gratified. The salmon and risotto tasted good.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Vichy vegetables? Perfectly sweet.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Julianna Knapczyk&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12731" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/triple-impact" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|65|165" FileName="x12731.xml" Name="Triple Impact" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Wendlandts-Web.jpg" Title="Triple Impact" Abstract="Thanks to Peg '58 and Gary Wendlandt, donors who make a gift to HCC by Dec. 31 have the opportunity to triple the amount raised for the President's Student Emergency Fund.  " ThumbnailAltText="Peg '58 and Gary Wendlandt" IntroCopy="Peg '58 and Gary Wendlandt issue ther third donation challenge" Date="2021-11-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Peg '58 and Gary Wendlandt&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-Wendlandts-Web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Donors who make a gift to the Holyoke Community College Foundation by Dec. 31 have the opportunity to triple their financial impact thanks to an alumni challenge. from&amp;nbsp;Margaret &quot;Peg&quot; (Laframboise) Wendlandt '58 and her husband Gary.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Wendlandts have issued a two to one challenge of up to $100,000. If the HCC Foundation raises $50,000 by the end of the year, the Wendlandts will give an additional $100,000 to the Student Emergency Fund.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC President Christina Royal established the President's Student Emergency Fund in 2017 to assist students facing immediate and critical financial needs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In other words, if you give $50, Peg and Gary will give an additional $100 to the Student Emergency Fund,&quot; said Julie Phillips, HCC coordinator of Alumni Affairs.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Longtime supporters of the college, the Wendlandts have twice before made challenge pledges to support the emergency fund, once for $20,000 and another for $100,000. Peg Wendlandt graduated from Springfield's Cathedral High School before going on to HCC, then known as Holyoke Junior College, the University of Massachusetts, and Western New England School of Law.&amp;nbsp;They live in New York City.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Peg and Gary are HCC's very own superheroes,&quot; Phillips said. &quot;This is the third time they have so generously challenged HCC alumni and friends with the goal of helping today's students stay in school. Together, thanks to Peg and Gary and all of our donors, students won't have to choose between buying textbooks and paying tuition over paying their rent or utility bills.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This fall alone, more than 50 students have received financial support through the President's Student Emergency Fund. Since the fund's launch, more than 500 HCC students have received support that enables them to remain enrolled at HCC and continue their pursuit of a certificate or degree.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To make a donation to HCC's Student Emergency Fund, please visit&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/13339/donations/new?donation_type=general&amp;amp;bblinkid=255871962&amp;amp;bbemailid=35443663&amp;amp;bbejrid=-2130608360&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/13339/donations/new?donation_type%3Dgeneral%26bblinkid%3D255871962%26bbemailid%3D35443663%26bbejrid%3D-2130608360&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1638303215559000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw15ZBH96o2FytV1Fq3Qw0h3&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/giving-tuesday&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12738" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/ptk-fall-2021" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x12738.xml" Name="PTK Fall 2021" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Phi-Theta-Kappa-Web.jpg" Title="Phi Theta Kappa" Abstract="HCC is proud to announce that 41 HCC students have been accepted for membership into Alpha Xi Omega, HCC's chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, for the fall 2021 semester." ThumbnailAltText="Phi Theta Kappa banner" IntroCopy="HCC recognized its newest inductees during an online celebration on December 2." Date="2021-12-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Phi Theta Kappa banner&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-Phi-Theta-Kappa-Web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is proud to announce that 41 HCC students have been accepted for membership into Alpha Xi Omega, HCC's chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society for the fall 2021 semester. Students are invited to join Phi Theta Kappa when they have completed 15 college credits while maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher. The new inductees were recognized during an online celebration on December 2.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's fall 2021 Phi Theta Kappa inductees:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Boston:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Deanna Anderson&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Matthew Hood, Nicole Moya, Hailey Prive, Alejandro Rios, Kimberly Santos, Morgan Trombley, Pavel Tverdokhlebov, Meghan Wojcik&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Maxime Capitaine, Naomi DeDeurwaerder, Mikayla Hannus, Ye Zheng&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Jaron Luke&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gilbertville:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Julia Tinker&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Haydenville:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Kala Garrido&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Chuck Bayliss, Meriah Rudie, Jerry Will&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Huntington:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Jacob Robbins&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Montgomery:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Karen Bouquillon&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Crystal Ford, Gwenevra Lodi Nabad&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;S&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;outhampton:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Shawn Mitchell&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Southwick:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Alina Antropova, Carey Pope&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Dana Brenman, Heidi Cheng, Christian Michael Dela Cruz, Elizabeth George, Tabatha Rosa,Jay Steinbock, Elizabeth Aeryn Willingham&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Warren:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Tera Harutunian&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Adrianna Boardway, Sophia Boardway, Chelsea O'Neil&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Erin Kennedy, Danae Young-Hall&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westhampton&lt;/strong&gt;: Emma Barnes&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12383" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/culinary-rankings" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165|194" FileName="x12383.xml" Name="Culinary Rankings" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/CAI-pan-mask.jpg" Title="Top Shelf" Abstract="HCC's Culinary Arts program has been ranked one of the best in the America, according to Best Choice Schools, an online college resource guide. " ThumbnailAltText="Student cooking at CAI" IntroCopy="HCC Culinary Arts program ranked among best in U.S." Date="2021-11-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chef Warren Leigh tastes some vegetable rice prepared by student Caroline Ortiz of Agawam &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/CAI-rice-Leigh.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Culinary Arts program at Holyoke Community College has been ranked among the best in the United States, according to Best Choice Schools, an online college resource guide.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC placed 50&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; among the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bestchoiceschools.com/rankings/culinary-schools/&quot; title=&quot;Best Culinary Schools in America&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Best Culinary Schools in America&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for 2021, a list that also includes such esteemed schools as the Culinary Institute of America, which has branches in New York, California, and Texas.&amp;nbsp;HCC's culinary program ranked third in New England after Johnson &amp;amp; Wales in Providence, R.I. and Southern Maine Community College in Portland.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We looked at culinary schools across the United States to develop a list of what we believe to be the best culinary schools or programs in the nation,&quot; says the introduction to the Best Culinary Schools in America list. &quot;From our initial list, we looked for schools that offer hands-on experience, internship/externship opportunities, student-operated restaurants, modern facilities, and a solid reputation in the industry.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In particular, HCC was cited for the quality of its one-year certificate and two-year associate of arts in science degree programs in culinary arts, as well as its 20,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility, which opened in downtown Holyoke in 2018. The program summary notes that the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute is equipped with four modern kitchens, a bakery, hotel lab, and student-run dining room.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since it opened, the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street has become a favorite host site for college, community, and regional events.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to Chef Warren Leigh, HCC professor and coordinator of the &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/culinary-arts&quot;&gt;Culinary Arts program&lt;/a&gt;, the facility draws students who might have previously gone elsewhere for their culinary training.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What's not to love?&quot; said Leigh. &quot;Being ranked among such elite schools confirms what we've believed about ourselves for a long time. Since we opened this facility three years ago the level of excitement about our program from students, faculty and the community is beyond what we imagined, and that's reflected in the continuing support and investment we receive from the college administration and the state. We're always trying to improve our curriculum to better serve our students and the industry.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Best Choice Schools also notes that HCC is the only public college or university in Massachusetts with a culinary arts program accredited by the American Culinary Federation.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the demand for chefs and head cooks at restaurants and other establishments will grow six percent through 2029, faster than many other industries in the country,&quot; says the Best Choice Schools website. &quot;With the popularity of cooking shows and competitions, more and more people are discovering the field of culinary arts and what it takes to be successful in the industry.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12701" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/covid-extension" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165" FileName="x12701.xml" Name="COVID Extension" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-COVID-Testing.jpg" Title="Testing Extended" Abstract="&quot;Stop the Spread&quot; COVID-19 testing at Holyoke Community College has been extended through March 31, 2022. " ThumbnailAltText="COVID-19 testing at HCC" Date="2021-11-22" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;COVID-19 testing at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-COVID-Testing.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;Free &quot;Stop the Spread&quot; COVID-19 testing at Holyoke Community College has been extended through March 31, 2022, according to the Holyoke Board of Health.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drive-through testing at HCC is conducted six days a week in Parking Lot N by the Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation on HCC's main campus at 303 Homestead Avenue.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drivers are asked to enter the campus from Homestead Avenue, turn right onto the Campus Road and proceed to parking lot N. There are signs and parking attendants on site to help guide traffic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC testing site is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.; and Tuesday and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please note that the HCC testing site will be closed Nov. 25 and Nov. 26 for the Thanksgiving holiday.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Testing is free to all Massachusetts residents and conducted on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are no appointments and no referral is necessary. Turnaround time for results is typically four days or fewer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Testing may sometimes be cancelled due to inclement weather. Be sure to visit the Holyoke Board of Health website for up-to-date information on cancellations:&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health&quot;&gt;https://www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12697" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/bellwether-finalist-x12697" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x12697.xml" Name="Bellwether Finalist" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-Kittredge-Center-Exterior.jpg" Title="National Cred" Abstract="HCC's Jump Start program was named a finalist for a Bellwether Award, regarded as one of the nation's most prestigious recognitions for community colleges. " IntroCopy="HCC Jump Start program named finalist for prestigious Bellwether Award" Date="2021-11-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Kittredge Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-Kittredge-Center-Exterior.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been named a finalist for a national Bellwether Award in recognition of Jump Start, the college's job training and placement program for people who receive public assistance. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC was one of 10 U.S. colleges selected as a finalist by the Bellwether College Consortium in its Workforce Development category, which identifies strategic alliances that promote community and economic development. Bellwether finalists represent leading community colleges whose programs and practices are considered outstanding and innovative.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Bellwether Awards are widely regarded as one of the nation's most competitive and prestigious recognitions for community colleges.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC was the only community college in Massachusetts selected as a 2022 Bellwether finalist. This is the second year in a row HCC has been named a Bellwether finalist. HCC's &quot;Together HCC&quot; fundraising and social media campaign was selected as a finalist for 2021. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's very impressive that HCC has received this kind of recognition two years in a row,&quot; said President Christina Royal. &quot;We're honored to be in such elite company.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more than 20 years, HCC's Jump Start program has been creating sustainable career pathways for individuals who were previously unemployed or had limited education and work experience.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Jump Start's success is based on the program's ability to connect individuals on public assistance with real-world workforce training resources,&quot; said Jeffrey Hayden, HCC vice president of Business and Community Services. &quot;We believe that everyone has unique skills and talents that can help them get a job, and, with the help of Jump Start, they do.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jump Start offers workforce training for jobs as culinary workers, nursing assistants, pharmacy technicians, customer service representatives, preschool workers, production technicians, and bus and truck drivers.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Bellwether College Consortium prides itself on identifying and celebrating replicable, scalable and results-based programs and models and disseminating these highly lauded examples of institutional success to peer institutions,&quot; said Rose Martinez, director of the San Antonio-based Bellwether College Consortium.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finalists for Bellwether Awards are invited to join the consortium and take part in consortium workshops, events and other activities. Award finalists will undergo a rigorous second and final round of review before the winners are announced in late February at the 2022 Community College Futures Assembly in San Antonio, Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information on HCC's Jump Start program, please visit: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/jump-start&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/jump-start&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: The Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development is home to HCC's Jump Start program, which was named a finalist for the prestigious Bellwether Awards.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12561" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/point-scholarship" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x12561.xml" Name="Point Scholarship" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/AVERY-MALTZ-HAT.jpg" Title="On Point" Abstract="HCC biology major Avery Maltz has received the Wells Fargo Scholarship from the Point Foundation, the nation's largest scholarship program for LGBTQ students." ThumbnailAltText="Scholarship recipient Avery Maltz in the HCC Greenhouse" IntroCopy="HCC student receives national scholarship" Date="2021-11-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Avery Maltz&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Avery-Maltz.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As an 11-year-old middle school student living in New York, Avery Maltz faced many challenges. On top of an undiagnosed learning disability, Maltz had just come out, only to be subjected to relentless bullying from homophobic classmates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We actually had to move,&quot; said Maltz (they/them). &quot;My family was living on Long Island at the time and we ended up moving up to Northampton, because it was a more accepting place to be. But it was very disruptive, and that was one of the factors that made it really difficult for me to succeed in school.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After graduating from Northampton High, Maltz spent more than 10 years working at various jobs before enrolling at Holyoke Community College. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC is such an accepting and inclusive place,&quot; said Maltz, who still lives in Northampton. &quot;I was really able to express my gender identity more here, which has been awesome, because, out in the world working retail and having to get by, even in this day in age I had to present in a very feminine way, and it was difficult to express my true self.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, Maltz found more than a welcoming community. They also found academic success and a passion for research and scholarship. Maltz, a biology major, is part of HCC's STEM Scholars Program, vice president of service for HCC's chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, president and co-founder of the Neurodiversity Club, a peer tutor, supplemental instructor, and &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/avery-maltz&quot;&gt;caretaker of the HCC Greenhouse&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maltz was also one of 28 students nationwide to have their &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/News/The%20Artifact%20by%20Avery%20Maltz.pdf&quot; title=&quot;The Artifact, by Avery Maltz&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;work published&lt;/a&gt; in &lt;em&gt;Nota Bene&lt;/em&gt;, the national literary journal of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To that long list of activities and achievements, Maltz can now add this: national scholarship award winner.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier this year, Maltz received the Wells Fargo Scholarship from the &lt;a href=&quot;https://pointfoundation.org/&quot; title=&quot;Point Foundation&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Point Foundation&lt;/a&gt;, the nation's largest merit scholarship program for LGBTQ students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The award comes with more benefits than just a $4,800 monetary scholarship. Students accepted into the year-long program attend workshops and receive ongoing counseling and support. After graduating, Point Scholars become part of the organization's alumni mentor network.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Point Foundation considers many factors when assessing scholarship applicants, including academic performance, leadership skills, financial need, personal goals and the applicant's involvement in the LGBTQ community,&quot; says the organization's website. &quot;Attention is also given to students who have lost the social support of their families and/or communities as a result of revealing their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maltz was encouraged to apply for the Point Foundation Scholarship by their adviser, Irma Medina, coordinator of HCC's Pathways Program, which helps non-traditional age students transfer to competitive four-year schools.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;From the start, Avery has been immersed in the HCC community,&quot; Medina said. &quot;Along with having a strong academic record, Avery is a natural leader. They are not shy about engaging with staff, faculty and other students to explore ways we can improve the student experience to be more thoughtful and caring, especially for LGBTQ students.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Medina cites the college's Neurodiversity Club as one example. The club is based on the premise that people can be diverse in their brain types. Maltz, who was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 30, founded the club to help reduce some of the stigma associated with conditions such as depression, OCD, or autism.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I feel so passionate about building community and not having anyone get left behind in the same way I was for a whole decade of my life,&quot; Maltz said. &quot;I wanted to create a student network where we could support each other.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Point Foundation posted a &lt;a href=&quot;https://pointfoundation.org/point-apply/community-college/?fbclid=IwAR2_MI_Ar_aAuVBzUVfsSjwHo0wjE-O7qfgoMjnWyYv9SyEAjqdRaanFnpo&quot; title=&quot;Maltz profile&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;profile of Maltz&lt;/a&gt; to its website in June, coinciding with Pride Month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As someone who has fought so hard to be in school and come so far, it really felt like such an amazing affirmation of what I'm capable of, and that I deserve to be here doing what I'm doing,&quot; said Maltz, who will graduate next spring and hopes to transfer to Smith College or Mount Holyoke. &quot;It just made me think of who I was in middle school when I was getting bullied and how hopeless everything felt and how I couldn't even focus on school, because everything was so bad. Getting this scholarship really made me think about that person and just how excited I would be to see myself now.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by AVERY MALTZ: Avery Maltz&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12671" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/top-100" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|194" FileName="x12671.xml" Name="Top 100" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-ROYAL-horizontal.jpg" Title="Women in Power" Abstract="HCC has been named one of the top women-led businesses in Mass. by the Commonwealth Institute, a nonprofit that supports female business leaders." ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal" IntroCopy="HCC named to list of top 100 women-led businesses" Date="2021-11-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-ROYAL-horizontal.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been named one of the top women-led businesses in Massachusetts for 2021 by the Commonwealth Institute, a nonprofit that supports female business leaders.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Institute's 21&lt;sup&gt;st&lt;/sup&gt; annual rankings of the &quot;Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts&quot; were announced Nov. 5 during a special zoom celebration attended by HCC president Christina Royal.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Royal and HCC were ranked at number 50. The full list was published Nov. 6 in a special &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/11/05/magazine/2021-top-100-women-led-businesses-massachusetts/&quot; title=&quot;Women and Power&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Women and Power&quot; edition &lt;/a&gt;of the &lt;em&gt;Boston Globe Magazine&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It is an honor to represent Holyoke Community College on such a distinguished list,&quot; Royal said. &quot;The Commonwealth Institute is shining a light on organizations making a difference in their sector and on women from whom our students can find inspiration. That's a powerful and positive message for all of Massachusetts.&quot;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal has been the president of HCC since January 2017. She is the fourth president in HCC's 75 year history and the first woman to hold that office.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They run health care companies, universities and colleges, financial institutions, nonprofits, construction firms and more &amp;ndash; they're the women power players of the Bay State,&quot; says the introduction to the Top 100 rankings. &quot;Responsible for thousands of employees and billions in revenue, the women featured here drive the Massachusetts economy. Taken together, the 100 companies on the list represent a total revenue and operating budget of $66.6 billion.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also on the list at number 55 is HCC alum and &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/linda-markham&quot;&gt;Westfield-native Linda Markham '83&lt;/a&gt;, president and chief administrative officer of Cape Air and Nantucket Airlines, based in Hyannis, Mass.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To compile the list, the Commonwealth Institute examined revenue or operating budgets for each organization as well as other variables, including number of full-time employees in the state, workplace and management diversity, and innovative projects. This is the 21st year that the Institute has created the list and the ninth year the&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Globe Magazine&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;has been a partner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC president Christina Royal&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12696" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/nahm" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="546|4|193|165" FileName="x12696.xml" Name="NAHM" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC_NAHM-Graphic.jpg" Title="Indigenous Heritage" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is celebrating Native American Heritage Month with a series of on-campus and online events Nov. 17-23." ThumbnailAltText="Native American Heritage Month graphic" IntroCopy="HCC celebrating Native American Heritage Month with evenets on on campus and online" Date="2021-11-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Native American Heritage Month&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC_NAHM-Graphic.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is celebrating Native American Heritage Month with a series of on-campus and online events this week and next.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Tues., Nov. 16, at noon, HCC will host a Zoom event highlighting the history of violence against Indigenous women.&amp;nbsp;David Brule, chairman of the Nolumbeka Project and member of the Nehantic Tribal Council, will begin with a land acknowledgement, a traditional custom recognizing that Indigenous people were the original stewards of the land on which we now live.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Indigenous advocate Aminah Ghaffar will follow with a presentation about&amp;nbsp;the origins of violence against Indigenous people and talk about the&amp;nbsp;Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Movement, also known as the&amp;nbsp;MMIWG2S+ Movement, for&amp;nbsp;Missing and Murdered Indigenous&amp;nbsp;Womxn, Girls, and Two Spirit Movement&lt;strong&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;shy;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Wed., Nov, 17, at 10 a.m., in room 301 of the HCC Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, guest speaker Anthony Melting Tallow, a member of the&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Siksikaitsitapi Blackfoot Nation, will talk about life as a two-spirit Native American. Melting Tallow, who lives in Chicopee, is a visual artist, public speaker, Indigenous social justice advocate, and land and water defender.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His talk will be immediately followed at 10:45 a.m. in KC 301 by a mini pow wow featuring traditional Indigenous drummers and dancers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finally, on Tuesday, Nov. 23, at noon, in room 227 of the HCC Campus Center, guest speaker Rock Paint will demonstrate smudging, a traditional Indigenous ceremony for purifying and &amp;nbsp;cleansing the soul through the burning of herbs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All on-campus events will also be available for viewing live over Zoom.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register, please go to:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/awareness-and-heritage/native-american/indigenous-peoples-month&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/awareness-and-heritage/native-american/indigenous-peoples-month&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1637077374868000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1FCIqn41m5sZKBig0k7c8W&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/nahm&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Everyone who registers in advance to attend the Nov. 17 in-person events will be eligible to win a free pair of Airpods.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12641" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/open-market" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x12641.xml" Name="Open Market" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC_HOMESTEAD_RIBBON-WEB.jpg" Title="Open Market" Abstract="Once approved, HCC's Homestead Market will be the first campus store at any public college or university in Massachusetts to accept federal SNAP benefits." ThumbnailAltText="Ready for the ribbon-cutting at Homestead Market" IntroCopy="Homestead Market latest HCC effort to address food insecurity" Date="2021-11-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student Luis Jimenez makes a purchase at HCC's Homestead Market&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC_HOMESTEAD-LUIS-BUY-WEB%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For Luis Pinto-Jimenez, a Holyoke Community College student who relies on public transportation to go just about everywhere, food shopping can be an onerous and expensive chore.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;I take the bus,&quot; said Pinto-Jimenez, who lives in Holyoke. &quot;As a student who doesn't have a car, it's really hard finding a way to go to the supermarket. Sometimes I take the PVTA (Pioneer Valley Transit Authority) or ask a friend for a ride to save money.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Food shopping has gotten much easier for Pinto-Jimenez, though, since the opening of Homestead Market, HCC's on-campus convenience store.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As a student who volunteers a lot at HCC and spends a lot of time on campus, it's helpful to have a store right here where I can go and get my groceries,&quot; he said. &quot;It's super convenient. We all know math equations don't make sense when you're hungry, so I'm super grateful.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The store, more than two years in the making, is a collaboration between the college, its food service vendor, Aramark Dining Services, and HCC's Thrive Student Resource Center, which operates the college's food pantry and also helps low-income students apply for food subsidies through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once final approval is granted, Homestead Market will be the first campus store at any public college or university in Massachusetts to accept federal SNAP benefits, or what used to be called food stamps.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The market is the latest HCC effort to address food insecurity on campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;From a 2020 basic needs survey, we learned that 46 percent of our students experience low or very low levels of food security, far above the national average,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &quot;Half of those who responded said that they can't afford to eat a balanced meal. And this was pre-pandemic. We know that the pandemic has exacerbated a lot of these basic needs.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although the market has been open since September, the college held a grand-opening, ribbon cutting celebration on Nov. 4 that was attended by area legislators and representatives from the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The opening of Homestead Market takes our work to the next level by providing students with access to fresh produce, pantry essentials and quick meals that can be purchased with SNAP benefits,&quot; Royal said. &quot;This means that students who would otherwise have to find transportation from campus to buy groceries can pick up their milk, bread, eggs and other staples right here, and they can afford it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Royal told the crowd gathered in HCC's Center for Excellence that the initiative for opening a campus store that could accept SNAP benefits started in 2018 with HCC's Student Senate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our own student leaders identified this as a priority for themselves and their peers,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the grand opening event, HCC student Chris Coburn spoke about how important Thrive &amp;ndash; and now the market &amp;ndash; is to him as a low-income student with health issues.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Through the Thrive Center I was able to get food stamps very quickly,&quot; said Coburn, who lives in Springfield. &quot;Especially being a diabetic, having access to food is very important for me to stay healthy and focus on my classes. If my blood sugar is low, I can't really concentrate on schoolwork. If I'm hungry, it's hard to pass a test. I just want to say thank you to everyone for helping to get this on campus.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;State Rep. Mindy Domb of Amherst, one of the lead sponsors of the &quot;Hunger Free Campus Initiative&quot; making its way through the state legislature, called HCC a &quot;radical leader&quot; in the effort to fight food insecurity in public higher education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When students are hungry it undermines any hope they have of achievement,&quot; said Domb. &quot;So whatever money we're putting in up front for community colleges or public higher education gets sucked out by hunger. If we don't address it, we're just throwing money away. And we're also treating our students like they can be thrown away.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Laura Sylvester, legislative and community partnership coordinator for The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, talked about the importance of passing the Hunger Free Campus Initiative.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This legislation will provide funding and guidance for colleges in Massachusetts to address student hunger,&quot; Sylvester said. &quot;In addition to encouraging schools to offer markets like Homestead, there are provisions for student meal-sharing programs, emergency funds to address basic needs like housing and childcare, student-led hunger task forces and so much more.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Homestead Market is not only the first market of its kind in the Commonwealth to accept EBT SNAP benefits,&quot; she said, &quot;it's a model for every other campus to emulate.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=HolyokeCommunityCollege&amp;amp;set=a.10159717634849330&quot; title=&quot;Photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos in our Facebook photo album ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) HCC student Luis Pinto-Jimenez makes a purchase at the newly opened campus convenience store, Homestead Market. (Thumbnail) HCC president Christina Royal, students and guests get ready to cut the ribbon officially opening Homestead Market on Nov. 4.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12666" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/jesus-hopped" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|65|226" FileName="x12666.xml" Name="Jesus Hopped" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Jesus-dress.jpg" Title="Back on Stage" Abstract="HCC theater alum Axel Cruz '11 directs &quot;Jesus Hopped the A Train,&quot; by Stephen Adly Guirgis, Nov. 18-20, on the stage of the Leslie Phillips Theater. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC student actors during e a scene from Jesus Hopped the A Train" IntroCopy="HCC theater alum Axel Cruz '11 directs &quot;Jesus Hopped the A Train&quot;" Date="2021-11-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A scene from Jesus Hopped the A Train&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Jesus-Yard.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Jesus Hopped the A Train,&quot; Holyoke Community College's fall 2021 theater production, tackles some weighty issues, chiefly incarceration, race, and religion.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The action takes place in New York City's infamous Riker's Island prison. The plot follows Angel Cruz, who is facing a murder charge after shooting a priest for allegedly forcing his friend into a cult. In jail, Cruz meets another inmate, a serial killer and born-again Christian, who tries to convince him that salvation can only come through faith in God.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both men face torment from a strict, brutal guard.&quot;It's one of my favorite plays because it follows so many themes,&quot; said Axel Cruz, an HCC theater alum who is directing the play by Stephen Adly Guirgis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Theater Department will present &quot;Jesus Hopped the A Train&quot; Nov. 18-20, at 7:30 p.m. in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater with a matinee performance on Sat., Nov. 20, at 2 p.m. The Nov. 19 show will be ASL interpreted and closed captioned. All tickets are $5.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The show marks a return to the stage for HCC's theater program after one cancelled season and two subsequent semesters of virtual, live-streamed performances due to the COVID-19 pandemic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For Cruz, the director, the show marks a return to the HCC stage as well. He graduated from the theater program in 2011 before going on to study theater at the University of Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's nice to come back to the place where I started and do something that I love to do,&quot; said Cruz, who hails from Chicopee and teaches fine arts at Holyoke's Metcalf Elementary School and sits on the board of Holyoke's Enchanted Circle Theater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC produces amazing students and amazing work,&quot; said Cruz. &quot;Everything I learned in the theater program at HCC has driven me to where I am today. I am so proud to be part of HCC. I've always said, HCC built me, and UMass shaped me.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cruz says the play is personal to him as someone who has struggled with religion. &quot;One of the things that really struck me is this idea about how we can continue to live asking for forgiveness from something that we can't see,&quot; he said. &quot;That's the struggle Angel goes through as he prays throughout the play.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Race is also a dominant theme. Angel, played by HCC student Edward Rodriguez of Springfield, is Puerto Rican. His dedicated but somewhat unethical lawyer, Mary Jane Hanrahan (HCC theater alum Lauren Bailey '21 of Chicopee), is white. The serial killer Lucius Jenkins (HCC student Richard Parris Scott of Springfield) is black. The sadistic guard Valdez (HCC student Miguel Perez of Springfield) is Hispanic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The play puts a spotlight on race relations,&quot; said Cruz. &quot;We have Valdez, a man of color, completely torturing this black man, so what does it mean to have this kind struggle between a black man and Hispanic man.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There's a point in the play when Lucius talks about his past as a drug addict, schizophrenic, and rape victim. He admits to killing eight people. Five in Florida were people of color.'&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Lucius says, only when I moved up north and started killing white people did anyone actually start noticing,&quot; says Cruz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ironically, it's Lucius, the serial killer on death row, who tries to help Angel find redemption.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There's a point,&quot; said Cruz, &quot;where Angel says, I pray but God doesn't hear me, and Lucius answers, of course he hears you, but you're not listening.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12637" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/class-expansion-x12637" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|3|165" FileName="x12637.xml" Name="Class Expansion" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg" Title="Class Expansion" Abstract="Registration is now open for Wintersession and spring, with more than half of all spring 2022 HCC courses scheduled to meet fully on campus." ThumbnailAltText="HCC campus shot with flowers" IntroCopy="More than 50 percent of HCC classes will meet fully on campus next spring" Date="2021-11-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Campus Center with spring flowers&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registration is now open for Wintersession and spring 2022 semester classes at Holyoke Community College.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;More than half of HCC classes next spring will meet fully on campus, up from about 30 percent this fall.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's two-week Wintersession term begins Mon., Jan. 3, and runs until Fri., Jan. 14. The spring 2021 semester begins Mon., Jan. 24, with additional Flex Start dates on Feb. 14 (Spring Start II) and March 28 (Spring Start III). &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Full term spring classes run for 14 weeks. Spring Start II classes run for 12. Spring Start III classes run for seven.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're excited&amp;nbsp;to continue the return to a more typical college experience for students in 2022,&quot; said Mark Hudgik, HCC director of Admissions. &quot;We've increased the number of on-campus classes in&amp;nbsp;response to student requests while maintaining a robust selection of online, remote, and hybrid classes.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Course formats fall into four categories: &quot;On campus&quot; classes meet 100 percent in person;&quot; Online&quot; courses are conducted entirely online; &quot;Remote&quot; classes combine scheduled virtual class meetings and online class work; &quot;Hybrid&quot; courses combine on-campus class time and online class work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We know that many students enjoy that flexibility and we're thrilled that they'll have the ability to choose the options that work best for them,&quot; Hudgik said.&quot; We expect many students' schedules to include&amp;nbsp;a mix of on campus, remote, and online all at once.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All 15 community colleges in Massachusetts will require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by January 2022 before they can register for on-campus classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students must submit proof of their vaccination before they will be allowed to register for on-campus classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students who plan to register only for online or remote classes and do not intend to visit campus do not have to submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To sign up for a Wintersession class, please visit:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/wintersession&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/wintersession&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To sign up for Spring 2022, go to:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/admissions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12638" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sweet-return" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x12638.xml" Name="Sweet Return" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/x-HCC-TT-BumbleB-web.jpg" Title="Sweet Return" Abstract="More than 2,000 neighborhood children – plus their parents – attended HCC's Oct. 29 &quot;Trunk or Treat&quot; celebration after last year's event was cancelled due to COVID-19." ThumbnailAltText="A young girl dressed as a bumble bee claims some candy. " IntroCopy="'Clearly, the event was a hit!&quot; – HCC 'Trunk or Treat' organizer Sheila Gould" Date="2021-11-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Veterinary &amp;amp; Animal Science Dept. display at Trunk or Treat&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/x-HCC-TT-Bones-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Neighborhood children got more than their fill of sweet treats at Holyoke Community College on Friday, Oct. 29. The college's annual pre-Halloween 'Trunk or Treat&quot; event gave them an abundance of eye candy as well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nearly 40 HCC clubs, departments, programs, area businesses and community groups participated, decorating vehicles with Halloween-themed displays featuring pirates, monsters, Muppets, super heroes, Charlie Brown, bats, zombies, ghosts, creepy veterinarians, Star Wars characters, Super Mario Brothers, Little Shop of Horrors, The Sandlot, Harry Potter, Curious George, mummies, clowns and more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Organizers estimated that some 2,000 to 3,000 children &amp;ndash; plus their parents &amp;ndash; attended the two-hour celebration, which was organized by the HCC Education Department and Student Activities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Clearly, the event was a hit!&quot; said Sheila Gould, program director of HCC's Early Childhood Education program. &quot;We were thrilled to be able to offer this popular community event again after missing last year.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC started &quot;Trunk&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;Treat&quot; in 2017 as a safe, fun, and early alternative to traditional trick-or-treating&amp;nbsp;on Halloween night. The 2020 event was cancelled because of COVID-19.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Outside of HCC programs, clubs and departments, vehicle sponsors included Holyoke Chicks with Sticks, Dean Technical High School, Farmasi by Brittany, Center School/Positive Regard Network, the Teachers' Lounge @ Elms College, Holyoke Public Schools Early Childhood program, the Valley Opportunity, the Holyoke YMCA, CHD/Mental Health Services, YWCA of Western Mass., Holyoke-Chicopee-Springfield Head Start, Brianna Santucci and Co., the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Mass., Little Ladies and Mom, the Holyoke Police Department, the Holyoke Fire Department, Suri Ramos at Real Living, Jan's Flower Shop, Holyoke Dept. of Children and Family Services, the Provencal family, and the Peraltas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Awards were given out to the best vehicle displays:People's Choice: Jan's Flowers -(Little Shop of Horrors); EEEW Award: Dean Technical High School (Creepy Careers); Most Interactive: The Center School -(Sesame Street); Scariest Trunk: HCC Veterinary &amp;amp; Animal Science Dept. (Creepy&amp;nbsp;Vet Visit); Most Original : HCC Education Department (Camping); Best Costumes : Farmasi by Brittany (Movie Theater); Best Executed Theme: HCC Admissions (Pirates of the Caribbean); Best Treats: HCC Anime Club (Pirates).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=HolyokeCommunityCollege&amp;amp;set=a.10159711760839330&quot; title=&quot;Photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos in our Facebook photo album ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Above) The HCC Veterinary &amp;amp; Animal Science Dept. won the award for Scariest Trunk with their vehicle theme Creepy Vet Visit. (Thumbnail) A young girl dressed as a bumble bee claims some candy.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12524" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/golf-totals-21" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|165" FileName="x12524.xml" Name="Golf Totals 21" Thumbnail="/images/HCC-golfshot-FA21-WEB.jpg" Title="Tournament Delivers" Abstract="The 34th annual HCC Foundation Golf Classic, played Sept. 13 at Springfield Country Club, raised nearly $50,000 for student scholarships at Holyoke Community College. " ThumbnailAltText="A golfer lofts a pitch onto the green at the 34th annual HCC Foundation Golf Classic Sept. 13 at Springfield Country Club." IntroCopy="HCC's annual golf benefit raises $50K for scholarships" Date="2021-10-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A golfer lofts a pitch onto the green at the 34th annual HCC Foundation Golf Classic Sept. 13 at Springfield Country Club.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-golfshot-FA21-WEB.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 34&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; annual HCC Foundation Golf Classic raised nearly $50,000 for student scholarships at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation welcomed 90 golfers to Springfield Country Club on Sept. 13 for its annual fundraising tournament, &amp;nbsp;which resumed this fall after the 2020 event was cancelled due to COVID-19.&amp;nbsp;The 2021 event raised $49,536, $10,000 more than the last one in 2019, thanks in large part to a contribution of $25,000 from its first-ever presenting sponsor, Epstein Financial Services.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The return of the HCC Foundation golf tournament will definitely be one of the highlights of 2021,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm of HCC. &quot;We had a picture-perfect day at a gorgeous golf course, where we were able to gather in support of HCC students. Connecting in person with our alumni, local business leaders and friends was such a joy, and we are truly grateful for our community's generosity.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year's tournament also recognized the 75&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary of Holyoke Community College, the state's oldest two-year college, which was founded in 1946.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the past 34 years, the annual HCC Foundation Golf Classic has raised nearly $600,000 for HCC scholarships, students support programs, and classroom technology.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At a special dinner foilowing the golf tournament, HCC student Angel Vargas spoke about being among the first recipients of the HCC Foundation's Bienvenidos Latinx Scholarship, which was first awarded for the fall 2021 semester.&amp;nbsp;&quot;As a student coing from another country, I was at a huge disadvantage when it came to finances for higher education,&quot; said Vargas, a computer science major who is originally from the Dominican Republic and now lives in Springfield. &quot;When I was considering college, I felt lost because I didn't know anything about the education system here in the U.S.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was really lucky to have found a place like Holyoke Community College,&quot; he said. &quot;Here at HCC, I have been awarded scholarships, and I have been part of student programs that have not only helped me stay in school but have inspired me towork even harder.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by MICHAEL GORDON:&amp;nbsp;A golfer lofts a pitch onto the green at the 34th annual HCC Foundation Golf Classic Sept. 13 at Springfield Country Club. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12541" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/little-free-library" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|165" FileName="x12541.xml" Name="Little Free Library" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/LFL-taking-web.jpg" Title="Bookmarked" Abstract="Third-graders at Kelly Elementary School celebrated the opening of their new Little Free Library, a project developed by students from HCC's Latinx Empowerment Association.  " ThumbnailAltText="A third-grader at Holyoke's Kelly Elementary School selects a book from the Little Free Library organized by HCC's LEA Club" IntroCopy="LEA Club opens Little Free Library at Kelly Elementary School" Date="2021-10-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student Miren Neyra Alcantara and HCC alum Alex Santiago&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/LFL-Miren-Alex-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Third-graders at Kelly Elementary School cheered for the opening of their new Little Free Library Friday, a community project developed by students from the Latinx Empowerment Association at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Little Free Library kiosk is mounted just outside the main entrance to the school, where the students gathered with their teachers and representatives from HCC and community groups for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting marking its debut.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The project was led by HCC alum Alexandra Santiago '21, former co-president of the Latinx Empowerment Association &amp;ndash; also known as the LEA Club &amp;ndash; and Miren Neyra Alc&amp;aacute;ntara, LEA Club president, who cut the red ribbon together.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;So, the way it works, you take a free book, and you read it, and it you want to, you can bring it back and put another book in there,&quot; Santiago told the students. &quot;Or, if you really liked the book, you can keep it. There's no issue with that.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each book includes a special book mark and a list of fun reading exercises written in both English and Spanish.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The club held a book drive earlier this year and collected more than 200 books. More donations are expected soon from the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Alex is the one who came up with the idea,&quot; said Alc&amp;aacute;ntara, who lives in Holyoke. &quot;We wanted to do something to build community and to increase literacy. We wanted kids to have access to books that they saw themselves represented in, so we chose bilingual books, books that dealt with race, LGBTQ topics, and neuro-diverse topics, so we really hope you enjoy it.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;LittleFreeLibrary.org is a national nonprofit that promotes free public book exchange sites throughout the country. Little Free Library supplied the box for the LEA Club, and students from an art class at Kelly painted it. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the past few years, Little Free Libraries have become a common site (there are some 90,000 alone registered through the national group), but Santiago noted that while there are a few in the Holyoke Highlands, there were none in the Holyoke Flats, one of the poorest sections of the city.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As a resident of the Flats I believe that children who live here don't have enough access to books that represent them and their experience,&quot; said Santiago, who is now studying at Westfield State University.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alc&amp;aacute;ntara said the LEA Club plans to expand their Little Free Library project in downtown Holyoke, perhaps at other schools or even outside barbershops.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We hope there will be many more libraries to come,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) A student at Kelly School picks out a book. (Above) Miren Neyra Alc&amp;aacute;ntara, left, president of HCC's LEA Club, and Alex Santiago '21, HCC alumn and former co-president of the LEA Club, after cutting the red ribbon Oct. 15 at Kelly School.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12505" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/taber-reopens" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|360" FileName="x12505.xml" Name="Taber Reopens" Thumbnail="/images/About/Taber%20Art%20Gallery/Old/HCC-Taber-open.jpg" Title="HCC Gallery Reopens" Abstract="&quot;Cosmology of the Body,&quot; an exhibition of paintings and drawings by Northampton artist Anna Bayles Arthur, opened Sept. 20 and runs through Thurs., Dec. 9. " ThumbnailAltText="Taber Art Gallery at HCC" IntroCopy="New exhibit, 'Cosmology of the Body,' runs through Dec. 9." Date="2021-10-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Redemption of Breath, by Anna Bayles Arthur&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/Taber%20Art%20Gallery/Old/Redemption-of-Breath.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After being closed for 18 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Taber Art Gallery at Holyoke Community College is pleased to welcome an exhibition of paintings and drawings by Northampton artist Anna Bayles Arthur.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;Cosmology of the Body&quot; opened Sept. 20 and runs through Dec. 9. The gallery had been closed since March 2020, though it did over the following months showcase the work of HCC's visual arts students and faculty in a series of online exhibitions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm so excited to have the Taber Gallery back in the flesh,&quot; said gallery director Amy Johnquest. &quot;Like much of the rest of the world, our steps back into sharing a physical space are cautious and considerate. Online exhibitions are a fine alternative when forced to stay in, but there is nothing like seeing the art in person.&amp;nbsp;I am so grateful to be able to welcome folks back and into the power and beauty of Anna Bayles Arthur's paintings and to provide the campus an amazing place for respite and meditation.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Arthur's exhibit includes 27 works, many with titles that illustrate her theme, such as &amp;nbsp;&quot;Redemption of Breath,&quot; &quot;Left Hand Portal,&quot; &quot;Held,&quot; &quot;Each of Us, A Phenomenon,&quot; and &quot;Cosmology of the Body.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Each painting is a glimpse into a contained world, a microcosmic surrogate for all of the mystery that is a body, a system, an environment,&quot; she says in her artist's statement. &quot;Grief and longing can likely be found in each painting, as well as the inescapable tug of one's own mortality.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Arthur holds an MFA from the University of Massachusetts and BFA from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;From the time that my tiny hand could grip a cheap #2 pencil, I have been compelled to the blank page,&quot; she says. &quot;The blank page was full of possibility, a window through which a child could invent her world.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Arthur created all of the pieces in &quot;Cosmology of the Body&quot; during the last few years, about half since 2020.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Within the context of a global pandemic, state-sponsored terror, climate catastrophe, corporate coups and the looming spectacle of mass destruction, I am perpetually questioning the utility of art,&quot; she says. &quot;We live in a media-saturated culture, are daily bombarded by images, sounds, symbols, and stories. Yet somehow, the ancient drive to create remains, the impulse to channel whatever it is, and to reveal it to the world.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery, located of the lobby of the HCC Library on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during regular school sessions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please contact Amy Johnquest, at (413) 552-2614.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) HCC's Taber Art Gallery reopened Sept. 20 with an exhibit by Northampton artist Anna Bayles Arthur. (Above)&amp;nbsp; &quot;Redemption of Breath,&quot; by Anna Bayles Afthur, 2018, acrylic, oil, pencil on paper.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12520" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/overachievers" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|355|165|194" FileName="x12520.xml" Name="Overachievers" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Nursing-ADN.jpg" Title="Overachievers" Abstract="HCC's associate of science in nursing degree program was ranked best in the Pioneer Valley by Nursing Schools Almanac, a national review of nursing programs. " ThumbnailAltText="A student in HCC's associate of science in nursing degree program tends to a patient during a training exercise at the college's Center for Health Education &amp; Simulation." IntroCopy="HCC ADN program ranked best in Pioneer Valley" Date="2021-10-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Nursing student in training exercise&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-Nursing-ADN.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College's associate degree program in nursing was ranked the highest in the Pioneer Valley by Nursing Schools Almanac, an organization that provides an annual overview of nursing programs across the country.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In its 2021 rankings, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nursingschoolsalmanac.com/rankings/adn/massachusetts&quot;&gt;Nursing Schools Almanac&lt;/a&gt; listed HCC ahead of all other ADN (associate of science in nursing degree) programs in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Overall, HCC's ADN program was ranked No. 7 in Massachusetts. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the 2021 rankings of ADN programs, the research team at Nursing Schools Almanac compiled an extensive database of student performance on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Aspiring registered nurses in the United States must pass the exam before they may begin to practice. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Student performance on the NCLEX-RN exam provides an excellent benchmark for comparing the relative quality of associate degree programs,&quot; Nursing Almanac explains in a prologue to its rankings. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For HCC, the Almanac reported an 87.7 percent NCLEX-RN pass rate among first-time test takers with data analyzed from 2011 to 2020. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's nursing programs routinely earn top marks from national evaluation organizations. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2020, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nursingprocess.org/&quot;&gt;Nursing Process&lt;/a&gt;, a national online guide to healthcare education, ranked HCC's ADN program the best in all four counties of western Massachusetts. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier this year, HCC's LPN program (licensed practical nursing) was ranked the No. 3 LPN program in Massachusetts for 2021 &amp;ndash; and best in western Massachusetts &amp;ndash; by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.practicalnursing.org/lpn-programs/massachusetts/#top&quot;&gt;PracticalNursing.org&lt;/a&gt;, another college nursing guide. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's nursing and radiologic technology programs are based at the college's Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation on Jarvis Avenue, near the main HCC campus on Homestead Avenue.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: A student in HCC's associate of science in nursing degree program tends to a patient during a training exercise at the college's Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12474" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cannabis-fa21" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x12474.xml" Name="Cannabis FA21" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Pot-hands.jpg" Title="Cannabis Classes" Abstract="The Cannabis Education Center at HCC has announced its schedule of industry training programs for the fall 2021 semester, beginning Oct. 16-17." IntroCopy="HCC running three Cannabis Core training courses this fall " Date="2021-09-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Photo of cannabis cultivation&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Pot-hands.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cannabis Education Center at Holyoke Community College has announced its schedule of industry training programs for the fall 2021 semester.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The CEC will offer three 12-hour, introductory Cannabis Core training courses with the next set to run Sat., Oct. 16, and Sunday, Oct. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. each day over Zoom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cannabis Core program provides an overview of the cannabis industry in Massachusetts and is geared for people looking for general knowledge as they consider a cannabis career. During four, three-hour sessions, students will interact with cannabis experts and guest speakers in reviews of the plant, various cannabis products, the endocannabinoid system, laws and prohibition, growing and plant care, labeling, packaging, testing, employment considerations, and more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cannabis Core program is a foundational course and a prerequisite for career track courses, such as cultivation assistant, extraction technician, culinary assistant, and patient services advocate.Additional Cannabis Core programs will run Nov. 9- 17 (Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6-9 p.m.) and Nov. 28-Dec. 20 (Mondays from 6-9 p.m.).In addition, the CEC will run a Cannabis Cultivation Assistant training course from Nov. 13-Dec. 4.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cultivation assistants help cannabis cultivation teams in all areas of growing operations. The CEC's Cultivation Assistant program is a 20-hour, self-paced online course enhanced with four one-hour Zoom sessions so students can interact in real time with industry experts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This course, taught by HCC associate professor of biology Sage Franetovich, considers agriculture as a multidisciplinary activity. The curriculum includes material on plant biology, pests (insect, animal, fungal, bacterial, and viral), the environment, economics, marketing, soil, hydroponics, plant health, nutrition, harvesting, trimming, inventory tracking and plant waste. The four, one-hour Zoom sessions will run &amp;nbsp;Saturdays from 10 to 11 a.m. on Nov. 13, Nov. 20., Nov. 27, and Dec. 4.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cost of the Cannabis Core training is $595. Career track programs cost $799.To register, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.coursestorm.com/category/cannabis-training&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/cannabis-core&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cannabis Education Center is a partnership between HCC and Elevate Northeast and based out of HCC's Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Elevate Northeast is a Massachusetts-based, women-founded 501(c)(3) nonprofit, created to support the Northeast U.S.'s growing cannabis industry through workforce training, education and advocacy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information on these and other cannabis industry programs can be found on the Cannabis Education Center's website &amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cannabiseducationcenter.org/&quot;&gt;cannabiseducationcenter.org&lt;/a&gt; or by calling 413-552-2320.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12480" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hsi-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|417|194" FileName="x12480.xml" Name="HSI Grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Engineering-Physics.jpg" Title="HCC lands $1M Grant " Abstract="The award from the National Science Foundation will allow HCC to create an accelerated engineering program to help boost the numbers of Latinos and women working in the field.  " ThumbnailAltText="Students work on a project during physics lab." IntroCopy="Award aims to boost numbers of Latinx, women studying engineering" Date="2021-09-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC students work on a project during physics lab&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-Engineering-Physics.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded nearly $1 million from the National Science Foundation to create a new engineering pathways program to help boost the numbers of Latinx and women engineers working in the field.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The grant &amp;ndash; $956,458 over four years &amp;ndash; will allow HCC to design an accelerated, one-year engineering certificate program that will culminate in paid internships with high-tech research organizations such as the renowned Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The money comes from the NSF's program for Hispanic Serving Institutions and is intended to improve undergraduate education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). HCC has been a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution, or HSI, since 2016. Colleges and universities are recognized as HSIs when their Hispanic/Latinx enrollment exceeds 25 percent.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's partners in the grant include Holyoke High School, Westfield High School, Western New England University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the Northampton-based Collaborative for Educational Services, a national association called the 50K Coalition, and the Society for Women Engineers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The main goals of HCC's new Western Massachusetts Engineering Pathways Program are to increase participation in engineering by members of groups historically underrepresented in the field, to revitalize HCC's engineering programs to be more responsive to a diverse student body, and to ensure the program meets the needs of regional employers. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The grant gives us the funding to create a new curriculum,&quot; said Adrienne Smith, HCC's dean of STEM and one of the grant managers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through the grant, HCC will hire an Engineering Pathways coordinator to recruit high school students for the program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The coordinator will also be an ongoing resource for the students,&quot; said Smith. &quot;We don't want to just get students into the program; we want them to get through it and succeed.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After students complete their coursework they will be placed in paid internships.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The internship is built into the curriculum,&quot; said Smith. &quot;We already have some things set up with Brookhaven Labs. They want our students. They're going to pay for their housing and a healthy salary. We're working to find other companies to do exactly the same thing.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a further incentive, each student in their final program course will receive a $1,000 stipend.&quot;At the end, after receiving their certificates, students can either go directly into the workforce or they can continue on at HCC for another year to complete their associate degree in engineering,&quot; Smith said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The grant also calls for a review of HCC's associate degree program in engineering in consultation with HCC's partners to increase employer engagement and improve transfer pathways to four-year institutions.In addition, the grant will facilitate the creation of a chapter of the Society of Women Engineers at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also in conjunction with the grant, HCC has joined the 50K Coalition, a national consortium of professional engineering societies whose goal is graduate 50,000 women engineers and engineers of color by 2025.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our engineering graduates typically go on to Western New England and the UMass Amherst and other institutions with highly regarded engineering programs, so we are helping to build that base,&quot; Smith said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by MICHAEL GORDON: HCC students work on a project during physics lab earlier this month.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12381" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/stop-the-spread" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x12381.xml" Name="Stop the Spread" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-COVID-testing.jpg" Title="'Stop the Spread'" Abstract="Free COVID-19 testing at Holyoke Community College has been extended through December 2021; the next campus vaccination clinic is Tuesday, Sept. 28." IntroCopy="HCC's COVID-19 testing site is open six days a week" Date="2021-09-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Nurse providing information before COVID-19 test&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-COVID-testing.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Free &quot;Stop the Spread&quot; COVID-19 testing at Holyoke Community College has been extended through December 2021, according to the Holyoke Board of Health.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Drive-through testing at HCC is conducted six days a week in Parking Lot N by the Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation on HCC's main campus at 303 Homestead Avenue. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will also be holding its next vaccination clinic on Tuesday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the same location. The clinics are open to all HCC students, faculty and staff as well as residents of Holyoke and surrounding communities. HCC's partner Curative is&amp;nbsp; offering first and second doses of the Pzifer-BioNTech vaccine, as well as the single-dose Janssen J&amp;amp;J vaccine. Walk-ins are welcome. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has been serving as a &quot;Stop the Spread&quot; drive-through testing site since August 2020 to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drivers are asked to enter the campus from Homestead Avenue, turn right onto the Campus Road and proceed to parking lot. There are signs and parking attendants on site to help guide traffic. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC testing site is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.; and Tuesday and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Testing is free to all Massachusetts residents and conducted on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are no appointments and no referral is necessary. Turnaround time for results is typically four days or fewer. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Testing may sometimes be cancelled due to inclement weather. Be sure to visit the Holyoke Board of Health website for up-to-date information on cancellations: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health&quot;&gt;https://www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health&lt;/a&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12454" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/julissa-colon-x12454" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|65|196" FileName="x12454.xml" Name="Julissa  Colon" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Julissa-Jayda-Colon.jpg" Title="Rising Role Model" Abstract="HCC alumna Julissa Colón '13, special programs coordinator for HCC's Gateway to College program, was honored as one of the &quot;40 Under Forty&quot; by Business West for 2021. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC's Julissa Colon '13, right, with her daughter, HCC alumna Jayda Aponte '21 , now a student at UMass" IntroCopy="HCC alumna and staffer Julissa Colón '13 named to list of '40 Under Forty'" Date="2021-09-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jeff Hayden, Julissa Colon and Vivian Ostrowski&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Julissa-Forty-three-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n, special progams coordinator for HCC's Gateway to College program, was honored Sept. 23 as one of the &quot;40 Under Forty&quot; by &lt;em&gt;Business West&lt;/em&gt; magazine for 2021.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The annual awards recognize young, promising community leaders from Western Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The class of 2021 was celebrated Thursday, Sept. 23, at the 40 Under Forty Gala at the Log Cabin Banquet &amp;amp; Meeting House in Holyoke.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;This is a tremendous class of young leaders, one that speaks volumes about our region,&quot; &lt;em&gt;Business West &lt;/em&gt;editor George O'Brien wrote in his introduction to his year's honorees. &quot;Indeed, Western Mass. is diverse and its business communty is also diverse, with a strong mix of ventures across all sectors, from technology to healthcare; hospitality to agriculture. ... The class of 2020 reflects all this. It refelcts something else, as well &amp;ndash; the willingness of these young leaders to step forward, serve their community, and address the many issues confronting our region, inluding homelessness, poverty, illiteracy, access to healthcare, and more.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Below is the &quot;40 Under Forty&quot; profile of Julissa that appears in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://businesswest.com/blog/julissa-colon/&quot; title=&quot;40 Under Forty Class of 2021 profille of Julissa Colon&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;May 12 edition of Business West:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;O'Brien also interviewed Julissa for his &lt;a href=&quot;https://businesswest.com/blog/businesstalk-with-julissa-colon-special-programs-coordinator-for-the-gateway-to-college-program-at-holyoke-community-college/&quot; title=&quot;Business Talk podcast with Julissa Colon&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;May 17 Business Talk podcast&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By GEORGE O&quot;BRIEN&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor, Business West&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n can certainly relate to those individuals she assists through the Holyoke Community College (HCC) Gateway to College program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Indeed, when she was 19, she left college when she had her first child. She thought the opportunity to earn a college degree had passed her by.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She was wrong, of course. She now has an associate degree from HCC and a bachelor's degree in Latin American studies from Smith College, with a minor in history. What she needed to earn those diplomas was some encouragement and a path forward &amp;ndash; and that's exactly what she helps provide to others who have left traditional education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These are students who have already left high school or are on the verge of leaving,&quot; Col&amp;oacute;n said. &quot;They don't leave because they're not smart, they don't leave because they're not capable; they leave because of&amp;nbsp;life.&amp;nbsp;Some of them have had to go to work; some of them have stayed back so many times they feel too old to be in traditional school; some are homeless; some have had children, or they're ill, or their parents are ill.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What they all have in common, though, is that they don't want to give up &amp;ndash; they do want their high-school diploma, they do want to be successful, they do have dreams,&quot; she went on, adding that Gateway exists to build a unique pathway to success for each student.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Col&amp;oacute;n joined Gateway a decade ago and has been instrumental in transforming the program, according to Vivian Ostrowski, the program's director, who nominated her for this award. She said Col&amp;oacute;n is also a big reason why the program now enjoys an 83% graduation rate for those who left traditional school.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While rising in the ranks from clerk to office manager to Special Programs coordinator, she has drawn on her own experiences, and also her mother's (she came to Holyoke from Puerto Rico) to help her understand and appreciate her students' experiences, and also to help guide them and keep their dreams alive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She said students often ask her to describe her role, and her answer is usually something like this:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm like your high-school guidance counselor and your college advisor and your auntie and a social worker &amp;ndash; I'm all those things wrapped into one.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She's something else as well: a tremendous role model.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) 40 Uner Forty honoree Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n, right, with her daughter, HCC alumna Jayda Aponte '21, at the awards banquet. (Above), Jeff Hayden, vice president of Business and Community Services; 40 Under Forty honoree Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n; and Vivian Ostrowski, coordinator of HCC's Gateway to College program, at the awards banquet Thursday, Sept. 23.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12376" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/20th-anniversary-of-911" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193" FileName="x12376.xml" Name="20th Anniversary of 9/11" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-911-table.jpg" Title="9/11 @ 20" Abstract="Read a letter from HCC President Christina Royal written in observance of the 20th anniversary of 9/11. " ThumbnailAltText="9/11 memorial table in the HCC Campus Center" IntroCopy="A letter to the HCC community from President Christina Royal " Date="2021-09-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Dear HCC Community,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S. Twenty years ago, HCC students, faculty and staff were alerted to the tragic events unfolding in New York City (NYC) and later in Washington, D.C., and watched as terror and violence changed the course of history. I was living in New York at the time, about an hour north of NYC, and recall when my phone started ringing incessantly. We watched the TV footage in horror and disbelief as it looped over and over; two planes crashing into the World Trade Center, another into the Pentagon, and another in a field in Pennsylvania. After checking on family and friends living in NYC, I struggled to process the attack on our nation as well as a city transformed by the Twin Towers, two iconic representations of the financial district, now reduced to smoking debris and rubble.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our world changed dramatically in that moment, and the events of the day, as well as the cascade of actions and reactions that followed, continue to reverberate in the U.S. and abroad. Over the years, HCC has gathered to both reflect on the events of September 11 and to nurture the practice of kindness and compassion in our community. Kindness matters &amp;ndash; it is one of &lt;a href=&quot;/x7614.xml&quot; title=&quot;link to mission, vision and values page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hcc.edu/about/mission-vision-and-values&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1631214958566000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFQmjiiyIROSaZC4tCjUse5pdQZIg&quot;&gt;HCC's core values&lt;/a&gt;, and I believe it is fundamental to building the world we want for ourselves and our friends, families and colleagues.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During this week of reflection, we invite all members of our community to join us for any or all of the following events coordinated by Student Engagement:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Month of September: Contributions of change will be collected for &lt;a href=&quot;https://911day.org/&quot; title=&quot;link to 9/11 day website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://11.org/&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1631214958566000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEFFkM6xE4HRCJIvmCE0tzqnLGkag&quot;&gt;911day.org&lt;/a&gt; in boxes located in the Campus Center dining services area.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;September 7&amp;ndash;17, Student Engagement (CC 227), M&amp;ndash;F, 9 a.m. &amp;ndash; 4 p.m.: Visit our Memorial Table with photos, memories, ribbons, and candles and participate in our Kindness Rocks project. Paint a rock with a positive saying and place it around campus, and pledge to perform an act of kindness in September.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;October 1 at 12 noon, CC 227: Lourdes Lebron (HCC alumna) will talk about her 20 years of service to 9/11 memorials in honor of her sister at a reception to thank those who contributed change to 911day.org during the month of September.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;As our year gets underway, may we all strive to better understand and connect with those around us. Thank you for all you do to strengthen our HCC community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sincerely,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Christina&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;--&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Christina Royal&lt;br /&gt;President&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke Community College&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: A memorial table set up in the HCC Campus Center in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12439" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/vaccination-requirement" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165" FileName="x12439.xml" Name="Vaccination Requirement" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-KC-CC-FA20.jpg" Title="Reducing the Risk" Abstract="The presidents of all 15 Mass. community colleges announced today that students, faculty, and staff must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January 2022." ThumbnailAltText="HCC fall photo" IntroCopy="Community college presidents announce vaccine mandate for 2022" Date="2021-09-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC fall campus shot&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-KC-CC-FA20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Presidents of the Massachusetts community colleges announced today that students, faculty, and staff at the Commonwealth's 15 community colleges must be fully vaccinated by January 2022.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;During the last eighteen months, the Massachusetts Community Colleges have prioritized the health and safety of our communities while also recognizing that many of our students have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,&quot; the Presidents said in a statement shared with their campuses. &quot;While a significant number of students, faculty, and staff are already vaccinated or are in the process of becoming vaccinated, the 15 community colleges are seeking to increase the health and safety of the learning and working environment in light of the ongoing public health concerns and current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Massachusetts Community Colleges are committed to ensuring vaccination status is not a barrier to students and will continue offering a range of virtual learning opportunities and services.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The announcement comes amid a rise in the number of new cases of COVID-19 across the Commonwealth, the increased access and availability of vaccines, the Food &amp;amp; Drug Administration's full and pending approval of available vaccines, and CDC guidance that the COVID-19 vaccine has been proven to be extremely safe and highly effective at preventing infection, severe disease, hospitalization, and death, the requirement is aimed at ensuring the safest learning and working environment possible for the more than 135,000 students served by the community colleges each year.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The 15 community colleges across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts decided that this requirement was necessary given the changing conditions of COVID-19 and the Delta variant,&quot; Holyoke Community College president Christina Royal said today in a message to the HCC community. &quot;While there is no ironclad defense against coronavirus, extensive public health research has shown that vaccination greatly reduces the risk of hospitalization and death.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All Mass. community colleges&amp;nbsp;will continue to make vaccine clinics available on site for students, faculty and staff.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;HCC is offering free COVID-19 vaccinations through Curative on campus every Tuesday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and also offers COVID-19 testing six days a week through the Holyoke Board of Health.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Further, the colleges are committed to ensuring vaccination status is not a barrier to students and will continue offering a range of virtual learning opportunities and services, the statement says.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students who seek to register for courses that do not include any in-person component, and who do not plan to come on campus for any reason for the Spring 2022 semester, will not be required to provide documentation of vaccination. All employees will be required to be vaccinated. The community colleges remain the most affordable higher education opportunity in Massachusetts and also provide&amp;nbsp;flexible&amp;nbsp;options&amp;nbsp;for students.&amp;nbsp;They also&amp;nbsp;serve as critical local and statewide economic engines, training and educating the workforce through credit and noncredit offerings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/News/Statement%20from%20the%20Community%20College%20Presidents%20%281%29.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Statement on vaccination mandate&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Read the full statement here ....&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12335" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/readers-choice-2021" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x12335.xml" Name="Readers Choice 2021" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Readers-web.jpg" Title="HCC Voted Best " Abstract="Holyoke Community College has been voted the best two-year college in the Pioneer Valley by readers of the Daily Hampshire Gazette for the eighth year in a row." ThumbnailAltText="HCC students hold Gazette Readers Choice Award announcements for 2021" IntroCopy="HCC voted best two-year college again" Date="2021-08-31" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC students Sasha Diaz and Theo Way&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Readers-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been voted the best two-year college in the Pioneer Valley by readers of the Daily Hampshire Gazette for the eighth year in a row.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://view.publitas.com/p222-4389/readers-choice-2021/page/1&quot; title=&quot;DHG Readers Choice Awards 2021&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See the Gazette's Readers Choice Awards for 2021 ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: HCC students Sasha Diaz of Springfield and Theo Way of Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12337" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/bienvenidos-awards" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|68|165" FileName="x12337.xml" Name="Bienvenidos Awards" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Bien-Jamil-Mom.jpg" Title="Sí se puede!" Abstract="HCC awarded its first &quot;Bienvenidos&quot; Latinx scholarships to 20 new and returning students from Holyoke and surrounding towns during a special celebration. " ThumbnailAltText="Bienvenidos scholarship awardee Jamil Roman and his mother Mabeline Burgos" IntroCopy="HCC awards first Bienvenidos scholarships" Date="2021-09-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Elsie Rodriguez-Garcia, Amanda Sbriscia, Brenda Conde, and President Christina Royal&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Bien-Brenda-Conde.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has awarded its inaugural &quot;Bienvenidos&quot; Latinx scholarships to 20 new and returning HCC students from Holyoke and surrounding communities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Each student will receive $2,500 they can apply toward tuition, fees, books or other college costs for the 2021-2022 academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The scholarship recipients were celebrated during a special reception in the HCC Campus Center on Saturday, Aug. 28.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It is a pleasure to be here with you and your families sharing this special moment as we recognize your commitment to your educations,&quot; said Elsie Rodriguez-Garcia, director of HCC's TRIO Student Support Services and chair of the college's Hispanic Leadership Committee. &quot;As a Hispanic Serving Institution, we are honored that you have chosen Holyoke Community College. As an HCC student, you will be connected to mentors, workshops and support services to ensure your academic success. We want you to be educated, inspired and connected as you continue your studies by exploring and expressing your Latinidad.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part of the celebration of HCC's 75&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary, the HCC Foundation allocated $75,000 to create the Bienvenidos Latinx Scholarship Fund. During this inaugural year, scholarships worth a total of $50,000 were distributed to 20 eligible Latinx students. The remaining $25,000 was set aside in an endowed fund for future years. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Bienvenidos&lt;/em&gt; was chosen as the name of the scholarship program because it means &quot;welcome&quot; in Spanish. One of the goals of the scholarship program is to increase retention rates and reduce achievement gaps for Latinx students. Beyond the direct financial support, scholarship recipients will be connected to peer and alumni mentors and workshops to ensure their ongoing success.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As one of our Latinx scholarship awardees stated in his essay, 'Holyoke Community College is where you can believe &lt;em&gt;que s&amp;iacute;, se puede,' &lt;/em&gt;(Yes, you can),&quot; Rodriguez-Garcia said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC marked a major milestone in 2016 when the U.S. Department of Education recognized the college as a 'Hispanic Serving Institution,' which means at least 25 percent of its students identify themselves as a Hispanic, Latina/o, or Latinx.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This scholarship is an acknowledgement of your identity as Latinx individuals and a recognition that that is going to be part of the cultural context in which you learn,&quot; said President Christina Royal. &quot;I'm so happy that we have a group of faculty and staff here today dedicated to help you get started on your path at HCC in a way that recognizes that identity and who have developed a program tailored to help you be successful.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 2021-2022 Bienvenidos Latinx Scholarship recipients are:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;New students&lt;/strong&gt;: Mia Almodovar, Holyoke (Liberal Arts); Brenda Conde, Springfield (Liberal Arts); &amp;nbsp;Gloryann Lebron, Holyoke (Secondary Education); Brianna Melendez, Springfield (Psychology; &amp;nbsp;Cristobal Rodriguez, Amherst (Criminal Justice); Jamil Roman, Holyoke (CMTA - Communication, Media, Theater Arts); &amp;nbsp;Lyla Roybal, Westfield (Foundations of Health); Mercedes Ventura, Holyoke (Medical Assistant). &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Continuing students&lt;/strong&gt;: Miren Neyra Alcantara, Holyoke (Latinx Studies); Eris Santiago Bigas, Holyoke (Liberal Arts); Jazlynn Brown-Pena, Holyoke (Psychology); Vianca Diaz, Ware (Biology); &amp;nbsp;Jeremy Gongora, Springfield (Business Administration); Zuheily Gonzalez, Springfield (Foundations of Health); Mackenzie Lara, Chicopee (Foundations of Health); Aida Lema Portes, Holyoke (Early Childhood Education); Xiomara Rivera, Chicopee (CMTA); Bianca Shea, Holyoke (Business Administration); Angel Vargas, Springfield (Computer Science).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Scholarship awardee Jamil Roman and his mother Mabeline Burgos. (Above) Elsie Rodriguez-Garcia, chair of HCC's Hispanic Leadership Committee; Amanda Sbriscia, executive director of the HCC Foundation; scholarship awardee Brenda Conde of Springfield; and HCC President Christina Royal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12317" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/chd-partnership" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|452|165" FileName="x12317.xml" Name="CHD Partnership" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-CHD-happypstudent.jpg" Title="Increased Support" Abstract="HCC is partnering with the Center for Human Development, a Springfield-based nonprofit, to offer mental health counseling and other clinical services on campus. " ThumbnailAltText="A happy HCC student" IntroCopy="Partnership brings CHD counseling services to campus" Date="2021-08-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Group of happy looking HCC students in the courtyard&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-CHD-studentgroup.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is partnering with the Springfield-based nonprofit Center for Human Development on a new, grant-funded venture that will allow HCC students to access a wide range of mental health and other support services on campus and in the community as they pursue their educations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Building upon HCC's existing student support systems, the partnership will help embed CHD services on campus to help support students as they face both academic and personal challenges. In addition to ensuring mental health counseling services are available to students on campus and through telehealth, the partnership will connect students with other critical supports through CHD for a range of needs, including substance use and addiction recovery services; housing, hunger and family support. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Mental health supports, I believe, are integral for students to complete their education because as students they are voluntarily taking on more stress in service of their future success,&quot; said Elizabeth Barron, CHD's (ACCS) Adult Community Clinical Services clinic director. &quot;Any time we increase our stress, we also need to increase our support system in order to manage that stress.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The partnership was born out of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/jed-campus&quot;&gt;an HCC initiative with JED Campus launched in October 2020&lt;/a&gt; to help the college evaluate and strengthen its mental health, substance misuse and suicide prevention programs to ensure the strongest possible safety nets for students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In November 2020, 611 HCC students responded to the Healthy Minds Study conducted by the University of Michigan for the JED Foundation, and 86 percent of those surveyed said emotional or mental difficulties had negatively affected their academic performance&lt;strong&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Through this partnership with CHD and with the support and guidance from the JED Foundation, HCC will help students develop the life skills necessary to decrease the negative consequences of mental health distress, leading to increased perseverance and degree attainment,&quot; said Renee Tastad, assistant vice president of Student Affairs and dean of Enrollment Management.&amp;nbsp;&quot;HCC is known for its strong network of support services for students. This is one more way that we have dedicated ourselves to providing the support necessary to help students overcome barriers to success.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The partnership is supporting the placement of two full-time licensed counselor positions, one to serve as a clinical coordinator and the other as a clinician, who will provide services and care coordination on campus and also collaborate with key HCC staff to create systems of care, reporting, and service delivery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The clinician position will support the development and implementation of on-campus clinical services and will provide much of the face-to-face care on campus. The clinician will accept referrals from HCC staff, and provide triage assessments in order to respond effectively and quickly to students experiencing distress so they can be connected to therapy, HCC resources, or other community resources based on their assessment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Working with HCC staff, faculty, and other key stakeholders, the coordinator will serve as an expert on services offered on campus, through CHD, and in the community. They will serve on HCC committees and task forces and will provide training to faculty, staff, and student leaders in areas of Emotional CPR, substance use/misuse, and risk-seeking/safety seeking behaviors. They'll also serve as a resource to students to help them navigate care.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to mental health and substance use services, CHD also has resources to help students with challenges with housing instability, including emergency shelter and relationships with different stakeholders around housing. Plus, all CHD outpatient clinicians are able to help people served access housing, apply for subsidy and for low-income housing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In tandem with HCC's student services, CHD's own breadth of community-based services will help offer students unique wrap-around supports to meet their needs for a range of challenges they may face-and continuously offer support so students trying to manage stressors don't feel as through their only option is to drop out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a symbiotic relationship between the student, the communities and the supports,&quot; Barron said. &quot;While they're are committed to improving their own lives and subsequently the communities around them, there seems to me like a duty that the communities would provide support for them while they walk through that process.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12331" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/oer-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|3|165" FileName="x12331.xml" Name="OER grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-student-library.jpg" Title="Grant boosts OER" Abstract="HCC is continuing its efforts to make college more affordable by increasing the use of free Open Educational Resources in place of costly textbooks in its classrooms." ThumbnailAltText="A student studies in the HCC library" IntroCopy="Federal grant will help HCC increase use of open educational resources" Date="2021-08-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A students studies in the HCC library&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-student-library.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the help of a federal grant, Holyoke Community College is continuing its efforts to make college more affordable and inclusive by increasing the use of free Open Educational Resources (OER) in place of costly textbooks in its classrooms.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;HCC is part of a consortium of six state colleges, along with the state Dept. of Higher Education, sharing a $441,367 grant from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). The three-year grant project aims to boost the number of college courses that make use of Open Educational Resources.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The project &amp;ndash; Remixing Open Textbooks through an Equity Lens (ROTEL): Culturally Relevant Open Textbooks for High Enrollment General Education Courses and Career and Professional Courses at Six Public Massachusetts Colleges &amp;ndash; will test the hypothesis that underrepresented students will achieve higher academic outcomes if colleges use free, culturally-relevant course materials that reflect their experiences.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Open Educational Resources, or OER, are teaching, learning and research materials that are not protected by copyright and readily available in the public domain for free use, duplication and distribution.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Framingham State University is the lead partner in the project. The other colleges taking part are HCC, Fitchburg State University, Northern Essex Community College, Springfield Technical Community College, and Salem State University.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are excited about the project's potential and outcomes for our students,&quot; said Millie Gonz&amp;aacute;lez, interim dean of Framingham State's Whittemore Library and the lead project manager. &quot;We will track performance measures, including numbers of courses, sections and faculty using new OER materials, student grades and satisfaction in those courses.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The grant will help faculty at the six participating colleges create 36 new OER textbooks and 36 adaptions of existing textbooks using a diversity, equity and inclusion lens.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the grant administrators, student savings on textbooks during the three-year grant period could amount to more than $1.6 Million per year.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Representing the three community colleges as one of the co-managers of the grant is Jessica Egan, coordinator of Instructional Design at HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;The goal of the project is to create a new model that provides continued savings long into the future,&quot; Egan said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has been active in OER since 2013 when it first offered faculty workshops to help teachers explore and create OER classes. In 2016, the college established an OER Taskforce with the goal of communicating OER opportunities campus wide. In the fall of 2018, HCC launched an OER Business Mass Transfer Degree program that allows students to receive a two-year associate degree in Business Administration with no textbook costs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the end of the three-year grant, the project results will be disseminated to all 29 Massachusetts colleges and universities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: A student studies in the HCC library&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12315" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/vax-clinics" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165" FileName="x12315.xml" Name="Vax Clinics" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Vax-chicopee.jpg" Title="COVID-19 Clinics" Abstract="Starting Tues., Aug. 24, HCC will host free weekly COVID-19 vaccination clinics from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Parking Lot N outside the Bartley Center for Athletics &amp; Recreation. " ThumbnailAltText="An HCC nursing student administers a COVID-19 vaccination " IntroCopy="HCC to host weekly vaccination clinics starting Aug. 24" Date="2021-08-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;An HCC nursing student administers a COVID-19 vaccine&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-Vax-chicopee.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Starting Tuesday, Aug. 24, Holyoke Community College will host weekly COVID-19 vaccination clinics on its Homestead Avenue campus. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The clinics will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Tuesday at least through the month of September in Parking Lot N outside the Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation, the same location where HCC conducts its COVID-19 testing through the Holyoke Board of Health.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The vaccination clinics are being managed by the healthcare company Curative, which has administered more than 150,000 COVID-19 vaccines in communities throughout western Massachusetts, according to the company.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The vaccines are free, and the vaccination clinics are open to all HCC students, faculty and staff as well as residents of Holyoke and surrounding communities. Advance registration is encouraged but not required. Walk-ins are welcome.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the HCC site, Curative will offer both first and second doses of the Pzifer-BioNTech vaccine, as well as the single-dose Janssen J&amp;amp;J vaccine.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC, like all the other community colleges in Massachusetts, is not requiring students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated before they return to campus for the start of the fall 2021 semester on Sept. 7. HCC does, however, require that everyone wears a mask inside campus building regardless of their vaccination status.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Even though we don't have a mandate, we strongly encourage everyone to get vaccinated,&quot; said Narayan Sampath, vice president of Administration and Finance. &quot;We want to provide every opportunity we can for people to get tested and vaccinated.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anyone interested in pre-registering for a vaccine can do so on the Curative website: &lt;a href=&quot;https://curative.com/sites/31364&quot;&gt;curative/hcc&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Free drive-through COVID-19 testing is also available at HCC six days a week in Parking Lot N. The testing site is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.; and Tuesday and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: An HCC nursing student administers a COVID-19 vaccination at a regional cinic at the Castle of Knights in Chicopee in May.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12316" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/leadership-fa21" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x12316.xml" Name="Leadership FA21" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-Kittredge-Center-Exterior.jpg" Title="Leadership Series" Abstract="The 2021 HCC Women's Leadership Luncheon Series resumes Aug. 25 with a full schedule of dynamic women leading discussions on topics relevant to career development. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development" Date="2021-08-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Kittredge Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-Kittredge-Center-Exterior.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will resume its Women's Leadership Luncheon Series on Wed., Aug. 25, with business coach and strategist Lynn Turner leading the first of a three-part class on &quot;Vision Boards.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What is a vision board? &quot;A tangible representation of your dreams,&quot; Turner explains.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The second and third parts of Turner's class will be held on Sept. 1 and Sept. 8. Those and the rest of the fall 2021 HCC Women's Leadership Luncheon Series sessions will take place on Wednesdays over Zoom from noon to 1:15 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During each session, participants will join prominent women leaders for discussions on relevant topics and ideas to help their leadership development. They will also have the opportunity to form a supportive network to help navigate their own careers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fall 2021 HCC Women's Leadership Luncheon Series:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aug. 25, Sept. 1, Sept. 8:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&quot;Vision Boards&quot; &amp;shy;- Lynn Turner&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sept. 29: &lt;/strong&gt;&quot;Do Something Every Day that Scares You&quot; - Pattie Hallberg, chief executive officer, Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oct. 27: &lt;/strong&gt;&quot;Just Go For It&quot; - Helen Gomez Andres, co-founder and chief executive officer, The High End&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nov. 24: &amp;nbsp;&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;Journey to and from Exit Zero&quot; - Sharale Mathis, HCC vice president of Academic &amp;amp; Student Affairs&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cost of each session is $25, with the exception of the three-part Vision Board class with Lynn Turner, which costs $99. The cost for the full six-session series is $120.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cost, however, will not be a barrier to participation. If pricing is an issue, please contact Michele Cabral, HCC executive director of Business, Corporate and Professional Development, at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mcabral@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;mcabral@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Space is limited. Advance registration is required.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.coursestorm.com/category/women-s-leadership-series&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/womens-leadership&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12276" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/bienvenidos" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x12276.xml" Name="Bienvenidos" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Alex-Santiago-horizontal.jpg" Title="Bienvenidos!" Abstract="Through a new scholarship program, financial support of up to $2,500 a year is now available to Latinx students attending or planning to attend HCC.  " ThumbnailAltText="Alexandra Santiago '21 of Holyoke was the first student at HCC to graduate with a degree in Latinx Studies. " IntroCopy="HCC creates new scholarship program to support Latinx students" Date="2021-07-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;PHOTO: Alexandra Santiago '21 of Holyoke was the first student at HCC to graduate with a degree in Latinx Studies. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Alex-Santiago-horizontal.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation has allocated $75,000 to endow a new scholarship fund specifically for Latinx students attending HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through the &quot;Bienvenidos Latinx Scholarship,&quot; HCC will provide financial support up to $2,500 each to eligible Latinx students attending or planning to attend HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Foundation plans to award Bienvenidos scholarships worth $50,000 to 20 students during the inaugural year, with the remaining $25,000 set aside in an endowed fund for future years.The deadline to apply for Bienvenidos scholarships for the 2021-2022 academic year is Friday, Aug. 6.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The online application is available on the HCC website at: &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/bienvenidos&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/bienvenidos &lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC marked a major milestone in 2016 when the U.S. Department of Education recognized the college as a 'Hispanic Serving Institution,' which means at least 25 percent of our students are of Latinx or Hispanic heritage,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation. &quot;As an HSI, though, we are committed to doing more than simply serve our Latinx students. We want to see them thrive.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Bienvenidos&lt;/em&gt; was chosen as the name of the scholarship program because it means &quot;welcome&quot; in Spanish. Beyond the direct financial support, scholarship recipients will also be connected to peer and alumni mentors and workshops to ensure their ongoing success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Bienvenidos scholarships will open doors to a college education and welcome Latinx students into our community with everything they need to succeed at HCC,&quot; Sbriscia said. &quot;That includes providing a culture that embraces inclusion and increases their sense of belonging. The name of this new scholarship was an important piece of prioritizing that welcoming culture - &lt;em&gt;Bienvenidos&lt;/em&gt; says it all.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Applicants selected for scholarship awards by the college's Hispanic Leadership Committee will be invited along with their families to celebrate during a first-ever Bienvenidos Latinx Scholarship reception on Sat., Aug. 28. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To be eligible for the Bienvenidos scholarship, students must be enrolled or intend to enroll in at least six credits at Holyoke Community College for the fall 2021 semester and must identify themselves as a Hispanic, Latina/o, or Latinx. The Bienvenidos Scholarship is open (but not limited) to DACA, undocumented, and international students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Preference will be given to students residing in Holyoke, Springfield, or Chicopee.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Alexandra Santiago '21 of Holyoke was the first student at HCC to graduate with a degree in Latinx Studies.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12277" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sharale-mathis" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|3|193" FileName="x12277.xml" Name="Sharale Mathis" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Sharale-Mathis-web.jpg" Title="HCC welcomes new VP" Abstract="Sharale Mathis holds a doctorate in educational leadership and was most recently the dean of Academic and Student Affairs at Middlesex Community College in Connecticut" ThumbnailAltText="Sharale Mathis is HCC's vice president of Academic &amp; Student Affairs" IntroCopy="Sharale Mathis started July 1 as HCC's VP of Academic and Student Affairs" Date="2021-07-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sharale Mathis&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Sharale-Mathis-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is pleased to welcome Sharale&amp;nbsp;W.&amp;nbsp;Mathis&amp;nbsp;of Simsbury, Conn., as its vice president of Academic and Student Affairs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mathis holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Hartford and was most recently the dean of Academic and Student Affairs at Middlesex Community College in Connecticut. Before that, she was a tenured professor of biology, course coordinator, department chair, and STEM Division director at Manchester Community College. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A Hartford native, she earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Eastern Connecticut State University and a master's degree in biomedical sciences from from Quinnipiac University.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At Manchester, Mathis&amp;nbsp;taught both lab and non-lab science classes on campus, online and in hybrid formats. She was an early adopter of Open Educational Resources (OER), utilizing online resources for supplemental instruction designating that course as no cost to students.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Dr. Mathis is an innovative and inclusive leader&amp;nbsp;with&amp;nbsp;over 15 years of higher education experience in both academic and student affairs&amp;nbsp;with&amp;nbsp;a central focus on holistic student success,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &quot;She is dedicated to her work in diversity, equity and inclusion and creating a 'one team' dynamic to increase student outreach, retention, and success. That is exactly the kind of person we wanted to fill this position at HCC.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mathis started her job at HCC on July 1.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am extremely honored to step into the role of vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at Holyoke Community College,&quot; said Mathis. &quot;HCC is embarking&amp;nbsp;on many amazing transformative initiatives to promote student inclusivity and success. To become part of a team that is truly student focused with an intentional commitment&amp;nbsp;to equity, diversity and inclusion is aspirational. I am excited to work under the leadership of President Royal and contribute my efforts to the powerful vision she has for the college.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Sharale Mathis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12272" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/office-hours" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="97|68|228" FileName="x12272.xml" Name="Office Hours" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Admissions-OPEN.jpg" Title="Office Hours" Abstract="As HCC offices begin to resume in-person operations, find up-to-date open hours here." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Admissions office is now open M-F, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for in-person services. " Date="2021-07-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Find in-person office hours for HCC offices and programs on this page.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Admissions&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. &amp;ndash; 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/admissions-onboarding-and-financial-aid-services&quot; title=&quot;Link to admissions page&quot;&gt;More info&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Advising&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center&quot; title=&quot;link to advising, career and transfer page&quot;&gt;Click here for hours&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bartley Center&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Open&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/bartley-center&quot; title=&quot;link to bartley center webpage&quot;&gt;More info&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bookstore&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. &amp;ndash; 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;link to bookstore page&quot;&gt;More info&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Office for Students with Disabilities &amp;amp; Deaf Services (OSDDS)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Monday - Friday, &amp;nbsp;10 a.m. &amp;ndash; 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services&quot; title=&quot;link to disability and deaf services page&quot;&gt;More info&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Student Engagement&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Thursday, 10 a.m. &amp;ndash; 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life&quot; title=&quot;link to student life page&quot;&gt;More info&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thrive Center&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Thursday, 10 a.m. &amp;ndash; 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/thrive-center&quot; title=&quot;Link to thrive center webpage&quot;&gt;More info&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PLEASE NOTE:&lt;/strong&gt; Due to ongoing renovation, &lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/financial-aid&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Financial Aid&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/billing-and-refund&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Student Accounts&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Student Records&lt;/a&gt; are not open for drop-in this summer. However, they are available weekdays during normal business hours via phone, chat, email, and Zoom.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Reminder: Masks must be worn by everyone in all HCC buildings.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12275" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/class-expansion" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|3|165" FileName="x12275.xml" Name="Class Expansion" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-She-Persisted.jpg" Title="Class Expansion" Abstract="Given the decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases and high rates of vaccination in Mass., HCC will increase the number of students it allows in classrooms for in-person learning." ThumbnailAltText="Prof. Diane Beers leads a socially distanced class at HCC in Spring 2021." IntroCopy="HCC increases class sizes for fall" Date="2021-07-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Prof. Diane Beers leads a socially distanced class at HCC in Spring 2021.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-She-Persisted.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Given the positive indicators related to COVID-19 in Massachusetts, Holyoke Community College will increase the number of students it&amp;nbsp; allows in classrooms for face-to-face instruction in September.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Based on the recommendation of the college's Return to Campus task force (RTC), HCC will raise the cap from 10 to 15 students per classroom for fall enrollment in all subjects with the exception of Health Sciences.&amp;nbsp;For classes in Health Sciences, such as nursing, radiologic technology and veterinary science, &amp;nbsp;the classroom caps will be removed entirely because of the high vaccination rates among students in those fields and stringent adherence to health safety protocols.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is preparing to welcome students back to campus for in-person classes for the fall 2021 semester, which begins Sept. 7. While vaccinations against COVID-19 are strongly encouraged, they are not being required at any of the 15 community colleges in Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a statement Monday to the HCC community, Narayan Sampath, vice president of Administration &amp;amp; Finance and a member of the RTC, noted that HCC has continually adjusted to conditions in the region throughout the pandemic based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and the state Dept. of Public Health.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In late winter, as we began to plan for the coming registration periods, fall class enrollment was capped at 10 to allow 125 square feet of space per person, to accommodate students, the instructor, plus an allowance for additional personnel for students who have an interpreter or personal care attendant,&quot; Sampath said. &quot;Today, the Commonwealth leads the nation in vaccination rates. The Governor has lifted all orders associated with pandemic restrictions, and there has been a dramatic drop in positive test results. The number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 has decreased from hundreds each day to weeks where there have been less than 10, or even none. School districts have announced that schools will open in the fall with students fully present, and several of our sibling community colleges have moved to increase their allowable class sizes.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Given these very positive indicators, we believe it is time for HCC to adjust again,&quot; he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While the classroom caps are being increased, HCC will continue to require that students, faculty, staff, and visitors wear masks inside all campus buildings regardless of an individual's vaccination status. HCC will also continue to maintain the high standards of cleaning and disinfection it has followed throughout the pandemic, he said. &quot;Should vaccination rates continue to increase and COVID-19 rates decline, we hope to be able to increase class size or remove caps altogether for all classes,&quot; Sampath said. &quot;Of course, should our region see a rise in COVID-19 numbers, we will again take steps to mitigate risk as appropriate.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Campus offices, including Admission and Advising, have already reopened for in-person services, and the fitness room in HCC's Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation will reopen later this week, on Friday, July 16.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registration is underway for fall semester classes. To maximize available options for students, HCC will continue to offer multiple, flexible start dates:Full fall semester classes start Sept. 7 and run for 14 weeks; Fall Start II classes being Sept. 27 and run for 12 weeks; Fall Start III classes begin Oct. 27 and run for seven weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information on HCC classes or to enroll, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/admission&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/admission&lt;/a&gt;, call 413-552-2321, or stop by the Admissions office on the first floor of the HCC Campus Center, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;HCC history professor Diane Beers leads a socially distanced class at HCC in Spring 2021. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12261" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hcc-open" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|97|193|165|228" FileName="x12261.xml" Name="HCC Open" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-ADVISING.jpg" Title="HCC Reopens Offices" Abstract="Admissions, Advising, Student Engagment, and other HCC offices and departments are now open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for on-campus, in-person services. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Advising office is now open M-F, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for in-person services. " Date="2021-07-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Mieko Dennis staffs the HCC Admissions office welcome desk.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-Admissions-OPEN.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has reopened its Admissions and Advising offices for on-campus, in-person services.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Effective Tuesday, July 6, HCC's Admissions and Advising offices, located on the first floor of the HCC Campus Center, will be open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those offices, and most others, had been operating remotely since March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Besides Admissions and Advising, other departments will also now open for in-person services at varied&amp;nbsp;hours based on staff availability:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student Engagement is open&amp;nbsp;Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. &amp;ndash; 2 p.m. in CC 227.&amp;nbsp;The Thrive Center is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.&amp;nbsp;The Office for Students with Disabilities &amp;amp; Deaf Services (OSDDS) is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to - 2 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/office-hours&quot;&gt;Check here for the most up-to-date listing of offices open for in-person services.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All offices will continue to provide remote services via email, phone, Zoom, and the &quot;ChatNow&quot; feature on the HCC website:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://hcc.edu&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1625770344179000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGWV9pGCLpw7XDCV6UUwwnwXHfEmw&quot;&gt;hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;. HCC will welcome students back to campus for in-person instruction beginning with the start of the fall 2021 semester on Sept. 7.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Bookstore, located on the second floor of the Campus Center, has been open for in-person business since mid-May.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Due to renovations underway on the second floor of the Frost building, the Financial Aid, Student Accounts and Student Records offices will continue to operate remotely for now via email, phone, zoom, and ChatNow.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Masks must be worn in all HCC buildings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also, the fitness room in the Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation is scheduled to reopen on Friday, July 16, with some restrictions for the remainder of the summer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A maximum of 15 guests will be permitted in the fitness room at any given time. Workout time slots will run for 60 minutes with 30-minute intervals in between for cleaning and sanitizing along the following schedule:&amp;nbsp;Monday - Friday: 6-7 a.m.; 7:30-8:30 a.m., 9-10 a.m., 10:30-11:30 a.m., noon to 1 p.m., 1:30-2:30 p.m., 3-4 p.m., 4:30 -5:30 p.m., 6-7 p.m., 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.&amp;nbsp;Saturday &amp;amp; Sunday: 8-9 a.m., 9:30-10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. - noon.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guests can pre-register for preferred workout times by calling the Bartley Center desk attendant at (413) 552-2160 during normal business hours, although pre-registration is not required.&amp;nbsp;Fitness room users may remove their masks while engaged in cardio exercises only.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the time being, the lobby, basketball courts, locker rooms and second floor areas will remain closed.&amp;nbsp;Water fountains can only be used to fill beverage containers and not for direct drinking.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Indoor traffic will flow in one direction with guests entering through the main entrance and exiting through the back after they complete their workouts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information Bartley Center hours and regulations can be found on the HCC website:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/bartley-center&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/bartley-center&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1625770344179000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFFShMzK8hgYBTFkTq0aKna1b4PZg&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/bartley-center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Admissions office staff member Mieko Dennis is ready to offer her assistance for in-person services.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12269" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/harmony-cross" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x12269.xml" Name="Harmony Cross" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Harmony-Cross.jpg" Title="HCC hires new dean" Abstract="As HCC's first dean of Student Development, Engagement and Inclusion, Harmony Cross will work to create a positive, holistic experience for all students regardless of their backgrounds. " IntroCopy="Harmony Cross is HCC's first dean of Student Development, Engagement and Inclusion" Date="2021-07-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Harmony Cross&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Harmony-Cross.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is pleased to welcome Harmony&amp;nbsp;Cross&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;as its first dean of Student Development, Engagement and Inclusion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This new position combines the responsibilities of two previous jobs at the college &amp;ndash; dean of Students and director of Retention and Student Success &amp;ndash; with an increased emphasis on education equity.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cross began her new role July 6.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am honored to serve as the inaugural dean of Student Development, Engagement, and Inclusion at HCC,&quot; said Cross, who was born and raised in Syracuse, N.Y. &quot;I am excited to join such a thriving organization of students, faculty, and staff. As an advocate for educational equity, I am impressed by the college's commitment to removing barriers so students can engage in a holistic collegiate experience. I look forward to partnering with members of the HCC community to continue the college's legacy and efforts and help reinforce its mission, vision, and values.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before coming to HCC,&amp;nbsp;Cross served as director of the New York State Education Department's Higher Education Opportunity Program at Marymount Manhattan College in&amp;nbsp;New York City, where she managed and developed holistic services and high-impact practices for students who might not have considered attending college because of their academic and economic backgrounds.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prior to that, Cross worked as program director for the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx and area coordinator for 15 co-ed residential facilities at Widener University in Chester, Penn.&amp;nbsp;She has also taught college-level, first-year transition courses and leadership classes as well as student conflict and mediation techniques.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are so happy to have Harmony join our college team,&quot; said President Christina Royal. &quot;Her education and experience in student affairs, student services and academic affairs position her perfectly to create and support a transformational student development experience for HCC students.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cross earned her M.Ed. In Educational Leadership, Higher Education Concentration at Temple University. She holds a bachelor's degree in Public Administration from North Carolina Central University, where she was a Division I collegiate athlete in track and field. She is currently working on her Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration at Bradley University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Harmony Cross&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12239" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-sp21" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x12239.xml" Name="Deans List SP21" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Tugce-Kuruca-Deans.jpg" Title="Spring 2021 Dean's List" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize all the students who earned Dean's List honors for the Spring 2021 semester. " ThumbnailAltText="Tugce Kuruca" IntroCopy="HCC announces Dean's List for Spring 2021 semester" Date="2021-06-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Tugce Kuruca&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Tugce-Kuruca-Deans.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. A student is placed on the Dean's List if his or her G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Follow the link below to see an alphabetical listing of all the HCC students who&amp;nbsp;earned Dean's List status for the Spring 2021 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/deans-list&quot;&gt;Dean's List ....&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PHOTO: Tugce Kuruca of Chicopee was one of more than 800 HCC students named to the Dean's List for the Spring 2021 semester.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12243" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/summer-baking" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x12243.xml" Name="Summer Baking" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Chef-Maureen-Benton.jpg" Title="Bake with Chef Benton" Abstract="Pastry chef and HCC instructor Maureen Benton is leading a series of Friday afternoon baking classes this summer through the HCC MGM Culinary Arts institute. " ThumbnailAltText="Chef Maureen Benton is leading a series of baking classes this summer through the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute." IntroCopy="Each 90-minute Friday aftenoon baking class focuses on a different dessert" Date="2021-07-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chef Maureen Benton is leading a series of baking classes this summer through the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Chef-Maureen-Benton.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is presenting a series of virtual baking classes this summer through the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Designed to be family participation activities, each Friday afternoon baking class focuses on the preparation of a specific dessert.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The next session, July 9, will feature chocolate strawberry trifle. The trifle is an Americanized version of a classic English dessert, with layers of brownie, chocolate mousse, fresh strawberries and whipped cream.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Additional virtual baking classes are planned for July 16 (blueberry cream pie), August 6 (cream puffs and eclairs) and August 13 (flourless chocolate cake).&amp;nbsp;Each session runs from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and costs $49.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The classes are taught virtually by Chef Maureen Benton, the head pastry chef at Wilbraham-Monson Academy in Wilbraham and a baking instructor at HCC's Culinary Arts Institute.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At-home participants receive recipes, shopping lists, and instruction sheets that enable them to cook along with Chef Benton during the 90-minute Zoom session.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Register online at: &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.3dcartstores.com/Food_c_2215.html&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/summer-baking&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;For more information, please call Valentyna Semyrog at (413) 552-2123.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;Chef Maureen Benton is leading a series of baking classes this summer through the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12226" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/scholarships-2021" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|65|165" FileName="x12226.xml" Name="Scholarships 2021" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Elizabeth-Busker-7.jpg" Title="Scholarship Awards" Abstract="For the 2021-2022 academic year, the HCC Foundation awarded 239 scholarships worth $225,250 to 186 incoming, current and graduating HCC students." ThumbnailAltText="Scholarship recipient Elizabeth Busker '21" IntroCopy="HCC Foundation awards $225K to 186 students" Date="2021-06-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Elizabeth Busker '21&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-Elizabeth-Busker-7.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is pleased to announce its scholarship award recipients for the 2021-2022 academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This spring, the HCC Foundation awarded 239 scholarships worth&amp;nbsp;$225,250 to 186 incoming, current and graduating HCC students. Many students received multiple scholarships.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The average scholarship award is about $1,000.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC students are remarkable, and they demonstrate a level of resiliency that is unequalled,&quot; said Patrick Carpenter, director of Institutional Advancement. &quot;This was a challenging year for many of our students as they continued to navigate college while&amp;nbsp;managing the impact of a global pandemic on their&amp;nbsp;lives. Yet despite the additional&amp;nbsp;challenges brought on by COVID-19, HCC students still&amp;nbsp;made it a priority to apply for scholarship&amp;nbsp;support. The more than $220,000 in scholarship&amp;nbsp;funds given out by the HCC Foundation will be a real difference&amp;nbsp;maker for many of our students, and will ensure that even more students&amp;nbsp;return to HCC in the fall.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A full list of scholarship recipients and their awards can be found on the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/x12224.xml&quot;&gt;2021-2022 HCC Scholarship page.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC psychology major E&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/elizabeth-busker&quot;&gt;lizabeth Busker '21, of Wilbraham&lt;/a&gt;, a Marine Corp. veteran and former Student Senate president, was the recipient of the James F. Connors Scholarship from the HCC Foundation. The Connors Scholarship is geared for graduating HCC women who transfer to competitive four-year colleges. Busker will attend Mount Holyoke College starting in September.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12236" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/stem-20" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|417|165" FileName="x12236.xml" Name="STEM 2.0" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CLS-Rabinsky-students.jpg" Title="STEM Scholars 2.0" Abstract="Students enrolled in STEM fields at Holyoke Community College can apply now to qualify for National Science Foundation scholarships of up to $10,000 a year." ThumbnailAltText="A biotechnology lab at HCC's Center for Life Sciences" IntroCopy="STEM Scholarship application deadline is Aug. 1 for the Fall 2021 semester. " Date="2021-06-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC professor Emily Rabinsky leads a biotechnology class in HCC's Center for Life Sciences.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CLS-Rabinsky-students.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students enrolled full time in chemistry, biology, engineering, mathematics, physics or other STEM fields at Holyoke Community College may qualify for a National Science Foundation scholarship of up to $10,000 a year toward tuition and fees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through HCC, the National Science Foundation Scholarship offers on average $6,500 per year to qualified full-time students and prorated amounts for part-time students.&amp;nbsp;Incoming and current HCC students are encouraged to apply.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The application deadline for the Fall 2021 semester is Aug. 1, 2021.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students chosen for the NSF scholarship become members of HCC's STEM Scholars 2.0 Program, also known as SCoRE (STEM Cohorts for Research &amp;amp; Engagement).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The scholarships are possible thanks to a five-year, $1 million grant HCC received in 2020 from the National Science Foundation. This is the second time HCC has received an NSF grant for its STEM Scholars program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;STEM Scholars are expected to maintain enrollment in a STEM program, be in good academic standing, complete an associate degree at HCC, and/or transfer to an accredited STEM degree program at a four-year institution. The scholarships are renewable every year students continue to meet the eligibility criteria.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beside the financial awards, STEM Scholars become part of a learning community that fosters a sense of belonging and academic success, and includes&amp;nbsp; mentoring, research, and honors experiences; community service; and internships.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eligibility guidelines for the National Science Foundation Scholarship in STEM can be viewed at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/alumni-and-friends/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships/nsf-scholarship-in-stem&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/scholarship &lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) disciplines include biological sciences, physical sciences, math, computer and information services, geosciences, and engineering.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program is led by HCC math professor Ileana Vasu, coordinator of the STEM Scholars program. She can be reached at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:ivasu@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;ivasu@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or 413-552-2438.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12207" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/i-am-somebody" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|226" FileName="x12207.xml" Name="I Am Somebody" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-IamSomebody.jpg" Title="'I Am Somebody'" Abstract="Holyoke Community College and Enchanted Circle Theater are joining forces this summer to offer an in-person, racial justice education program aimed at youth 8-11 years old.  " ThumbnailAltText="I Am Somebody promo photo" IntroCopy="Racial justice education program runs July 19-22" Date="2021-06-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;School age children goofing around on a school bus&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-IamSomebody.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College and Enchanted Circle Theater are joining forces to offer an in-person racial justice education program this summer for area youth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Called &quot;I Am Somebody,&quot; the four-day, interactive, performing arts program, will run Monday, July 19, through Thursday, July 22, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon each day in the HCC Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program is free and limited to 15 youth aged 8 to 11 chosen through a lottery to be held Monday, June 21.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Enchanted Circle is proud to offer this exciting new creative youth development program in partnership with Holyoke Community College,&quot; said Priscilla Kane Hellweg, executive and artistic director of Enchanted Circle Theater, a Holyoke-based nonprofit that combines arts and education. &quot;The arts are such a powerful teaching and learning tool for the expression of cultural identity and an inspiring platform for getting to know ourselves and each other.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participants will explore racial justice through a variety of creative activities, including writing, music, visual art, movement, and theater.&quot;Students will be encouraged to find and use their own unique voices to express their understanding of equity and racial justice,&quot; said Michele Cabral, HCC executive director of Professional Education and Corporate Learning.&amp;nbsp;&quot;In celebrating themselves, each other and our collective community, they will examine how we are each unique, diverse adn yet all connected.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Following the final session on July 22, parents are invited to attend a lunch and family arts sharing celebration from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Kittredge Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The sessions will be led by Enchanted Circle teaching artists Maya Rivera, of South Hadley, and Axel Cruz, of Chicopee.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rivera is a visual artist, performer,&amp;nbsp;vocalist, photographer, who holds a bachelor's degree in theater from Smith College; Cruz, a Holyoke Community College and University of Massachusetts theater alum, is an actor, dancer, choreographer, theater director, stage manager, and designer.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In advance of the June 21 lottery, interested parents and their children are encouraged to attend a Virtual Family Information session on Thursday, June 13, at 5:30 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To sign up for the information session or to apply for the &quot;I Am Somebody&quot; program, please email Sharon Grundel at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:sgrundel@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;sgrundel@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO courtesy of Enchanted Circle Theater&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12225" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/covid-clinic" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x12225.xml" Name="COVID Clinic" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CHE-FA19%280%29.jpg" Title="Pop-Up Clinic" Abstract="HCC will be hosting a COVID-19 vaccination cllinic at the HCC Center for Health Education &amp; Simulation on Friday, June 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. All are welcome. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Center for Health Education &amp; Simulation" IntroCopy="HCC hosting COVID-19 vaccination clinic Friday, June 18" Date="2021-06-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CHE-FA19%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Health will be holding a vaccine clinic at the Holyoke Community College Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation on Friday, June 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The HCC facility is located at 404 Jarvis Avenue.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC students, faculty, and staff, as well as community members, are welcome to get their first or second doses of the Moderna vaccine, or their one and only dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine at the clinic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The vaccinations are free and no appointment is needed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Free &quot;Stop the Spread&quot; COVID-19 testing at HCC is also available six days a week through September 2021.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The drive-through testing at HCC is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.; and Tuesday and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Parking Lot M by the Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation on the opposite side of campus. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Testing is free to all Massachusetts residents and conducted on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are no appointments and no referral is necessary. Turnaround time for results is typically four days or fewer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation on Jarvis Avenue, site of a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Friday, June 18.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12200" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/pride-flag" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x12200.xml" Name="Pride Flag" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Pride-Royal-Raise.jpg" Title="Pride High " Abstract="For the first time, Holyoke Community College celebrated Pride Month by raising the rainbow flag over the campus where it will fly for the remainder of June." ThumbnailAltText="President Royal raises the rainbow flag over the HCC campus in recognition of Pride Month." IntroCopy="HCC raises rainbow flag for Pride Month" Date="2021-06-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Christina Royal and other members of the HCC community gather to celebrate Pride Month&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/New-Pride-Flag-Group3.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke Community College celebrated Pride Month June 10 by raising the rainbow flag over the campus for the first time in its 75-year history.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dressed in a black, Pride Month shirt, HCC President Christina Royal, the first openly queer community college president in Massachusetts, &amp;nbsp;presided over the flag-raising ceremony, which was attended by faculty, staff and students at the main campus entrance by the Frost and Donahue buildings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm very excited that at Holyoke Community College we have a very active group of faculty, staff and students who are engaged and interested in continuing to further the progress that we made to ensure that HCC is an LGBTQ-plus friendly campus and institution,&quot; Royal said in her introductory remarks. &quot;One of the things we're very excited about this year is to be able to raise the Pride flag on our campus in celebration, not only of Pride Month, but also in recognition of our LGBTQ-plus employees and students.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal noted that for the last two years, many Pride parades, festivals and concerts have been cancelled because of COVID-19, making small celebrations like HCC's flag-raising even more important.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We very much feel that diversity is a huge asset to this institution and this region, and we believe very deeply in being able to ensure that we have a wide variety of representation, and that everyone can be seen and heard as they come to HCC,&quot; Royal said. &quot;I feel very honored to do this as the first queer president of Holyoke Community College.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Pride flag will fly over the HCC campus through the end of June.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Thank you all for being part this community, for being supportive of those in the LGBTQ-plus community,&quot; Royal said after raising the flag. &quot;Let's all remember that June is not the only time to celebrate, but it's nice that we have a month to be able to highlight and bring more visibility to those in the LBGTQ-plus community.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/HolyokeCommunityCollege/videos/1209242192830980/&quot; title=&quot;Video of Pride Month flag-raising&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Watch a video of the flag-raising celebration on HCC's Facebook page.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will be celebrating Pride Month throughout June.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other events include a reading and conversation with author Lesl&amp;eacute;a Newman on June 22 at 5:30 p.m. Newman will read her book &lt;em&gt;Sparkle Boy&lt;/em&gt; and answer questions over Zoom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On June 24 at 11 a.m., Daniel Giraldo-Wonders, assistant professor of Language and Latin American Literature at Bard College at Simon's Rock, will lead a &quot;queer conversation&quot; on Zoom about Pedro Lemebel's poem &quot;Manifiesto: Hablo por mi diferencia&quot; (Manifesto: I Speak From My Difference). Lemebel was an openly gay Chilean essayist, chronicler, and novelist who died in 2015.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information about HCC's Pride events, including registration links to the June 22 and June 24 events, can be found at: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/awareness-and-heritage/pride-month&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/pride&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12182" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/you-kept-going" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|65|165" FileName="x12182.xml" Name="'You Kept Going'" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Ruby-Rodriguez-Ayanna.jpg" Title="'You Kept Going'" Abstract="Persistence in spite of the pandemic was the theme of Commencement 2021 as HCC celebrated the classes of 2020 and 2021 with a virtual ceremony on Saturday, June 5. " ThumbnailAltText="Ruby Rodriguez '21 celebrates with her daughter Ayanna in advance of Commencement 2021." IntroCopy="Persistence in spite of pandemic theme of HCC Commencement 2021  " Date="2021-06-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Xinhong Wu of Amherst celebrates her graduation with President Christina Royal at HCC in advance of Commencement 2021.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/XingHong-Wu-Royal.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Holyoke Community College celebrated the classes of 2020 and 2021 on Saturday, June 5, with a virtual Commencement ceremony in which speakers stressed the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the fortitude of graduates who overcame them. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You have accomplished something amazing during one of the most significant times in our world's history,&quot; &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/royal-remarks-2021&quot;&gt;President Christina Royal said in her introductory remarks&lt;/a&gt;. &quot;It is my great pleasure to share this moment with you, a moment that celebrates not only an important milestone in your lives, but the resilience and determination you have demonstrated through a truly unbelievable time.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There were high moments and low moments, and a whole lot of uncertain moments,&quot; she said, &quot;But you kept going, and that is why you are here today.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The live-streamed event, broadcast on the HCC website and the college's social media channels, featured pre-recorded faculty and student speeches, musical performances, congratulatory messages, and a virtual procession of graduates. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC Commencement was cancelled in 2020 after the pandemic forced the college to transition to remote instruction. Although the 703 members of the class of 2020 received their diplomas last year, they did not receive an offical public recognition until Saturday, where they were hailed alongside the 767 members of this year's graduating classs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I believe the classes of 2020 and 2021 will be recorded in HCC history as two of the most extraordinary,&quot; said Royal. &quot;In the midst of earning your degree, you had to pivot to completely different modes of learning. And you did so successfully. You faced uncertainty with compassion and perseverance, and you pushed forward with relentless spirit.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There is no question that the last 18 months have been difficult and the losses have been profound,&quot; Royal said. &quot;The time that was taken from you was beyond your control. What you take from it, however, that is up to you.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keynote speeches were delivered by two members of the HCC faculty: &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/raul-gutierrez&quot;&gt;Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, of Holyoke&lt;/a&gt;, recipient of the 2021 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence; and &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/v-martinez&quot;&gt;Vanessa Mart&amp;iacute;nez, of Holyoke&lt;/a&gt;, recipient of the 2020 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mart&amp;iacute;nez, professor Anthropology and coordinator of the HCC Honors Program, encouraged graduates to engage their passions, find like-minded souls, and then &quot;take action,&quot;to turn &amp;nbsp;those passions into projects to help improve their communities.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You are more than just survivors of a pandemic,&quot; she said, &quot;&lt;em&gt;ustedes son nuestros so&amp;ntilde;adores, nuestros innovadores, nuestra familia, nuestra comunidad y nuestro mundo -&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;you are our dreamers, our innovators, our family, our community, and our world.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In his speech, Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, HCC associate professor of Spanish and Latinx Studies, invoked wisdom from &quot;&lt;em&gt;mi guelita Mar&amp;iacute;a&lt;/em&gt;&quot; &amp;ndash; his grandmother &amp;ndash; who always said, &quot;&lt;em&gt;P&amp;oacute;rtate bien&lt;/em&gt;.&quot; The literal translation of that expression is &quot;behave well,&quot; but Guti&amp;eacute;rrez said it took him many years to understand what she really meant.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For me now, &lt;em&gt;p&amp;oacute;rtate bien&lt;/em&gt; is to carry yourself with compassion, love and soidarity toward humanity,&quot; Guti&amp;eacute;rrez said. &quot;Don't fake empathy. Live it! When you learn and embrace that you are sharing the world with other humans, you will truly succeed!&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;To the graduates of 2020 and 2021,&quot; he said, &quot;you will be remembered as the class of the pandemic. I challenge you to strive for change. For the next chapter of you life, I challenge you to show up, speak up and stand up in all of your communities and in all of your endeavors - simply GIVE! If everyone &lt;em&gt;'se portara bien' &lt;/em&gt;like my gandmother told me all of my life, the world would be a better place.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/tugce-kuruca&quot;&gt;Student speaker Tucge Kuruca, of Chicopee&lt;/a&gt;, from the class of 2021, talked about being an immigrant &quot;from the slums&quot; of Turkey who started high school in the U.S. without speaking any English. She started at HCC in the college's ESL program in 2017 and flourished thanks to the faculty and staff and her classmates.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I can proudly say that I've created a strong family, not only within the ESL Program but also the Pathways Program, TRIO Student Support Services, the Green Key Honor Society and the Student Senate,&quot; Kuruca said. &quot;Each of these programs played a cricial role in my academic success, and I would not be standing here today without their help.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kuruca graduated with honors and her associate degree in liberal arts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am so excited for the next step,&quot; she said. &quot;I can't wait to transfer and then go to law school. It has always been a dream to become a lawyer and eventually a judge. I know I can do it, and I can make it because HCC prepared me very well.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My fellow graduates, we made it,&quot; she said. &quot;Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we pulled through and showed the world that no obstacle can stand in the way of our success.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's Commencement also included musical performances from Christian Santiago of Holyoke, from the Class of 2020, who played the cuatro (a four-string Latin American guitar); music major Chan Collins '21, who played Bach Suite #1 Prelude on cello; and the HCC College Chorale, singing &quot;Oceans and Stars.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's Commencement 2021 ceremony can be viewed in its entirety on the HCC website: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/2021-commencement&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/commencement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Graduating HCC student Ruby Rodriguez of Springfield (with her daughter Ayanna) tries on her cap and gown on campus in advance of Commencement 2021. (Above) Xinhong Wu, a member of HCC's graduating class of 2021 (Associate of Science in Nursing), celebrates with President Christina Royal in advance of Commencement 2021.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12183" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/royal-remarks-2021" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|193|65|165" FileName="x12183.xml" Name="Royal Remarks 2021" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/President-Royal_left.jpg" Title="'Relentless Spirit'" Abstract="President Christina Royal recounted tales of student persistence and alumni success to inspire graduates as they get ready to move on with their educations, lives and careers. " ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal delivers her remarks for Commencement 2021" IntroCopy="&quot;You are part of an exraordinary HCC community, and when HCC is confronted with big challenges, we don't throw up our hands – we roll up our sleeves and look for solutions. – President Christina Royal" Date="2021-06-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Christina Royal delivers her remarks to the classes of 2020 and 2021 for Commencement. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/President-Royal-right.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Below is the full text of President Christina Royal's introductory remarks to the classes of 2020 and 2021 for Commencement 2021. Her speech was recorded in advance on the stage of HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater for inclusion in the virtual ceremony on June 5.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Greetings and congratulations to our amazing class of 2020 and our incredible class of 2021 and your beloved family and friends. A virtual greeting as well to the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees, our faculty, staff, alumni, and all members of the HCC community joining us today.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To the classes of 2020 and 2021, congratulations! You have accomplished something amazing during one of the most significant times in our world's history. It is my great pleasure to share this moment with you, a moment that celebrates not only an important milestone in your lives, but the resilience and determination you have demonstrated through a truly unbelievable time.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In March of 2020 your academic lives, and actually your entire lives, were up-ended as COVID-19 became an international health crisis and forced us to transition to remote teaching and learning. Our HCC campus went from a vibrant community of students and employees full of in-person interactions and activities and sports to empty hallways. It was different. And then you adjusted.&amp;nbsp;Soon thereafter, faculty learned new techniques for teaching remotely. Staff learned how to support you at a distance, you learned how to navigate new platforms, and your physical classroom was replaced with Zoom meetings and Moodle sites and chat rooms. You found creative ways to stay connected, like playing online Pictionary with your peers. You found ways to express yourself, academically, through a webcam on your computer and you found ways to support each other, recognizing that we are all in this together.&amp;nbsp;You went through personal struggles, professional struggles, and academic struggles.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We collectively experienced a challenging presidential election, unprecedented natural disasters, and a nation grappling with racial injustice. There were high moments and low moments and a whole lot of uncertain moments. But you kept going. And that is why you're here today, because you kept going.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I believe that your classes, the HCC classes of 2020 and 2021, will be recorded in history as two of the most extraordinary classes of Holyoke Community College graduates. In the midst of earning your degree, you had to pivot to completely different modes of learning. And you did so successfully. You faced uncertainty with compassion and perseverance, and you pushed forward with a relentless spirit.&amp;nbsp;You possess what it takes to keep optimism alive. Even in the darkest times, to presume, and to expect the very best of others, and to not only remember our shared humanity, but to act on it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our communities and our world need not only your talent, but also your thought, your insight, your courage and your compassion. With these qualities, and with HCC as your foundation, I am confident that you can do anything.&amp;nbsp;Making the sudden switch to remote learning was a significant and, I know, painful adjustment. Well, I'm gratified at how well you've handled the challenge. I'm not surprised. You are part of an extraordinary HCC community. And when HCC is confronted with big challenges, we don't throw up our hands &amp;ndash; we roll up our sleeves and look for solutions. That's always been part of who we are.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, as Holyoke Community College celebrates its 75th anniversary, we look back at our history and marvel at the ways in which it has made us who we are today. HCC was founded on a simple but powerful belief that everyone deserves a chance to pursue and achieve a college education &amp;ndash; everyone: soldiers returning for military service, women entering the workforce for the first time after raising families, high school students seeking an affordable pathway to a bachelor's degree, older adults seeking new careers, and anyone who has ever been told that they weren't college material.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like you, each student who came before you found their voice and their passion at HCC. I hope you will draw inspiration from them, as you look toward your future:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For instance, Ugo Iyeh grew up in Nigeria, the son of uneducated parents. With discipline, a work ethic instilled in him by his father, and some scholarship support, Ugo earned his associate degree in nursing in 2014 and since then has been working in Western Massachusetts as a registered nurse, specializing in home healthcare.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A self-professed flunkie in high school, David Gruel, class of 1991, worked two jobs while attending HCC as a full-time student. Giving up would have been easy, but, instead, David persisted with the support of HCC faculty and staff. Today, he's the lead engineer on NASA's rover mission to Mars.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More recently, and hopefully celebrating today Samary Ramos, class of 2020, left school in the eighth grade. In her 30s. Samary's reintroduction to school came through HCCs HiSET program, where she earned her high school equivalency, then joined Transition to College and Careers, HCC's free college preparatory program. The 36-year-old Springfield resident completed her studies at HCC last spring, earning high honors and her associate degree in Visual Arts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And, finally, born and raised in Puerto Rico, Alexandra Santiago, class of 2021, relocated to Holyoke with her family after Hurricane Maria. Getting involved in college programs, leadership opportunities and volunteering in her community helped Alexandra overcome feelings of hopelessness and uncertainty. Today, she becomes the first HCC student in our 75-year history to graduate with an associate degree in Latinx Studies.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, you add your story to these. Your story becomes part of HCC's past, present and future, and you inspire the next generation of HCC students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is no question that the last 18 months have been difficult, and the losses have been profound. The time that was taken from you was beyond your control. What you take from it, however, that is up to you. You know what perseverance looks like. You've lived it. You know how to walk through difficulty with fortitude and grace, and I'm truly inspired by you. I look forward to seeing your story unfold.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These are uncertain times in many ways, but I feel so much more confident about our future, simply by knowing that you will be part of it. For today, though, I hope that you celebrate. You have achieved something remarkable.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations to each and every one of you.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12171" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/raul-gutierrez" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|65|165" FileName="x12171.xml" Name="Raul Gutierrez" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Raul-Gutierez-speech.jpg" Title="'Pórtate Bien'" Abstract="Associate Professor Raúl Gutierrez invoked wisdom from his grandmother, telling the classes of 2020 and 2021 to &quot;Behave well&quot; – &quot;carry yourself with compassion and love.&quot;" ThumbnailAltText="Raúl Gutiérrez, associate professor of Spanish, delivers his Commencement address to the classes of 2020 and 2021. " IntroCopy="&quot;Don't fake empathy. Live it! When you learn and embrace that you are sharing the world with other humans, you will truly succeed!&quot; – Raúl Gutiérrez, recipient of HCC's 2021 Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence" Date="2021-06-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, associate professor of Spanish, delivers his Commencement address to the classes of 2020 and 2021. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Raul-Gutierrez-speech-2.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez is associate professor of Latinx Studies and Spanish at HCC, chair of the Language and Latinx Studies departments and co-advisor of the the LEA Club (Latinx Empowerment Association). He was selected as the 2021 Marieb Chair for Teaching Excellence Award, HCC's highest faculty honor. H&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;e delivered the Commencement address below to the classes of 2020 and 2021. His speech was pre-recorded for inclusion in&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/x11932.xml&quot;&gt;HCC's June 5 Commencement ceremony.&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Good morning everyone! &lt;em&gt;&amp;iexcl;Buenos d&amp;iacute;as a todos!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thank you, President Royal, faculty, staff, students, and family members.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To the&amp;nbsp; graduating classes of 2020 &amp;amp; 2021: You got it done! And you did it during a pandemic that still continues around the world.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some of us have lost siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, and friends in the pandemic. I acknowledge and pay respect to all the people we have lost in the last year.&amp;nbsp;Your persistence, and commitment to your education is something to be proud of. You are powerful! Be proud. Be thankful of this accomplishment, but especially be committed to solidarity.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As an 11-year-old immigrant child, I learned to be present and committed from &lt;em&gt;mi guelita&lt;/em&gt;, my grandmother. &lt;em&gt;Mi guelita&lt;/em&gt; Mar&amp;iacute;a would always end our conversations with &lt;em&gt;&quot;p&amp;oacute;rtate bien,&quot;&lt;/em&gt; which roughly translates to &quot;behave well.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She even said this to me two days before her death, those were her last words to me. Mind you I was in my thirties by then. I used to respond to her with, &quot;I am too old to misbehave&quot; or &quot;I am a good person, I behave,&quot; but she would repeat it by syllables: &quot;P&amp;oacute;r-ta-te bien.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For my Latino/Latinx folks, you know what I mean! My usual response was &quot;ok, love ya.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I never truly understood why she always said that to me until years after her passing. What did she mean by this phrase? I truly learnt the meaning of &lt;em&gt;&quot;p&amp;oacute;rtate bien&quot;&lt;/em&gt; during this pandemic.&amp;nbsp;For me now, &lt;em&gt;&quot;P&amp;oacute;rtate bien&quot;&lt;/em&gt; is to &quot;carry yourself&quot; with compassion, love and solidarity towards humanity. Don't fake empathy. Live it! When you learn and embrace that you are sharing the world with other humans, you will truly succeed! It goes beyond being kind to each other!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Robotic kindness is meaningless without honest and authentic solidarity and commitment to the common good and social change. To &quot;behave well&quot; is to know that in life, there are causes, and people come and go, but the causes stay.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As Nuyorican poet Miguel Pi&amp;ntilde;ero stated in his poem &quot;seekin a Cause,&quot; which I will recite now:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;he died seekin' the Cause&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;died seekin' a Cause&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;and the Cause was dyin' seekin' him&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;he wanted a color t. v.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;wanted a silk on silk suit&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;he wanted the Cause to come up like the mets &amp;amp; take the world series&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;he wanted . . . he wanted . . . he wanted . . . he wanted&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;to want more wants&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;but&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;he never gave&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;he never gave&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;he never gave his love to children&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;he never gave his heart to old people&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;amp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;never did he ever give his soul to his people&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;he never gave his soul to his people&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;because he was busy seekin' a cause&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;amp; never found his Cause&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;because&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;you see he never never&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;knew that he was the Cause.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I SAY, you are the &quot;cause&quot; for change in the world. We live in a culture of individual &quot;wants&quot; and winning but true happiness and fulfilment lies in the &quot;gives&quot; and in solidarity.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While you inhabit this world, you have a great power to be an agent of change in the world around you, but with &quot;great power comes great responsibility.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your great responsibility is to show up, speak up, and stand up for others that can't, be it for immigrants &amp;amp; refugees, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, environmental justice, criminal justice reform, and many others.&amp;nbsp; You can't be neutral Don't be a bystander! Give yourself to humanity and solidarity.&amp;nbsp;For years we have lived in a toxic and inadequate culture of winning. What does it mean to win?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many of you have had life, the pandemic (obviously), and other things get in the way of your studies but you did not give up! Some of you started, stopped, came back, took a break, restarted...&amp;nbsp;Jos&amp;eacute; Mujica, former president of Uruguay, was right when he said that &quot;To triumph is not to win, to triumph in life is to pick yourself up when you have fallen.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In life, you don't win nor lose, you don't fail, you don't triumph. In life, you learn, you discover, you write, you erase. And you rewrite again. You stitch, you unstitch and you again stitch. The day you learn that the only thing that you will take with you is what you have lived, then you will start to live.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learn from your mistakes and be better as a result of them. Even Yoda said that &quot;the greatest teacher, failure is.&quot; People say that things happen for a reason, I don't know if that is true but I know &quot;Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans&quot; as John Lennon brilliantly said! Life leaves you minute by minute.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Give content, a cause/the cause, to your life. You are the author of your own life. If you have a dream, &lt;em&gt;&quot;una esperanza,&quot;&lt;/em&gt; fight for it. If you try to pass this dream of a better world on to those left behind, possibly there will be a small breath of your inspiration in the world. And you will be a memory for others that will be more valuable than any monument or any title.&amp;nbsp; You will be the hope, the cause, that will be achieved by the new generations.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As many students say to me: &lt;em&gt;How can I do that? Ra&amp;uacute;l, come on?&lt;/em&gt; Just know that the impossible can be achieved with commitment and effort.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Life can trip you up thousands of times: in love, in work, in the ideas you have, in the dreams that you want to achieve. But a thousand and one times you have the strength to get up and start over. The important thing is the road. Not a goal. There is no finish line. There is no winner's circle. There are no victory laurel wreaths. It is the road you walked, period.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What difference did you make while walking the road of life? That is what matters! Pick up those that have fallen around you! As the Chicana intellectual, Gloria Anzald&amp;uacute;a, said &quot;Do work that matters,&quot; &lt;em&gt;&quot;que valga la pena&lt;/em&gt;.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Valga la pena&lt;/em&gt; literally translates to &quot;worth the suffering!&quot; Life is hard and sometimes full of suffering, especially in the last year, but creating positive change within the world makes it worthwhile.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To the graduates of 2020 and 2021, I have the pleasure to know and be known by some of you!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations! &lt;em&gt;&amp;iexcl;Pa'lante compa&amp;ntilde;eros!&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I ask you to do work that matters! You will be remembered as the class of the pandemic &amp;ndash; I challenge you to strive for change. For the next chapter of your life, I challenge you to show up, speak up, and stand up in all of your communities and in all of your endeavors &amp;ndash; SIMPLY, GIVE!&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If everyone &lt;em&gt;&quot;se portara bien''&lt;/em&gt; like my grandmother told me all my life, trust me, the world would be a better place.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In your quest to live in a better world, I say to you:&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ustedes valen la pena.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;(You are worth it).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, Associate Professor of Latinx Studies and Spanish, delivers his Commencement address to the classes of 2020 and 2021.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12172" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/commencement-info" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|193|65|165" FileName="x12172.xml" Name="Commencement Info" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Cynthia-Rivera-pose.jpg" Title="Commencement 2021" Abstract="HCC will celebrate the classes of 2020 and 2021 with a virtual Commencement ceremony on June 5, 2021, featuring faculty and student speeches, musical performances and more. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC graduate Cynthia Rivera '21 celebrates in her cap and gown on the HCC campus earlier this spring." IntroCopy="HCC to celebrate with virtual Commencement on June 5, 2021 " Date="2021-06-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Cynthia Rivera in her cap and gown&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Cynthia-Rivera-pose.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will celebrate the classes of 2020 and 2021 on Sat., June 5, with a virtual Commencement ceremony starting at 10 a.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This live-streamed event will be accessible through the HCC website &amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://hcc.edu&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1621966958318000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEFRaQlReo1hyW9b9FP0OWrwYerGA&quot;&gt;hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;ndash; and the college's social media channels.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ceremony will feature introductory and concluding remarks from President Christina Royal and Robert Gilbert, chair of the HCC Board of Trustees.&amp;nbsp;Keynote speeches will be delivered by two members of the HCC faculty: Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, of Holyoke, associate professor of Spanish and recipient of the 2021 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence; and Vanessa Mart&amp;iacute;nez, of Holyoke, professor of Anthropology and recipient of the 2020 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The student address will be given by graduating HCC student Tugce Kuruca '21, of Chicopee. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The complete text of each Commencement address is available through the links below, along with details about the classes of 2020 and 2021.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/tugce-kuruca&quot;&gt;Student address: Tugce Kuruca '21&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/v-martinez&quot;&gt;Faculty address: Vanessa Mart&amp;iacute;nez&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/raul-gutierrez&quot;&gt;Faculty address: Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/News/HCC-Class2021.docx.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Class of 2021 info&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Information about the Class of 2021&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/News/HCC-Class2020.docx.pdf&quot; title=&quot;HCC Class of 2020 info&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Information about the Class of 2020&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Graduates from the class of 2020 received their diplomas last year but are being recognized this year with the class of 2021.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event will include musical performances by Christian Santiago of Holyoke, from the Class of 2020, playing the cuatro (a four-string Latin American guitar); graduating music major Chan Collins '21, playing the cello; and the HCC College Chorale.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The virtual event will feature a virtual procession of graduates from the classes of 2020 and 2021 and a collection of photos and short congratulatory videos from faculty and staff.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The&amp;nbsp;Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence&amp;nbsp;was endowed by the late HCC professor emeritus Elaine Marieb '80. Each year, one full-time member of the faculty is recognized with the award for outstanding classroom teaching. Award recipients serve for one year and receive a small stipend for professional development and also give the keynote graduation speech.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Because of the pandemic, HCC did not have a Commencement ceremony in 2020, so Prof. Mart&amp;iacute;nez, the 2020 Marieb Award winner, was invited to give her speech this year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to their classroom teaching responsibilities, Guti&amp;eacute;rrez is chair of the HCC Foreign Languages program and co-founder and coordinator of HCC's Latinx Studies program, while &amp;nbsp;Mart&amp;iacute;nez is coordinator of the HCC Honors Program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Detailed information about Commencement can be found at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/2021-commencement&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/2021-commencement&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1621966958319000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNHVY5hHS60N83k_o6mq9SDJH9RLmQ&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/commencement&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ceremony will be closed captioned and ASL interpreted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC psychology major Cynthia Rivera '21 of Holyoke celebrates in her cap and gown on the HCC campus earlier this spring.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12169" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/tugce-kuruca" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|65|165" FileName="x12169.xml" Name="Tugce Kuruca" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Tugce-Kuruca-portrait.jpg" Title="'HCC prepared me'" Abstract="In her Commencement speech, Tugce Kuruca '21 talked about being an immigrant from the slums of Turkey who found academic success at HCC thanks to the help of faculty and staff.  " ThumbnailAltText="Tugce Kuruca" IntroCopy="&quot;Despite the pandemic, we pulled through and showed the world that no obstacle can stand in the way of our success.&quot; – Tugce Kuruca '21" Date="2021-06-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graduating HCC student Tugce Kuruca delivers her speech for Commencemen6 2021 from the stage of HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Tucge-Kuruca-speech.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tugce Kuruca '21 is an immigrant from Turkey who started at HCC in 2017 as a student in the college's English as a Second Language Program. A member of the Student Senate, Green Key Honor Society and other campus groups, she graduated June 5 with honors and her associate degree in liberal arts. Tugce was selected as the student speaker for Commencement 2021. She delivered the remarks below from the stage of the Leslie Phillips Theater. Her speech was recorded in advance for inclusion in&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/x11932.xml&quot;&gt;HCC's virtual Commencement on June 5, 2021.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Good morning, everyone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On behalf of the graduating class of 2021, I would like to welcome all faculty, staff, alumni, friends, family, and distinguished guests to the 2020 and 2021 Commencement of Holyoke Community College.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My name is Tuğ&amp;ccedil;e Kuruca. I am an immigrant and a first-generation college student. If you would have told me when I first started school at HCC that I would be standing before you today giving this speech, I would have thought that to be the most unimaginable thing possible. Living in the slums of Istanbul, Turkey, barely having the means for the next meal, coming to America was a dream that could only be found in a fairytale.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2016, I left my mother and everything I knew in life behind to attend school in the United States. Suddenly, I was in the U.S., and I was starting American high school as a senior with no English whatsoever - clueless, not knowing anything around me, but I did not let myself be lost in that mystery of the new world I was living in. I studied and studied and cried and cried.&amp;nbsp;Living in the U.S. without my mother, friends, and everything that I knew was very difficult. I would cry and stay up all night trying to talk to my mother and friends in Turkey. I often questioned my decision to leave and considered giving up and moving back many times, but now I know that all the hardships were worth it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After graduating high school with honors, in 2017, I started my college journey in HCC's ESL program. I struggled many times because I knew that I had to work harder than an English speaker. Although I was scared, I wasn't afraid of failure because now I knew what success looked like.&amp;nbsp; I knew that I had great faculty and staff who made sure I got the help that I needed. I would study all day, eventually taking Learning Communities and Honors courses. I am a proud ESL student because the ESL Program is what got me here today.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I can proudly say that I've created a strong family not only within the ESL Program but also the Pathways Program, TRIO Student Support Services, the Green Key Honor Society, and the Student Senate. Each of these programs has played a critical role in my academic success, and I would not be standing here today without their help. They became more than just academic programs to me because I cried with them, laughed with them, was rooted on by them, and inspired by them.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am so excited for the next step. I can't wait to transfer and then go to law school. It has always been my dream to become a lawyer and, eventually, a judge. I know I can do it, and I can make it because HCC prepared me very well.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I wish HCC was a four-year school. As a student, I consider HCC to be my home, and I know it is home to many others. HCC is truly an inclusive campus that welcomes people from all walks of life: immigrants, parents, people with all kinds of abilities, the LGBTQ community, veterans, and anyone who wants an education. No matter where you are coming from, what language you speak, or what gender you identify with, HCC is for everyone.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before I conclude, I must say thank you (tesekkur ederim ) to the mother who worked day and night to make sure that my brother and I ate and slept well to make sure that we were educated. As a single mother, she did the impossible to make sure I could be here today.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My fellow graduates, we made it!&amp;nbsp;To be sure, this is not a normal graduation, but we must celebrate ourselves and what we accomplished despite it seeming like the world was coming to an end. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us lost close family members, our homes, and others, everything they had to this evil illness. However, despite teh pandemic, we pulled through and showed the world that no obstacle can stand in the way of our success. I want to congratulate you, my peers, and by all means this is no ordinary congratulations. This is a deep, extraordinary, well-deserved congratulations!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As Nelson Mandela said, &quot;Do not judge me by my success. Judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Let the record show how many times we fell, yet stood up strong and ready to fight.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you. (seni cok seviyorum annecim)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Tugce Kuruca delivers her Commencment 2021 address from the staget of HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12170" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/v-martinez" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|65|165" FileName="x12170.xml" Name="V Martinez" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Vanessa-Martinez-speech.jpg" Title="'Take Action'" Abstract="HCC professor Vanessa Martínez advised graduates to look inward to discover their passions and then take on small projects to help improve their communities. " ThumbnailAltText="Prof. Vanessa Martinez delivers her Commencement address to the classes of 2020 and 2021" IntroCopy="&quot;You are more than just survivors of a pandemic – you are our dreamers, our innovators, our family, our community and our world.&quot;– HCC professor Vanessa Martínez, recipient of the 2020 Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence" Date="2021-06-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Vanessa Martinez gets ready to deliver her Commencement address to the classes of 2020 and 2021. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Vanessa-Martinez-portrait.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Professor Vanessa Mart&amp;iacute;nez teaches anthropology at HCC and is coordinator of the HCC Honors Program. As the recipient of the 2020 Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence, she delivered the Commencement address below to classes of 2020 and 2021. Her speech was pre-recorded for inclusion in&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/x11932.xml&quot;&gt;HCC's virtual Commencement ceremony on June 5.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hola y Buenos D&amp;iacute;as&lt;/em&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A few nights ago, my partner Jamie and I were snuggling with our little one, Alejandra, before bed when she spontaneously said &quot;thank you.&quot; Overjoyed but confused, we looked at each other before asking &quot;Alejandra, what are you saying thank you to us for exactly? And do you know what she says to us with a big smile on her face?&amp;nbsp; She says &quot;Thank you for all the love you are giving me right now.&quot;&amp;nbsp; And I thought WOW. In that moment, I thought, she sees how much we love her. She sees all the hard work it takes to be parents. She sees all the hard work I do to be a #mamaLatinascholaractivistsuperhero.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I know. That is a lot of pressure to put on a 3-year-old and yet her thank you seemed to be exactly what I needed at that moment. I mean, it is 2021 and the COVID-19 pandemic lingers. I am recording this speech because we cannot be together in large gatherings and so I am doing my best to share my pride and passion with the HCC graduates.&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Estoy haciendo todo lo posible para compartir mi orgullo y pasi&amp;oacute;n con ustedes.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like the HCC graduates of 2020, I got to celebrate winning the Marieb teaching award with my nuclear family only with limited fanfare. HCC graduates of 2020 and 2021, I am part of you and you are part of me.&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Yo soy parte de ti y ustedes son parte de mi.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To me, and likely to many of you, the challenges of 2020 and COVID just felt like it would swallow me whole and that I might not survive it. 2020 brought work stress like never before AND also an opportunity to spend more quality time with my nena. When childcare shut down for over six months, my 2-year-old just kept asking why she could not be with her friends, why we could not go to parks, and why our regular outings on the weekends became just playing in our pretty bare backyard. I thought I might lose my mind. Instead, I tried to enjoy every minute with her, practicing &lt;em&gt;espa&amp;ntilde;ol &lt;/em&gt;more frequently.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;No fue f&amp;aacute;cil, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;pero tener m&amp;aacute;s tiempo con ella fue muy especial.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I paid attention to the world outside my home drama, there was a similar emotional contrast. Some people ignored science, an uncoordinated and negligent response by our federal government allowed a virus to continue to wreak havoc and so many people have died. People of color were experiencing disproportionate loss at the hands of the virus, racist policing and so much more. All this is true and yet, there is good we can choose to invest in, even in the midst of overwhelming tragedy and trauma.&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Todo esto es cierto, y, sin embargo, hay cosas buenas a las que podemos dedicar nuestros esfuerzos incluso en medio de la tragedia y del trauma.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2020 brought horrible harm and death but also moments of hope and action. Classes of 2020 and 2021, &lt;em&gt;&amp;iquest;Qu&amp;eacute; da&amp;ntilde;o y qu&amp;eacute; esperanza ven en el mundo?&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;What harm and what hope do you see in the world?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the midst of all the &lt;em&gt;da&amp;ntilde;o&lt;/em&gt;, I saw my &lt;em&gt;nena&lt;/em&gt; and she was my hope. So, in August 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, my team of four women of color launched our nonprofit, The Women of Color Health Equity Collective. We decided to focus our efforts on creating a space where communities of color have better access to maternal health, therapeutic services and community support.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I work every day to make the world a better place for my nena and other children and I start in my own community.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;iquest;Te atreves a so&amp;ntilde;ar? &lt;/em&gt;Do you dare to dream?&amp;nbsp;Do you dare to envision a more just and kinder world?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I want to share three steps you can take to change the world for the better by starting in your own community. Many of you may be like me and so my advice is to look inward and determine what your passions are, who will support them and investigate projects you can do in small ways to make great change. But how?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Primero, comienza a investigar poco a poco quienes son ustedes.&lt;/em&gt; First, begin to investigate, little by little, who you are.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As I often do in my classroom to help students explore how their own social identity can impact the way they see the world and the way the world sees them, I am asking you now, who are you and what type of change do you wish to make in this world? Do you love book clubs &amp;ndash; why not start one with friends or at work focused on anti-racism and equity? Do you love working with kids and being creative &amp;ndash; maybe you could start beautifying your neighborhood together, making murals and painting mailboxes and park benches?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your self-reflection and taking small actions can have ripple effects you may not even see right away.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Segundo, encuentra tus personas.&lt;/em&gt; Second, find your people.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They will help you figure out your passions and be a support when you are so exhausted you can barely survive. In 2020, we all experienced significant isolation and loss. And yet, what I found was that even in the losses, surprising connections arose.&amp;nbsp;I lost physical time with my parents and brother that live in Texas AND we all learned to treasure video chats and zoom dinners as a family. It is not the same and I cannot wait to hug them hopefully soon BUT it was better than pandemics before wifi.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There were also several work acquaintances who upgraded from friendly to friends and then to chosen family &amp;ndash; especially in times of need like during my husband's emergency surgery and my own health challenges. How unexpected and important those connections became. Several of them are my partners in research, teaching, program administration, training and more.&amp;nbsp;I would not be who I am without my supportive family and friends.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What about you? Who are the people you can depend on and how do you know? Who are the people who help you with childcare, who you can share feelings with, like tears and laughter, who you can ask for help with school or to vent about work? These are the people who you could and can work with to build houses, visit the statehouse, present research on environmental hazards, and give out food at a local soup kitchen?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Working in collaboration to change our world for the better is just so powerful.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Finalmente, act&amp;uacute;a en tu comunidad y conc&amp;eacute;ntrate en tus &amp;aacute;reas de fortaleza.&lt;/em&gt; Finally, take action in your community with your people by focusing on your areas of strength to make the greatest impact.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As an academic, I am much more comfortable giving a speech like this one than writing a publishable paper, as sometimes I am required to do. In these situations, I rely on others to help me brainstorm, edit and polish my essays. Taking action in the world can and should start in your community. The actions can be big or small, they can be self-reflective or engaging of large groups. Remember, there are community agencies to assist, neighborhood mini libraries to build, book clubs to host, protests to plan, government policies to change, peer support groups to run and so much more.&amp;nbsp; And if all else fails and you need a little help, you can always reach out to me and I am happy to make connections.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These steps are by no means exhaustive. In reality, I am just hoping that they spark creativity and move you to take action in your communities, especially in times of greatest tragedy when we all need it the most.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To the graduates of 2020 and 2021, you are more than just survivors of a pandemic, &lt;em&gt;ustedes son nuestros so&amp;ntilde;adores, nuestros innovadores, nuestra familia, nuestra comunidad y nuestro mundo &amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;you are our dreamers, our innovators, our family, our community and our world.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Gracias!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKo: HCC professor Vanessa Mart&amp;iacute;nez delivers her Commencement address to the classes of 2020 and 2021.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12165" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/student-art-show-2021" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165|226" FileName="x12165.xml" Name="Student Art Show 2021" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Art-Devine-2-D.jpg" Title="Student Art Show" Abstract="With HCC's Taber Art Gallery still closed due to the pandemic, the college's annual Student Art Show is being presented online this spring for the second year in a row." ThumbnailAltText="One of the student art works displayed in the virtual art exhibition for 2021, Basic Drawing" IntroCopy="HCC student artwork displayed online" Date="2021-06-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Student artwork, 3-Dimensional Design&quot; height=&quot;677&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/3D-Design-Caivano-book.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the Taber Art Gallery at Holyoke Community College still closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the college's annual Student Art Show is being presented virtually this spring for the second year in a row.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;Despite a very challenging year, our amazing students in the HCC Visual Art Department managed to rise above the limitations of online classrooms and create astounding art works,&quot; said gallery director Amy Johnquest. &quot;This is evidenced not only by the talent of each student, but also reflects the great instruction and ingenuity they received from their teachers.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 2021 Student Art Show can be viewed on the Taber Art Gallery website: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.taberartgallery-holyokecommunitycollege.com/2021-hcc-student-art-show&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/student-art-2021&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The virtual exhibition is arranged alphabetically according to the names of the HCC faculty members and features up to 12 selections of student work from each of the classes they taught this year: Lahri Bond (Introduction to Illustration); Douglas Breault (Basic Drawing); Felice Caivano (3-Dimensional Design - Sculptural Form); John Calhoun (2-Dimensional Design); Vance Chatel (Commercial Art &amp;amp; Design, Computers for Graphic Design); Bill Devine (Basic Drawing); Tara Conant (Basic Still Photography, Introduction to Digital Fine Arts Photography); Benj Gleeksman (Computers for Graphic Designers); Introduction to Web Design, Typography); Alix Hegeler (Painting, Printmaking); Cindi Ludlam (3-Dimensional Design - Sculptural Form, Basic Drawing); Christopher Lizon (Basic Still Photography); Margie Rothermich (Basic Drawing, Drawing Composition; Joe Saphire (Digital Studio).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Usually, each teacher from HCC's Visual Art Department is given a section of the gallery in which to showcase their students' work. Student art is also displayed in the campus hallways, and the exhibition concludes with a reception and celebration in the gallery and in the HCC Library lobby.The art on display in the online galleries are photographs or digital images of original work.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Though we miss the live celebration and student exhibition on campus, on the plus side, the wonderful work presented virtually may be visited and shared throughout the summer and beyond,&quot; said Johnquest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Some of the student artwork on display in the 2021 Student Art Show virtual gallery&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12168" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/meet-marissa" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="65|165" FileName="x12168.xml" Name="Meet Marissa" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Marissa-Perez-Photo.jpg" Title="Meet Marissa" Abstract="Diamond Smith '21 talks to Glascock Poetry Prize winner Marissa Perez '20, now at Hampshire College, for a story in the national publication Campus News." ThumbnailAltText="Marissa Perez '20" IntroCopy="The 25-year-old Florence resident, now at Hampshire College, won the presitigious Glascock Poetry Prize in 2020 as a student at HCC" Date="2021-06-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Marissa Perez&quot; height=&quot;503&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Marissa-Perez-Photo.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Editor's Note: The interview below was conducted by graduating HCC student Diamond Smith '21 for Campus News and appears in the publication's May 2021 issue and on its website under the headline &lt;a href=&quot;https://cccnews.info/2021/06/02/meet-marissa-perez-award-winning-poet-who-got-her-start-at-community-college/&quot; title=&quot;Meet Marissa Perez&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cccnews.info/2021/06/02/meet-marissa-perez-award-winning-poet-who-got-her-start-at-community-college/&quot; title=&quot;Meet Marissa Perez&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Meet Marissa Perez, award-winning poet who got her start at community college.&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; It is republished here with Smith's permission.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;In 2020, as a student at Holyoke Community College, Marissa&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/poetry-prize&quot;&gt;received the prestigious Glascock Poetry Prize from Mount Holyoke College&lt;/a&gt;. She is now a junior at Hampshire College.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;B&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;y DIAMOND SMITH '21&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Courtesy of &lt;a href=&quot;https://cccnews.info/&quot;&gt;Campus News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Up-and-coming writer Marissa Perez experienced childhood in New England and was brought up in Northampton, Massachusetts. Perez was named the 97th beneficiary of the Glascock Poetry Prize, whose original publication involved an astonishing arrangement of 10 works. The victors of the honor comprise scholars like Sylvia Plath, Anna Ziegler, and James Merrill. Coming into her second junior semester at Hampshire College, Perez is seeking a degree in creative writing. Perez is a pupil of observation and deep-rooted lifelong lessons she extracts through the act of literature. Her influences combine the novelists Hanya Yanagihara and Joan Didion. My interview with the poet:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do you believe that growing up around Northampton has influenced you to be a poet and creative writer?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;The most significant part of living in Western Massachusetts is the variety of community activities and events. In Northampton, for example, there is the Broadside Bookshop and the Academy of Music. Since there was such an abundance of possibilities and an emphasis on the arts, it fueled my desire to do more. I wanted to be further involved in the arts and the writing culture. When I was younger, there would always be some sort of new and upcoming author who would come to the Broadside Bookshop and have a performance at the academy of music. It was just a giant playground for me because it is an environment that is being fostered that promotes creating your work and being as creative as you can.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What was your experience entering HCC as a creative writing student? How did it prepare you for where you are now?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Holyoke Community College is where I met some professors who took a very keen interest in me. It was the place to slow down and become in charge of what I was interested in and where I wanted to go. It was almost by chance that I took a class with Fred Cooksey, who was interested in my writing, and through him, he introduced me to Carolyn Zaikowski, who are both English professors. It gave me a place to take a pause and reevaluate what I wanted to do with my profession and form relationships with these professors who were so invested in what I was doing as an individual. They had the motivation to pull me aside and got to know me as a person, which was special to me.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do you have any advice you would want to impart to students who are thinking about going to HCC?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Do everything that you want to do. HCC is a place that emphasizes direction over the final product until you reach that final product. It is the absolute best place to do what you want to do and try everything that you want to try. Without any pressures (besides classes), but it is a place that has legroom. Enter the community college with your heart on yourself, and knowing that you want to figure out what you want to do. Trust yourself through the growth.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In 2020 you became the 97th recipient of the Glascock Poetry Prize with one manuscript comprising ten works. You are also the first community college student to win it in 75 years or more. It's a prestigious honor. How has that positively impacted your career path as a writer?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;It humbled me. To know that I won the prize, was the indication that I needed. People cared about what I was writing and took an interest. I had the ability to reach a wider audience. It motivated me to refine everything I had written even more. I was facing some judges whose work I was so enamored with, knowing they believed in me, drove me to work on continuing to reach those audiences.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I read one of the pieces you have written, called &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/News/Pacific%20Coast%20Highway.docx.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Pacific Coast Highway&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Pacific Coast Highway.&quot;&lt;/a&gt; I would welcome you to elaborate on the intensity of emotions within your poem and what was happening specifically in your life at that time.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;I remember a time in my life; I had a vicious wake-up call that required me to sit there and think, &quot;What could I have done. How did I not see this coming? How did anyone not see this coming? What would I have done differently if I had to go back in time?&quot; In the last couple of years, I reflect on almost every aspect of my life. Just for the sake of processing and understanding myself further. The poem &quot;Pacific Coast Highway&quot; talks a lot about foresight and knowing what comes before. It also deals with the dilemma of, what if you don't know, and what if there's no way to tell what's happening. How do you deal with that? Do you place guilt on yourself? Or do you place blame on the fact that we as humans are not built to see into the future? That was a very difficult time in my life, with a lot of loss. There were a lot of questions I had if I could have prevented certain events. It just a reflection on unforgiveness for myself and everyone who knew me at the time; going forward, how we can check in on things. How to maintain things for what they are and focus less on taking people for granted.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Academy of Music Theatre had presented a feature performance with award-winning poet Denice Frohman, a poet, performer, and educator from New York City who has received awards for her literature and stage experience. This program has included you as a rising poet. How would you describe that experience?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;It was also a very humbling experience. Everything that happened, is a very humbling experience. I knew of Denice Frohman, and she is such a powerful poet and writer. I remember sitting down and getting an email that was inviting me to read alongside her in an event (which happened to be on my birthday). I almost didn't do it at first because of the fact it was my birthday, and I had thought it wouldn't have been safe to go out by then, or maybe I was going to plan something else that day. The reason I chose to do the event was that I felt that I was being asked to say something and I also had things to say. I had things to say in terms of what Denise talks about in her poetry, belonging, and action. I realized, I was being asked to read this stuff alongside a woman of color, who wrote so poignantly on the relations between the power of the United States and, and the rest of the world as it exists for people of color.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;To know, I was the person who was in the thoughts of those who organized the event felt so special because I knew somewhere between the works that have been going around, I had been speaking to people who were reading them. I have been speaking to the readers in some subtle way about that same power dynamic. It was special in multiple ways because it really set the stage for me to join someone who has something to say and had something important to question. And that it was OK for someone like me who writes, to not know all the answers. I think that is the same with Frohman's poetry, sometimes there's no feasible end in sight, and a part of the reason why I like to write is that I don't know the answers. I think writing is an ongoing act that can help me see a clearer picture of the world, myself, and others.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I understand your influences for poets include Joan Didion and Hanya Yanagihara. How did both writers influence your own poetry?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Didion is an American writer and essayist known for her concise literary style and eloquent depictions of social conflict and interpersonal separation. Yanagihara, raised in Hawaii, is best referred to as a novelist, and travel writer. She can be read as an existentialist. Yanagihara's words capture emotions and encapsulate us to reflect on ourselves.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Both Didion and Yanagihara are known for their fiction work. It's so funny because reading both of their pieces read so much like poetry, just in a different format. I felt so strongly about those pieces that I had to write traditional poems in order to distill those feelings and string them out. My favorite work by Yanagihara is called &quot;A Little Life,&quot; which is about a group of best friends living in New York City- post-grad. The language that is used in Yanagihara's work, as well as Didion's, is so electric and often about specificity. Almost what I call, chewable, like you can swash what they've written in your mouth and taste it. It is very tangible. Those are two authors who, I feel, are masters of specificity.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I understand you are in the second semester of your junior year at Hampshire College; how are your studies going now? What are you interested in for the future?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;I've been plagued for the past several years with the idea that I don't know what I want to do, and that's a scary question. But I think, in that worry and anxiousness, I figured that the ideal path for me would be not to shoehorn myself into one profession but, if I can focus my core path on writing, then I have the ability to stretch myself and especially writing, not just fiction, but to follow someone halfway around the world for a day and to learn this task for the sake of writing about it. Writing for me is multiple different careers, and it would not just be the idea of just being a &quot;writer,&quot; but the idea of being a participant of the world and writing about it. Even tiny little blurry experiences that just don't see the light of day, in any sort of book. For example, how do people come up with new shades of color? That is a very specific and blurry concept, so to be in very enriching identities and writing about them is the absolute life worth living for me. Hampshire also manages to foster that kind of thinking; I'm having a very exciting time here so far. I think I am allowed to be in utmost control of my own curriculum. At the same time one of the keystones of a Hampshire education is for student bodies to educate their educators, and always ask why. Hampshire is really focused on never being satisfied with what you know, and that's me at my core. I don't feel that there is an end to education.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Anything you'd like to add?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;I think my decision to leave Manhattan and complete a couple of years at HCC may have saved my life. It was that middle ground, the liminal space, that I needed to mold myself into. I really believe the stigma against community colleges is a disease - because it bridged such a large gap. But it is also a stand-alone institution that is also the basis for other educations - other discoveries. So I believe if I had never gone to HCC, I surely wouldn't have met the professors who worked together to bring me such emotional success. It was Professor Dave Champoux who submitted my manuscript for the Glascock Prize. So without that, I would not have had that connection there. It really was the place where the magic happened. I really think this was the place where I first had a support network, and I will always be grateful and humbled for that.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12163" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/covid-testing-6-21-x12163" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193" FileName="x12163.xml" Name="COVID Testing 6-21" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-COVID-testing.jpg" Title="COVID-19 Testing " Abstract="Free &quot;Stop the Spread&quot; COVID-19 testing at HCC has been extended through September 2021, and the testing location will shift to parking lot M as of June 1, 2021.  " ThumbnailAltText="A nurse goes over paperwork before administering a COVID-19 test at HCC" IntroCopy="Wait times for test are not nearly as long as they used to be, with only a handful of vehicles lined up at the busiest times. " Date="2021-03-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A nurse reviews paperwork before administering a COVID-19 test at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-COVID-testing.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Please Note:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Testing may sometimes be cancelled due to inclement weather. Please visit the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health/&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke Board of Health&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Holyoke Board of Health website&lt;/a&gt; for up-to-date information on cancellations.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HOLYOKE &amp;ndash; Free &quot;Stop the Spread&quot; COVID-19 testing at Holyoke Community College has been extended through September 2021, according to the Holyoke Board of Health.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drive-through testing at HCC is conducted six days a week in parking lot H near the western entrance to the Donahue Building on the college's main campus, 303 Homestead Ave.&amp;nbsp;However, effective June 1, 2021, testing will move to Parking Lot M by the Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation on the opposite side of campus. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wait times for tests are not nearly as long as they used to be, according to site administrators, with only a handful of vehicles lined up at the busiest times.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has been serving as a &quot;Stop the Spread&quot; drive-through testing site since last Auguest to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drivers are asked to enter the campus from Homestead Avenue, turn left onto the Campus Road and proceed to parking lot H (or to parking lot M after June 1). There are signs and parking attendants on site to help guide traffic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC testing site is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.; and Tuesday and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.&amp;nbsp; days or fewer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Testing may sometimes be cancelled due to inclement weather. Be sure to visit the Holyoke Board of Health website for up-to-date information on cancellations:&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health&quot;&gt;https://www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: A nurse reviews paperwork before administering a free COVID-19 test at HCC.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12164" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/commencement-2021" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|65|165" FileName="x12164.xml" Name="Commencement 2021" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Commence-combo-21.jpg" Title="Class Action" Abstract="HCC will celebrate the classes of 2020 and 2021 with a virtual Commencement ceremony on June 5, 2021, featuring faculty and student speeches, musical performances and more. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC professors Raul Gutierrez adn Vanessa Martinez will give keynoted speeches to the classes of 2020 and 2021 during HCC's virtual Commencement on June 5, 2021. " IntroCopy="HCC to celebrate with virtual Commencement on June 5, 2021 " Date="2021-05-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC professors Raul Gutierrez and Vanessa Martinez will give keynoted speeches to the classes of 2020 and 2021 during HCC's virtual Commencement on June 5, 2021. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Commence-combo-21.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will celebrate the classes of 2020 and 2021 on Sat., June 5, with a virtual Commencement ceremony starting at 10 a.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This live-streamed event will be accessible through the HCC website &amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://hcc.edu&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1621966958318000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEFRaQlReo1hyW9b9FP0OWrwYerGA&quot;&gt;hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;ndash; and the college's social media channels.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ceremony will feature introductory and concluding remarks from President Christina Royal and Robert Gilbert, chair of the HCC Board of Trustees.&amp;nbsp;Keynote speeches will be delivered by two members of the HCC faculty: Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, of Holyoke, associate professor of Spanish and recipient of the 2021 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence; and Vanessa Martinez, of Holyoke, professor of Anthropology and recipient of the 2020 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The student address will be given by graduating HCC student Tugce Kuruca '21, of Chicopee. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event will include musical performances by Christian Santiago of Holyoke, from the Class of 2020, playing the cuatro (a four-string Latin American guitar); graduating music major Chan Collins '21, playing the cello; and the HCC College Chorale.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The virtual event will feature a virtual procession of graduates from the classes of 2020 and 2021 and a collection of photos and short congratulatory videos from faculty and staff.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The&amp;nbsp;Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence&amp;nbsp;was endowed by the late HCC professor emeritus Elaine Marieb '80. Each year, one full-time member of the faculty is recognized with the award for outstanding classroom teaching. Award recipients serve for one year and receive a small stipend for professional development and also give the keynote graduation speech.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Because of the pandemic, HCC did not have a Commencement ceremony in 2020, so Prof. Martinez, the 2020 Marieb Award winner, was invited to give her speech this year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to their classroom teaching responsibilities, Guti&amp;eacute;rrez is chair of the HCC Foreign Languages program and co-founder and coordinator of HCC's Latinx Studies program, while &amp;nbsp;Martinez is coordinator of the HCC Honors Program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Detailed information about Commencement can be found at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/2021-commencement&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/2021-commencement&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1621966958319000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNHVY5hHS60N83k_o6mq9SDJH9RLmQ&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/commencement&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ceremony will be closed captioned and ASL interpreted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS:&amp;nbsp;HCC professors Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez and Vanessa Martinez will give keynote speeches to the classes of 2020 and 2021 during HCC's virtual Commencement on June 5, 2021.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12161" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/honors-and-awards-2021" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x12161.xml" Name="Honors &amp; Awards 2021" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg" Title="Honors &amp; Awards" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to celebrate the students who earned honors and awards for their outstanding achievements during the 2020-2021 academic year.  " ThumbnailAltText="HCC campus center" IntroCopy="HCC celebrates students for outstanding achievement" Date="2021-05-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC campus center in spring&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each Spring, Holyoke Community College recognizes students with honors, awards and scholarships for outstanding achievement and performance in a wide array of academic areas and extracurricular pursuits.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please follow the link below to see a complete list of awards and recipients and a special message from President Christina Royal and other HCC administrators:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/achievements/honors-and-awards/honors-and-awards-2021 &quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/achievements/honors-and-awards/honors-and-awards-2021&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Follow this link for an alphabetical listing of honorees:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/achievements/honors-and-awards&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-cke-saved-href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/achievements/honors-and-awards&quot;&gt;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/achievements/honors-and-awards&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12140" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/julissa-colon" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|65|165" FileName="x12140.xml" Name="Julissa  Colon" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/ColonJulissaBW40Under40-2021_01-768x1152.jpg" Title="Rising Role Model" Abstract="HCC alumna Julissa Colón '13, special progams coordinator for HCC's Gateway to College program, was named one of the &quot;40 Under Forty&quot; by Business West magazine for 2021. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC's Julissa Colon '13 named one of Business West magazines '40 Under Forty' for 2021" IntroCopy="HCC alumna and staffer Julissa Colón '13 named to list of '40 Under Forty'" Date="2021-05-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Julissa Colon, special programs coordinator for HCC's Gateway to College program&quot; height=&quot;505&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/ColonJulissaBW40Under40-2021_01-768x1152.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n, special progams coordinator for HCC's Gateway to College program, was named one of the &quot;40 Under Forty&quot; by &lt;em&gt;Business West&lt;/em&gt; magazine for 2021.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The annual awards recognize young, promising community leaders from Western Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a tremendous class of young leaders, one that speaks volumes about our region,&quot; &lt;em&gt;Business West &lt;/em&gt;editor George O'Brien wrote in his introduction to his year's honorees. &quot;Indeed, Western Mass. is diverse and its business communty is also diverse, with a strong mix of ventures across all sectors, from technology to healthcare; hospitality to agriculture. ... The class of 2020 reflects all this. It refelcts something else, as well &amp;ndash; the willingness of these young leaders to step forward, serve their community, and address the many issues confronting our region, inluding homelessness, poverty, illiteracy, access to healthcare, and more.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The class of 2021 will be celebrated on Thursday, Sept. 23 at the annual 40 Under Forty Gala at the Log Cabin Banquet &amp;amp; Meeting House in Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Below is the &quot;40 Under Forty&quot; profile of Julissa that appears in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://businesswest.com/blog/julissa-colon/&quot; title=&quot;40 Under Forty Class of 2021 profille of Julissa Colon&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;May 12 edition of Business West:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;O'Brien also interviewed Julissa for his &lt;a href=&quot;https://businesswest.com/blog/businesstalk-with-julissa-colon-special-programs-coordinator-for-the-gateway-to-college-program-at-holyoke-community-college/&quot; title=&quot;Business Talk podcast with Julissa Colon&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;May 17 Business Talk podcast&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By GEORGE O&quot;BRIEN&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor, Business West&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Julissa Col&amp;oacute;n can certainly relate to those individuals she assists through the Holyoke Community College (HCC) Gateway to College program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Indeed, when she was 19, she left college when she had her first child. She thought the opportunity to earn a college degree had passed her by.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She was wrong, of course. She now has an associate degree from HCC and a bachelor's degree in Latin American studies from Smith College, with a minor in history. What she needed to earn those diplomas was some encouragement and a path forward &amp;ndash; and that's exactly what she helps provide to others who have left traditional education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These are students who have already left high school or are on the verge of leaving,&quot; Col&amp;oacute;n said. &quot;They don't leave because they're not smart, they don't leave because they're not capable; they leave because of&amp;nbsp;life.&amp;nbsp;Some of them have had to go to work; some of them have stayed back so many times they feel too old to be in traditional school; some are homeless; some have had children, or they're ill, or their parents are ill.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What they all have in common, though, is that they don't want to give up &amp;ndash; they do want their high-school diploma, they do want to be successful, they do have dreams,&quot; she went on, adding that Gateway exists to build a unique pathway to success for each student.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Col&amp;oacute;n joined Gateway a decade ago and has been instrumental in transforming the program, according to Vivian Ostrowski, the program's director, who nominated her for this award. She said Col&amp;oacute;n is also a big reason why the program now enjoys an 83% graduation rate for those who left traditional school.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While rising in the ranks from clerk to office manager to Special Programs coordinator, she has drawn on her own experiences, and also her mother's (she came to Holyoke from Puerto Rico) to help her understand and appreciate her students' experiences, and also to help guide them and keep their dreams alive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She said students often ask her to describe her role, and her answer is usually something like this:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm like your high-school guidance counselor and your college advisor and your auntie and a social worker &amp;ndash; I'm all those things wrapped into one.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She's something else as well: a tremendous role model.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTO, courtesy of Business West magazine&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12154" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/together-tallies" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|66|65|165" FileName="x12154.xml" Name="Together Tallies" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-ROME-Check.jpg" Title="'Together' Tallies" Abstract="HCC's April 27 &quot;Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign raised $122,000 for HCC scholarships, the HCC student emergency fund, and Thrive Student Resource Center and Food Pantry." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Foundation member Corey Murphy, left, Gary Rome, HCC student Carolina Pena, and President Christina Royal hold a ceremonial donation check from Gary Rome at his Hyundai dealership on May 4. " IntroCopy="&quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign raises $122,000 for student support" Date="2021-05-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Foundation member Corey Murphy, left, Gary Rome, HCC student Carolina Pena, and President Christina Royal hold a ceremonial donation check from Gary Rome at his Hyundai dealership on May 4. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-ROME-Check.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Led by auto dealer Gary Rome, trustees, dedicated alumni, and friends, Holyoke Community College raised $122,000 for student support programs last month during its one-day &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Organizers had set a goal of 150 donors for the 24-hour, April 27 fund drive. The final tally was 295.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was really inspiring to see all the community support that came together for the 'Together HCC' campaign to invest in our students,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation. &quot;Our goal for the one-day campaign was 150 donors, and by noon we had already exceeded that. By the end of the day, we had almost doubled our goal, and that was in large part thanks to the support of Gary Rome Hyundai.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rome, an HCC Foundation board member, had issued a donation challenge of $10,000 if the campaign met its goals of securing 150 new donors and 1,000 social media posts using the hashtag #TogetherHCC.&quot; He presented a check to HCC officials at his Holyoke dealership on May 4.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The reason we got involved in this campaign is because we wanted to shine a spotlight on this wonderful institution right here in our backyard, dispel the misconception that community colleges receive all their funding from the state, and highlight how important it is to raise funds to help support our community college,&quot; Rome said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of the donors was alumna Ruby Maddox '03, co-founder of the Springfield nonprofit Gardening in the Community.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As a first-generation college student, HCC made it possible for me to get my first undergraduate degree, which led me to getting my graduate degree,&quot; said Maddox, now the study abroad advisor and international internship coordinator at Mount Holyoke College. &quot;My HCC education was accessible, affordable and transformational. I started Gardening in the Community while I was at HCC, and I learned what it was truly like to make things happen.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to Gary Rome, Peg '58 and Gary Wendlandt, Jim Izatt '59, Dylan Pilon '12, trustees Robert Gilbert and Charlie Epstein, Foundation board member Mike Roundy, and the HCC Alumni Council all posed match and challenge gifts for the campaign.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Myke Connolly '04, of Springfield, owner of StandOutTruck.com, donated the use of his mobile billboard.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Myke literally drove to change lives from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on April 27 displaying ads promoting our giving day throughout the region and documented his day on social media, creating even more energy and buzz,&quot; said campaign organizer Julie Phillips, HCCs coordinator of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, to his #TogetherHCC donation, Connolly created the StandOutTruck.com Celeste Berger Annual Scholarship at HCC to be awarded this spring to a current HCC student of marketing, business, or entrepreneurship.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The reason I had to get involved with this is because HCC has done a lot for me,&quot; Connolly said. &quot;Through HCC I was introduced to Mike Kittredge, who started Yankee Candle. He taught me all about business. That's the beauty of this place. It's a genuine place where people want to see you succeed.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;HCC Foundation board member Corey Murphy, left, auto dealer Gary Rome, HCC student Carolina Pena, and President Christina Royal hold a ceremonial donation check from Gary Rome at his Hyundai dealership in Holyoke on May 4.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12136" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sp21-ptk" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x12136.xml" Name="SP21 PTK" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Brigid-Feagan-Royal_8393.jpg" Title="Honors Inductees" Abstract="HCC is proud to recognize the 75 students who have been accepted for membership into the Phi Theta Kappa honors society for the 2020-2021 academic year.  " ThumbnailAltText="HCC computer science major Brigid Feagan '21 was inducted into the HCC chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society last November." IntroCopy="75 HCC students earn Phi Theta Kappa membership" Date="2021-05-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Christina Royal with graduating HCC student Brigid Feagan '21&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-Brigid-Feagan-Royal_8393.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is proud to announce that 75 HCC students have been accepted for membership into the Alpha Xi Omega chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society for the 2020-2021 academic year. Students are invited to join Phi Theta Kappa when they have completed 15 college credits while maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's Spring 2021 inductees will be recognized in a virtual ceremony on Thurs., May 13, 2021.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fall 2020 Inductees&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Leah Goodlaxson-Levy, Melanie Jacque, Autumn Marley, Shelbi Moore&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Eduardo Lima, Michael Patnaude, Annalisa Rizzo&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Christopher Hrubesh&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeding Hills:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Mary Diaz&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Lauren Fleit, Zoe Stevens&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hampden:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Thomas Dwyer&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Jeffery Agyemang, Anne Nomakeo&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Indian Orchard:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Danielle Bailey&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leeds:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Vanessa Oquendo&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Dayle Douglas, Gia Sellica, Audrey Woods&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ludlow:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Gregory Racine&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;North Hatfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Samantha Sevigne&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Northampton:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Emma Hannan, Brigid Feagan&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Richmond:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Hannah Lee McArdle&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&lt;/strong&gt;Melissa Kirkpatrick, Jocelynn Bouyea, Nathan Emmonds, Matthew Lajoie&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield&lt;/strong&gt;: Nakkita MacDonald, Gabriella Miranda, Samantha Michaelson, Kendall Weake, Vanessa Wilson,Jesse Yelle&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Olivia McGrail, Morgan Orszulak&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&lt;/strong&gt;Natalie Jones, Amber-Lynn Watson&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Tisbury:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Sarah Toste&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Jason Kelly, Graciana Phillips&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wilbraham:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Philip Brehart&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spring 2021 Inductees&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agawam:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Angela Nelson&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amherst:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Sara Lord, Julie Mckenzie&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Belchertown:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Tia Arce, Abegail Brown, Laura Marks, Mary Zina&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bernardston:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Ryan Duffany&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicopee:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Tamika Ortiz Acosta, Caitlyn Black, Sarah Tessicini&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East Longmeadow:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Natalie Rathbun&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easthampton:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Penelope Leveritt, Nathaniel Smith&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Florence:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Clayton Cummings&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Granby:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Dylan Gordon&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Emma Schlegel&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longmeadow:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Catherine Corrigan&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monson:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Cameron Keating&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palmer:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Courtney Allen&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Hadley:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Moira Mihalak, Emma Pouliot&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Springfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Samantha Calvao, Yannelis Cruz, Nanelle Le&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ware:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Nichole Bradway, Stephen O'Brien&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Springfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Alison Hansen&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Westfield:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Matvey Hancharonak, Kiara Velasquez&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Whately:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Chanthoeun Collins&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Woronoco:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Richard Bessey&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Due to an administrative error, new HCC Phi Theta Kappa members from Spring and Summer 2020 were not publicly recognized at the time of their inductions. They are now listed under the Achievements page under Student Life on the HCC website.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/x12141.xml&quot;&gt;Click here to see the list.&lt;/a&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;Computer science major Brigid Feagan '21, right, of Northampon, is one of 75 HCC students who have been accepted as members of the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society for the 2020-2021 academic year. Here she is May 6 at HCC for Cap &amp;amp; Gown Pickup Day being congratulated by President Christina Royal. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12118" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/manufacturing-program" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x12118.xml" Name="Manufacturing Program" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-Kittredge-Center-Exterior.jpg" Title="Root Work" Abstract="The state House has earmarked $50K to develop a manufacturing training program at HCC to benefit low-income and unemployed Holyoke residents and fill vacant industry jobs. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Kittredge Center" IntroCopy="&quot;Holyoke employers need a trained workforce and Holyoke constituents need career-track jobs.&quot; – State Rep. Pat Duffy, D-Holyoke" Date="2021-05-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Kittredge Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-Kittredge-Center-Exterior.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rep. Patricia Duffy (D-Holyoke) is pleased to announce that $50,000 has been earmarked in the House Fiscal Year 2022 budget to seed the development and implementation of a new Manufacturing Training Program at Holyoke Community College.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Holyoke employers need a trained workforce and Holyoke constituents need career-track jobs,&quot; said Duffy. &quot;I'm thrilled to see these local assets of our population and our historical manufacturing base come together and build on each other.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to labor and workforce date, 9.7% of jobs in Holyoke are in manufacturing compared to 6.7% statewide. Meanwhile, at 9.9 percent, the unemployment rate in Holyoke is the second highest in western Massachusetts after Springfield at 11.2 percent, compared to a statewide rate of 6.6 percent for March 2021.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Manufacturing Training Program will join the robust stable of workforce development programs at HCC, Duffy said.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're grateful to Rep. Duffy for advocating for this funding on behalf of the college,&quot; said President Christina Royal.&amp;nbsp; &quot;Manufacturing is an important employment sector in Holyoke and one with deep historical roots. Despite the city's high unemployment rate, a significant number of manufacturing jobs in Holyoke remain vacant. The purpose of this new program is to increase the number of Holyoke residents working in manufacturing, especially those impacted by poverty, unemployment, and limited educational opportunities.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program will serve up to 45 individuals in three cohorts by providing approximately 150 hours of remote and in-person, hands-on training combined with workplace experiential learning.&amp;nbsp;The three-phase program includes skills assessments, and pre-training focused on workplace readiness in English and basic math, followed by core training in entry-level manufacturing.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The manufacturing component will include modules in communication, teamwork, customer service, digital literacy, general manufacturing processes and principles; blueprints, dimensions, tolerances, instrumentation and measuring; manufacturing workplace math; lean manufacturing, problem-solving, quality control; and workplace safety.&amp;nbsp;Regional employers will be invited to participate in curriculum design and delivery, as guest speakers, as well as in hosting tours of their facilities when possible.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participants will be connected to area employers and receive job placement assistance through HCC and MassHire Holyoke. &quot;We believe the program will benefit jobseekers, incumbent workers, and businesses of Holyoke and the region alike,&quot; Royal said. &quot;Ultimately, the goal is to help lift individuals out of poverty and meet the needs of the business community.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12135" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sp21-leadership-v" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x12135.xml" Name="SP21 Leadership V" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/SP21-HCC-Campus-Wide.jpg" Title="Leading Through Change" Abstract="HCC will conclude its spring 2021 Women's Leadership Luncheon Series May 26 with a discusson led by Margaret Tantillo and Jess Roncarati-Howe, from Dress for Success." ThumbnailAltText="Spring 2021 HCC campus photo with flowers" IntroCopy="Spring 2021 Women's Leadership Luncheon Series concludes May 26" Date="2021-05-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Spring 2021 photo of HCC campus&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/SP21-HCC-Campus-Wide.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848 &quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Holyoke Community College will conclude its spring 2021 Women's Leadership Luncheon Series with an event focused on the theme &quot;Leading Through Change.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Margaret Tantillo, executive director of Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, and Jess Roncarati-Howe, program director of Dress for Success Western Massachusetts will be the featured presenters for the Wed., May 26, event, the final session on the spring 2021 calendar.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 2021 Women's Leadership Luncheon Series takes place over Zoom from noon to 1:15 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Participants join a group of women leaders to discuss current issues and ideas to help their leadership development. They also have the opportunity to build a network of women leaders to help them navigate their careers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each lunch-time event features two presenters leading discussions on different topics:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Previous sessions have welcomed presenters Luz Lopez, executive director of MetroCare of Springfield, and Annamarie Golden, director of Community Relations for Baystate Health (&quot;Compassion Fatigue&quot;) and Lynn Turner, coach and business strategist, Clear Vision Alliance, Inc.; Moe Belliveau, executive director, Easthampton Chamber of Commerce (&quot;Maintaining Power and Grace While Glass Ceilings Are Being Shattered&quot;); Jeff Hayden, vice president of HCC's division of Business and Community Services, and Jason Pacheco, manager of Workforce Planning for Baystate Health (&quot;Women's Leadership from a Male Perspective&quot;); and Dr. Sarah Perez McAdoo, MD, population health capstone director at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Jessica Collins, executive director of the Public Health Institute of Western Mass. (&quot;Courageous Actions&quot;).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The May 26 session is $20. Space is limited.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Advance registration is required.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.3dcartstores.com/Training-and-Workforce-Options_c_2141.html&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/leadership-luncheons&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12088" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/ptk-all-stars-2021" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|3|193|165" FileName="x12088.xml" Name="PTK All Stars 2021" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/PTK-All-Stars.jpg" Title="Academic All Stars" Abstract="HCC students Todd Cummings and Miren Neyra Alcántara are being celebrated this week as members of the 2021 Phi Theta Kappa All-Massachusetts Academic Team.  " ThumbnailAltText="Todd Cummings and Miren Alcántara " IntroCopy="HCC students celebrated by Mass. Association of Community Colleges" Date="2021-04-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Todd Cummings '21 and Miren Alc&amp;aacute;ntara '22&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/PTK-All-Stars.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two Holyoke Community College students are among the academic all-stars being honored this week by the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Todd Cummings of Northampton and Miren Neyra Alc&amp;aacute;ntara of Holyoke were named to the 2021 Phi Theta Kappa All-Massachusetts Academic Team for PTK Community College Excellence Week, April 26 -30.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I want to congratulate Todd and Miren on their selection to the Phi Theta Kappa All-Massachusetts Academic Team,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &quot;Their dedication and commitment to academic excellence exemplifies the very best of Holyoke Community College. They are role models in academic achievement and civic engagement, and I'm so proud to have them represent HCC. Miren and Todd are highly engaged students who have brought great leadership to Student Senate and student club activities. This honor is well deserved.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; A celebratory ceremony is traditionally held at the Massachusetts State House in Boston to honor the highest academic achievers in the state's 15-member community college system. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Phi Theta Kappa All-Massachusetts Academic Team will be honored with virtual recognitions on social media for the second year in a row.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Every year, we look forward to this opportunity to highlight the community colleges' commitment to access, opportunity, and excellence,&quot; said Tom&amp;nbsp;Sannicandro, director of the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges. &quot;The outstanding achievements of our students cannot be understated. We are proud of all they have&amp;nbsp;accomplished and&amp;nbsp;celebrate the continued pursuit of their academic and career aspirations.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society of two-year&amp;nbsp;colleges, and&amp;nbsp;has recognized and encouraged scholarship among community college students for&amp;nbsp;more than 100&amp;nbsp;years while promoting the academic integrity of the associate degree program. Students with grade point averages of 3.5 or higher are invited to join Phi Theta Kappa.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cummings and Alc&amp;aacute;ntara were previously inducted into Alpha Xi Omega, the HCC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, Cummings, a hospitality management major who lives in Northampton, is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, as well as the HCC Creative Writing Club and Student Senate. He is also a New Student Orientation leader, peer tutor, and co-founder of a new HCC men's student support group called D.U.D.E. (Dedication, Unity, Drive for Excellence).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He will graduate in June with honors and then transfer to the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts to continue his studies in hospitality management. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Originally from Mexico, Alc&amp;aacute;ntara is a Latinx Studies major who now lives in Holyoke. At HCC, she is president of the Latinx Empowerment Association (the LEA Club) and serves on the college's Student Advisory Board. She works as a peer tutor and volunteers with several community organizations including Climate Change Theater Action, Common Share Food Co-op, and SPARK Reproductive Justice Now.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier this year, Alc&amp;aacute;ntara was a finalist for the 2021 Young Woman of Impact Award presented by &lt;em&gt;Business West&lt;/em&gt; magazine. In March, she received a&amp;nbsp;Newman Civic Fellowship, a national award that recognizes college leaders who demonstrate a commitment to their communities. She will graduate from HCC in 2022.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To follow the week-long virtual celebration, you can find MACC's social media pages below:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Facebook:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/macommunitycolleges/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges (@macommunitycolleges)&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Twitter:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FMassCCs%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3SNpl1qyCA9iB-A47xZpNNzW3riDdPVYW3V68WSDLmhX6NYfahxvSNJtY&amp;amp;h=AT3Dui8zxXtnip0cTZC3Fw6lLqHm-QbfE1TU0ANH-gbaaCnFO-sxOkK986Pe82F_OGL8zaINOjpAUzzYmYCTe0T--ENitF4oOWf1IIZd5RAdFu-es6a4NbXpyuQwzmuS3HCWU28Bf-PIr3yM2F4&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;@MassCCs&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;nstagram&lt;/span&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fmacommunitycolleges%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3usiwTGWnuxTdx_nHwHz_5KQdG4kShEDsFOgTS2B1saHQHJ5k9uMbGpoY&amp;amp;h=AT3Dui8zxXtnip0cTZC3Fw6lLqHm-QbfE1TU0ANH-gbaaCnFO-sxOkK986Pe82F_OGL8zaINOjpAUzzYmYCTe0T--ENitF4oOWf1IIZd5RAdFu-es6a4NbXpyuQwzmuS3HCWU28Bf-PIr3yM2F4&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;@macommunitycolleges&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Todd Cummings; Miren Neyra Alc&amp;aacute;ntara&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12109" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/fee-freeze" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="97|193|165|353" FileName="x12109.xml" Name="Fee Freeze" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-KC-CC-FA20.jpg" Title="HCC Freezes Fees" Abstract="Citing the financial hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the HCC Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to freeze student fees for the upcoming academic year." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Campus Center" IntroCopy="Board of Trustees votes to freeze student fees for 2021-2022" Date="2021-04-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Campus Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-KC-CC-FA20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Citing the financial hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to freeze student fees for the upcoming academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The vote was 8-0.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This unanimous vote to freeze fees demonstrates our concern for the success of our students,&quot; said board chair Robert Gilbert. &quot;They depend on us, and freezing costs when they're facing grave economic uncertainty is the right thing to do. We're trying to do everything we can to make it easier for students to come here, stay here, and succeed here.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The vote locks HCC's Educational Service Fee at $188 per credit and the Student Service Fee at $145 per semester for fiscal year 2022, which begins July 1.&amp;nbsp;Over the past five years HCC has raised fees by about 5 percent annually. Tuition for all the community colleges in Massachusetts is set by the state. At HCC, tuition is $24 per credit, a number that has not changed in more than 10 years, and the lowest among the four community colleges in western Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Holyoke Community College is fortunate to have a Board of Trustees that recognizes the financial hardships brought on by this pandemic, and understands that many of our students have been disproportionately impacted,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &quot;The decision to freeze fees, as well as greater investments in student supports that address food insecurity, mental health, and digital equity, mean that students will have more resources and financial support to attend HCC now and in the future.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Tuesday vote came at the recommendation of Narayan Sampath, vice president of Administration and Finance, and the college Audit and Finance committees.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We solicited input from our Student Senate, the Budget Advisory Committee and the Comptroller's office in making this recommendation,&quot; Sampath told the board Tuesday. &quot;The overwhelming feedback we got was that if we can afford it, it would be very helpful to our current and potential students if we do not raise fees.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite the freeze, Sampath said he would still be able to present a balanced budget to the board in June.&amp;nbsp;&quot;We have some indications of what state appropriations are going to look like, and it seems very positive, that we might have level funding in FY '22,&quot; he said. &quot;Our estimates are very conservative.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since the pandemic began, HCC has received more than $3.7 million in higher education relief funds for direct student financial support. That has enabled HCC to provide $550 block grants to every student enrolled for the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters. Those grants, and other incentives, are likely to be available again for the fall 2021 semesters.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, HCC has received more than $7 million in stimulus money to cover additional expenses incurred during the pandemic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We continue to watch our budget very closely, and state and federal stimulus money has certainly helped,&quot; Sampath said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12079" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/drive-to-change-lives" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|193|65|165" FileName="x12079.xml" Name="Drive to Change Lives" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Jessica-Cavanaugh-driveby.jpg" Title="Drive to Change Lives" Abstract="Local auto dealer Gary Rome is partnering with the HCC Foundation on a one-day fundraising campaign April 27 to raise money for student support programs and scholarships at HCC. " ThumbnailAltText="Vet Tech student (now graduate) Jessica Cavanaugh '20, drives through the HCC campus last summer to pick up her cap and gown. " IntroCopy="The one-day fundraising campaign is set for Tuesday, April 27, and will run a full 24 hours, from 12:01 a.m. to midnight" Date="2021-04-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jessica Cavanaugh '20 drives though the HCC campus to pic up her cap and gown&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Jessica-Cavanaugh-driveby.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gary Rome, owner of Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke, is partnering with the HCC Foundation on a one-day campaign to raise money for student support programs and scholarships at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign is set for Tuesday, April 27, and will run a full 24 hours, from 12:01 a.m. to midnight at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.givecampus.com/schools/HolyokeCommunityCollege/togetherhcc-drive-to-change-lives&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.givecampus.com/schools/HolyokeCommunityCollege/togetherhcc-drive-to-change-lives&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1619098936498000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNG4r9gfXSGva1Lk1SSXM8ssEX_JnA&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/drive&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The goal of the campaign, which continues the &quot;Together HCC&quot; initiative started last year, is to raise money for student support programs and increase awareness about the issues that can impede student success.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rome has pledged a donation challenge of $10,000 once the campaign's goals are met: secure 150 new donors and 1,000 social media comments, likes, or shares using the hashtag #TogetherHCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;'The 'Drive to Change Lives' campaign is about making a difference,&quot; said Rome. &quot;I hope my $10,000 challenge will shine a light on this important institution and all it does for our region, and that it will encourage others to make it a habit to give to HCC.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The one-day campaign has the potential to unlock more than $100,000 in matching donations from HCC alumni and friends, which would put twice that much money into three areas that directly support HCC students: the President's Student Emergency Fund; the Thrive Student Resource Center and Food Pantry; and scholarships.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The biggest challenge donation comes from HCC alumna Peg Wendlandt '58 and her husband Gary Wendlandt, who have pledged to match every individual gift up to $1,000, dollar for dollar, up to a total of $100,000.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;On any given day, many of our students struggle with non-academic challenges that can derail their educations if left unaddressed &amp;ndash; hunger, housing insecurity, homelessness, affordable healthcare, lack of access to technology, transportation, and childcare,&quot; said Julie Phillips, HCC coordinator of Alumni Affairs and Annual Giving. &quot;The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many of those obstacles. We created 'Together HCC' to bring attention to these issues and help students through these tough times.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation launched&amp;nbsp;&quot;Together HCC: A Campaign for Caring&quot; in March 2020 to build moral support for the college community during a time of increasing uncertainty while also raising money for students experiencing financial distress due to the pandemic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part of the campaign, members of the HCC community &amp;ndash; students, staff, faculty, alumni, relatives and college friends &amp;ndash; were asked to use the hashtag #TogetherHCC to share stories and images on social media that demonstrated the resilience of the college community in response to the COVID-19 crisis.&amp;nbsp;The campaign raised $40,000 for the Student Emergency Fund and was selected as a finalist for a national Bellwether award.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For 75 years, HCC has been changing lives, paving the way for generations of learners in western Massachusetts and beyond,&quot; Phillips said. &quot;On April 27, 'Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives' will enable all of us to come together to celebrate and support the school where so many students and alumni have found their calling.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To donate, please visit&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.givecampus.com/schools/HolyokeCommunityCollege/togetherhcc-drive-to-change-lives&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.givecampus.com/schools/HolyokeCommunityCollege/togetherhcc-drive-to-change-lives&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1619098936498000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNG4r9gfXSGva1Lk1SSXM8ssEX_JnA&quot;&gt;: hcc.edu/drive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Vet Tech student (now graduate) Jessica Cavanaugh '20, drives through the HCC campus last summer to pick up her cap and gown.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12076" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/alexandra-santiago" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|193|165" FileName="x12076.xml" Name="Alexandra Santiago" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Alex-Santiago-horizontal.jpg" Title="Double Distinction" Abstract="This June, Alexandra Santiago '21 will be the first HCC student ever to graduate with a major in Latinx Studies; on May 13, she will be honored as one of the state's &quot;29 Who Shine.&quot; " ThumbnailAltText="Alex Santiago of Holyoke" IntroCopy="Latinx Studies major Alexandra Santiago to be honored as one of state's '29 Who Shine'" Date="2021-04-22" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Alexandra Santiago&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Alex-Santiago-horizontal.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alexandra Santiago will forever hold a distinction at Holyoke Community College that can never be equaled let alone surpassed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On June 5, she will become the first HCC student in its 75-year history to graduate with an associate degree in Latinx Studies, a major introduced at the college in 2019.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've made great connections at HCC, I've learned new skills, and I've learned a lot about myself,&quot; said the 23-year-old Santiago, who lives in Holyoke. &quot;I like this major because it hits close to home. I learned more about my own story &amp;ndash; how and why I ended up here.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On May 13, Santiago will earn another distinction. She will be honored by the Mass. Dept. of Higher Education as one of the &quot;29 Who Shine.&quot; Each spring, the department recognizes one student from each of the 29 public colleges and universities in Massachusetts based on their academic achievements, college leadership and community service. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In previous years, the &quot;29 Who Shine&quot; award winners have been honored in a celebration at the State House. Last year's event was cancelled because of COVID-19. This year, the honorees will be lauded in a virtual ceremony on YouTube beginning at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 13.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Santiago relocated to Holyoke with her family after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in Sept. 2017.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There were a lot of months of hopelessness and uncertainty, and it's very hard to talk about,&quot; said Santiago. &quot;But I'm thankful we wound up here in Massachusetts, specifically in Holyoke, where we are surrounded by Puerto Rican folks and you can see and feel the Puerto Rican culture in the names of the shops and the music that you hear, and people speaking Spanish. It's like home.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a new student at HCC, Santiago started out as a communications major. But in the fall of 2019, she signed up for a class at the college that took her in an entirely different direction. That was &amp;nbsp;&quot;Teatro Nuestro&quot; (&quot;Our Theater&quot;), a Learning Community course that combined Introduction to Theater and Introduction to Latinx Studies. The class explored identity through the literature, culture, history, politics, movements, and influence of people of Mexican, Central-American, South-American and Caribbean descent.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I wanted to learn more about the history of where I come from,&quot; Santiago said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By the time the course concluded, she had switched her major to Latinx Studies, a new interdisciplinary program introduced that semester.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Despite her family's traumatic displacement, Alex has tried to make the world a better place for everyone, especially underrepresented and minoritized communities,&quot; said her faculty adviser Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, chair of the Latinx Studies program, who nominated her for the award. &amp;nbsp;&quot;She is a resilient and powerful young woman.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since that first semester, Santiago has immersed herself in Latinx-related activities, both on the HCC campus and in the greater Holyoke community.&amp;nbsp;As vice president of the Latinx Empowerment Association (LEA Club), she spearheaded a project to create a &quot;Little Free Library&quot; in the Holyoke Flats, one of the poorest sections of the city, with the goal of providing a wide range of books focused on culture and ethnicity to low-income children isolated during the pandemic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Her club leadership was recognized in spring 2020 with an HCC Spotlight Award to go along with the club's recognition for Best Volunteer Project - &quot;Planting Literacy,&quot; a ongoing program where club members help teach English to migrant farmworkers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;During the pandemic, she helped organize a social media campaign celebrating the Latinx community and developed student-led virtual panel discussions in collaboration with HCC's Black Student Alliance and Holyoke's Wistariahurst Museum, where she works as an intern researching the archives of the late Holyoke community activist Carlos Vega.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She holds a second internship as a research assistant in the Spanish and Portuguese departments at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she is working on a project focused on bilingual language proficiency. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The goal is to see how Spanish speakers use language in their everyday lives,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;In Fall 2020, through her Honors class &quot;Pathologies of Power,&quot; Santiago and her classmates developed a service-learning project where they created and conducted bilingual lessons for first-graders at Holyoke's Joseph Metcalf School.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A member of the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society, Santiago is also an actor and model. In September, she will transfer into the Ethnic and Gender Studies program at Westfield State University, where she hopes to double-major in Spanish.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm really interested in community outreach,&quot; she said. &quot;Community activism really interests me and perhaps public administration.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Alexandra Santiago, at HCC&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12075" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/champions-network" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|3|65|165" FileName="x12075.xml" Name="Champions Network" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Network-Screen-Shot-2021-04-13-at-2.01.46-PM.jpg" Title="Alumni Connections" Abstract="The HCC Champions Mentorship Network pairs first-semester students of color with alumni who share their backgrounds, academic interests and career ambitions." ThumbnailAltText="Cover shot of HCC's spring 2021 Alumni Connection magazine" IntroCopy="'&quot;I'm here for Nhi, my mentee, and any other student who feels that they want to share their story or talk to or get advice from someone who looks a little like them.&quot; – Elizabeth Román '03 " Date="2021-04-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Left to right: Nathalie Vicencio '02, Eilianie Alvelo '13, and Shawn Robinson '05 take part in a &amp;quot;Chats With Champions&amp;quot; alumni panel discussion moderated by Prof. T. Ross, far right, chair of the HCC Sociology department before the pandemic in spring 2020&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/AC-SP21-Chat-sociology.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story appears in the Spring&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Documents/Publications/AC/AC_SP21._axs_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Spring 2021 Alumni Connection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2021 issue of HCC's Alumni Connection&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;magazine.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By JANICE BEETLE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a junior at Chicopee Comprehensive High School, Zasha Valentin started a job working at McDonald's. The following year, her mother urged her to quit - not the job, but school.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It was more important, she was told, that Zasha help supplement her family's income. High school was expendable, and college not remotely on her radar. The message was drilled into her head, she recently recalled: &quot;Work, work, work.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Years later, Valentin, now 25, is a first-year student at HCC and was recruited to be part of a new mentorship program focused on students of color, the HCC Champions Mentorship Network, affectionately called &quot;Chats with Champions.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program pairs first-semester students like Valentin with alumni of color who share their backgrounds, academic interests and career ambitions - those who know, through their own, often bumpy experiences, how to succeed in college and beyond.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I had to figure a lot out myself,&quot; says Armanis Fuentes '19, one of the program's alumni mentors, who grew up in Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fuentes' parents never finished high school, and he too was pushed into the world of work. After holding various minimum-wage, entry-level positions over several years, he enrolled at HCC. Without family guidance, though, he had to find his own way through often-confusing college processes, such as applying for financial aid and choosing classes.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It definitely was trying,&quot; he says.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fuentes graduated from HCC in 2019 with high honors and now holds two separate fellowships through Williams College, where he is majoring in history and art. He is eager to pass along what he has learned.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;To be able to impart knowledge is a better use for it than keeping it in my head,&quot; he says.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After months of planning, the Mentorship Network got off the ground last fall with 21 students matched with 16 alumni mentors, thanks in part to a $100,000 grant the college received from the Lumina Foundation, a national nonprofit that seeks to dismantle systemic barriers to success for Black and Latinx college students and help them earn their degrees.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The creation of the Champions Mentorship Network ties directly into one of HCC's principal strategic goals: increasing retention and success rates of students of color. It also aligns with the state Dept. of Higher Education's top priority of education equity.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're helping to foster connections and open paths for our students of color to empower their academic success and help them navigate their education and life goals,&quot; said Julie Phillips, HCC's coordinator of Alumni Affairs and one of the mentorship program's co-creators. &quot;The whole point is for these students to see alumni who look like them who are out around the country, working. Because the mentors have walked this path, they have a certain empathy for the mentees that is unique and special, and it fuels their passion to serve.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Champions Mentorship Network builds on a series of alumni panel discussions started in the spring of 2020 called &quot;Chats with Champions.&quot; Each of two panels focused on a different academic area - business and social sciences - and featured alumni working in those fields. (A third alumni event on STEM was canceled after the campus was closed due to COVID-19.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part of the new program, Chats with Champions has moved from the HCC Campus Center, where the first sessions were held, to an online platform. During the fall, as part of the new network, virtual group chats were held on topics with more of a focus on mentorship: community leadership; aha moments; and transferring to a four-year college or university.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Phillips administers the program along with HCC alumna Myriam Qui&amp;ntilde;ones '95, coordinator of MAS, HCC's Multicultural Academic Services program, and Lauren LeClair, coordinator of Orientation and New Student Programs. They say the Champions Mentorship Network is unique in higher education circles, as it specifically pairs incoming students of color with alumni of color in their field of interest, and the program is already reaping benefits for both students and mentors.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Phillips explains that the network is based on three pillars: one-on one conversations between student and mentor; the virtual group chats with panels of mentors who offer dynamic conversations on specific topics; and workshops developed by Qui&amp;ntilde;ones and LeClair that help students with tasks such as registering for classes, setting goals and securing financial aid.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lumina grant funds were used to buy 21 new Chromebooks for the HCC library that are dedicated for students in the Mentorship Network. (Participants also receive a small stipend: $400 for students and $100 for alumni.) Students are required to set college or career-oriented goals and monitor their progress weekly. Their mentors help hold them accountable.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The network works, the program coordinators say, because students have an advocate in their field of interest with whom they develop a personal relationship as well as a wider network of experienced alumni they can call upon in the future for help.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This was a great opportunity for me to talk about my journey as a student of color and now as a professional working in the field that I chose,&quot; said Elizabeth Rom&amp;aacute;n '03, a bilingual reporter for the &lt;em&gt;Springfield Republican&lt;/em&gt; newspaper and editor of its sister publication, &lt;em&gt;El Pueblo Latino&lt;/em&gt;. &quot;I'm here for Nhi&quot; &amp;ndash; her student mentee &amp;ndash; &quot;and any other student who feels that they want to share their story or talk to or get advice from someone who looks a little like them.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like Rom&amp;aacute;n, the alumni &quot;champions&quot; are developing a sense of leadership, and enjoy talking about their experiences at HCC as well as their jobs and how they got them.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Mentors are very invested in helping their mentees, going out of their way to assist them-texting when the student needs help with homework, or offering kudos on a completed task,&quot; Qui&amp;ntilde;ones says. &quot;We asked mentors to give one hour a month. They're giving many hours. They are invested so much they want to make sure mentees have access to them.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After dropping out of high school, Valentin earned her high school equivalency. She is now a registered behavioral technician and works full time at Papermill Elementary School in Westfield, implementing behavior modification plans for students with special needs. Along the way, she developed a passion for the work and wanted to learn more.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, she is majoring in elementary education and paired with mentor Eilianie Alvelo '13, of Westfield. After graduating from HCC with her associate degree in liberal arts, Alvelo transferred to Westfield State University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in applied behavioral science.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alvelo, who is bilingual, is now a board-certified behavior analyst at the May Institute and Behavioral Concepts, where she provides behavior analytic services to children with autism while supporting Spanish-speaking families.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I decided to become a mentor because, when I was at HCC, my mentors were key ingredients to my ability to finish my two-year degree, transfer to a four-year college and be successful there,&quot; Alvelo said. &quot;I think life in general is easier when you can help identify the steps you need to take to get where you want to be.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through the fall semester and into the new year, Alvelo has offered many assists to Valentin, one of her two mentees. For instance, she helped Valentin craft a professional-looking resume and cover letter.&amp;nbsp;Valentin plans to transfer to a four-year school after completing her education at HCC. Her goal is to earn a master's degree and work in applied behavior analysis, like Alvelo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Having a mentor in her field of interest is helping Valentin enhance her HCC education and is better preparing her for a real career, she says.&amp;nbsp;Alvelo, for her part, says she enjoys listening to her mentees' hopes and dreams and working with them to figure out ways to minimize or eliminate any obstacles that could interfere with their ability to reach their goals.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We identify very specific steps they can take,&quot; Alvelo says. &quot;I appreciate being able to be there for them when they text me, sharing that they feel overwhelmed by finals, work, or life in general. I know that sometimes we just need someone to say, 'You got this! Just keep swimming!' and so I am happy to be that person for them.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fuentes, 23, was paired with HCC student Johnny Garcia Jr., who grew up in Chicopee under similar circumstances to his in a family that did not have any experience with college. Garcia says taking part in the network has pushed him outside his comfort zone, as he hoped it would. He's grateful to have a mentor who understands his experience.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've met amazing people who encourage me and are very kind and supportive,&quot; he says. &quot;They all offer me support that I do not have in my household. They offer me their advice. These are things I do not normally have in my everyday life.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Garcia is studying criminal justice and biology and plans to join the military after graduating from HCC to help pay for the remainder of his education. He says Fuentes has been instrumental in helping him figure out which branch of the military would suit him best.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He has helped me make decisions that were really hard,&quot; says Garcia. &quot;He encouraged me to ask questions and do my research.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fuentes said he finds excitement in his role as mentor. &quot;It's a cool opportunity to reach students who are in the position I was just in a year or two ago,&quot; he says.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The pilot phase of the program concluded in January. A less intensive, more informal version is continuing through spring. Phillips notes that all 21 student-mentees successfully completed their program goals and all of them returned to HCC for the spring 2021 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Based on the program's success, the HCC Foundation has committed funds to allow the full version of the Champions Mentorship Network to continue in the fall.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We want to continue with the current students and recruit a new cohort of incoming students,&quot; Qui&amp;ntilde;ones says. &quot;We would like have at least 30 mentees.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After one semester, the future of the network seems as bright as those it serves. They are certainly not likely to run out of willing alumni. The program has &quot;helped me tons toward achieving my goals,&quot; says Valentin. &quot;Who knows? Maybe when I graduate, I can join the program as a mentor.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO (Above)&amp;nbsp;Left to right: Nathalie Vicencio '02, Eilianie Alvelo '13, and Shawn Robinson '05 take part in a &quot;Chats With Champions&quot; alumni panel discussion moderated by Prof. T. Ross, far right, chair of the HCC Sociology department before the pandemic in spring 2020. The in-person alumni discussions were the inspiration for HCC's new Champions Mentorship Network.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12078" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/on-vaccinations" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165" FileName="x12078.xml" Name="On Vaccinations" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/MA-CC-logo.jpg" Title="No Vaccine Mandate" Abstract="In a joint statement, the 15 Mass. community college presidents said none of their colleges will require students, faculty or staff to get COVID-19 vaccinations before returning to campus. " ThumbnailAltText="A logo of Massachusetts Community Colleges" IntroCopy="&quot;Considerations for the fall semester continue to develop and are subject to change, but the community colleges are not contemplating COVID-19 vaccine mandates at this time.&quot;" Date="2021-04-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;MCC letter re. vaccinations&quot; height=&quot;1248&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Statement%20Regarding%20Vaccines%20and%20Fall%202021%20Final.docx.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12073" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/registration-open-fa21" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|97|165" FileName="x12073.xml" Name="Registration Open FA21" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/NEW-HCC-SP20-flowers-smaller.jpg" Title="Registration: Open!" Abstract="Enroll now for summer and fall courses at HCC, where you can choose from among some 400 classes that will meet in person beginning Sept. 7, 2021." ThumbnailAltText="Spring shot of HCC campus" IntroCopy="Enroll now for summer and fall" Date="2021-04-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Spring photo of HCC campus&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/NEW-HCC-SP20-flowers-smaller.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registration is now open for summer and fall classes at Holyoke Community College, and that includes approximately 400 classes that will meet on campus for in-person learning beginning Sept. 7, 2021.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Summer classes at HCC are being offered in both five-week and seven-week formats: Summer Session I begins June 6 and runs five weeks; Summer Session II begins July 12 and runs five weeks; HCC's full summer session runs for seven weeks, with classes starting June 7 and June 8.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the exception of some courses in a few specific academic areas, most summer classes are being offered fully online or in a blended remote format (a combination of scheduled virtual class meetings and online course work).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the fall 2021 semester, however, HCC plans to add at least 400 classes across the curriculum that will meet on campus at least part time for in-person instruction, with many meeting as much as 100 percent in person.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will also continue to offer fully online classes and blended remote classes for students who might be more comfortable with those options.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As more residents of Massachusetts are able to be vaccinated throughout the spring and summer, we expect that the spread of COVID-19 will be greatly reduced by fall,&quot; said Mark Hudgik, director of Admissions. &quot;We will still be taking steps to mitigate exposure. For example, masks and social distancing will be required, on campus class sizes will be smaller, and we will continue to monitor the situation and be prepared to shift to remote learning if necessary. However, we think this is an important step on the return to normal life.&quot;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To maximize available options for students, HCC will continue to offer multiple, flexible start dates during the fall 2021 semester: Full fall semester classes start Sept. 7 and run for 14 weeks; Fall Start II classes being Sept. 27 and run for 12 weeks; Fall Start III classes begin Oct. 27 and run for seven weeks.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Students can choose from all of the available class modalities as well as start dates to create a schedule that best meets their individual needs,&quot; Hudgik said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To help prospective students make informed decisions, the HCC Admissions office is holding weekly virtual information sessions on the following Tuesdays from noon - 1 p.m.: April 20, April 27, May 4, May 18 and May 25; as well as Tuesday, May 11, from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register for one of these&amp;nbsp;live Zoom information sessions with an HCC Admissions counselor, please go to:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/admission/visit-campus&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hcc.edu/admission/visit-campus&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1618415004126000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNE63EdpC-2oTOGtl9bRzv7JB4uucQ&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/visit-campus&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;For more information on HCC classes or to enroll, please visit&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/admission&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hcc.edu/admission&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1618415004126000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEtcIvPGbGq_VikGCuLFHYGNqcMNA&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/admission&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or call 413.552.2321.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12074" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sp21-leadership-iv" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|227|194" FileName="x12074.xml" Name="SP21 Leadership IV" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-Kittredge-Center-Exterior.jpg" Title="'Courageous Actions'" Abstract="The April 28 session of the HCC Women's Leadership Luncheon Series will feature presentations by two area professionals from the world of public health. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Kittrecge Center for Business and Workforce Development" Date="2021-04-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Kittredge Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-Kittredge-Center-Exterior.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Dr. Sarah Perez McAdoo, MD, population health capstone director at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Jessica Collins, executive director of the Public Health Institute of Western Mass., will be the featured presenters at the April 28 session of the Holyoke Community College Women's Leadership Luncheon Series.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perez McAdoo and Collins will lead a discussion titled &quot;Courageous Actions&quot; on Wed., April 28, from noon to 1:15 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 2021 Women's Leadership Luncheon Series takes place over Zoom on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Participants join a group of women leaders to discuss current issues and ideas to help their leadership development. They also have the opportunity to build a network of women leaders to help them navigate their careers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each lunch-time event features two presenters leading discussions on different topics:&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;April 28: &lt;/strong&gt;&quot;Courageous Actions&quot; - &amp;nbsp;Perez McAdoo and Collins.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;May 26&lt;/strong&gt;: &quot;Leading Through Change&quot; - Margaret Tantillo, executive director, Dress for Success Western Massachusetts; Jess Roncarati-Howe, program director, Dress for Success Western Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Previous sessions have welcomed presenters Luz Lopez, executive director of MetroCare of Springfield, and Annamarie Golden, director of Community Relations for Baystate Health (&quot;Compassion Fatigue&quot;) and Lynn Turner, coach and business strategist, Clear Vision Alliance, Inc.; Moe Belliveau, executive director, Easthampton Chamber of Commerce (&quot;Maintaining Power and Grace While Glass Ceilings Are Being Shattered&quot;), and Jeff Hayden, vice president of HCC's division of Business and Community Services, and Jason Pacheco, manager of Workforce Planning for Baystate Health (&quot;Women's Leadership from a Male Perspective&quot;).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sessions are $20 each. Space is limited. Advance registration is required.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.3dcartstores.com/Training-and-Workforce-Options_c_2141.html&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/leadership-luncheons&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12007" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/fall-return" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|3|193|165" FileName="x12007.xml" Name="Fall Return" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/New-CC-bridge-students.jpg" Title="Return for Fall" Abstract="While HCC's Commencement ceremony will be virtual this spring, the college is planning to welcome students, faculty and staff back to campus for the Fall 2021 semester." ThumbnailAltText="Two students walk across bridge toward the HCC Campus Center" IntroCopy="&quot;HCC is paying particular attention to scheduling courses that will allow incoming students to maximize on-campus instruction if they so choose. The plan provides us the flexibility to make adjustments as public health conditions evolve over the months ahead.&quot;  – President Christina Royal" Date="2021-03-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC students walk across bridge to the Campus Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/New-CC-bridge-students.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is planning a virtual commencement for spring and preparing to welcome students, faculty and staff safely back to campus for the fall 2021 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x11932.xml&quot;&gt;HCC's 75th Anniversary Commencemen&lt;/a&gt;t will be livestreamed on Sat., June 5, on the HCC website and the college's social media channels. (The college was founded in Sept. 1946 and will be &amp;nbsp;recognizing the milestone throughout the year.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The virtual commencement will celebrate the class of 2021 as well as the class of 2020. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, HCC made the decision last year to recognize the class of 2020 with a virtual celebration in August 2020 and also invite graduates to participate in a more traditional graduation ceremony this year along with the class of 2021.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Planning for Commencement begins months in advance, and HCC officials made their decision on this year's ceremony based on conditions in February before new guiidelines were announced allowing for limited outdoor and indoor ceremonies.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Unlike the 2020 celebration, the 2021 ceremony will include traditional Commencement moments with an emphasis on the elements our students told us matter most to them,&quot; said President Christina Royal.&amp;nbsp;Those elements include having student orators from both classes, and keynote speeches delivered by the 2020 and 2021 recipients of the Elaine Marieb Chair for Teaching Excellence, HCC's &amp;nbsp;highest faculty award.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We will also have a virtual procession and the traditional reading of names of graduates from both classes along with photographs submitted by members of each class,&quot; Royal said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In advance of Commencement, HCC will be inviting students to campus on May 6 and 7 to pick up their caps and gowns, graduation gift boxes, and lawn signs celebrating their success. President Royal and members of the College Affairs committee will also be there to offer in-person, albeit socially distant, congratulations to the graduates and the opportunity to have their photos taken with the president.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC Plans for Fall 2021&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the fall 2021 semester, which begins Tues., Sept. 7, HCC is offering a variety of class formats, including face-to-face, in-person, on-campus classes with a maximum of 10 students per classroom. Approximately 400 courses across all academic areas will be offered this fall with an in-person component.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the fall 2021 return-to-campus plan allows for maximum flexibility and adaptability, at all times prioritizing the safety and well-being of HCC students, faculty, and staff.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will provide multiple course formats to suit different learning styles and personal preferences: on campus; &amp;nbsp;blended on campus and remote; synchronous remote; and asynchronous online.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC is paying particular attention to scheduling courses that will allow incoming students to maximize on-campus instruction if they so choose,&quot; Royal said. &quot;The plan provides us the flexibility to make adjustments as public health conditions evolve over the months ahead.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to on-campus, blendeded and remote offerings for Fall 2021, HCC will continue to offer a full slate of fully online courses across the curriculum.&amp;nbsp;As much as possible, administration offices and student services will also be open and staffed, while maintaining safe and social-distancing protocols, including mandatory mask-wearing and Plexiglass screens in areas where students and members of the public imost closely interact with staff.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While campus offices and support services will be open to students this fall, HCC will also continue to offer services and support through online chat and Zoom for students who feel more comfortable accessing college services remotely.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I really believe the pandemic has made HCC a better version of itself,&quot; said Royal. &quot;We have enhanced our support for students, and have amplified student voices throughout every decision-making process &amp;ndash; always placing students first. We have made equity a greater priority across the college, enabling us to truly and more deeply serve our community.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registration opens April 12 for summer and fall classes at HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12047" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/in-these-times" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|65|165|226" FileName="x12047.xml" Name="In These Times" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Mikey-Perez-1.jpg" Title="'A Brilliant Collage'" Abstract="The HCC Theater, Music and Visual Art departments will present &quot;In These Times,&quot; an original livestreamed production inspired by the pandemic, April 15-17." ThumbnailAltText="HCC student-actor Mikey Perez rehearses a scene from In These Times." IntroCopy="Pandemic-inspired &quot;In These Times&quot; will be performed live online, April 15-17" Date="2021-04-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student-actor Lauren Bailey rehearses a scene from In These Times. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/Lauren-Bailey-2.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most theatrical productions begin with a script.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;In These Times&quot; began with a concept: ask students at Holyoke Community College to write first-person accounts of their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic; audition student- and alumni-actors to perform those stories; and complement the monologues with music and art contributed by other members of the HCC community.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's interesting putting something like this together,&quot; said HCC theater professor Patricia Sandoval, the show's director. &quot;You don't know what you're going to get.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What she got and how it all fit together she calls a &quot;brilliant collage.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is going to be a really unique production,&quot; said Sandoval, &quot;because we are incorporating so many art forms. It's a really wonderful showcase of what students have done throughout the pandemic. All of the writing and art is original and some of the music. All of it was inspired by these times, which is where the title comes from.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presented by the HCC Theater, Music and Visual Art departments, &quot;In These Times&quot; opens on Thursday, April 15, at 7:30 p.m. The virtual show will be live-streamed on YouTube and performed again on Friday, April 16, and Saturday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. on April 17. The Friday night show will be ASL-interpreted.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Performances are free and open to all. The show can be accessed through &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1nw6P7tY9LtbF36D1r9YZA&quot; title=&quot;In These Times YouTube link&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/times-show&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The shows will not be recorded for later viewing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;This will be live,&quot; said Sandoval. &quot;It's really meant to be experienced in real time, with a real audience, even though the audience is watching remotely.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cast includes 18 student- and alumni-actors performing 40 different monologues that run one to four minutes apiece during the 90-minute show. Each actor will perform from their homes in front of their computers, with the video segments stitched together remotely in real time by streaming coach and HCC theater alumnus Corey Missildine, who performed the same role during HCC's fall 2020 production, an original, live-streamed play called &quot;Fatal Fisticuffs.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What's beautiful about these monologues is that they represent the diversity of the college, whatever that can be defined as,&quot; Sandoval said. &quot;Age, race, ethnicity - we've got everything represented in this production because that's what HCC is.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eight student and alumni musicians pre-recorded performances for the show. That includes three original compositions: &quot;Covid Suite,&quot; a multimedia, electronic piece by student Jim Gipe; &quot;Nero (Live in the Time of Corona),&quot; by student Elena Ciampa (piano and vocals) and &quot;When,&quot; by HCC alumna Luci Mino '18 (ukulele and vocals).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The other musical performances aren't originals, and aren't necessarily related to the theme of the show,&quot; said Elissa Brill Paskin, chair of the HCC Music Department, &quot;but they are in terms of how the performances were put together. Just the fact that people are performing alone, in their homes instead of with others on a stage and often accompanying or backing up themselves, really speaks to the way we are all finding ways to make music during these times.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Approximately 45 students and alumni contributed artwork that will be used to bind each of the monologues together on screen.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The artwork is at times a direct response to specific moments or events of this past year,&quot; said Felice Caivano, chair of the HCC Visual Art Department. &quot;For example, alumna Isabella Dellolio's photographs document friends wearing masks. Alumni David Czupryna, Samary Ramos, and Jamie Capps, among many student artists, present poetic interpretations of the times we have been living through while others created work abstract in nature providing an image of beauty that we can all use right now.&amp;nbsp; This collaborative project has the potential to give the viewer pause to contemplate these times at many levels.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All the script submissions came from student work assigned last fall by professors in their HCC classes.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The writing has exposed all the issues that are relevant across the globe,&quot; said Sandoval. &quot;Mental health. Loneliness. Isolation. Remote learning. Fear. But the writing also shows HCC students as being resilient, hopeful, optimistic, and self-reliant. That all comes through, and it's beautiful.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Original writing by&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Madyson LaBrecque, Shawn Mitchell, Andre Rodrigues, Elias Pietrzykowski, Anne Savage, Mike Ferrera, Abaigeal Russell, Salom&amp;eacute; Moreno, Isabella Bonavita, Nicole Couture, Steve Pisano, Thomas Vaillancourt, Brandie Heyes, Emily Yan, Taisnaraliz Perez, Jeff Pillier, Lia Yurashko, Banen Mustafa, Rosa Ueon, Cassi Broga, Jostin Lopez, Meghan Pion, Miguel Perez, Jennifer DeJesus, Tess Weissman, Roxy Murphy, Frank Johnson, Joseph Picard, Matthew Liimatainen, Regina Penkala, Alistair Reid, Jason Kelly, Isaiah Colon, Alia Alabsi,&amp;nbsp; Heidi Robbins, Autumn Marley, Nicole Rivera, Josh Dagenais, Todd Cummings, Cynthia Roy-Clark, Melina Tzambazakis, Kristen Tzambazakis&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Acting Ensemble:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Arnaya Reynolds,&amp;nbsp;Axel Cruz **, Brandon Rodriguez, Brienne Senez, Cassi Broga, Cecilia Sanchez, Courtney Parker, Debora Uller, Isabella Bonavita, Nu Ton,&amp;nbsp;Jayda Aponte, Jeremy Routhier, Justin Torres, Kristen Booker, Lauren Bailey, Mikey Perez, Nathalie Vicencio**, Todd Cummings, Roxy Murphy, Stephanie Louis.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Musical performances by: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lauren Fleit, Ania Bostock, Jim Gipe, Noah Longpre, Mike Dull, Elena Ciampa, Brett Hiller, Canada Enright, Drew Cassibo, Joey Esker, Lucia Dostal, Luci Mino**, Sarah Wilcox, Chan Collins.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contributing Visual Artists&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sarah Schrijn, Carlton Solenski, Vic Sardinha, Nancy Kiernan-Campbell, Ron Gallagher, Bri Buggs, Thomas Young, Rachel Justice, Andrew MacDonald, David Czupryna **,&amp;nbsp; Lexi Paulin, Paul Borowski, Samary Ramos **, Isabella Dell'olio **, Jessica Impoco **, Maryanne Benns **, Vanessa Oquendo, Crystal Medina, Clay Cummings, Christa Mae Diana, Skylynn Gonzalez, Tara Conant **, Jamie Capps **,&amp;nbsp; Max Brown, Amore Freeman, Azar Neamah, Ian Shaw, Charlie Stern, Sarah Riffenburg, Courtney McCormick, Gia Mendez, Jay Steinbock, Khyla Boyd, Michael Standing, Milannie Betancourt, Rachel Bellenoit, Melanie Pena, Caleb Schmitt, Veronica Desorcy, Lisa Herger, Carson Heal, Luke Litchfield, Nachaly Reyes Santos, Sasha Kuznetsova.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;**HCC alumni&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In lieu of ticket sales, viewers are asked to consider making a donation to the HCC Leslie Phillips Fund for Theater Arts and Education at: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/alumni-and-friends/make-a-gift&quot; title=&quot;HCC Giving page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/give&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/alumni-and-friends/make-a-gift&quot; title=&quot;HCC Giving page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by Benj Gleeksman: HCC student actors Mikey Perez and Lauren Bailey rehearse monologues from &quot;In These Times.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12004" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/moira-maguire" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|165" FileName="x12004.xml" Name="Moira Maguire" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/AC-SP21-MOIRA-SUPPLIES.jpg" Title="More Than a Good Fit" Abstract="Alumni Connection preview: HCC remembers Moira J. Maguire, dean of Social Sciences and founder of the college's annual school supply drive, who died in November 2020. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC's Moira Maguire dispays a trunk full of school supplies purchased from Amazon in Sept. 2020." IntroCopy="&quot;We're serving students who don't have a lot of other options ... That's really what a community college is for – for a lot of students, it's their chance to make another life for themselves.&quot; – Dean Moira J. Maguire" Date="2021-03-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC's late dean Moira Maguire displays a trunk load of school supplies for HCC students&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/AC-SP21-MOIRA-SUPPLIES.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story appears in the Spring &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Documents/Publications/AC/AC_SP21._axs_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Spring 2021 Alumni Connection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2021 issue of HCC's Alumni Connection&lt;/a&gt; magazine.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By CHRIS YURKO&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before she had uttered one word during her first on-campus interview, Moira Maguire had a good feeling about Holyoke Community College.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It was early December 2017. She was sitting outside the President's Office waiting for the chair of the search committee to escort her into the conference room and couldn't help but notice the array of brightly colored holiday gift bags filling the office suite while busy college staff carrying in more and more.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Do you guys have a Giving Tree?&quot; she asked one of the haulers, who turned out to be HCC staff assistant Nelson Lopez '04, a member of the annual Giving Tree committee. &quot;Oh, yea,&quot; he said, &quot;right out there in the lobby.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I thought that was really cool. What a great sense of community.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maguire recalled that episode in April 2018, just a few days after starting her new job at HCC as dean of Social Sciences.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That was literally my first impression of the college,&quot; she said then, &quot;staff banding together to buy gifts for people in the community.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The more she learned about HCC the more she liked it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It just felt like a good fit for me,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than a good fit, her colleagues would argue. A great fit, however brief her time here.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In November 2020, Dean Moira Jean Maguire died at her home in Easthampton, Mass., after a sudden illness. She was 55 years old.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a devastating loss not just for the college, but for each of us personally,&quot; President Christina Royal said in a message to faculty and staff. &quot;Moira impacted the lives of so many members of the HCC community; it is hard to comprehend her passing or our collective life without her.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maguire was a Boston native and sounded like one, describing herself proudly as &quot;an original Charlestown townie and Red Sox fan.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I grew up with a single mom who had three kids, and she really struggled for a long time to make a life for us,&quot; Maguire said. &quot;Because of my upbringing I think I have a lot of empathy for students who come from deprived backgrounds.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her Irish Catholic heritage infused her work as much as her life. As an undergraduate, Maguire studied history and political science at George Washington University. She earned a master's degree in history from Northeastern University and later a doctorate from American University in 20th Century Irish history.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a teacher and scholar, she spent more than 10 years at the University of Ireland Maynooth. Her work on infanticide and the Irish government's care of unwed mothers and their children led to many publications, including a book, &lt;em&gt;Precarious Childhood in Post-Independence Ireland&lt;/em&gt;. An expert in her field, Maguire consulted with the BBC on several documentaries, and her research was credited with helping to reunify Irish families that had been separated for decades.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For 12 years she taught history at the University of Arkansas, returning to the Northeast to be closer to her mother after her step-father died. That's when she stepped into her first role as a college administrator as dean of liberal arts at Schenectady County Community College in New York.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During that 2018 interview, she recalled an incident from early in her tenure at SCCC. On the first day of classes of a new semester, she met a frazzled woman wandering the hall, three fussing young children in tow. Maguire asked if everything was okay. No, the woman said. She had no childcare, the kids hadn't eaten breakfast, and she didn't want to be late for class.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maguire offered to take the children to the cafeteria, where she heard their life story.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Once they had food in their stomachs, they were completely charming,&quot; Maguire said. &quot;They were so engaging and so outgoing you would never know their lives were just pure chaos. Here's a mom living in the city mission with three kids trying to get an education, and it really struck me that that's who we're serving. We're serving students who don't have a lot of other options.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The scene stuck with her like a marked passage in a beloved book.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's really what a community college is for,&quot; she said. &quot;For a lot of students, it's their chance to make another life for themselves. Over the course of my time there, I began to see that, for me, working at a community college isn't a job, it's a sort of calling.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She backed up those beliefs with action, volunteering at homeless shelters and food pantries. At HCC, she worked to increase access to childcare for students juggling school and parenthood. She was the lead administrator responsible for compiling the 122-page self-study the college was required to submit for its 10-year accreditation review.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What she will be remembered most for, though, if her colleagues and friends have anything to say about it, is the school supply drive she founded. It started small, in the fall of 2019, in her division, Social Sciences. Faculty and staff donated supplies students could pick up in the office &amp;ndash; notebooks, pencils, backpacks. Free.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We pretty much had everything they needed,&quot; she said last summer. &quot;Students were literally crying, having this help.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The pandemic nearly put an end to the school supply drive before it could become an annual event. But Maguire found a way. She enlisted a team. They drafted a plan.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Just because students won't be on campus doesn't mean they won't need school supplies,&quot; she wrote in her outreach letter to faculty and staff. &quot;We hope this school supply drive will provide our students with much-needed resources while also allowing us to come together to demonstrate the kindness, generosity and community spirit that make HCC such a great place to work and learn.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The plan included an Amazon Wish List and a single point for delivery &amp;ndash; the Easthampton home she shared with Buster, Huck, Harry, Bob and Maggie, her cats. In a few short weeks, more than 100 packages were delivered to her house.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My living room has been a train wreck for the last week and a half,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maguire and other members of the team assembled nearly 300 colorful bags filled with notebooks, binders, loose-leaf paper, pens, pencils, highlighters, folders, and, upon request, specialty items such as clipboards, calculators, and printer cartridges.&amp;nbsp;During two-hour time slots, students drove through the parking lot behind the Donahue building to collect them. When they ran out of bags and supplies, Maguire ordered more.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My supply cupboard has been picked clean,&quot; she wrote a few days later. &quot;Overall, I'd say it was a big hit!&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After Maguire's death, her colleagues came together for another purpose &amp;ndash; to establish a memorial fund through the HCC Foundation. The intent of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/alumni-and-friends/make-a-gift&quot; title=&quot;HCC Giving page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Moira Maguire Fund for Student Success&lt;/a&gt; is two-fold: to provide school supplies and support students who need help with childcare.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Dr. Maguire quickly made it clear early on that she would do anything she could to support student success and provide students with everything they needed as whole persons, not just in academics,&quot; HCC education professor Sheila Gould said in a tribute to her former dean.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gould noted a detail about Maguire many people might miss: She wore a Saint Brigid's cross around her neck. Saint Brigid of Kildare, one of three patron saints of Ireland, was a nun who fought for truth and justice and against inequality.&amp;nbsp;The patron saint of scholars, Saint Brigid is also protector of the enslaved and defender of the poor and children living under difficult conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A prayer to Saint Brigid describes her as a woman of peace who brought harmony to conflict, light to the darkness and hope to the downcast, a voice to the wounded and weary.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Moira,&quot; Gould said, &quot;wore the Saint Brigid's cross as a reminder to herself of her culture and the traits she wanted to represent.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And well she did.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Moira Magure stands next to a trunk full of donated school supplies for HCC students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11988" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/david-gruel" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="65|417" FileName="x11988.xml" Name="David Gruel" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/dGruelM2020OnPad-%281%29.jpg" Title="Up, Up and Away" Abstract="Boosted by his HCC education, David Gruel '91 is now a space engineer who led the assembly, test and launch teams for NASA's last two rover missions to Mars.  " ThumbnailAltText="NASA engineer and HCC alumnus David Gruel '91, on the launchpad" IntroCopy="HCC alumnus David C. Gruel '91 lead engineer on NASA rover mission to Mars" Date="2021-03-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Dave Gruel, on the launchpad&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/dGruelM2020OnPad-%281%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By LAURIE LOISEL&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not many people can say they've worked on every U.S.-led rover mission to Mars.&amp;nbsp;One who can is David C. Gruel, Holyoke Community College graduate from 1991.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Five years out of HCC, Gruel was part of the Pathfinder mission that landed the Sojourner rover on Mars, the second Mars mission since the Viking became the first-ever U.S. mission to Mars in 1975. Sojourner had limited movement when compared to subsequent rovers (most recently Perseverance) that travel across the planet, but it was a milestone nonetheless.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Pathfinder was the return to the red planet some 20 years after Viking,&quot; he said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It launched in December 1996, landing on Mars in July of 1997.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After that, through his job as an engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, Gruel was among the crews working on the Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance NASA rover missions.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Considering that Gruel falls into a category of people for whom the maxim &quot;It's not rocket science&quot; most definitely does not apply, the 50-year-old is modest, candid about high school years as an avid underachiever. He is equally clear about the role HCC played in putting him on a path to a career in rocket science. In fact, he flat out declares that if not for HCC, he wouldn't be where he is today.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a student at Westfield High School, Gruel spent more energy stocking grocery store shelves, tending to the car those earnings bought him, and socializing with his friends than on academics.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was looking for the easy road out at all times,&quot; he admits.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After graduation, when many of his friends headed off to four-year colleges, Gruel continued working in the grocery store.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;And then I realized I needed a different challenge in life,&quot; he said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's how he ended up at Holyoke Community College &amp;ndash; and why the school has earned his never-ending gratitude.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite a less than stellar high school transcript, he knew HCC &quot;would actually give me a chance,&quot; said Gruel. &quot;HCC was there to give people a second chance.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once enrolled, encouraged by his professors, he buckled down. He believes he had a better academic experience at HCC than he would have had he attended a four-year program right out of high school.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The classes were small and the teachers actually cared about you,&quot; he said. &quot;I still have an incredible memory of the math and physics professors at HCC, and it was mutual. They went out of their way to know their students and to figure out where they could help.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was not easy. He worked two jobs while a full-time HCC student, sometimes studying while logging third shift at a gas station.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was willing to work at it, but there were people who were willing to support me and that's what I needed,&quot; he said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gruel graduated with honors and an associate degree in engineering, an accomplishment he remains proud of to this day.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This was something I had done for myself and I had earned it,&quot; he said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It also earned him acceptance at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, where he found he had an affinity for engineering. And here is where his humility rears its head again.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;A lot of things went my way,&quot; he said. &quot;In addition to working hard, there's a lot of luck involved in where we end up in our lives.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In his senior year at RPI, he learned that two friends who also had gone to HCC were doing co-op semesters in the field working at engineering jobs. He decided to pursue one, landing a co-op placement at the prestigious Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, a federally funded research and design center managed by Cal-Tech, with the vast majority of its funding and contract work coming from NASA.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gruel thought the experience would spice up his resume by adding that he worked on a team designing interplanetary spacecraft - little did he know it would lead to his life's work.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After eight months, he went back to RPI to finish school and graduate. Once on the job market, the Jet Propulsion Lab was among the job offers he received and though he always imagined settling down in New England, he found himself changing those plans when offered a job that was so enticing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The challenge of JPL massively dwarfed the benefits of being in New England,&quot; he said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gruel's role in the last two Mars missions was to lead the team known as ATLO, (&quot;I'm the boss man,&quot; he says cheerfully.) ATLO stands for Assembly, Test and Launch Operations. Essentially, the team takes all the parts for the rover and its spacecraft &amp;ndash; tens of thousands of them &amp;ndash; and assembles them.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We get delivered to us a bunch of intricate Legos,&quot; is how Gruel puts it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Next the team conducts endless tests to simulate launch, touchdown, and the harsh conditions on the ground. &quot;So when it's cruising from Earth to Mars, it works as designed,&quot; he said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To simulate launch the machine goes into a large vibe table; to mimic the Mars environment it goes into a vacuum chamber that gets as cold as the red planet itself.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From mission start to landing, it takes about six to eight years, he said. And timing is everything: Because the planets align every 26 months in a way that creates optimal conditions for Earth to Mars travel, all assembly and testing must be fully complete when that time comes.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The schedule pressure is intense. We need to get our testing done and our design done in order for it to be ready to launch,&quot; he said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to finding a career at JPL, Gruel met his wife, Danelle, there, when she was working in the finance division, though now she stays home with their two boys, Dylan, 14, and Ethan, 11. (Who also love Legos, as well as watching mission launches with their father.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Typically, once a mission has landed, Gruel's role slows down quite a bit, but the Perseverance landing in February 2021 was different because he had installed a camera system to take video and still images of the descent, and he was responsible for it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Even after we launched, I was still intimately involved in making sure that system was going to function,&quot; he said. &quot;We continued to do testing on it to make sure it would reach its full potential and it sure did. The images were amazing.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The images captured the spacecraft's descent and landing, including video of the rover setting down on Mars and kicking up dust. &quot;We joked it was kind of like our selfie cam,&quot; he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 1998, Gruel returned to HCC was the recipient of a Distinguished Service Award at Commencement and delivered the keynote address, an invitation he seems to still find hard to believe to this day.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I spoke at Commencement! Me, a flunkie out of high school!&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's a fact he mentions not to boast, but rather to inspire. If there's anything he hopes people take away from his story, it's that they should never underestimate their potential, even if they've had trouble living up to it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When you as a person make a decision to do something, the sky opens up,&quot; he says. &quot;The sky is no longer the limit.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And that's coming from someone who knows how to get to Mars.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS courtesy of David Gruel: (Above) David Gruel stands next to the launchpad&amp;nbsp;at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on July 29, 2020, the day before the Perseverance rover mission launch.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Laurie Loisel is a freelance writer who lives in Northampton, Mass.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11985" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/as-one" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|65|194" FileName="x11985.xml" Name="As One" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Group-Amanda.jpg" Title="'As One,' for HCC" Abstract="Four black-owned breweries in Massachusetts have joined forces to craft a special beer whose proceeds will go toward the creation of a new scholarship at HCC for students of color. " ThumbnailAltText="&quot;As One&quot; brewing day at White Lion brewing" IntroCopy="Breweries unite to craft limited release beer to fund new HCC scholarship" Date="2021-03-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;As One brew day at White Lion&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-Group-Amanda.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For anyone interested in cold, tasty beer, here are some sobering statistics:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Out of some 8,000 breweries in the United States, only 60, or less than 1 percent, are black-owned businesses.&amp;nbsp;In Massachusetts, a virtual hopbed of craft beer with more than 200 breweries, only about a half dozen are black-owned. One of them is &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.whitelionbrewing.com/&quot; title=&quot;White Lion Brewing&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;White Lion Brewery&lt;/a&gt; in Springfield.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The fabric of the craft beer trade doesn't mirror the fabric of the communities we work, play and live in,&quot; says Ray Berry, White Lion's owner and founder, who sits on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee of the Massachusetts Brewers Guild.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In response, Berry and the owners of three other Massachusetts breweries &amp;ndash; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/ArcpointBrewCo/&quot; title=&quot;Arcpoint Brewing &quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Arcpoint&lt;/a&gt; in Belchertown, &lt;a href=&quot;https://cruebrewbrewery.com/&quot; title=&quot;Crue Brew&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Crue Brew&lt;/a&gt; in Raynham and &lt;a href=&quot;https://67degreesbrewing.com/&quot; title=&quot;67 Degrees &quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;67 Degrees &lt;/a&gt;in Franklin &amp;ndash; have banded together on a project they hope will draw more people of color to the industry.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The project is called &quot;As One.&quot; Fittingly, it's a beer, specifically, a juicy New England IPA.&amp;nbsp;A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this limited release brew will go toward the creation of a scholarship at Holyoke Community College for students of color who enroll in its beer, cider and winemaking program. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Throughout the country, there have been a number of initiatives driven by breweries, trade stakekholders, and guilds who recognize the diversity and inclusion deficits and want to be change agents,&quot; said Berry. &quot;Some of those initiatives happen to be scholarship driven.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The idea for &quot;As One&quot; came from C.J. Eldridge, co-owner of Arcpoint, who had read an article about the experiences of black Massachusetts brewery owners in a historically white-dominated industry. The story featured interviews with Berry and Kevin Merritt, owner of Crue Brew, and also mentioned 67 Degrees, which is co-owned by Arnold Cruzeau. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I saw all those guys in the article and it inspired me to want to get together with them and brew something and also bring some awareness,&quot; said Eldridge. &quot;We want to attempt to spread brewing out to more people of color, not necessarily just black, but people of color in general, and get them into the business. Let them know what it's about.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC debuted its beer, cider and winemaking program in the fall of 2020, so the decision to partner with the college made sense, said Berry.&amp;nbsp;&quot;Craft beer is all about local,&quot; said Berry. &quot;If we want to expand the conversation, this is a perfect opportunity for us to align ourselves with a great local institution.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The label for &quot;As One&quot; includes the names and logos of all four breweries plus HCC's, along with a poignant description:&amp;nbsp;&quot;As One, a collaboration of unity, is just that. We came up with a conversation starter, something to bring people together ... As many of you may or may not know, people of color make up approximately 1 percent of ownership in the craft brew industry. To this end, we have teamed with Holyoke Community College to create a scholarship for their brewing program. The financial aid will help people of color break into the industry that is far underrepresented. We hope you enjoy this beer with open minds and open hearts.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are very excited about the pipeline of talent that this scholarship program could generate while also helping to break down barriers, open doors, and hold them open for people of color in our community,&quot; said Katie Stinchon, executive director of the Mass Brewers Guild. &quot;As an industry we are very aware that the makeup of our brewery owners, staff and consumers are predominantly male and pale. This is a great step to work to change that, and something that can be emulated in other regions and institutions across Massachusetts. &quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The scholarship, as yet unnamed, will be administered by the HCC Foundation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Every scholarship tells a story about why someone feels it's important to give back, or what they hope to make possible with the establishment of the fund.,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation. &quot;The scholarship that will be created as a result of this brewery partnership is so powerful because it's all about creating opportunity, and it's a real example of people coming together to create positive change. HCC students can see themselves in each of these business owners and realize that they, too, can chase and achieve their dreams.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sbriscia joined Berry, Eldridge, Merritt, and Cruzeau on Thursday, March 11, at the White Lion Brewery in Tower Square in Springfield for the one-day brewing of &quot;As One.&quot; Canning is scheduled for Monday, March 29. The beer will be available starting Wed., March 31, during White Lion's weekly &quot;Cans to Go&quot; sessions at the brewery, which run every Wednesday from 4-7 p.m., and every Saturday, from noon to 4 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Springfield has a lot of diversity, so it's great that we're doing this in the heart of Springfield,&quot; said Eldridge. &quot;A lot of people of color, they're gonna be like, oh, damn, look at these guys here, just like me. They're pumping out beer and working together for something like that.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although the batch is small, the goal is to make the brewing of &quot;As One&quot; a special, annual event that will continue to seed the scholarship fund at HCC over the years.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's not a one and done, that's for sure,&quot; said Berry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=HolyokeCommunityCollege&amp;amp;set=a.10159259632864330&quot; title=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=HolyokeCommunityCollege&amp;amp;set=a.10159259632864330&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See photos from 'As One' canning day in our Facebook photo album ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO&lt;/em&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;(Foreground, left to right) Arnold Cazeau (owner, 67 Degrees) and his wife Stephanie Cazeau, Ray Berry (owner, White Lion), Kevin Meritt (owner, Crue Brew), Amanda Sbriscia (Holyoke Community College); (Back, left to right) Mike Yates (head brewer, White Lion), Kevin Kardel (assistant brewer, Crue Brew), C.J. Eldridge (owner, Arcpoint), Chris Petersen (head brewer, Arcpoint). The group gathered March 11 at the White Lion brewery in Springfield to initiate the brewing of a beer called &quot;As One.&quot; Some of the proceeds from sale of the beer will go toward the creation of a new scholarship at HCC.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11975" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/covid-testing-6-21" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193" FileName="x11975.xml" Name="COVID Testing 6-21" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-COVID-testing.jpg" Title="Testing Extended" Abstract="Wait times are short these days for free, drive-through COVID-19 tests at Holyoke Community College, where testing has been extended until June 30, 2021." ThumbnailAltText="A nurse goes over paperwork before administering a COVID-19 test at HCC" IntroCopy="Wait times for test are not nearly as long as they used to be, with only a handful of vehicles lined up at the busiest times. " Date="2021-03-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A nurse reviews paperwork before administering a COVID-19 test at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-COVID-testing.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Please Note:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Testing may sometimes be cancelled due to inclement weather. Please visit the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health/&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke Board of Health&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Holyoke Board of Health website&lt;/a&gt; for up-to-date information on cancellations.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even though infection rates have been dropping and vaccinations are becoming more readily available, free &quot;Stop the Spread&quot; COVID-19 testing at Holyoke Community College has been extended through June 2021, according to the Holyoke Board of Health.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drive-through testing at HCC is conducted six days a week in parking lot H near the western entrance to the Donahue Building on the college's main campus, 303 Homestead Ave.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wait times for test are not nearly as long as they used to be, according to site administrators, with only a handful of vehicles lined up at the busiest times.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has been serving as a &quot;Stop the Spread&quot; drive-through testing site since last summer to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drivers are asked to enter the campus from Homestead Avenue, turn left onto the Campus Road and proceed to parking lot H. There will be signs and parking attendants on site to manage the flow of traffic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC testing site is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.; and Tuesday and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Testing is free to all Massachusetts residents, and conducted on a first come, first serve basis. There are no appointments and no referral is necessary. Turnaround time for results is typically four days or fewer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information on all of the Stop the Spread test sites across the tate can be found at: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.gov/info-details/stop-the-spread&quot;&gt;https://www.mass.gov/info-details/stop-the-spread&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Be sure to visit the Holyoke Board of Health website for up-to-date information on cancellations:&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health&quot;&gt;https://www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: A nurse reviews paperwork before administering a free COVID-19 test at HCC.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11984" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/fatal-rewards" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="65|165|226" FileName="x11984.xml" Name="Fatal rewards" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-FATAL-THREE.jpg" Title="Fatal Rewards" Abstract="HCC's fall 2020 production of &quot;Fatal Fisticuffs&quot; won two awards at this year's Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, including one for &quot;Innovation in Digital Theater.&quot; " ThumbnailAltText="HCC theater professor Tim Cochran, right, directs a fight sequence with alumni actor Mike Pray for the HCC production of Fatal Fisticuffs, as streaming coach and HCC alumnus Cory Missildine, left, records. " IntroCopy="HCC virtual production &quot;Fatal Fisticuffs&quot; honored for digital innovation" Date="2021-03-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC theater professor Tim Cochran, right, directs a fight sequence with alumni actor Mike Pray for the HCC production of Fatal Fisticuffs, as streaming coach and HCC alumnus Cory Missildine, left, records. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-FATAL-THREE.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By JAYDA FREDERICK&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Holyoke Community College Theater Department's fall 2020 production, a live-streamed virtual play called &quot;Fatal Fisticuffs,&quot; won two awards at this year's Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The original work, written by HCC alumnus Tom Roche '16 of Holyoke, was recognized with a merit award for &quot;Innovation in Digital Theater.&quot; HCC student Nanette Mendieta of Holyoke won an award for excellence in stage management.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The awards were announced at the end of the KCACTF Region I festival, which was held virtually this year Jan. 25-31.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Fatal Fisticuffs&quot; was originally conceived as a traditional stage production that was meant also to be streamed over the internet and include real-time interactions with a virtual audience. But the COVID-19 pandemic forced the play off stage and completely into the digital realm.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We were all trying to overcome the obstacles that were placed in front of us as we attempted to tell a story in a virtual world,&quot; said director and HCC theater professor Tim Cochran. &quot;We wanted to experiment and push our technical abilities as far as we could. Being recognized on a regional level is important because it provides affirmation that our work is respected by other colleges and it recognizes our merit as a program of excellence and innovation. This play was being produced at an incredibly difficult time for all of us and it became a light in the darkness for a lot of people.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;KCACTF Region I includes colleges and universities in northern New York and all six New England states. Awards are based on the recommendations of respondents, who &amp;ndash; usually &amp;ndash; travel around the country to view college theater productions and offer critiques.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the case of &quot;Fatal Fisticuffs,&quot; the production was performed live four times over three days in November 2020. During the show, 13 student- and alumni-actors performed in front of green screens in their homes with the live action patched together remotely with fight scenes pre-recorded on the stage of HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Based on their performances in &quot;Fatal Fisticuffs,&quot; student-actors Lauren Bailey, Miguel Perez and Brandon Rodriguez were also selected to perform in an acting competition during the festival.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think the students' performances speak to their dedication, talent, and commitment,&quot; said Kim Hicks, HCC dean of Arts &amp;amp; Humanities. &quot;The same applies to our Theater faculty, who work collaboratively with students to create the fall and spring theater productions each year. Everyone involved in these shows puts in an incredible amount of work, including nights and weekends, and the work is evident in what we see on the stage and, now also, on the screen.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The production featured a number of HCC theater alumni in key positions: Cory Missildine '13, a professional gamer and owner of the Easthampton-based livestreaming company Missildine Online, served as streaming coach; Mike Pray '08, a member of Tieline Theater, a Massachusets theater collaborative, served as fight choreographer; and Roche, an award-winning playwright, wrote &amp;ndash; and rewrote &amp;ndash; the script.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The characters in Roche's play inhabit a bleak, degraded world where flowers no longer grow. They live alone in boxes, eat artificial food from plastic tubes, and may venture out once a year during an event known as The Opening.&amp;nbsp;The rest of the time, their interactions are &amp;nbsp;virtual, coming in the form of holograms, online chats and videogames. In the play &quot;Fatal Fisticuffs&quot; is a &amp;nbsp;Mortal Kombat-style eSports competition that provides both a literal and metaphorical battlefield for the main character, Clayton Day, as portrayed by Miguel Perez.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Tom worked on the script for a full year before learning that he needed to pivot and adapt the entire story into a virtual platform,&quot; said Cochran. &quot;This was an incredibly difficult undertaking but Tom stepped up to the challenge. All told, he wrote more than 20 different versions of the script. His commitment to crafting a script that would hold together and tell a compelling story that was about our current plight is what put everything in motion for us.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the past nine years, the HCC Theater Department has won 12 KCACTF awards for individual acting, ensemble acting, dedication to a script, stage managing, and best original music, among others.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This spring, the HCC Theater Department will present another virtual production, &quot;In These Times,&quot; a dramatic collection of original stories from the HCC community about life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The show, directed by HCC theater professor Pat Sandoval, will be performed online April 14-17.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;HCC theater professor Tim Cochran, right, directs a fight sequence with alumni actor Mike Pray for the HCC production of Fatal Fisticuffs, as streaming coach and HCC alumnus Cory Missildine, left, records the action against a green screen.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11950" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/march-start" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|97" FileName="x11950.xml" Name="March Start" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg" Title="March Start" Abstract="The final round of HCC's Spring Flex Start series – Spring Session III – begins Monday, March 29, and classes run for seven weeks. " ThumbnailAltText="Campus Center with a flowering tree" IntroCopy="Spring Session III classes start Monday, March 29" Date="2021-03-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Campus Center with spring flowers&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's not too late to sign up for spring session classes at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The final round of HCC's Spring Flex Start series &amp;ndash; Spring Session III &amp;ndash; begins Monday, March 29, and runs for seven weeks. All spring semester courses conclude by Wed., May 12, 2021.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students who enroll for Spring Session III have the opportunity to take a variety of different classes in a wide array of academic areas and can earn as many as four credits per course for a lab science, such as biology or forensic science. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These accelerated spring courses are being offered in anatomy and physiology, anthropology, biology, communication, Earth science, education, engineering, English, English as a Second Language, forensic science, history, human services, marketing, math, nutrition, philosophy, political science, psychology, social science, and sociology. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC introduced two &quot;Flexible Fall&quot; start dates last semester to accommodate students as they adjusted to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Full spring semester classes started Jan. 25 and run for 14 weeks. Spring semester II classes began Feb. 16 and run for 12.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will continue to offer multiple start dates during the fall 2021 semester.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Students who are unsure whether starting in March is possible for them should contact the HCC Admissions office to meet one-on-one with an Admissions counselor,&quot; said Mark Hudgik, director of Admissions. &quot;If the March 29 start date doesn't work, HCC also has two summer sessions that begin on June 1 and July 6.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most spring session classes are still either fully online or &quot;blended remote,&quot; which means they include both asynchronous lessons and real-time virtual instruction. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A full list of classes for spring session II and III can be viewed at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/flexible-spring-starts&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/spring&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC also offers weekly online information sessions for prospective students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/admission/visit-campus&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/visit-campus&lt;/a&gt; for dates and times or to sign up.&amp;nbsp;For more information or to apply, please go to:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.elluciancrmrecruit.com/Apply/Account/Login&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/apply&lt;/a&gt;, call&amp;nbsp;413-552-2321, send an email to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or go to the HCC website (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;) and click on the &quot;Chat Now&quot; box.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11947" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sp21-leadership-iii" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|194" FileName="x11947.xml" Name="SP21 Leadership III" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-KC-CC-FA20.jpg" Title="Leadership Luncheon III" Abstract="The March 24 session of the HCC's Women's Leadership Series will feature two men as presenters leading a discussion about women's leadership from a male perspective." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, left, sits alongside the HCC Campus Center" IntroCopy="&quot;Women's Leadership from a Male Perspective&quot; focus of March 24 session" Date="2021-03-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Kittredge Center and Campus Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-KC-CC-FA20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The March 24 session of the Holyoke Community College Women's Leadership Luncheon Series will feature two prominent men as guest presenters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jeff Hayden, vice president of HCC's division of Business and Community Services, and Jason Pacheco, manager of Workforce Planning for Baystate Health, will lead a discussion titled &quot;Women's Leadership from a Male Perspective&quot; on Wed., March 24, from noon to 1:15 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The session had originally been scheduled for Wed., March 31.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 2021 Women's Leadership Luncheon Series takes place over Zoom on the last (or fourth) Wednesday of each month. Participants join a group of women leaders to discuss current issues and ideas to help their leadership development. They also have the opportunity to build a network of women leaders to help them navigate their careers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each lunch-time event features two presenters leading discussions on different topics:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;March 24: &lt;/strong&gt;&quot;Women's Leadership from a Male Perspective&quot; - &amp;nbsp;Hayden and Pacheco.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;April 28:&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&quot;Courageous Actions&quot; - &amp;nbsp;Dr. Sarah Perez McAdoo, MD, population health capstone director, University of Massachusetts Medical School; Jessica Collins, executive director, Public Health Institute of Western Mass.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;May 26&lt;/strong&gt;: &quot;Leading Through Change&quot; - Margaret Tantillo, executive director, Dress for Success Western Massachusetts; Jess Roncarati-Howe, program director, Dress for Success Western Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Previous sessions have welcomed presenters Luz Lopez, executive director of MetroCare of Springfield, and Annamarie Golden, director of Community Relations for Baystate Health (&quot;Compassion Fatigue&quot;) and Lynn Turner, coach and business strategist, Clear Vision Alliance, Inc.; and Moe Belliveau, executive director, Easthampton Chamber of Commerce (&quot;Maintaining Power and Grace While Glass Ceilings Are Being Shattered&quot;).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sessions are $20 each or $50 for the full series. Space is limited.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Advance registration is required.&amp;nbsp;To register, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.3dcartstores.com/Training-and-Workforce-Options_c_2141.html&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/leadership-luncheons&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11948" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/newman-fellowship" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x11948.xml" Name="Newman Fellowship" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/MIREN-A-1.jpg" Title="Activist scholar" Abstract="Latinx Studies major Miren Neyra Alcántara, president of the LEA Club, has been awarded a Newman Civic Fellowship for her academic achievements and  community engagement. " ThumbnailAltText="Miren Neyra Alcantara" IntroCopy="Latinx Studies major Miren Neyra Alcántara named Newman Civic Fellow" Date="2021-03-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Miren Alcantara black and white&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/MIREN-A-BW.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College student Miren Neyra Alc&amp;aacute;ntara of Holyoke is the recipient of a &lt;a href=&quot;http://compact.org/newman-civic-fellowship&quot; title=&quot;Newman Civic Fellowship&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Newman Civic Fellowship&lt;/a&gt;, which recognizes college leaders who demonstrate a commitment to finding solutions to challenges facing communities locally, nationally, and internationally.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alc&amp;aacute;ntara, who lives in Holyoke, will join 212 college students from 39 states, Washington, D.C., and Mexico to form the 2021 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows, a program administered by Campus Compact, a Boston-based nonprofit working to advance the public purposes of higher education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Newman Civic Fellowship is a year-long program for students from Campus Compact member institutions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alc&amp;aacute;ntara is a Latinx Studies major at HCC and president of the college's Latinx Empowerment Association. The LEA Club, as it is otherwise known, recently launched a book drive to stock a &quot;Little Free Library&quot; the club is putting together for low-income families in the Holyoke Flats, one of the city's poorest neighborhoods.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As LEA president, Alc&amp;aacute;ntara spearheaded &quot;Celebrating the Latinx Community,&quot; a social media campaign, and developed student-led panel discussions in collaboration with HCC's Black Student Alliance and Holyoke's Wistariahurst Museum.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and the college's Student Advisory Board. She works as a peer tutor and volunteers with community organizations including Climate Change Theater Action, Common Share Food Co-op, and SPARK Reproductive Justice Now.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She also teaches English to Central American immigrants through a program called Planting Literacy, an HCC collaboration with Head Start in Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She was nominated for the award by two of her professors, Vanessa Martinez and Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're very proud of Miren,&quot; said Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, coordinator of HCC's Latinx Studies program. &quot;HCC is lucky to have her. Her academic endeavors combined with her involvement and leadership in the community make her a necessary agent of change. She truly embodies the essence of an activist scholar. Her academic abilities, compassion and leadership make her exactly what is needed in this world.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The fellowship is named for the late Frank Newman, one of Campus Compact's founders and a tireless advocate for civic engagement in higher education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides fellows with a variety of learning and networking opportunities that emphasize personal, professional, and civic growth. Each year, fellows participate in numerous virtual training and networking opportunities to help provide them with the skills and connections they need to create large-scale positive change. The cornerstone of the fellowship is the Annual Convening of Fellows, which offers intensive skill-building and networking over the course of two days.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The fellowship also provides fellows with pathways to apply for exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities. As part of the fellowship, students participate in some kind of civic engagement project of their own design.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am so excited about the fellowship and this opportunity,&quot; said Alc&amp;aacute;ntara, who was also named a finalist earlier this year for &lt;em&gt;Business Wes&lt;/em&gt;t magazine's &quot;Young Woman of Impact&quot; award. &quot;I plan to continue working on the LEA Club's &quot;Little Free Library&quot; project. We are hoping to expand on it, add some workshops with the children and adapt it in a way it becomes sustainable through the years as more students join and continue the club. I am also continuing my work with immigrant advocacy and Planting Literacy, as well as my recent involvement as a volunteer with the Women of Color Health Equity collective.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She will graduate from HCC in December 2021.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the second time an HCC student has been awarded a Newman Civic Fellowship. Last year, Marley Friedrick of Amherst, HCC class of 2020, was a Newman Fellow. He is now a student at Amherst College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are proud to recognize these extraordinary student leaders and thrilled to engage with them,&quot; said Campus Compact president Andrew Seligsohn. &quot;The experience of the last year has driven home to all of us that we need open-minded, innovative, public-spirited thinkers and doers. That is what Campus Compact is about, and the stories of our Newman Civic Fellows demonstrate that it is who they are.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://compact.org/newman-civic-fellow/miren-neyra-alcantara/&quot; title=&quot;Newman Civic Fellowship profile&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;You can read Alc&amp;aacute;ntara's Newman Fellowship profile here ....&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS courtesy of Miren Neyra Alc&amp;aacute;ntara&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12699" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/holiday-relief" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165" FileName="x12699.xml" Name="Holiday Relief" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-KC-CC-FA20.jpg" Title="Holiday Relief" Abstract="More than 3,500 HCC students have each received, or will soon receive, block grants of $600 to $2,500 from the college, thanks to pandemic relief aid from the federal CARES Act." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Campus shot" IntroCopy="HCC delivers $3.77M in pandemic aid to students " Date="2021-12-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC campus shot&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-KC-CC-FA20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just when they might need it most, students at Holyoke Community College are getting a holiday gift from the college totaling $3.77 million.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The money is part of CARES Act pandemic relief funds provided by the federal government.&amp;nbsp;More than 3,500 eligible HCC students have each received, or will soon receive, block grants of $600 to $2,500, depending on their enrollment status and Expected Family Contribution as determined by their financial aid eligibility. The average grant is about $1,000.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cash grants are unrestricted, meaning students can use them however they want, and the money does not need to be repaid. Accepting the money also will not reduce a student's financial aid award.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I received my CARES Act money transfer late last week,&quot; said HCC nursing student Jennifer Lagoy, of Russell. &quot;It was a great surprise, very much appreciated with the holidays upon us and needing to buy some last-minute gifts and a pay my home heating bill.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the fourth semester in a row that HCC has provided pandemic relief funds directly to students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The federal CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) provides funding to students to offset the expenses they might have incurred when colleges switched from face-to-face to remote learning. That could mean having to buy a computer, buying or upgrading internet access, or paying increased utility costs from being home, among other expenses.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC has received a total of about $10.6 million from federal and state allocations designated directly for student relief during the pandemic,&quot; said Narayan Sampath, HCC vice president of Administration and Finance. &quot;With the holidays around the corner, we wanted to provide some more relief to students who continue to face numerous challenges because of the pandemic.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11715" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/womens-leadership-training" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x11715.xml" Name="Womens Leadership Training" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Future-Royal-Woods.jpg" Title="Women's Leadership " Abstract="Building on the success of its popular luncheon series, HCC is starting an eight-week training program for women who want to develop their leadership skills." ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal wth HCC alumna and former student trustee Haley Woods" IntroCopy="HCC launching Women's Leadership Training program" Date="2021-01-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HC president Christina Royal with alumna Haley Wood&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Future-Royal-Woods.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;Building on the success of its popular Women's Leadership Luncheon Series, Holyoke Community College is launching an eight-week training program for women who want to develop and enhance their leadership skills.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For convenience, the program, &quot;Women Leaning Into Leadership 2021: Empowering Your Voice,&quot; is being offered over Zoom in two separate, eight-week sessions:. One meets on Wednesdays, Jan. 6 through Feb. 24, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.; the other on Thursdays, Jan. 7 through Feb. 25,&amp;nbsp; from noon to 1:30 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The interactive workshops will be facilitated by Annie Shibata, Ph.D., owner of Growth Mindset Leadership and Communication Coaching.&amp;nbsp;Enrollment is limited by design. In addition to weekly 90-minute group seminars, each participant can schedule a private, 30-minute session of personalized coaching with the instructor.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;One critical component that makes this training special is the one-to-one coaching that each participant receives,&quot; said Michele Cabral, HCC executive director of Business, Corporate and Professional Development. &quot;The small group nature of the classes will allow plenty of weekly individual attention in addition to the private sessions. This is really a wonderful way for women to invest in themselves and their futures in a small, mentored group environment.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the program sessions, participants will learn to evaluate their communication skills and apply new communication techniques; practice the power of mindfulness; distinguish forms of influence and persuasion to create powerful messages; assess their leadership strengths; and create short- and long-term plans for career development.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shibata was the featured presenter during the November session of HCC's 2020 Women's Leadership Luncheon Series.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC started the Women's Leadership Series with the goal of creating small group discussions for women as they navigate their careers,&quot; said Cabral. &quot;The series meets monthly over Zoom at lunchtime as a way to offer networking and mentoring to women at all levels. The 'Women Leaning Into Leadership' course takes that concept to the next level.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register for the Wednesday program, please visit: &lt;strong&gt;hcc.edu/women-2021-1&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register for the Thursday program, please visit: &lt;strong&gt;hcc.edu/women-2021-2&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;President Christina Royal wth alumna and former student trustee Haley Woods at HCC in 2018.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11884" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sp21-leadership-ii" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|193" FileName="x11884.xml" Name="SP21 Leadership II" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/WLL-2.jpg" Title="Leadership Luncheon II" Abstract="HCC's Women's Leadership Luncheon Series continues Feb. 24 with its monthly lineup of presenters ready to discuss their careers and offer professional advice.   " ThumbnailAltText="Lynn Turner, coach and business strategist, Clear Vision Alliance, Inc.; Moe Belliveau, executive director, Easthampton Chamber of Commerce. " IntroCopy="HCC's Women's Leadership Luncheon Series returns for spring 2021" Date="2021-02-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Lynn Turner, coach and business strategist, Clear Vision Alliance, Inc.; Moe Belliveau, executive director, Easthampton Chamber of Commerce. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/WLL-2.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Business coach and strategist Lynn Turner of Clear Alliance Inc., and Moe Belliveau, executive director of the Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, will give a presentation titled &quot;Maintaining Power and Grace While Glass Ceilings Are Being Shattered,&quot; as the Holyoke Community College Spring Women's Leadership Luncheon Series continues on Wed., Feb. 24.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 2021 Women's Leadership Luncheon Series takes place over Zoom on the last Wednesdays of January, February, March, April and May from noon to 1:15 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each month, participants join a group of women leaders to discuss current issues and ideas to help their leadership development. They will also have the opportunity to form a supportive network of women leaders to help navigate their careers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each lunch-time event features two presenters leading discussions on different topics:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feb. 24: &lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;Maintaining Power and Grace with Glass Ceilings Being Shattered&quot; &amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp; Lynn Turner, coach and business strategist, Clear Vision Alliance, Inc.; Moe Belliveau, executive director, Easthampton Chamber of Commerce.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;March 24: &lt;/strong&gt;&quot;Women's Leadership from a Male Perspective&quot; - Jeff Hayden, HCC vice president, Business and Community Services; Jason Pacheco, manager of Workforce Planning, Baystate Health&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;April 28:&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&quot;Courageous Actions&quot; - &amp;nbsp;Dr. Sarah Perez McAdoo, MD, population health capstone director, University of Massachusetts Medical School; Jessica Collins, executive director, Public Health Institute of Western Mass.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;May 26&lt;/strong&gt;: &quot;Leading Through Change&quot; - Margaret Tantillo, executive director, Dress for Success Western Massachusetts; Jess Roncarati-Howe, program director, Dress for Success Western Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first session on Jan. 27 focused on &quot;Compassion Fatigue&quot; with presenters Luz Lopez, executive director of MetroCare of Springfield, and Annamarie Golden, director of Community Relations for Baystate Health.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sessions are $20 each or $50 for the full series. Space is limited.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Advance registration is required.&amp;nbsp;To register, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/leadership-luncheons&quot; title=&quot;leadership luncheons&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/leadership-luncheons&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;Lynn Turner, coach and business strategist, Clear Vision Alliance, Inc., right, and Moe Belliveau, executive director, Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, are the featured presenters for the Feb. 24 Women's Leadership Luncheon.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11946" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cannacore-3-21" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x11946.xml" Name="CannaCore-3-21" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/HCC-Culinary-Cannabis-38.jpg" Title="Cannabis Core" Abstract="Scholarships are now available for qualified individuals who enroll in HCC's two-day cannabis core training program, which runs over Zoom March 20 and March 21. " ThumbnailAltText="Cannabis culinary assistant class at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in 2020" IntroCopy="Scholarships available for two-day program running March 20 and 21. " Date="2021-03-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Cannabis culinary assistant class at HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in 2020&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/HCC-Culinary-Cannabis-38.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;The&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cannabis Education Center at Holyoke Community College is offering scholarships to students who enroll in its March 2021 core cannabis training program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The intensive, two-day &quot;Cannabis Core&quot; training runs on Sat., March 20, and Sunday, March 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program costs $595 but scholarships covering up to the full amount are available to qualified individuals though HCC's partner, Elevate Northeast.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The goal of the Elevate Northeast Scholarship Fund is to help future cannabis employees and entrepreneurs experience real-world training and education that will bolster their ability to earn viable positions in the cannabis industry,&quot; said Cara Crabb-Burnham, Elevate Northeast's co-founder and director of education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The scholarships are aimed primarily at students from communities negatively impacted by drug laws that preceded the legalization of marijuana and funded by donations from cannabis businesses who share Elevate Northeast's passion for breaking stigma and creating opportunities through education, Crabb-Burnham said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Through this scholarship program we hope to attract students to the cannabis industry who have a passion for cannabis and want to ensure the cannabis space is diverse, equitable, and fair,&quot; she said.​The core cannabis training is broken down into two sessions each day, 9 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 4 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each session includes presentations from cannabis industry experts followed by a question and answer period.Students who complete the core training are eligible to register for classes in one of four cannabis industry career tracks: Culinary Assistant (April 3 - April 18); Extraction Technician (April 10-April 25); and Patient Services Associate (May 1- May 16).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A training program for cultivation assistants ran Feb. 6 - Feb. 21.To register for the March Cannabis Core Training class, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.3dcartstores.com/Cannabis-Education-Center_c_2171.html&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/cec-core&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To apply for a scholarship, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1y1uv6yP2kBVfWDwZjF_vL7L33Ho8Xn7saWjPHiFvoMw/viewform?edit_requested=true&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/cec-scholarships&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cannabis Education Center is a partnership between HCC and Elevate Northeast and based out of HCC's Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Elevate Northeast is a Massachusetts-based, women-founded 501(c)(3) nonprofit, created to support the Northeast U.S.'s growing cannabis industry through workforce training, education and advocacy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information on these and other upcoming classes and programs can be found on the Cannabis Education Center's website - &lt;a href=&quot;http://cannabiseducationcenter.org/&quot;&gt;cannabiseducationcenter.org&lt;/a&gt; or by calling 413-552-2320.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Cannabis culinary assistant training program at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in 2020.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11883" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/lea-book-drive" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x11883.xml" Name="LEA Book Drive" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/LEA-books-Alex-Julio.jpg" Title="Driving Literacy" Abstract="HCC's LEA Club is collecting children's books to stock a &quot;Little Free Library&quot; they are creating for low-income families in the Holyoke Flats, one of the poorest areas of the city. " ThumbnailAltText="LEA Club members Alex Santiago and Julio Colon hold a couple of children's books donated for the free little library. " IntroCopy="HCC's Latinx Empowerment Association building 'Little Free Library' in Holyoke Flats" Date="2021-02-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC math professor Nick Schwab donates a box of children's book.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/LEA-Books-Nick-Schwab.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Latinx Empowerment Association, a student Club at Holyoke Community College, is running a children's book drive to stock a &quot;Little Free Library&quot; they are creatiing in the Holyoke Flats.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The club has scheduled three February dates in different parts of the city where people can drop off donated books: Saturday, Feb. 13; Sunday, Feb. 21; and Sunday, Feb. 28, from 2 to 4 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While they are accepting donations of all kinds of children's books, they are emphasizing those that deal with topics of race, cultural heritage and representation, and LGBTQ+ issues.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our intention is to provide low-income families with access to a diverse range of books during the pandemic and winter months,&quot; said Miren Neyra Alcantara, a Holyoke resident and LEA Club president. &quot;We believe in the power of literacy and education and are committed to social justice.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The idea began as a book donation and distribution for children who live in the Holyoke Flats, one of the poorest sections of the city. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, club members decided to turn the project into a &quot;Little Free Library.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As a resident of the Flats and a Holyoke Community College student, I believe that children who live here don't have enough access to books that represent them and their experience,&quot; said LEA Club member Alex Santiago, the lead organizer. &quot;While two Little Free Libraries have been established in Holyoke, their locations in the Highlands mean they are not easily accessible to children living in the Flats. As a club, we believe that representation matters, especially during this alienating time.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The book drive starts on Sat., Feb. 13, from 2 to 4 p.m. in front of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute at 164 Race St.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It continues on Sunday, Feb. 21, from 2 to 4 p.m. in front of the Dam Caf&amp;eacute;, 2014 Northampton St.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The final day of the book drive is Sunday, Feb. 28 from 2 to 4 p.m. in front of Ely Court, 70 Lyman St.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;People who bring books should look for a white Kia Optima or other vehicle parked in the street with its truck open and a sign reading &quot;Book Drive Here.&quot; Club members are asking people to wear masks and respect social distancing guidelines.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As people drive by they can drop their books in the trunk and they will receive a free surprise from one of the club members,&quot; said Alcantara.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The club has also created an Amazon Wish List for people who want to donate books but cannot make it to one of the book drive days.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2623SPV2P070Y?ref_=wl_share&amp;amp;fbclid=IwAR3UgfKIUxJEnaKIrDGPOSpibMbFUbsBB9EO9lpV-ejmu2fIHsRrKyw3rCQ&quot; title=&quot;Amazon Wish List&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here to buy a book from Amazon and donate it for the free library.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information please contact Alcantara at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mneyraalcantara752@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link mneyraalcantara752@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mneyraalcantara752@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or Santiago at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:asantiago831@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link asantiago831@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;asantiago831@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: (Thumbnail) LEA Club members Alex Santiago and Julio Colon hold a couple of children's books donated for the free little library. (Above) HCC math teacher Nick Schwab donates a box of children's books during the first day of the LEA Club book drive.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11826" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/black-history-month-2021" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|3|165" FileName="x11826.xml" Name="Black History Month 2021" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/VM-20181025-HCC-Phi-Theta-Kappa-2.jpg" Title="Black History Month" Abstract="HCC events begin Feb. 2 and include discussions about African-American history, voting rights, and COVID-19's disproportionate impact on communities of color." ThumbnailAltText="HCC anthropology professor Vanessa Martinez, Ph.D., will lead a Black History Month talk on Feb. 10 about the Ameican legacy of poor health in communities of color" IntroCopy="HCC's Black History Month events begin Feb. 2" Date="2021-02-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC anthropology professor Vanessa Martinez&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/VM-20181025-HCC-Phi-Theta-Kappa-2.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is celebrating Black History Month this February with a series of online events that includes conversations and presentations about the 400-year span of African-American history, voting rights, and health issues such as COVID-19 and their disproportionate impact on communities of color.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All events will be held virtually and advanced registration is required through HCC's Black History Month celebration webpage:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/awareness-and-heritage/black-history-month&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/bhm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Events kick off on &lt;strong&gt;Tuesday, Feb. 2&lt;/strong&gt;, with &quot;Historically Speaking: Four Hundred Souls,&quot; from 7 - 8:30 p.m., a discussion with African-American scholars Ibram Kendi and Keisha N. Blain about their book of the same name. In this new work, editors Kendi, author of&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;How to Be an Antiracist&lt;/em&gt;, and Keisha N. Blain, author of&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Set the World on Fire&lt;/em&gt;, have assembled 90 writers to document the 400-year journey of African Americans from 1619 to the present. Many of the book's contributors will join Kendi and Blain in this discussion about the impact of the African American community on the historical trajectory of social justice in America. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On&lt;strong&gt; Wed., Feb. 10, at 11 a.m., &lt;/strong&gt;HCC anthropology professor Vanessa Martinez, Ph.D., will lead &quot;The Legacy of Poor Health: Communities of Color From 1619 to COVID.&quot; Martinez will share data on the legacy of American racism and how it amplifies the challenges of living during COVID-19, especially for communities of color. By using a historical anti-racist perspective and health equity lens, she will offer some concrete ways we can improve the lives of our most vulnerable communities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;On &lt;strong&gt;Wed., Feb. 17&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;at 11 a.m&lt;/strong&gt;. HCC will host a watch party and discussion of the film &quot;Fannie Lou Hamer: Voting Rights Activist&quot; about the outspoken civil rights leader, who was the granddaughter of a slave and the youngest of 20 children. In this rare documentary, Hamer's struggles and triumphs are expressed through her own words as well as those of friends and colleagues. HCC history professor Maura Henry, Ph.D., will lead a discussion following the viewing.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Capping off the month on&lt;strong&gt; Tuesday, Feb. 23&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;at 1 p.m&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;., &lt;/strong&gt;HCC history professor Gaylord Saulsberry, Ed.D., will lead a discussion about &lt;em&gt;One Person, No Vote&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;: How Voter Supression Is Destroying Our Democracy&lt;/em&gt;, by Carol Anderson, the award-winning author of &lt;em&gt;White Rage&lt;/em&gt;. In &lt;em&gt;One Person, No Vote&lt;/em&gt;, Anderson explores the history of voting rights in the United States. The book is part of a Holyoke Community College community read project. Copies are available for free as an ebook through the HCC Library.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;HCC anthropology professor Vanessa Martinez, Ph.D., will lead a Black History Month talk on Feb. 10 about the American legacy of poor health in communities of color.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11882" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/herstory" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193" FileName="x11882.xml" Name="HERstory " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/Royal-HERstory-screenshot.jpg" Title="'Suite' Praise" Abstract="HCC president Christina Royal is one of the women of color celebrated in the “HERstory” photo exhibition now on display in the Massachusetts State House. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal" IntroCopy="President Royal selected for State House honor celebrating women of color" Date="2021-02-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/CR-kitchen-3.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College president Christina Royal is among the Massachusetts women featured in a photo exhibition and story project in the State House unveiled today by Senate President Karen E. Spilka.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The photo exhibition on display in the Senate President's suite celebrates the often-unsung stories of women of color throughout Massachusetts' history. &quot;HERstory: Volume II&quot; is the second installment of photos in the President's suite to acknowledge the accomplishments of women with connections to Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Every day I go to work in the State House, I am surrounded by paintings and photos of prominent men from Massachusetts' history,&quot; said Spilka, the third woman elected president of the Massachusetts State Senate. &quot;The stories of the many, many incredible women who have contributed to this great Commonwealth-and our great nation-have too often been lost to history. It is therefore my great honor and privilege to help to tell their stories, and to make the faces that we see in the State House more representative of the rich diversity that make our state great.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The exhibition features the photos of 91 women, ranging from 17&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; century tribal leader Weetamoo and Black landowner Zipporah Potter Atkins to living pioneers Justice Fernande Duffly, the first Asian American to serve on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth Carter, poet Amanda Gordon, and HCC president Christina Royal. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2017, Royal became HCC's fourth president and the first woman to hold the position. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I want to thank Senate President Spilka for creating the HERstory initiative,&quot; said Royal. &quot;This is a time for us to recognize that the lived experiences of women in the Commonwealth matter, and that we are a diverse group of women of different races, ethnicities, social classes, abilities, educational levels, gender expressions, and sexual orientations. I am proud to share my story as a multiracial, queer woman so that girls and young women can see representation of themselves in society, and grow up believing in their limitless potential.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since the State House is currently closed to the public, a website containing photos and short biographies of each of the honorees can be found on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://malegislature.gov/StateHouse/HERStory&quot; title=&quot;HERstory Volume II&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Mass.gov HERstory page.&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;There is also a v&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmxC73q65Xw&amp;amp;feature=youtu.be&quot; title=&quot;HERstory video&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;ideo about the HERstory project.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I feel honored to have been selected by Senate President Spilka for inclusion in this remarkable display of women,&quot; said Elaine Weddington Steward, vice president and club counsel of the Boston Red Sox. &quot;My hope is that this project will inspire women and girls to follow and achieve their dreams.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Senate President Spilka, together with members of the Senate and staff, chose honorees based on their close ties to Massachusetts, ability to inspire the youth of today to work for a better world, and acknowledgement of being a trailblazer in their given field. Honorees include abolitionists, poets, entrepreneurs, educators, politicians, musicians, community activists and scientists, among others.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It is an honor to be selected to be part of President Spilka's HERstory project as a Community Development leader,&quot; said MassHousing Executive Director Chrystal Kornegay. &quot;While it highlights my work, it really highlights the work of mothers, daughters, sisters and friends who work in big and small ways to make the Commonwealth's communities strong and vibrant. I look forward to reading the stories of the other women in the project.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Related events will be scheduled later in February to celebrate Black History Month, and in March for Women's History Month. The photos and biographies will also become part of a dedicated lesson plan, currently being developed, to distribute to teachers in the Commonwealth.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a wonderful initiative by Senator Spilka to highlight the stories of remarkable women,&quot; said &amp;nbsp;Razia Jan, the founder of Razia's Ray of Hope Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and children in Afghanistan through community-based education. &quot;Massachusetts was the first community I called home in America, and I'm honored to be recognized by my home state. Women and girls throughout the world have so much potential to contribute to society, when they are given the chance; recognizing this potential is so important.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HERstory: Volume II project is the second time Senate President Spilka has featured the stories of remarkable women in the President's suite. She unveiled the photos of 88 women during Women's History Month in March 2019, and they remained in her office suite until this month, when they were replaced with the current photo exhibition.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am honored to be part of HERstory on behalf of countless brilliant and driven women who shaped our history, but whose own stories have not been told,&quot; said Pardis Sabeti, head of the Sabeti Lab, which is part of the FAS Center for Systems Biology at Harvard University. &quot;Together, we honor and remember them, while striving to elevate the voices of the many women who are still silenced throughout the world today.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This project helps create lasting impact and change by amplifying the whispered stories and leadership of women of color across Massachusetts into a roar,&quot; said Lisa Wong, former Fitchburg Mayor and current town manager of Winchester.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Women, throughout history, have contributed to the development of society-through scientific discoveries, pioneering adventures, advocacy, and entrepreneurship,&quot; said Yari Golden-Casta&amp;ntilde;o, a systems engineer at MIT Lincoln Laboratory and one of 100 candidates from around the world for the Mars One Project, the first human settlement of Mars. &quot;It should be normal by now for young girls to grow up with women like them in positions of expertise and authority, showing girls they really can &amp;nbsp;follow their dreams.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Senate President Spilka has created a wonderful way to celebrate the many ways women have contributed to our rich history, and I am excited to be a part of it,&quot; said Fernande R.V. Duffly, associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC president Christina Royal&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11801" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/more-for-spring" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|3|165" FileName="x11801.xml" Name="More for Spring" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg" Title="More for Spring" Abstract="Although the new semester officially began on Jan. 25, prospective students still have two more opportunities to start classes this spring, on Feb. 16 and March 29. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Campus Center with spring flowers" IntroCopy="Flexible spring session classes begin on Feb. 16 and March 29" Date="2021-01-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC campus center in spring&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The spring 2021 semester officially began at Holyoke Community College on Monday, Jan. 25, but prospective students still have two more opportunities to start classes in &amp;nbsp;February and March. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spring session II classes at HCC begin Tues., Feb. 16. Spring start III classes begin &amp;nbsp;Mon., March 29.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC introduced two &quot;Flexible Fall&quot; start dates last semester to accommodate students as they adjusted to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and they were very popular,&quot; said Mark Hudgik, HCC's director of Admissions. &quot;We decided to continue this spring with two flexible start dates for students who may not have been ready on Jan. 25.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Feb. 16-start classes run for 12 weeks. March 29-start classes run for seven. All spring semester courses conclude by Wed., May 12, 2021.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students who enroll for spring session II or III have the opportunity to take a variety of different classes ina wide array of academic areas and can earn as many as four credits per course for a lab science, such as biology or forensic science.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These accelerated spring courses are being offered in anatomy and physiology, anthropology, biology, communication, culinary arts, Earth science, education, engineering, English, English as a Second Language, forensic science, history, human services, marketing, math, medical assisting, nutrition, philosophy, political science, psychology, social science, and sociology.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the exception of culinary arts and medical assisting classes, which include in-person, on-campus components, all spring session II and III classes are either fully online or &quot;blended remote,&quot; which means they include both asynchronous lessons and real-time virtual instruction.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A full list of classes for spring session II and III can be viewed at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/flexible-spring-starts&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hcc.edu/flexible-spring-starts&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1611931689090000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFzrQsMbbqNnhvYSZf3HTKhnTtHYQ&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/spring&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information or to apply, please go to:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.elluciancrmrecruit.com/Apply/Account/Login&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://hcc.elluciancrmrecruit.com/Apply/Account/Login&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1611931689090000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEosTJmY-4l63aRXQm8l9tUNVwNTQ&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/apply&lt;/a&gt;, call&amp;nbsp;413-552-2321, send an email to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or go to the HCC website (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hcc.edu/&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1611931689090000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNHXZS6L2jgmvJtUpB5Ad6twnd1l_A&quot;&gt;hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;) and click on the &quot;Chat Now&quot; box.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11802" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/royal-celebration" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|66" FileName="x11802.xml" Name="Royal Celebration" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Christina0087.jpg" Title="Royal Celebration" Abstract="HCC president Christina Royal was honored Jan. 28 as one of the 2020 Women of Impact by Business West magazine. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal was named a Woman of Impact for 2020 by Business West magazine." IntroCopy="President Royal honored by Business West" Date="2021-01-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Royal talks to students during an open house at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/CAI-beef-royal.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;HCC president Christina Royal was honored last night&amp;nbsp;as one of Business West magazine's Women of Impact for 2020 during a virtual celebration. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;You can watch a recording of the Jan. 28 celebration &lt;a href=&quot;https://vimeo.com/505276678&quot; title=&quot;Women of Impact celebration&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;here on Vimeo&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Below is the story published in the Nov. 10, 2020, issue of &lt;a href=&quot;https://businesswest.com/&quot; title=&quot;Business West&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Business West magazine&lt;/a&gt; under the headline &quot;Christina Royal: Pandemic provides a lens through which to view her leadership skills.&lt;strong&gt;&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By GEORGE O'BRIEN&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Courtesy of Business West&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As she talked about the COVID-19 pandemic and her administration's multi-leveled response to it, Christina Royal related a story that speaks volumes about both the impact of the crisis on every aspect of the higher-education experience at Holyoke Community College (HCC) and her own efforts to lead this institution through it &amp;ndash; and beyond it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It also helps explain why she's been named a Woman of Impact for 2020.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This story is about a student, one of the many who needed some help with learning virtually from home &amp;ndash; help that went beyond providing a laptop and internet connectivity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Through our student emergency fund, this student put in a request and said, 'I'm so grateful for the college to provide a laptop for me ... but I don't have a desk,'&quot; she recalled, adding that there were several people in this household suddenly faced with the challenge of trying to learn and work from home. &quot;And that's just one example of how we had to think about support at a deeper level, really dive into the individual needs of each of our students to support them during this time, and address the inequities that exist in the communities we serve.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college would go on to fund a desk for this individual, she went on, adding that this piece of furniture is symbolic of how the school has indeed expanded its view of student emergency needs during this pandemic &amp;ndash; but also in general.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal arrived on campus roughly five years ago with a mindset to do what was needed to address the many needs of students and help enable them to not only grasp the opportunity for a two-year college education, but to open many other doors as well. As a first-generation, low-income, biracial college student herself, she understands the challenges many of HCC's students face &amp;ndash; from food insecurity to lack of adequate housing and transportation &amp;ndash; and she commits many of her waking hours thinking about how to help students overcome such barriers and achieve success, however that might be defined.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Meanwhile, as an administrator, she he has put the emphasis on long-term planning and leading for today, as well as tomorrow. This is evidenced by her push for a new strategic plan for the school &amp;ndash; the first in its existence &amp;ndash; but also the manner in which she is addressing this pandemic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Instead of something to be merely survived, although that is certainly important enough, she views it as a learning experience and, in many respects, an opportunity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;One of the questions I bring up to employees of the college is, 'what do we want to look like on the other side of this pandemic?'&quot; she explained. &quot;Because I don't want to be a person who just felt like I was trying to weather the storm. I want us to emerge stronger from this, and the work we have to do is so absolutely critical to this community, and we have an opportunity to continually strengthen ourselves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Just like education is a journey, so is continuous improvement,&quot; she went on, adding that this process can &amp;ndash; and must &amp;ndash; continue, even in the middle of a global pandemic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Her commitment to this process, and her ability to effectively keep one eye on the present and the other on the future, certainly makes her a Woman of Impact.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://businesswest.com/blog/christina-royal/&quot; title=&quot;Christina Royal, Woman of Impact 2020&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Please click here to read the rest of the story ...&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) President Christina Royal, courtesy of Business West. (Above) President Royal talks to students at HCC's Culinary Arts Institute during an open house in 2018.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11800" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/honored-for-inclusion" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|4|66|193" FileName="x11800.xml" Name="Honored for Inclusion" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/CR-kitchen-3.jpg" Title="Honored for Inclusion" Abstract="HCC president Christina Royal was one of 13 college presidents nationwide recognized for their leadership on the issues of equity, diversity and inclusion. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal in the teaching kitchen of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute" IntroCopy="President Christina Royal recognized for leadership on equity, diversity and inclusion" Date="2021-01-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/CR-kitchen-3.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;HCC president Christina Royal is one of just a handful of college presidents nationwide to be recognized for outstanding leadership on the issues of diversity, equity and inclusion by the Association of American Colleges and Universities&amp;nbsp;and the education technology company Cengage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Locally, President Royal shares that honor with Yves Salomon-Fern&amp;aacute;ndez, president of Greenfield Community College, and Harry E. Dumay, president of Our Lady of the Elms in Chicopee. They are among 13 college presidents to receive the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aacu.org/aacu-cengage-inclusion-scholarship-announcement&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;AAC&amp;amp;U-Cengage Inclusion Scholarship&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The scholarship recognizes college and university presidents whose outstanding leadership to advance liberal education has resulted in reduced equity gaps, improved inclusion and belonging for minoritized students, and reformed hiring practices to promote greater diversity.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The recipients were announced Fri., Jan. 22, at the AAC&amp;amp;U Presidents' Trust Symposium, part of the AAC&amp;amp;U Virtual Annual Meeting. The Presidents' Trust Symposium brings together higher education leaders from all institutional types to explore the most pressing issues facing colleges and universities and to share strategies for success.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm grateful for the AAC&amp;amp;U-Cengage Inclusion Scholarship and to join&amp;nbsp;several other&amp;nbsp;presidents in advancing higher education,&quot; said Royal. &quot;HCC is an institution that values liberal arts education and is striving to address the inequities experienced by many populations we serve. The tenets of democracy have never been so important, and education is the pathway to civic engagement,&amp;nbsp;and social and economic mobility.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Royal is also being honored Thursday, Jan. 28, as one of the 2020 &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/woman-of-impact&quot;&gt;Women of Impact by Business West magazine&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;AAC&amp;amp;U is proud to recognize and support these exceptional leaders in their efforts to advance equity and quality as hallmarks of a liberal education across a diverse range of campuses and student populations,&quot; said AAC&amp;amp;U president Lynn Pasquerella.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The AAC&amp;amp;U-Cengage Inclusion Scholarship recognizes higher education leaders who support and advance quality, equity, and student success in undergraduate education. This includes improving degree completion or transfer for students from underrepresented groups; closing equity gaps in student success; improving diversity in hiring practices and creating more equitable hiring policies; and increasing the sense of belonging, well-being, and inclusion among students from historically underserved populations (e.g., racial and ethnic minorities, religious minorities, and LGBTQIA students).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are so excited to be able to support these amazing higher ed leaders who are making a real difference by reducing inequities and increasing access to education,&quot; said Fernando Bleichmar, executive vice president and general manager for U.S. Higher Education at Cengage. &quot;At Cengage, we believe learning transforms lives, and the work of these leaders is so critical in giving students the opportunity to better their lives and in creating an educated, informed, and just society.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In recognition of their accomplishments, the AAC&amp;amp;U-Cengage Inclusion Scholarship recipients will each receive a one-year, complimentary AAC&amp;amp;U campus membership and a one-year complimentary membership in the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.aacu.org/presidentstrust&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;AAC&amp;amp;U Presidents' Trust&lt;/a&gt;, a diverse network of chief executive officers who are committed to advancing the vision, values, and practices that connect liberal education with the needs of an increasingly diverse student body, a global workforce, and thriving communities. The Trust provides members with access to dedicated resources and events as well as exclusive opportunities to promote their thought leadership.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: President Christina Royal visits the HCC MGM Culinary Arts institute.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11720" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sp21-leadership-luncheons" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x11720.xml" Name="SP21 Leadership Luncheons" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2021/WomensLunch-1.jpg" Title="Leadership Series" Abstract="HCC's Women's Leadership Luncheon Series returns on Jan. 27 with a monthly lineup of presenters ready to discuss their careers and offer professional advice.   " ThumbnailAltText="Luz Lopez, left, and Annamarie Golden will be the featured presenters at the first Women's Leadership Luncheon of 2021. " IntroCopy="HCC's Women's Leadership Luncheon Series returns for spring 2021" Date="2021-01-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Luz Lopez and Annmarie Golden&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2021/WomensLunch-1.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Luz Lopez, executive director of MetroCare of Springfield, and Annamarie Golden, director of Community Relations for Baystate Health, will be the featured presenters Jan. 27 for the first Holyoke Community College Women's Leadership Luncheon Series of 2021.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Spring Women's Leadership Luncheon Series will be held from noon to 1:15 p.m. over Zoom on the last Wednesdays of January, February, March, April and May.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once a month, participants will join a group of women leaders to discuss current issues and ideas to help their leadership development. They will also have the opportunity to form a supportive network of women leaders to help navigate their careers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The theme of the first session is &quot;Compassion Fatigue.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think many of us are feeling exhausted from all the work and life adjustments we've had to make in 2020,&quot; said Michele Cabral, HCC executive director of Business, Corporate and Professional Development. &quot;There couldn't be a better time to get together with a small group of like-minded women to get feedback and professional support for the new year. Whether you're at the beginning or middle of your career, this is a great opportunity to boost your outlook and skills.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each lunch-time event will feature two presenters leading discussions on different topics:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jan. 27&lt;/strong&gt;: &quot;Compassion Fatigue&quot; &amp;ndash; Lopez and Golden.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feb. 24: &lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;Maintaining Power and Grace with Glass Ceilings&quot; &amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp; Lynn Turner, coach and business strategist, Clear Vision Alliance, Inc.; Moe Belliveau, executive director, Easthampton Chamber of Commerce.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;March 31: &lt;/strong&gt;&quot;Women's Leadership from a Male Perspective&quot; &amp;ndash; Presenters TBD&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;April 28:&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;Topic and presenters TBD&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;May 26&lt;/strong&gt;: &quot;Leading Through Change&quot; &amp;ndash; Margaret Tantillo, executive director, Dress for Success Western Massachusetts; Jess Roncarati-Howe, program director, Dress for Success Western Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sessions are $20 each. The full five-session series is $50. Space is limited. Advance registration is required.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.3dcartstores.com/Training-and-Workforce-Options_c_2141.html&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/leadership-luncheons&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;Luz Lopez, left,&amp;nbsp;executive director of MetroCare of Springfield, and Annamarie Golden, director of Community Relations for Baystate Health will be the featured presenters at the first Women's Leadership Luncheon of 2021.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11718" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-fa20" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x11718.xml" Name="Deans List FA20" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Spotlights/Feature/Diamond-Smith-Spotlight.jpg" Title="Fall 2020 Dean's List" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize the 842 students who earned Dean's List honors for the Fall 2020 semester. " ThumbnailAltText="Diamond Smith of Easthampton was one of 842 HCC students named to the Dean's List for the Fall 2020 semester. " IntroCopy="HCC is proud to recognize all the students who made Dean's List for the Fall 2020 semester. " Date="2021-01-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Diamond Smith of Easthampton was one of 842 HCC students named to the Dean's List for the Fall 2020 semester.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/Spotlights/Feature/Diamond-Smith-Spotlight.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. A student is placed on the Dean's List if his or her G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Follow the link below to see an alphabetical listing of all the HCC students who&amp;nbsp;earned Dean's List status for the Fall 2020&amp;nbsp; semester.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/deans-list&quot;&gt;Dean's List&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;Diamond Smith of Easthampton was one of 842 HCC students named to the Dean's List for the Fall 2020 semeste&lt;/em&gt;r.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11717" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/failureisimpossible" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165|226" FileName="x11717.xml" Name="FailureIsImpossible" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Latinx-Pat.jpg" Title="Failure Is Impossible" Abstract="HCC students will perform a virtual staged reading of 'Failure is Impossible,' a play celebrating women's suffrage on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 6:30 p.m." ThumbnailAltText="HCC theater professor Pat Sandoval leads an acting class at HCC" IntroCopy="Virtual staged reading Thursday, Jan. 14, on Zoom" Date="2021-01-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC theater professor Patricia Sandoval directs an acting exercise during a Latinx Studies course called &amp;ldquo;Teatro Nuestro&amp;rdquo; (&amp;ldquo;Our Theater&amp;rdquo;) last fall. The HCC Learning Communities course combines &amp;quot;Introduction to Theater&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Introduction to Latinx Studies.&amp;rdquo; &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Latinx-Pat.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students from Holyoke Community College this week will perform a virtual staged reading of&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Failure is Impossible, &lt;/em&gt;a play celebrating women's suffrage.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The free performance, directed by HCC theater professor Pat Sandoval, will be hosted on Zoom on Thursday, Jan. 14, starting at 6:30 p.m. in conjunction with Holyoke's Wistariahurst Museum.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Attendants must register in advance through a link on the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wistariahurst.org/events/failure-is-impossible-a-staged-reading-performed-by-holyoke-community-college-students/&quot;&gt;Wistariahurst website&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;First performed in 1995 to celebrate the 75&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary of women's suffrage, the play by Rosemary Knower dramatizes the debate leading up to passage of the 19&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Knower's script draws upon archival sources, including the Congressional Record, petitions to Congress, newspapers, personal letters, diaries, and memoirs. The cast of characters include Abigail Adams, Sarah Grimke, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Clara Barton, and Frederick Douglass among others.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The play was originally scheduled to be performed live on the stage of HCC Leslie Phillips Theater in March 2020 during Women's History Month, in honor of the 100&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary of the 19&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Amendment. But that show was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think it's even more significant now that we're doing this piece,&quot; Sandoval said. &quot;The play is not a work of fiction. It is filled with historical facts, so it's educational and important and timely. Everybody should know the struggles of the suffragettes. We take it for granted, but, as we know by current events, democracy and rights are not just handed to us.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The performers are students from an HCC Learning Community class taught jointly by Sandoval and HCC history professor Diane Beers titled &quot;She Persisted,&quot; which combines women's history and acting.&amp;nbsp;The title adopts the now-familiar expression used in 2017 by U.S. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell in defending the Senate's vote to silence Senator Elizabeth Warren's objections to the confirmation of Jeff Sessions as U.S. Attorney General.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We chose 'She Persisted' because all the women we study show this determination to keep on persisting and it's particularly true of the suffragettes,&quot; Sandoval said. &quot;It's only been 100 years since we've had the right to vote, and the country's been around since 1776, so women have been struggling since the beginning for the right to vote.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sandoval and Beers will be teaching the class again this spring.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC cast includes Alex Santiago of Holyoke, Cassi Broga of Chicopee, Diamond Smith of Easthampton, Hannah Labreche of Holyoke, Nathan Rodriguez of Holyoke, and Roxy Murphy of Easthampton.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Attendants must register in advance through a link on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://wistariahurst.org/events/failure-is-impossible-a-staged-reading-performed-by-holyoke-community-college-students/&quot;&gt;Wistariahurst website&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program is funded by a Community Development Block Grant. Additional support has been provided through NEH CARES Act funding granted by Mass Humanities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC theater professor Pat Sandoval leads an acting class at Holyoke Community College in 2019.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x19383" URL="x19383.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19383.xml" Name="News 2020" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x11008" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/eec-grants-fa20" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165|194" FileName="x11008.xml" Name="EEC Grants FA20" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CDA-Kim-Q-March.jpg" Title="Early Ed. grants renewed" Abstract="HCC has been awarded more than $1 million to continue educating and training early childhood educators and supporting the programs they work for in western Mass. " ThumbnailAltText="Kimm Quinlan delivers a textbook to Jessica Bermudez of Springfield, a student in HCC's CDA-Plus program soon after classes went remote back in March. " IntroCopy="&quot;These grants come at a very important time as childcare programs reopen and adjust to new guidelines instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.&quot;  – Kimm Quinlan, director of HCC's Early Childhood Grant Initiatives" Date="2020-09-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Kimm Quinland, director of HCC's Early Childhood Grant Initiatives, delivers a textbook.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CDA-Kim-Q-March.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded two grants worth more than $1 million to continue educating and training early childhood educators and supporting the programs they work for in western Massachusetts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Both the Career Pathways Grant, for $680,000, and the Strong Start Training and Technical Assistance Grant, for $360,000, come from the Mass. Dept. of Early Education and Care, which licenses public and private childcare programs in the state.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These grants come at a very important time as childcare programs reopen and adjust to new guidelines instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,&quot; said Kimm Quinlan, director of HCC's Early Childhood Grant Initiatives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is the lead agent on a six-month Career Pathways Grant that will allow the college to continue its Childhood Development Associate Plus (CDA-Plus) certificate program. The program was created to help early childhood educators already working in the field attain their national CDA credential or enhance their certification level. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Greenfield Community College and Berkshire Community College are HCC's partners in the western Mass. consortium. The three colleges each have their own CDA-Plus programs and collaborate on implementation and support.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The $680,000 is a six-month allocation for the three colleges in the consortium,&quot; Quinlan said. &quot;We're hoping to get an additional $680,000 for the following six months.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC launched its CDA-Plus program in 2019 after an initial, year-long grant of $2 million to the consortium from the EEC. Students who complete the program are awarded a CDA-Plus certificate and can apply the credits they earn toward an associate degree in Early Childhood Education from HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The two-semester course of study includes four, sequential, seven-week courses in subjects such as childhood behavior and development, early childhood programs, and health, safety and nutrition. The grant covers all tuition, fees, and books, and also pays for a $425 CDA credentialing fee, and includes a stipend of about $500 for unexpected costs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC graduated its first class of CDA-Plus students in June. A second group started in January 2020 and will complete their program in November. The new funding will pay for a third class set to begin their studies this month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All the classes were originally designed as hybrid courses, with both online and face-to-face components, but shifted to completely remote in mid-March due to the pandemic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;All of our students are supposed to be working in the field, and they all found themselves NOT working in the field very quickly, so it has been quite a transition for them,&quot; Quinlan said. &quot;Some of them have gone back to work. Some of their programs did not reopen. Some of them will be going back to work very soon and there were some whose businesses did continue to operate as emergency childcare facilities for essential workers.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The second grant, called the Strong Start Training and Technical Assistance Grant, is worth $360,000. An initial award in 2019 established HCC as the EEC's professional development center for western Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last year, HCC, working with UMass Boston as the lead agent, offered a series of workshops on and off campus to provide training, coaching and technical assistance to early childhood programs. This time the program was completely revamped due to the pandemic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Instead of doing universal trainings, our work this year is focused on supporting programs that are going through the reopening process,&quot; Quinlan said. &quot;So, our focus this year is to help them reopen and then to help them successfully implement the new guidelines related to COVID-19.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Kimm Quinlan,&amp;nbsp;director of HCC's Early Childhood Grant Initiatives,&amp;nbsp; delivers a textbook to Jessica Bermudez of Springfield, a student in HCC's CDA-Plus program soon after classes went remote back in March&lt;/em&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11695" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/bake-with-me" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|194" FileName="x11695.xml" Name="Bake With Me" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Chef-Maureen-Benton.jpg" Title="Family Made" Abstract="A March baking series at HCC is aimed at parents and their children who want to learn to create tasty treats together in the comfort and safety of their own kitchens. " ThumbnailAltText="Chef Maureen Benton will lead the new &quot;Bake With Me&quot; cooking series at HCC" IntroCopy="Each baking session comes with a special kit that includes a shopping list, recipe cards and two kid-sized, kitchen tools." Date="2020-12-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chef Maureen Benton leads a Summer Youth Program baking class at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Benton-class.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This March, Holyoke Community College will offer a four-week series of baking classes aimed at parents and their children who want to learn to create tasty treats together under the guidance of a professional chef.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;Bake With Me&quot; series runs for four consecutive Fridays in March from 4 to 5:30 p.m. over Zoom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each class will focus on a different dessert: March 5 (Key Lime Pie); March 12 (caramel cheesecake); March 19 (blackberry cobbler a la mode); March 26 (royal icing sugar cookies).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classes will be led by Chef Maureen Benton, an instructor in HCC's Culinary Arts program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;'Bake With Me' offers families a fun way to connect, laugh and learn together from the comfort of their own kitchens,&quot; said Michele Cabral, HCC executive director of Business, Corporate and Professional Development. &quot;My husband and I have been Zoom cooking with our grandson and love the memories we are creating as a family.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cost of each session is $49 and comes with a special baking kit that includes a shopping list, recipe cards and two kid-sized kitchen tools: Session 1 (apron and whisk); Session 2 (chef's hat and spatula); Session 3 (oven mitt and ice cream scoop); Session 4 (dish towl and rolling pin).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The kits will be available for pickup, dropoff or delivery by mail.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When kids learn to bake, they develop confidence, and, without knowing it, they are also practicing their math skills, as they learn to measure ingredients and scale up or scale down a recipe,&quot; Cabral said. &quot;But the classes will also offer kids a chance to play in the kitchen. They get to experiment, be creative, and, in the end, they'll have a yummy treat to share.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Class size is limited.&amp;nbsp;To register for one or more sessions, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.3dcartstores.com/Food_c_2186.html&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/bake-with-me&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: (Thumbnail) Chef Maureen Benton in the bakeshop kitchen at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. (Above)&amp;nbsp;Chef Maureen Benton leads a Summer Youth baking class at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in 2018.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11644" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/see-more-smiles" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x11644.xml" Name="See More Smiles" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-SeeMoreSmiles.jpg" Title="See More Smiles" Abstract="Inspired by a student, HCC literacy specialist Ash Aliengena started a campaign to highlight the frustrations of those who depend on lip-reading to communicate. " ThumbnailAltText="Jackie Santana, left, and Ash Aliengena, wearing windowed face masks Aliengena made as part of the &quot;See More Smiles&quot; campaign. " IntroCopy="HCC literacy specialist launches accessible face mask campaign" Date="2020-12-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jackie Santana and Ash Aliengena &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-SeeMoreSmiles.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By RONNI GORDON&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As the pandemic wore on with no end in sight, Jackie Santana grew more and more frustrated.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The proliferation of masks and other face coverings to help stop the spread of COVID-19 had made daily life much more difficult for her, a deaf woman who depends on lip-reading as well as sign language to communicate.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This was particularly apparent in places like grocery stores, where cashiers sometimes got angry when they couldn't understand her or she couldn't understand them. Some outright refused to write down what they were trying to say.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A Springfield resident, Santana wrote about her experiences in the spring newsletter published by the Holyoke Community College Ludlow Area Adult Learning Center, where she is a student.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;People sometimes use pantomimes or gestures to get my attention,&quot; she wrote. &quot;But it's hard with those masks. Hearing people don't realize when they have their masks on, they're covering their mouths, and they don't realize how important it is for deaf people to see them talking.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She explored buying masks with clear mouth windows, but the companies that manufacture them were all sold out at the time. With some 48 million deaf or hard of hearing people in the United States, according to statistics, demand had outstripped supply.&amp;nbsp;&quot;It would be nice to have more masks that let you see people's lips,&quot; Santana wrote. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Enter Ash Aliengena, a literacy specialist at HCC's Ludlow Adult Area Learning Center.&amp;nbsp;Inspired by Santana's essay, Aliengena decided to start making masks with clear plastic windows and created a website offering free accessible face mask patterns, where people can &quot;Click. Print. Cut. Trace. Go.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Aliengena's &lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/seemoresmiles/home&quot; title=&quot;See More Smiles&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;See More Smiles&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;campaign is a collaboration with HCC's Office for Students with Disabilities &amp;amp; Deaf Services (OSDDS), which is helping to spread the word.&amp;nbsp;To date, Aliengena, who uses the pronouns they/them, has hand-sewn more than 60 masks and given most of them away to people they work with at the center and to public school teachers in Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Jackie's essay opened my eyes to the need for window-ed masks,&quot; Aliengena said. &quot;Her self-advocacy got the whole thing started.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Aliengena started by researching existing mask patterns and then created an original design that uses clear, heavy plastic for the mouth window. The patterns and instructions are available for free on the See More Smiles&quot; website Aliengena maintains. There are patterns for both adult and child sizes along with photographs of finished products. The patterns print true to size on standard 8.5 by 11-inch copy paper or card stock so they can easily be cut out and traced onto fabric.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I feel great about this project,&quot; Santana said recently. &quot;I think it is a great idea.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As far as the effectiveness of masks with plastic windows to combat the spread of COVID-19, David Aronoff, director of infectious disease at the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation, recently told National Public Radio that the virus cannot penetrate plastic or solid materials, &quot;so see-through masks provide potentially a great option for balancing infection prevention with the desire to be able to see somebody's mouth move.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Aliengena gave one of the windowed masks to HCC president Christina Royal. She wore it recently on a visit to the dentist, where it drew a lot of attention from office staff, who asked for the link to the &quot;See More Smiles&quot; website.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal said Aliengena's masks are a &quot;great reflection of universal design principles&quot; &amp;ndash; an accommodation beneficial for deaf and hearing people alike&amp;shy;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Windowed or clear face masks allow everyone to see and read each other's mouths &amp;ndash; to speech read,&quot; said Aliengena, who lives in Holyoke. &quot;These masks are intended to restore important modes of visual and emotional communication that get lost when we cover our faces with solid masks.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those visual and emotional cues, like seeing people smile, can make a world of difference.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For certain populations visual communication is even more important: the elderly, children, language learners, and those in mental health crises are just a few examples,&quot; they said. &quot;For members of the deaf and hard of hearing community, visual communication is absolutely central &amp;nbsp;So, when the pandemic started, millions of people who rely on seeing faces and mouths, suddenly lost their primary mode of communicating with the hearing population overnight, just like that.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Jackie Santana, left, and Ash Aliengena wear masks Aliengena made for the &quot;See More Smiles&quot; project.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11669" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/testing-extended" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193" FileName="x11669.xml" Name="Testing extended" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-COVID-Testing.jpg" Title="Free testing extended" Abstract="Free, drive-through COVID-19 testing at Holyoke Community College has been extended until March 31, 2021, according to the Holyoke Board of Health.  " ThumbnailAltText="Nurse administers a COVID-19 test at HCC" IntroCopy="Free  'Stop the Spread' COVID-19 testing at HCC has been extended to March 31, 2021.  " Date="2020-12-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;COVID-19 testing underway at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-COVID-Car.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Please Note: Testing may sometimes be cancelled due to inclement weather. Please visit the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health/&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke Board of Health&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Holyoke Board of Health website&lt;/a&gt; for up-to-date information on cancellations.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Free &quot;Stop the Spread&quot; COVID-19 testing at Holyoke Community College has been extended until March 31, 2021, according to the Holyoke Board of Health.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drive-through COVID-19 testing at HCC is conducted six days a week in parking lot H near the western entrance to the Donahue Building.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has been serving as a &quot;Stop the Spread&quot; drive-through testing site since Aug. 26 to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drivers are now being asked to enter the campus from Homestead Avenue, turn left onto the Campus Road and proceed to parking lot H. There will be signs and parking attendants on site to manage the flow of traffic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A map with the new traffic pattern and testing site location is posted on the Holyoke Board of Health website: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.holyoke.org/hcc-covid-testing-site-to-change/&quot;&gt;https://www.holyoke.org/hcc-covid-testing-site-to-change/&lt;/a&gt; .&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC testing site is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.; and Tuesday and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Testing is free to all Massachusetts residents, and conducted on a first come, first serve basis.&amp;nbsp;There are no appointments and no referral is necessary.&amp;nbsp;Turnaround time for results is typically four days or fewer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information on all of the Stop the Spread test sites across the tate can be found at:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.gov/info-details/stop-the-spread&quot;&gt;https://www.mass.gov/info-details/stop-the-spread&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11062" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/lumina-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x11062.xml" Name="Lumina Grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/ALANA-Group.jpg" Title="Accent on Equity" Abstract="A $100K grant from the Lumina Foundation will allow HCC to expand the work of its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion task force and expand mentorship programs for students of color. " ThumbnailAltText="Students and staff gather for a weekly meeting of HCC's ALANA program. " IntroCopy="HCC receives $100,000 grant from Lumina Foundation" Date="2020-09-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Students and staff gather for a weekly meeting of HCC's ALANA program.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/ALANA-Group.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When Holyoke Community College unveiled its four-year, Strategic Plan in 2018, one of its top priorities was increasing success rates of students of color. That aligned with goals established by the Massachusetts Dept. of Higher Education, which in the same year made equity the top policy and performance objective for the entire state public higher education system.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To support those ongoing efforts, the Lumina Foundation last week awarded the Mass. DHE grants worth $1.2 million, with half the money earmarked for six state colleges and universities, including HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's $100,000 award will be used to further the work of its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion task force and expand mentorship programs that focus on students of color.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We have the distinct pleasure of residing in a diverse community where 50 percent of the &amp;nbsp;residents are Latinx,&quot; President Christina Royal said during a Sept. 10 virtual panel discussion that coincided with the announcement of the Lumina grants. &quot;At Holyoke Community College, our mission to educate, inspire and connect is grounded in the idea that we are of and exist for the communities we serve. Leveraging that cultural wealth is pivotal to moving the equity agenda forward.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through its Talent, Innovation, Equity and Equity Institution grants, the Lumina Foundation seeks to dismantle systemic barriers to student success and degree attainment, particularly for Black and Latinx students. Massachusetts was only the fifth state to receive grants from the Lumina Foundation, an independent, private foundation based in Indianapolis.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Access to quality higher education can help set students up for a lifetime of success, but systemic inequities in our higher education system prevent far too many Black and brown students from achieving their full potential,&quot; said Mass. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, who joined the Sept. 10 virtual gathering along with Sen. Elizabeth Warren. &quot;It's critical that our campuses reflect the diversity of our communities and that our colleges and universities are equipped with the resources, data, and cultural competency to support students of every background.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the panel discussion, Royal noted that Latinx students participating in HCC's ALANA Men in Motion program show a fall-to-fall retention rate of 75 percent, compared to 45 percent for Latinx students not participating in ALANA, an academic support, mentoring, and counseling program for African American, Latino, Asian, and Native American men.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There's a great deal of research to show that mentorship has positive academic benefits for students of color,&quot; Royal said, &quot;so we want to build on the successes of HCC programs like ALANA to provide students of color more vehicles to be connected with students, alumni and others like them.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion group focuses on making sure students of color succeed at the same rate as their white peers, using benchmarks such as retention and college completion rates. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Through the EDI group, we will be training a team of professionals on campus who know how to talk about equity, preach its importance and execute changes so that equity comes embedded in our culture, so it is what we live and breathe,&quot; Royal said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to the $500,000 Talent, Innovation, Equity partnership grant awarded to the DHE, $100,000 Equity Institution grants were awarded to HCC, Greenfield Community College, Bridgewater State University, Bunker Hill Community College, the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, the University of Massachusetts Boston, and the Boston Foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We have been impressed and energized by the commitment to racial equity demonstrated at all levels of the Commonwealth,&quot; said Danette Howard, Lumina's senior vice president and chief strategy officer. &quot;We believe the work ahead will catalyze structural improvements for equity within Massachusetts institutions and communities throughout the state.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;COVID-19 has exposed inequities across our state,&quot; said Carlos E. Santiago, Mass. Commissioner of Higher Education. &quot;With Lumina's support, we will be able to accelerate our work to ensure that students of color from underserved communities feel welcome on campus and have the resources they need to complete their degrees and enter the workforce in a timely fashion.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Students and staff gather for a weekly meeting of HCC's ALANA program in pre-COVID days.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11487" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/screen-times" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|165|226" FileName="x11487.xml" Name="Screen Times" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Fatal-Pray-Cochran.jpg" Title="Screen Times" Abstract="The HCC Theater Dept. presents &quot;Fatal Fisticuffs,&quot; an original, live-streaming play about people searching for authentic connection in a bleak, isolated world, Nov. 19-21." ThumbnailAltText="Director Tim Cochran, right, and alumni actor Mike Pray rehearse a scene from Fatal Fisticuffs in front of a green screen on the state of the Leslie Phillips Theater. " IntroCopy="HCC Theater to present &quot;Fatal Fisticuffs,&quot; an original, live-streaming online play, Nov. 19-21" Date="2020-11-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Director Tim Cochran, left, and alumni streaming coach Cory Missildine, right, videotape student actor Jose Colon for some fight sequences for the Fall 2020 HCC theater department production, Fatal Fisticuffs&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Haruspex-cameras.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The characters in &quot;Fatal Fisticuffs,&quot; an original, live-streaming online play from Holyoke Community College, inhabit a bleak, degraded world where flowers no longer grow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They live alone in boxes, eat artificial food from plastic tubes, and may venture out once a year during an event known as The Opening.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The rest of the time, their interactions are all virtual, coming in the form of holograms, online chats and videogames. That includes Fatal Fisticuffs, the Mortal Kombat-style eSports competition that provides both a literal and metaphorical battlefield for the main character, Clayton Day, played by HCC student Miguel Perez of Holyoke. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think people can imagine that this is happening in a world that's forced into quarantine because of environmental issues or potentially because of disease,&quot; said the director, HCC theater professor Tim Cochran. &quot;It's a world where people have been driven to this fighting game and are feeling more and more disconnected from each other. There's a thread of loneliness through the whole play, and Clay is really just looking for authentic connection.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Theater Department's live-streaming production of &quot;Fatal Fisticuffs&quot; debuts Thursday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m. It will be performed again on Friday, Nov. 20, and Saturday, Nov. 21, also at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee at 10 a.m. on Sat., Nov. 21. The Friday night performance will be ASL interpreted.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The show is free and open to all. It can be viewed on Twitch TV through the website of streaming coach and HCC theater alumnus Cory Missildine at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.twitch.tv/missildineonline&quot;&gt;twitch.tv/missildineonline&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In lieu of ticket sales, donations can be made to the&amp;nbsp;Leslie Phillips Fund for Theater Arts and Education at hcc.edu/donate.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The story follows Clay as he encounters Boreas Knight (played by HCC alumnus Matt Haughten), the world's greatest Fatal Fisticuffs player. Knight becomes a mentor to the reluctant Clay, and their relationship threatens a budding romance between Clay and his girlfriend, River, played by HCC alumna Elaine Stoneham.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Though it might seem so, &quot;Fatal Fisticuffs&quot; was not initially written to be performed online. Cochran, Missildine, and playwright Tom Roch&amp;eacute;, also an HCC alumnus, conceived of the play as a traditional stage show that would also be streamed online and allow for some virtual audience participation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But in March, COVID-19 shut down the campus and the theater world. HCC cancelled its spring 2020 production of Antigone. Cochran didn't want that to happen to &quot;Fatal Fisticuffs.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;One of the first messages I sent to Tom was, we gotta rethink,&quot; Cochran recalled. &quot;Obviously, we couldn't do it the way it was written.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since then, Cochran said, Roch&amp;eacute;, an award-winning writer of short films and sketch comedy, has taken the play through at least five major transitions.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Plays take a long time to develop,&quot; said Cochran. &quot;It took him a little while and then all of a sudden he got this idea about how to take the story he had created and remimagining it in a pandemic world, and it really brought the whole show together. The play became more than a story about a video game. It became a play about life, about our lives. I think there's lots that will resonate because the characters are in kind of the same situation that many of us are in today, working remotely from home.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each performance will include both live and prerecorded elements. Cochran and Missildine spent two days videotaping fancifully costumed actors performing anim&amp;eacute;-style fight moves against a green screen set up on the stage of HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater. These characters represent the virtual &quot;daemons,&quot; avatars with names like Toro, Unicornio, Haruspex, Aurora, Pandamime, and Fatale, who battle in the context of the Fatal Fisticuffs game.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The fight sequences will be interwoven with live video feeds from the homes of the 13 &quot;real&quot; characters, HCC students and alumni acting in front of their own green screens. In real time, Cochran and Missildine will plug in the &quot;sets&quot; behind them and bring all of the disparate audio and video elements together using an online platform called O.B.S. &amp;ndash; Open Broadcaster Software &amp;ndash; which is used by professionals who stream themselves playing videogames online.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cochran said the audience experience will be something much different than attending a meeting on Zoom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's the most tech heavy production I've ever worked on, and we've had a whole new set of things to learn,&quot; said Cochran. &quot;It's really been enjoyable to watch the discoveries happen. You start thinking, maybe this can be something different. I think after people spend all day on Zoom, they don't want to relax by watching another Zoom. We just get zoomed out. So, if we can create something that's not looking like Zoom, that has sort of a digital theater feel, then we'll have moved the needle a little bit on what can happen in a &amp;ndash; quote, unquote &amp;ndash; live performance space.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite the technological challenges, it's a model he thinks has potential to create a new kind of theater that can't be shut down.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If we know anything about theater it's that it's endured,&quot; he said. &quot;Theater endures because we have a need as people to connect.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/15LekgXSmj-cKu5rYiRbsjaMwQ-ISIZtg/view?fbclid=IwAR2mI8eIm-Tk5cyB4KfGkusBxzIG1OMx2p6217mExVFw0-FpgGxo2fuBAtc&quot; title=&quot;Fatal Fisticuffs trailer&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Please click here to see a preview of the show ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Director Tim Cochran, right, and alumni actor Mike Pray rehearse a scene from Fatal Fisticuffs in front of a green screen on the state of the Leslie Phillips Theater. (Above)&amp;nbsp;Director Tim Cochran, left, and streaming coach Cory Missildine, right, record student actor Julio Colon as he performs&amp;nbsp; fight sequences for the HCC Theater Department's fall 2020 production, Fatal Fisticuffs.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11530" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/tasty-return" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|165" FileName="x11530.xml" Name="Tasty Return" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/CAI-pan-mask.jpg" Title="A Tasty Return" Abstract="After a seven-month hiatus due to COVID-19 shutdowns, students have returned to the kitchens of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute." ThumbnailAltText="Monica Herandez of Westfield pan sears a chicken breast during her Fundamentals of Cookery class at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. " IntroCopy="In-person classes resume at HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute" Date="2020-11-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chef Warren Leigh tastes some vegetable rice prepared by student Caroline Ortiz of Agawam &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/CAI-rice-Leigh.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every good cook knows some recipes call for a slow simmer, others a rapid boil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Without stretching the metaphor too far, seven culinary arts students at Holyoke Community have in a way been on a slow simmer themselves since March, when their first-semester schedules were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They had just completed their seven-week introductory cooking course, Culinary Fundamentals I, and were supposed to start Culinary Fundamentals II after spring break. Instead, the campus shut down and the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute temporarily closed as the college transitioned to remote instruction.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But it's tough to learn a proper sear or sample braised quail over Zoom, and, so, their first semesters were put on hold until the fall.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And then, on Oct. 28, after a seven-month hiatus, the teaching kitchens at the Culinary Arts Institute reopened, and the students were back at their stations. Since then, they have been progressing, if you will, at a rapid boil through a series of accelerated, back-to-back classes designed to catch them up before the spring semester begins on Jan. 25, 2021.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's definitely exciting to get back in the kitchen into a somewhat normal routine, doing what I love and learning,&quot; said student Monica Hernandez.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hernandez and her classmates recently completed what would typically be a seven-week course, Culinary Fundamentals II, in just 2&amp;frac12; weeks, thus concluding their long-delayed first semester in a two-year journey toward their &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/culinary-arts&quot;&gt;associate of science degrees in culinary arts.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They started their reconfigured second semester on Nov. 16 and are already halfway through their Pantry and Garde Manager course, to be followed immediately by Stocks, Soups and Sauces, which concludes Dec. 22.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Classes are very fast paced,&quot; said Hernandez, who lives in Westfield. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The pace will accelerate even more during HCC's 10-day January Wintersession program. Students will be in the kitchen Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., completing two classes in two weeks, Baking and Pastry Arts, and Entr&amp;eacute;e Preparation and Presentation. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All HCC classes that meet in person must be approved by the college's Return to Campus Task Force.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Just like in Health Sciences, everybody with labs &amp;ndash; we've all had to rethink how we're running our classes,&quot; said chef and culinary arts professor Warren Leigh. &quot;They said, think outside the box. Well, we did. As long as everything keeps going the way it is, we're going to be done with semester two on January 15 and they'll be ready to join some of the other students for semester three classes in the spring.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to the fast-track schedule, other accommodations were made, such as reducing the number of students in each section. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We can really do six to seven, but we're keeping it at six moving forward,&quot; said Leigh. &quot;The six stations are perfect for social distancing and whatnot. All the classes set up for winter and spring we're capping at six, knowing that nothing is going to be normal for a while.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;General precautions around health and safety have been elevated in and around the kitchen on account of COVID-19.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We get our temperatures taken as we walk in the building,&quot; said Hernandez. &quot;Multiple stall restrooms are now single use only. We can only use the dish room one at a time. We have assigned stations. We use the same dishes for every class and we wash them ourselves so each of us has contact only with the dishes we use every day. We are a lot more mindful of personal space, contact and germs. We wash our hands frequently. I find myself washing my hands a lot more.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Of course, they all wear masks, but that does make it more difficult to be heard and understood in a busy commercial kitchen.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Wearing the mask has really proved that we need a &lt;em&gt;kitchen voice&lt;/em&gt; to be able to talk to each other,&quot; said Hernandez. &quot;It's really important to pay attention and listen closely.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To see more photos from the recently reopened HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, please visit our &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/pg/HolyokeCommunityCollege/photos/?tab=album&amp;amp;album_id=10158898549574330&quot; title=&quot;Back in Action Facebook photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Facebook photo album, &quot;Back in Action.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Monica Hernandez of Westfield pan sears a chicken breast during her CUlinary Fundamentals II class at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in early November. (Above)&amp;nbsp;Chef Warren Leigh tastes some vegetable rice prepared by student Caroline Ortiz of Agawam.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11475" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/bellwether-finalist" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|194" FileName="x11475.xml" Name="Bellwether Finalist" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CC-KC-FA20%280%29.jpg" Title="'Together HCC' Touted" Abstract="The annual Bellwether Awards are widely regarded as one of the nation's most competitive and prestigious recognitions for community colleges. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Campus Center and Kittredge Center in fall across Tannery Brook plus tree" IntroCopy="HCC finalist for prestigious Bellwether Award" Date="2020-11-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Campus Center in Fall 2020&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CC-KC-FA20%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been named a finalist for a national Bellwether Award in recognition of its &quot;Together HCC&quot; fundraising and social media campaign.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC was one of 10 U.S. colleges selected as finalists by the Bellwether College Consortium in its Workforce Development category, which identifies strategic alliances that promote community and economic development. Bellwether finalists represent leading community colleges whose programs and practices are considered outstanding and innovative.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college launched&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/ac-together-hcc&quot;&gt;&quot;Together HCC: A Campaign for Caring&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;at the end of March in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign sought to raise money for students facing economic hardships and collect stories to motivate and inspire them during a period of extreme disruption.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We realized pretty quickly that our students needed extra financial help and support to get through this stressful and challenging time,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement, whose office spearheaded the campaign. &quot;Community colleges serve some of the most vulnerable populations, and COVID-19 has amplified existing inequities in society and highlighted critical needs the Together HCC campaign was created to help address. It's very satisfying and encouraging to see the campaign celebrated as a national model.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Bellwether College Consortium is a group charged with addressing the critical issues facing community colleges. The consortium honors community colleges with awards in three categories: instructional programs and services; planning, governance and finance; and workforce development. The Bellwether Awards are widely regarded as one of the nation's most competitive and prestigious recognitions for community colleges.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC was the only community college in Massachusetts selected as a 2021 Bellwether finalist.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Bellwether College Consortium prides itself on identifying and celebrating replicable, scalable and results-based programs and models and disseminating these highly lauded examples of institutional success to peer institutions,&quot; said Rose Martinez, director of the Bellwether College Consortium, based in San Antonio, Texas.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After COVID-19 broke, HCC saw a dramatic rise in the number of applications to its Student Emergency Fund. In three months, the Together HCC campaign raised about $40,000 from nearly 200 private donors for the emergency fund, which also received a lift of $75,000 in COVID-19 relief funds from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since March, the HCC Foundation has distributed almost $90,000 from the emergency fund to 130 students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For another key component of the campaign, HCC solicited uplifting anecdotes and images from alumni, faculty, staff, students, family members and friends that were shared on HCC's social media channels using the hashtag #TogetherHCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Together HCC wasn't just about providing financial support,&quot; Sbriscia said, &quot;it was also about providing moral support and reminding students and other members of the college community that we are all in this together.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finalists for Bellwether Awards are invited to join the consortium and take part in consortium workshops, events and other activities. Award finalists will undergo a rigorous second and final round of review before the winners are announced at the virtual 2021 Community College Futures Assembly in January.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: HCC Campus Center and Kittredge Center&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11486" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/woman-of-impact" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|194" FileName="x11486.xml" Name="Woman of Impact" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Christina0087.jpg" Title="A Woman of Impact" Abstract="Holyoke Community College president Christina Royal has been selected by Business West magazine as one of the Women of Impact for 2020.  " ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal was named a Woman of Impact for 2020 by Business West magazine." IntroCopy="President Royal honored by Business West" Date="2020-11-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Royal talks to students during an open house at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/CAI-beef-royal.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's note: This story is published in the Nov. 10, 2020, issue of &lt;a href=&quot;https://businesswest.com/&quot; title=&quot;Business West&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Business West magazine&lt;/a&gt; under the headline &quot;Christina Royal: Pandemic provides a lens through which to view her leadership skills.&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By GEORGE O'BRIEN&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Courtesy of Business West&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As she talked about the COVID-19 pandemic and her administration's multi-leveled response to it, Christina Royal related a story that speaks volumes about both the impact of the crisis on every aspect of the higher-education experience at Holyoke Community College (HCC) and her own efforts to lead this institution through it &amp;ndash; and beyond it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It also helps explain why she's been named a Woman of Impact for 2020.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This story is about a student, one of the many who needed some help with learning virtually from home &amp;ndash; help that went beyond providing a laptop and internet connectivity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Through our student emergency fund, this student put in a request and said, 'I'm so grateful for the college to provide a laptop for me ... but I don't have a desk,'&quot; she recalled, adding that there were several people in this household suddenly faced with the challenge of trying to learn and work from home. &quot;And that's just one example of how we had to think about support at a deeper level, really dive into the individual needs of each of our students to support them during this time, and address the inequities that exist in the communities we serve.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college would go on to fund a desk for this individual, she went on, adding that this piece of furniture is symbolic of how the school has indeed expanded its view of student emergency needs during this pandemic &amp;ndash; but also in general.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal arrived on campus roughly five years ago with a mindset to do what was needed to address the many needs of students and help enable them to not only grasp the opportunity for a two-year college education, but to open many other doors as well. As a first-generation, low-income, biracial college student herself, she understands the challenges many of HCC's students face &amp;ndash; from food insecurity to lack of adequate housing and transportation &amp;ndash; and she commits many of her waking hours thinking about how to help students overcome such barriers and achieve success, however that might be defined.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Meanwhile, as an administrator, she he has put the emphasis on long-term planning and leading for today, as well as tomorrow. This is evidenced by her push for a new strategic plan for the school &amp;ndash; the first in its existence &amp;ndash; but also the manner in which she is addressing this pandemic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Instead of something to be merely survived, although that is certainly important enough, she views it as a learning experience and, in many respects, an opportunity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;One of the questions I bring up to employees of the college is, 'what do we want to look like on the other side of this pandemic?'&quot; she explained. &quot;Because I don't want to be a person who just felt like I was trying to weather the storm. I want us to emerge stronger from this, and the work we have to do is so absolutely critical to this community, and we have an opportunity to continually strengthen ourselves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Just like education is a journey, so is continuous improvement,&quot; she went on, adding that this process can &amp;ndash; and must &amp;ndash; continue, even in the middle of a global pandemic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Her commitment to this process, and her ability to effectively keep one eye on the present and the other on the future, certainly makes her a Woman of Impact.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://businesswest.com/blog/christina-royal/&quot; title=&quot;Christina Royal, Woman of Impact 2020&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Please click here to read the rest of the story ...&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) President Christina Royal, courtesy of Business West. (Above) President Royal talks to students at HCC's Culinary Arts Institute during an open house in 2018.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11261" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/itsybitsyzoomcast" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|193|165" FileName="x11261.xml" Name="ItsyBitsyZoomcast" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/ItsyBitsy-screenshot.jpg" Title="An Itsy Bitsy Debut " Abstract="A Zoomcast created by HCC's Early Education department seeks to re-establish links disrupted by the pandemic and further the work of student teachers and professionals.   " ThumbnailAltText="Itsy Bitsy Zoomcast graphic" IntroCopy="HCC Zoomcast focuses on early education" Date="2020-10-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Itsy Bitsy Zoomcast graphic&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/ItsyBitsy-screenshot.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If &quot;The Itsy Bitsy Zoomcast&quot; sounds like something meant for children, that's not too far from the truth. In fact the graphic that introduces this new series of short videos is a child's cartoon sketch of two bespectacled adults, the real-life co-hosts Sheila Gould and Liz Charland-Tait.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gould and Charland-Tait are part of the Early Childhood Education program at Holyoke Community College and the co-creators of the online series that also has a much more academic and adult sounding title: &quot;The More We Get Together: Conversations That Build Bridges in Early Education.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We refer to it as The Itsy Bitsy Zoomcast,&quot; said Gould, whose 9-year daughter Marianne drew the picture that leads into each show. &quot;It's a nod to the &lt;em&gt;Itsy Bitsy Spider&lt;/em&gt;, and the episodes are very short &amp;ndash; 15-20 minutes max &amp;ndash; but the formal title is the more lengthy one.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As that formal name implies, the show is focused generally on early education and more specifically on re-establishing links disrupted by COVID-19, while also furthering development and training for students and professionals already working in the field. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When the pandemic happened, Liz was really thinking about all the different ways people working in the field need to stay connected and how much everyone benefits from helping each other,&quot; said Gould, coordinator of HCC's Early Education program. &quot;We came up with the idea for a Zoomcast to highlight issues important to the early childhood field in western Massachusetts that would also help our student teachers connect with the professional side of the field they're entering.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A Zoomcast, in case you've never heard of one, is like a podcast, but in a video format. It's recorded over Zoom, the video chat application that has become so popular during the pandemic for people working at home.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gould and Charland-Tait began working on the Itsy Bitsy Zoomcast at the beginning of the fall semester. The project is sponsored by both HCC and the Western Mass. Professional Development Center, which is based at HCC and funded through a Strong Start Training and Technical Assistance Grant the college received from the Mass. Dept. of Early Education and Care.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each of seven planned episodes focuses on a different topic and features interviews with professionals from the early education field. Pairs of students from Gould's Education 213 class &amp;ndash; Student Teaching &amp;ndash; serve as guest hosts. Gould and Charland-Tait help moderate.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're hoping the Zoomcast will help create common ground between the students and the employers who will ultimately hire them,&quot; said Charland-Tait, lead coach for the Western Mass Professional Development Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first three episodes debuted in October on HCC's Facebook page and are archived on the college's YouTube channel. Future segments will be released over the next two months.&amp;nbsp;The first show, &quot;Intro to the Wild West,&quot; served as a prologue to the series and featured an interview with Kimm Quinlan, HCC's director of Early Childhood Grant Initiatives.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The second, &quot;Running a Center &amp;ndash; Then and Now: Staying positive during a pandemic,&quot; welcomed Mariah Levine, director of Y Kids Pre-school at the Greater Holyoke YMCA, and Felicita Lopez, owner of New Horizons Family Childcare in Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The remaining episodes focus on themes such as perceptions of quality; overcoming barriers for parents who need childcare; the power of play; and embracing new COVID-19 guidelines.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The last show will feature Samantha Aigner-Treworgy, commissioner of the Mass. Dept. of Early Education and Care, as the special guest. That episode will be broadcast on Dec. 2 with a Facebook watch party scheduled for 7 p.m. &amp;ndash; #itsybitsyzoomcast.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The show is gaining a lot of traction,&quot; said Gould. &quot;Having the commissioner on is a really big deal for our field and a huge deal for us.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Based on the response so far, Gould and Charland-Tait are already thinking about a second season of The Itsy Bitsy Zoomcast during the spring 2021 semester.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The pandemic has put such a spotlight on early childhood education as people realize how much they depend on childcare,&quot; said Gould. &quot;The work is so important and all the attention really presents an amazing opportunity to share and grow, so we're thrilled to come up with this idea, and we hope it continues.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;GRAPHIC by Marianne Gould&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11439" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/testing-site-shift" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193" FileName="x11439.xml" Name="Testing site shift" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-COVID-Testing.jpg" Title="Testing site shifts" Abstract="Starting Nov. 6, the free, drive-through COVID-19 testing at Holyoke Community College will move from the Bartley Center to parking lot H beside the Donahue Building. " ThumbnailAltText="Nurse administers a COVID-19 test at HCC" IntroCopy="Free  'Stop the Spread' COVID-19 testing at HCC has been moved to parking lot H. " Date="2020-11-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;COVID-19 testing underway at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-COVID-Car.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Please Note: Testing may sometimes be cancelled due to inclement weather. Please visit the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health/&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke Board of Health&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Holyoke Board of Health website&lt;/a&gt; for up-to-date information on cancellations.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Starting Friday, Nov. 6, the location of free drive-through COVID-19 testing at Holyoke Community College will shift to parking lot H near the western entrance to the Donahue Building.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The change is being made to prepare for the cold weather months, according to the Holyoke Board of Health.&amp;nbsp;Hours and days of operation will not change. Testing will continue at least through the end of December.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has been serving as a &quot;Stop the Spread&quot; drive-through testing site since Aug. 26 to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Previously, testing was being conducted in parking lot M near the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drivers are now being asked to enter the campus from Homestead Avenue, turn left onto the Campus Road and proceed to parking lot H. There will be signs and parking attendants on site to manage the flow of traffic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A map with the new traffic pattern and testing site location is posted on the Holyoke Board of Health website: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.holyoke.org/hcc-covid-testing-site-to-change/&quot;&gt;https://www.holyoke.org/hcc-covid-testing-site-to-change/&lt;/a&gt; .&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC testing site is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.; and Tuesday and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Testing is free to all Massachusetts residents, and conducted on a first come, first serve basis.&amp;nbsp;There are no appointments and no referral is necessary.&amp;nbsp;Turnaround time for results is typically four days or fewer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information on all of the Stop the Spread test sites across the tate can be found at:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.gov/info-details/stop-the-spread&quot;&gt;https://www.mass.gov/info-details/stop-the-spread&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10983" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/covid-testing" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193" FileName="x10983.xml" Name="COVID Testing" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-COVID-Testing.jpg" Title="Stop the Spread" Abstract="Free, drive-through COVID-19 testing at Holyoke Community College has been extended until Jan. 15, 2021." ThumbnailAltText="Nurse administers a COVID-19 test at HCC" IntroCopy="HCC has been serving as a 'Stop the Spread' COVID-19 test site since August." Date="2020-10-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;COVID-19 testing underway at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-COVID-Car.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Please Note: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;As of Nov. 6, the testing location at HCC has moved.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/testing-site-shift&quot;&gt;Click here for details ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Also, testing may sometimes be cancelled due to inclement weather. Please visit the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health/&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke Board of Health&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Holyoke Board of Health website&lt;/a&gt; for up-to-date information on cancellations.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Free COVID-19 testing at Holyoke Community College has been extended until Jan. 15.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;HCC has been serving as a &quot;Stop the Spread&quot; drive-through testing site since Aug. 26 to help the state and the City of Holyoke reduce the spread of COVID-19. After two previous extensions, testing was set to end on Oct. 31. It will now run through mid-January.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Tests are being conducted outside HCC's Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation and administered by Fallon Ambulance in partnership with the Holyoke Board of Health and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Testing is available six days a week during the following hours:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Monday 7-11 a.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tuesday 2-7 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wednesday. 7-11 a.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thursday 2-7 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Friday 7-11 a.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Saturday 7-11 a.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tests are conducted on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are no appointments, and there is no cost for the tests and no referral is required.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please enter campus from Homestead Avenue and follow the signs to M Lot (adjacent the Bartley Center), where in-car tests are being administered.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Turnaround time for test results is typically four days or fewer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please go to:&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mass.gov/info-details/stop-the-spread&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.mass.gov/info-details/stop-the-spread&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1598450594819000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFuTzwxZNiBDiiVcbYv1495KmjEGg&quot;&gt;www.mass.gov/info-details/&lt;wbr /&gt;stop-the-spread&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Free COVID-19 testing will be offered outside HCC's Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation Aug. 26 through Sept. 12.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11364" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/nursing-rankings" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|355|227" FileName="x11364.xml" Name="Nursing Rankings" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Nursing-Kaitlin-Esposito.jpg" Title="Nursing Kudos" Abstract="HCC's associate of science in nursing program was the highest ranked community college nursing program in western Massachusetts. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC nursing student takes part in a simulation exercise at the Center for Health Education" IntroCopy="HCC's ASN program ranked best in WMass" Date="2020-10-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC nursing student takes part in a simulation exercise at the Center for Health Education&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Nursing-Kaitlin-Esposito.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nursing Process, a national online guide to healthcare education, ranked the registered nursing program at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hcc.edu/&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1603973565566000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFeUoUN-j-jzWELKtSWx4KlLg04nw&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;as the best of its kind in western Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In its nursing school rankings for 2020,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nursingprocess.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nursingprocess.org/&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1603973565566000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNHdnnyWZRfekqi6zwmQZNARrtXB5Q&quot;&gt;Nursing Process&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;lists HCC's program 5&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;nbsp;overall out of the 60 accedited associate degree nursing programs in Massachusetts that it considered for review, according to the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nursingprocess.org/nursing-schools/massachusetts/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nursingprocess.org/nursing-schools/massachusetts/&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1603973565566000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEZ3gWo2g0OMcRtAh5yLefMafZpjQ&quot;&gt;independent organization's website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At number five, HCC's associate of science in nursing program was the highest ranked community college nursing program in the four counties of western Massachusetts. Graduates of the ASN program qualify to take the NCLEX-RN test to become licensed as registered nurses.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're grateful for the recognition,&quot; said Clare Lamontagne, HCC dean of Health Sciences. &quot;We take great pride in our nursing program at HCC and work very hard to make sure we offer our students an unparalleled educational experience.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to its website, Nursing Process considers factors such as graduation rate, student-to- faculty ratio, affordability, reputation, and NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate in its ranking methodology. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's nursing programs &amp;ndash; ASN and practical nursing &amp;ndash; are based in the Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation, a state-of-the-art education and training facility the college opened in 2015.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For anyone interested in nursing or one of HCC's other health science programs &amp;ndash; Foundations of Health, Radiologic Technology or Veterinary Technician &amp;ndash; the college will be holding health career information sessions over Zoom on Thurs., Nov. 5, and Thurs., Dec. 3, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, or to sign up for an info session, please visit&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/info-sessions&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://hcc.edu/info-sessions&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1603973565566000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFCfnE9O7cI7l5eG7Nb0IKs5X7rLg&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/info-sessions&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or send an email to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registration begins Monday, Nov. 2, for HCC's two-week January Wintersession and the spring 2020 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: An HCC nursing instructor and student take part in a simulation exercise at the Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11221" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/wsu-hcc-latinx" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165|225" FileName="x11221.xml" Name="WSU-HCC Latinx" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Latinx-Pat.jpg" Title="New Transfer Pact" Abstract="Students who major in Latinx Studies at HCC can now transfer seamlessly to Westfield State University and apply their credits toward a bachelor's and master's degree." ThumbnailAltText="HCC theater professor Patricia Sandoval directs an acting exercise during a Latinx Studies course called “Teatro Nuestro” (“Our Theater”) last fall. " IntroCopy="Agreement with Westfield State creates affordable pathway for students who major in Latinx Studies at HCC" Date="2020-10-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC theater professor Patricia Sandoval directs an acting exercise during a Latinx Studies course called &amp;ldquo;Teatro Nuestro&amp;rdquo; (&amp;ldquo;Our Theater&amp;rdquo;) last fall. The HCC Learning Communities course combines &amp;quot;Introduction to Theater&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Introduction to Latinx Studies.&amp;rdquo; &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Latinx-Pat.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Westfield State University and &lt;a href=&quot;about:blank&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;have partnered to create an affordable pathway for Latinx Studies students holding an associate degree who want to earn their bachelor's and master's degrees.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Under the transfer agreement, this new 2+2+1 program will enable students who receive an associate degree in Latinx Studies from HCC to seamlessly transfer to Westfield and apply their credits toward the degree requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in ethnic and gender studies with a double major in Spanish. In their fifth year, students can earn a Master of Public Administration from &lt;a href=&quot;about:blank&quot;&gt;Westfield State University&lt;/a&gt;, for a 2+2+1 track.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Westfield State is excited to enhance its excellent relationship with Holyoke Community College by providing a bridge between an associate's degree in Latinx Studies and a desirable career,&quot; said Roy H. Saigo, Ph.D., interim president of Westfield State University. &quot;This partnership highlights the university's commitment to facilitating accessible and affordable degree options for all individuals.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With a student population that is more than 25 percent Hispanic/Latinx, HCC is a federally recognized Hispanic Serving Institution. The college introduced its Latinx Studies major in fall 2019 and is the only community college in Massachusetts that offers one.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Holyoke Community College's diversity is one of its greatest strengths,&quot; said HCC President Christina Royal, Ph.D. &quot;We are always exploring new pathways through which our students can continue their education toward rewarding careers while becoming more active and engaged citizens. This partnership with Westfield State University provides these opportunities and will also create greater space for dialogue around the&amp;nbsp;historical, social, cultural, political, and economic&amp;nbsp;forces that shape our communities.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's Latinx Studies program grew out of a 2015 Bridging Cultures grant the college received from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The grant's purpose was to help HCC faculty incorporate Latinx Studies material into existing courses while also creating new ones. The result was courses that became cornerstones of the new major, such as &quot;Latinx Literature,&quot; &quot;Latinx Politics,&quot; &quot;History of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean,&quot; and &quot;Introduction to Latinx Studies.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's wonderful to see our faculty develop what began as a grant-funded project into an on-going partnership that will benefit HCC students for years to come,&quot; said HCC Dean of Arts and Humanities Kim Hicks.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Requirements for the major include an internship or Latinx civic engagement project as well as electives from a variety of other areas of study, such as anthropology, sociology, communications, history, race and ethnicity, and Spanish.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is very much an interdisciplinary program that prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions like Westfield State University, and to pursue careers in a range of fields, such community organizing, law and advocacy, city and urban planning, politics and policy, counseling, and international relations,&quot; said HCC Latinx Studies and Spanish Professor Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, coordinator of the Latinx Studies program. &quot;We're looking forward to closely working with Westfield State on this new partnership.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The chair of the WSU's Department of Language and Culture Studies, Hugo Viera, Ph.D., said, &quot;Our department &lt;em&gt;est&amp;aacute; encantado&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;to be participating in this new interdisciplinary program and looks forward to collaborating more closely with HCC as well as WSU faculty in other departments.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part of the partnership, Westfield State and HCC will also collaborate on a new inter-institutional &quot;Learning Community&quot; course this spring. The course will blend Westfield State Professor Gabriel Aquino's Race and Ethnic Relations course with an HCC Latin American Studies course taught by Professor Guti&amp;eacute;rrez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are really excited about the partnership,&quot; said Emily Todd, Ph.D., dean of Westfield State University's College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. &quot;Throughout each student's education and experience at both institutions, faculty and staff will collaboratively work to provide mentorship, support, guidance, and careful advising. Research and internship opportunities will enhance students' experiences, with an emphasis on community-based initiatives.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;HCC theater professor Patricia Sandoval directs an acting exercise during a Latinx Studies course called &quot;Teatro Nuestro&quot; (&quot;Our Theater&quot;) last fall. The HCC Learning Communities course combines &lt;/em&gt;&quot;Introduction to Theater&quot; and &quot;Introduction to Latinx Studies.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11238" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/flu-clinics" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193" FileName="x11238.xml" Name="Flu Clinics" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Flu-Clinic-graphic.jpg" Title="Drive-up flu clinics" Abstract="The four clinics – Oct. 20, Oct. 23, Nov. 3, and Nov. 6 – are open to the general public and provided by the Holyoke Board of Health and CVS Pharmacy.  " ThumbnailAltText="Fight the Flu clinic graphic" IntroCopy="Flu vaccine clinics to be held at HCC Oct. 20, Oct. 23, Nov. 3 and Nov. 6" Date="2020-10-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Fight the Flu Clinic graphic&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Flu-Clinic-graphic.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will serve as a host site for four drive-up flu vaccine clinics during the next few weeks.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The clinics &amp;ndash; Tues., Oct. 20, Fri., Oct. 23, Tues,. Nov. 3, and Fri., Nov. 6 &amp;ndash; are being provided by the Holyoke Board of Health and CVS Pharmacy and are open to the general public.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All the clinics run from 8-11 a.m. and will be held in Parking Lot M next to HCC's Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation on the main campus at 303 Homestead Ave., Holyoke, the same location where&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/covid-testing&quot;&gt;free COVID-19 testing&lt;/a&gt; is underway through Jan. 15, 2021.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The flu vaccines are free with most insurance, including MassHealth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These are drive-up clinics, so there is no need to exit your vehicle. Free face masks will also be distributed on site.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pre-registration is not required but highly recommended to ensure sufficient supply.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To schedule an appointment for a 20-minute time slot, please go to the following registration pages on the CVS Pharmacy website:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cvs.com/vaccine/intake/clinic/vaccine-select?clinicID=C7EFD998EF242B98737CFFDF3A2AE3C1&quot;&gt;Tuesday, Oct. 20 - Register&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cvs.com/vaccine/intake/clinic/vaccine-select?clinicID=68D17227304ECA4910F9AC6C0B1DC53D&quot;&gt;Friday, Oct., 23 - Register&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cvs.com/vaccine/intake/clinic/vaccine-select?clinicID=41E45784CD68D1A4A713E044DC0F3C96&quot;&gt;Tuesday, Nov. 3 - Register&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cvs.com/vaccine/intake/clinic/vaccine-select?clinicID=5E5C2260608489A13D98C19CB3ADE5B4&quot;&gt;Friday, Nov. 6 - Register&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11227" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/jed-campus" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x11227.xml" Name="Jed Campus" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/New-HCC-FA19.jpg" Title="HCC Joins Jed" Abstract="In observation of World Mental Health Day, Holyoke Community College is pleased to announce that it has joined the JED Campus network in support of student well-being." ThumbnailAltText="HCC campus shows fall foliage" IntroCopy="The national network helps colleges strengthen mental health support services for students" Date="2020-10-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC campus shows fall foliage&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/New-HCC-FA19.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the eve of World Mental Health Day, Holyoke Community College is pleased to announce that it has joined the JED Campus network in support of student well-being and mental health.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jed Campus is a nationwide initiative of the New York-based Jed Foundation designed to help schools evaluate and strengthen their mental health, substance misuse and suicide prevention programs and systems to ensure that schools have the strongest possible mental health safety nets.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC was also one of six schools nationwide selected for an inaugural scholarship from the Jed Foundation to strengthen student support programs promoting mental health awareness and suicide prevention.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a critical time for young people in our nation as they cope with the current pandemic, ongoing issues around racial equity, and the regular pressures of transitioning into adulthood,&quot; said John MacPhee, executive director and CEO of the Jed Foundation. &quot;We believe that working with high schools, colleges, and universities to invest in real-life systems that strengthen mental health safety nets and foster a community of caring for students is more important than ever. By joining JED Campus, HCC is demonstrating a commitment to the emotional well-being of its students.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;JED campuses embark on a multi-year strategic collaboration that not only assesses and enhances the work that is already being done but also helps create positive, lasting, systemic change in the campus community. JED Campus advisors work closely with these schools through a collaborative process of comprehensive systems, programs, and policy assessment with customized support to build upon each institution's existing structures.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's Jed Campus team includes students, faculty and staff. The $20,000 scholarship will remediate a large portion of the Jed Campus fees.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;World Mental Health Day is observed every year on Oct. 10.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Mental health concerns continue to rise among young people and college students, particularly now as we remain in the throes of a pandemic,&quot; said Rachel Rubinstein, HCC vice president of Academic and Student Affairs. &quot;As a Hispanic Serving Institution, with students who are predominantly first-generation, low-income, or people of color, our students are particularly vulnerable to the health and economic effects of the pandemic, and the mental health of our regional communities is of profound concern to us. The foundation's gift, along with the expertise and guidance of JED advisors, will help us make the sustainable change that is needed to support our students' well-being and success.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last month, the Jed Foundation announced the launch of its $1 million Morgan Stanley Scholarship Fund to enable higher education institutions serving students from low-income and diverse backgrounds to participate in&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.jedcampus.org/&quot;&gt;JED Campus&lt;/a&gt;.JED is a founding nonprofit partner organization of the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.morganstanley.com/about-us/giving-back/alliance-childrens-mental-health.html&quot;&gt;Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children's Mental Health&lt;/a&gt;, which brings together key leaders in the children's mental health space and combines the resources and reach of Morgan Stanley and its foundation to help address children's mental health concerns and the far-reaching challenges of stress, anxiety, and depression.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The alliance seeks to drive impact for young people &amp;ndash; especially in marginalized populations &amp;ndash; by assisting youth through formative transitions, and helping parents recognize mental health disorders and support their children.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Six colleges were selected as the inaugural scholarship recipients for fall 2020: Holyoke Community College, Frederick Community College of Maryland, Spartanburg Community College of South Carolina, St. Thomas University of Florida, Towson University of Maryland, and the University of Missouri.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC is committed to providing the most comprehensive mental health resources possible to our students,&quot; said Tony Sbalbi, HCC dean of Students. &quot;Our partnership with the JED Foundation could not have been timelier given the added stress and anxiety COVID-19 has placed on students these past several months. HCC's JED Campus interdisciplinary team looks forward to working with our dedicated JED advisor in the development of a mental health strategic plan that will help to enhance our already existing resources and furnish us with a road map for the future.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The college years are the age when many mental health issues first manifest, and it can be a time of significant stress and pressure,&quot; said MacPhee. &quot;JED Campus helps schools by working with them to survey everything their university is doing to support their students' emotional health and find practical ways to augment these efforts in a comprehensive way. We believe that the implementation of a campus-wide approach to mental health will lead to safer, healthier communities, and likely greater student retention.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information about JED Campus, visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jedcampus.org&quot;&gt;www.jedcampus.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11168" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/remote-spring" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|3|165" FileName="x11168.xml" Name="Remote Spring" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg" Title="Remote for Spring" Abstract="&quot;Out of an abundance of caution,&quot; HCC will offer the vast majority of courses in a remote or hybrid environment through the spring 2021 semester. " ThumbnailAltText="Campus Center with spring flowers" IntroCopy="&quot;This is a challenging time, but our community is meeting it with resilience, creativity, and determination. Supporting and inspiring our students remains our top priority today and always.&quot; – President Christina Royal" Date="2020-10-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Campus Center with spring flowers&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will continue to offer the majority of its classes remotely through the 2021 spring semester, HCC president Christina Royal announced yesterday in a message to students, faculty and staff.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;So much has happened over the course of the last several months,&quot; Royal said. &quot;Sometimes it's hard to imagine how our world will change from one day to the next. It is difficult to predict what life will look like for HCC months from now; however, we are preparing and planning as best we can for every possible scenario.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In her message, sent out late yesterday afternoon by email, Royal said that &quot;out of an abundance of caution,&quot; HCC will continue to operate primarily remotely for the spring 2021 semester, with the vast majority of courses offered in a remote or hybrid environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We anticipate that no more than 10 percent of courses offered this spring will be held on campus.,&quot; she said. &quot;In every case, plans for offering face-to-face courses will be reviewed by the college's Return to Campus Task Force to ensure that health and safety protocols are in place.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal noted that it was important to make this decision now because registration begins Monday, November 2, for HCC's two-week January term and the spring 2021 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registration and course materials must be prepared in advance of that date, so students have time to make informed decisions about their classes.HCC's January term, called Wintersession, begins Monday, January 4. The spring 2021 semester begins Monday, January 25. HCC will also be offering flexible spring start dates on Feb. 16 and March 29.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a challenging time,&quot; Royal said, &quot;but our community is meeting it with resilience, creativity, and determination. I appreciate your flexibility and understanding as we navigate this time together. Supporting and inspiring our students remains our top priority today and always.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like most colleges, HCC started remote instruction in mid-March after the COVID-19 pandemic forced campus closures. This fall, all HCC classes are being offered in one of three formats: &amp;nbsp;online, blended remote, and blended face-to-face.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Online courses follow a traditional, asynchronous online model with coursework deadlines established by instructors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Blended remote courses have both asynchronous online components combined with real-time scheduled class meetings via videoconference platforms such as Zoom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Blended face-to-face combines blended remote with some in-person instruction on campus. For the most part this format is limited to health science programs that require clinical labs, such as nursing, radiologic technology, veterinary technician, and medical assistant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11120" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hispanic-heritage-month-fa20" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x11120.xml" Name="Hispanic Heritage Month FA20" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-HHM-2019.jpg" Title="Hispanic Heritage Month" Abstract="HCC is celebrating with a series of online events that include cooking demonstrations, lessons on Holyoke history and discussions about public art, Sept. 25-Oct. 28. " ThumbnailAltText=" An HCC student holds up flags from Mexico and Paraguay during a Hispanic Heritage Month event on campus in October 2019. " IntroCopy="Online events, Sept. 25 - Oct. 28" Date="2020-09-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot; An HCC student holds up flags from Mexico and Paraguay during a Hispanic Heritage Month event on campus in October 2019. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-HHM-2019.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This Oct. 5 update reflects recent changes to the Hispanic Heritage Month schedule.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month during this pandemic year with a series of online events that includes cooking demonstrations, lectures on the ethnic and political history of Holyoke, exhibits and conversations on public art, and a student panel examining the shared heritage of Black and Latinx people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Beginning &lt;strong&gt;Friday, Sept. 25&lt;/strong&gt;, four members of the HCC community will share favorite recipes highlighting their ethnic heritage, followed by question and answer sessions with the chefs. Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, associate professor of Spanish and coordinator of HCC's Latinx Studies program, will kick off the cooking series on &lt;strong&gt;Sept. 25 at 11 a.m&lt;/strong&gt;.. He will be followed by Harold Santiago, special program coordinator in HCC's Admissions office on &lt;strong&gt;Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 11 a.m.&lt;/strong&gt;; and HCC student Liuginsa Rosa on &lt;strong&gt;Monday, Oct. 5 at 1:30 p.m.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Each of the cooks represents a different nationality,&quot; said Derek Estrella, an HCC Financial Aid counselor and secretary for the college's Hispanic Leadership Committee, which organized the Heritage Month events. &quot;Ra&amp;uacute;l is Mexican, Harold is Puerto Rican, and Liuginsa is Dominican. I'm also asking them to share a signature song they grew up with while cooking.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also on &lt;strong&gt;Tuesday, Sept. 29&lt;/strong&gt;, from 6 to 8 p.m., the public is invited to share their ideas for &quot;El Coraz&amp;oacute;n de Holyoke: Comenzamos!&quot; (The Heart of Holyoke: Let's Begin), kicking off a new phase of public art installations that celebrate Latinx and Puerto Rican artists and culture in the city.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On &lt;strong&gt;Wednesday, Oct. 14,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;from 11 a.m. to noon, Holyoke resident and HCC alumna Maria Cartagena, Five College community partnerships coordinator, will present &quot;50 Years of Latinx History: How far have we come?&quot; focusing on the ethnic, cultural and political influence of Hispanics in the city.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;El Coraz&amp;oacute;n de Holyoke&quot; conversation continues on &lt;strong&gt;Thursday, Oct. 15&lt;/strong&gt;, from 6-8 p.m. with &quot;Cultural Place-keeping and the 'salsa' of Public Art,&quot; a presentation and Q&amp;amp;A with cultural districts program manager Luis Cotto from the Mass Cultural Council; Springfield Poet Laureate Magdalena G&amp;oacute;mez; and interdiscipinary artist Shey Rivera Rios.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's Hispanic Leadership Committee, a newly formed group of HCC staff and faculty involved in campus and community engagement activities, will hold an online session on &lt;strong&gt;Wednesday, Oct. 21, &lt;/strong&gt;from 2 to 3 p.m. introducing themselves to the college and wider Holyoke community. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college's Hispanic Heritage Month's activities will conclude with &quot;Anti-blackness in the Hispanic Community&quot; on &lt;strong&gt;Wednesday, Oct. 28&lt;/strong&gt;, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., a student panel discussion examining racial bias as well as the shared heritage of Black and Latinx people. The panel will consist of members from two HCC student clubs, the Black Student Alliance and the Latinx Empowerment Association, and moderated by Rockell Bartoli, a Miami-based author and student-success coach.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All events will be held on Zoom. They are free and open to the public but pre-registration is required. To register, please visit&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/awareness-and-heritage/latinx-heritage-month&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/hhm&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: An HCC student holds up flags from Mexico and Paraguay during a Hispanic Heritage Month event on campus in October 2019.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11121" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cannacore" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x11121.xml" Name="CannaCore" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-Culinary-Cannabis-Cookies.jpg" Title="Canna-Classes Resume" Abstract="Students who complete the Oct. 17-18 core training can register for spring 2021 classes in one of four cannabis industry career tracks, including culinary assistant and extraction technician. " ThumbnailAltText="Cannabis Culinary Assistant training at HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute earlier this year. " IntroCopy="Students who complete the core training will be eligible to register for spring 2021 classes in one of four cannabis industry career tracks: cultivation assistant, extraction technician, patient services associate, and culinary assistant." Date="2020-09-22" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;An instructor teaches students how to bake cookies using CBD oil extracted from hemp&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-Culinary-Cannabis-Cookies%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College and its new community partner, Elevate Northeast, are launching a revitalized cannabis careers training program in October for those who want to work in the industry.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The program, offered through the Cannabis Education Center, begins the weekend of Oct. 17-18 with two days of required core curriculum training over Zoom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each day will be broken down into two sessions, 9 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 4 p.m. Each session will include presentations from cannabis industry experts followed by a question and answer period.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students who complete the core training will then be eligible to register for spring 2021 classes in one of four cannabis industry career tracks: cultivation assistant, extraction technician, patient services associate, and culinary assistant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A previous series of cannabis industry training courses offered by HCC and the Cannabis Education Center was suspended in the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC is proud to partner with Elevate for the sole purpose of helping jobseekers get the training they need to successfully enter the cannabis industry,&quot; said Jeffrey Hayden, HCC vice president of Business and Community Services.&amp;nbsp;&quot;At the same time, we look forward to enhancing and expanding our relationships with cannabis companies in Holyoke and other communities throughout the region.&amp;nbsp;Our goal is to help individuals gain employment while meeting the demand of area businesses.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dates for the spring career track training sessions have not yet been announced.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;The cost of the two-day core training session is $595.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Elevate Northeast is a Massachusetts-based, women-founded 501(c)(3) nonprofit, created to support the Northeast U.S.'s growing cannabis industry through workforce training, education and advocacy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cannabis Education Center is based out of HCC's Kittredge Center for Business &amp;amp; Workforce Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register for Core Cannabis Curriculum class, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.3dcartstores.com/Cannabis-Core-Curriculum_p_17414.html&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/cannabis-core&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information on these and other upcoming classes and programs can be found on the Cannabis Education Center's website &amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cannabiseducationcenter.org/&quot; title=&quot;Link to cannabis education center website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;cannabiseducationcenter.org&lt;/a&gt; or by calling 413.552.2320.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: An instructor demonstrates how to make cookie batter using CBD oil extracted from hemp during a cannabis culinary assistant training program at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute earlier this year.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10927" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/our-values-guide-us" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x10927.xml" Name="Our Values Guide Us" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg" Title="'Our Values Guide Us'" Abstract="In a message to the HCC community, President Christina Royal writes that we must work together to build a world free of racial violence, bigotry, and marginalization." ThumbnailAltText="HCC campus center in spring with flowering tree" IntroCopy="&quot;This is a moment to reaffirm HCC's commitment to creating the most inclusive and diverse community that we possibly can – one that is free of discrimination; one that embraces differences; and one that respects all individuals.&quot; – President Christina Royal" Date="2020-06-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC campus center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;June 1, 2020&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The tragic circumstances surrounding the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis have again exposed the systemic discrimination and unjust racial disparities that continue to plague our country. As an institution of higher education, we have an obligation to speak out against hatred, prejudice, and intolerance, and work together to advance equity and build a world free of racial violence, bigotry, and marginalization.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My message today is also one of compassion for all whose skin color makes them a target of hate. Racism takes an unrelenting toll on the lives of people of color. I encourage all members of our community to show their support for the students, colleagues, and neighbors who are feeling the weight of this tragedy. This is a moment to reaffirm HCC's commitment to creating the most inclusive and diverse community that we possibly can &amp;ndash; one that is free of discrimination; one that embraces differences; and one that respects all individuals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today and every day, our institutional values of kindness, inclusion, and trust guide us. HCC's diversity is and will remain among our greatest strengths. Even amid the uncertainty we're already experiencing, our college community will continue to strive for positive change.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sincerely,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Christina&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;--&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Christina Royal&lt;br /&gt;President&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke Community College&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11000" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/flexible-fall" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x11000.xml" Name="Flexible Fall" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/New-HCC-FA19.jpg" Title="Flexible Fall" Abstract="In addition to its traditional early fall semester start date on Tuesday, Sept. 8, HCC will run two sessions of classes this fall that begin on Sept. 28 and Oct. 28." ThumbnailAltText="HCC campus during peak fall foliage season" IntroCopy="Fall semester classes at HCC begin Sept. 8, Sept. 28 and Oct. 28." Date="2020-09-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC campus in autumn&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/New-HCC-FA19.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Given the uncertainty of the times heading into a new school year, Holyoke Community College is offering two &quot;Flexible Fall&quot; start dates in addition to its traditional, fall semester start next week following Labor Day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For most students, the fall semester at HCC will begin Tuesday, Sept. 8. For those looking for more flexible academic options, however, HCC is also running two sessions of accelerated, full-credit classes that will begin on Monday, Sept. 28, and Wednesday, Oct. 28.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sept. 28 start classes will run for 12 weeks. Oct. 28 start classes will run for seven.All fall courses will conclude by Dec. 16, 2020.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We know how unsettled everyone's lives are due to the pandemic, especially the lives of families juggling jobs and childcare and &amp;nbsp;parents who may not yet know where they will be working or where their children will be for school,&quot; said Rachel Rubinstein, HCC vice president of Academic and Student Affairs. &quot;We hope that by offering more flexible fall options that students will be able to find a schedule that works best for them, and that students who need to delay decisions about college can do so without fear that they will miss out on an entire semester.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The late-start, &quot;Flexible Fall&quot; courses are being offered in accounting, anthropology, biology, business administration, career readiness, communication, education, economics, English, health, math, psychology, sociology, and sustainability.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whatever the start date, all HCC classes this fall are being offered in one of three formats: online, blended remote, and blended face-to-face.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Online courses follow a traditional, asynchronous online model with coursework deadlines established by instructors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Blended remote courses have both asynchronous online components combined with scheduled class meetings via videoconference platforms such as Zoom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Blended face-to-face combines blended remote with some in-person instruction on campus.&amp;nbsp;This format is limited to culinary arts and health science programs that require clinical assessments: nursing, radiologic technology, veterinary technician, and medical assistant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registrations are still being accepted for all three fall start dates.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information or to apply, please visit: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/flexible-fall-starts&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/fall&lt;/a&gt;, call 413-552-2321 or send an email to &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11612" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cybersecurity" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165|227|194" FileName="x11612.xml" Name="Cybersecurity" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/MRC-Aidan-Burke.jpg" Title="'A big change for me'" Abstract="A pilot program offered by HCC and the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission is training people with disabilities to work in the growing field of cybersecurity. " ThumbnailAltText="Aidan Burke, of Northampton, a student enrolled in a cybersecurity program sponsored by HCC and the Massachusetts Rehabiliation Council." IntroCopy="HCC-MRC pilot program trains people with disabilities to work as cybersecurity analysts" Date="2020-12-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Aidan Burke, of Northampton, a student enrolled in a cybersecurity program sponsored by HCC and the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Council.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/MRC-Aidan-Burke.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not long ago, Aidan Burke was working in a local supermarket, making pizza for minimum wage. It was not a job he believed held much promise for him.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Life has changed a lot since then for the 29-year-old Northampton resident.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In February, Burke started a free, intensive cybersecurity training program for people with disabilities offered by Holyoke Community College and the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission. Ten months later, he is now poised to begin a career as a cybersecurity analyst.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I liked working at Big Y and I could pay my bills, but there was nothing I could really do with that,&quot; he said. &quot;Now I'm looking at positions that have salaries and benefits. That's a big change for me. It's fantastic. This class has just opened so many doors. It's life-altering or at least has the potential to be.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Already, Burke has started an internship with NetWerks Strategic Services, an Agawam-based technology company. In recent weeks, he has interviewed for full-time benefitted positions at the Massachusetts Educational Collaborative and the Dept. of Youth Services. He is also a candidate for a summer internship with MassMutual. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The opportunities are just so much bigger and better than what I had before,&quot; he said. &quot;I was kind of floundering a bit in terms of direction in my life, and now I have an opportunity to move up in the world.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Burke and his 14 classmates completed the Cisco Academy Cybersecurity Training program on Dec. 10. They graduated Dec. 18, having passed their exams as Cisco Certified Network Associates and Cisco Certified Cyber-Operations Associates.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Mass Rehab has been very happy with the success of the students academically,&quot; said Kermit Dunkelberg, HCC assistant vice president of Adult Basic Education and Workforce Development. &quot;Ultimately, the goal is to get them placed in jobs, and we're very optimistic because these students are very well prepared.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC-MRC cybersecurity training program was the first of its kind in the state. Based on the success of the pilot, MRC initiated a second progam in September in collaboration with Roxbury Community College and has begun recruiting for a second class at HCC that will begin in February.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Together we are re-envisioning employment and people's lives,&quot; said&amp;nbsp;MRC Commissioner Toni Wolf. &quot;In the wake of COVID-19, our perspective on what is possible for remote work is expanding on a daily basis, particularly how resilient and adaptive people with disabilities are and the transformative thinking on the future of work. These Cisco certifications are nationally recognized and highly sought-after workplace credentials that will give these students the needed leverage to enter a high paying industry.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the first month of training, classes met in the cybersecurity lab in HCC's Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development. In March, though, they moved onto Zoom as COVID-19 forced a shift to remote instruction. HCC and MRC provided laptops for students to use at home, and Cisco provided access to online simulation platforms that mimicked the &quot;hands-on&quot; parts of the training.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There were many challenges, all overcome,&quot; said HCC professor Dalip Singh, a Cisco-certified cybersecurity instructor. &quot;We modified everything we were doing many times. The students were all very dedicated and hardworking.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students qualified for the program through their involvement with MRC. Burke was recommended by his caseworker. Candidates were screened and then took an entrance exam to make sure they could handle the material and the workload.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classes met four days a week, Monday through Thursday from about 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Singh said the students were also required to put in several hours of additional self-study on Fridays.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Given today's reliance on computer technology and remote access to internal networks during the pandemic, the cybersecurity field is more important than ever, said Singh.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cybersecurity analysts are network watchdogs, monitoring network activity, tracking alerts, guarding against cyberattacks and looking out for abnormal network behavior. They fix security problems, restore compromised systems, pinpoint conflicts, and collect evidence of criminal activity in the event of an intentional breach or legal proceeding.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Cyber crime is up 600 percent due to the pandemic,&quot; HCC president Christina Royal said Friday during a graduation ceremony held over Zoom. There are a lot of bad actors looking to exploit network vulnerabilities with costs estimated at $6 trillion in 2021. Cybersecurity is an important area that companies are neededing and investing in.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Program graduates qualify for jobs as tier 1 cybersecurity analysts. Although that is considered entry level, they can still expect to earn between $25 and $35 an hour to start and up to $80,000 to $100,000 or more a year as they advance.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Most of the times they will be working in an IT department as part of a team of cybersecurity experts,&quot; said Singh. &quot;They could be employed by a cybersecurity company that provides services to customers.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beyond the training itself, students in the program received a $200 stipend for general expenses, career counseling and assistance with job placement.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like many of his classmates, Burke has struggled with a number of issues, including anxiety as well as depression, PTSD, and ADHD. &quot;Just a tough combination of things,&quot; he said, that made it tough at times just to get out of bed in the morning.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I didn't feel motivated, because I didn't have a goal,&quot; he said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now he does.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This class helped a lot with that,&quot; he said. &quot;I felt I really had something to do that was going to help me.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Burke said he's grateful to Mass Rehab for recommending him for the program and for putting him in a class with others who shared and understood his struggles. It was a big confidence builder for all of them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;People with disabilities don't necessarily get the same opportunities as others,&quot; said Burke. &quot;There's a stigma to it, and Mass Rehab is out there trying to erase that and show that we have value. That's what I really appreciate about them. They don't care about our labels and what's happened in our past. They just want to get us into a position where we can be fully functioning members of society and feel more useful.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's certainly happening with me,&quot; he said, &quot;and it feels great.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Aidan Burke, of Northampton, a student enrolled in a cybersecurity program sponsored by HCC and the Massachusetts State Rehabilitation Council. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x11478" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/ac-together-hcc" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|65|165|194" FileName="x11478.xml" Name="AC-Together HCC" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/AC-FA20-Culinary-selfie.jpg" Title="A Campaign for Caring" Abstract="'Together HCC' launched in March and inspired nearly 200 individuals to contribute nearly $40,000 toward the college's Student Emergency Fund." ThumbnailAltText="Culinary Arts selfie posted to Facebook for Together HCC camaign" IntroCopy="'Together HCC' offers help, hope" Date="2020-10-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Culinary Arts selfie posted on Facebook&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/AC-FA20-Culinary-selfie.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story appears in the &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/AC/AC_FA20_UA_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Fall 2020 Alumni Connecteion&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Fall 2020 edition of HCC's Alumni Connection magazine&lt;/a&gt; under the headline &quot;A Campaign for Trying Times: 'Together HCC' offers help, hope.&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As announced on the back cover of the spring 2020 edition of the Alumni Connection magazine, HCC had planned to conduct a one-day fundraising and social media campaign on April 28, 2020, based on the theme &quot;Proud to be HCC.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The goal: to reach 303 new donors in 24 hours and collect stories of inspiration from HCC alumni, staff, faculty, friends and students.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At the time that campaign was conceived, however &amp;ndash; back in February &amp;ndash; no one had anticipated the pandemic and its devastating impact. As in so many other ways, COVID-19 forced HCC to pivot, and the 24-hour &quot;Proud to be HCC&quot; campaign was transformed into one that seemed more relevant to the times: &quot;Together HCC &amp;ndash; A Campaign for Caring.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Together HCC&quot; launched on Monday, March 30, with twin goals &amp;ndash; to raise money for the President's Student Emergency Fund and collect stories to motivate students and other members of the HCC community whose lives had been upended by COVID-19. In other words, everyone.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Christina Royal led off, pledging $10,000 of her own money as a challenge gift seeking 1,000 additional contributions of any kind toward the campaign, meaning either monetary donations or uplifting anecdotes and images shared on social media using the hashtag: #TogetherHCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is an unprecedented time in our history that can only be navigated if we work together,&quot; Royal said at the time. &quot;Our campaign for caring enables members of our community to offer encouragement to one another and provide inspiration. The financial investment and kind words offered through this campaign are vitally important for our students' success and to the well-being of every member of our community.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The responses were indeed inspiring. To highlight just a few:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alumnus Jonathan Mendez '15, '17, now a U.S. Army specialist stationed at Fort Polk, posted a video of himself on Facebook singing &quot;Lean on Me.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sheila Gould, a member of HCC's early education faculty, posted a video on YouTube offering advice for students and staff struggling with work and school while taking care of their children at home.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC student Susan Newman shared a photo of some of the 50 facemasks she sewed and donated to essential workers in the early days of the crisis.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Like so many area residents, Holyoke Community College is part of the story of my life,&quot; Michelle Ducharme '87 wrote. &quot;My aunt, Sr. Marita Callahan, was a long-time HCC faculty member who taught psychiatric nursing for 25 years. My two sisters and I all graduated from HCC. I associate my time at HCC with a bursting sense of possibility. It was a diverse, welcoming community, and I remain proud to be an alum of a college whose mission is to give everyone a chance.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The importance of the monetary contributions to the campaign also cannot be overstated.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After COVID-19 broke, applications to the President's Student Emergency Fund soared. Through the HCC Foundation, President Royal established the fund in 2017 to help students facing critical and sudden financial needs, which are typically related to basic needs, such as food, housing, childcare and transportation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the 2019-2020 academic year, which ended June 30, 97 percent of student requests to the emergency fund had come since mid-March. As HCC transitioned to remote learning, nearly $25,000 has been distributed to help students facing income loss and those struggling to pay bills in the midst of the pandemic.&amp;nbsp;The average distribution was doubled from $500 to almost $1,000.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Studying and learning remotely has meant added and unanticipated expenses for our students. Faster internet, upgraded technology, housing and food costs, utility bills - seemingly simple shifts in daily life are easy to manage for some, but for many HCC students, they can derail their entire education,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By June 30, the Together HCC campaign had raised nearly $40,000, with most of it &amp;ndash; more than $31,000 &amp;ndash; earmarked for the emergency fund and the rest going toward the Thrive Student Resource Center, which operates the HCC Food Pantry, and HCC's general scholarship fund.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The largest single donation was $20,000 from HCC alumna Margaret &quot;Peg&quot; Wendlandt '58 and her husband, Gary, who have supported the emergency fund regularly since it was established three years ago. The rest of the contributions have come in average increments of about $100 from more than 167 donors.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This has been, and continues to be, a stressful and challenging time for everyone,&quot; Sbriscia said. &quot;The COVID19 crisis has turned the world upside down, and amidst this uncertainty, we still need to do everything we can to provide our students with the education and support they deserve. 'Together HCC' isn't just about providing financial support for them, it's also about providing moral support. Through this campaign, we wanted to let our students and other members of the college community know that it's going to be okay and that we are all in this together.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although the fundraising portion of the &quot;Together HCC&quot; campaign has closed, the spirit lives on. To contribute an inspiring image or photo, visit us on social media and leave a post using the hashtag #TogetherHCC or make a donation to the President's Student Emergency Fund at hcc.edu/donate&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: HCC's Culinary Arts faculty posted this pohto from the April 2018 grand opening of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute to Facebook using the hashtag #TogetherHCC. &quot;To our incredible students &amp;ndash; We have your back! We will get through this together!&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10987" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/more-relief" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x10987.xml" Name="More Relief" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-bus-loop.AS.jpg" Title="Greater Relief" Abstract="The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts has awarded HCC another $40,000 to help students facing financial emergencies during the pandemic." ThumbnailAltText="Bus loop at HCC with flowers" IntroCopy="&quot;Every week, we are seeing more and more applications from students in need of emergency support. Each student applicant hopes to begin the fall semester on the right foot, and it's our job to keep them focused on their academic success.&quot;– Amanda Sbricia" Date="2020-08-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;bus loop with flowers&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-bus-loop.AS.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation has received a second grant in as many months to help students facing financial emergencies because of COVID-19.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In its latest round of grants, the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts awarded $40,000 to HCC from its COVID-19 Relief Fund.&amp;nbsp;In July, the Community Foundation awarded the HCC Foundation $35,000. All $75,000 went into the President's Student Emergency Fund, which is managed by the HCC Foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Every week, we are seeing more and more applications from students in need of emergency support,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation. &quot;Each student applicant hopes to begin the fall semester on the right foot, and it's our job to keep them focused on their academic success.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to CFWM's&amp;nbsp;first&amp;nbsp;grant to HCC, 67 HCC students received emergency funding with an average disbursement of $522. Already, in the past two weeks 15 additional students have received emergency aid.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We anticipate disbursing the full $40,000 to students in need before the end of September,&quot; Sbriscia said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Typically, students request help paying for basic needs, such as food, rent, utilities, childcare and transportation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Relief&amp;nbsp;Fund dollars are making it possible for HCC students throughout&amp;nbsp;our region to achieve their educational goals,&quot; Sbriscia said. &quot;I'm so grateful to the Community Foundation for enabling us to respond to our students with good news. This funding tells them, your community is here for you, and we're committed to your success.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10982" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cate-boram" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|3|65|385" FileName="x10982.xml" Name="Cate Boram" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Cate-Boram-POE.jpg" Title="The Storyteller" Abstract="After a successful career as an advertising producer, Cate Boram '20 enrolled at HCC to learn how to tell more personal stories. She graduated as a valedictorian. " ThumbnailAltText="Cate Boram '20" IntroCopy="&quot;One day I woke up and realized that all of these quote-unquote successes I've had in my life were not fulfilling me or bringing me joy. In fact, it was making me feel like I was not on the path that I needed to be.&quot; – Cate Boram '20" Date="2020-08-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Cate Boram&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Cate-Boram-POE.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After graduating from Amherst Regional High School, Cate Boram spent the next 10 years building a successful and award-winning career in advertising. Though she had studied theater in college for a time, she did not complete her degree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nevertheless, she was earning a good living. She had marketable skills and experience, a solid resum&amp;eacute;. After so many years, she didn't need to go back to college. But she wanted to.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was working in an industry helping to get the rich richer and basically selling what doesn't need to be sold to consumers, and that really goes against my values,&quot; the 30-year-old Holyoke resident recently said. &quot;Despite that I had worked really hard to get to where I was in my career, one day I woke up and realized that all of these quote-unquote successes I've had in my life were not fulfilling me or bringing me joy. In fact, it was making me feel like I was not on the path that I needed to be.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To help find her way, Boram enrolled at Holyoke Community College, and that made all the difference.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Boram graduated this spring with her associate degree in Communication, Media and Theater Arts and was one of the valedictorians from the Class of 2020. That means she completed her degree with A's in all her classes and a perfect GPA of 4.0.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This fall, she will begin studying theater and film at Smith College in Northampton.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I knew that I wanted to be a storyteller,&quot; Boram said. &quot;While I had spent my career telling stories of brands and products in a way that resonates with consumers, I wanted to try to shift that into non-commercial work &amp;ndash; storytelling that helps people understand each other more, be more empathetic and kind, and also helps them to be more imaginative and visionary.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Aside from advertising, Boram, who was born in Seoul, Korea, translates poetry for KoreanLit, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit, and she has long been involved in community theater as both an actor and stage manager.&amp;nbsp;She had initially planned to concentrate in theater at HCC. On the advice of her HCC advisor, theater professor Tim Cochran, however, she switched to CMTA &amp;ndash; an integrated studies program that includes courses in communications, electronic media and theater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I told him about my background and what I was looking to do, and that's when he recommended the CMTA program because it had a mixture of basically everything I was looking for,&quot; said Boram.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the credits she was able to transfer from her previous college, Boram knew she wouldn't be at HCC long and was determined to make the most of it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I came in thinking, okay, I am going to take this year and study the things that I am interested in, and give myself permission to embrace different passions and interests in order to create ways to connect and utilize them all in my personal and professional life,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over a single, accelerated academic year, she took 11 courses including script analysis, creative writing for theater, painting, oceanography, statistics, sociology, and two in particular that proved pivotal: Introduction to Animation with professor Jay Ducharme and Introduction to Videography with professor Joe Saphire.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Jay not only taught us the foundational knowledge of animation, the technical aspects, he really focused on the elements of storytelling &amp;ndash; plot points and storyboards &amp;ndash; and pushed people to think more creatively and critically about the story they wanted to tell.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In videography, Prof. Saphire didn't just teach students how to use a camera.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It wasn't all technical,&quot; Boram said. &quot;We explored different video art forms and the history of video art, and he really pushed us to go into places where we were uncomfortable, and I think that really helped me break out of the shell that I feel like I was carrying around with me.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For her work in both those courses, she received the HCC award for Excellence in Electronic Media for 2020, even though, as an advertising producer, she had had no hands-on experience in the creative side of the industry.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Cate was one of the most inquisitive, dedicated and hard-working students I've ever had the pleasure of teaching,&quot; said Ducharme, who retired after the spring semester. &quot;She exhibited remarkable originality and creativity. Her video projects were visually stunning and her animations fascinating, displaying a wry sense of humor. She reminded me of why I chose to be a teacher, for the joy of seeing a student assimilate and apply new knowledge in such a personal and inventive way.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At Smith, Boram says she plans to study a variety of mediums so she can incorporate different elements into her work and push the boundaries of traditional storytelling.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;With COVID, we've seen already theater groups all around the world and the creative ways they are putting on productions and sharing stories,&quot; Boram said. &quot;I think theater will give me the foundational knowledge I need to create impactful stories, and the film aspect will help me make those stories accessible to more people.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY by CHRIS YURKO, PHOTO: Cate Boram, courtesy of Cate Boram&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10968" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/new-for-fall" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x10968.xml" Name="New for Fall" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/New-HCC-FA19.jpg" Title="New for Fall" Abstract="HCC has introduced new programs in cannabis cultivation, beer and cider brewing, winemaking, behaviorial neuroscience, critical social thought, geoscience, and more.  " ThumbnailAltText="Autumn at HCC" IntroCopy="Fall semester classes at HCC begin Sept. 8, Sept. 28 and Oct. 28." Date="2020-08-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Autumn campus &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/New-HCC-FA19.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cannabis cultivation, beer and cider brewing, and winemaking are just a few of the new academic programs being offered this fall at Holyoke Community College.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All three were developed as one-year, 24-credit certificate programs through the college's Sustainability Studies department.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As the cannabis industry has moved into Holyoke and other area towns, a number of the owners of these enterprises are asking for trained employees,&quot; said Kate Maiolatesi, chair of HCC's Sustainability Studies program. &quot;Estimates for new cannabis jobs in the region range as high as 1,500.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One new course, Cannabis Today, provides knowledge of the growing part of the industry. Other requirements for the certificate include classes in agriculture, marketing and entrepreneurship.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maiolatesi said the college also developed the brewing and winemaking certificates with an eye on expanding industries. Another new course, Fermentation Science, explains the scientific processes of fermentation as it applies to both brewing and winemaking,.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This fall, HCC is also unveiling new certificate and associate degree programs in a range of other academic areas, including behaviorial neuroscience (degree), critical social thought (degree), geoscience (degree), child development (certificate), mental health (certiificate,) and veterinary assistant (certificate).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, HCC continues to be innovative in creating new courses and programs that will set students up to either immediately enter the workforce or prepare them for transfer to four-year schools,&quot; said Rachel Rubinstein, HCC vice president of Academic and Student Affairs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The fall semester at Holyoke Community College begins Tuesday, Sept. 8.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC also has two sessions of accelerated, full-credit, late-start classes this fall for students looking for more flexible academic schedules: Late Start I (12-week courses beginning Sept. 28), and Late Start II (7-week courses beginning Oct. 28). All fall courses conclude by Dec. 16.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All classes are being offered this fall in one of three formats: Online, Blended Remote, and Blended Face-to-Face.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Online courses follow a traditional, asynchronous online model with coursework deadlines established by instructors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Blended Remote courses have both asynchronous online components combined with scheduled class meetings via videoconference platforms such as Zoom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Blended Face-to-Face combines Blended Remote with some in-person instruction on campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This format is limited to culinary arts and health science programs that require clinical assessments: nursing, radiologic technology, veterinary technician, and medical assistant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For students who might be reconsidering where they want to go to college this fall, HCC offers a university-calibre education for a fraction of the price,&quot; &amp;nbsp;Rubinstein said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Autumn at HCC&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10981" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/payton-north" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65" FileName="x10981.xml" Name="Payton North" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Payton-North-web.jpg" Title="HCC: 'the smart choice'" Abstract="HCC alumna Payton North '15 is the assistant managing editor for Reminder Publications, for whom she writes a weekly column. " ThumbnailAltText="Payton North '15" IntroCopy="&quot;I'm here to dispute the stigma that surrounds getting a community college education.&quot; – Payton North '15" Date="2020-07-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Payton North '15&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Payton-North-web.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This column was published in the July 14, 2020, edition of The Reminder under the headline, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thereminder.com/opinion/payton-norths-column/community-college-a-quality-education-for-a-fracti/&quot; title=&quot;Payton North column for The Reminder&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Community College: a quality educaton for a fraction of the price.&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;An abridged version appears in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Documents/Publications/AC/AC_FA20_UA_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Fall 2020 Alumni Connecteion&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Fall 2020 issue of HCC's Alumni Connecton&lt;/a&gt; magazine.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By PAYTON NORTH '15&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I was a senior in high school my parents and I made the decision that for my first two years of college, I would be attending Holyoke Community College (HCC). I didn't have a strong desire to &quot;leave the nest&quot; yet, and, as my parents explained to me, there's a big price tag that comes with living at a college - nevermind the cost for paying for the education itself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While I was totally secure in my decision &amp;ndash; I was shocked to hear some of the comments from my peers when I told them where I was going to school.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Your parents have money, don't they? Why would you go to community college?&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Don't you get, like, straight A's? You're smart. Why would you go there?&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And my personal favorite &amp;ndash; this one was said to me by someone that I had considered a friend at the time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Gross. I would rather die than go to community college.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yikes. Needless to say, that &quot;friend&quot; and I didn't keep in touch after high school.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I graduated from HCC with my associates, I moved on to Western New England University (WNEU) for my bachelors. Frequently, people used to ask me if that transition was hard - because &quot;there must be such an enormous difference between the level of education I received at HCC versus WNEU.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nope. No difference. The only difference I saw was the price tag.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Level of Education&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At both schools I had strict professors and relaxed professors, ones that required tons of homework and papers while others relied on quizzes and tests. I saw a passion for teaching at both schools from my professors, and both educational institutions displayed the desire for student success through their tutoring centers, career counselors, and more.In fact, when I was at HCC, several of my professors were teaching part time at the community college, and part time at other private colleges. I even had one professor who taught an online English course for HCC, but was also a professor at Harvard University at the same time. I repeat - I was learning from a Harvard-level professor at the HCC cost.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Fine Print&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here is a basic cost breakdown - which for the sake of this article, I will continue to discuss WNEU and HCC as they are clearly what I know best. With that said, there are plenty of other local colleges (Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield College, American International College, Westfield State University, Smith College) and so many more where cost comparisons can be drawn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For WNEU's 2020-2021 school year, according to their website, the basic annual costs for someone enrolling in the arts &amp;amp; sciences as well as business programs comes out to $39,216 - not including room and board. For the engineering students, the basic annual costs - again, not including room and board - comes to $40,868. Add room and board onto each of those costs and you're tacking on an additional $14,246.With that said, students don't often pay the &quot;sticker price&quot; for tuition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is plenty of gift aid available, which WNEU lists the &quot;average gift aid amount per student&quot; to be $21,571. The school lists their &quot;average out of pocket expenses after gift aid and self-help for a student living on campus&quot; to be $26,631. For a student not living on campus and commuting, the average out of pocket expenses after gift aid and self-help is $15,900.For HCC's 2019-2020 school year, according to their website, for tuition, fees and charges for a Massachusetts resident, the total estimated annual cost is $8,381, which includes an annual health insurance fee of $1,879. Many students are still on their parents health insurance, so that fee can be waived, bringing the annual cost down to $6,502 for the year.Let's pretend that I paid WNEU's &quot;average out of pocket expenses after gift aid and self-help&quot; for a commuter price for four years at $15,900. That's $63,600 for four years of education.Conversely, if I go by HCC's two year cost at $6,502 per year (not including health insurance), plus two years of schooling at WNEU's $15,900, that comes out to $44,804.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's a cost savings of $18,796.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just for the record &amp;ndash; I paid about $7,000 more per year than what WNEU lists as their &quot;average estimated cost for commuters&quot; - and I went into the school with fantastic grades and scholarships. I also paid about $2,000 less per year at HCC than their average annual cost, however this was three and five years ago, respectively, so costs change.A savings of $18,796 is a big chunk of money for someone who is 21 or 22 years old getting out of school into an incredibly unstable job market.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Degree&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Circling back to the comment from my peer who said &quot;You're smart, why would you go there?&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Well, sir - yes - I am smart. That's why I made the decision to go to community college firstYou see, now that I've graduated from my bachelors program (and a masters program, but that's beside the point) I have my bachelors degree from WNEU. That bachelors degree does not have an asterisks on it that says &quot;*Payton North only went to WNEU for half of her bachelors degree, she received the first half from a &amp;ndash; gasp &amp;ndash; community college!&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In fact, it looks and feels exactly like every other bachelors degree that students who went to the school for four years received on graduation day. It just cost significantly less for me to get.Don't get me wrong &amp;ndash; WNEU is home &amp;ndash; it's &quot;family&quot; to me. I fell in love with the look and feel of that campus, the sense of community, and I have such fond memories there - memories so fond that that's where I decided to go to school for my master's degree. I'll sing that campus's praises until the day I die.With that said, I will also sing the praises of the level of education I received at HCC until the day I die, too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Teaching Young Adults About Money&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the years, I've been listening to the way parents talk about where their kids are going to school. Many parents discuss all of the wonderful schools that their kids got into with such pride (kudos to the parents for raising great kids, and kudos to the kids for getting into these fantastic institutions, by the way.) Soon after parents are done praising their children for their accomplishments, though, the discussion quickly turns to chatting about how expensive the schools are and how financially dilapidating some are.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My son got into Worcester Polytechnic Institute, his dream school. I had to sit him down and explain to him that when he gets out of college, he's going to be $100,000 in debt.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My daughter really wants to go away to school in Rhode Island and I just don't have it in me to tell her we can't afford it. I think I'm going to let her go and we'll just have to refinance the house or figure something out.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My daughter is going to a private school in Boston. She applied to other state schools in Western Mass. but I had to tell her that if she was going to go to the school in Boston, she was going to have to take out the loan herself. I can't condone her going somewhere so costly.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Occasionally I'll respond to that parent who is expressing financial concerns,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Well have you thought about community college?&quot; And they'll reply, &quot;I've thought about it &amp;ndash; my kid won't though.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I took a radio reporting class while at WNEU, and I had the pleasure of interviewing Richard Havican of Havican Wealth Strategies in Wilbraham. My radio report was on the cost of education. I had asked Mr. Havican how many parents bring their kids in with them when financially planning for their students degrees. He was surprised I asked, and said that only one parent at that point had ever brought their child in with them to talk money.&amp;nbsp;I found this shocking.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I've gathered from conversations that a lot of parents tend to want to shield their kids from worrying about money. I get that. I'm not a parent yet, so I can't speak for one, but as a parent I'm sure you want to provide for your family and you don't want your kids to have to want for anything. I know I've heard my parents say on multiple occasions that they want my brother and me to have a life better than they did.With that said, having an understanding of money and finances is a part of life. I can't tell you how many friends I have that are now paying back $50,000, $75,000, $100,000 and up worth of loans and are frequently complaining about how they're going to be in debt until they're 35, 40, 45 years old.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These are the same people that are going to be buying houses within the next few years (adding another $100,000, $200,000 plus worth of debt to their name), who need new cars because their old beater is on its last leg, who are considering starting families soon and will have to pay for another mouth to feed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Bottom Line&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you haven't noticed where I'm going with this column already &amp;ndash; I'm here to dispute the stigma that surrounds getting a community college education. I don't deny the wonderful experiences that come with going away to college &amp;ndash; kids dream about decorating their dorm rooms, the parties that they'll go to, the new people they'll meet. For some people, it's not about dollars and cents. And that's fine - if you're not worried about the money, all the more power to you!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;However for those of you who are looking at where our economy is at right now due to the uncertainty of COVID-19, where the job market is, and the fact that many of these educational &amp;ndash; both private and public &amp;ndash; are going back to school remotely in the fall, I strongly encourage you and your students to consider community college as an option.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What's the difference between going to school online through a private school and going to school online through a community college? I'll tell you: in my experience &amp;ndash; there isn't one.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Obviously, the larger issue here is the cost of education and the widely debated topic of education reform. With that said &amp;ndash; I don't know about you &amp;ndash; but I don't see &quot;free college&quot; coming any time soon. So for the time being, there are decisions that we can make to try and reduce the cost of the education we receive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We can make this a little bit easier on ourselves with some of the choices we make.I don't have any ulterior agenda here &amp;ndash; I'm not on the board of any of these colleges, though sometimes I think they should be paying me for recommending them all day long. I simply am speaking from the perspective of someone who recently graduated, is thankful that I'm not saddled with an exorbitant amount of debt, and has no regrets about the way my college career turned out. I still had a wonderful &quot;college experience&quot; &amp;ndash; I met many friends, went to many parties, had plenty of fun. Just at a fraction of the price.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10959" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/neal-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|3|357" FileName="x10959.xml" Name="Neal-Grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Neal-HCC-grant.jpg" Title="Neal Touts Grant" Abstract="HCC and its partners will receive $1.89 million over four years to train up to 100 community health workers to better help families impacted by opioid use. " ThumbnailAltText="U.S. Rep. Richard Neal announces a federal grant award to HCC on Friday, August 7." IntroCopy="Funds to support HCC Community Health Worker program" Date="2020-08-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal talks to Congressman Richard Neal at HCC Friday, Aug. 7.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Royal-Neal-CHW.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congressman Richard Neal visited Holyoke Community College today to announce the awarding of four-year, $1.89 million federal grant aimed at helping families impacted by opioid use.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The funds &amp;ndash; $399,676 in the first year &amp;ndash; will enhance HCC's existing &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/foundations-of-health&quot;&gt;Community Health Worker training program &lt;/a&gt;with the goal of increasing the number of CHW's qualified to work on integrated opioid use disorder teams in area health centers in medically underserved communities. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The grant comes from the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA), part of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, I have been diligent in my commitment to use resources the committee has jurisdiction over to assist those who struggle with opioid abuse,&quot; Neal said today at a press event outside the HCC Campus Center.&amp;nbsp;&quot;We all know someone who suffers from this epidemic. This disease touches all people from all walks of life. We must continue to work together to combat this critical public health and safety issue, and I am grateful for the good work HCC continues to do in this realm.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HRSA's Opioid-Impacted Family Support Program supports training programs that enhance and expand paraprofessionals knowledge, skills, and expertise. It aims to increase the number of peer support specialists and other behavioral health-related paraprofessionals who work on interprofessional teams to provide services to children whose parents are impacted by opioid use disorders and other substance use disorders, and their family members in guardianship roles.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's partners in the grant project include Behavioral Health Network, Holyoke Health Center and the MassHire Hampden Country Workforce Board.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Funding to launch this new program could not come at a more critical time for our community and economy,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &quot;COVID-19 has made clear how essential community health workers are in addressing the wide range of physical, behavioral and mental health issues faced by members of our community. Through this program and with our partners, we will not only have the ability to support more families struggling with substance use, but we will also be creating more jobs in a sector central to our region's economic growth.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Community health is an emerging healthcare field and community health workers are typically employed by agencies to focus on underserved populations, conducting home visits and connecting clients with needed services. They do not provide medical care.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;About five years ago, HCC became one of the first colleges in Massachusetts to offer a community health worker program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The funding from this grant will provide on-the-job training for an additional 100 individuals (25 students and incumbent workers each academic year for four years) as CHWs in western Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;It will also provide $3,000 for each participant to help defray the cost of tuition, fees and supplies, and a $5,000 stipend while they're in Level 1 training.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The grant will also allow for the creation of a registered apprenticeship program with HCC's partners that will be the first of its kind in western Massachusetts.Students who enter an apprenticeship after they finish training are eligible for an annual stipend of $7,500.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) U.S. Rep. Richard Neal announces a federal grant at HCC on Friday, Aug. 7. (Above) Neal talks to HCC president Christina Royal.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10967" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/nsf-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|417|165" FileName="x10967.xml" Name="NSF Grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-STEM-FA19.jpg" Title="$1M grant for STEM" Abstract="The five-year award from the National Science Foundation will enable students majoring in STEM fields to qualify for scholarships of as much as $6,500 a year. " ThumbnailAltText="An HCC student conducts an experiment in the microbiology lab of HCC's Center for Life Sciences. " IntroCopy="NSF grant funds HCC STEM Scholars Program for five more years" Date="2020-08-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student in science lab&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-STEM-FA19.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded a five-year, $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation that will enable students majoring in STEM fields to qualify for scholarships of as much as $6,500 a year toward tuition and fees. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The scholarships are open to current and incoming HCC students enrolled&amp;nbsp;full time or part time in chemistry, biology, biotechnology, environmental science, computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics or other STEM areas of study.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students selected for the scholarship awards will become part of HCC's STEM Scholars 2.0 Program. HCC started a STEM Scholars Program in 2015 after receiving its first five-year STEM grant from the National Science Foundation.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are really excited to be re-funded for this program so we can continue and expand the work that we've been doing for the past five years,&quot; said Ileana Vasu, HCC professor of math and coordinator of HCC's STEM Scholars program. &quot;The grant not only provides significant money to students for college but will enable us to focus on culturally relevant practices in STEM that will help us work toward equity in education for all members of our community.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC STEM Scholars are required to complete a one-credit STEM seminar each semester and attend several STEM events each semester they are enrolled in the program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The NSF STEM Scholarships continue each semester students remain in good academic standing.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The scholarship application deadline for the 2020-2021 academic year is Sept. 4. Awards will be announced by Sept. 8, the first day of classes of the fall 2020 semester.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Applicants must be enrolled in a STEM program, demonstrate academic ability or potential, and demonstrate financial need.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Full eligibility guidelines for the NSF Scholarship in STEM can be viewed at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/alumni-and-friends/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships/nsf-scholarship-in-stem&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hcc.edu/alumni-and-friends/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships/nsf-scholarship-in-stem&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1597424845736000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEwsqadCUCbP1vt8PYOy553vp-Rwg&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/stem-scholarship&lt;/a&gt;, where there is also a link to the online application.&amp;nbsp; For more information, please contact Ileana Vasu at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:ivasu@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;ivasu@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: An HCC student conducts an experiment in the microbiology lab in HCC's Center for Life Sciences.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10957" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hcc-wsu-biotech" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|227|225" FileName="x10957.xml" Name="HCC-WSU Biotech" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CLS-Rabinsky-students.jpg" Title="New Biotech Pathway" Abstract="HCC and Westfield State University are partnering on a new transfer pathway that will make it easier and more affordable for students studying biotechnology to earn their bachelor's degrees.  " ThumbnailAltText="Biotechnology program coordinator Emily Rabinsky leads a laboratory class in HCC's Center for Life Sciences. " IntroCopy="HCC, Westfield State forge biotechnology transfer pathway" Date="2020-08-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Professor Emily Rabinsky leads a biotechnology lab at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CLS-Rabinsky-students.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Westfield State University and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College (HCC)&lt;/a&gt; have partnered to create an affordable pathway for students who earn an associate degree in biotechnology from HCC to transfer credits and pursue a bachelor's degree from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.westfield.ma.edu/&quot;&gt;Westfield State University&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The transfer agreement benefits students by providing an affordable option to enroll at HCC for two years and take high-level science courses that can be applied at Westfield State. With the agreement in place, students will experience a smooth transfer process between the two schools.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Westfield State University is honored to continue our long relationship with Holyoke Community College, this time providing a bridge between an associate degree in biotechnology and the career that community college students want to pursue,&quot; said Roy H. Saigo, Ph.D., interim president of Westfield State University. &quot;This partnership also underscores the Westfield State's commitment to facilitating accessible and affordable degree options for everyone, regardless of background.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Under the articulation agreement, students will receive credit from Westfield State for program-related courses completed at HCC. They can apply those credits toward the requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, with a concentration in biotechnology at Westfield State.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are proud of our partnership with Westfield State University that allows students to earn their associate's degree at Holyoke Community College and transfer seamlessly to Westfield State to earn their bachelor's degree and beyond,&quot; said HCC President Christina Royal, Ph.D. &quot;Programs like these offer affordable pathways for students to begin their careers with less debt and enter the next phase of their lives as leaders in the medical and science fields.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Employment of biological technicians is projected to grow 7 percent through 2028, faster than the average for all occupations, according to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bls.gov/OOH/life-physical-and-social-science/biological-technicians.htm#:~:text=Employment%20of%20biological%20technicians%20is,increase%20demand%20for%20these%20workers.&quot;&gt;U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics&lt;/a&gt;, which also states that continued growth in biotechnology and medical research is expected to increase demand for these workers. In addition, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.massbioed.org/news/174-massbioed-releases-2018-job-trends-forecast-for-life-sciences-industry-in-massachusetts&quot;&gt;MassBioEd&lt;/a&gt; reports that nearly 12,000 jobs are forecast to be created through May 2023.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Massachusetts has one of the highest concentrations of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in the world and a degree in biotech typically translates to careers with competitive salaries and opportunities for advancement,&quot; said Emily Rabinsky, Ph.D., Biotechnology Program Coordinator and Professor of Biology at HCC. &quot;Furthermore, it provides students with career opportunities in which they can play a role in positively impacting others' lives.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC offers an associate degree in arts and science with a concentration in biotechnology. In 2018, the college opened a 13,000 square-foot Center for Life Sciences that features a dedicated biotechnology lab and instructional cleanroom like those used in the biotechnology industry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;During a time when molecular and cellular biology is of the utmost importance, Westfield State's biotechnology program provides students with the content knowledge and skills to be prepared for any career in the biotechnology field-including vaccine development, genetic engineering, and biofuels,&quot; said Professor Jennifer Hanselman, Ph.D., dean of the University's College of Mathematics and Sciences.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She added: &quot;HCC provides a quality foundation in sciences and mathematics, allowing students to make a seamless transition into Westfield State's program. Housed within our Biology Department, the biotechnology program supports the shift from 'student to scientist' through individualized mentoring, research, and internship opportunities.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10948" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/samary-ramos" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|65|226|385" FileName="x10948.xml" Name="Samary Ramos" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Samary-Ramos-2020.jpg" Title="Moving Forward" Abstract="A near-death experience inspired Samary Ramos to return to school; the HCC Visual Arts faculty inspired her to pursue a career in art education. " ThumbnailAltText="Samary Ramos" IntroCopy="&quot;Art is my passion. It's been my life. I'm an artist above all else. I owed it to myself to enhance that talent, to train and develop it, and explore new ways to express it.&quot; – Samary Ramos, HCC Class of 2020" Date="2020-07-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Samary Ramos&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Samary-Ramos-2020.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2018, during her second year at Holyoke Community College, Samary Ramos was invited to speak to the HCC Board of Trustees about the journey that had led her there.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two years before, Ramos told trustees, she had suffered acute lung failure. Put on life support, she fell into a coma and nearly died.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I spent an entire month fighting for my life,&quot; she said. &quot;Upon waking up I realized that if I had passed away my two kids, who are special needs &amp;ndash; they both have autism &amp;ndash; would have been lost to the system, due to lack of care and support.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For Ramos, who had left school in 8&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; grade, the moment was more than a physical awakening.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was a horrific experience,&quot; she recalled more recently. &quot;Death is something terrifying and somehow I survived it, so how terrifying could passing a test be? How terrifying would it be to live life? That's when I decided to pursue getting my education, and I've been nonstop ever since.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 36-year-old Springfield resident completed her studies at HCC this spring, earning high honors and her associate degree in Visual Arts. Along the way, she collected a steady stream of academic honors, awards, and HCC Foundation scholarships, finishing with a GPA of 3.8.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She is the first person in her family to graduate from college. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It feels good,&quot; she said. &quot;I know it's just one step along a longer path, but I am extremely proud of it, and it feels good to hear how proud my family is as well. I'm in a better place to be able to provide for them and secure their future a bit more.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ramos received a big push along that path from the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford, which awarded her a $20,000-a-year scholarship to continue her studies in pursuit of a bachelor's degree and a career in visual arts education. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm moving forward,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ramos's reintroduction to school came through HCC's HiSET program. Through that, she earned her high school equivalency degree, then joined Transition to College and Careers, HCC's free college preparatory program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The TCC program, which met on the main HCC campus, was &quot;life changing,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was a wonderful transition into the college environment,&quot; she said. &quot;They were so receptive and warm and welcoming, and they put all of my worries at ease. I needed it.&quot;&amp;nbsp;The confidence she gained left no doubt that she would continue on at HCC for her associate degree or that she would study visual arts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;According to legend &amp;ndash; my mother &amp;ndash; I began drawing when I was 18 months old,&quot; Ramos said. &quot;Art is my passion. It's been my life. I'm an artist above all else. I owed it to myself to enhance that talent, to train and develop it, and explore new ways to express it.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a freelance artist, Ramos works in all mediums, painting murals, designing tattoos, and drawing pastel and charcoal portraits.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm known for being extremely versatile,&quot; she said. &quot;Portraits are my main commission. I do a lot of memorials of people who have passed away.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Without a home studio, she sets up wherever she can, often in her living room or bedroom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Art is not a hobby. It's not a job. It's what I do. It's what I enjoy,&quot; she said. &quot;The only time I'm really, really truly happy is when I'm creating something artistic.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She posts photos of her art on her Facebook page and plans to launch a website by the end of the summer showcasing her work.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her talent did not go unrecognized at HCC. Two years in a row, 2018 and 2019, she received the Visual Art Faculty Prize, and her scholarship to Hartford Art School was based largely on her portfolio.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ramos credits the HCC Visual Arts faculty for inspiring her to become an art teacher. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They are amazing artists themselves and humble enough to choose to educate other people on their process,&quot; she said. &quot;That was something that I respected and admired and decided to pursue myself.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She wouldn't mind following in their footsteps.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I have such a love for HCC. I'd be blessed if I was able to work there one day,&quot; Ramos said. &quot;I would love that, to be a Visual Arts professor there.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Samary Ramos&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10953" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/nathan-wytrwal" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|65|385" FileName="x10953.xml" Name="Nathan Wytrwal" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/NathanW-fountain.jpg" Title="The Journeyman" Abstract="Nathan Wytrwal '20 got his first good glimpse of HCC through the service window of a food truck. Now he's on his way to UMass to study mechanical engineering.   " ThumbnailAltText="Nathan Wytrwal" IntroCopy="&quot;I've had a lot of opportunities to travel, but it's come at the cost of stability in my life. I could finally see how my resistance to higher education was holding me back from my potential.&quot; – Nathan Wytrwal '20" Date="2020-07-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Nathan Wytrwal &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/NathanW-stairs.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nathan Wytrwal got his first good glimpse of Holyoke Community College through the service window of a food truck.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At the time, Wytrwal was working for the Holyoke Hummus Company, selling falafel sandwiches to the lunchtime crowd in the HCC campus courtyard. The job was the latest in a long succession of positions he'd held since graduating from Quabbin Regional High School more than a decade before, during which time he had traveled around the U.S., laboring mostly in forests, gardens and fields in an effort to learn more about the world and about himself.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As he surveyed the scene at HCC, the introspective 32-year-old from Barre, Mass., studied the students as they ambled back and forth to class. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I could see what was happening, and I was like, well, I want to be one of those people,&quot; He remembers thinking. &quot;What will it take to get me there?&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What it took was being laid off from the food truck, a push that sent him to the unemployment office, where he discovered he qualified for a program that helped displaced workers pay for college.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I guess through most of my adult life I've been housing and food insecure,&quot; said Wytrwal, now 35 and living in Holyoke. &quot;I've had a lot of opportunities to travel, but it's come at the cost of stability in my life. I could finally see how my resistance to higher education was holding me back from my potential.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, Wytrwal explored the full range of that potential. Over seven semesters, he amassed more than 90 credits. (Typically, only 64 are required for an associate degree.) But for a couple of classes, he would have finished with a perfect 4.0 GPA. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nevertheless, Wytrwal, with his merely mortal 3.94 GPA, graduated this spring with high honors and his associate degree in engineering. He plans to study mechanical engineering this fall at UMass Amherst. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wytrwal made his presence known on campus in other ways as well. He served as a New Student Orientation leader, member of HCC's Green Key Honor Society, and president of Alpha Xi Omega (the HCC chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society). He also worked as a math tutor and held a work-study job with HCC's Student Success and Retention program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think my involvement in New Student Orientation and being able to share with incoming students the resources that were available to them really helped me open up and realize I had the capacity for a lot more than just pursuing academics,&quot; he said. &quot;I really enjoyed sharing the community that I found at HCC and encouraging others to get involved and take on leadership roles.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coming out of high school, Wytrwal did not see college as an option. Part of that was not wanting to be stuck in the tiny town where he grew up. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I didn't see going to college for education's sake as being part of my journey,&quot; he said. &quot;I had lived in the same town my whole life. I knew enough about that to know that I wanted to experience more, I wanted to know more, and I didn't know what I wanted to do or what I wanted to learn or how to contribute back to society, ultimately, and so I traveled. A lot.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His travels took him from coast to coast and north to south. Over the years he's lived in Denver, Portland, New Mexico, Florida. He's worked as a farmhand, gardener and landscaper. He's done forestry work and volunteered for nine months at a Buddhist monastery in northern, California, learning arc welding and how to form concrete. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've always been passionate about nature and natural issues, earth studies,&quot; Wytrwal said. &quot;I'm fascinated with rocks, birds and trees. I love being outdoors.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Though he started at HCC as liberal arts major, he switched to environmental science before finally settling on engineering, though his focus remains squarely on environmental issues. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think I just realized I wanted to be building and creating,&quot; he said. &quot;The engineering track seemed a lot more in line with trying to come up with working solutions to problems.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To that end, Wytrwal sees a career for himself developing new green energy technologies, a far cry from his previous work as a food truck operator.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm really overjoyed that I landed at HCC,&quot; he said. &quot;I couldn't have asked for a better experience, and I think I'm very well established for success moving forward.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRS YURKO: Nathan Wytrwal, at HCC&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10943" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-sp20" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x10943.xml" Name="Deans List SP20" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Olivia-Lemire-SP19-scholars-117.jpg" Title="Spring 2020 Dean's List " Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize the 888 students who earned Dean's List honors for the Spring 2020 semester. " ThumbnailAltText="Olivia Grace Lemire '20 of Florence at HCC's Spring 2019 scholarship reception" IntroCopy="HCC is proud to recognize all the students who made Dean's List for the Spring 2020 semester. " Date="2020-06-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Olivia Lemire &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Olivia-Lemire-SP19-scholars-117.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. A student is placed on the Dean's List if his or her G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Follow the link below to see an alphabetical listing of all the HCC students who&amp;nbsp;earned Dean's List status for the Spring 2020&amp;nbsp; semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/deans-list&quot;&gt;Dean's List &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Olivia Grace Lemire '20 of Florence was one of 888 HCC students who made the Dean's List for the Spfing 2020 semester.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10947" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/commonwealth-heroine" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|194" FileName="x10947.xml" Name="Commonwealth Heroine" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Tracye-Whitfield.jpg" Title="Commonwealth Heroine" Abstract="Tracye Whitfield, director of contract sales for HCC's division of Business &amp; Community Services, was honored June 24 by the Mass. Commission on the Status of Women. " ThumbnailAltText="Tracye Whitfield " IntroCopy="HCC's Tracye Whitfield honored by Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women" Date="2020-06-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sy Becker inteviews Tracye Whitfield during a Black History Month event at HCC in February 2020. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Sy-Tracye-BBS.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tracye Whitfield, director of contract sales for HCC's division of Business &amp;amp; Community Services, was honored by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women as a 2020 Commonwealth Heroine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;State Sen. James Welch (D-West Springfield) recommended&amp;nbsp;Whitfield for the annual recognition for her tremendous commitment to the people of Springfield and work as a Springfield city councilor at-large. The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women virtually celebrated the 17&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;-annual Commonwealth Heroines Class of 2020 by sharing&amp;nbsp;a slideshow on social media on June 24, the date originally scheduled for the in-person event at the Massachusetts State House.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whitfield, a Springfield resident, has a long, respectable history of community work within the city of Springfield. She has served as a&amp;nbsp;co-chair of the Mason Square C3, a board co-chair of Wellspring Cooperative since 2018 (board member since 2017), a board trustee of Association of Black Businesses and Professionals since 2015, and board trustee of Sabis International Charter from 2013 to 2018.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She also works as director of contract sales for the division of Business &amp;amp; Community Services at Holyoke Community College and is director of business development for Training &amp;amp; Workforce Options &amp;ndash; TWO &amp;ndash; a partnership between HCC and Springfield Technical Community College.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Tracye has become a leader in the Springfield community by&amp;nbsp;working closely with elected residents, local organizations, and elected officials to improve quality of life.,&quot; said Sen. Welch. &quot;I am grateful for her service and her compassion for the wellbeing of individuals and societies.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women is an independent state agency that was legislatively created in 1998 to advance women of the Commonwealth to full equality in all areas of life and to promote their rights and opportunities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: WWLP 22-News reporter Sy Becker interviews Tracye Whitfield during a Black Entrepreneur's Showcase event she helped organize at HCC in February for Black History Month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10937" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sage-pasquale" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|65|385" FileName="x10937.xml" Name="Sage Pasquale" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Sage-Pasquale.jpg" Title="Dual Purpose" Abstract="This spring, at the age 18, Sage Pasquale of Holyoke, earned her high school diploma and graduated with high honors from Holyoke Community College. " ThumbnailAltText="Sage Pasquale" IntroCopy="HCC student, 18, earns both high school diploma and associate degree" Date="2020-06-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sage Pasquale&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Sage-Pasquale.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sage Pasquale took her first class at Holyoke Community College when she was only 14 years old.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That was &quot;Dinosaurs of New England: A Geologic History of the Pioneer Valley,&quot; a four-credit environmental science laboratory course taught by Prof. Steven Winters. Sage wound up tagging along with her older sister, River, who was already enrolled and thought she might enjoy it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;River was right. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I loved that class,&quot; says the younger Pasquale. &quot;That was a nice introduction to HCC.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For Pasquale, a homeschooled student from Holyoke, &quot;Dinosaurs of New England&quot; also served as her introduction to a traditional classroom, a place she found she fit right in. The following semester, she signed up for two more HCC courses, the next semester three, until she was finally a full-time, dual-enrolled high school student. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I kind of eased into it,&quot; she says. &quot;I had never taken an actual test before coming to HCC, so that was certainly a big change.&quot;&amp;nbsp;One that didn't seem to bother her at all.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This spring, HCC is honoring 199 graduating seniors from 31 different high schools who all took classes at the college through its Dual Enrollment Program. Dual Enrollment allows high school students to earn transferable college credits while they work toward their high school diplomas.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to HCC's Admission's office, these seniors combined for 2,100 college credits, but only one of them earned both a high school diploma and her associate degree at the same time. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That would be Sage Pasquale. Now 18, Pasquale says she didn't realize until December 2019 that she would have enough credits to get a degree.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was really just taking classes because I was interested in them,&quot; she said earlier this month. &quot;I kind of had a dream that I would graduate from high school with an associate's degree, but it was never really my plan.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Along the way, she made the Dean's List in each of her final four semesters.&amp;nbsp;&quot;I never really paid much attention to that,&quot; she said. &quot;I was just at HCC to take the classes, learn what I could and do as well as I can.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She did very well.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a member of the HCC Class of 2020, Pasquale, a math major, completed her associate degree with a GPA of 3.86, high honors, and two transfer scholarships from the HCC Foundation that she will apply toward her continuing education at Agnes Scott College, a small, all-women's college outside Atlanta, where she plans to study physics or math.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think it will be an interesting place to go to school,&quot; Pasquale said. &quot;It's so different from western Massachusetts. I've grown up my whole life here, and I wanted to experience something different.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While attending to her studies, Pasquale taught gymnastics at a studio in East Longmeadow and was co-founder of Youth Rides Together, a group of area homeschoolers and young activists who work on projects related to contemporary issues like immigration and climate change.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;At HCC, she was founder of the college's first-ever Dual Enrollment Club.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although U.S. History II was her &quot;absolute favorite class&quot; at HCC, she ultimately gravitated toward math.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I like all of the rules, and how there's no guesswork involved,&quot; she said. &quot;It's really concrete, and there's always a right answer.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Heading into her final semester this spring, Pasquale didn't slack off. Instead, she took Calculus 3, Physics 2, and a six-credit honors colloquium called &quot;Ecosocialism or Ecocide? The Challenges of Environmental Ethics and Politics.&quot; All of them fit right in with her interests and career pathway. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm interested in engineering,&quot; she said. &quot;Civil engineering or environmental engineering, because I think that will be a really important part of combating climate change.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As COVID-19 restrictions began to ease, Pasquale was hoping to soon be able to start a summer job as a counselor at a gymnastics camp in Burlington, Vermont. Never one to go the traditional route, she planned to hike there, up the Appalachian Trail. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Sage Pasquale&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10938" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cfwm-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|165" FileName="x10938.xml" Name="CFWM grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg" Title="Granting Relief" Abstract="HCC has received a $35,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts that will help students facing emergencies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Campus Center" IntroCopy="$35K grant boosts President's Student Emergency Fund" Date="2020-06-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Campus Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CampusCenter-SP20.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After COVID-19 broke, applications to the President's Student Emergency Fund at Holyoke Community College soared.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The fund, established by President Christina Royal through the HCC Foundation, is meant to assist students facing unanticipated financial burdens, such as a lack of affordable housing, childcare expenses, and transportation. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the 2019-2020 academic year, 93 percent of student requests to the fund have come since mid-March. As HCC transitioned to remote learning, nearly $25,000 has been distributed to help students facing income loss and struggling to pay their bills in the midst of the pandemic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are talking about an average gift of $500,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation, the college's nonprofit fundraising corporation. &quot;That is often the difference between staying on a path to a college degree or never being able to return to the classroom. Studying and learning remotely has meant added an unanticipated expenses for our students. Faster internet, upgraded technology,&amp;nbsp; housing and food costs, utility bills &amp;ndash; seemingly simple shifts in daily life are easy to manage for some, but for many HCC students, they can derail their entire education.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This week, the President's Student Emergency Fund at HCC received a $35,000 boost in the form of a grant from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts designated for COVID-19 relief. The HCC Foundation was one of 29 area nonprofits receiving financial assistance in &lt;a href=&quot;http://communityfoundation.org/organizations-supported/&quot;&gt;the latest round of COVID-19 relief funds from the Community Foundation.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You are receiving this grant thanks in part to&amp;nbsp;funding from the&amp;nbsp;Massachusetts&amp;nbsp;COVID-19 Relief&amp;nbsp;Fund,&quot; Jim Ayres, CFWM vice president for Programs &amp;amp; Strategy, said in an email to Sbriscia. &quot;The&amp;nbsp;Massachusetts&amp;nbsp;COVID-19 Relief&amp;nbsp;Fund&amp;nbsp;works in concert with regional&amp;nbsp;community&amp;nbsp;foundations and nonprofit leaders to support those across the state most impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis, focusing on essential frontline workers and vulnerable populations including the homeless, immigrant populations, people with disabilities and those facing food insecurity.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the Community Foundation grant, the HCC Foundation has now raised $72,480 for the President's Student Emergency Fund since late March when it launched the &quot;TogetherHCC&quot; fundraising campaign in response to the pandemic, placing the total amount of dollars available for student relief at $190,000.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The largest single donation to the campaign was $20,000 from HCC alumna Margaret &quot;Peg&quot; Wendlandt '58 and her husband, Gary, who have supported the emergency fund since it was established three years ago. The rest of the contributions have come in much smaller increments from 160 individual donors and area businesses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are so grateful to the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, our alumni and HCC employees and friends for believing in the power of our emergency fund to help our students,&quot; said Sbriscia. &quot;In one way or another, all our students have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The sense of relief and comfort we're able to provide thanks to the generosity of so many is honestly life-changing for them.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10819" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/marley-friedrick" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165|385" FileName="x10819.xml" Name="Marley Friedrick" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/copy-Marley-F-another.jpg" Title="Change-Maker" Abstract="New HCC graduate Marley Friedrick '20 of Amherst has been selected for a Newman Civic Fellowship and was also recognized as one of the state's &quot;29 Who Shine.&quot;" ThumbnailAltText="Marley Friedrick" IntroCopy="New graduate no stranger to social justice" Date="2020-06-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Marley Friedrick&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/copy-Marley-F-another.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the campaign for social justice, Marley Friedrick rarely rests.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Just days after completing his studies at Holyoke Community College, on the exact day, in fact, that in an ordinary year he would have been celebrating Commencement at the MassMutual Center in Springfield with the Class of 2020, Friedrick joined a Black Lives Matter protest in Sweetser Park across the street from the Amherst police station. He was planning to do it again the following weekend in Northampton.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm happy to be relaxing after the semester,&quot; the 20-year-old said, checking in by phone from his home in Amherst, &quot;but I am not completely relaxing, because of George Floyd's death. So, I'm going to protest and doing everything I can to support my friends of color. Scary times, but I'm happy to be done with the semester.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Friedrick's active engagement will surprise no one who knows him at HCC, where for two years he largely focused his attention on matters related to racial equity and empowering marginalized groups.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the 2019-2020 academic year, he served as student representative on the HCC Board of Trustees, where he was a vocal advocate for students and faculty of color and co-chaired the Equity and Diversity Committee.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a student senator, he co-founded an initiative to create resource spaces and support networks for identity groups. He helped re-activate the Rainbow Club (formerly the Queer-Straight Alliance), wrote a student handbook of campus resources for survivors of sexual abuse, worked in El Centro, home of HCC's Multicultural Academic Services program, and volunteered as a New Student Orientation leader, leading campus tours and helping to rewrite orientation materials to better serve low-income and first-generation students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That campus activism paralleled his academic success. He graduated from HCC in May with high honors and his associate degree in liberal arts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For all of it, Friedrick was recently recognized with two distinguished awards.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He is the recipient of a Newman Civic Fellowship from Campus Compact, a Boston-based nonprofit that promotes civic engagement in higher education &amp;ndash; one of only six community college students in Massachusetts selected for the national award and the only one from Western Mass.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, Friedrick was HCC's choice for the &quot;29 Who Shine,&quot; a program sponsored by the Dept. of Higher Education that recognizes one student from each of the state's 29 public colleges and universities. The &quot;29 Who Shine&quot; recipients are typically honored every spring at the State House, but this year's ceremony was cancelled because of Covid-19. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a Newman Civic Fellow, Friedrick will continue some of the work he started at HCC, but he will do so now as a student at Amherst College, where he plans to study sociology and studio art beginning in September. The fellowship runs through the next academic year and provides opportunities for the undergraduate fellows to attend national conferences and participate in in-person and virtual workshops as they work on community-based projects.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For his fellowship profile, Friedrick wrote, &quot;I try my best to leverage my privilege as a white man to challenge the ways that our institution manifests patterns of institutionalized racism and to make intentional efforts to dismantle these power structures.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For his fellowship project, Friedrick said he hopes to work with House of Colors in Holyoke (part of Enlace de Familias) and its queer youth program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC is fortunate to have had Marley as a student and we are proud to now count him as one of our alumni,&quot; said President Christina Royal, who nominated Friedrick for the Newman fellowship. &quot;He has made a tremendous impact here, and I know he will continue to be a leader at Amherst College and wherever he goes after that.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Friedrick's activism did not begin at HCC. Growing up in the Amherst area he frequently took part in protests and marches and was vice president of the Women's Rights Club at Amherst Regional High School, a place where he says he felt marginalized himself as a low-income, &quot;typical queer&quot; who had never excelled in the classroom. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;All that faltering gave me time to notice the injustices of the world and why we need to act and make change,&quot; he said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, though, he was inspired by his professors and classes, in particular the Honors Program courses and Learning Communities that explored topics such as gender and women's studies, sustainable agriculture, Latinx literature, and one in particular that could not be more relevant today, an honors sociology class titled &quot;Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think that really speaks to why HCC courses are so enriching academically and in terms of our lives, because they are relevant,&quot; he said. &quot;HCC exposed me to a lot of people who really cared about the social justice and community work that they were doing, and they did truly encourage me to be the best leader and best change-maker I could be.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Marley Friedrick&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10934" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/scholarships-2020-x10934" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|65|165" FileName="x10934.xml" Name="Scholarships 2020" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-Xinhong-Wu.jpg" Title="'The greatest gift'" Abstract="The HCC Foundation awarded nearly $210,000 in scholarships for the 2020-2021 academic year and will set a record for the number of scholarships it distributes, 233. " ThumbnailAltText="Xinhong Wu of Amherst recieved two scholarships from the HCC Foundation for the 2020-2021 academic year. " IntroCopy="&quot;The scholarship means I can go another year at HCC and focus more on my studying and nursing skills rather than worrying about my financial status. It means I can finish my nursing degree and reach my dream.&quot; – Versaviya Okhrimenko" Date="2020-06-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Alexandra Clark of Huntington&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-Alexandra-Clark.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After Doris M. Kemble died in 1990 from cancer, her mother, Abbe, established a scholarship in her memory through the Holyoke Community College Foundation. Kemble had been a beloved member of the HCC nursing faculty, and her mother wanted to make sure her daughter's legacy continued.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It does.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since 1998, more than 60 HCC students have been awarded the Doris M. Kemble Nursing Scholarship. This year, one of them is Versaviya Okhrimenko of Westfield. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The scholarship means I can go another year at HCC and focus more on my studying and nursing skills rather than worrying about my financial status,&quot; said Okhrimenko. &quot;It means I can finish my nursing degree and reach my dream. It is honestly the greatest gift I have ever received.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This spring, the HCC Foundation awarded nearly $210,000 in scholarships to 200 incoming, current and transferring HCC students and will set a record for the number of scholarships it distributes for the 2020-2021 academic year, 233.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Because of COVID-19, students need the money more this year than ever, says Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional and executive director of the HCC Foundation. The number of applications for scholarships this year increased 22 percent, from 391 to 479.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC students are always remarkable, but they have demonstrated incredible resilience this semester,&quot; Sbriscia said. &quot;Many are working, but some have lost their jobs. Still, they are raising children, planning to transfer to four-year schools, changing careers, and blazing a path that for some no one in their family has taken before. When so much of our students' world was unknown as a result of a global pandemic, it was important to ensure they could still count on the HCC Foundation for scholarship opportunities that would inspire them to continue working toward their educational goals.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the years, the HCC Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm of the college, has provided more than $3 million in student scholarships while also investing in classroom equipment and technology for select academic and student support programs. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Typically, the Foundation hosts a scholarship reception in May where scholarship recipients can interact with the donors responsible for their awards. But this year, of course, the reception was cancelled because of COVID-19 restrictions.&amp;nbsp;Instead, students were invited to record personal videos that were sent directly to donors. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Thinking that someone is trusting me and investing in my career &amp;ndash; thank you so much for that,&quot; Okhrimenko said in here video. &quot;Through this award, you're helping a plain girl like me to become a nurse and save lives.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x10933.xml&quot;&gt;Please visit our Achievements Page to view the full list of scholarship recipients ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Xinhong Wu of Amherst (thumbnail) and Alexandra Clark of Hungtington (above) at HCC's Scholarship Reception in May 2019. Both received scholarships again this year from the HCC Foundation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12873" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/racially-profiled" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12873.xml" Name="Racially Profiled" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202018/drama-blue.jpg" Title="Racially Profiled" Abstract="HCC student Andres Rodrigues's first-person account of his interactions with black and white police officers, won a playwriting award at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. " ThumbnailAltText="Theater icon" IntroCopy="&quot;I now know how it feels to be profiled by different races. Both black and white police officers treated me differently.&quot;" Date="2022-04-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: Andre Rodrigues's story, &quot;Racially Profiled,&quot; was written for the HCC Theater Department's spring 2021 production of &quot;In These Times.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By Andre Rodrigues&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;My name is Andre Rodrigues, and I would like to tell you my story.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One day, a friend of mine came to pick me up from my house to go play basketball at the park.&amp;nbsp;I was in the back seat while my other two friends, Josh and Kevin, were in the front. Kevin blew a stop sign at the end of my street and cut off a state trooper. A black cop came up to the window and asked, &quot;Do you know why I pulled you over?&quot; and Kevin replied, &quot;Yes sir, I blew the stop sign.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All of the sudden the cop takes a look at Josh in the passenger seat, then peaking in the back at me.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The trooper became aggressive toward me; it was like he completely forgot about the reason why we were pulled over in the first place. He yelled to me: &quot;HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING BACK THERE&quot; I replied, &quot;Nothing, sir, I am just playing a game on my phone.&quot;&amp;nbsp;He yells again, &quot;WHAT'S YOUR NAME? DO YOU HAVE ID ON YOU?&quot; I said, &quot;No, sir, I did not bring my wallet with me because we were going to play....&quot; and he cuts me off and goes &quot;WHAT KIND OF ____ GROWN A** MAN DOESN'T CARRY THEIR WALLET ON THEM.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He then stormed off to his car and came back to my friend with a warning. It took me a little while to process what just happened to me and for what reason? I am of Portuguese descent and usually people mistake me for being Puerto Rican, Dominican or some other type of Latino. I get it all the time, so it does not bother me but I felt that black trooper had something against Latinos for him to treat me the way he did for no reason.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The second time I was profiled, it was by a white cop.&amp;nbsp;Kevin was driving us again and this time his license was suspended and we were on our way to pick up my other friend, Brian. Kevin's brother is a cop in the town of Ludlow where we live.&amp;nbsp;His brother saw us driving in his car and he knew Kevin was not supposed to be driving, so he followed us and pulled us over right in front of Brian's house.&amp;nbsp;He came up to the window and started yelling at Kevin, asking why he was driving when he knew he was not supposed to. He then peaked at me and told us to get out of the car. This was in the middle of summer, and with my olive skin I get extremely dark during the summer months. He searched the car and then us. He had other cops come and they were focusing on me as if I was doing something wrong. They searched me again only, except this time more thoroughly. They found nothing, and they made me call for a ride home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Later on, Kevin told me his brother said to him &quot;Why the ___ are you hanging out with that &lt;em&gt;N word&lt;/em&gt;. He thought I was black and that's the first time in my life where I was perceived as being a black man.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After Kevin's brother said that to him, Kevin said, &quot;Dude, are you joking. He's not black, he is Portuguese,&quot; and his attitude toward me shifted. I now know how it feels to be profiled by different races. Both black and white police officers treated me differently, not because I was doing anything wrong but because they just truly were racist human beings. After I fell victim to racial profiling, I understood racism, personally.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12865" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/apollo" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12865.xml" Name="Apollo" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202018/Drama-green.jpg" Title="Apollo" Abstract="HCC student Nicole Couture's story &quot;Apollo,&quot; about an adopted dog, won a playwriting award at the 2022 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. " ThumbnailAltText="Theater icon" IntroCopy="&quot;I loved him before I met him. I first saw him on Facebook, and with those searching eyes, I knew I had to have him.&quot;" Date="2022-04-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: Nicole Couture's story &quot;Apollo&quot; was written for the HCC Theater Department's spring 2021 production of &quot;In These Times.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By NICOLE COUTURE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I loved him before I met him.&amp;nbsp;I first saw him on Facebook, and with those searching eyes, I knew I had to have him.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There was something about him that just gave me this feeling that I couldn't ignore &amp;ndash; an 8-month-old white pitbull. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I love dogs and I see a lot on Facebook who need rescuing. I initially commented on the post how beautiful he was and that I would love the chance to give him a good life and a forever home.&amp;nbsp;But, he was in Illinois, and I live in Chicopee. So, I did one of the hardest things I had ever done.&amp;nbsp;A good friend and I drove to Pittsburgh, P.A., to meet the owner's friend halfway, a 24-hour roundtrip with all the stops.&amp;nbsp;The date was 9/11 and I remember that for obvious reasons.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first time I met him he was so scared of everything and everyone. Initially he was afraid of&amp;nbsp;my boyfriend, TJ. We figured he was afraid of men.&amp;nbsp;However, with patience and love, Apollo grew to love and trust us.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Skyy, my 4year-old pitbull was a little unsure of him but Apollo won her over.&amp;nbsp;They learned from each other.&amp;nbsp;Apollo learned to play with toys (he had no idea what a toy was for, but he taught Skyy to wrestle, which had not been her favorite activity).&amp;nbsp;Their favorite game was to chase each other in circles under the bed and chew each other's toes and ears. Apollo helped Skyy get over her car anxiety because Apollo enjoyed the car.&amp;nbsp;Following Skyy's lead, Apollo learned &quot;paw&quot; and &quot;sit&quot; in no time.&amp;nbsp;Within a week, Apollo was a completely different dog. He was not so afraid. Very quickly, Apollo had all of our hearts in his paws.&amp;nbsp;I was gloriously happy knowing that I had done the right thing bringing Apollo back to Massachusetts to live a happy, healthy, and loving life with Skyy, TJ, and me.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We quickly took the dogs for check-ups &amp;ndash; Skyy was her usual not so agreeable self with the vet, but Apollo let the vet check him over completely.&amp;nbsp;The staff&amp;nbsp;commented on what a sweet dog he was.&amp;nbsp;We were so happy.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After a complete work over, the vet said he had renal dysplasia, which meant he was born with severely underdeveloped kidneys, What?&amp;nbsp;He had had two or three previous homes before he came to me, none of which had gotten him the care he needed, resulting in severe damage to his kidneys.&amp;nbsp;This left him with six months to live ... if he was lucky.&amp;nbsp;Are you kidding me?&amp;nbsp;We were stunned. This smaller than average white dog who had the name of the Greek god of archery, music and dance, truth and prophecy and healing was sick?&amp;nbsp;We vowed to commit ourselves to do everything in our power to help him.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For Halloween, they wore their costumes proudly. Apollo was dressed as a hot dog because in our eyes he was HOT, and Skyy was an avocado.&amp;nbsp;When they played it looked like a food fight.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Election day, we voted and went to the park, but Apollo was not his usual self.&amp;nbsp;We took him to the vet.&amp;nbsp;The vet said that he would not recover and that we needed to put him down.&amp;nbsp;Just like that?&amp;nbsp;I felt in my heart that it was not his time. No!&amp;nbsp;We chose to do everything we could to buy him some more time.&amp;nbsp;We put up our Christmas tree early, and bought the dogs matching Christmas sweaters.&amp;nbsp;Apollo was mesmerized by all the colors and lights on the tree,&amp;nbsp;and it was immediately his favorite nap spot.&amp;nbsp; Like a gift under the tree, he was our gift.&amp;nbsp;That evening Apollo was out of sorts.&amp;nbsp;We were afraid to take him to the vet because we knew what that could mean.&amp;nbsp;After several hours of tears, hugs, and trying to get him to eat something, we nervously and reluctantly took him to the vet. We knew.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Apollo gave me laughs, joy, and love. For a few months, I had my own little white Greek god.&amp;nbsp;Thank you, Apollo.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10929" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/asn-pinning-2020" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|355|65|165" FileName="x10929.xml" Name="ASN Pinning 2020" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Feature-Nursing-Kayla-macdonald.jpg" Title="Pinning Pride" Abstract="HCC celebrated its newest class of nursing degree program graduates with a virtual pinning ceremony May 28 after cheering them on in person during a drive-by event two days before. " ThumbnailAltText="Kayla MacDonald arrives at the CHES to pick up her nursing pin " IntroCopy="&quot;I was a bit stunned. I thought we were just picking up pins for Thursday night. I had no idea so many of the professors and support staff would be there.&quot; – Tessa Kemp '20" Date="2020-06-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Tessa Kemp accepts her pinning pack from nursing instructor Natalie Alexander outside the Center for Health Education and Simulation on May 26. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Nursing-TessaK-NatalieAJPG.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College nursing student Tessa Kemp got a lot more than she expected as she pulled into the parking lot of HCC's Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation on Tues., May 26, her first trip back to campus since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She had driven all the way from her home in East Brookfield just to pick up her nursing pin, a symbol of her completion of HCC's associate in science in nursing degree program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than that, though, she was greeted by clusters of green and white balloons, decorated cars and posters celebrating HCC's ASN Class of 2020, with more than half a dozen members of the HCC nursing faculty clapping and cheering her on. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was a bit stunned,&quot; Kemp said. &quot;I thought we were just picking up pins for Thursday night. I had no idea so many of the professors and support staff would be there.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One by one over three hours that afternoon, all 31 members of HCC's ASN graduating class of 2020 drove through the lot to pick up small care packages in advance of their virtual pinning ceremony, which was held over Zoom on Thurs., May 28. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kemp seemed overcome for a moment as she rolled down her car window so nursing instructor Natalie Alexander could hand her a clear, cellophane bag that included her nursing pin, a candle, cup, and a printed program that included The Nightingale Pledge that graduates recite as they are initiated into the nursing profession. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We decided to do this because the students felt they lost a lot with the COVID virus,&quot; nursing professor Karen Aiken said the day of the pin pickups. &quot;They couldn't finish their clinicals as they normally would. Everything was at home for the last six to eight weeks of the semester. The pinning ceremony is a very traditional event in nursing, going back to the 1800s, so we wanted to recognize that. We wanted them to have their pins so when we Zoom you could actually see each student being pinned.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Because they couldn't have a traditional live procession during the pinning ceremony, each of the graduates submitted photos of themselves wearing white uniforms that flashed across the screen in succession. As their names were called, each of the graduates was pinned at home by a person of their choosing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There was also a slideshow of student reflections, award announcements, a ceremonial candle-lighting, and remarks by HCC president Christina Royal and others including class president Michael Tanner of Northampton. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For many of us,&quot; Tanner said to his classmates, &quot;these last two years were the most challenging years of our lives so far ... and when we finally neared the end, the world was determined to try and stop us with a pandemic, so we did what nurses do best: adapt and finish the job. We pioneered our way into remote learning and finished strong, proving that if we can make it through this, we can make it through whatever&amp;nbsp;curveballs nursing will throw at us.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Kayla MacDonald of Chicopee picks her her pinning pack at the Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation May 26. (Above) HCC nursing student (now graduate) Tessa Kemp accepts her pinning pack from nursing instructor Natalie Alexander outside the Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12878" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/capacity-to-prevail" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12878.xml" Name="Capacity to Prevail" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202018/drama-1.jpg" Title="Capacity to Prevail" Abstract="HCC alum Alia Alabsi's poem, &quot;Capacity to Prevail,&quot; written for the HCC pandemic play &quot;In These Times,&quot; won a playwriting award at the 2022 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. " ThumbnailAltText="Theater icon" IntroCopy="HCC alum Alia Alabsi '21 is now studying at Smith College" Date="2022-04-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: Ali Alabsi's poem, &quot;Capacity to Prevail,&quot; was written for the HCC Theater Department's spring 2021 production of &quot;In These Times.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By Alia Alabsi&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I sat beside the sea's might&lt;br /&gt;its waves approached me&lt;br /&gt;it goes and comes back, tirelessly.&lt;br /&gt;Just like a strong girl walking proudly.&lt;br /&gt;I talked to her about the condition of life.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;She did not reply&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With her endless morning and evening duty,&lt;br /&gt;she is busy.&lt;br /&gt;I spoke to her about the pandemic.&lt;br /&gt;She is enigmatic.&lt;br /&gt;Closure of cities, &lt;br /&gt;departure of security,&lt;br /&gt;prevailed misery,&lt;br /&gt;she is Apathetic.&lt;br /&gt;Cure far off,&lt;br /&gt;people aloof.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hugging is&amp;nbsp; forbidden,&lt;br /&gt;about the injured&lt;br /&gt;and the sorrow,&lt;br /&gt;She is full of awareness.&lt;br /&gt;Collapsed economy&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Kept her Disciplined work.&lt;br /&gt;arrival of fearfulness.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;She is passionless,&lt;br /&gt;school lockdowns,&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;kids confused,&lt;br /&gt;world in crisis.&lt;br /&gt;Kept on working with&lt;br /&gt; indifference.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She is stoic.&lt;br /&gt;I came to acknowledge you,&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;thousands died and grief prevailed.&lt;br /&gt;She is vacant.&lt;br /&gt;I approached her salty water.&lt;br /&gt;There must be nothing in this world that&amp;nbsp;interests you?&lt;br /&gt;You are strong, very strong, no one can detract you.&lt;br /&gt;You don't even care if you are strong or weak.&lt;br /&gt;Nothing matters to you.&lt;br /&gt;You don't care who lives in your heart,&lt;br /&gt;and who lives outside you, in this vast world.&lt;br /&gt;I wish I had a careless heart like yours,&lt;br /&gt;but I'm not sure you have a heart anyway.&lt;br /&gt;Who are you?&lt;br /&gt;You are significant.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Very Significant!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10863" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/commencement-2020" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|165" FileName="x10863.xml" Name="Commencement 2020" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-grad-hands.jpg" Title="Commencement 2020" Abstract="HCC will recognize the Class of 2020 with a virtual celebration in August and also invite graduates to walk across the stage next spring with the Class of 2021." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Commencement 2019" IntroCopy="'Epic celebrations' planned for Class of 2020" Date="2020-04-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;An HCC student at Commencement in 2019&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/HCC-diploma-up.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In lieu of its traditional spring commencement ceremony at the Mass Mutual Center, Holyoke Community will instead recognize the Class of 2020 with a virtual celebration in August and also invite graduates to walk across the stage next year with the Class of 2021.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;Every year, one of my most anticipated moments is Commencement,&quot; President Christina Royal said in an email communication to students Friday. &quot;As a first-generation college student, I remember how significant Commencement was for my family and me. I take great pride in joining you and your families in celebrating your achievements, and in shaking each of your hands as you walk across the stage. But as we have all seen, the rapid spread of COVID-19 has changed nearly everything. It's no surprise that we will not be able to host this event in person on May 30, 2020.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We must balance our desire to celebrate your academic achievements in all the ways you were expecting with the need to keep our community healthy, which continues to be our highest priority,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x10864.xml&quot;&gt;The new plan is for HCC&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to hold a virtual celebration in August, complete with special remarks, honors and recognition of graduates. Each member of the Class of 2020 will receive a special surprise package in the mail during the summer and be invited to host their own celebrations to share through videos and photos using the hashtag #HolyokeCC20.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The exact date for the August celebration has not yet been determined.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also, Royal said, &quot;The Class of 2020 will have a traditional Commencement in May 2021, where we will celebrate each of you, in person with your loved ones present, along with the Class of 2021, on what will be a truly historic day.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Your perseverance toward graduation in these unprecedented times deserves to be celebrated in every way possible,&quot; she said. &quot;On behalf of your faculty and the entire HCC community, I applaud you for your strength and resilience, and will look forward to seeing you virtually in August and at the Mass Mutual Center in May 2021. What epic celebrations these will be!&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: HCC 2019 Commencement at Mass Mutual Center&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10913" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/club-awards-2020" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|165" FileName="x10913.xml" Name="Club Awards 2020" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-Club-Awards-1.jpg" Title="2020 Club Awards " Abstract="Dozens of students, clubs and staff were recognized May 15 during HCC's annual Club Award &amp; Appreciation event, which was held remotely this year due to COVID-19.  " ThumbnailAltText="HCC students and staff gathered online for a virtual Club Awards and Appreciation party May 15. " IntroCopy="Dozens of students, club and staff honored at virtual event" Date="2020-05-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC New Student Orientation leaders gather in the Campus Center early in the spring semester&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Clubawards-NSO.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC liberal art major Mark Cote received the &quot;Excellence in Leadership&quot; award for his work on two student clubs, the HCC Democrats and the Shalom Club while the Radio Club was honored a &quot;Club of the Year.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Those were just two of the many awards and recognitions delivered Friday, May 15, during the annual HCC Club Award &amp;amp; Appreciation Celebration, which was held remotely this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.&amp;nbsp;Below is a full list of club awards and recognitions for the 2019-2020 academic year.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spotlight Awards&lt;/strong&gt; (Student leaders recognized for their commitment to their clubs):&amp;nbsp;Cory Boissonneault (Shalom Club), John Colleto (Civilian and Miltary Club, CAMO, formerly the Military Club), Zhane Catala (Christian Fellowship Club), Miren Neyra Alcantara (Latinx Empowerment Association, L.E.A. Club), Miyuki Johnson (International Students Club), Alexandra Santiago (L.E.A. Club), Corrine Moskal (STEM Club), Alexa Janicki (S.A.S Club), Magdalena Mackowiak (STEM Club), Luca Oddo (Game Design Club), Matthew Sawyer (Students on the Autism Spectrum, S.A.S. Club), Tianna Dwinell (S.A.S Club), Austin Lozada (Psychology Club), Roman DiVenuto (Radio Club), Josalyn Baker (Psychology Club), Merriah Eggleston (Radio Club), Zadia Valenze (Radio Club), Carrissa Batura (S.A.S Club)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Teamwork Awards:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Samantha Michaelson &amp;amp; Tina Marie Lundwall (ASL Club), Diamond Smith &amp;amp; Shelden Johnson Lewish (Black Student Alliance), and John Serrano &amp;amp; Sierra Palazzi (Criminal Justice Club)&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Excellence in Leadership&lt;/strong&gt; (For the student who has gone above and beyond their expected role, leading by example and inspiring club members):&amp;nbsp;Mark Cote (HCC Democrats &amp;amp; Shalom Club)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Commitment Award&lt;/strong&gt; (For the student leader who went above and beyond despite facing obstacles): Kay Keeley&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Student Senate Service Awards&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;Jasmine Klingenbeck, Jose Perez, Husam Alnaqeeb, John Jackson, Liz Busker, Jamie Perrino, Safiyah Bey, Brianna Shvetsov, Marley Friedrick, Ze Ortiz, David Feliciano, Terice Kelly, Carolina Pena, Rosa Ueon, Faith Ballard&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Student Senate Executive Board &amp;amp; Trustee 2020-2021:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Trustee Jasmine Klingenbeck, President Safiyah Bey, Secretary Brianna Shvetsov&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Heart and Soul&lt;/strong&gt; (A friend to all, this giving person listens to others with patience and understanding and always goes the extra mile for the club, its mission, and its members):&amp;nbsp;Sarah Poirier (ASL)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;New Student Orientation Leaders&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;Jasmine Klingenbeck, David Feliciano, D'Andra Stewart, Caridad Diaz, Marley Friedrick, Jaz Grant, Todd Cummings, Andy Sanders, Yariel Aleman, Brandon Bass, Josalyn Baker, Brianna Shvetsov, Heather Moczydlowski, Kim Jesionowski, John Jackson, Maiv Lee-Ruiz, Husam Alnaqeeb, Faith Ballard, Liz Busker, Megan Pelletier, Liuginsa Rosa, Sarah Poirier, Kiara Taylor, Nate Wytrwal, Safiyah Bey, Kayla Alexander&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Graduates&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;John Serrano (Criminal Justice Club &amp;amp; CAMO), Jamie Perrino (Student Senate), Alexa Janicki (S.A.S.), Sierra Palazzi (Criminal Justice), Terice Kelly (Studnt Senate), Marley Friedrick (Student Senate), Josalyn Baker (Psychology Club), Miyuki Johnson (International Students Club), Sarah Poirier (ASL)&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Club of the Year:&lt;/strong&gt; Radio Club&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Humanitarian Effort/Community Service Award:&lt;/strong&gt; Homeless Care Packages C.A.M.O Club, Criminal Justice Club, &amp;amp; Radio Club&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Event of the Year:&lt;/strong&gt; Thanksgiving Food Drive&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Club Teamwork Event of the Year&lt;/strong&gt;: Trunk or Treat&amp;nbsp;(10 Clubs): Civilian and Military Organization (C.A.M.O), Student Senate, Psychology, Game Design, Radio, Latinx Empowerment Association (L.E.A), Dance, &amp;amp; Rainbow Forward, Students on the Autism Spectrum (S.A.S.), and Emerging Business Leaders. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Best Volunteer Project:&lt;/strong&gt; Latinx Empowerment Association (Planting Literacy Project)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Phoenix Award&lt;/strong&gt; (Club that rose from the ashes): Rainbow Forward Club&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Student Engagement Superstar&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;Lea Occhialini, HCC ombudsperson, chief culture officer and organizer of the Thanksgiving Food Drive&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Club Advisor of the Year&lt;/strong&gt;: Lois Koltz (Shalom Club)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thank you for continuing to meet online &amp;amp; staying connected during pandemic:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Student Senate, Students on the Autism Spectrum, Latinx Empowerment Association, Rainbow Forward, HCC Democrats, Radio, Creative Writing, STEM, Christian Fellowship&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC students and staff gathered online for a virtual Club Awards and Appreciation party May 15. (Above) HCC New Student Orientataion leaders were among those recognized at the 2020 Club Awards &amp;amp; Appreciation event Friday, May 15. Here they are pictured in the Campus Center earlier in the spring semester.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10921" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/honors-and-awards-sp20" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|3|68|165" FileName="x10921.xml" Name="Honors and Awards SP20" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/awards-Cartagena-Holyoke.jpg" Title="Honors &amp; Awards" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to celebrate the 114 students who earned honors and awards for their outstanding achievements during the 2019-2020 academic year.  " ThumbnailAltText="Early Childhood Education major Kiara Nazario-Cartagena of Holyoke is one of the recipients of the Excellence in Education award for 2019-2020. " IntroCopy="HCC celebrates students for outstanding achievement" Date="2020-05-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Kiara Nazaio-Cartagena&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/awards-Cartagena-Holyoke.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the conclusion of each academic year, Holyoke Community College recognizes students with honors and awards for outstanding achievement and performance in a wide array of academic areas and extracurricular pursuits.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While we could not celebrate their outstanding accomplishments in person this year because of COVID-19 restrictions, we are celebrating them remote throuh a dedicated page on the HCC website that features a scrolling list of award winners along with a special message from President Christina Royal&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x10918.xml&quot;&gt;Please follow this link to the special Honors &amp;amp; Awards page ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/honors-and-awards&quot;&gt;Please follow this link to an alphabetical listing of award wiinners ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;Early Childhood Education major Kiara Nazario-Cartagena of Holyoke is one of the recipients of the Excellence in Education award for 2019-2020&lt;/em&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10820" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/dream-scholar" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|3|193|165" FileName="x10820.xml" Name="DREAM scholar" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Mayeriles-Diaz-horizontal.jpg" Title="'I Am Now From Hope'" Abstract="Mayerlies Diaz of Westfield was one of just eight community college students in the U.S. selected to participate in a national conference as 2020 Dream Scholars. " ThumbnailAltText="Mayerlies Diaz" IntroCopy="HCC student selected as 'Dream Scholar'" Date="2020-05-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Scholarship winner Mayerlies Diaz and Gateway to College coordinator Vivian Ostrowski&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Mayeriles-Vivian.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By her own account, Holyoke Community College student Mayerlies Diaz was once the kind of hopeless teen who struggled in school and hated being there. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I have been angry as long as I can remember ... behind from Day One, kept inside during recess to learn English, never being in school long enough to learn math ... no one wanting to help, putting in no effort. I was the bum buried in the hoodie, smoking a lot of weed, trying to disappear.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She grew up poor, the daughter of a Spanish-speaking, single mother who was often sick and in and out of hospitals while raising two children. Her family moved a lot, sometimes living in shelters, and there were trips to court in pursuit of protection orders against a family member.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am from the sorrow and confusion that comes from that kind of hurt. That's how I felt for a long time. I assumed I would live in rage and depression and be behind, forever.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;But somehow, miraculously, I am now from hope. I'm from the miracle that happens when just a few key people actually see you, believe in you, push you and love you.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Diaz offered the comments above in a spoken word poem called &quot;I Am From&quot; that she delivered in February in Maryland at the annual conference of Achieving the Dream, an organization that supports student success initiatives at community colleges across the U.S.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 17-year-old Westfield resident was one of only eight students in the country selected to participate in the conference as 2020 Dream Scholars. In addition to that, she is poised to graduate next month from Westfield High School.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The key to her success, she says, was &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/preparing-for-college/gateway-to-college&quot;&gt;HCC's Gateway to College program&lt;/a&gt;, which she completed in January 2020 with a GPA of 4.0. Gateway is an alternative high school program in which students take college classes and earn credits toward both their high school diplomas and a college degree. Since 2019, HCC's Gateway to College program has been part of the Achieving the Dream network.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Nothing about my life led me toward college &amp;ndash; yet I have been successful there,&quot; Diaz wrote in another speech she prepared for the conference about her experiences so far at HCC. &quot;Gateway to College transformed how I think about school and my future.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Diaz was the first-ever Dream Scholar from one of Achieving the Dream's Gateway to College programs. The Dream Scholars initiative is designed to help community college students develop their leadership, critical thinking and networking skills. They share their personal stories during plenary sessions at the conference, participate in panel discussions, and receive coaching before, during and after the conference, which was attended by about 2,500 people.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am so proud of Mayerlies,&quot; said HCC Gateway to College coordinator Vivian Ostrowski, who accompanied Diaz to the conference along with Diaz's mother, Maribel Perez, and aunt, Raquel Avila. &quot;From the moment we spoke about the application process and the experience, she rose to the occasion with courage, creativity, seriousness, humor, and an incredible openness to the kind of transformative learning that comes from a huge opportunity like this. She was the youngest person at the entire conference, and one of just a handful of Dream scholars who were always in the spotlight.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ostrowski said the highlight for her was the session where Diaz read her &quot;I Am From&quot; poem, which is available to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rd07j-Ha24&quot; title=&quot;Mayerlies Diaz reads &amp;quot;I Am From&amp;quot;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;view on You Tube&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was incredibly powerful,&quot; she said. &quot;The room leaned in for every word, then just wept when Mayerlies and her mom embraced at the end.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Diaz plans to continue her college journey at HCC in September 2020 to major either in human services or criminal justice.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;High school wasn't for me, but college is for me,&quot; Diaz said. &quot;I want a degree so I can get the kind of job where I can help other people see their lives differently, to find their own confidence and power ... &amp;nbsp;I want to be that person for the next kid in a hoodie trying to disappear.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: HCC Gateway to College coordinator Vivian Ostrowski and HCC student Mayerlies Diaz of Westfield&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10907" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/grinspoon-sp20" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|165" FileName="x10907.xml" Name="Grinspoon SP20" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-lunch.jpg" Title="Start-Em Up" Abstract="Three Holyoke Community College students and one alumna received awards from the Harold Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Intiative to help them launch new businesses.    " ThumbnailAltText="HCC culinary arts student Nicole Ortiz serves up some soup at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. " IntroCopy="HCC students, alumna win Grinspoon Entrepreneurship awards" Date="2020-05-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student Nicole Ortiz serves lunch&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-lunch.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College student Heather Reynolds Labonte grew up in an old farmhouse in Granby, Mass., in the shadow of Long Mountain, not far from the Robert Frost Trail.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The historic home dates back to the late 1700s and had once been a stop on the Underground Railroad. In the early 20th century it was owned by Professor Burlingham Schurr, a curator for Holyoke's Wistariahurst Museum whose collection of butterflies from around the world still lines the walls of the dining room.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After her parents died, Labonte and her sister inherited the house and the 52 acre plot that was once one of the largest cattle farms in Granby and is now an idyllic landscape that includes mature gardens and a pond. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was married here, as was my cousin,&quot; said Labonte, 51, who is studying marketing at HCC. &quot;It's such a beautiful and special place, and I want to share the love of this property with others.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If all goes according to plan, Labonte will do just that. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She was one of three HCC students and one HCC alumna to earn entrepreneurship awards this spring from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.&amp;nbsp;Labonte's business plan calls for creating Harris Mountain Estate, an outdoor venue for weddings, corporate events, graduation parties, reunions, and other special gatherings for up to 175 guests.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I want to carry on my parents' legacy and share this amazing space,&quot; Labonte said.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also earning Grinspoon awards for their business concepts was HCC culinary arts student Nicole Ortiz of Holyoke and business/culinary arts student Alexandra Clark of Huntington, who both plan to launch food truck operations. Clark's is called Lettuce Eat, a mobile organic salad business. Ortiz will focus on serving bright, healthy breakfast items to busy commuters with her Crave Food Truck.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each year, the Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative recognizes promising entrepreneurs with monetary awards of up to $1,000 to assist them as they get started. Typically, the awards are announced at the Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative banquet, held each spring at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. But because of COVID-19, the banquet was cancelled and awards announced online.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This has been a dream of mine for a long time,&quot; Ortiz said in February after being selected to participate in Holyoke SPARK's Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) Initiative, for which she earned a first-place prize of $2,500 for her food truck idea. &quot;I've seen a need in my hometown for a wider variety of food options and I can't wait to do my best to bring some fresh, new options to my neighbors in Holyoke and Springfield.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Labonte also paticipated in Holyoke's EforAll program this year and earned a second-place award of $2,000 for Harris Mountain Estate,. She said she is now working&amp;nbsp; with town officials in Granby to get the necessary permission to make her business dream a reality.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I believe it will happen,&quot; she said. &quot;It will just take time I hope to be running by 2021.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Michaeala Konig of Westfield received a Grinspoon Spirit Award, which is for revenue-generating businesses. Konig graduated from HCC in 2016 with her associate degree in Visual Art and is the owner of Bloom Aesthetics, a skincare business in East Longmeadow that she opened in December 2019.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: HCC student Nicole Ortiz at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in February.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10909" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/40-under-forty-2020" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|66" FileName="x10909.xml" Name="40 Under Forty 2020" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Amanda-Sbriscia.jpg" Title="Rising Stars" Abstract="HCC vice president Amanda Sbriscia and two HCC alumni garnered spots on Business West magazine's annual recognition of promising, young community leaders, the '40 Under Forty.' " ThumbnailAltText="Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement" IntroCopy="HCC claims three spots on 2020 '40 Under Forty' list" Date="2020-05-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC alumni Andrea Luttrell and William Lynch named to Business West magazine's 40 Under Forty Class of 2020&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Forties-2020.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One is the vice president of Institutional Advancement for Holyoke Community College. Another is a 2004 graduate of HCC and a registered dietician/nutritionist for Big Y Foods. And yet another is the regional deli and bakeshop sales lead for Stop and Shop and a 2003 graduate of HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All three &amp;ndash; Amanda Sbriscia, Andrea Luttrell, and William Lynch IV &amp;ndash; now belong to an elite club, &lt;a href=&quot;https://businesswest.com/blog/announcing-the-2020-40-under-forty/&quot; title=&quot;40 Under Forty Class of 2020&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;40 Under Forty,&quot;&lt;/a&gt; Business West magazine's annual recognition of young, promising community leaders from Western Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Class of 2020,&quot; Business West editor George O'Brien writes in the May 11 edition of the magazine. &quot;That phrase will forever have special meaning at colleges, high schools, and even grammar schools across this country. Indeed, 2020 has been a different year in every way imaginable. And the same is true of BusinessWest's 40 Under Forty class of rising stars.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The May 11 issue includes photos and short question and answer profiles of each member of the Class of 2020. The &quot;40 Under Forty&quot; gala, traditionally scheduled for late June, will be held instead on Aug. 27 at the Log Cabin Banquet &amp;amp; Meeting House in Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Overall,&quot; O'Brien writes, &quot;while the class of 2020 has had, and will continue to have, a different experience than those who preceded it, it is like those other classes in how it reflects the high levels of young talent now emerging in this region. And it paints an impressive picture of leadership for decades to come.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://businesswest.com/blog/amanda-sbriscia/&quot; title=&quot;Amanda Sbriscia 40 Under Forty&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Amanda Sbricia&lt;/a&gt;, 35, has been working at HCC since 2017. As vice president of Advancement, she oversees the HCC offices of alumni, giving, grants, development, and marketing and serves as the executive director of the HCC Foundation, which is responsible for managing an endowment of more than $13 million and annual student scholarship awards of more than $250,000. She is also part of the president's cabinet, HCC's senior leadership and policy team.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're so proud to have Amanda named to this list of extraordinary individuals,&quot; said President Christina Royal. &quot;The honor is well deserved.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://businesswest.com/blog/andrea-luttrell/&quot; title=&quot;Andrea Luttrell 40 Under Forty&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Andrea (Samson) Luttrell&lt;/a&gt;, 36, studied business administration at HCC before heading to the University of Massachusetts Amherst for her bachelor's degree in human nutrition. She has worked with Big Y since 2006 and has been a registered dietician for the supermarket chain's Living Well Eating Smart program since 2009. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/food/2020/04/living-well-eating-smart-get-outdoors-and-start-a-vegetable-garden.html&quot; title=&quot;Andrea Luttrell newspaper column&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Her newspaper column on healthy eating&lt;/a&gt; appears in the weekly Thursday Food section of the Springfield Republican.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://businesswest.com/blog/william-lynch-iv/&quot; title=&quot;William Lynch 40 Under Forty&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;William Lynch&lt;/a&gt;, 38, earned his associate degree in arts and science at HCC. He has worked at Stop and Shop since 1998, starting as a bagger while he was still in high school and working his way up to his present position as deli and bakeshop sales lead for the company's regional 138 stores. He was elected to the Easthampton City Council in 2019 and also serves on the city's finance committee.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Amanda Sbriscia. (Above) HCC alumni Andrea Luttrell (left) and William Lynch (right) were named to Business West magazine's 40 Under Forty Class of 2020. Photo of&amp;nbsp; Andrea Luttrell by Tony Dube.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10903" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/everyone-benefits" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|66|165" FileName="x10903.xml" Name="Everyone Benefits" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Royal-treeger-hall.jpg" Title="'Everyone Benefits'" Abstract="In a commentary published in CommonWealth Magazine, HCC President Christina Royal writes that community colleges are vital engines that can help spur the nation's economic recovery." ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal" IntroCopy="'All of our students, no matter what background, skills, experience, or interests they bring, come to us with a desire to better themselves and build better lives for their families. A college education is part of their American dream.' – President Christina Royal" Date="2020-05-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Christina Royal&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Royal-treeger-hall.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HOLYOKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE&amp;nbsp;was founded on the belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to receive an affordable and quality college education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Everyone.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From the college's earliest days following World War II, George Frost, the college's first president, put that principle into practice, signing up students who were, in the eyes of others, &quot;not college material&quot; &amp;ndash; those with poor high school records, soldiers returning from military service, women entering the workforce for the first time after raising families, older adults seeking new careers after laboring for years in dead-end jobs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We see the same types of students today and more - high school students, high school dropouts, single moms and working parents, immigrants whose first language is not English and their children. Many of these people are from disadvantaged families who have never sent anyone to college before.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All of our students, then and now, no matter what background, skills, experience, or interests they bring, come to us with a desire to better themselves and build better lives for their families. A college education is part of their American dream.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/were-supporting-our-students-during-this-crisis/&quot; title=&quot;President Royal op-ed piece in CommonWealth Magazine&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Read the entire commentary in the May 2, 2020, edition of CommonWeatlth Magazine ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gazettenet.com/Guest-column-by-Christina-Royal-34275225&quot; title=&quot;Community colleges crucial during crisis&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Daily Hampshire Gazette ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Documents/About/News/CR-OP-ED-Rep-5-3-20.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Royal op-ed&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Springfield Republican ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10908" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/summer-youth-2020" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|193" FileName="x10908.xml" Name="Summer Youth 2020" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-Youth-headphones.jpg" Title="Summer Fun" Abstract="While COVID-19 has upended all of our lives, HCC is still planning to offer an exciting, engaging array of summer programming for kids and teens, starting June 8." ThumbnailAltText="A boy builds a video game during an HCC summer youth program." IntroCopy="HCC offering fun, interactive youth programs, starting June 8" Date="2020-05-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A boy builds a video game during a Summer Youth Program at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-Youth-headphones.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is partnering with the company Black Rocket to offer 12 weeks' worth of online summer programming for children 8 to 14 years old.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registration is now open for HCC's Summer Youth Programs, which begin June 8 and run through the week of Aug. 24. HCC is not running its traditional on-campus summer youth programs this year because of COVID-19 restrictions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;While the pandemic has upended all of our lives, HCC is still planning to offer an exciting, engaging array of summer programming for kids and teens,&quot; said Michele Cabral, HCC executive director of professional development and corporate learning, who oversees HCC's Summer Youth Programs. &quot;We want to keep kids safe and healthy, but we also want to offer them alternate way to engage with others &amp;ndash; and learn. Through Black Rocket, kids will be able to learn coding, design video games, play eSports, create YouTube videos and much more.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The remote classes are conducted in real-time via computer, with each focused on building creativity, and problem-solving and critical thinking skills through play. The classs are broken up into two groups by age, 8-11 and 11-14.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They are meant to be fun as well as educational,&quot; said Cabral. &quot;This is not just another screen experience.&quot;Each of the Black Rocket programs runs three hours a day for five days. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Separately, but also starting June 8, HCC is running an online Youth Dungeons and Dragons Adventure Campaign, where players can challenge their imaginations, solve puzzles and navigate epic quests.&amp;nbsp;This program will run one day a week for six weeks, with each session three hours long.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All programs cost $149 each.Cabral said HCC is also exploring opportunities to add other courses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If we can provide on-campus programs in a safe manner, we will announce those in coming weeks,&quot; said Cabral.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Updates, full course descriptions, computer requirements and registration information are &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;available at: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/personal-enrichment/summer-youth-programs&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/summeryouth&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;June 8: &lt;/strong&gt;Battle Royale: Make Your First Fortnite Style Video Game; Minecraft Redstone Engineers; ROBLOX Makers; Dungeons and Dragons Adventure Campaign&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;June 15:&lt;/strong&gt; Minecraft Modder; Video Game Animation&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;June 22:&lt;/strong&gt; eSports Apprentice - Streamers and Gamers; Make Your First Video Game!&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;June 29:&lt;/strong&gt; 3D Game Design with Unity; YouTube Content Creators&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 6:&lt;/strong&gt; Code Breakers; Inventor's League - Prototyping for the Future; Minecraft Designers&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 13:&lt;/strong&gt; 3D Game Design with Unity; Minecraft Animators; Pok&amp;eacute;mon Masters: Designers &amp;amp; 3D Makers Unite!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 20:&lt;/strong&gt; Inventor's League - Prototyping for the Future; Minecraft Designers; Rocket Kart Racers: Design A Mario Kart Style Game&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 27&lt;/strong&gt;: Code Your Own Adventure!&amp;nbsp;Interactive Storytelling; Minecraft Modders&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aug 3:&lt;/strong&gt; Battle Royale: Make Your First Fortnite Style Video Game; Video Game Animation&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aug 10: &lt;/strong&gt;Minecraft Redstone Engineers; Rocket Kart Racers: Design A Mario Kart Style Game; YouTube Content Creators&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aug 17:&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;Minecraft Redstone Engineers; eSports Apprentice - Streamers and Gamers&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aug 24:&lt;/strong&gt; Make Your First Video Game; Minecraft Animators&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information please contact Valentyna Semyrog at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:vsemryog@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;vsemryog@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: A boy builds a video game in an HCC summer youth program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10899" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/ptk-all-stars" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x10899.xml" Name="PTK All-Stars" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-PTK-induction-banner.jpg" Title="Academic All-Stars" Abstract="Four Holyoke Community College students are among those being honored this week as part of the 2020 Phi Theta Kappa All-Massachusetts Academic Team.  " ThumbnailAltText="Phi Theta Kappa banner at HCC induction ceremony" IntroCopy="Four HCC students named to All-Massachusetts Academic Team" Date="2020-04-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Christina Royal congratulates HCC student Maxwll Faytell on his induction into the college chapter of the PHi Theta Kappa national honor society.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Phi-Theta-Kappa-Maxwell-Faytell%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Four Holyoke Community College students are among the academic all-stars being honored this week by the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maxwell&amp;nbsp;Faytell of Northampton,&amp;nbsp;Esfier&amp;nbsp;Okhrimenko of Westfield,&amp;nbsp;Synell&amp;nbsp;Rodriguez of Holyoke,&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;Jordan&amp;nbsp;Wyman of Turners Falls were named to the 2020 Phi Theta Kappa All-Massachusetts Academic Team for PTK Community College Excellence Week, April 27 through May 1.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I want to congratulate Max, Esfier, Synell and Jordan on their selection for the Phi Theta Kappa All-Massachusetts Academic Team,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &quot;Their passion and pursuit of excellence exemplifies the very best of Holyoke Community College and I'm so proud to have them represent us. Their gifts of leadership and service have made an impact within the HCC community and I'm confident their future contributions will be felt far beyond Massachusetts. This is well-deserved honor for all of them.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A celebratory ceremony is traditionally held at the Massachusetts State House in Boston to honor the highest academic achievers in the state's 15-member community college system. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Phi Theta Kappa All-Massachusetts Academic Team ceremony scheduled for April 8 was cancelled. Instead, the students are being honored this week with virtual recognitions on social media.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Every year, we look forward to this opportunity to highlight the community colleges' commitment to access, opportunity, and excellence,&quot; said Tom&amp;nbsp;Sannicandro, director of the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges. &quot;Despite the virtual nature of this year's recognition, the outstanding achievements of our students cannot be understated. We are proud of all they have&amp;nbsp;accomplished and&amp;nbsp;celebrate the continued pursuit of their academic and career aspirations.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society of two-year&amp;nbsp;colleges, and&amp;nbsp;has recognized and encouraged scholarship among community college students for&amp;nbsp;more than 100&amp;nbsp;years while promoting the academic integrity of the associate degree program. Students with grade point averages of 3.5 or higher are invited to join Phi Theta Kappa.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Max Faytell is an engineering major and the current president of Alpha Xi Omega, the HCC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Esfier&amp;nbsp;Okhrimenko is a biology major whose long-term plan includes and plans to enter a physician assistant program after graduating from HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jordan&amp;nbsp;Wyman is studying radiologic technology and hopes to specialize in mammography.&amp;nbsp;Synell&amp;nbsp;Rodriguez studies early childhood education at HCC while working at the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All four had been inducted previously into Phi Theta Kappa at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Duing PTK Community College Excellence Week, highlights about each of the students is being&amp;nbsp; posted to MACC's social media sites:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Facebook:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/macommunitycolleges/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges (@macommunitycolleges)&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Twitter:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FMassCCs%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3SNpl1qyCA9iB-A47xZpNNzW3riDdPVYW3V68WSDLmhX6NYfahxvSNJtY&amp;amp;h=AT3Dui8zxXtnip0cTZC3Fw6lLqHm-QbfE1TU0ANH-gbaaCnFO-sxOkK986Pe82F_OGL8zaINOjpAUzzYmYCTe0T--ENitF4oOWf1IIZd5RAdFu-es6a4NbXpyuQwzmuS3HCWU28Bf-PIr3yM2F4&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;@MassCCs&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;nstagram&lt;/span&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fmacommunitycolleges%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3usiwTGWnuxTdx_nHwHz_5KQdG4kShEDsFOgTS2B1saHQHJ5k9uMbGpoY&amp;amp;h=AT3Dui8zxXtnip0cTZC3Fw6lLqHm-QbfE1TU0ANH-gbaaCnFO-sxOkK986Pe82F_OGL8zaINOjpAUzzYmYCTe0T--ENitF4oOWf1IIZd5RAdFu-es6a4NbXpyuQwzmuS3HCWU28Bf-PIr3yM2F4&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;@macommunitycolleges&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO Above: President Christina Royal congratulates HCC student Max Faytell of Northampton on his induction into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. Faytell is now president of the HCC chapter of PTK and has been named to the 2020 Phi Theta Kappa All-Massachusetts Academic Team, along with three other HCC students.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10900" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/food-donations" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|4|66|193" FileName="x10900.xml" Name="Food donations" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CAI-sarah-stacy.jpg" Title="'This Really Helps'" Abstract="With the campus closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Holyoke Community College donated its stock of perishable food supplies to three area nonprofits." ThumbnailAltText="Sarah Schmidt and Stacy Graves move boxes of produce out of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts institute. " IntroCopy="HCC donates surplus food supplies" Date="2020-05-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Mark Pronovost, HCC director of Ararmark/Dining Services load up a van with food to donate last month to the Easthampton Community Center. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-Mark-Aramark.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Surplus food from Holyoke Community College has benefitted hundreds of individuals and families who frequent area food pantries and social service agencies .&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the HCC campus now closed and all classes moved online because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the college donated its perishable food supplies to three area nonprofits, the Martin Luther King Jr. Family Center in Springfield, the YWCA Transitional Living Program in Holyoke and the Easthampton Community Center in Easthampton.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts helped coordinate the donations.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In late March, college staff emptied the pantries and refrigerators at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street. Stacy Graves, the institute coordinator, estimated that the college donated about $600 worth of produce, fruit, milk, eggs, butter, yogurt and cream to the YWCA Transitional Living Program.&amp;nbsp; The food had been slated for use in HCC's Culinary Arts program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I hope you guys like carrots and potatoes because there's lots of them,&quot; Graves said to Sharifa Forbes, the YWCA program supervisor, as they unloaded the van.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We really do appreciate it,&quot; Forbes said. &quot;Thank you so much for this. This is awesome.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tess Gordon, the YWCA's direct service advocate, said the food would be portioned out for the dozen or more teen moms who live with their children at the center, where they prepare their own meals. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Right now, with COVID-19, it's hard for them to go out into the community to shop, especially with keeping their kids safe,&quot; Gordon said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I wish I could give you a big hug,&quot; Forbes said to Graves from a safe distance in the parking lot outside the center. &quot;It helps out a lot. Times are uncertain. The girls are nervous.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On another day, after emptying the walk-in coolers of the college's cafeteria kitchen, Mark Pronovost, HCC director of Aramark/Dining Services, delivered nearly 400 pounds of assorted produce, fruit and dairy products to the Martin Luther King Jr. Family Center, enough food, he was told, for 327 meals. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pronovost also cleaned all the perishables our of the college's vending machines and delivered those items &amp;ndash;fresh fruit, dairy products, yogurt, chips, popcorn, and pretzels and other retail products to the Easthampton Community Center, which runs a food pantry for area residents and works closely with HCC's Thrive Student Resource Center to provide free backpacks and school supplies to low-income students and families.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If we hadn't done this we would just been throwing all the food in the trash,&quot; said Pronovost. &amp;nbsp;&quot;It's impressive that HCC is willing to do this, and I'm very happy to do.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) HCC staff memeber Sarah Schmidt, left, and Stacy Graves, move boxes of produce out of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute to donate to the YWCA Transitional Living Program in Holyoke. (Above) Mark Pronovost, director of Aramark/HCC Dining Services, gets ready to haul a load of surplus food to the Eathampton Community Center last month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10897" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/digital-literacy" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|194" FileName="x10897.xml" Name="Digital Literacy" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-Kittredge-Center-Exterior.jpg" Title="Digital Literacy" Abstract="HCC is running a free online program starting May 5 for people who want to sharpen their digital literacy skills to become more effective remote workers and learners.   " ThumbnailAltText="HCC's Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development" IntroCopy="Free program starts May 5" Date="2020-04-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC's Kittredge Center or Business and Workforce Development&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-Kittredge-Center-Exterior.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px; vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is running a free online program starting May 5 for people who want to sharpen their digital literacy skills to become more effective remote workers and learners. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;How to Work &amp;amp; Learn Online,&quot; offered through HCC's Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, is a four-part workshop series that will be conducted in a live, interactive, streaming forum on May 5, May 7, May 12 and May 14 from 1 to 3 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participants will learn how to navigate computer settings, create and organize files, and safely use the internet and digital communication tools such as Zoom. Sessions will cover best practices for being an effective online learner, including tips on study habits, expectations of online learning, and how to use Google Drive and other computer applications.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The course was developed and will be taught by Jose Pedraza, assistant coordinator of HCC's Gill Community Technology Center, which promotes technology literacy for HCC's education and workforce training programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our staff and faculty have been working hard to find creative ways to help students and people from the community during these&amp;nbsp;challenging&amp;nbsp;times,&quot; said Michele Cabral, HCC executive director of professional development and corporate learning. &quot;Knowledge of computers and online literacy have become more important than ever lately. This course is really designed for anyone - students, parents with young children, people forced to work at home because of COVID-19 restrictions, and others who want to develop a greater mastery of digital technology.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those enrolled will be sent a link to the class, which they can join using any device with an internet connection, such as a desktop computer, laptop, Chromebook or smartphone.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information or to register, please contact Valentyna Semyrog 413.552.2123 or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:vsemyrog@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;vsemyrog@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC's Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10898" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/virtual-art-show" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165|226" FileName="x10898.xml" Name="Virtual Art Show" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/art_show_poster_1-01-02-02-01-01.jpg" Title="Virtual Art Show" Abstract="HCC's Taber Art Gallery may be closed for the rest of the spring semester, but the annual Student Art Exhibition goes on – online – starting Thursday, April 30. " ThumbnailAltText="student artwork from a virtual gallery" IntroCopy="College moves annual Student Art Exhibition online" Date="2020-04-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student artwork on display in a virtual gallery&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Insun-woodcut-and-mono-self.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At this time during the spring semester, the Taber Art Gallery at Holyoke Community College is traditionally gearing up for its final show of the academic year, the annual Student Art Exhibition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This spring, however, with the campus restricted because of COVID-19 and the shift to remote learning, the gallery is closed. However, the 2020 HCC Student Art Exhibition will go on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To be more specific, the show is going online.The 2020 Virtual HCC Student Art Exhibition will launch at 12 noon on Thursday, April 30, at: &lt;a href=&quot;https://2020hccstudentartexhibition.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;2020hccstudentartexhibition.blogspot.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Creativity is at the heart of making this particular school year work for everyone,&quot; said gallery director Amy Johnquest. &quot;We all had to radically reroute our courses to keep everyone safe during this deadly pandemic. Teachers sourced unique ideas and strategies to continue bringing vital education to their students. In a world where&amp;nbsp;studio facilities, tactile surfaces, hands-on demonstrations and materials are key to teaching art, the HCC Visual Art Department instructors have done a remarkable job making this work. The positive results in this show are proof that our students have been able to continue being creative and making truly great art during this incredibly challenging time. &quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Usually, each teacher from HCC's Visual Art Department is given a section of the gallery in which to showcase their students' work. Student art is also displayed in the campus hallways, and the exhibition concludes with a reception and celebration in the gallery and in the HCC Library lobby.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The art on display in the online galleries are photographs or digital images of original work.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;With this website,&quot; said Johnquest, &quot;I have attempted to do something similar, by breaking up the groupings by instructor. The work looks so great. It makes me really nostalgic for the live and in-person show and party we have been having for so many years. Though the campus is closed, I'm grateful to be able to continue this tradition by showcasing the work online.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS:&amp;nbsp;Some of the artwork on display in the virtual galleries of the 2020 HCC Student Art Exhibition, which is being presented online starting Thursday, April 30.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10894" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/telecommunicators-week" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x10894.xml" Name="Telecommunicators Week" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-Dispatcher.jpg" Title="Answering the Call" Abstract="The Holyoke Community College Campus Police Department honored its dispatchers during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, April 12-18." ThumbnailAltText="HCC dispatch supervisor Jeremie Meyer at work at the HCC Campus Police Station" IntroCopy="HCC celebrates National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week" Date="2020-04-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC dispatch supervisor Jeremie Mayer &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-Dispatcher.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College campus police department celebrated National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week April 12-18, an annual event that honors the &quot;first, first responders&quot; - dispatchers who answer phones and radios and coordinate emergency service personnel and equipment that can often mean the difference between life and death.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Public safety telecommunicators &amp;ndash; 911 operators and dispatchers &amp;ndash;- are really the unseen 'first, first responders,&quot; said HCC police chief Laura Lefebvre. &quot;They are the first point of contact during emergencies and often go unrecognized. Commemorating this week is usually something that is done by the whole department, and food is central to the celebrations. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, our dispatchers, like many across the nation, are more isolated than ever from the rest of the department and ours are no exception. They can't work remotely, so they are still showing up work every day.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Telecommunicators week is sponsored by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International and celebrated annually during the second full week of April.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In keeping with military and first-responder tradition, each of HCC's three full-time and six part-time dispatchers will be receiving commemorative coins to mark the occasion. One side of the coin features an American flag and the words &quot;Emergency Communications.&quot; The other side says &quot;9-1-1- Strong: Honor. Pride. Service. Integrity.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Even in the best of times, dispatchers don't get enough recognition because most of their work is behind the scenes,&quot; Lefebvre said. &quot;To most people they are just voices on the phone or radio, but they are essential, and I want the community to know that.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The department also hung a banner in the station that says, &quot;First 1&lt;sup&gt;st&lt;/sup&gt; Responders, Thank You.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Instead of sharing food, Lefebvre said she has delivered &quot;some healthy and some not so healthy&quot; treats to the HCC dispatchers, a lot of virtual &quot;thank you&quot; and letters of recognition and appreciation to community dispatch centers that support the college, including Holyoke Police Dispatch, Holyoke Fire/AMR, and Mass. State Police Northampton Control, and also delivered bags of food. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I want to not only thank the telecommunications professionals who serve the HCC community but also extend my appreciation during this time of national emergency to all of our law enforcement partners in the area who answer their phones and radios in times of need,&quot; she said. &quot;Thank you for your dedicated service.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC dispatch supervisor Jeremie Meyer in the HCC Campus Police Station.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10895" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/registration-open" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|97|165" FileName="x10895.xml" Name="Registration Open " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/New-HCC-Campus-Center-Bridge.jpg" Title="Registration Open" Abstract="Summer session classes at HCC begin June 1 and will be offered fully online; Fall semester classes start Sept. 8." ThumbnailAltText=" HCC's new campus center" IntroCopy="&quot;While we hope to resume face-to-face instruction in the fall, we have to have flexible teaching plans in place.&quot; – Rachel Rubinstein, HCC vice president of Academic &amp; Student Affairs " Date="2020-04-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Campus Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/New-HCC-Campus-Center-Bridge.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registration is now open for both summer and fall 2020 classes at Holyoke Community College, presenting a smart and affordable option for college students who may be stuck at home now and unsure of their academic plans for September.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Summer courses at HCC begin June 1 and are offered in two four-week sessions and one seven-week session, fully online.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Summer Session I classes run from June 1 to June 25 or July 1; Summer Session II classes from July 6 to July 30 or Aug. 5. Full-term summer session classes begin June 1 and end July 15-17. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This summer HCC is offering as dynamic a schedule of courses as ever,&quot; said Rachel Rubinstein, HCC vice president of Academic and Student Affairs. &quot;The only difference is that, because of health and safety concerns related to COVID-19, all of our summer classes will be offered online this year, with very few exceptions.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those exceptions are limited to hands-on culinary arts courses in food preparation and service planned for Summer Session II that are scheduled to meet at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street, but those courses may need to be adjusted, depending on lingering concerns over the coronavirus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's summer 2020 program includes nearly 100 credit classes in accounting, American Sign Language, anthropology, art, biology, business, chemistry, communications, criminal justice, culinary arts, earth science, economics, education, engineering, English, environmental science, forensic science, general studies, gerontology, health, health information management, history, human services, humanities, law, management, marketing, math, music, nursing, nutrition, philosophy, political science, psychology, SEM (science, engineering and math), social science, sociology, Spanish, and sustainability studies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For summer, HCC is offering one-credit courses in subjects such as professional etiquette, business ethics, and money management, three-credit general education classes in English composition and college math, as well as very popular courses in accounting and psychology, four-credit lab science courses in biology, chemistry, sustainability studies and much much more, Rubinstein said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registration is also open for the fall 2020 semester, which begins Sept. 8. At this point, HCC. is planning to offer fall courses on campus if current restrictions are lifted and conditions allow while also making contingency plans to offer instruction remotely if that is necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We don't want students to fall behind in their academic plans. If they have to stay&amp;nbsp; home, they can still earn credits toward a certificate or degree. That applies to HCC students as well as students attending other colleges who don't want to interrupt their studies and may be looking for other options closer to their home communities.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/summer-at-hcc&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/summer&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/admission&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/admission&lt;/a&gt; or call 413-552-2321.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10891" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/tcc-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="321|3|193|227" FileName="x10891.xml" Name="TCC Grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-TCC-graduation-2014.jpg" Title="Grant Extension " Abstract="The state has awarded HCC a three-year, $450,000 grant so the college can continue its free, college-prep program, Transition to College &amp; Careers. " ThumbnailAltText="Students in HCC's Transition to College and Careers program celebrate their graduation. " IntroCopy="HCC receives $450K grant to extend free college-prep program" Date="2020-04-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Students in HCC's Transition to College and Careers program celebrate their graduation. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-TCC-graduation-2014.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded a $450,000 state grant to extend its free college preparation program, Transition to College and Careers, for three more years.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;The grant from the state Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) allocates $150,000 a year for the next three fiscal years &amp;ndash; 2021, 2022 and 2023 &amp;ndash; with the college providing an additional 30 percent match. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Transition to College and Careers, also known as TCC, is a free, adult education program that helps students 18 or older prepare for college and identify a career path. Coursework includes intensive academic preparation in reading and writing, math, study strategies, and computers.&amp;nbsp;The program is designed for all adults, including students with high school equivalency certificates, those who have completed English as a Second or Other Language or other adult literacy programs, and those who have been out of school for a long time and want to return.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;TCC is really a bridge for them so they feel like they understand what college is about and gain confidence in their abilities to manage the academic workload,&quot; said TCC director Marie Troppe.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is no cost to students for the classes or course materials.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The grant and the college cover everything,&quot; Troppe said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC runs daytime and evening TCC groups during fall, spring and summer terms. All classes meet on the main HCC campus at 303 Homestead Ave.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program serves 60 to 75 students a year.&amp;nbsp;The grant funds TCC instruction for about 30 of those students a year (15 each fall and spring), with priority given to students who come from other DESE-funded adult education programs, such as the Literacy Project, the Care Center, the Center for New Americans, the Community Education Center, the Valley Opportunity Council or one of HCC's many other community partners.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As an additional incentive, the DESE grant also pays for 12 college credits for students who go on to enroll at HCC or another college.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's a tremendous savings and an incredible incentive,&quot; said Troppe. &quot;Twelve credits is essentially four free college classes for students who complete the TCC program.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The next series of TCC classes at HCC will begin in September.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information or to apply for the program, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/preparing-for-college/transition-to-college-and-careers&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/tcc&lt;/a&gt; or send an email to &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:tcc@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;tcc@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Students in HCC's Transition to College and Careers program celebrate their graduation.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10859" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/thrive" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|3|193|165" FileName="x10859.xml" Name="Thrive" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Thrive-Chris-Coburn.jpg" Title="One Day in Thrive" Abstract="Take a look inside HCC's Thrive Student Resource Center, the program that supports the college's most vulnerable students." ThumbnailAltText="Work-study student Chris Coburn marks the expiration dates on items in the HCC food pantry. " IntroCopy="A look inside the program that supports HCC's most vulnerable students" Date="2020-04-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Food Pantry in Thrive&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-Thrive-Group.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story appears in the Spring 2020 issue of&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/AC/AC_SP20_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Spring 2020 Alumni Connection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;HCC's Alumni Connection&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;magazine.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By CHRIS YURKO&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&quot;I actually can't recall off the top of my head. A lot of places. It's just, everything's scattered. We kind of went everywhere - shelters, hotels. I feel like if I could get a place of my own I will have that foundation of finally being stable so I can focus on other things, instead of worrying about what I'm going to eat or how I'm going to get to school or where I am going to stay. When you're homeless, those things are constantly running through your head.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;- An 18-year-old Holyoke Community College student, November 2019&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rosemary Fiedler '12 unlocks the door to the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/thrive-center&quot;&gt;Thrive Student Resource Center&lt;/a&gt; every weekday morning before the posted opening time of 8:30 a.m. If she has learned anything during 3&amp;frac12; three years as the program coordinator, it's that she cannot be late and it's better to be early. Too many students' lives depend on her and this place, and missed connections are sometimes gone for good.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Inevitably, whenever she arrives, students are already there, lurking nearby or seated in a makeshift waiting area in the hallway.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You should have been here yesterday,&quot; she tells me. &quot;It was nuts.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The day before, a representative from the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts was in the office, helping students fill out applications for SNAP food assistance benefits. Fiedler scrambled to accommodate two new mothers who needed private space to use their breast pumps. She arranged a meeting between a homeless student and an intake coordinator for an emergency housing program. And all that was on top of a routinely packed schedule of meetings with distressed students dealing with a wide range of non-academic challenges,&amp;nbsp;mainly housing, healthcare, and hunger.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, though, two weeks before Thanksgiving, Fiedler's calendar is for the most part clear, but that doesn't mean it will be any less hectic. On &quot;Walk-In Wednesdays,&quot; students don't need appointments.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Anything can come through that door,&quot; she says.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'You're always welcome here'&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At 8:20 a.m, she opens up. Two students follow her straight in.&amp;nbsp;Thrive operates the HCC Food Pantry and also provides free snacks for students from its signature &quot;Grab-n-Go&quot; cart, such as single-serving cereal boxes, fruit cups, instant oatmeal, granola bars, nuts, noodle bowls, crackers, cookies, and chips.&amp;nbsp;Andre Desjardins, a 40-year-old, first-semester student from Chicopee, pokes around the Grab-n-Go cart and selects a package of chocolate chip cookies and bag of Cool Ranch Doritos.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To ensure Thrive's resources have the greatest reach, students are limited to accessing the Food Pantry once a month for a bag of groceries and twice a week for Grab-n-Go. They're required to show their HCC IDs, but Thrive operates to some extent on an honor system that most students seem to respect. Desjardins says he'd come more often if he could.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's not easy,&quot; he says. &quot;I live on a fixed income, and I have to try to make what I get last a month.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thrive occupies a former classroom on the second floor of the Frost Building divided now by cubicle partitions. A small reception area houses a desk, visitors chairs, fax/copy machine, water cooler, microwave, coffee maker, dorm-sized refrigerator, and the Grab-n-Go cart.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;The Food Pantry is in the back next to an office used by Thrive's part-time program assistant and representatives from visiting agencies who help students apply for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program), open bank accounts, enroll in affordable healthcare plans and find emergency housing.&amp;nbsp;Fiedler's office is separated from reception by a partition and a plastic shower curtain that functions as a door.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She drops her coat in her office and takes a seat behind the reception desk. Student Marcus Collazo starts explaining the problems he has been having with his health insurance.&amp;nbsp;He uses MassHealth, a state-funded plan for low-income residents, he tells her, so he doesn't need the college's health insurance, Blue Cross Blue Shield. (Students taking nine course credits or more are required to buy the college's health insurance if they don't have their own plan.) Despite attempting to opt out through a waiver process, he appears to have been enrolled anyway. Now he's worried he might lose access to critical prescription medication he needs or to his longtime therapist or that he might be charged with co-pays he can't afford.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&quot;The waiver process is incredibly complicated,&quot; says Fiedler.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They spend nearly a half hour together. Fiedler scribbles a few questions on a Post-It for Collazo to research before a Friday appointment she has scheduled for him with Tony Sbalbi, HCC's dean of students, who has authority to intercede over matters related to the college health plan.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;I want you to do your homework and then I want you to come back,&quot; Fielder says. &quot;You're always welcome here. We've got tea, coffee. We've got Grab-n-Go, so if you need to run in and run out, we've got food.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm actually going to take some,&quot; says Collazo, a 19-year-old biology major from Holyoke. &quot;I haven't been able to eat breakfast today.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Collazo has a part-time job at Chipotle. Still, he says, he often skips meals.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Me and my mother are living paycheck to paycheck, so it's either I make something at home or I don't eat at all,&quot; he says. &quot;Sometimes I just don't have time. I don't have a car. I take the bus so I need to be there at a certain time or else I'm not going to make it to class.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'We're all helping each other'&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fiedler studied psychology at HCC, then went on to Elms College for her bachelor's degree and Springfield College for her master's in psychology and counseling. As an older HCC student - she was 45 when she started - she worked here as a tutor and never left.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before taking over in Thrive, she was a learning coach for an HCC program called STRIVE that supports low-income, disabled and first-generation college students, and then a career counselor and academic adviser in Transition to College and Careers, a free, pre-college program whose classes she still visits.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC changed my life,&quot; she says. &quot;It changed my world. It changed my children's world.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her daughter Shayla is a student in HCC's Veterinary Technician program.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite her previous HCC experience, Fiedler learned through Thrive that students are generally more self-conscious about being hungry than being homeless.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's not how I thought it would go,&quot; she says. &quot;But if you think about it, there are so many outside variables that affect whether someone is homeless or housing insecure. The onus isn't necessarily on them for being in that position. But for food, they think it's somehow their own fault, which is why we've made such an effort to normalize access, so they will come in.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Doughnuts help. Nearly every morning this semester, an anonymous member of the HCC community has been dropping off boxes of fresh doughnuts and muffins.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's nice to have for students, to destigmatize and normalize the Grab-n-Go, so it's not just, oh my god, you're in crisis, go get a granola bar. It's, come to Thrive for coffee and a doughnut,&quot; says Fiedler. &quot;It makes them feel valued, that it's a normal thing to come and access services here. Normalizing food access reduces the stigma. Because of that, we make these connections and build relationships, and that's the key. Cause we don't know they're in crisis unless they come in.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like Collazo, Chris Coburn first visited Thrive for help with health insurance. Since then, the 21-year-old biology major from Springfield has been a frequent presence. He's used the Food Pantry at times and stops in regularly for Grab-n-Go, and now he also works here 10 hours a week, one of several work-study students here who all got to know Fielder after coming in for services.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coburn's chief responsibility is organizing the Food Pantry, weighing and recording donations, restocking shelves, and marking expiration dates. Though his shift today doesn't start until 10:15, he dropped by before his 9 o'clock class just to check in and say hello.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Rosemary is always so nice and so kind,&quot; he says. &quot;Working in Thrive it almost feels like a family. We're all supporting each other. We're all helping each other.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'Kind of wobbly'&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Two female students stop in.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;Who are the doughnuts for?&quot; says one of them, Rachael Jablonski, a 21-year-old human services major from Westfield. It's her first time here.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Just Grab-n-Go,&quot; says Fiedler. &quot;Would you like one?&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I haven't had breakfast yet,&quot; says Jablonski, &quot;so this is good for me.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Well, you can always grab something more nutritious.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fiedler often uses these casual interactions to raise other subjects, and this conversation drifts seamlessly from food to credit counseling, another Thrive service and one she mentions frequently. The young ladies sit down, and Fiedler gives them a brief tutorial on credit, explaining what a credit score is, how it's calculated, and why it's important.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Do you need a good credit score to get an apartment?&quot; Jablonski asks.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fielder's face lights up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Yes, you do,&quot; she says. &quot;I'll teach you more if you want to come back. I'll teach you the rules of credit. It's a game, and it has rules. Let me teach you, so when you are in a position to get credit, you'll use it correctly, and you'll win.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A male student named Josh grabs a doughnut and quickly departs. Four young women visit the Grab-n-Go cart, taking cups of ramen noodles, packets of instant oatmeal, and a few bags of chips.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Hi, Rosemary,&quot; says a male student peeking in from the hallway. &quot;Are those doughnuts for anyone?&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Work-study student Bianca Thomas arrives in time to relieve Fiedler from the sudden burst of action at the reception desk. Thomas checks student IDs, makes photocopies for the Thrive files and sits down to log into the office computer.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She reads an urgent email message from a homeless student asking for help. The student says she's been sick, and it had been a cold night. She left no phone number. Thomas sends an immediate reply:&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Are you in a safe, warm place?&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Every shift, someone mentions some sort of housing need,&quot; says Thomas. &quot;Unsafe. Unstable. Slumlord.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While they try to make a quick connection, it doesn't always work out.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&quot;When they're in crisis like that, you have to reach them in that moment or you may lose them,&quot; Fiedler says.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Three years ago, Thomas was herself living in a shelter for women battling domestic violence. At the time, she was a student in HCC's Transition to College and Careers program. Fiedler visited her class one day to talk about Thrive.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Rose helped me get out and get my own apartment, but to do that I needed to get my credit score up,&quot; Thomas says. &quot;I was under the 600 mark, so I wasn't able to get into apartments.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now she's in the &quot;700 club,&quot; she says. &quot;It took me three years to get there, all uphill, but it was worth it.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 35-year-old Springfield resident, sustainability studies major and mother of two, who also works part time as a home health aide, is now looking to buy a house.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Getting my credit in order was the key to everything,&quot; she says. &quot;Without that I didn't really have stable housing. Once you get that foundation, you can build off of it. Without it, you're kind of wobbly.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;'I hope so'&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Food donations show up frequently in Thrive, and this morning another anonymous donor left an assortment of red and white holiday gift bags, each pre-portioned with a pouch of tuna, fruit and granola bar, can of sparkling water, sleeve of peanuts, cheese and crackers, cup of ramen noodles, and package of instant oatmeal. Thomas places a few of the bags next to the Grab-n-Go cart.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Paul St. George, a 36-year-old business major from Northampton, swings in on break from math class.&amp;nbsp;&quot;I forgot my ID,&quot; he says. &quot;Can I bring it down when I come back?&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You can just write down your name and ID number,&quot; says Thomas. &quot;We have some doughnuts, and we have some to-go bags.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;St. George makes himself a cup of coffee, takes a granola bar from the Grab-n-Go cart and a holiday to-go bag. He says he comes in about once a week for snacks and once a month for the Food Pantry.&amp;nbsp;&quot;It's very convenient and very helpful,&quot; he says.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thomas sorts the photocopied student IDs into two folders, one for the Food Pantry and one for Grab-n-Go.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Grab-n-Go gets used four times as much as the Food Pantry,&quot; says Fiedler. &quot;Our students are hungry now. They're not thinking of dinner. They're thinking of now.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If they see the same students coming in repeatedly, they try to follow up:&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Hey, do you have SNAP? Maybe you qualify and we can get that for you.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;People might only know us for Grab-n-Go and then, coming in here, they find out we help out with other stuff too,&quot; says Thomas.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Today, it's a granola bar,&quot; Fiedler often says. &quot;Tomorrow it's food stamps.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thrive was founded in 2015 as a &quot;one-stop financial success center,&quot; a tagline that still appears on some Thrive signs, although the name has changed along with its focus. It is now officially the Thrive Student Resource Center, or, simply, the Thrive Center.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Originally, Thrive pushed financial literacy skills - checking and savings accounts, tax preparation, budgeting workshops - not food.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We tried running money skills classes at 3 o'clock in the afternoon and nobody would show up,&quot; says Fiedler. &quot;It's really tough to get people excited about managing money when they're busy working two jobs and picking up kids. How many homeless students do you think gave a hoot about their credit scores?&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fiedler still talks up the importance of establishing good credit and wise money management, but Thrive now puts more of an emphasis on basic needs. In keeping with that mission, the college moved the HCC Food Pantry into Thrive about a year ago.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's Maslow's hierarchy of needs, right?&quot; she says. &quot;We need to stabilize them with housing, food and healthcare first before we can start to engage them on issues like their credit and budgeting.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Later, across the hall, Fiedler sits down in a small office with Jean Rogers, a social worker from a transitional housing program called CHD Safety Zone, and Faith, an 18-year-old homeless student in her first semester at HCC.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A 2019 graduate of Springfield's Central High School, Faith learned about Thrive on New Student Orientation Day before starting classes in September.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They've helped me out a lot,&quot; she says, &quot;cause most of the time I don't have money for food, so I come here for Grab-n-Go. I try not to come more than two times a week because I know other people have to eat too.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Homeless most of her life, Faith's unstable living situation is now putting her college career in jeopardy just as it's begun. In the past year, she's lived off and on with her aunt. Not long before turning 18, she was briefly in foster care. Now she's living with her mother, in the home of a family friend. She started the semester with five classes and has already dropped three.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If we can help her maintain housing,&quot; Fiedler tells Rogers, &quot;then she can focus on being a student.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm sure they'll be something for you,&quot; Fiedler says.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I hope so,&quot; says Faith.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;'This is gonna help me write my paper'&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Solney Santiago, a 28-year-old Foundations of Health major from Springfield, comes in after she was told Thrive provides free fax services, and she needs to send some documents to MassHealth. Thomas helps her but senses there's more.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You look stressed,&quot; Thomas says.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She is. A few days ago, the state Dept. of Children and Families suddenly placed Solney's two young nephews in her custody. She's trying to add them to her health insurance plan. Plus, she and her husband have a 4-year-old daughter of their own.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&quot;We're here for you, to help you,&quot; says Thomas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Solney comes back later in the day and leaves with two bags of groceries from the Food Pantry, an emergency appointment to meet with a SNAP benefits coordinator, a referral to the Easthampton Community Center, which provides free backpacks and school supplies to low-income families, and doughnuts for the children.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It really helps,&quot; she says.&amp;nbsp;Not long before closing time - 4:30 p.m. - Nathan Wytrwal comes in for a cup of coffee. It's his second time here today. Earlier, he'd been in looking for a snack.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I had heard they had free doughnuts,&quot; he says. &quot;Then I was offered a grab bag full of goodies that had some healthier options.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An engineering major and honors student in his final semester, the 35-year-old Holyoke resident enrolled at HCC as part of a re-education grant offered through unemployment, and he first came to Thrive for help building his credit. Now his score is up to 776, a rating of &quot;excellent.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'll take that,&quot; he says. &quot;I love the services here. Mostly I come for Grab-n-Go. It helps me get through the day, like when I need a coffee and can't afford one.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The last Walk-in-Wednesday visitor of the day is Avery Maltz, a 32-year-old biology major from Northampton. He's also been in twice today, both times to heat up a supermarket burrito he brought in.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I get hungry,&quot; he says. &quot;I come and use the microwave or sometimes I'll use the Food Pantry or the Grab-n-Go or even walking by I'll say hi.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Would you like a doughnut?&quot; says Fiedler. &quot;I need to feed you.&quot;&amp;nbsp;Maltz thinks for a moment and takes a muffin instead.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm gonna be sad later,&quot; he says, &quot;but this is gonna help me write my paper.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'A better semester'&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to a January 2020 basic needs survey conducted by the Hope Center at Temple University, 46 percent of HCC students who responded had experienced &quot;food insecurity&quot; in the previous 30 days, that is, they were worried about how much food they could afford, leading many to ration their consumption, either by skimping or skipping meals entirely if not going a day or more at times without eating.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than half, 56 percent, faced &quot;housing insecurity,&quot; meaning their living situations were unstable or in some way threatened; 23 percent identified as outright homeless; and 67 percent had experienced either food insecurity, housing insecurity, or homelessness.&amp;nbsp;HCC's numbers are slightly higher than those for community colleges nationwide.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By my count, on Nov. 13, 2019, one day in the life of Thrive, 40 HCC students visited the center for one or more services, and here's why: Grab-n-Go (30); credit counseling (5); health insurance (5); Food Pantry (2); SNAP benefits (2); housing (2); other (8), microwave, clothing, coffee, backpacks, school supplies, just checking in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I interviewed about half of them for this story, and it's a credit to Fiedler's mission to destigmatize Thrive's services that only two students asked that their names not be used.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One was the anonymous doughnut donor, who I caught up with early one morning when he came to Thrive with a delivery. I recognized him right away as a student who had come in for Grab-n-Go the day I was there.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm just trying to help them out,&quot; he said. &quot;I try to help them because they help me.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, the doughnut deliveries eventually stopped. Fiedler told me this student did not return for the spring 2020 semester. She doesn't know why, and so it goes.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Someone who did return, though, is Faith, the 18-year-old woman whose quote opens this story and the second person who asked not to be named.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Jan. 19, Faith moved into a dormitory on the campus of Westfield State University after being accepted into &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/wsu-hcc-housing&quot;&gt;a new program for homeless community college students set up through the Dept. of Higher Education&lt;/a&gt;. She was recommended by Fiedler and Tony Sbalbi.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;As part of this program, she shares a room with another previously homeless HCC student. They get complementary meal plans at Westfield and free public transportation to HCC. They can use all the facilities there, including the library and gym, and, for the first time, they have consistent, reliable Internet access where they live.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm trying to make everything run smoothly,&quot; Faith said after a few weeks of classes. &quot;I feel like my mental state is clearer. I'm getting all my work in and keeping everything organized, so I think this is going to be a better semester.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her spirits up, Faith changed her mind about letting me use her name. It's Faith Ballard. She also allowed me to take her photograph. In it, she's standing by the Thrive office door, and she's smiling.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Above) The staff of the Thrive Student Resource Center. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Work-study student Chris Coburn marks the expiration dates on items in the HCC food pantry.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10698" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/leadership-lunch-sp20" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|66" FileName="x10698.xml" Name="Leadership Lunch SP20" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/leadership-graphic.jpg" Title="Featured Leaders" Abstract="Women leaders of area institutions will be the guest presenters at the spring 2020 Women's Leadership Luncheon series hosted by HCC and the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce. " ThumbnailAltText="Womens leadership luncheon series graphic" IntroCopy="The four-part Women's Leadership Luncheon Series begins Friday, March 27 at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute." Date="2020-02-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Leadership Luncheon series graphic&quot; height=&quot;503&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/leadership-graphic.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Women leaders of prominent area institutions will be the featured presenters at the spring 2020 Women's Leadership Luncheon Series hosted by Holyoke Community College and the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The four-part, monthly &quot;Leadership in Your Future 2020&quot; series kicks off Friday, March 27, and continues on April 10, May 8 and June 19.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each of four presenters will sit at a different table each week and speak on a subject of their choosing. Over the course of the four-session series, they will rotate among the tables so guests have the opportunity to hear all the presentations. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The four presenters are: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Theresa Cooper-Gordon&lt;/strong&gt;, commissioner, Holyoke Housing Authority (&quot;Self-Determination&quot;) &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Priscilla Kane Hellweg&lt;/strong&gt;, executive/artistic director, Enchanted Circle Theater (&quot;In it for the Long Haul&quot;) &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jody Kasper&lt;/strong&gt;, chief of Police, City of Northampton (&quot;Rising to the Top&quot;) &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Christina Royal&lt;/strong&gt;, president, Holyoke Community College (&quot;Leading Through Change&quot;) &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The luncheons&amp;nbsp; run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St. Lunch will be prepared and served by students in the HCC Culinary Arts program. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The series will provide an opportunity to learn from women leaders of area institutions and a chance for participants to network with their peers and gain insights on building their own careers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cost is $150 for all four sessions. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Seating is limited. For more information or to reserve a seat, please contact Valentyna Semyrog at 413-552-2123 or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:vsemyrog@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;vsemyrog@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10852" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/poetry-prize" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x10852.xml" Name="Poetry Prize" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-Marissa-Perez-office.jpg" Title="From Plath to Perez" Abstract="Holyoke Community College student Marissa Perez has won the prestigious Glascock Poetry Prize, believed to be the oldest, intercollegiate poetry contest in the country.  " ThumbnailAltText="HCC student Marissa Perez talks about her classes in this HCC file photo" IntroCopy="HCC student first from a community college to win prestigious poetry contest" Date="2020-04-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student Marissa Perez has won the prestigious Glascock Poetry Prize&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-Marissa-Perez-office.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a student at Smith College in 1955, a young Sylvia Plath won the prestigious Glascock Poetry Prize, lanching her career as an esteemed poet and author of works such as her collection &quot;Ariel&quot; and autobiographical novel &quot;The Bell Jar.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;James Agee, Kenneth Koch, James Merrill, Katha Pollit, Muriel Rukeyser, Mark Halperin, and Mary Jo Salter are among the other famous writers who were also Glascock entrants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Judges in the annual, intercollegiate contest administered by Mount Holyoke College have over the years included the legendary poets Robert Frost, Seamus Heaney, Adrienne Rich, Richard Wilbur, William Carlos Williams, and Martin Espada, among others.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Monday, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/english/glascock-poetry-contest&quot; title=&quot;Glascock Poetry Contest&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2020 Glascock Poetry Prize&lt;/a&gt; was awarded to Marissa Perez of Florence, Mass., a 24-year-old liberal arts major at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a huge deal,&quot; said HCC English professor Carolyn Zaikowski, who nominated Perez. &quot;The contest is considered a career starter, and it has never been won by a community college student before. I hope the academic writing community will get the clear message here &amp;ndash; that community college students are amazing and talented and deserve to be taken seriously.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The annual poetry contest honors the memory of Kathryn Irene Glascock, a promising young poet who graduated from Mount Holyoke in 1922 and died of pneumonia a year later.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perez is the 97&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; winner of the Glascock Poetry Contest, which is believed to be the oldest, intercollegiate poetry contest in the U.S.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students must be nominated by a faculty member at their college or university. A collection of their work is judged by a panel of three distinguished poets. This year's judges were Kaveh Akbar, Franny Choi and Erica Hunt.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When it dawned on me what was happening, and what this would mean, I was euphoric,&quot; Perez said from her home in Northampton. &quot;Generally, I've been detached from the poetry world, as I've never been involved in any inner literary circles and don't often share my work. The experience of participating was at once cathartic and terrifying. Kaveh Akbar, one of this year's judges, is one of my most beloved contemporary poets.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perez submitted eight poems for their consideration. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The selection team was comprised of exquisite writers whose company I initially felt I wasn't worthy of,&quot; she said. &quot;I felt I was giving a piece of my soul to these judges when I handed over the manuscript. It was raw, messy, and cathartic material. In the grand scheme of things, I realize I put my trust in them to take care of my work and give it life. I'm so honored and grateful to have been able to do such a thing.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In their comments, the judges wrote that they especially admired a poem called &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/News/Pacific%20Coast%20Highway.docx.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Pacific Coast Highway&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Pacific Coast Highway,&quot;&lt;/a&gt; &quot;for its pacing, emotion and its poetics of the winding line mirroring the winding road of California Route 1 itself.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am sincerely fascinated by this poet's often staggering treatment of language as the subject of their interrogation, language itself as the antidote to its own venom.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm excited to watch this poet continue to grow!&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Zaikowski said she knew Perez was an exceptional writer from the first time she shared her work in their &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/english-and-creative-writing&quot;&gt;Creative Writing &lt;/a&gt;course. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The rest of the class knew it, too,&quot; Zaikowski said. &quot;In all of the genres we worked in, she had a bone-level radar for a particular mix of the personal and the political, and a way of using subtle, surprising images, moods, and lyricism to convey it.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At one point, Zaikowski said she sat down with Perez and asked her what kind of writer she wanted to be.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There are a couple types of writers,&quot; Zaikowski said, &quot;writers who write as a hobby, and writers who kind of feel like they would not know who they were or that they'd die inside if they couldn't write &amp;ndash; I asked her what category she was in? I knew the answer already, but she confirmed she was in the latter. And I felt like she wasn't just writing for herself, she was using her writing skills to articulate, and try to heal, larger social issues. The world needs more voices like that.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Marissa Perez at HCC&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10858" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/candy-johnson" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|65|194" FileName="x10858.xml" Name="Candy Johnson" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/GIVE-Ed-Verdi-Johnson.jpg" Title="Parental Honors" Abstract="Retired HCC professor Candida 'Candy' Johnson has established a scholarship in memory of her parents, Ed and Verdi Johnson, career educators who loved the arts." ThumbnailAltText="Ed and Verdi Johnson" IntroCopy="Retired professor Candy Johnson endows HCC Foundation scholarship" Date="2020-04-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Candy Johnson&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/GIVE-JOHNSON-POLTAVA.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story appears in the Spring 2020 issue of&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/AC/AC_SP20_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Spring 2020 Alumni Connection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;HCC's Alumni Connection&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;magazine.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By JUDITH KELLIHER&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Candida &quot;Candy&quot; Johnson has always been inspired by her parents' devotion to education and love of the arts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They were educators, and having them as role models led Johnson to a 35-year career as a teacher of business administration at HCC, a job from which she retired in 2011 and is eternally grateful for.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Every day brought something or someone new to the classroom and to my life,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the past 19 years, Johnson has made monetary donations to HCC. And now, to honor her parents, who died within seven months of each other in 2016 and 2017, she has established the Edward and Verdenal Johnson Memorial Scholarship through the HCC Foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Starting next year the scholarship will be awarded annually to an HCC student studying fine arts or music.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Honoring my parents in a way that values education seemed logical to me,&quot; Johnson said. &quot;And a scholarship supporting students in the arts is an extension of all of that. As educators, my parents were never rich, but their lives certainly were.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They met at Swarthmore College in 1945; she studied psychology, he engineering. Their path saw him later earn a master's degree in education at Columbia University and go on to become a high school guidance counselor and swim coach. Likewise, her mother, after being a stay-at-home mom, went back to school to earn her master's degree in American studies at Seton Hall University. She became a high school English teacher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Dad was all about encouraging his students to pursue their educations so that they might achieve their goals in life, and mom worked hard to help her students become as proficient in English as she could while supporting the same goals,&quot; Johnson said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the 1960s, when Johnson was in high school and later college, her parents co-owned the Argus Gallery, a fine arts gallery in Madison, N.J., just 25 miles outside New York City, attracting artists of national acclaim.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They also enjoyed theater and dance, and their adventures took them frequently to the city for Broadway productions such as &lt;em&gt;Hair&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Oh! Calcutta!&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;ndash; both considered controversial at the time &amp;ndash; as well as Off Broadway shows and the New York City Ballet. Her mother even worked a while as arts editor at the &lt;em&gt;Newark Star Ledger&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Candy's longstanding support of HCC and our students is truly remarkable,&quot; said Patrick D. Carpenter, director of Institutional Advancement. &quot;I continue to be impressed as I learn more about Candy, her upbringing, the important lessons instilled in her by her parents, and her decades-long relationship with HCC as a faculty member, volunteer, and donor.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Johnson's giving spirit emerges in other ways. Each week, she helps serve free lunch to veterans and their families at St. Paul's Church in Holyoke, inspired after watching her father volunteer until the age of 94 at a community lunch at a church in Portsmouth, N.H. Since his passing, she has carried on the family tradition at St. Paul's.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Johnson, a Holyoke resident, volunteers for the HCC Foundation, reviewing scholarship applications, an activity she finds inspiring and satisfying because she learns about so many young people overcoming challenges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2002, as an HCC professor, Johnson received the HCC Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence, which honors one faculty member each year &quot;who exemplifies the characteristics associated with outstanding classroom teaching.&quot; Johnson considered the honor a &quot;wonderful affirmation of my efforts in the classroom.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I used my Marieb award to travel to the United Kingdom and France, where I met with faculty and administrators of business degree programs, exploring how each institution handled activities like internships and cooperative education opportunities to facilitate students' better understanding of their place in the now global economy,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Besides HCC, Johnson taught economics at the Poltava Cooperative Institute in Ukraine, now the Poltava University of Economics and Trade.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her former office in the Kittredge Center (KC 425) is marked with a plaque that reads, &quot;Made possible through the generosity of the Poltava Connection.&quot; But that was just Johnson, who had made all her donations to the HCC Foundation anonymously. Until now.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What I find most inspiring about Candy is that she remains determined as ever to help our students achieve their goals,&quot; Carpenter said. &quot;Candy continues to set an example about the true nature of being in service to HCC students.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Ed and Verdi Johnson (Above)&amp;nbsp;Retired professor Candy Johnson stands next to the plaque outside her former office in the HCC Kittredge Center.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10821" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/vet-tech-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|227|354" FileName="x10821.xml" Name="Vet Tech grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-Vet-Tech-checkup.jpg" Title="Added Value" Abstract="HCC has received a $240,743 state grant to expand and improve the outdoor, instructional kennel used for its Veterinary Technician program." ThumbnailAltText="Vet tech instructor Jennifer York with student" IntroCopy="HCC receives $240k grant for Vet Tech program" Date="2020-03-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Vet tech teacher Jennifer York with student&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-Vet-Tech-examine.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has received a $240,743 state grant to expand and improve the outdoor, instructional kennel used for its Veterinary Technician program.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The allocation was part of the Skills Capital Grants awarded last month by Gov. Charlie Baker's Workforce Skills Cabinet.The competitive grants are awarded to educational institutions that demonstrate partnerships with local businesses, as well as align curriculum and credentials with industry demand to maximize hiring opportunities in each region of the state.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Skills Capital Grants help preserve the Commonwealth's talent pipeline by funding expanded enrollment and equipment upgrades at educational institutions to provide more students with in-demand skills sought by employers,&quot;&amp;nbsp;Baker said in annoucing the awards.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is planning to use the money to increase the size of its kennel to better facilitate instruction and add modern updates, including a new security system, more lighting, and an overhang to protect the dogs housed there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college will also be adding a one-year Veterinary Assistant certificate program for the fall 2020 semester to go along with its two-year associate degree Vet Tech program.HCC's Veterinary Technician program is the only one in Western Massachusetts accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The governor's Workforce Skills Cabinet which was created in 2015 to bring together the Secretariats of Education, Labor and Workforce Development, and Housing and Economic Development to align education, economic development and workforce policies in order to strategize around how to meet employers' demand for skilled workers in every region of the Commonwealth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Above, Vet tech student Alexis Parks of Agawam helps professor Jennifer York DVM, examine Snowball during a recent wellness check. (Thumbnail) York examines Bandit during a recent wellness check with assistance from student Briana Diaz of Westfield.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10851" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/together-hcc" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|165" FileName="x10851.xml" Name="Together HCC" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-SU19_Campus-Front.jpg" Title="'Together HCC'" Abstract="President Royal has pledged $10k toward a new HCC campaign meant to help boost morale in a time of great uncertainy as well as raise money for students in financial distress." ThumbnailAltText="HCC campus" IntroCopy="HCC launches 'Campaign for Caring'" Date="2020-03-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC campus shot&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-SU19_Campus-Front.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College President Christina Royal has issued a personal $10,000 challenge gift toward a new HCC campaign that is as much about building moral support in a time of great uncertainy as it is about raising money for students experiencing financial distress.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier today, Monday, March 30, the HCC Foundation launched &quot;Together HCC - A Campaign for Caring.&quot; As part of that campaign, people &amp;ndash;students, staff, faculty, alumni, relatives, and friends &amp;ndash; are being asked to use the hashtag #TogetherHCC to share stories and images on social media that show the strength of the college community in response to the COVID-19 crisis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Royal's $10,000 challenge is not just a financial one. Instead, the goal is to gather &amp;nbsp;1,000 contributions of any kind toward the #TogetherHCC campaign. That includes monetary donations as well as social media posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and email submissions that describe an inspirational tale or messages of encouragement relating to the ongoing pandemic. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is an unprecedented time in our history that can only be navigated if we work together,&quot; said President Royal. &quot;Our campaign for caring enables members of our community to offer encouragement to one another and provide inspiration. The financial investments and kind words offered through this campaign are vitally important to our students'&amp;nbsp;success and to the well-being of every member of our community.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Besides scholarships, the HCC Foundation manages several funds that directly support students facing financial emergencies as well as those experiecing food and housing insecurity. These include the President's Student Emergency Fund, which was established by President Royal early in her administration, and another that supports HCC's Thrive Student Resource Center, which manages the HCC Food Pantry.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This has been, and continues to be, a stressful and challenging time for everyone,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation, the college's nonprofit fundraising corporation. &quot;The COVID-19 crisis has turned the world upside down, and amidst this uncertainty, we still need to do everything we can to provide our students with the education and support they deserve. Meanwhile, our students are facing all kinds of challenges in their own lives. 'Together HCC' isn't just about providing financial support for them, it's also about providing moral support. Through this campaign we want to let our students and other members of the college community know that it's going to be okay and that we are all in this together.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learn more about the campaign and how you can contribute at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/alumni-and-friends/together-hcc-a-campaign-of-caring&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/together&lt;/a&gt; or send an email to Julie Phillips, coordinator of Alumni Relations, at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:jphillips@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;jphillips@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10805" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/wsu-hcc-housing" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|3|165" FileName="x10805.xml" Name="WSU-HCC Housing" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/WSU-HCC-presidents.jpg" Title="Housing Pilot" Abstract="HCC and Westfield State University are part of a new state program that provides free campus housing and meal plans to students struggling with homelessness and food insecurity." ThumbnailAltText="Westfield State University president Ramon S. Torrecilha and HCC president Christina Royal get ready to sign a transfer agreement in this January 2019 file photo." IntroCopy="Partnership aims to address student homelessness and hunger" Date="2020-03-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Westfield State University president Ramon S. Torrecilha and HCC president Christina Royal get ready to sign a transfer agreement in this January 2019 file photo.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/WSU-HCC-presidents.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Westfield State University and Holyoke Community College are partners in a state-sponsored pilot program that provides free campus housing and meal plans to students struggling with homelessness and food insecurity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Westfield and HCC are the sixth college team chosen for the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education's Campus Housing Security Pilot program, which matches a public university with a nearby community college to offer free room and board for up to five students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beginning with the start of the spring 2020 semester, two first-year students from HCC, as well as a senior, junior, and sophomore from Westfield State, have been living in a dormitory on the Westfield campus with full campus meal plans. The program also provides for free public transportation from Westfield to Holyoke, as well as case management services and other resources through the Shine Young Adult Housing Program in Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although the arrangements have been complicated since the coronavirus outbreak, the governor's stay-at-home advisory and the transition to remote instruction at both colleges, the students are still being housed on the Westfield campus.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; The program started last year with the pairing of Bridgewater State University and Massasoit Community&amp;nbsp;College; Framingham State University and MassBay Community&amp;nbsp;College; Worcester State University and Quinsigamond Community&amp;nbsp;College; and UMass Lowell and&amp;nbsp;Middlesex Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year two more college teams were added: Salem State University and North Shore Community College; and Westfield State and HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;An unfortunate byproduct of growing income inequality in Massachusetts is the rise of hunger and homelessness among our students,&quot; said Carlos E. Santiago, commissioner of Higher Education. &quot;I am thrilled to see the expansion of our pilot program to serve this vulnerable population and commend our campus leaders for committing resources to fund meal plans and offer academic supports that will increase the likelihood that these students succeed in earning college credentials.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The goal of the program is to help struggling students gain stability in their lives so they can complete their college degrees and make a successful transition to permanent housing and meaningful careers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;A lot of people are surprised to hear that housing insecurity and homelessness are a reality on many college campuses,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &quot;In order for our students to succeed academically, we must address some of the challenges they face with their basic needs. This partnership with Westfield will provide stability for these students so they can focus on their studies.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The state is providing $48,000 per regional campus team to cover the cost for five beds in a university residence hall, with additional block grant funding from the Dept. of Higher Education to cover any remaining housing costs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each participating institution covers the cost of its own students' meal plans, which for the two HCC students is being paid by the HCC Foundation, the college's nonprofit fundraising corporation.&amp;nbsp;The five students will also continue to live on the Westfield campus during vacation breaks and summer months. To be eligible for the program, they must be enrolled full time and be in good academic standing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are proud to help address an increasing societal issue by assisting some students with housing and meals on campus through this thoughtful, state-initiated program,&quot; said Gloria Lopez, vice president for Student Affairs at Westfield State. &quot;We are fortunate and pleased that we are able to accommodate these students, as we eagerly welcome them to our supportive learning environment and inclusive campus community.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the Dept. of Higher Education, Massachusetts is the first state to address these issues as a matter of intentional, state-level public policy, thanks to a unique partnership among three state agencies: the DHE, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS). Through its Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth, EOHHS is funding the annual stipends to cover the cost of dorm housing for up to five community college and state university students at six residential campuses. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A seventh pilot program, launched in fall 2019, provides off-campus, single-room occupancy for up to 11 homeless students attending public colleges and universities within the city of Boston.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;Westfield State University president Ramon S. Torrecilha and HCC president Christina Royal get ready to sign a transfer agreement in this January 2019 file photo.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10837" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/ppe-donation" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|3" FileName="x10837.xml" Name="PPE donation" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-PPE-pickup.jpg" Title="Special Delivery" Abstract="In response to supply shortages, HCC is donating masks, owns, exam gloves and other personal protection equipment to help medical professionals battling coronavirus." ThumbnailAltText="U.S. Army soldiers pick up medical supplied at HCC" IntroCopy="HCC donating personal protection equipment" Date="2020-03-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;U.S. Army soldiers pick up medical supplies at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-PPE-soldiers.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;March 27 Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;U.S. Army soldiers from the 1166th Transportation Company out of Worcester stopped by the HCC Campus Police station yesterday to pick up boxes of personal protection equipment the college is donating for frontline workers battling the coronavirus pandemic. Army Spc. Justin Sargent said the supplies were scheduled to be dropped off at a medical distribution center in Marlborough, Mass., before re-distribution to area hospitals.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Read the March 24&amp;nbsp; story below:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In response to requests from area hospitals experiencing shortages of supplies, Holyoke Community College is preparing to donate surgical masks, isolation gowns, exam gloves and other personal protection equipment from its health science programs to help frontline medical professionals as they battle conoravirus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's Emergency Response Team has been coordinating with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency on the collection of supplies from the college's Health Sciences division and its divison of Business &amp;amp; Workforce Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Late last week, the Western Mass Economic Development Council sent out a list of personal protection equipment (PPE) that Baystate Medical Center and other area hospitals are &quot;in desperate need of.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I know we have all been looking for meaningful ways to help out during these stressful times of COVID-19,&quot; said the message, which was sent out on behalf of WestMass president and CEO Rick Sullivan. &quot;Our frontline medical professionals and first responderss need our help.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The items HCC has been collecting include boxes of isolation gowns, exam gloves, masks, goggles, hand sanitizer, and microbial wipes from its nursing, radiological technology, veterinary technician, biology, forensic science and certified nursing assistant programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC police captain Dale Brown spent this afternoon conducting an inventory of the PPE supplies at the Campus Police station. He said he expected that a representative from MEMA would be picking up the items on campus sometime tomorrow (March 24).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;U.S. Army soldiers from the 1166th Transportation Company out of Worcester pick up medical supplies at HCC Thursday, March 26.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10823" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/warriors-art-room" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65" FileName="x10823.xml" Name="Warriors Art Room" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Warriors-STEVE.jpg" Title="'Paint What You Feel'" Abstract="Alumni Connection Preview: Alumni Steve and Brenda Jones founded the Warrior's Art Room to help veterans and their families heal the invisible wounds of war. " ThumbnailAltText="Steve Jones '15, founder of the Warrior's Art Room" IntroCopy="Steve Jones '15 and the Warrior's Art Room" Date="2020-03-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Steve Jones '15 founder of the Warrior's Art Room&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Warriors-Steve-Sponder.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story appears in the Spring 2020 issue of &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/AC/AC_SP20_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Spring 2020 Alumni Connection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;HCC's Alumni Connection &lt;/a&gt;magazine.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By LAURIE LOISEL&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;WESTFIELD &amp;ndash; Three years after completing an eight-year stint in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Iraq war veteran Steve Jones began to experience bouts of sadness, helplessness and depression so severe he knew something was wrong. Until then, he thought he'd adjusted to his years of combat service with no lasting effects.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;In other words, the married, 46-year-old father of four now says, &quot;I thought I was perfectly fine.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But, of course, he was not. Though a naturally upbeat and positive person, intrusive thoughts and sleep-stealing dreams eventually took their toll. Deeply affected when friends he'd served with became suicidal or died by suicide, he grew concerned about his own mental health.&amp;nbsp;It was like he had &quot;started experiencing PTSD out of the blue,&quot; he remembers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And that's when he took action. In 2012, he enrolled at Holyoke Community College to study psychology,&amp;nbsp;eventually earning his associate degree with high honors.&amp;nbsp;&quot;I wanted to figure out what was wrong with me, but I also wanted to help my fellow veterans.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His time at HCC would lead him to discover both a passion and a talent for art that would ultimately help him heal his post-traumatic stress and put him on a path toward helping other veterans experiencing the after-effects of military service.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Finding a purpose&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jones, an Easthampton native who graduated from Smith Vocational High School in Northampton, had always wanted to join the military. He finally did at the age of 28, signing up for the U.S. Marine Corp Reserve so he would be stationed close to his home and family in Russell.&amp;nbsp;He appeared for his physical exam on Sept. 11, 2001, the day terrorists attacked the United States. The next day, Jones was sworn in.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2004, his unit deployed to Iraq, where Jones served in airborne control and command in support of troop operations, directing resupply missions as well as medical and casualty evacuations, rising to the rank of sergeant.&amp;nbsp;The job involved long hours taking calls from soldiers in mortal danger, coordinating troop evacuations and air strikes. Lives depended on him.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's not the people that you save,&quot; says Jones. &quot;It's the people you don't save that wake you up at night.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Years later, to fulfill a humanities requirement for his HCC degree, Jones took a painting class with artist and former HCC instructor Dean Nimmer. He had a breakthrough when Nimmer asked students to paint their feelings and emotions.&amp;nbsp;Without consciously intending to, Jones painted a picture that depicted his first casualty evacuation in Iraq in 2004.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was crazy,&quot; he says. &quot;Almost immediately, I felt like that weight was lifted off me.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He hadn't even realized that incident was eating away at him so many years later.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;At HCC, he met other student-veterans who'd had similar experiences. He resolved then to find a way to work with veterans to make art that heals the invisible wounds from war.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From her own vantage point, his wife, Brenda, a 2018 graduate of HCC's registered nursing program, watched her husband's post-traumatic stress emerge after he returned from Iraq. He was having trouble sleeping and suffered nightmares. Around the anniversary of the second battle of Fallujah (fought in late 2004) &amp;ndash; a happy time when they were celebrating a family birthday &amp;ndash; she noticed her husband seemed uncharacteristically depressed, aggravated and frustrated. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When Steve came home with the painting he'd made in Dean Nimmer's class, it all began to make sense. She'd always known her husband had undertaken intense work in Iraq. If not putting him in immediate physical danger, the job was high stress &amp;ndash; and extremely high stakes. But once he was home, she began to fully grasp the depth of his trauma, loss and emotion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm sure it will take his lifetime to be able to process that,&quot; says Brenda.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;She studied the painting, which shows one soldier walking, carrying another clearly injured soldier, and found it particularly moving. A close look shows the injured soldier nearly eclipsing the one carrying him, who represents Jones.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I said, 'Wow, Steve, this is pretty intense.' You could see the pain was there on the paper,&quot; Brenda recalls. &quot;To me, that one is really powerful because it represents what Steve did and how it made him feel.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During Steve's deployment, Brenda had felt her own stress at home. She had to maintain a firm foundation for their four children, while also protecting them from her own fears about their father's safety. Right around the time he was expected to return from Iraq, in January 2005, she learned there were multiple casualties when a helicopter went down in the area where Steve was stationed.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I remember going down into my basement and bawling my eyes out. I didn't know if he was in it or not. That was really hard because it was so close to him coming home,&quot; she says.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When she found out Steve was okay, she felt great relief - but that was a complicated reaction, too.&amp;nbsp;&quot;Then I felt guilty because it's somebody's family.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As Steve began talking about opening a place where veterans could make art, he had her own ideas. &quot;You know what?&quot; she told him. &quot;You have to do this for the families, too.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Steve agreed. &quot;It's very important that both the veterans and their families are able to come,&quot; she says. &quot;There are different struggles that the spouse goes through, and this creates a place where they can come together.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In February 2016, Jones quit his longtime job as a receiving manager at C&amp;amp;S Wholesale Grocers in Hatfield to work on opening an art studio for veterans and their families. By June, he and Brenda had created a nonprofit and opened the Warrior's Art Room one day a week in a single, small room rented from the Westfield Alliance Church.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last summer, they relocated the Warrior's Art Room to a larger space in an old mill building in Westfield that allowed them to expand operations to five days a week.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;An invitation to create&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's the day after a December blizzard prompted multiple cancellations and left snow-encrusted streets, a week before Christmas at the Warrior's Art Room. Steve Jones steps away from a painting on an easel to greet a visitor. With a beard, moustache and deep dimples that flash frequently, he's dressed in a baseball cap and green T-shirt bearing the Warrior's Art Room logo on the front and these words on the back: &quot;When those who are trained in WARFARE create ART: Good things can happen.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Retired college professor Barry Sponder, a Vietnam War veteran, is working on a sketch using a grid to copy a picture from his phone. Jones offers gentle encouragement and concise instructions.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;The room has three tables, one easel and a multitude of art supplies &amp;ndash; markers, boxes of paints and various types of paper. Paintings, many with military themes, cover the walls. Brightly painted rocks decorate the window sills.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jones surveys the scene, arms crossed at his chest. He revels in describing the inspiration behind the Warrior's Art Room and his desire to help others paint what they feel while also building their skills to make meaningful art.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He points to the picture of a Naja Buddha sculpture on Sponder's phone and then to his drawing. &quot;Remember, you're just making a sketch,&quot; he says. &quot;You're blocking it in and then you're going to come back and fuss over the details.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sponder, 73, with a white beard, wire-rimmed glasses and a baseball cap, focuses intently on the sketch on the table before him, taking in the advice. The sculpture in the picture is in a park in Kathmandu Sponder recently visited.&amp;nbsp;&quot;I always take pictures of things I might paint later,&quot; he says.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Just go fast,&quot; says Jones. &quot;Lots of lines and fast because you're going to erase the lines that don't matter.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For me, it's really about the process of creating art,&quot; Jones explains later. &quot;It's not what the final outcome is.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sponder has been visiting the art room almost weekly for about a year, one of some 800 people Steve and Brenda have worked with to date. Some spend time in the studio. Others have their art experiences brought to them.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Art supplies in tow, the couple travels to jails in Ludlow and Billerica on Fridays when the art room is closed to offer lessons to incarcerated veterans. They also work with veterans organizations, such as the Holyoke Soldiers' Home, the West Springfield Veterans Center, and Project New Hope in Worcester. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Despite skill level, aptitude or experience, Jones believes most people can find healing by making art. He is clear that what he offers is not therapy, but, rather, an opportunity to understand a traumatic experience in a safe, non-judgmental environment.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Their pieces tell their stories,&quot; he says.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jones takes no salary as the Warrior's Art Room director. He earns a modest paycheck teaching art one day a week at the Community Christian School in Granville, Mass., and will be completing his bachelor's degree in human services this summer at Cambridge College while Brenda completes her bachelor's degree in nursing at Westfield State. They make do primarily on Brenda's salary as a neonatal intensive care nurse at Baystate Medical Center.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The art room is supported entirely by donations, such as those from Leeds-based Chartpak Inc., a producer of art supplies. If they ever raise enough that he could take a salary, Jones says he'd prefer to use the money to open a satellite center.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm doing what I love and helping other veterans,&quot; he says. &quot;I'm enabling others to become passionate about creating art.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As Sponder labors over his piece, the center's door opens, and in walks Brandon Kowal, a 16-year-old from Westfield. Kowal pulls out a painting he's been working on during weekly visits, inspired by one he likes that hangs on the wood-paneled wall: a cross draped with a flag, military dog tags dangling, army boots at the bottom.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I like to do art. It's calming,&quot; says Kowal, who attends a vocational school in West Springfield, where he's learning the automotive trade. &quot;It's a place where I can go to take my mind off everything else in the world.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kowal's parents are both veterans. Soon his mother, Melanie Casineau, enters the studio, here today to make Christmas cards.&amp;nbsp;&quot;It's comfortable,&quot; says Casineau, who spent 20 years as a photojournalist in the U.S. Air Force. &quot;I like coming here because you have something in common. When you're with someone from the military, you're not with a stranger.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sponder says he, too, is drawn by the camaraderie. &quot;Everyone who comes here has a bond, knowing you could have died,&quot; he says. &quot;There's a basic respect for what we all went through.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's not only &quot;a safe spot,&quot; he says, &quot;but a growing spot.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His own growth has meant reclaiming a passion he hadn't pursued in 40 years. &quot;It wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't been here&quot; receiving guidance from Jones, he says. &quot;He encourages you to paint what you feel.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That life-changing lesson, something Jones learned in his first art class at HCC, is a gift he is determined to pass along.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by DON TREEGER:&amp;nbsp; Steve Jones '15 works with Vietnam war veteran Barry Sponder at the Warrior's Art Room in Westfield.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10836" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/how-to-connect" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|70|165" FileName="x10836.xml" Name="How To Connect" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Still-working.jpg" Title="How To Connect" Abstract="In keeping with the recommendations of public health officials, HCC has moved student support services to phone, email and other remote interactive modes.  " ThumbnailAltText="We're Still Working sign on office door at HCC" IntroCopy="HCC staff and faculty are providing student support remotely " Date="2020-03-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Student Accounts office closed&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Student-Accounts-closed.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In keeping with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, HCC is limiting campus foot traffic in order to maximize social distancing and keep our staff and students healthy.&lt;br /&gt; We are moving our student support services to phone, email, and other remote interactive options, including Zoom, Webex, and Google chat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please see office hours and contact information by clicking the link below. Hours are subject to change and will be updated accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x10824.xml&quot;&gt;How to Connect ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10800" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/marieb-donation" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="65|165|194" FileName="x10800.xml" Name="Marieb Donation " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CLS-Rabinsky-students.jpg" Title="A 'Thrilling' Gift" Abstract="HCC has received a record $7.5 million donation from the Elaine Marieb Foundation toward the future renovation of the building that bears her name." ThumbnailAltText="HCC biology professor Emily Rabinsky, seated, leads a biotechnology lab in the Center for Life Sciences." IntroCopy="HCC receives record $7.5 million donation" Date="2020-03-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC biology professor Emily Rabinsky, seated, leads a biotechnology lab in the Center for Life Sciences.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CLS-Rabinsky-students.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has received by far the largest donation in the college's 74-year history &amp;ndash; $7.5 million &amp;ndash; and what could very well be the largest donation ever recorded by a community college in Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The gift comes from a familiar source, the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Foundation, established by the late Elaine Marieb, a longtime HCC faculty member, alumna, best-selling textbook author and Northampton native.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The $7.5 million includes $5 million outright and a $2.5 million matching gift that will go toward future renovations of HCC's main science facility, the Marieb Building, as part of a multiphase plan to expand the recently opened Center for Life Sciences to encompass the entire, three-story structure.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;This gift is a testimony to the importance of community colleges in the lives of their students,&quot; said Carlos Santiago, commissioner of the state Dept. of Higher Education. &quot;Under President Royal's leadership, HCC is to be congratulated for raising the bar for community college philanthropy that will benefit all of our public institutions.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marieb died in December 2018. During her lifetime, she was the college's biggest benefactor, donating more than $1.5 million to HCC in large and small amounts, including a $1 million gift in 2014 to support construction of HCC's Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation and the Center for Life Sciences.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Until then HCC had received only one other gift of that magnitude, a $1 million donation from alumnus and Yankee Candle Company founder Michael Kittredge in 2003 to establish the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last year, the Marieb Foundation made a $1 million legacy gift to the college that Marieb had set up as part of her estate plan, money targeted for HCC programs that benefit nontraditional-age students, particularly women.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Center for Life Sciences opened in 2018 on the first floor of the Marieb Building, featuring state-of-the-art microbiology and biotechnology labs as well as an ISO-certified, instructional cleanroom.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is thrilling,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &quot;We are honored and incredibly grateful for the Marieb Foundation's generous and unprecedented gift. This will support HCC's continued investment in high-demand, high-wage fields in STEM and healthcare and help us provide generations of students with the academic space and experience they need and deserve. The Marieb Building represents the heart of her life's work, since HCC is where her career began.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to a database maintained by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the $7.5 million gift to HCC is the single largest private donation ever made to a community college in Massachusetts. The largest previous gift was a $5 million donation to Cape Cod Community College in January 2019.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Dr. Marieb's belief in HCC was extraordinary,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the college's nonprofit fundraising corporation, the HCC Foundation. &quot;Private and individual philanthropy to our community colleges sends a powerful message about the exceptional quality of education our students receive, because these gifts come most often from the alumni and friends who have experienced those classrooms first hand.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The $7.5 million Marieb donation follows the Feb. 28 grand opening of the HCC Campus Center after a two-year, $43.5 million renovation and expansion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;While we are here today to celebrate the grand opening of this new space and what it means for our students today,&quot; Royal said during the Campus Center grand opening ceremony, &quot;we know that the higher education landscape requires us to look ahead, so we're already preparing for tomorrow with our next building project.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A native of Northampton, Marieb started working at HCC in 1969 as a professor of biology after earning a bachelor's degree from Westfield State, a master's degree from Mount Holyoke College, and a PhD in zoology from the University of Massachusetts. She started writing textbooks on anatomy and physiology to address complaints from her nursing students that the materials then available were ineffective. To inform her writing, she enrolled in HCC's nursing program, graduating with her associate degree in 1980. She retired in 1993 to devote herself full time to writing, becoming the author or co-author of more than 10 best-selling textbooks and laboratory manuals on anatomy and physiology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2016, Marieb ranked number seven on &lt;em&gt;Time Magazine&lt;/em&gt;'s list of the &quot;100 Most Read Female Writers in College Classes,&quot; just behind Mary Shelley at number six and beating out the likes of George Eliot, Alice Walker, Charlotte Bronte and many other famous authors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Former HCC president David Bartley used to introduce her as &quot;the Stephen King of A&amp;amp;P.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC biology professor Emily Rabinsky, seated, leads a biotechnology lab in the Center for Life Sciences.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10806" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/event-cancellations" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165" FileName="x10806.xml" Name="Event Cancellations" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/New-campus-front.jpg" Title="Event Cancellations" Abstract="In accordance with recommendations from public health authorities, Holyoke Community College will no longer be hosting these previously scheduled events." ThumbnailAltText="HCC campus shot" Date="2020-03-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In accordance with recommendations from public health authorities, Holyoke Community College has cancelled these previously scheduled events/areas:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;March 20, 2020, update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;French Film Festival&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Taber Art Gallery&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spring 2020 sports season&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All HCC Music Department &lt;/strong&gt;performances, recitals and concerts for remainder of semester&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All Wednesday&lt;/strong&gt; Culinary Arts lunches at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute for remainder of semester&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;April 16-18:&lt;/strong&gt; Spring 2020 Theater Department production of Antigone&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;April 22: &lt;/strong&gt;Culinary Arts Open House at HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;May 3&lt;/strong&gt;: Holyoke Civic Symphony, HCC Leslie Phillips Theater&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Updated: March 19, 2020&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;March 19: HCC College for a Day&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;March 23: Stage reading: &quot;Failure is Impossible&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;March 24: TED Talk and discussion: Diversity &amp;amp; STEM&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;March 24: French Film Festival&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;March 25: Performance: Alturas Duo&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;March 25: French Film Festival&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;March 25: College Career Centers of Western Massachusetts Spring Career Fair&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;March 26: Phi Theta Kappa induction ceremony&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;March 27&lt;strong&gt;: &lt;/strong&gt;Women's Leadership Luncheon Series (And also on April 10, May 8 and June 19)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;March 28: Cannabis Career Fair&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This list will be updated if there are any additional cancellations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please visit&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/x10804.xml&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/coronavirus&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10797" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cc-renovation" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x10797.xml" Name="CC Renovation" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/New-CC-bridge-students.jpg" Title="Then and Now" Abstract="Continuing our celebration of the Feb. 28 grand opening of the HCC Campus Center, here's a collection of before and after photos that show the scope of the $43.5 million renovation. " ThumbnailAltText="CC bridge" IntroCopy="An HCC Campus Center Renovation Retrospective" Date="2020-03-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Campus Center west entrance&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/New-HCC-Campus-Center-Bridge.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read about Gov. Charlie Baker's visit for the Feb. 28 grand opening celebration of the HCC Campus Center in our&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hcc-grand&quot;&gt;story &quot;This is breathtaking.&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/news/2020/02/gov-charlie-baker-on-hand-to-open-435m-holyoke-community-college-campus-center.html&quot; title=&quot;MassLive story&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;And on MassLive ....&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gazettenet.com/HCCcampuscenter-hg-022920-32967141&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;And in the Daily Hampshire Gazette ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10792" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/whm-2020" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193" FileName="x10792.xml" Name="WHM 2020" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/WHM_News.jpg" Title="Women's History Month" Abstract="HCC events include exhibits, music, presentations on equity, human rights, and Puerto Rican garment workers, a TED Talk, a theatrical reading, and a documentary.  " ThumbnailAltText="Women's History Month graphic" IntroCopy="Women's History Month events at HCC run from March 4 to April 1" Date="2020-03-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Women's History Month graphic&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/WHM_News.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Holyoke Community College will kick off Women's History Month on Wed., March 4, with a presentation on equity in education by Keisha Green, an assistant professor of teacher education and curriculum studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.Green is an educational consultant focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her talk, which will cover women and gende, as well as race and ethnicity in education, will run from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Peoples Bank Conference Room in the HCC Kittredge Center on the main campus, 303 Homestead Ave.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All Women's History Month events at HCC are free and open to the public.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's celebration of Women's History Month will continue on&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Monday, March 9&lt;/strong&gt;, WCCH, 103.5 FM, the college radio station, will dedicate the day to music written and performed by women. The station will&amp;nbsp; be taking requests all month long for music written or performed by women. To make a request, send an email to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:1035wcch@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;1035wcch@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Tuesday, March 10&lt;/strong&gt;, from 11 a.m. to noon, HCC will host&amp;nbsp;&quot;Alumni Champions: Women in Business,&quot; a discussion with successful HCC alumni in the student lounge on the second floor of the HCC Campus Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On &lt;strong&gt;Wed., March 11, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m&lt;/strong&gt;., feminist, activist and educator Loretta Ross will present &quot;Calling in the Calling Out Culture: Building the Human Rights Movement,&quot; a discussion about oppression, consciousness and rejecting the politics of fear. This academic year Ross is a visiting associate professor in the Program for the Study of Women and Gender at Smith College and a former activist-in-residence there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On &lt;strong&gt;Thursday, March 12, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m&lt;/strong&gt;., in HCC's Center for Excellence (Frost 265), Aimee Loiselle, a postdoctoral fellow with the Reproductive Justice History Project at Smith College, will present &quot;Puerto Rican Needleworkers Are American Workers,&quot; exploring the history of Puerto Rican women working in the textile and garment industry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On &lt;strong&gt;Monday, March 23, at 2 p.m&lt;/strong&gt;. in HCC's Black Box Theater (FPA 111), HCC students enrolled in a Learning Community course called &quot;She Persisted,&quot; combining women's history and acting, will give a staged reading of playwright Rosemary H. Knower's &quot;Failure is Impossible,&quot; which includes excerpts from the writings and speeches of Abigail Adams, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frederick Douglas, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth and others.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On &lt;strong&gt;Tuesday, March 24&lt;/strong&gt;, at 1 p.m., HCC will show &quot;The Untapped Genius That Could Change Science for the Better,&quot; a 15-minute TEDTalk by Jedidah Isler, the first black woman to earn a PhD in astrophysics from Yale University. A discussion led by Adrienne Smith, HCC interim dean of Science, Technology, Engineering &amp;amp; Math, will follow the screening in HCC's Center for Excellence, Frost Building, room 265. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finally, on &lt;strong&gt;Wed., April 1, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m&lt;/strong&gt;., HCC will screen &quot;Fannie Lou Hamer: Remembering a Voting, Women's and Civil Rights Activist,&quot; a 25-minute documentary followed by a discussion in the PeoplesBank Conference Room in HCC's Kittredge Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There will also be exhibits around campus all month celebrating inspirational women.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/whm&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/whm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10794" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/theater-awards-2020" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165|226" FileName="x10794.xml" Name="Theater awards 2020" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/P-HCC-OurTown-MR1.jpg" Title="Stage Praise" Abstract="The HCC Theater Department garnered three awards at the 2020 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, adding to its continuing string of dramatic success." ThumbnailAltText="A scene from Our Town" IntroCopy="HCC Theater Department wins awards for two productions" Date="2020-03-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A scene from Our Town&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/P-HCC-OurTown-MR1.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Theater Department was recognized with three awards at this year's regional Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC earned awards in the category of &quot;Theatre for Social Change&quot; for its spring 2019 production of &quot;Ugly Lies the Bone,&quot; by Lindsey Ferrentino, and another for &quot;Ensemble Work&quot; for its fall 2019 production of the Thornton Wilder classic, &quot;Our Town.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, HCC theater major Haley Thompson of Westfield won a performance award for her role in &quot;Ugly Lies the Bone&quot; as the mother of the main character, Jess, a war-scarred female soldier returning home.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The awards were announced at the end of the KCACTF Region I festival, which was held at Cape Cod Community College Jan. 28-Feb. 1.&amp;nbsp;Sixteen students and two HCC theater faculty members attended the festival and were there to accept the awards.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's wonderful to have our students recognized by the Kennedy Center for their outstanding accomplishments in all aspects of theater,&quot; said HCC theater professor Patricia Sandoval, who directed &quot;Our Town.&quot; &quot;I'm especially proud of the award for 'Ensemble Work' because that is for collaboration, and working together is really the essence of theater.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;KCACTF Region I includes colleges and universities in northern New York and all six New England states. Awards are based on the recommendations of respondents, who travel around the country to view college theater productions and offer critiques.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are extremely proud of the hard work our students and staff put in to pull these performances together throughout the year,&quot; said HCC theater professor Tim Cochran, who directed &quot;Ugly Lies the Bone.&quot; &quot;The Kennedy Center people sure seem to like what we're doing here at HCC given that our program continues to garner a lot of recognition.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;I&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the past eight years, the HCC Theater Department has won 11 KCACTF awards for individual acting, ensemble acting, dedication to a script, stage managing, and best original music, among others.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Theater Department puts on two full stage productions each academic year, one in the fall and one in the spring. HCC students take part in the annual alumni-sponsored 24-Hour Theater Festival in September, a festival of one-act plays in the spring, and No Shame Theater, where students gather once a month to write, rehearse and perform short plays in one night.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rehearsals are now underway for the HCC Theater Department's spring 2020 production of the classic Greek tragedy &quot;Antigone,&quot; by Sophocles. The show, directed by HCC theater alumna Denise Boutin '77, will be presented in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater April 16-18.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: HCC student-actors Caleb Curd, Jayda Aponte and Brandon Rodriguez in a scene from HCC's fall 2019 theater production,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;Our Town.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10781" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hcc-grand" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x10781.xml" Name="HCC Grand" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-CC-Baker.jpg" Title="'This is breathtaking'" Abstract="Gov. Charlie Baker helped celebrate the grand opening of the HCC Campus Center, praising the college for giving its students &quot;a place to call their own.&quot; " ThumbnailAltText="Gov. Charlie Baker offers praise for the renovated HCC Campus Center" IntroCopy="Governor helps celebrate Campus Center grand opening" Date="2020-03-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Campus Center grand opening ribbon-cutting photo&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CC-cut.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gov. Charlie Baker helped celebrate the grand opening of the HCC Campus Center Friday,&amp;nbsp;touring the newly renovated facility, talking to students, and offering praise for the finished product.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;One of the things that makes space like this so important and precious is it gives young people a place to call their own,&quot; he said. &quot;This is breathtaking.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During remarks preceding the ribbon-cutting ceremony that officially opened the 66,000-square-foot building following a two-year, $43.5 million renovation and expansion, Baker recalled the last time he had set foot inside &amp;ndash; 2015 &amp;ndash; and marveled at the improvements.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The amount of light and open space it has now and the areas for collaborative thinking and engaging is astonishing,&quot; he said. &quot;It speaks volumes about how important a space like this can be on a college campus, and it also speaks to one of our objectives, which is to take old space and make it new. This is one of the best examples I have seen anywhere in the Commonwealth.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cc-renovation&quot;&gt;Click here to see &quot;Then and Now,&quot; an HCC Campus Center Renovation Slideshow.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Campus Center originally opened in 1978 and had been plagued by leaks and water damage for decades before it was closed for reconstruction in 2017. The lower two floors of the building were gutted down to its concrete foundation and supports before being rebuilt. It reopened for the start of the fall 2019 semester while construction crews continued the finish work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Key parts of the project included adding about 9,000 square feet, enclosing an external walkway on the second floor to expand the dining area, squaring off the sloping fa&amp;ccedil;ade, installing tall windows, encapsulating the entire building in a water-tight seal, adding an atrium entrance off the HCC Courtyard on the west side and a bridge over Tannery Brook that leads from a dedicated visitors parking lot to a first-floor welcome center, where visitors and students will find easy access to HCC's offices of Admissions, Advising, Careers, Transfer and Testing.&amp;nbsp;The second floor features the HCC Food Court and dining areas, a Student Engagement wing that now houses the College Store, Student Activities, Student Clubs, Student Senate offices and El Centro, home to HCC's Multicultural Academic Services program, along with study and student lounge areas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Christina Royal called the building the &quot;heartbeat&quot; of the campus.&amp;nbsp;&quot;It's a dining room, living room, study room, play room and launching pad to a college degree and brighter future for hundreds of students every day,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What a transformation to now see the heartbeat restored and more beautiful than ever,&quot; she said. &quot;This is all part of making HCC the best version of itself. Our students deserve environments where they feel safe, welcome, inspired and worthy.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student speaker Maiv Lee-Ruiz talked about touring the Campus Center in 2016 when she first enrolled and at the time thinking, &quot;This place is dark.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I don't want to describe the building as old or outdated,&quot; said the liberal arts major from Holyoke. &quot;I thought of it as mature, previously loved, vintage. The halls were gloomy and felt like a cave.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, she said, &quot;The whole building feels light, open and spacious, kind of like an Apple Store.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From his perspective working in commercial real estate and property management, HCC trustee Evan Plotkin said the new facility is a great success.&quot;I believe first impressions are everything,&quot; he said. &quot;This space makes me want to be here. When we address building issues and make advancements and efficiencies, we are creating a physical environment that helps students feel proud, one that gets them excited to learn, and that keeps them coming back.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/pg/HolyokeCommunityCollege/photos/?tab=album&amp;amp;album_id=10158074554954330&quot; title=&quot;Facebook photo gallery&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos of Friday's grand opening in our Facebook photo gallery ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by MICHAEL GORDON: (Thumbnail) Gov. Baker offers praise for the HCC Campus Center following a $43.5 million renovation and expansion. (Above) President Christina Royal, Gov. Charlie Baker and others cut the ribbon to officially open the HCC Campus Center.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10746" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cc-grand" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x10746.xml" Name="CC Grand" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-Campus-Center-angle.jpg" Title="Grand Debut" Abstract="Gov. Charlie Baker will help HCC celebrate the grand opening of its Campus Center, following a two-year, $43.5 million renovation, Fri., Feb. 28. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Campus Center" IntroCopy="Gov. Charlie Baker to help HCC celebrate Campus Center grand opening Feb. 28" Date="2020-02-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Campus Center dining area&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-CC-dining.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will welcome Gov. Charlie Baker and other state and local officials on Friday, Feb. 28, for the grand opening celebration of its newly renovated Campus Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event begins at 2 p.m. for tours, remarks, ribbon-cutting, food and a variety of student-led activities on all three floors of the facility, which was closed for two years during a $43.5 million, top-to-bottom reconstruction and expansion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other expected guests include Patricia Marshall, deputy commissioner for Academic Affairs and Student Success at the Dept. of Higher Education; Holyoke mayor Alex Morse; state Sen. Jo Comerford of Northampton; Rep. Aaron Vega of Holyoke; Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa of Northampton; Rep. Daniel Carey of Easthampton; Rep. Brian Ashe of Longmeadow; and Rep. Angelo Puppolo of Springfield.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A short speaking program in the second floor dining area will begin at 2:30 p.m. with remarks from Gov. Baker; state Secretary of Education Jim Peyser; HCC President Christina Royal; and Maiv Lee-Ruiz, a nursing student and New Student Orientation leader from Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before and after the speeches, guests will be invited to sample food prepared by HCC Dining Services/Aramark; listen to live music from an HCC student quartet; play dominoes with students in El Centro (home to HCC's Multicultural Academic Services program); watch eSports students in action on a virtual playing field; buy HCC gear in the College Store; and visit HCC's new Student Engagement area to talk to students representing student clubs and other campus activities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Campus Center first opened in 1978 and had been plagued by insidious leaks and water damage for decades before it was closed for reconstruction in 2017. The lower floors of the building were essentially gutted down to its concrete foundation and supports before being rebuilt. It reopened for the start of the fall 2019 semester while construction crews continued the finish work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Key parts of the project included adding about 9,000 square feet to the 57,000 building, enclosing an external walkway on the second floor to expand the dining area, squaring off the sloping fa&amp;ccedil;ade and encapsulating the entire building to make it water tight, adding an atrium entrance off the HCC Courtyard on the west side and a new bridge over Tannery Brook that leads from a dedicated visitors parking lot to a new first-floor welcome center, where visitors and students will now find easier access to HCC's offices of Admissions, Advising, Careers, Transfer and Testing.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10696" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/scholarships-2020" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|65|165" FileName="x10696.xml" Name="Scholarships 2020" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Demitrius-Rojas-scholarship.jpg" Title="Scholarship Time" Abstract="Students need only fill out a single online application to be automatically matched with the HCC Foundation scholarship they are most qualified to receive." ThumbnailAltText="Demitrius Rojas receiving a scholarship in 2019" IntroCopy="More than $200,000 is available for new, current and graduating HCC students.  " Date="2020-02-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Emilee Boivin holds a scholarship certificate in 2019&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-scholars-Emily-Boivin.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2020-2021 academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than $200,000 in awards is available for incoming, continuing and transferring HCC students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The application deadline is Wed., March 25, 2020. &amp;nbsp; Students must be currently enrolled at HCC or have been accepted for the upcoming academic year to be eligible for scholarships, which are awarded through the HCC Foundation, HCC's nonprofit fundraising corporation.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Scholarships recognize academic achievement, help students overcome financial barriers, and acknowledge that there is more than one path to a college degree,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation. &quot;This is the best time of year for the HCC Foundation because scholarships help us fulfill our purpose to expand educational opportunities for HCC students. There is nothing more rewarding &amp;ndash; to us and to our donors.&quot; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Applicants need only fill out a single online form to be automatically matched with the scholarships they are most qualified to receive. There are scholarships for new students, current students and students transferring to other institutions, scholarships based on financial need, scholarships for students in specific majors, scholarships for residents of certain communities, and scholarships that recognize academic achievement. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the 2019-2020 academic year, the HCC Foundation awarded $223,000 in scholarships to 231 students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To begin the application process, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/scholarships&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.hcc.edu/scholarships&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1581107093124000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGCxvOiq9xPyr38sLeYFcvqKzeXfg&quot;&gt;www.hcc.edu/scholarships&lt;/a&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10562" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/idelia-smith" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193" FileName="x10562.xml" Name="Idelia-Smith" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Idelia-Smith-office.jpg" Title="MLK keynote" Abstract="Idelia Smith, HCC's assistant vice president for Academic Affairs, will speak at the Greater Holyoke Council for Human Understanding's annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast Jan. 17." ThumbnailAltText="Idelia Smith, assistant vice president of Academic Affairs, in her office" IntroCopy="Idelia Smith will give the keynote speech at a Jan. 17 breakfast honoring Martin Luther King Jr. " Date="2020-01-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Idelia Smith in her office at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Idelia-Smith-office.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Idelia Smith, HCC's assistant vice president of Academic Affairs, will be the keynote speaker at the Greater Holyoke Council for Human Understanding's annual Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative breakfast on Jan. 17 at the Summit View Banquet House in Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Smith's work in affirmative action, Title IX and diversity training highlight the purpose of the Council for Human Understanding, said Gina Nelson, the council's vice president and chair of the event.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The council's mission, &quot;is to improve, where possible, the quality of human development in the greater Holyoke community, irrespective of sex, race, creed, ethnic origin, or gender identity, to help raise the level of human understanding by emphasizing our commonalities, to foster active programs in human relations through educational and humanitarian projects and, thus, to implement the principles for which we stand,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Smith, who is originally from Minnesota and now lives in Shutesbury, joined the college in 1982 in the Cooperative Education &amp;amp; Career Development Department. Her membership on and work with the Affirmative Action Committee led to her appointment as the college's affirmative action officer. A subsequent expansion of her duties to include Title IX led to the additional title of assistant vice president of diversity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The theme of Smith's talk will be Martin Luther King's legacy in the 21st century.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The council's board of directors includes two members with close ties to HCC: Sue-Ellen Panitch, who is on the HCC Foundation's board of directors, and Jeffery Anderson-Burgos , an alumnus from the class of 2015.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Those of us at the Greater Holyoke Council for Human Understanding would love for you to join us for our annual MLK breakfast,&quot; Anderson-Burgos said in a Facebook post publicizing the event. &quot;I got to know Idelia while I was a student at HCC. You will be in for a treat.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the past 25 years, Smith has done diversity training and facilitated workshops and presentations at state and national conferences.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In her current position, she oversees academic policy, publications and programs, and provides academic support, professional development, and leadership development. She is also the co-developer and coordinator of the Leadership Holyoke program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Smith is a recipient of the governor's &quot;Pride in Performance Award&quot; as an outstanding state employee and was recognized by the city of Springfield as one of the 25 most prominent African-American women serving her community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Smith, who currently chairs the board for the Holyoke Medical Center, has an extensive background in community service, having served on many non-profit boards, including the United Way of Holyoke, South Hadley and Granby, Valley Health Systems, the Pioneer Valley chapter of the American Red Cross and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke High School Madrigals, led by music director Mark Todd, will provide entertainment at the breakfast event which begins at 8 a.m. at the Summit View Banquet House on Route 5 in Holyoke. Tickets are $17.50 in advance or $20 at the door.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10694" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/culinary-lunch-series-sp20" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165|194" FileName="x10694.xml" Name="Culinary Lunch Series Sp20" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/x-HCC-mousse.jpg" Title="Open for Lunch" Abstract="For the first time, beginning Wed., Feb. 12, Holyoke Community College will open its Wednesday culinary arts program luncheon series to the general public." ThumbnailAltText="Dessert at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute" IntroCopy="HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute now serving lunch on Wednesdays" Date="2020-02-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student serving lunch&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-lunch.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the first time, beginning Wed., Feb. 12, Holyoke Community College will open its Wednesday culinary arts program luncheon series to the general public.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For years, the spring semester lunches, prepared by HCC culinary arts students and instructors a part of their A La Carte Cooking and Food Service Course, have been open only to HCC faculty, staff, students and invited guests. Now, members of the public are being invited to dine at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute to indulge in a series of delicious Wednesday lunches featuring a different culinary theme each week.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The three-course meals are offered free of charge with a suggested donation of $10 to the President's Student Emergency Fund, which is managed by the HCC Foundation. The fund is used for students experiencing food or housing insecurity in need of immediate assistance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As guests at our culinary lunch series, members of the community can take part in our students' academic success by providing them with real-world experiences that lead to meaningful careers.,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation. &quot;But beyond striving for academic success, our students face real barriers, such as food insecurity and homelessness. Our guests can also help our students overcome these barriers by simply visiting the Culinary Arts Institute for a meal and making a donation.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lunches will be open to the public on the following dates: Feb. 12 and Feb. 26 (Spanish Tapas); March 11 and March 25 (Italian); April 1 and April 8 (French Bistro), April 15 and April 22 (Brunch); May 6 and May 14 (American Diner).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guests have a choice of four seating times: 11:30 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12 noon, and 12:15 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Full menus for each lunch are available at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/x10665.xml&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/culinary-lunch-series&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Because seating is limited, reservations are required and granted on a first-come, first-serve basis. To reserve a seat or seats, please contact HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute coordinator Stacy Graves at 413-552-2838 or sgraves@hcc.edu.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: An HCC culinary arts student prepares lunch at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. (Thumbnail) A chocolate mousse dessert prepared by HCC students&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10669" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/royal-fellow" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193" FileName="x10669.xml" Name="Royal Fellow" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Royal-treeger-hall.jpg" Title="Presidential Honors" Abstract="HCC President Christina Royal was one of two Mass. community college presidents chosen for a national fellowship for new presidents." ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal" IntroCopy="President Royal selected for national fellowship " Date="2020-02-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal talks to HCC student &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Future-Royal-Woods.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College President Christina Royal has been selected for a national fellowship for new college presidents administered by the Washington, D.C.-based Aspen Institute.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://highered.aspeninstitute.org/newpresidents/&quot;&gt;Aspen New Presidents Fellowship&lt;/a&gt; is a new initiative designed to support community college presidents in the early years of their tenure to accelerate transformational change on behalf of students.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Royal and President Luis G. Pedraja of Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester were the only two community college presidents chosen from Massachusetts. They are part of the inaugural group of 25 Aspen fellows selected from more than 100 applicants nationwide. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The leaders, all of whom are in their first five years as a college president, will engage in a seven-month fellowship beginning in June 2020.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Aspen Institute has a reputation for excellence, and&amp;nbsp;I am honored to be selected as part of the inaugural group alongside President Pedraja,&quot; said President Royal, who started working at HCC in January 2017. &quot;Higher education is experiencing a lot of disruption as the world changes. We are being challenged in a greater way to alter the ways we educate and provide support for students as demographics shift and their needs and preferences change.&amp;nbsp;It is an exciting opportunity to be in the company of other scholars and community college presidents who want to grow and learn in an intense environment of data-informed immersion that exposes us to new and different thinking with both practical and applied learning experiences.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The fellows were selected for their commitment to student success and equity, willingness to take risks to improve outcomes, understanding of the importance of community partnerships, and ability to lead change.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We know more than ever before about how community colleges can improve outcomes for students, both in and after college,&quot; said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. &quot;And the urgency for them to do so only increases-especially for students of color and low-income students. These fellows have shown they are fully, urgently committed to excellence and equity, and we look forward to working alongside them.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;JPMorgan Chase is funding the Aspen New Presidentis Fellowship as part of New Skills at Work, a five-year, $350 million investment to support community colleges and other pathways to great careers and economic mobility. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It is a privilege to be chosen with my colleague President Royal. We are both looking forward to the opportunities this fellowship will afford us,&quot; said President Pedraja, adding, &quot;QCC is a large inner city community college with a diverse student population. It is vitally important that our students know we are with them every step of the way on their journey for a better future. I thank the Aspen Institute for this fellowship, which will assist us in our continuing quest to effect positive change for our students and our community. It is only by working together that we can all grow and prosper.&quot; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nearly 80 percent of community college presidents nationwide plan to retire in the next decade. Through this fellowship and its other leadership programs, Aspen is committed to helping to replace those exiting the presidency with an exceptionally capable and highly diverse talent pool. According to the American Council on Education, only 36 percent of community college presidents are female, and 20 percent are people of color.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The incoming class of Aspen fellows is 48 percent female, and 40 percent persons of color. Their institutions span 15 states and vary widely, from a rural college with fewer than 2,000 students to a statewide system that educates more than 150,000. The program for new presidents is an addition to the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence, which has been serving aspiring presidents since 2016. Of the nearly 160 fellows who have taken part in the Rising Presidents Fellowship, 41 are now community college presidents, serving more than 500,000 students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by DON TREEGER: Christina Royal&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10636" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cooking-series-sp20" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x10636.xml" Name="Cooking Series SP20" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/New-Chef-Carter-slice.jpg" Title="Taking It Up a Notch" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is expanding its popular series of &quot;Cooking Confidently&quot; classes for the spring 2020 semester." ThumbnailAltText="Chef Tracy Carter at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute" IntroCopy="HCC expanding &quot;Cooking Confidently&quot; series for spring" Date="2020-01-31" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chef Dino Diaz teaching at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Chef-Dino-no-glasses.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is taking its &quot;Cooking Confidently&quot; series up a notch for the spring 2020 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program of three-hour cooking classes for home chefs will expand to three times a month beginning Friday, Feb. 7, when Chef Tracy Carter will present &quot;Uptown Italian Comfort,&quot; from 6 to 9 p.m., at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, where she will demonstrate how to make pork chops scarpellio with creamy polenta and lemon semolina cake.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The next session will be Chef Carter's &quot;Tapas Night&quot; on Fri., Feb. 21, followed by &quot;Italian Classics: Back to Naples&quot; on Fri., Feb. 28, with Chef Dino Diaz. Each single-session, hands-on class has a unique culinary theme. Participants will learn how to prepare appetizers, salads, sauces, entrees and desserts, dine on their creations, and leave with leftovers and the knowledge and skills to replicate those recipes at home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, Chef Maria Moreno-Contreras will be running three Thursday baking classes this spring focusing on a different dessert each night: &quot;Petit Fours, Glaces &amp;amp; European Macaroons&quot; on April 9, &quot;The Decadent Ganache Torte&quot; on May 14, and &quot;Contemporary Chiffon Layer Cake&quot; on May 28.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All the cooking and baking classes meet from 6 to 9 p.m. at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., and cost $84 each. Space is limited.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A full schedule and menu descriptions are below:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chef bios:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tracy Carter&lt;/strong&gt; of Chicopee is a graduate of the International Culinary Schools at the Art Institute in Los Angeles, an HCC Culinary Arts program instructor and a freelance food stylist for the Food Network.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Domingo &quot;Dino&quot; Diaz Jr.&lt;/strong&gt; of Springfield is a professional chef, HCC adjunct faculty member, and a 2012 graduate of HCC's Culinary Arts program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maria Moreno-Contreras&lt;/strong&gt; of Easthampton is a baking instructor in HCC's Culinary Arts program and a professional baker who previously worked at the Blue Heron Restaurant in Sunderland and operated her own local baking business, Chilean Sweets.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To register, please go to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/bce&quot;&gt;www.hcc.edu/bce&lt;/a&gt; and search for &quot;food&quot; or call 413-552-2123. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cooking Classes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fri., Feb. 7, 6-9 p.m.:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Uptown Italian Comfort&quot; (pork chop scarpellio, creamy polenta and lemon semolina cake) with Chef Tracy Carter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fri. Feb. 21, 6-9 p.m&lt;/strong&gt;.: &quot;Tapas Night&quot; (shishito peppers, papas fritas with garlic aioli, Spanish meatballs, crispy churros) with Chef Tracy Carter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fri., Feb. 28, 6-9 p.m.: &lt;/strong&gt;&quot;Italian Classics: Back to Naples&quot; (handmade fettuccini, chicken parmigiana, broccoli rabe, Sicilian salad, fresh cannoli) with Chef Dino Diaz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fri., March 6, 6-9 p.m.:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Flavors of Argentina&quot; (grilled skirt steak and chimichurri, crispy smashed potatoes, warm rice pudding) with Chef Tracy Carter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fri., March 13, 6-9 p.m&lt;/strong&gt;.: &quot;Beef Bourguignon: A French Classic&quot; (gently braised beef tenderloin, buttery whipped potatoes, supreme salad with maple apple cider vinaigrette, chocolate souffl&amp;eacute; with Chantilly cream and raspberry coulis) with Chef Dino Diaz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fri., March 20, 6-9 p.m&lt;/strong&gt;.: &quot;Delightful Southern Charm: (fried green tomatoes, shrimp and cheesy grits, cornbread with honey butter) with Chef Tracy Carter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fri., April 3, 6-9 p.m.:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;A Night in Thailand&quot; (green papaya salad in punchy lime vinaigrette, Thai grilled chicken, sweet coconut sticky rice with ripe mango) with Chef Tracy Carter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fri., April 17, 6-9 p.m.:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Stroll Middle East Markets&quot; (fresh fried falafel with creamy tahini sauce, lemony tabouli salad, crisp phyllo dough layered with chopped nuts drizzled in decadent honey) with Chef Tracy Carter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fri., April 24, 6-9 p.m.:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Salmon Three Ways&quot; (salmon with homemade pesto a la Genovese, Salmon with citrus soy glaze, salmon with homemade Cajun rub, asparagus risotto Milanese, &amp;nbsp;New York style lemon cheesecake) with Chef Dino Diaz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fri., May 1, 6-9 p.m.:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Visit to Asia, a Light and Refreshing Journey&quot; (crisp vegetable tempura with bold, garlic-vinegar dipping sauce, summer rolls with plump shrimp and spicy, tangy chili peanut sauce, coconut panna cotta) with Chef Tracy Carter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fri., May 8, 6-9 p.m.:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Show Stopper Starters&quot; (seared scallops, stuffed mushrooms, tenderloin crostini, artichoke hearts a la franchise) with Chef Dino Diaz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Baking Classes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thurs., April 9, 6-9 p.m.:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Petit Fours, Glaces &amp;amp; European Macaroons&quot; with Chef Maria Moreno-Contreras.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thurs., May 14, 6-9 p.m.:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;The Decadent Ganache Torte&quot; with Chef Maria Moreno-Contreras.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thurs., May 28, 6-9 p.m&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;.:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Contemporary Chiffon Layer Cake&quot; with Chef Maria Moreno-Contreras.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Chef Tracy Carter. (Above) Chef Dino Diaz '12&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10635" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/readers-choice-2019" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x10635.xml" Name="Readers Choice 2019" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/DHG-CHOICE-News.jpg" Title="Best Again!" Abstract="Holyoke Community College has been voted the best two-year college in the Pioneer Valley by readers of the Daily Hampshire Gazette for the sixth year in a row." ThumbnailAltText="HCC students hold Gazette Readers Choice Award announcements for 2019" IntroCopy="HCC voted best two-year college again" Date="2020-01-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC students hold Readers Choice award announcements&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/DHG-CHOICE-News.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been voted the best two-year college in the Pioneer Valley by readers of the Daily Hampshire Gazette for the sixth year in a row.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://view.publitas.com/p222-4389/readers-choice-2019/page/44-45&quot; title=&quot;Gazette Readers Choice Awards 2019&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See the Gazette's Readers Choice Awards for 2019 ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: HCC student senators Brianna Shvetsov of Westfield, Jasmine Klingenbeck of Northampton and Terice Kelly of Belchertown.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10634" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/black-history-month-2020" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193" FileName="x10634.xml" Name="Black History Month 2020" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Shirley-Chisholm.jpg" Title="Black History Month" Abstract="HCC events include a TED Talk, workshops on African-American literature, a documentary about the legendary black politician Shirley Chisholm, and a food festival. " ThumbnailAltText="Shirley Chisholm speaks at HCC Commencement in 1984. " IntroCopy="HCC Black History Month events run from Feb. 4 - Feb. 27" Date="2020-01-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Shirley Chisholm speaks at HCC Commencement&quot; height=&quot;505&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Shirley-Chisholm.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will celebrate Black History Month in February with events both on and off campus, including a TED Talk broadcast, workshops on 19th-century African-American literature, an art exhibit, a food festival and a free screening of a documentary about Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress and who ran for president in 1972.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All events are free and open to the public, except where otherwise noted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Black History Month events at HCC begin on Tues., Feb. 4, with a screening of a 15-minute TED Talk by Jedidah Isler, the first black woman to earn a PhD in astrophysics from Yale University and one of the first black women in the United States to earn a PhD in any physics-related field. Her talk, &quot;The Untapped Genius That Could Change Science for the Better,&quot; will be shown in HCC's Center for Excellence, room 265 in the Frost Building, at 1 p.m. The screening will be followed by a discussion led by Adrienne Smith, HCC interim dean of Science, Technology, Engineering &amp;amp; Math, the first African-American woman to earn an engineering degree from Western New England University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Wed., Feb. 5, 10 - 11:30 a.m., also in the Center for Excellence (Frost 265), Marie Troppe, HCC's director of Transition to College &amp;amp; Careers program, will led a workshop exploring how 19th-century African-American literature, such as &lt;em&gt;Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl&lt;/em&gt;, by Harriet Jacobs, can illuminate modern views on race. Troppe holds a PhD in English with a focus on 19th-century African-American literature.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Troppe's workshop, &quot;What's the 19th Century Got to Do with Our Views on Race Today?&quot; will also be offered Wed., Feb. 12, from 9 to 10:30 a.m., and Tues., Feb. 18, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., in the Center for Excellence (Frost 265).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other Black History Month events include HCC Community Night on Thurs., Feb. 13, from 5 to 8:30 p.m., at the Smith College Museum of Art in Northampton. HCC students, faculty and staff will receive free admission to the museum and its featured exhibit, &quot;Black Refractions: Highlights from the Studio Museum in Harlem.&quot; Adult guests accompanying members of the HCC community to the museum will be charged a $5 fee ($4 for seniors).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NEWLY ADDED EVENTS&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wed., Feb. 19, 10 -11 a.m&lt;/strong&gt;.,&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt; FPA 137&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&quot;The History of Black Gospel Music,&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Presented by the HCC Music Dept. and featuring performances by Evelyn Harris of Sweet Honey in the Rock, Mary Witt of the O-Tones, and HCC vocal instructor Ellen Cogen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Also on Feb. 19, at 11 a.m., Leslie Phillips Theater (second floor, Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Building) &lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;HCC will hold a free screening of the 2004 documentary, &lt;strong&gt;&quot;Shirley Chisholm '72: Unbought &amp;amp; Unbossed.&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; In addition to being the first black woman elected to Congress in 1968, Chisholm, D-New York, was the first black major party candidate to run for President of the United States. She was also HCC's keynote speaker at Commencement in 1984.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feb. 26, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., &lt;strong&gt;Campus Center 2nd floor Lobby&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Black-Owned Business Showcase&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Meet and greet local business-owners, peruse their products, and learn about the experience of black entrepreneurs. All are welcome to attend. &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/bhm&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://hcc.edu/bhm&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1582306693723000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNG1vy9Yu-wAig94OpSxjEqSsGVNFA&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/bhm&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feb. 26, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., HCC Library&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Panel Discussion: Black Holyoke Oral History Project&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;Erika Slocumb,&amp;nbsp; Project Scholar for the Black Holyoke Oral History Project (on display in the HCC Library, on loan from the Wistariahurst Museum) will lead a panel discussion about the Project with Holyoke community members featured in the work.&amp;nbsp; HCC is honored to have Erica and guests visit and talk about her important work.&amp;nbsp; All are welcome to attend.&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/bhm&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://hcc.edu/bhm&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1582306693723000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNG1vy9Yu-wAig94OpSxjEqSsGVNFA&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/bhm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feb. 27, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., &lt;strong&gt;Leslie Phillips Theater Lobby&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Black Heritage Food Fest&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This event will feature free food for HCC students and employees, cooked by local chefs who specialize in food from the Southern United States, Creole Coast, Caribbean, etc. There will be a suggested donation of $5 at the event, and all funds raised will go toward the creation of an annual award for an active student member of the HCC Black Student Alliance. All are welcome. &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/bhm&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=http://hcc.edu/bhm&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1582306693723000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNG1vy9Yu-wAig94OpSxjEqSsGVNFA&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/bhm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Legendary educator and politician Shirley Chisholm speaks at HCC Commencement in 1984.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10589" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/mlk-breakfast" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193" FileName="x10589.xml" Name="MLK Breakfast" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/Idelia-MLK-Obama.jpg" Title="A dream come alive" Abstract="Idelia Smith, HCC's assistant vice president of Academic Affairs, gave the keynote speech Jan. 17 at a breakfast comemorating the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. " ThumbnailAltText="Idelia Smith gives a talk about the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. " IntroCopy="&quot;I've watched the evolution of civil rights and the change in my world.&quot; – Idelia Smith, keynote speaker, Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast" Date="2020-01-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Idelia Smith gives a talk about the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/Idelia-MLK-Lizzo.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By MIKE PLAISANCE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Idelia Smith can remember a Kansas City with trains that had whites-only sections.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I grew up in a segregated America,&quot; said Smith, the keynote speaker Friday at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast sponsored by the Greater Holyoke Council for Human Understanding.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During her speech, Smith, assistant vice president of Academic Affairs at Holyoke Community College, showed slides that included those from Election Night 2008 when Barack Obama was elected as&amp;nbsp; America's first black president.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That was a huge moment, and that was Dr. King's dream come alive,&quot; Smith said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There's far to go but also much to celebrate toward achieving King's dream of equality, of judging people by character and not skin color, she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Smith, who lives in Shutesbury, addressed nearly 100 people at the annual breakfast, which was held at the Summit View Banquet House in advance of the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday on&amp;nbsp; Mon., Jan. 20, 2020.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've watched the evolution of civil rights and the change in my world,&quot; Smith said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/mlk-commemorative-breakfast-discussion/&quot; title=&quot;MLK breakfast coverage on WWLP-22News&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more coverage of Smith's speech on WWLP-22News ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Originally from Minnesota, Smith started working at HCC in 1982 in the Cooperative Education &amp;amp; Career Development Department. Her membership on and work with the Affirmative Action Committee led to her appointment as the college's affirmative action officer. A subsequent expansion of her duties to include Title IX led to the additional title of assistant vice president of diversity. She is a recipient of the governor's &quot;Pride in Performance Award&quot; as an outstanding Massachusetts employee and was recognized by the city of Springfield as one of the 25 most prominent African-American women serving her community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;King, a clergyman and civil rights leader, was assassinated April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 39. He would have been 91 on Jan. 15, 2020.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the second child of Martin Luther King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She urged people who had never heard King's &quot;I have a dream&quot; speech to watch the event on YouTube. King delivered the remarks at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on Aug. 28, 1963.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;'I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,'&quot; she said, quoting the speech.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She has watched the drive toward realizing King's dream, she said. But racism institutionalized in pillars like the media and education means that reaching the goal remains elusive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I will never see it fully realized because it takes time to dismantle what we've done,&quot; she said. &quot;It's a horrible legacy in America. And we're working on it, but I won't see it fully realized and neither will any of you. Neither will your children.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's because of the belief instilled that people who are different were &quot;those other people, people from the other tribe,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Still, she said, she doesn't believe in &quot;race.&quot;   &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I belong to the human race,&quot; Smith said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She showed other slides, including photos of this year's early slate of Democratic presidential candidates that included black U.S. senators. Some people like herself will see the photos of black presidential candidates and of President Obama and remain struck at the advances, she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But younger people regard such photos as normal, she said. &quot;I love that it's normal for you,&quot; Smith said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She showed a slide of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. The photo of the politician popularly known as AOC drew applause from many in the room including members of the Holyoke High School Madrigal Singers, who performed at the event.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's going to take people like this to become representatives in Washington to change legislation, to change approaches and how we view our world, not only for people of color but for women and everyone, because we're not there yet,&quot; Smith said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Originally from Minnesota, Smith came to Holyoke in 1982. She was one of only four persons of color at the college then, she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, Christina Royal is not only the first woman to be president of HCC, but the first person of color to be president of HCC. And more than 25 percent of HCC's students are now Latinx, she said, using a gender-neutral term for Latinos.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's glorious; it's wonderful,&quot; Smith said. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She showed slides of black pop stars Lil Nas X on the cover of &lt;em&gt;Time&lt;/em&gt; magazine and Lizzo in &lt;em&gt;Elle. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;So what's changed?&quot; Smith said. &quot;Everything, everything. This is Dr. King's dream come alive, every day, all the time. We're not perfect, we have a long way to go, but I see it, I experience it ...&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Idelia Smith gives the keynote speech Friday at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast sponsored by the Greater Holyoke Council of Human Understanding.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10571" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-fa19" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x10571.xml" Name="Deans List FA19" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-Brandon-Bass-WEB.jpg" Title="Fall 2019 Dean's List " Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize the 894 students who earned Dean's List honors for the Fall 2019 semester. " ThumbnailAltText="Brandon Bass with his mom at the spring 2019 scholarship reception" IntroCopy="HCC is proud to recognize all the students who made Dean's List for the Fall 2019 semester. " Date="2020-01-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Brandon Bass and his mother&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-Brandon-Bass-WEB.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. A student is placed on the Dean's List if his or her G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Follow the link below to see an alphabetical listing of all the HCC students who&amp;nbsp;earned Dean's List status for the Fall 2019&amp;nbsp; semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/deans-list&quot;&gt;Dean's List &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Brandon Bass, of Springfield was one of 894 HCC students who made the Dean's List for the Fall 2019 semester. Here he is with his mother at HCC's spring 2019 scholarship reception.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10565" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/extended-hours-sp20" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="97|165" FileName="x10565.xml" Name="Extended Hours SP20" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2020/HCC-Advising.jpg" Title="Extended Hours" Abstract="Starting Jan. 13 and through Jan. 31, HCC offices will offer extended service hours to accommodate new and continuing students." ThumbnailAltText="Students wait in HCC Advising office " IntroCopy="HCC offices will stay open late through the first week of the Spring semester to accommodate new and returning students" Date="2020-01-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Advising office&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2020/HCC-Advising.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will hold extended service hours to accommodate new and continuing students for the spring 2020 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beginning Monday, Jan. 13, and continuing through the end of the first week of classes on Friday, Jan. 31, HCC Admissions, Advising, Testing, Financial Aid, and Student Accounts offices will open at 8:30 a.m. and stay open until 7 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays. On Fridays, those offices will be open from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The spring 2020 academic semester begins Monday, Jan. 27.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There is still plenty of time for students to register for spring,&quot; said Renee Tastad, dean of Enrollment Management and College Access Programs. &quot;We know students are very busy with jobs and families and life in general, so we try to make all the accommodations we can so the registration process is smooth for everyone.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Admissions, Testing and Advising are located on the first floor of HCC's new Campus Center, with parking available in Lot S in front of the building. Financial Aid and Student Accounts are located on the second floor of the Frost Building with visitors parking available in Lot J.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please contact HCC Admissions at 413-552-2321 or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10523" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/latinx-studies" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x10523.xml" Name="Latinx Studies" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Latinx-Pat.jpg" Title="Latinx Exploration" Abstract="Holyoke Community College has introduced a new program – and major – to its academic catalog: Latinx Studies. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC theater professor Pat Sandoval directs students in an acting class" IntroCopy="HCC introduces Latinx Studies program" Date="2020-01-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Students participate in an acting exercise in their Latinx Studies class&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Latinx-three.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a new student at HCC in 2018, Alexandra Santiago started out as a communications major.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But last fall she signed up for a class at the college that took her in an entirely different direction. That was &quot;Teatro Nuestro,&quot; a Learning Community course that explored identity through the literature, culture, history, politics, movements, and influence of people of Mexican, Central-American, South-American and Caribbean descent.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Teatro Nuestro&quot; &amp;ndash; &quot;Our Theater&quot; in English &amp;ndash; actually combined two classes from different academic areas, &quot;Introduction to Theater&quot; and &quot;Introduction to Latinx Studies.&quot; The latter was the first course in the college catalog with the prefix LAX, which denotes&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/latinx-studies&quot;&gt;Latinx Studies, an interdisciplinary program introduced at HCC for the fall 2019 semester.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I wanted to learn more about the history of where I come from,&quot; said the 21-year-old Santiago, who moved to Holyoke from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Mar&amp;iacute;a devastated the island in September 2017.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By the time the course concluded in December, Santiago had switched her major to Latinx Studies. She will be taking two more courses required for her new major during the spring 2020 semester, which starts Jan. 27: &quot;Latinx Literature,&quot; an inter-institutional honors class co-taught by HCC assistant professor of Spanish Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez and Sony Coranez Bolton, an assistant professor of Spanish and Latinx and Latin American Studies at Amherst College; and &quot;Latinx Politics,&quot; taught by HCC political science professor Mark Clinton.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I found that I was interested in politics,&quot; said Santiago. &quot;With a major in Latinx Studies, I can focus on that. I want to advocate for Latinx people, in some way or another.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Teatro Nuestro&quot; was co-taught by HCC theater professor Patricia Sandoval and Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, co-founder and chair of the Latinx Studies program. Guti&amp;eacute;rrez said he hopes more students like Santiago will decide to pursue Latinx Studies, which is offered as a concentration option to an associate degree in liberal arts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As far as Guti&amp;eacute;rrez knows, HCC is the only community college in Massachusetts to offer a Latinx, Latino or Latin American Studies program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It makes perfect sense for HCC to have this program because we are an HSI&quot; &amp;ndash; federally recognized Hispanic Serving Institution &amp;ndash; &quot;and we have a large population of Latino students, or Latinx students, especially those from Puerto Rico,&quot; he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The term &quot;Latinx&quot; (pronounced &quot;Latin-X&quot;) has evolved on college campuses in recent years as a gender-neutral alternative to Latino. But Guti&amp;eacute;rrez says the use of Latinx at HCC does not represent an initiative to replace one word with the other. Rather, the choice should be personal, and exploring identity and self-identity is a significant part of the course.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Being Latino or Hispanic or Latinx or Puerto Rican or Mexican &amp;ndash; that's a difficult thing to unpack, and we take a whole semester talking about it,&quot; said Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, who was born in Mexico, grew up in Chicago, and now lives in Holyoke. &quot;We chose &amp;lsquo;Latinx' because it is the most inclusive term, but that is still problematic. I'm not going to say it's not.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Latinx Studies program grew out of a $120,000 &quot;Bridging Cultures&quot; grant HCC received from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2015. The goal was to help the HCC faculty incorporate Latinx Studies material into existing courses with an eye toward new ones.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In three years, we trained 15 faculty members to be more inclusive and more responsive, adding Latinx Studies material into their coursework,&quot; he said, &quot;whether that be a history class or an English class, for example. In the process, we were creating curriculum.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The result was courses that became cornerstones of the new major: &quot;Latinx Literature,&quot; &quot;Latinx Politics,&quot; &quot;History of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean,&quot; and &quot;Introduction to Latinx Studies.&quot; Requirements for the major also include an internship or Latinx civic engagement project and electives from a wide variety of other areas of study, such as anthropology, sociology, communications, history race and ethnicity, and Spanish. The program prepares students for transfer to a four-year institution for those who want to complete their bachelor's degrees and pursue careers such as community organizing, law and advocacy, city and urban planning, politics and policy, counseling, and international relations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The great thing about Latinx Studies is that you can go in any direction,&quot; Sandoval said to students on the first day of class.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guti&amp;eacute;rrez will teach three sections of &quot;Introduction to Latinx Studies&quot; during the spring 2020 semester: one college-level class on campus; one for students in HCC's alternative high school program, Gateway to College; and a third at Holyoke High School.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My plan is to create a pipeline of students,&quot; he said. &quot;I want to do the groundwork and build the foundation for the program. By reaching out to high school students I hope that when they graduate they will decide to come to us.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guti&amp;eacute;rrez notes that the program is not meant just for students of Latinx heritage.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The students who tend to learn the most are non-Latino,&quot; he said. &quot;This type of ethnic studies allows students to find their voices and learn about important aspects of U.S. history and culture.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During an end-of-the-semester class discussion, Najy Knee, one of the non-Latino students in &quot;Teatro Nuestro,&quot; gave her assessment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I entered this class with a sort of outsider's perspective,&quot; said Knee, who is from Chicopee. &quot;I knew a lot of surface history, but I didn't really know the deep undercurrents, like the history of U.S. intervention in Latin American countries. The class very much opened my eyes.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by DON TREEGER: (Thumbnail) HCC theater professor Patricia Sandoval facilitates an acting exercise in an HCC Learning Community course called &quot;Teatro Nuestro,&quot; during the Fall 2019 semester. &quot;(Above) Students in the class take part in an acting exercise for the course, a combined introduction to both theater and Latinx Studies.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x20011" URL="x20011.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20011.xml" Name="News 2019" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x9260" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/marieb-memoriam" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240918T18:40:30" CategoryIds="66|65" FileName="x9260.xml" Name="Marieb Memoriam" Thumbnail="About/News/2019/P-HCC-Marieb-9.jpg" Title="In Memoriam" Abstract="Elaine Marieb '80, professor emerita, alumna, best-selling author, generous benefactor and long-time friend to the college, died Dec. 20 in Naples, Florida." ThumbnailAltText="Elaine Marieb, during her last visit to HCC in June 2014" IntroCopy="Elaine Marieb, 1936-2018" Date="2019-01-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Elaine Marieb greets a student during a 2009 visit to the Elaine Marieb New Pathways Center at HCC.&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; src=&quot;Images/About/News/2019/EMarieb3.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Elaine Marieb once told a reporter that her gifts to Holyoke Community College were but a small token of gratitude to the institution where she had earned her associate degree in nursing and spent 24 years as a professor of biology. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I figure working there taught me how to teach,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What she learned at HCC as a teacher led directly to her ascent as one of the world's best-selling authors of textbooks on anatomy and physiology. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marieb's &quot;tokens&quot; to HCC, made in both small and large increments, now exceed $1.5 million, making her by far the largest benefactor in the school's history. Over the years, her donations have endowed student scholarships and an annual faculty award. They have equipped science labs, supported programs for non-traditional students, particularly women, and subsidized major building projects, including the Center for Health Education, which opened in 2015, and the Center for Life Sciences, which opened last fall in the building that bears her name in large black letters &amp;ndash; Elaine Nicpon Marieb. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's easy to measure in figures what Elaine Marieb has contributed to HCC,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement, &quot;but the full impact she's had on the college and on the students she taught here and the ones who will continue to benefit from her generosity for years to come &amp;ndash; no spreadsheet can tell you that.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marieb died on December 20 in Naples, Florida, from complications related to Parkinson's Disease. She was 82 years old. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Elaine's legacy will forever remain part of HCC and we're fortunate that her memory lives on through the faculty, alumni and students she has inspired and will continue to inspire,&quot; said Sbriscia. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Indeed, Marieb is not likely to be forgotten on a campus where her name is literally attached in so many places. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The most visible spot is the HCC science building, dedicated in May 2000 with an embossed plaque that bears her likeness and a quote: &quot;Anything is possible.&quot; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marieb was one of the first donors to endow an annual scholarship through the HCC Foundation, beginning her contributions in 1986. Last spring, five students received monetary awards through the Elaine Marieb New Directions Scholarship &amp;ndash; designated for non-traditional women planning to transfer to four-year institutions.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plaques all around campus mark the offices of past recipients of the Elaine Marieb Chair for Teaching Excellence, an annual award she endowed in 1991. HCC history professor George Ashley, now retired, was the first honoree.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Elaine was a great teacher and colleague,&quot; Ashley wrote in an online remembrance from his winter home on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. &quot;She inspired her students and made a course many students dreaded seem possible, partly by writing the best Anatomy and Physiology textbook on the market. And she used a large part of the money she earned from the text to fund better facilities for students and recognize other excellent teachers. I am sorry she is gone, but very happy that I knew her and learned from her.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A 1996 donation funded the creation of the Elaine Marieb Anatomy &amp;amp; Physiology Lab on the third floor of the Frost Building. Her name also graces the Elaine Marieb New Pathways Center, called the Marieb Center for short, which she helped establish in 2008 as a lounge, computer room and study area for non-traditional female students in HCC's Pathways and New Directions programs, two programs that have benefitted greatly from her largesse. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I returned to college as a non-traditional student, and I know how important this type of support is to these students,&quot; Marieb wrote in a 1998 letter to the HCC Foundation that projects her immediate and future support for those programs. &quot;The encouragement and assistance that I received contributed to my success. I feel that the best way in which I can express my appreciation to everyone who helped me succeed is to assist these students.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marieb was born in Northampton in 1936 and grew up there on the Nicpon family farm.&amp;nbsp; She earned her first bachelor's degree from Westfield State College in 1964 when she was 28 years old. She continued her education at Mount Holyoke College, earning a master's degree in biology and later a Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Massachusetts. She started her teaching career at Springfield College before coming to work in 1969 at what was then called Holyoke Junior College. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She started writing textbooks on anatomy and physiology to address complaints she heard from her nursing charges about the ineffectiveness of the materials then in use. To inform her teaching and improve her writing, she enrolled in the HCC nursing program to better understand the course content from a students' perspective. She graduated from HCC with her associate degree in 1980.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From there Marieb went on to attain additional degrees from Fitchburg State College (B.S., nursing) and the University of Massachusetts (M.A., nursing, gerontology). All the while she continued to teach and write lab manuals and textbooks. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marieb retired from HCC in 1993 to devote herself to writing. She is the author or co-author of more than 10 best-selling textbooks and laboratory manuals in anatomy and physiology. In 2016, she ranked number seven on &lt;em&gt;Time Magazine&lt;/em&gt;'s list of the &quot;100 Most Read Female Writers in College Classes,&quot; just behind Mary Shelley at number six and beating out the likes of George Eliot, Alice Walker, Charlotte Bronte and many other famous authors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Former HCC president David Bartley used to introduce her as &quot;the Stephen King of A&amp;amp;P.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At Commencement in 1996, Marieb received a Distinguished Service Award from HCC. For many years she remained on the HCC Foundation's Board of Directors. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2014, she made a $1 million donation to the foundation's Building Healthy Communities campaign to support construction of the Center for Health Education on Jarvis Avenue (home to HCC's nursing and radiologic technology programs) and the Center for Life Sciences (for biotechnology and microbiology) on the first floor of the Marieb Building. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After retiring, she moved to Sarasota, Florida, but during her annual visits to HCC she always made a point to visit the Marieb Center, &quot;the place&quot; she once said, &quot;that has my heart.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her last visit was in June 2014 after a courtyard barbecue to thank her for her latest gift. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She had this larger than life reputation,&quot; said Irma Medina, coordinator of the Pathways program, &quot;but when she came in here she would let the students be the center of attention. She loved coming here. She loved talking to students.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A note on the cover of a tattered journal asks students who use the center to &quot;say thanks to our benefactor, Elaine Marieb.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Blessings to you for providing this space,&quot; says one entry. &quot;It feels like my safe haven. I am so grateful to be able to come here.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's like a sanctuary to me,&quot; reads another. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;A refuge.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;A home base.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;An oasis.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The thing I will miss most about HCC.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I had you as an instructor many, many years ago in the nursing program. I learned so much from you and had a wonderful career as an RN. At the age of 59 I've returned to school to follow my childhood dream of attaining a BA in English with a focus on creative writing. Irma Medina has been my advisor in the Pathways program and I've spent many hours of 'womenship' in the Marieb Center. I'm lucky enough to have been accepted into the Frances Perkins program at Mount Holyoke. Thank you.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/naples-fl/elaine-marieb-8102377&quot; title=&quot;Elaine Marieb obituary&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Read Elaine Marieb's full obituary. &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY by CHRIS YURKO&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Elaine Marieb greets a student during a 2009 visit to the Elaine Marieb New Pathways Center at HCC. (Thumbnail) Elaine Marieb, during her last visit to HCC in June 2014.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10522" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/veterans-benefit" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|194" FileName="x10522.xml" Name="Veterans Benefit" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/MGM-Bordas.jpg" Title="All in at MGM" Abstract="The Massachusetts Casino Career Training Insitute, a partnership between HCC, STCC and MGM, is offering free casino dealer training classes to Massachusetts veterans. " ThumbnailAltText="Kurt Bordas '12 now works as a dealer at MGM Springfield. " IntroCopy="USAF veteran and HCC alumnus Kurt Bordas '12 dealing full time at MGM Springfield" Date="2019-12-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Kurt Bordas at work at MGM Springfield&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/MGM-Bordas.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After three years in the U.S. Air Force followed by five in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, Kurt Bordas had hoped to pursue a career in law enforcement. A certificate in that field from Holyoke Community College got him started and led to an internship with the Holyoke Police Department.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But after seven months, Bordas '12 realized policework was not for him, and he subsequently spent two years as a senior financial specialist in the Service to the Armed Forces department of the American Red Cross. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Though the job was great,&quot; he said, &quot;my financials were such that I needed either another job or a completely new one that was adequate to serve me and my family.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, the Holyoke resident works as a table games dealer at MGM Springfield, where he has been employed full time since the casino opened in August 2018. He credits a scholarship he received from the Massachusetts Casino Career Training Institute for giving him the opportunity to enroll in its dealer training school at no cost. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The scholarship covered all my courses &amp;ndash; blackjack, roulette and carnival games,&quot; he said. &quot;Now, with no education debt and excellent training, I have been a full-time table games dealer with MGM since day one. I enjoy my job, work with excellent managers, have wonderful co-workers and get great benefits for myself and my family.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although Bordas had qualified for a general scholarship, MCCTI is now offering additional scholarships specifically earmarked for Massachusetts veterans. The scholarships are possible thanks to funding from the Massachusetts Community Mitigation Funds Grant administered by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Veterans can apply for a scholarship through the MCCTI website,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mccti.org&quot;&gt;www.mccti.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MCCTI is a collaboration between Holyoke Community College, Springfield Technical Community College and MGM Springfield. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;MGM Springfield is a major supporter of military service men and women, with more than six percent of our workforce comprised of military veterans,&quot; said Marikate Murren, vice president of Human Resources for MGM Springfield. &quot;This is about helping our residents and neighbors access greater opportunities for success. We encourage our service men and women to learn more about the exciting jobs available at MGM Springfield.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The next round of MCCTI dealer training classes begin with blackjack on Mon., Jan. 13, 2020, followed immediately by carnival games beginning March 16. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like Bordas, students who successfully complete programs in two different table games are guaranteed an audition with &lt;a href=&quot;https://mgmspringfield.mgmresorts.com/en.html&quot;&gt;MGM Springfield&lt;/a&gt;. The tuition for the two classes is $598, a cost fully covered by the veterans scholarships. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classes are taught by current MGM Springfield supervisors who are experienced educators as well.&amp;nbsp; The classroom is at 95 State St., Springfield, on the grounds of MGM Springfield. Tables, chips and cards are close replicas to those found on the casino floor.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bordas said he been to a casino maybe once in his life before he saw an advertisement about the dealer training school and decide to attend an information session and demonstration hosted by Robert Westerfield, now vice president of casino operations for MGM Springfield. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I never was a gambler,&quot; said Bordas. &quot;I never really understood the games, but I fell in love with the energy. I just needed the appropriate training.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information about trainings and to enroll, please go to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mccti.org&quot;&gt;www.mccti.org&lt;/a&gt;, or contact Michele Cabral at 413.552.2257 or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mcabral@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mcabral@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Kurt Bordas '12 now works full time as a table games dealer at MGM Springfield.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10539" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/taber-found" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|360" FileName="x10539.xml" Name="Taber Found" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-Taber-Mark.jpg" Title="'Found'" Abstract="HCC's Taber Art Gallery presents the work of three artists whose sculpture derives from old, forgotten and discarded objects, through Thursday, Dec. 19." ThumbnailAltText="&quot;The Big Grin,&quot; by Easthampon artist Mark Brown (2019)." IntroCopy="A closing reception will be held Thurs., Dec. 19, from 4 to 6 p.m., where art on display will be available for purchase." Date="2019-12-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Found at Taber Gallery&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/Events/Fall%202019/HCC-Taber-Adam.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A few years ago, as a Visual Arts student at Holyoke Community College, Adam Mulcahy often spent time between classes walking the abandoned trolley tracks that run through the woods behind campus. These treks were about more than exercise or communing with nature. Mulcahy was searching for supplies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As a lifelong Holyoke resident and history fanatic I am fascinated by the immediate area surrounding the HCC campus,&quot; says Mulcahy, who earned his associate degree from HCC in 2015 and a bachelor's degree in fine art from Westfield State. &quot;My art has always showcased that love of all things old and forgotten. Walking in the woods on a hunt for art supplies is a new adventure every time.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mulcahy is one of three local artists whose sculpture is featured in a new exhibit at HCC's Taber Art Gallery called &quot;Found&quot; that opens Monday, Dec. 2, and runs through Thursday, Dec. 19. The others are Nan Fleming of Williamsburg and Mark Brown of Easthampton.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;All three are artists whose work I've been interested in for years,&quot; said Taber director Amy Johnquest. &quot;What they all have in common is that their work is made from objects that might be headed for the trash but that they've repurposed into artistic form.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For instance, some of Mulchahy's contributions were constructed from materials he found in a nearby 19th century cider mill. His shadowbox assemblages contain parts from Mountain Park, the former amusement park on Mount Tom that he visited as a child.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am fascinated by the histories of the individual parts and how they fit together,&quot; he says in his artist's statement. &quot;Sometimes I feel as though I am merely along for the ride as the pieces dictate where they want to be.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 1992, Fleming took a welding class at the University of Massachusetts and that, she says, is when she discovered metal as an art form.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Always a hoarder of the discarded and used, I was drawn to the shapes and patinas of old rusty bits and pieces more than the clean shiny sheets of new metal available in the foundry,&quot; Fleming says in her artist's statement. &quot;Manipulating a shape with heat continues to be pure magic for me.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brown, who also attended UMass, says his current art of &quot;quirky and humorous&quot; characters is inspired by 20th century master Paul Klee and from traditional ethnographic artwork, especially African masks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These collaged pieces are limited in their color palette,&quot; he says in his statement. &quot;I allow the character of the objects to dominate the surfaces and the integration of disparate materials is subtle and effective.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There will be a closing reception with the artists on Thursday, Dec. 19, from 4 to 6 p.m., where their art will be available for purchase.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's nice for the holidays and a good way to support local artists whose work with found objects is also good for the planet,&quot; Johnquest said. &quot;Recycle. Reuse.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery at HCC is open Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during regular school sessions. It is free and open to the public and located through the HCC Campus Library lobby on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, 303 Homestead Ave., Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please contact Amy Johnquest, director of the Taber Art Gallery, at 413. 552.2614.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Above) Two pieces by Holyoke artist Adam Mulcahy are on display in HCC's Taber Art Gallery: Left, &quot;Segue into Modern Man&quot; (2019) and &quot;Future Relic #149&quot; (2017). (Thumbnail) &quot;The Big Grin,&quot; by Easthampon artist Mark Brown (2019).&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10528" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/thrive-donation" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|65|70" FileName="x10528.xml" Name="Thrive Donation" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-Thrive-Peoples.jpg" Title="Big boost for Thrive" Abstract="A $50,000 donation from PeoplesBank will establish a dedicated fund to support HCC's Food Pantry and Thrive Student Resource Center. " ThumbnailAltText="PeoplesBank donates $50,000 to HCC Thrive Center" IntroCopy="$50,000 donation from PeoplesBank will support HCC's Thrive Student Resource Center. " Date="2019-12-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;PeoplesBank donates $50,000 to HCC Thrive Center&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/HCC-Thrive-Peoples.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When Holyoke Community College student Christopher Royster needed help repairing his credit after an incident of identity theft, he knew where to turn &amp;ndash; the Thrive Student Resource Center at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thrive@HCC is known mostly for providing support to students experiencing food and housing insecurity. Thrive manages HCC's Food Pantry and provides free grab-and-go snacks to hungry students as well as financial management and budget planning consulations. More than that, though, Thrive staff can assist students as they negotiate the complex bureaucracies associated with a myriad of issues such as health insurance, food, housing and utility assistance, and credit repair.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thrive coordinator Rosemary Fiedler personally made phone calls on Royster's behalf to organizations where his stolen identity had been used to open fraudulent accounts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Due to the assistance and expertise of Rosemary and Thrive, I was able to get the help that I needed,&quot; said Royster, a 37-year-old military veteran and psychology major from Chicopee. &quot;I was finally able to get my name cleared and my credit has improved.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royster spoke Tuesday at a reception acknowledging a $50,000 donation from PeoplesBank earmarked for HCC's Thrive center. The money will be used to establish a dedicated fund for Thrive managed by the HCC Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising corporation of Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This gift from PeoplesBank will allow us to significantly scale up the services we provide to students,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC's vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation. &quot;In so many ways, Thrive at HCC addresses the emotional, physical and psychological needs of our students so they can come closer to achieving a degree and build a more stable future.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tom Senecal, president and chief executive officer of PeoplesBank, and other officers from the Holyoke-based bank, toured Thrive and the HCC Food Pantry before presenting a ceremonial check to HCC president Christina Royal and a real one to Sbriscia.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is extremely impressive. I'm overwhelmed,&quot; said Senecal. &quot;I'm proud to be working for an organization that can do things like this. As a mutual bank, we have the ability to focus on the needs of the community, and I can tell you, standing here today, it's pretty obvious where the need is. This is certainly one of those programs that is very worthy, and I thank you for accepting this gift.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're so grateful, not only for your financial support but for coming and taking the time to hear about some of the work that we do,&quot; Royal said. &quot;A lot of times when people think of Holyoke Community College, they only think about us as providing educational services, but our students come here and they are dealing with so many other challenges in their lives, balancing work and school and families and children and sometimes health issues. We're trying to create an environment where everybody knows Thrive is one of the resources the college offers and as a student you have access to this and everything else.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fiedler explained that the goal of Thrive is to help students stabilize their lives so they can remain students and finish their degrees. Often, she said, it is difficult for students who are dealing with food insecurity or homelessness to ask for help.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're trying to normalize it,&quot; she said. &quot;You've got to create an environment where they don't feel judged.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royster, who has also sought Thrive's assistance on health insurance, said he didn't hesitate when Fiedler asked him to speak on Thrive's behalf.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's important that others know there are good programs out there that HCC offers and these programs can really help,&quot; he said. &quot;Fortunately, Thrive was there to assist me, and I'm honored to speak for Rosemary and the rest of the Thrive staff because my credit wouldn't be where it is right now had it not been for their help and this program.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Tom Senecal, president of PeoplesBank; HCC president Christina Royal; HCC student Christopher Royster of Chicopee; and Amanda Sbriscia, executive director of the HCC Foundation hold a ceremonial $50,000 check from PeoplesBank that will benefit the Thrive Student Resource Center at HCC.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10510" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/rachel-rubinstein" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|193" FileName="x10510.xml" Name="Rachel Rubinstein" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/x-Rachel-Rubinstein.jpg" Title="Coordinated effort" Abstract="Rachel Rubinstein sits down to talk about her job as HCC's first vice president of Academic &amp; Student Affairs, a newly unified role at the college." ThumbnailAltText="HCC vice president of Academic and Student Affairs" IntroCopy="A Q&amp;A with HCC's first VP of ASA" Date="2019-11-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Rachel Rubinstein in her office at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/x-Rachel-Rubinstein.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rachel Rubinstein is HCC's first vice president of Academic and Student Affairs.&amp;nbsp;Prior to her arrival Oct. 2,&amp;nbsp; she&amp;nbsp; spent 16 years at Hampshire College in Amherst, where she was a professor of American literature and Jewish Studies and between 2011 and&amp;nbsp; 2018 served as dean of Academic Support and Advising.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She sat down recently to talk about her academic interests, what drew her to Holyoke Community College, and how she views her job, which is a newly unified position, combining oversight of both Academic Affairs and Student Affairs&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You have a very interesting background.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I grew up in the New York city suburbs, Hastings on Hudson, so Westchester County, but my family is from Mexico. My grandparents were all immigrants from Eastern Europe, Cuba, and Spain, and in the 1920s and &amp;lsquo;30s, they couldn't get into the United States because of the immigration laws, and they all ended up all in Mexico City, where they met each other and married. My parents were born in Mexico City and grew up there and got married there, and then they came to the states, because immigration laws had changed again, and that's where I was born and my siblings were born.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I grew up in a Spanish speaking household. I never studied Spanish formally, and I am very self- conscious about speaking it because I am one of those immigrant kids that started speaking in English all the time, but I understand it. I can read it, and then I studied Yiddish. My family were Jews from Mexico City, so that's a specific kind of population, a very small population of Mexico City.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When did you figure out you wanted to work in higher education?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I went to Yale to study literature, and then after college I spent a couple of years on a volunteer program in Israel. For the first few months I studied Hebrew on a kibbutz and then the rest of the year they sent us around the country to various communities &amp;ndash; immigrant communities, refugee communities, Palestinian communities. I spent time in different cities working in those communities, which was really interesting, then I stayed for another half year or so and as a counselor for a high school program, and then I applied to graduate school. I knew then that I wanted to be a professor, a scholar, a teacher. My field of interest was literature, migration, immigration, multi-lingualism, and the Jewish-American experience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You earned your PhD from Harvard. What brought you to western Massachusetts?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I met my husband at Harvard (Justin Cammy). He does Eastern European literature. He got a job at Smith, where he is still teaching. I was adjuncting in the area. I taught at Smith, Mount Holyoke, and then I got a position at Hampshire, which was a visiting position at the time. After a few years, I was hired full time to teach Jewish-American literature. I taught American literature from origins to 19th century, and I taught a literature of immigration course. I taught courses at the National Yiddish Book Center, which is right there on campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2011, soon after I got tenure, or what is the Hampshire version of tenure, they tapped me to be the dean of Advising and Academic Support. That was really the position that made me realize I really like administrative work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What did you like about it?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you're the dean of advising, you're working with the entire school, across the curriculum. You're working with all the deans, all the students, all the faculty, because you're working on student success and support, and you're also working with Student Affairs, all the time. I got this totally different view of the institution, and I really loved the work. It was supposed to be for three years, and then after three years, I was like, I would do it for longer, so I did it for another year and another year and then two more years. In the end I did it for about six years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Did the uncertainty of everything going on at Hampshire cause you to look elsewhere?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I won't say it was a happy time. It was very stressful, but I had a sort of the realization that if this was happening to Hampshire, this could happen to any small, private liberal arts college, and Hampshire was not the only college that was struggling and possibly closing or merging, so this was clearly a trend. I started reading the book &lt;em&gt;Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;and other books on the future of liberal arts education, to learn what is the future of a place like Hampshire, and the more I read, the more it turned into a real existential dilemma for me. It made me rethink the whole profession and what I was doing and who I was doing it for.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And then in the middle of all that, this opportunity at HCC comes up, and I'm thinking, ok, a community college. That's a mission I believe in, and I liked the idea of Academic and Student Affairs being brought together. That is what I was trying to do at Hampshire, because I was literally sitting between Academic and Student Affairs and wanting to align them and seeing all the gaps between what faculty was doing and what Student Affairs staff was seeing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Obviously, as a graduate of Yale and Harvard, a community college experience is quite far removed from your own.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Very far. At the same time, at Hampshire, I worked with struggling students. That was my population and they were struggling because they had mental health issues; they were struggling because they had chaotic family lives; they were struggling because they had so few resources, whether emotional, financial, or familial, and it's really hard to succeed in school when your family is struggling with homelessness or food scarcity and you feel responsible for working and sending money home to your family. I saw that, and I worked with transfer students from community colleges, so the idea of a struggling student who is having academic issues not necessarily because they are underprepared but because of the challenges in their lives impinging on their ability to learn is familiar to me.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The other thing I should also say that attracted me to HCC specifically, because there were other local community colleges that had some open positions, was Holyoke. The idea of being at an HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution) was really appealing to me. Holyoke is a city of immigrants and this is what I do.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You are the first person to have this consolidated position at HCC. How do you plan to proceed?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think that most of the community colleges in Massachusetts have this model so there are other VP ASA's I can appeal for their wisdom and expertise, and I honestly think that it's all about having a good team. No one person can do it all. I think I have a good team. I think it's also about not privileging one area above the other and really respecting the work of Student Affairs in a way that elevates it. Folks in Student Affairs are educators too. And then it's important for Student Affairs to really respect the work of that faculty do in the classroom and respecting faculty as teachers and scholars. I feel like that's the benefit of having come from this advising position at Hampshire; I really did sit in between those two divisions. I think the alignment is so necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What's the advantage of having one person oversee both areas?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think the more faculty understand what students are dealing with outside the classroom, the better they can see how students experience the academic program, not just in their classes, but how they move through the institution. At the same time, I think it's really important for Student Affairs staff to work with faculty. What faculty are being asked to do is very taxing because it's not just about teaching anymore. It's about advising; it's about mentoring; it's about student support. Mental health needs are so tremendous, things that students are dealing with are so tremendous, and faculty need help, so it can't just be this staff person over here and that faculty person over there each working with a student. There has to be this network where people are communicating with each other. I've heard stories, like a faculty member said to me, I struggle because what do you do when your students come to class hungry? What do you do? That's real, and it can't be solved just by Academic Affairs. It also can't be solved only by Student Affairs. It has to be a coordinated effort.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You've been here a month now. How's it going?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the end of every day, my brain hurts. It's very exciting. I'm learning new things every day. I'm learning how systems work and I'm meeting tons of people and really learning about the work that everybody is doing. It's on a much larger scale than I'm used to. It's a much larger institution. So just that, trying to wrap my head around all of the different programs, all of the different offices, but I see so much opportunity and so much potential and so many wonderful things are going on. The benefit of being in this position is that I get this eagle eye's perspective; I get to see all the awesome things happening in Academic Affairs, all the awesome things happening in Student Affairs, and then share that information so everyone knows what everyone else is doing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I really have to make a concerted effort to meet students because I don't have that time in the classroom with them. I'm not in that advising capacity where there are constantly students coming through my door.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How do you plan to do that?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I would like to create a student advisory council, something separate and distinct from the Student Senate, which is a governance organization. Student Senate has business to do. They plan things, they fundraise, they're student government. But what I'm imagining is a sort of kitchen cabinet to advise me, that would be my advisory council, where I can go and say, I'm thinking of this - what's your perspective on that? Or, what do you think you need as students? Tell me more about your experiences here, so we can figure out how to support you and help you succeed. I want Student Senate to help me put that together but what I envision is not the same. They would not be governance organization. They're job would be advisory. That way I get to interact with more students and really hear about what they're experiencing. I did something similar at Hampshire, and it was so valuable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/News/11.12%20VP%20Rubinstein.docx.pdf&quot; title=&quot;HCC welcomes Rachel Rubinstein as first VP of Academic &amp;amp; Student Affairs&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Read the press release welcoming her to HCC ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;INTERVIEW and PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Rachel Rubinstein in her office at HCC&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10502" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/two-delivers" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x10502.xml" Name="TWO Delivers" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/TWO-BK-Sliced-CHEFs.jpg" Title="TWO Delivers" Abstract="Training and Workforce Options, a partnership between HCC and STCC, is offering a new, customizable program for area employers that focuses on team-building through cooking." ThumbnailAltText="Employees from BK Investment Hotel Group take part in a Team Building Through Culinary training program at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. " IntroCopy="New program for area employers offers team-building through cooking" Date="2019-11-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Team Building Through Culinary&quot; height=&quot;889&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/HCC-TWO-CHEFs.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eighteen employees from four different area hotels competed last month in a friendly, &quot;Chopped&quot; style culinary competition at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute designed to enhance their professional development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The participants, all management-level employees from the BK Investment Hotel Group, took part in a new one-day, four-hour program &amp;ndash; &quot;Team Building Through Culinary&quot; &amp;ndash; offered by Training and Workforce Options, otherwise known as TWO, a collaboration between Springfield Technical Community College and Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From the program's customizable menu of options, the company chose &quot;Sliced,&quot; a culinary training exercise modeled after &quot;Chopped,&quot; one of the Food Network's popular, competitive cooking shows. The training was led by chef and HCC culinary arts instructor Tracy Carter, whose professional experience includes working at the Food Network, where she prepared the ingredient baskets for &quot;Chopped.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The cooking sessions at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute are designed to help employees who work closely together improve their communication, collaboration and problem-solving skills, while enhancing team cohesiveness and highlighting individual talents,&quot; said Tracye Whitfield, TWO's director of business development. &quot;TWO's mission is to provide area companies customizable training progams for their employees' professional growth.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Oct. 17 program included management teams from four of the BK hotel group's properties &amp;ndash; Hampton Inn by Hilton in Chicopee; Residence Inn by Marriott in Chicopee; Tru by Hilton in Chicopee; and Holiday Inn Express in Brattleboro, Vermont &amp;ndash; who learned cooking techniques while competing against each other in one of the HCC culinary institute's teaching kitchens.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Under the direction of Chef Carter, each of the four teams worked together to create a meal using a basket of pre-selected, mandatory ingredients, which in this case included chicken (for the protein), brussel sprouts (vegetable), mozzarella cheese (starch) and guava paste (wild card), along with other items they could find in the kitchen's pantries and refrigerators.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After the cooking was done, the participants sat down together to dine, sample each other's creations and vote for the team whose food they liked best. Two teams tied for the win: Hampton Inn by Hilton, wearing blue aprons and self-proclaimed &quot;Team Awesome,&quot; and Tru by Hilton, wearing yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We had a lot of fun,&quot; said Sandra Reed Hofstetter, BK's regional director of operations. &quot;Many thanks to Chef Tracy and the TWO team for the warm welcome and attention to detail.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: The management team members from Hampton Inn by Hilton in Chicopee celebrate their culinary success during a team building training program offered by TWO at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10518" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/lettuce-rescue" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|194" FileName="x10518.xml" Name="Lettuce Rescue" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/FF-HCC-Clare-lettuce.jpg" Title="Romaine Rescue" Abstract="HCC dining services turned to Holyoke's Freight Farms hyroponic container farming program for produce after a nationwide lettuce recall left the college short of leafy greens. " ThumbnailAltText="Freight Farms manager Clare McGale '19 holds two heads of sweet green crisp salanova lettuce. " IntroCopy="HCC Freight Farms fills supply in wake of lettuce recall" Date="2019-11-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Carlos Madera and Rosanna Lopez, both of Holyoke, harvest Romain lettuce inside of one of the container farms operated by HCC. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/FF-Carlos-Rosanna.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Early this morning, Claire McGale, manager of HCC's Freight Farms urban agriculture program, received an urgent email message from Christopher Robert, chef supervisor for HCC dining services, which is managed by Aramark.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They were in a bind. A national recall on Romaine lettuce from Salinas, California, issued over the weekend had left Aramark short of salad greens for the start of the week.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He said, we'll take whatever you have,&quot; said McGale, a 2019 HCC graduate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fortunately, they had a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the course of the morning, McGale and her co-workers harvested close to 70 pounds of lettuce from the two repurposed shipping containers on Race Street managed by Holyoke Community College behind the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We were going to harvest today anyway,&quot; McGale said Monday morning, &quot;but we're doing much more than we would have.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has been growing leafy greens inside the Freight Farms containers since October 2018. The project is a partnership with the city of Holyoke and MassDevelopment, who supplied the funding to purchase the two containers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each container is a fully operational hydroponic farm equipped with 256 grow towers and the capacity to grow as much produce in a year as an acre of farmland, but without any soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The lettuce &quot;picked&quot; Monday &amp;ndash; that is, pulled from the grow towers &amp;ndash; included Romaine, two kinds of butterhead and sweet green crisp salanova.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Unlike most places today, we have Romaine &amp;ndash; thanks to Freight Farms,&quot; Robert said Monday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The lettuce was used in the salad bar in HCC's cafeteria, for grab and go packaged salads, as well as toppings for sandwiches.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Freight Farms &quot;bailed us out,&quot; said Mark Pronovost, director of HCC dining services. &quot;They helped us out big time.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pronovost said he received an alert over the weekend about the recall on contaminated California lettuce and took immediate action.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We threw out all our product,&quot; he said. &quot;We don't take any chances. I don't know what other schools are doing, but reaching out to Freight Farms was easy for us.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Aramark has been buying Holyoke-grown Freight Farms lettuce and incorporating it into its salad blends since February, but never as much volume as much on Monday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Today, because of what happened, it's pretty much all from Freight Farms,&quot; he said. &quot;It's beautiful stuff. Tasty. Flavorful. Fresh. It's all hydroponic so it's nice and clean. They do a really nice job.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Freight Farms also supplies produce to the HCC culinary arts institute, Holyoke Medical Center and the HCC Food Pantry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Monday was an auspicious day for Freight Farms in another way as well. They set a weight record for individual heads, recording 4.3 pounds for a container of 15 heads of salanova.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's encouraging,&quot; McGale said. &quot;That's how I keep track of our success rate.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With more experience, McGale said, Freight Farms produce has become more robust. This batch of lettuce took five weeks to grow from seed to harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She seemed especially impressed by two large heads of salanova she balanced in both hands.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm really excited to see what these weigh,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Above, Carlos Madera and Rosanna Lopez, both of Holyoke, harvest Romaine lettuce inside one of the Freight Farms containers managed by Holyoke Community College. (Thumbnail) Claire McGale '19, manager of HCC's Freight Farms urban agriculture program, holds two heads of sweet green crisp salanova.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10484" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/our-town" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165|226" FileName="x10484.xml" Name="Our Town" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/P-HCC-OurTown-MR1.jpg" Title="'A Beautiful Display'" Abstract="The HCC Theater Department will present the American classic, Our Town, by Thornton Wilder, Nov. 7-9, on the stage of the Leslie Phillips Theater. " IntroCopy="HCC Theater Department presents Thornton Wilder classic, Our Town, Nov. 7-9" Date="2019-10-31" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Our Town rehearsal&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/P-HCC-OurTown-MR1.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Playwright Thornton Wilder could hardly have imagined the Holyoke of today when he wrote Our Town in the late 1930s.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He had lived for a while in Peterborough, New Hampshire, and set his famous, Pulitzer Prize winning play in a small New Hampshire town he called Grover's Corners between the years 1901 and 1913, a time when the population would have been largely, if not entirely, white.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Current census figures describe the city of Holyoke now as more than 51 percent Hispanic or Latino. Meanwhile, more than 40 percent of students who attend Holyoke Community College, since 2016 a nationally recognized Hispanic Serving Institution, identify themselves as belonging to a racial or ethnic group that is Hispanic/Latino, Black, Asian, or more than one.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It follows that the cast of the HCC Theater Department's fall production of Wilder's classic take on daily life, love and death would naturally reflect that diversity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I thought the timing was right to do this play because of the makeup of our present student body,&quot; said director and HCC theater professor Patricia Sandoval. &quot;The cast is brown, black, white, and more. The result is a beautiful display of HCC's finest &amp;ndash; many of whom are students of color &amp;ndash; because that is our town in 2019.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's production of Our Town runs Thursday, Nov. 7, through Saturday, Nov. 9, with performances each night at 7:30 p.m. and a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. All shows are in the Leslie Phillips Theater in HCC's Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts building. The Friday performance will be ASL-interpreted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Taking on what is perhaps the most frequently produced play in America proved challenging, says Sandoval. Most people are likely to have seen the play before or even played a part in a high school production, and so might have certain expectations, though she hopes that familiarity will also draw them in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's such an important work and just a wonderful play,&quot; Sandoval says. &quot;It says so much about life and living in the moment and accepting death and ourselves in the universe.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wilder's story does not follow a traditional narrative arc, with the usual conflict, climax and resolution.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There are no fight scenes,&quot; says Sandoval. &quot;The difficulty for the actors is that they have to find motivation and intention with everything they do, but then life is like that too. Every day does not have a narrative arc, and sometimes our lives don't either.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What little action there is in Wilder's play follows the courtship and marriage of the two principal characters, Emily Webb (Jayda Aponte of South Hadley) and George Gibbs (Brandon Rodriguez of Springfield).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our Town is presented as a play within a play, with the stage manager narrating the action, taking on certain stage roles while also frequently breaking the fourth wall to interact directly with the audience. In keeping with Wilder's notes, it is frequently performed with little or no scenery or props, the actors employing pantomime instead.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're having a set, though,&quot; says Sandoval, &quot;which I'm really glad for. I think it's more interesting for the audience and it's easier for the cast to have it grounded in something. They have to rely on their imaginations for enough.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She also incorporated a few props, such as a bowl to hold imaginary green beans in a kitchen scene.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There's a lot of drinking coffee, and we're not going to have mugs,&quot; she says. &quot;We're trying to honor Thornton Wilder as much as possible while also finding a balance.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While Sandoval did not alter the script to make it more current &amp;ndash; &quot;It's too beautifully written to change in any way, and you really can't. It's protected&quot; &amp;ndash; she did tailor some of the acting parts. &amp;shy;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For instance, Sandoval split the stage manager's role into two parts, one played by a male actor (Caleb Curd of Westfield) and the other by a woman (Moira Hannon, also of Westfield), the latter whom also takes on the part of the minister, a role traditionally played by an older, white man. A female actor is also playing the part of the male choir director.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I just wanted to update it, shake it up a little bit and make people think about how we have changed,&quot; Sandoval says.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sandoval also expanded the role of the church choir in the HCC production, inviting the choir from Holyoke's Bethlehem Baptist Community Church to the stage.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Whenever I do a play, I like to bring in the community as much as possible,&quot; she says.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tickets: $10 (general admission); $8 (students and seniors); $5 (HCC students, faculty and staff)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;For more information or to reserve a seat, call the box office at 413.552.2528&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: HCC student-actors Caleb Curd, Jayda Aponte and Brandon Rodriguez rehearse a scene for Our Town.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10483" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/soccer-champs-2019" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|2|165" FileName="x10483.xml" Name="Soccer Champs 2019" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Soccer-eight-mosh.jpg" Title="Make it Eight" Abstract="The HCC women's soccer team won its eighth consecutive New England title Monday under the guidance of head coach and HCC alumnus Rob Galazka '98. " ThumbnailAltText="Soccer players celebrate after winning the New England championship Monday at home on O'Connell Field." IntroCopy="Women’s soccer team captures New England championship – again!" Date="2019-10-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The 2019 HCC women's soccer team captured its eighth consecutive New England Championship Monday by defeating rival Bristol Community College on penalty kicks in overtime.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Soccer-champs-one.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 2019 HCC women's soccer team captured its eighth consecutive New England championship Monday afternoon, defeating Bristol Community College in a penalty kick shootout after 110 minutes of scoreless soccer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cougars will travel to Uniondale, N.Y., on Sat., Nov. 2, to play against Nassau Community College in a district championship game kicking off at 5:15 p.m. The winner will advance to the Elite Eight of the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III National Championship tournament.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In Monday's game at home on O'Connell Field, delayed a day because of Sunday's rainstorms, Holyoke controlled possession of the ball for most of the game and outshot their opposition while perfectly implementing a defensive strategy to keep Bristol's potent offense from scoring. The penalty kicks went six rounds with Holyoke emerging triumphant by a 5-4 shootout score.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The New England Championship is the HCC women's soccer program's eighth in a row and 12th in the past 14 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cougars' goalkeeper Hannah Garon of Monson (Monson High School) was superb in the shootout, saving two of the six penalty kicks she faced while also scoring what turned out to be Holyoke's go-ahead goal. Garon's save against Bristol's sixth shooter was a spectacular diving stop. She made two saves in the game before the shootout, earning her and the team's 10th shutout of the season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alyssa Tortora, Bristol's top scorer, leads the nation in NJCAA Division III with 47 goals and had scored in all but one of BCC's previous games. Defensive midfielder Kayla La Fortune of Holyoke (Holyoke High School) was exceptional for the Cougars, said head coach Rob Galazka '98, tasked with preventing Tortora from receiving the ball and taking shots on goal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;On Monday, the team held her without a shot on goal, thanks mostly to the extraordinary defending of La Fortune,&quot; Galazka said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The entire Cougar defensive line of Jessie Payne of Monson (Monson High School), Kari Little of Amherst (Amherst Regional High School) and Gabby Petlock of Southampton (Smith Vocational High School) also played a strong game. Scoring in the shootout along with Garon were Petlock, Little, Gab Robert of Monson (Monson High School) and Lizzy Zollo of Monson (Monson High School).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The New England champions are now 10-5-3 overall, 10-1-1 regionally, and 10-3-2 in NJCAA Division III.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke played Nassau earlier this year in Holyoke with Nassau winning 1-0. The teams have met in the district championship round in four of the last five years with the Lady Cougars winning last season and advancing to nationals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Photos: (Main) The 2019 HCC women's soccer team and coaches with their New England championship plaque. (Thumbnail) The team celebrates after their 5-4 victory in an penalty kick shootout.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10481" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/indigenous-peoples" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x10481.xml" Name="Indigenous Peoples" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Indig-menu-Ashley.jpg" Title="Culinary Connection" Abstract="HCC student-chefs prepared an electic menu for the first Indigenous Peoples Celebration, sponsored by the Greater Holyoke Council for Human Understanding." ThumbnailAltText="Retired HCC professor George Ashley examines the menu at the 1st Indigenous Peoples Celebration." IntroCopy="Indigenous People Celebration held at HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute" Date="2019-10-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Retired HCC professor George Ashley in the kitchen at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Indig-menu-Ashley.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By MIKE PLAISANCE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;At first glance, it might seem difficult to identify a theme in the following menu:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Blue corn tortilla chips with corn-roasted guacamole, shrimp pil pil, plantain &quot;French fries,&quot; salmon croquettes, duck breast with blueberry sauce, potato and sauerkraut pierogies with kielbasa, Irish soda bread, cranberry-apple crisp cobbler, maple flan with pecan brittle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But that's what students in HCC's Culinary Arts program cooked up for the first Indigenous Peoples Celebration sponsored by the Greater Holyoke Council for Human Understanding and held Thurs., Oct. 24, at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. While not all the items on the eclectic menu would have been familiar to the region's Native American population centuries ago, the dishes were prepared using ingredients that would have been available to them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;An event like this is important because we get to focus on a lot of different foods that require a lot of different ingredients you wouldn't normally use on a day-to-day basis,&quot; said student-chef Jessica Garza of Chicopee, &quot;ingredients that aren't necessarily common in your own culture. So we get to learn about a special dish, the things that go into it, along with its background as well.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The free event,&amp;nbsp;which drew some 40 area residents for food and a historical discussion led by retired HCC anthropology professor George Ashley, was intended to honor the history, culture and contributions of local indigenous communities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The idea came from HCC alumnus Jeffery Anderson-Burgos '15 of Holyoke, who serves on the executive board of the Council for Human Understanding, a group that seeks to &quot;improve, where possible, the quality of human development in the greater Holyoke community, irrespective of sex, race, creed, or ethnic origin,&quot; according to the center's mission statement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;With recent efforts around the country to honor the contributions of indigenous communities, I suggested that this would be a perfect focus for an October event,&quot; he said. &quot;From there, it has really been a complete board effort to bring it together.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of the key organizers was Sue Ellen Panitch of Holyoke, a member of the council's board of directors, as well as a member of HCC Foundation's board of directors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;With the question of immigration such an important thing right now in the national discussion, we felt it would be wise to recognize the fact that the indigenous people here before us taught us a great deal that allowed Europeans to make a life here in the United States,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also instrumental was HCC English professor Patricia Kennedy, who last spring co-taught a Learning Community course on Native American history and literature with a faculty member at Bay Path University. The lessons in that class ranged from creation stories and folk tales delivered orally from generation to generation to contemporary works by Native Americans.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those stories, as well as the dishes prepared for this event with ingredients Native Americans would have used, are important reminders that culture was thriving here before Europeans settled, Kennedy said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In his talk, Ashley, who lives in Hatfield and taught anthropology and history at HCC for 35 years before retiring in 2003, discussed the indigenous communities who lived in the region before the European settlement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Agawams and the Nonotucks were two of the groups that lived here and among the first to meet English settlers like William Pynchon, he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An unusual sight for the European settlers: Native American women controlled the land, he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They were the people who were most interested in the land; they were the people who were tied to the land,&quot; Ashley said. &quot;That was largely women's territory.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The English settled in this area in the early-to-mid-1600s. For the first few decades, they purchased most of their food from the natives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They knew how to grow it,&quot; he said. &quot;They were good at it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Within 50 years of Europeans settling, diseases they brought here like chicken pox and measles had killed 80 percent of the native population, said Ashley, &quot;simply because they had been sneezed on by somebody who was from Europe.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by MIKE PLAISANCE:&amp;nbsp;Retired HCC professor and guest speaker George Ashley examines the menu at the 1st Indigenous Peoples Celebration Oct. 24 at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10419" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/bankesb" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|65" FileName="x10419.xml" Name="BankESB" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/BankESB-check.jpg" Title="Education Fund" Abstract="BankESB has donated $10,000 to the HCC Foundation to support students preparing for careers in hospitality and culinary arts.   " ThumbnailAltText="HCC officials accept a ceremonial check from bankESB" IntroCopy="BankESB donates $10,000 for HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute" Date="2019-09-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Bank EBS check presentation at HCC MGM Culinary Arts institute&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/BankESB-check.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;BankESB has donated $10,000 to the Holyoke Community College Foundation to help students preparing for careers in the culinary arts and hospitality industry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Harry Montalvo, BankESB's community development specialist, and Tiffany Raines, assistant vice president of the bank's Holyoke branch, presented a ceremonial check in that amount to HCC president Christina Royal and foundation officials Wed., Sept. 25, at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This kind of investment helps further the work that we're able to do,&quot; said Royal. &quot;We're very grateful for the support of businesses that are interested in investing in our local community and also value education as a key component of what we need to lift up our communities.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The donation will go toward programs, equipment, maintenance, instruction, and student services at the 20,000 square-foot institute, which opened last year at 164 Race St. in downtown Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're happy to do it,&quot; said Raines. &quot;It's an absolutely beautiful facility.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;BankESB has been a financial supporter of the college since 2003, contributing over the years to all of the foundation's capital campaigns, as well as being a consistent sponsor of annual fundraising golf tournament. A plaque was mounted behind the reception area at the Culinary Institute in recognition of the bank's latest donation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are very happy to continue our partnership with the college,&quot; Montalvo said. &quot;This building is great, excellent, beautiful.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation, left; Harry Montalvo, BankESB community development specialist; Tiffany Raines, assistant vice president of the bank's Holyoke branch; &lt;em&gt;HCC president Christina Royal; and&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;John Driscoll, board chair of the HCC Foundation, hold a ceremonial check for $10,000 at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10479" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/ptk-fa19" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x10479.xml" Name="PTK FA19" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-PTK-shake.jpg" Title="Induction Junction" Abstract="Forty students were welcomed into the HCC chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society last week during an induction ceremony in the Leslie Phillips Theater.  " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Phi Theta Kappa induction ceremony Fall 2019" IntroCopy="HCC honors new Phi Theta Kappa inductees " Date="2019-10-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Phi Theta Kappa induction Fall 2019&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/HCC-PTK-Brandi-Banner.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is proud to announce the newest members of the Alpha Xi Omega Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Forty HCC students from 22 Massachusetts cities and towns were honored during a Fall 2019 induction ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 24, in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater. This special event, held once each semester, recognizes students who have demonstrated academic achievement according to the Phi Theta Kappa national standards. Students are invited to join Phi Theta Kappa when they have completed 15 college credits with a 3.5 GPA or higher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Agawam:&lt;br /&gt;Aviella Abramchuk.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Amherst: &lt;br /&gt;Marley Friedrick, Benna Kropf, Janet Jisoo Lee.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Belchertown:&lt;br /&gt;Emilee Boivin, Terice Kelly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chicopee:&lt;br /&gt;Evelyn S. Cruz, Melissa Jenkins, Melody Malphrus, Julia Rodrigue.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;East Longmeadow:&lt;br /&gt;Jennifer Carlos, Stephanie Paquin, Liuginsa Rosa.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Granby:&lt;br /&gt;Reagan Os.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Greenfield:&lt;br /&gt;Jason Mahar.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hadley:&lt;br /&gt;Andrew Gnatek.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hatfield:&lt;br /&gt;Leah Wilson.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke:&lt;br /&gt;Imma Kayzakian, Hannah Labreche, Kiara M. Nazario-Cartagena, Emily Shapiro.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Longmeadow:&lt;br /&gt;Louise White.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Monson:&lt;br /&gt;Althea Smith.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Palmer:&lt;br /&gt;Jill Fontaine.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;South Hadley:&lt;br /&gt;Renee Wilda.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Southampton:&lt;br /&gt;Michelle Jasinski.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Southwick:&lt;br /&gt;Janetta Katykhin, Claire Kenna.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Springfield:&lt;br /&gt;Isabella Alexander, Joseph Kagan, Jin Pappas, Coriann Willingham.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Three Rivers:&lt;br /&gt;Samuel Farinloye&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ware:&lt;br /&gt;Thomas Cummings, Linda Hanley.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;West Springfield:&lt;br /&gt;Sara Clausell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Westfield:&lt;br /&gt;Eric Grigoryan, Connor Jordan, Kylea McGrath.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wilbraham:&lt;br /&gt;Elizabeth Busker.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10404" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/kitchen-confidence" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69" FileName="x10404.xml" Name="Kitchen Confidence" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/New-Chef-Carter.jpg" Title="Kitchen Confidence" Abstract="HCC is launching a new round of cooking and baking classes at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute this fall geared toward home chefs who want to improve their kitchen skills." ThumbnailAltText="Chef Tracy Carter " IntroCopy="New series of cooking and baking classes starts Sept. 27" Date="2019-09-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chef Tracy Carter&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/New-Chef-Carter-slice.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is launching a new round of cooking and baking classes this fall geared toward home chefs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Cooking Confidently with Chef Tracy Carter,&quot; a twice-monthly series of Friday-night, noncredit classes, kicks off Sept. 27 with &quot;A Stroll Through the Markets of the Middle East,&quot; during which Carter, a professional chef and HCC Culinary Arts instructor, will teach participants to prepare falafel, tahini, tabouli salad, and crispy phyllo dough with nuts and honey for dessert.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each single-session, hands-on class has a unique culinary theme. Participants will learn how to prepare appetizers, salads, sauces, entrees and desserts, then dine on their creations, leaving with leftovers and the knowledge and skills to replicate those recipes at home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My goal is to give the beginner home cook the confidence to take on any recipe in the kitchen,&quot; said Carter. &quot;I believe that mastering a few basic skills can provide anyone with confidence to expand their culinary repertoire.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cooking Confidently continues with &quot;Clean Eating - Light &amp;amp; Healthy&quot; on Oct. 11; &quot;Crowd Pleasing Weekend Brunch&quot; Oct. 25; &quot;On the Spice Trail of India&quot; Nov. 8; &quot;Chef Tracy's Twist on Steakhouse Classics&quot; Nov. 22; &quot;Noni's Italian Kitchen&quot; Dec. 6; and &quot;Tis the Season: Chef Tracy's Holiday Sides&quot; Dec. 13.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also, Chef Maureen Benton will be conducting two baking classes this fall: &quot;Petit Fours, Glaces &amp;amp; European Macaroons&quot; on Fri., Oct. 25; and &quot;Torte &amp;amp; Pie: The Linzertorte &amp;amp; Chocolate Silk Pie,&quot; on Fri., Nov. 22.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All the classes meet at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute at 164 Race St., in downtown Holyoke on from 6 to 9 p.m. Cooking Confidently classes are $79; baking classes are $64. Space is limited.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Full descriptions of each class are available on the HCC website, along with registration information:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/personal-enrichment&quot;&gt;www.hcc.edu/bce.&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;Please call 413.552.2500 for more information&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Chef Tracy Carter in one of the teaching kitches at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. (Above) Chef Tracy Carter demonstrates proper slicing techniques.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10473" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cannabis-education-center" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x10473.xml" Name="Cannabis Education Center" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-Cannabis-McNabb.jpg" Title="Center Launched" Abstract="The Cannabis Education Center will provide education and training opportunities and other resources to individuals who want to work in the state's newly legalized cannabis industry." IntroCopy="The Cannabis Education Center is a joint venture between HCC and the Cannabis Community Care and Research Network" Date="2019-10-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Emerging Cannabis Industry panel&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/HCC-Cannabis-Panel.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Holyoke Community College and the Cannabis Community Care and Research Network (C3RN) have announced the creation of the Cannabis Education Center to provide education and training opportunities and other business resources to individuals in the region who want to work in the state's newly legalized cannabis industry.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The emerging cannabis industry in Western Massachusetts will spur investment, economic growth and job creation in the Pioneer Valley,&quot; said Jeff Hayden, HCC's vice president of Business and Community Services. &quot;The purpose of the Cannabis Education Center is to create an innovative learning space for those interested in joining the cannabis workforce as an employee or entrepreneur.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Launch of the Cannabis Education Center was announced on Monday, Oct. 21, at the &quot;Emerging Cannabis Industry&quot; forum, panel discussion and networking event HCC and C3RN hosted at the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development. &lt;br /&gt; The forum included data sharing, networking and a panel discussion featuring key figures in the region's cannabis industry: Mark Zatryka, chief executive officer of INSA; Meg Sanders, chief executive officer of Canna Provisions; Marcos Marrero, director of Planning and Economic Development for the city of Holyoke; Tessa Murphy-Romboletti, executive director of SPARK EforAll Holyoke; and Dan McCarthy, director of Communication and Content, Cannapreneur Partners.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The discussion was moderated by Kate Phillips, director of Education for C3RN.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read more on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/news/2019/10/holyoke-community-college-opens-first-cannabis-education-center-in-state.html&quot; title=&quot;Cannabis Education Center coverage on MassLive&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MassLive ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read more in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gazettenet.com/CannabisEdCenter-hg-102319-29567794&quot; title=&quot;Cannabis Education Center coverage in Daily Hampshire Gazette&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Daily Hampshire Gazette ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC and C3RN are designated training partners through the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission's Social Equity Vendor Training program. The program was designed to provide priority access, training, and technical assistance to those negatively impacted by the drug war.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cannabis Education Center will be managed out of HCC's Kittredge Center and provide the following resources:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull; Academic advising and workforce training; &lt;br /&gt;&amp;bull; Public education events that highlight workforce development and entrepreneurship; &lt;br /&gt;&amp;bull; Entrepreneurship events for those interested in joining the cannabis industry as a startup company;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;bull; Social equity training for applicants qualified through the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission's Social Equity Training program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information about these programs will be posted soon on the Cannabis Education Center's website: &lt;a href=&quot;http://cannabiseducationcenter.org&quot; title=&quot;cannabis education center&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;cannabiseducationcenter.org &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cannabis Education Center will also be running four previously announced certificate programs for specific jobs in the cannabis industry: Cannabis Culinary Assistant, Cannabis Retail/Patient Advocate, Cannabis Cultivation Assistant, Cannabis Extraction Technician Assistant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first of those programs, Cannabis Culinary Assistant, will begin on Jan. 11, 2020, at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each certificate program will consist of 96 hours of instruction, half of which will be held on the HCC campus with the other half conducted through C3RN's internship program with participating dispensaries, cultivators, manufacturers, and ancillary businesses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registration and scholarship information will be released on the Cannabis Education Center website on Nov. 1, 2019.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Cannabis Education Center is the first of its kind in Massachusetts,&quot; said Marion McNabb, C3RN's chief executive officer. &quot;Our programs are designed to provide high-quality, skill-based, and innovative training that not only give students knowledge of the industry, but also practical experience through on-site internship programs with local cannabis partners. Working with local industry, educators, students, and policy makers, we aim to create a learning and collaborative environment that utilizes innovative educational technologies and covers the latest trends, best practices, including B2B and B2C resources.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;C3RN and HCC will also be running five courses for the entrepreneurship track in the Social Equity Program starting November 23, 2019, at HCC's Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center, 206 Maple St., Holyoke. The first, two session class, Nov. 23-24, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., will focus on business plan creation and development. The Social Equity Training Program is designed to provide training and technical assistance to those negatively impacted by the drug war.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Information about scholarships will be posted soon on the Cannabis Education Center website.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10379" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/eec-grants" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|3|194" FileName="x10379.xml" Name="EEC grants" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/EEC-Grant-Cindy-Soriano.jpg" Title="Child Support" Abstract="HCC has been awarded two grants worth more than $2 million to support the education and training of early childhood educators and the programs they work for in western Mass. " ThumbnailAltText="Cindy Soriano '19 of Northampton reads to pre-school students in Springfield" IntroCopy="HCC awarded two grants worth more than $2 million" Date="2019-09-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Cindy Soriano '19 of Northampton reads to pre-school students in Springfield&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/EEC-Grant-Cindy-Soriano.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded two grants worth more than $2 million to support the education and training of early childhood educators and the programs they work for in western Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both grants come from the Mass. Dept. of Early Education and Care, which licenses public and private childcare programs in the state.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is the lead agent on a $2 million Career Pathways Grant that will establish new professional development certification programs at the college as well as at Greenfield Community College and Berkshire Community College, HCC's partners in the western Mass. consortium. The programs, called Childhood Development Associate Plus (or CDA Plus), will help early childhood educators already working in the field attain their national CDA credential or enhance their certification level within the EEC system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participants can also earn up to 16 college credits they can apply toward an associate degree program in Early Childhood Education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There's a lot of brain research that says 0-5 is the most critical developmental stage for children,&quot; said Kimm Quinlan, director of HCC's Early Childhood Grant Initiatives, &quot;so it's really important to increase the education and quality of care provided to children by supporting their teachers.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first group of 20 students in HCC's CDA Plus program started Sept. 7. The two-semester course of study includes four, sequential, seven-week, three-credit courses in subjects such as childhood behavior and development, early childhood programs, and health, safety and nutrition, with two, two-week, one-credit classes meeting in January and next summer. Classes are held on Saturday mornings for the convenience of students, who must be working at least 20 hours a week in the field to qualify.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The grant covers all tuition, fees, and associated costs, including books and the $420 CDA credentialing fee.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;EEC has an expectation that these educators will get certifications or degrees and they also understand that they often don't make enough money to pay for it,&quot; Quinlan said. &quot;That's why they create opportunities like this to provide support so it can be done in an affordable way.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A second group of CDA Plus students will start at HCC in spring 2020 and continue through next fall. Quinlan said she expects the grant will renewed for the following academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The second award, called the Strong Start Training and Technical Assistance Grant, is worth nearly $400,000 and establishes Holyoke Community College as the EEC's professional development center for western Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC, working with UMass Boston as the lead agent, will offer a series of stand-alone, five-hour workshops on and off campus and provide training, coaching and technical assistance to early childhood programs working on their Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), a methodology used to assess early childhood programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's all training around early childhood issues,&quot; said Quinlan, &quot;so it could be curriculum development, environmental setup, behavior management, interactions, observation, STEM activities, or literacy for children under five years of age.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The trainings will be offered days, nights and on some weekends, and attendees will be able to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Strong Start trainings will begin in November.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are hoping to train 1,500 to 2,000 people, drawing from all of western Massachusetts: Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden counties,&quot; said Quinlan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Former Early Childhood Education major Cindy Soriano '19 of Northampton, now an alumna, reads to pre-school students in Springfield during a service-learning exercise.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10407" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/health-benefits" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|3|165" FileName="x10407.xml" Name="Health Benefits" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-Nursing-teacher-student.jpg" Title="Health Benefits" Abstract="HCC has been awarded a $230,068 grant to purchase telehealth equipment and other cutting-edge medical training technology for its Center for Health Education &amp; Simulation." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Center for Health Education and Simulation" IntroCopy="$230,068 grant to support HCC health science programs" Date="2019-09-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Center for Health Education and Simulation&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/HCC-Nursing-teacher-student.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students enrolled in health science programs at Holyoke Community College will benefit from a $230,068 state grant for the purchase of telehealth equipment and other cutting-edge medical training technology at the college's Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will use some of those funds, awarded through the Executive Office of Education's Skills Capital Grants program, to buy autoclaves, microscopes, vital signs monitors, IV simulators, sutures, dressing materials and other items that will allow the college to enhance and expand its Medical Assistant program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The demand is growing,&quot; said Clare Lamontagne, HCC's dean of Health Sciences. &quot;If you look on employment sites, they're all hiring medical assistants. We would conceivably like to double our enrollment.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students who complete HCC's one-year Medical Assistant certificate program are then eligible to take the national certification exam, which, if passed, qualifies them to work in doctor's offices, hospitals, and clinics or for other healthcare organizations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The majority of the grant, about $141,000, will be used to purchase three state-of-the-art medical simulators &amp;ndash; a birthing simulator, pediatric simulator and tracheostomy simulator. Simulators are programmable, high-tech mannequins that students in health science programs, such as nursing, can examine, talk to and treat as if they were real-life patients.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new birthing simulator, &quot;Victoria,&quot; will join an older model HCC purchased several years ago, called &quot;Noelle,&quot; in the simulation center's maternity suite.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;One of the things these simulators provide is the opportunity for students to be exposed to patients experiencing high-risk, low-occurrence types of medical situations, like significant complications in labor,&quot; said Lamontagne. &quot;The technology changes quickly. The material of the new simulator makes it more lifelike, and that adds to the fidelity of the experience.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The third big chunk of the grant will be applied toward the purchase of telehealth equipment. Telehealth is expanding area of healthcare that allows for remote consultations and treatment. The device HCC is buying is a computer on a cart that has videoconferencing capabilities and medical assessment instruments attached, such as a stethoscope, otoscope and ophthalmoscope.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a really great infusion of dollars to help support our students as we move into all these different learning modalities,&quot; said Clare Lamontagne, HCC dean of Health Sciences. &quot;We're really cutting edge to have this telehealth equipment.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lamontagne said the telehealth equipment will also enable HCC to offer collaborative teaching exercises and expand its partnerships with other area colleges, such as Bay Path University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We've been working with their PA (physician assistant) students on simulation,&quot; said Lamontagne, &quot;and they are eager to work with us on the telehealth equipment.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Skills Capital Grants are awarded by Governor Charlie Baker's Workforce Skills Cabinet to educational institutions that demonstrate partnerships with local businesses, as well as align curriculum and credentials with industry demand in order to maximize hiring opportunities in each region of the state.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It is encouraging to see schools that are awarded Skills Capital Grants put the funds toward career pathways to give Massachusetts students experience and expertise in industries that are expanding in the Commonwealth,&quot; Baker said in announcing the grants. &quot;These beneficial programs will give thousands of students a head-start on prosperous careers and we look forward to seeing their progress.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC nursing instructor Kara Moriarty with a student nurse in the HCC Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10371" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/tutor-u" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|65|165" FileName="x10371.xml" Name="Tutor U." Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/CAPS-Morse-2.jpg" Title="Welcome to Tutor U." Abstract="Connection Special: Alumni-tutors both teach and learn in HCC's Center for Academic Program Support." ThumbnailAltText="CAPS alumni-tutor Andrew Morse, at work in the HCC Writing Center." IntroCopy="HCC alumni teach – and learn – in the Center for Academic Program Support" Date="2019-09-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;CAPS tutor Andrea Graziano helps a student in the Tutoring Center.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/CAPS-Graziano.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story also appears in the Fall 2019 issue of HCC's &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/AC/AC_FA19_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Fall 2019 Alumni Connection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Alumni Connection magazine.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By JANICE BEETLE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Six or seven years ago, a new student sat down in HCC's William Dwight Jr. Writing Center across from tutor Kim Demers '96. As she often does, Demers asked where the student was from. The answer was Tenerife, a small island off the west coast of Africa.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What are the odds that someone from a tiny dot in the ocean would show up at my table?&quot; Demers, 53, asked herself that winter day. &quot;I decided to start keeping track to see where people come from.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She hung a laminated map of the world on the wall. It now has 126 red dots on it, each one indicating the country of origin of a student who visited one of the three tutoring centers that make up the Center for Academic Program Support at Holyoke Community College &amp;ndash; the Writing Center, Math Center and Tutoring Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since Demers started taking notice, CAPS, as it is more commonly called, has served students from nearly two-thirds of the countries in the world. She happens to know that among those still missing are French Guiana and Uruguay, in South America.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Demers, who lives in Chicopee, studied liberal arts at HCC before transferring to Mount Holyoke College for her bachelor's degree in English literature. She also has a master's degree in education from Ashford University in San Diego. Over the years, she has worked for Mass Relay, a service for people who are deaf or hard of hearing; she's taught summer ESL classes at the Williston Northampton School, and she's been a tutor at HCC since she was a student here, now working about 20 hours per week.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I love this job,&quot; said Demers. &quot;I get to sit in the same chair and talk to people from 126 different countries. I learn a lot from these students. I don't travel, so I learn all manner of things I'm never going to see.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC employs some 70 part-time tutors in CAPS. About 25 percent of them are alumni like Demers. Many of them took advantage of tutoring services while they were students, says CAPS director Andrew Fletcher, and then sought work there as peer tutors and later as professional tutors as they continued on to earn advanced academic degrees at nearby institutions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The heart of what we do is serve students and help them on their trajectory,&quot; he&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tutors are key to that, and while they may each have their personal reasons for&amp;nbsp;staying on, they all seem to enjoy the work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I really like to help people, and I get to work on a variety of subjects,&quot; said tutor Andrea Graziano '14 (biology) of Agawam who works in the Tutoring Center, where she primarily assists students with science and math.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Graziano, 23, earned her bachelor's degree in biology and minor in chemistry at Bay Path University in 2016 and works for the Opportunity Academy, an alternative high school within the Holyoke Public Schools and leads MCAS prep workshops, in addition to her CAPS position.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a really good job,&quot; said Graziano, who is considering graduate school. &quot;It keeps me active in my subjects. I get to meet a lot of people and still say current in all my material.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At any given moment, there may be half a dozen or more HCC alumni working with students in in the three CAPS centers. On one particularly busy morning last May, Demers was seated at her usual table facing the Writing Center entrance. Andrew Morse '12 (communications) was at the next table and Emily Burns '16 (liberal studies) at the next.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I continue to work at the Writing Center because I highly value the work that we do,&quot; said Andrew Morse '12 of Easthampton. &quot;Many of our students face rigorous challenges and responsibilities both inside and outside of school, so to me it feels good to be in a position where I can offer students both encouragement and help in refining their academic skills.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I can also speak from both sides to the value of academic support,&quot; said Morse, a first-generation college student who went on to earn his bachelor's degree at UMass.&quot;Without support services that were available to me when I was a student, I may not have stayed in school.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, in the adjoining Tutoring Center, Graziano was helping a student with biology while Gwen Whitehurst '96 worked with a student in a private room there. Not far away, in the Math Center, Ludmila Tsikhotskiy '11 waited as a student she was working with reviewed an assignment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tsikhotskiy, 34, came to the U.S. from Ukraine in 1999 when she was 16, earned her associate degree from HCC in liberal arts and science and now works as a pharmacy technician in addition to the eight hours a week she puts in at the Math Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm excited to be here,&quot; she said. &quot;We can learn from every person that we meet. I can learn from students as much as the student can learn from me.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tsikhotskiy said some of her older students may not have been exposed to math for 15 years; they come to HCC, take a refresher course and she works them on basic math principles. Some days, she works with students on more advanced subjects, such as statistics.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a lot of inspiration,&quot; she said. &quot;People are not giving up.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;CAPS records more than 17,000 contact hours annually, according to Fletcher. The mood and pace discernably shift as each semester progresses. &quot;There is anxiety at crunch time with exams and papers due,&quot; he said. &quot;Students are dependent on getting a good grade. There is also a lot of energy and cross-pollination. Students learn from each other. We have a lot of nice dynamics here. It's pretty powerful.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this mini-melting pot at HCC, all students benefit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It lends to the educational mix,&quot; Fletcher said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Key to CAPS' success is the tutoring staff. Roughly 15 are classified as &quot;Peer I&quot; tutors, current HCC students recommended by faculty. Another 15 are &quot;Peer II&quot; tutors, alumni and others who have their associate degrees. Most, though, about 40, are &quot;Professional&quot; tutors - alumni, adjunct faculty members or retired educators who hold a bachelor's degree, master's or PhD.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Some people have gone through the whole cycle,&quot; said Fletcher, &quot;like Kim.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And Burns.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Burns, who lives in Belchertown, started as a Peer I tutor while she was an HCC student, advanced to a Peer II tutor while she was studying neurobiology and psychology at Bay Path University. Now, with her bachelor's degree, she plans to stay on as a Professional tutor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Having the opportunity to work as a student with other students has been the most meaningful experience to me because I've had the opportunity to encourage and understand what others are going through in their college experience,&quot; Burns said. &quot;I've gained a whole other perspective of what college is like.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On that same morning in May, Demers was helping an adult student from Iraq. He had first enrolled at HCC to learn English and is now working toward his associate degree. He asked Demers to review a paper he'd written.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pen in hand, she scanned the report, making light edits here and there. She questioned him on one word. Together they chose another and she told him he had done a nice job.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She believes in the mission - that students who visit CAPS perform much better in their classes than students who do not.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think we're helping,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;CAPS alumni-tutor Andrew Morse '12, at work in the William Dwight Jr. Writing Center at HCC. (Above)&amp;nbsp;CAPS tutor Andrea Graziano '14 helps a student in the Tutoring Center.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10359" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/valley-bike-share" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|4|165" FileName="x10359.xml" Name="Valley BIke Share" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-Valley-Bike%280%29.jpg" Title="Pedal Power" Abstract="Electric-assist bicycles are now available on campus after the ValleyBike Share program opened a docking station at HCC Sept. 9." ThumbnailAltText="There is no a Valley Bike Share kiosk on the HCC campus." IntroCopy="ValleyBike Share adds docking station at HCC" Date="2019-09-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Valley Bike share kiosk at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/HCC-Valley-Bike%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has hopped on board with ValleyBike Share. That means a fleet of electric-assist bicycles is now available to students, faculty and staff at HCC for short-term rentals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ValleyBike Share docking station at HCC opened Monday, Sept. 9, on the plaza near the bus loop between the Donahue and Frost buildings, adding to a growing network of bike-sharing stations in the Pioneer Valley. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Pioneer Planning Commission launched ValleyBike Share in 2018. There are now more than 40 similar stations in Amherst, Northampton, Easthampton, Holyoke, South Hadley and Springfield. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For as little as $2 a ride for a single trip, riders can rent a bicycle and drop it off at any of the other ValleyBike stations. Unlimited day passes are $6. Monthly memberships cost $20. Annual memberships are $90, according to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.valleybike.org/&quot; title=&quot;ValleyBike Share&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;ValleyBike Share website.&lt;/a&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Members receive cards that allow them to unlock and activate the bicycles. Occasional riders can use the system with the help of the ValleyBike Share mobile app. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The bicycles can be pedaled like regular bikes or powered with the help of an electric-assist feature to get up those tough hills. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Valley Bike Share kiosk at HCC is located in the plaza by the bus circle.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10316" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/advancement-team" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|65" FileName="x10316.xml" Name="Advancement Team" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Advancement-team.jpg" Title="Meet the A-Team" Abstract="With the recent addition of Julie Phillips as the coordinator of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, HCC's Institutional Advancement team is now complete. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC's Advancement team: Julie Phillips, Amanda Sbriscia and Patrick Carpenter" IntroCopy="HCC's Institutional Advancement team now complete" Date="2019-09-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC's Advancement team&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Advancement-team.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's Institutional Advancement division welcomed a new team of staff members in 2019.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Joining Amanda Sbriscia, center, vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation, who joined the college in fall 2017, are Patrick Carpenter, director of Institutional Advancement, and Julie Phillips, coordinator of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. Together, the trio is committed to serving HCC's alumni and donors &amp;ndash; as well as new friends and the greater community &amp;ndash; in ways that inspire engagement and investment in Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I can't wait for our alumni to experience Patrick and Julie's energy and enthusiasm,&quot; Sbriscia said. &quot;They are committed to providing all HCC graduates &amp;ndash; no matter where they live or how many years it has been since stepping foot in the classroom &amp;ndash; with opportunities gain value and give back through events, volunteerism and philanthropy. We're excited to get started!&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;You can read more about recent personnel changes in Institutional Advancement by clicking on the links below:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/julie-phillips&quot;&gt;Julie A. Phillips, coordinator, Alumni Relations and Annual Giving&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/patrick-carpenter&quot;&gt;Patrick Carpenter, director, Institutional Advancement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/amanda-sbriscia&quot;&gt;Amanda Sbriscia, vice president, Institutional Advancement; executive director, HCC Foundation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: HCC's Institutional Advancement team. From left to right, Julie Phillips, Amanda Sbriscia and Patrick Carpenter&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10305" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hispanic-heritage-month-fa19" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165|226" FileName="x10305.xml" Name="Hispanic Heritage Month FA19" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Myriam-Mask.jpg" Title="Hispanic Heritage Month" Abstract="HCC kicks off its annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration with the Spanish Film Festival on Sept. 11, followed by five weeks' worth of Latinx-oriented activities and events. " ThumbnailAltText="Myriam Quinones, coordinator of HCC's Multicultural Academic Services program, holds up a vejigante mask made by the late Holyoke community organizer and activist Carlos Vega. " IntroCopy="Celebration kicks off Sept. 11" Date="2019-09-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Myriam Quinones, coordinator of HCC's Multicultural Academic Services program, holds up a vejigante mask made by the late Holyoke community organizer and activist Carlos Vega. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Myriam-Mask.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will kick off its annual celebration of national Hispanic Heritage Month on Wed., Sept. 11, with the first of five weeks' worth of free Spanish language films, continuing through Oct. 15 with lectures, arts activities, cultural displays and other Latinx oriented events.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nationally, Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. HCC will get an early start with the opening of its&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/x10296.xml&quot;&gt;2019 Spanish Film Festival&lt;/a&gt; Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater with a free showing of El Despertar de Camila (&quot;Camila's Awakening&quot;), a film from Chile about a teenage swimmer who suffers a debilitating stroke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The film festival, sponsored by HCC's Language and Latinx Studies Department and the Community College Public Humanities Center at HCC, will continue on each of the following four Wednesdays (Sept. 18-Oct. 9). All the films are in Spanish with English subtitles and presented at 7 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater, unless otherwise noted below.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All festival films and Hispanic Heritage Month events and activities are free and open to the public. This is the first year HCC will be collaborating with the city of Holyoke on Hispanic Heritage Month events, including Holyoke's Hispanic Heritage Month kickoff celebration at City Hall, Monday, Sept. 16, starting at 4:30 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We want the community to come to HCC and people from HCC to join those community events,&quot; said Myriam Quinones, coordinator of HCC's Multicultural Academic Services program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Information about the city's Hispanic Heritage Month events is available on the city website: &lt;a href=&quot;http://holyoke.org&quot; title=&quot;City of holyoke&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;holyoke.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hispanic Heritage Month events and activities at HCC:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sept. 15 - Oct. 15&lt;/strong&gt;. Ongoing, drop-in workshops. Vejigante Mask Making. Learn how to create an authentic vejigante mask, part of traditional folkloric costumes worn at Puerto Rican festivals and celebrations. In El Centro, second floor, HCC Campus Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sept. 15 - Sept. 30:&lt;/strong&gt; Carlos Vega Collection of Latino History in Holyoke. Posters of Latino cultural events in Holyoke collected by the late Carlos Vega, co-founder and former executive director of Nueva Esperanza. On loan from Wistariahurst Museum and on display in the HCC Library.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sept. 15 - Oct. 15&lt;/strong&gt;: A celebration of Latina Activist Women. Exhibit on loan from the Holyoke Public Library. On display in El Centro, second floor, HCC Campus Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wed., Sept. 18, 11 a.m&lt;/strong&gt;.: Yo no me llamo Ruben Blades (&quot;Ruben Blades is not my name&quot;). The second festival film is a documentary of the musician and actor Ruben Blades. In Room 301, HCC Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fri., Sept. 20, 12:30 p.m.&lt;/strong&gt;: &quot;Puerto Rico Status&quot;; Marcos Marrero-Rivera, director of Planning and Development for the city of Holyoke, will talk about the devastation on the island wrought by Hurricane Maria and what it means to the economic, educational, political and public health of the island. In Room 303, HCC Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wed., Sept. 25, 7 p.m.&lt;/strong&gt;: Todos lo saben (&quot;Everybody Knows&quot;). The third moviein HCC's Spanish Film Festival stars Pen&amp;eacute;lope Cruz as a woman who returns to her hometown in Spain for a wedding, where the festive mood is spoiled when her daughter disappears. Also starring Javier Bardem. In the Leslie Phillips Theater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wed., Oct. 2, 7 p.m.:&lt;/strong&gt; Un Traductor (&quot;A Translator&quot;). The fourth movie in HCC's Spanish Film Festival is based on the true story the 20,000 victims of Russia's Chernobyl disaster that were treated in Cuba in 1989. The story follows a professor who acts as a translator between Cuban doctors and the families of young patients. In the Leslie Phillips Theater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wed., Oct. 9, 11 a.m.:&lt;/strong&gt; Latinx Celebration. Come celebrate national Hispanic Heritage Month with music, culture and food. Visit tour pop-up museum of art and artifacts from various Latinx countries and learn about their contributions to art, music and culture. Outside in the HCC Courtyard.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wed., Oct. 9, 7 p.m.&lt;/strong&gt;: Me llamaban el Rey Tigre (&quot;They Called Me King Tiger: A Biography of the Chicano Malcom X&quot;). The final film in HCC's 2019 Spanish Film Festival is a documentary from Mexico about Reies L&amp;oacute;pez Tijerina, a Mexican-American radical and civil rights activist dubbed &quot;King Tiger&quot; and &quot;the Malcolm X of the Chicano Movement.&quot; In the Leslie Phillips Theater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thurs., Oct. 10, 11 a.m.:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Holyoke's Latinx History.&quot; A panel discussion with Betty Medina-Lichtenstein, executive director, Enlace de Familias de Holyoke; Miguel Arce, professor of Social Work, Springfield College; Orlando Isaza, social activist and community organizer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Myriam Quinones, coordinator of HCC's Multicultural Academic Services program, holds up a vejigante mask made by the late Holyoke community organizer and activist Carlos Vega.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9670" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gateway-great" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x9670.xml" Name="Gateway Great" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Gateway-award-thumb.jpg" Title="Motivating Potential" Abstract="HCC's award-winning Gateway to College program has been recognized for the third year in a row for its outstanding graduation rate, one of the best in the country. " ThumbnailAltText="Gateway to College award" IntroCopy="Gateway to College earns national award" Date="2019-08-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Vivian Ostrowski, coordinator, and Julissa Colon, of HCC's Gateway to College program&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Gateway-award.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;The Gateway to College program at Holyoke Community College, a past two-time recipient of a national excellence award, has been recognized for the third year in a row for its outstanding graduation rate, one of the best of all programs of its kind in the country.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The award for Graduation Achievement was presented to HCC Gateway's director Vivian Ostrowski in July at the Gateway to College Directors Convening in New Haven, Conn., by the Gateway to College national network's parent organization, Achieving the Dream. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gateway to College is an alternative high school program that offers dropouts and struggling teens a chance to earn their high school diplomas through dual enrollment by taking college classes. Gateway students also collect transferable college credits they can apply toward a college certificate or degree. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has hosted a Gateway program since 2008. There are now 35 Gateway to College programs in 18 states. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Graduation Achievement is one of the principal benchmarks used to evaluate the success of Gateway programs. HCC's graduation rate was 76 percent for the award year when it enrolled 145 students from area high schools, most from Holyoke and Springfield. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The incoming GPA of our students is 1.3,&quot; Ostrowski said. &quot;Given that these students are starting out with such a low high school GPA, incredibly complicated lives and disengaged from their educations, a 76 percent graduation rate is a really amazing number, and we are incredibly proud.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the third year in a row HCC's Gateway program has received the national award for Graduation Achievement. In 2016, HCC's program received Gateway national's first-ever Program Excellence Award. The program was honored again with the Excellence Award in 2017. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC's Gateway program is one of the highest achieving programs in our network,&quot; said Stephanie Davolos, New England director of Achieving the Dream's Gateway to College programs. &quot;What's unique about it is the depth of its partnership with Holyoke Public Schools and how it's played a significant role in moving the needle forward for some of the community's most vulnerable students. It does that by personalizing the work it does with each and every student. It really does give students at risk a second chance and put them on a course for success.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since 2008, 364 students have earned their high school diplomas through HCC's Gateway to College program. Thirty-three have continued on to earn their associate degrees from HCC. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We have this culture here of relentless kindness,&quot; Ostrowski said. &quot;We've learned that academic success matters, but it's no more important than a sense of belonging and warmth and care for the whole person, so our students are successful academically because they can trust us and know we have their best interests at heart. We are using our power, our social capital, to motivate their potential.&quot; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Gateway to College director Vivian Ostrowski and special programs coordinator Julissa Colon '13 hold the Gateway to College national award for Graduation Achievement.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9620" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/leader-of-promise" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|417|165" FileName="x9620.xml" Name="Leader of Promise" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Phi-Theta-Kappa-Maxwell-Faytell.jpg" Title="Leader of Promise" Abstract="HCC honors student and engineering major Maxwell Faytell of Northampton has been named a Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar for 2019." ThumbnailAltText="HCC President Christina Royal and Maxwell Faytell" IntroCopy="HCC honors student wins national scholarship" Date="2019-07-31" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Christina Royal and HCC student Maxwell Faytell&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Phi-Theta-Kappa-Maxwell-Faytell%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maxwell Faytell of Northampton, an honors student and engineering major at Holyoke Community College, has been named a 2019 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Faytell was one of 207 newly inducted members of the national Phi Theta Kappa honors society to receive the scholarship, which carries a monetary award of $1,000. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship Program helps new Phi Theta Kappa members defray educational expenses while enrolled in associate degree programs. Scholars are encouraged to assume leadership roles by participating in Phi Theta Kappa programs and are selected based on scholastic achievement, community service, and leadership potential. Nearly 900 applications were received. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Max has been an active member of PTK for the last year, assisting with fundraisers and other campus related PTK events,&quot; said HCC professor Vanessa Martinez, adviser to Alpha Xi Omega, the HCC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa.&amp;nbsp; &quot;This is a well-deserved honor. We're very excited for him. Congratulations, Max.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Faytell was one of 33 HCC students inducted into Phi Theta Kappa on March 21. Each semester, students are invited to join when they have completed at least 15 college credits while maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has a long history of providing financial assistance to outstanding students at community colleges,&quot; said Jane Hale Hopkins, president of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. &quot;We are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa, make it possible for more deserving students to achieve their educational goals, and support tomorrow's leaders of the global community.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The funds provided by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation not only aid college completion, but also give students the opportunity to engage in society programs and develop leadership skills to become future leaders in their communities. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Research shows that Phi Theta Kappa members are four times more likely to complete a college degree than their peers,&quot; said &amp;nbsp;Monica Marlowe, executive director of the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation. &quot;The Leaders of Promise Scholarships recognize students for what they have achieved already and assure that financial need isn't an obstacle to achieving their academic goals.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 nations. Learn more at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ptk.org/&quot;&gt;ptk.org.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by MICHAEL GORDON: President Christina Royal congratulates HCC engineering major Maxwell Faytell on his induction to the Phi Theta Kappa honor society in March 2019.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9653" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cannabis-training" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x9653.xml" Name="Cannabis Training" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/New-campus-front.jpg" Title="Cannabis Training" Abstract="HCC and the Cannabis Community Care and Research Network will launch the first of four cannabis workforce training programs starting this fall at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC campus with new Campus Center" IntroCopy="HCC and C3RN partner on cannabis workforce training programs" Date="2019-08-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC campus&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/New-campus-front.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College&lt;/a&gt; and the Cannabis Community Care and Research Network (C3RN) will launch the first of four cannabis workforce training programs starting this fall.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Approved by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission as a Social Equity Vendor, the partnership aims to prepare workers &amp;ndash; particularly those in communities with high levels of poverty and unemployment &amp;ndash; for employment opportunities in the newly legal and regulated cannabis market. C3RN and HCC will train job seekers from Holyoke and surrounding areas in four new workforce occupations:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;Cannabis Cultivation Assistant&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Dispensary Patient Advocate/ &quot;Bud Tender&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Extraction Technician Assistant&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Cannabis Culinary Assistant &amp;amp; Infusion Specialist&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cannabis Culinary Assistant program will launch in in fall 2019 at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, while the other training programs will start in spring 2020. The culinary program will consist of 96 hours of skills-based training that will cover job readiness, professional skills, industry background, and Massachusetts laws and regulations. Training will use hemp and other products that simulate cannabis, rather than cannabis itself. In addition, C3RN will provide mentored internships with local legal and operating cannabis dispensaries.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This model cannabis education-to-employment program will build on HCC and the city of Holyoke's efforts to revitalize the city and surrounding areas and will bring the highest-level of evidence-based education to the workforce. The team hopes to be the leaders in setting the standard for certificate training and innovative models of bringing those who have operated in the industry for decades into the new, legal and regulated cannabis market.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We will be training students in customer service, cultivation, dosing, cooking, and extraction methods and techniques, but when it is time for students to work with actual product, that will take place offsite through our partner C3RN and local, legal operating dispensaries and cannabis and hemp companies,&quot; Jeff Hayden, HCC vice president of Business and Community Services.&amp;nbsp;&quot;As the education partner, we want to ensure that local residents and students have access to opportunities &amp;ndash; including those in emerging industries such as cannabis and hemp &amp;ndash; that lead to jobs.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are thrilled to get started with HCC and cannabis industry partners to collaboratively develop high-quality skills-based workforce training programs that are rooted in evidence and cannabis industry best practices,&quot; said Marion McNabb, chief executive officer of C3RN. &quot;The first culinary focused program will be offered this fall at the new HCC Culinary Arts Institute in Holyoke. We are utilizing best practices in adult workforce learning, entrepreneurship, and innovation to create training programs that are collaborative with industry partners and meet the needs of the industry and the learner.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can learn more and receive updates about the Culinary Cannabis program launching this fall at &lt;a href=&quot;https://cannabiseducationcenter.org/&quot;&gt;cannabiseducationcenter.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9619" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/kittredge" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|194" FileName="x9619.xml" Name="Kittredge" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Kittredge-ribbon.jpg" Title="'An incredible inspiration'" Abstract="Yankee Candle founder Michael Kittredge '73, who died July 24, often credited HCC for helping him become a successful entrepreneur and was a generous benefactor to the college. " ThumbnailAltText="Michael Kittredge II holds a green ribbon after the opening of HCC's Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development in 2006. " IntroCopy="Yankee Candle Company founder Michael Kittredge '73 dies at 67" Date="2019-07-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Michael Kittredge speaks at HCC in 2006. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Kittredge-speech.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a teenage entrepreneur, Michael Kittredge '73 was already running a fledgling candle business out of his parents' South Hadley home when he started taking classes at Holyoke Community College. In subsequent decades, though, as his start-up grew &amp;ndash; and grew &amp;ndash; he often credited the college for providing the lessons that helped him turn that one-man operation into the Yankee Candle Company, the global retailing giant, popular tourist attraction and one of the region's largest employers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC played a huge role in my social and career development,&quot; Kittredge said in 1996 at HCC Commencement, where he was honored with a Distinguished Service Award for his many contributions to the college and the community. &quot;My high school grades and my family's finances would have otherwise prohibited me from furthering my education. Fortunately, HCC was there and accepted me. It gave me the important start that I needed.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In more recent years, he went even further than that: &quot;Without HCC, there would be no YCC.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A two-time cancer survivor who suffered a debilitating stroke in 2012, the 67-year-old Kittredge died July 24 at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston after a brief illness, his family announced. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After his death, Kittredge, the entrepreneur and philanthropist, was remembered at HCC for his business success, generosity and dedication to the college and its students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The passing of Mike Kittredge is a tremendous loss to our community,&quot; said HCC business professor Ellen Majka, whose class, &quot;Topics in Business: Living Case Studies,&quot; Kittredge often hosted at Kringle Candle in Bernardston, which he founded with his son, Michael J. Kittredge III years after selling Yankee Candle. &quot;Mike was an incredible inspiration to our students and will be forever remembered for the impact he had on our student entrepreneurs.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Mike's creative spirit was the spark that led to his founding Yankee Candle, a project that began in his mother's kitchen and grew into a global enterprise employing thousands,&quot; President Christina Royal said in a statement to the campus community. &quot;He saw his success as a means by which he could contribute to the betterment of others. His legacy lives on at HCC, and he will be sorely missed.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kittredge was the first person in his family to attend college. He came to HCC in 1971 unsure about his future and never forgot the HCC adviser who inspired him.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He was the first person to suggest I might make a living in the candle business,&quot; Kittredge said in 2003, &quot;while family and friends insisted that passion would be nothing more than extra income to supplement a 'real job.'&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By 1972, while still a student, Kittredge had moved his candle business to a 2,000-square-foot factory in Holyoke and by 1983 had reached $1 million in sales and began building what became Yankee Candle's signature manufacturing plant and showroom on Route 5 in South Deerfield. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 1988, Kittredge received HCC's Outstanding Alumni Award. In 1996, &lt;em&gt;USA Today&lt;/em&gt; named him Entrepreneur of the Year. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Besides business, Kittredge was well known throughout western Massachusetts for his love of music and his philanthropy. He shared his financial success with HCC through regular unrestricted donations to the HCC Foundation. Beyond that, he and his wife Lisa gave $25,000 in 1999 to endow a scholarship in the name of their son, Michael, which is awarded each year to a business or music major who shows &quot;entrepreneurial spirit.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The most recent Kittredge scholarship went to one of Majka's students, 19-year-old business administration major Eric Grigoryan of Westfield, who had hoped to meet Kittredge to thank him personally &amp;ndash; and talk about business. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Coming from a low-income family, the scholarship was definitely a big boost, especially since it is awarded for entrepreneurial spirit,&quot; said Grigoryan, who, like Kittredge, started a home-base business when he was in high school &amp;ndash; GrigCinema. &quot;I'm planning to use that money toward my education and my filming business.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Yankee Candle founder's principal legacy at HCC is the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development. Kittredge and his wife donated $1 million to HCC in 2003 to jumpstart a $4 million capital campaign for construction of the five-story, 55,000-square-foot facility. At the time, their gift was the largest individual contribution ever made to the college and the largest alumni gift to any community college in Massachusetts. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Giving back to Holyoke Community College makes a lot of sense,&quot; Kittredge said at the time. &quot;Without it, our 'little dream' probably would not have happened. Entrepreneurialism is in the soul, but colleges like HCC can release that spirit and teach the skills needed to apply it. Plus, we are going to need more business people in the area. Next time I launch a business, I'm not going to try to do everything myself. I'm going to hire a lot of good, well-trained people, and I hope they come from HCC.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The center opened in May 2006. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Kittredge received a gift of &quot;professorial&quot; blazer and during a speech urged students to explore opportunities for new businesses. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Every day I find things I am dissatisfied with out in the marketplace,&quot; he said. &quot;The opportunity is to go out there and do it better. I did not invent scented candles. I just did it better.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His hope for the Kittredge Center, he said, was that it would bring &quot;curious budding entrepreneurs&quot; to HCC. And it has. &amp;nbsp; Since its opening, the Kittredge Center has become a hub of activity for campus and community education, as well as one of the region's premier conference spaces, accessed by about 20,000 people annually, including business students, professionals and community members, according to Jeff Hayden, HCC vice president of Business and Community Services.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This building is really a unique place where the community gathers, whether it's the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission or the Regional Council on Homelessness or whether it's a business that decides to do training here,&quot; he said. &quot;People come here to, as I like to say, get a job, get a better job or to do their job better.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For many years, Kittredge returned to campus as a guest lecturer. One of Hayden's favorite recollections is that of a casually dressed man sitting on the instructor's desk, paradoxically relaxed and excited, encouraging students to pursue their passions.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He so loved the things that he had learned about entrepreneurship, especially here at the college,&quot; Hayden said. &quot;He wanted to share those lessons with students, and he did that over and over again.&quot; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Unforgettable&quot; was one word students frequently used to describe their conversations with Kittredge, according to Majka. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He gave our students a unique opportunity to learn what it takes to be successful in launching and developing a business,&quot; she said. &quot;Students truly appreciated his genuine desire to share his vast knowledge. One of the many great quotes I remember from Mike was, 'Without HCC, there would be no YCC.' He felt that strongly about his educational experience at Holyoke Community College.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learn more about the life and career of Michael Kittredge:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/business/2019/07/a-tremendous-impact-yankee-candle-founder-michael-kittredge-gave-time-expertise-as-well-as-money-to-holyoke-community-college.html&quot; title=&quot;MassLive Michael Kittredge story&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;On MassLive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gazettenet.com/a1-Michael-Kittredge-dies-27277325&quot; title=&quot;Gazette story on Michael Kittredge&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;On Gazettenet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.westernmassnews.com/news/yankee-candle-founder-mike-kittredge-leaves-legacy-across-western-mass/article_aec99172-af16-11e9-8266-637235b1351a.html&quot; title=&quot;Western Mass News story on Michael Kittredge&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;On Western Mass News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.westernmassnews.com/news/yankee-candle-founder-mike-kittredge-leaves-legacy-across-western-mass/article_aec99172-af16-11e9-8266-637235b1351a.html&quot; title=&quot;WWLP-22News story on Michael Kittredge&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;On WWLP-22News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY by CHRIS YURKO&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS from HCC Archives: (Thumbnail) Michael Kittredge II holds a green ribbon after the opening of HCC's Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development in 2006. (Above) Michael Kittredge gives a speech at the grand opening ceremony of the $4 million Kittredge Center in May 2006.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9652" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cc-reopens" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|165" FileName="x9652.xml" Name="CC reopens" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/CC-bookstore-shelves.jpg" Title="Big Moves on Campus" Abstract="After more than two years and a $43.5 million renovation and expansion, the HCC Campus Center is open for business. " ThumbnailAltText="The new College Store opened Monday, Aug. 26, in the renovated Campus Center. " IntroCopy="Campus Center reopens after two-year, $43.5 million renovation project" Date="2019-08-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;New College Store and student lounge area on the second floor of the renovated Campus Center. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/CC-bookstore-lounge.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The College Store is back where it belongs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After a two-year sabbatical of sorts, a new and improved College Store opened Monday on the second floor of the HCC Campus Center, a floor above where it used to be before the building closed in the spring of 2017 for a $43.5 million makeover. (For the past two years, the store operated out of two reconfigured classrooms on the first floor of the Donahue Building.) &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's just one of the many changes that awaits students and faculty as they return for the start of the fall semester on Tuesday, Sept. 3. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier this month, HCC relocated its Admissions offices to the first floor of the Campus Center, as well Advising, Career, Transfer and Testing. All of those areas are now easily accessible from a new Visitors parking lot on the east side of the building with a dedicated walkway and bridge over Tannery Brook leading through a new front door into the main lobby. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Monday, Bill Fogarty, vice president of Administration and Finance, led members of HCC's Board of Trustees on a tour of the renovated facility, where workers continued their finish work, newly enrolled students engaged in orientation activities and prospective students met with counselors in Advising and Admissions. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of the key features of the internal space are the glass doors and partitions between offices. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I love the glass,&quot; said trustee Evan Plotkin. &quot;I love the light.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An enhanced Food Court and Cafeteria is expected to open soon on the second floor, with HCC's Subway franchise moving back to the Campus Center after operating for two years in the Frost Building. Students will also find expanded dining areas and lounge space outside the College Store. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This new Student Engagement area includes Student Activities, which moved out of its cramped quarters in Donahue and now enjoys expanded office and meeting space that it shares with the Student Senate and Student Clubs. On Monday, one of the meeting rooms was being used by New Student Orientation leaders as snack station and snooze zone. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's going great,&quot; said Lauren Leclair, Success Initiatives and New Student Orientation coordinator. &quot;I've received a lot of good feedback from students. They are really excited about how it all looks.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also part of Student Engagement on the second floor is an area called El Centro, where HCC's Multicultural Academic Services program now resides. Previously, MAS occupied two small offices on the second floor of Frost building. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Sometimes our programming would spill out into the hallway,&quot; said MAS coordinator Myriam Quinones. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;El Centro has its own reception area and two offices opening into a large shared space with lounge chairs, computer stations and study tables. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The idea is to attract students in here to engage,&quot; she said. &quot;I've been waiting a long time for this. I'm very excited.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I can tell by that smile on your face that you're excited,&quot; said trustee Ted Hebert. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the third floor, the Media Arts Center, home to HCC's Electronic Media and Photography programs, is set to reopen for the start of the semester, with a new ventilation system, ceilings and lighting. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;About 9,000 square feet was added to the previously 57,000 square-foot building. An atrium entrance was added off the HCC Courtyard on the west side of the building and an external walkway on the second floor was enclosed and the building's sloping facade squared off.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The main impetus behind the project was to waterproof the building, which had been plagued by severe leaks since it first opened in 1980.&amp;nbsp; The entire Campus Center has been encased in a new skin, Fogarty said.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If it works, it's something that could replicated on our other campus buildings,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The relocation of programs and offices leaves open spaces in other buildins and backfilling those areas has already begun. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the other changes, so far, Veterans Services and The Bunker Veterans Resource Center have moved into Donahue 105, former home of Student Activities. That space will now be known collectively as the Veterans Center. A new Veterans Lounge will be located across the hall in Donahue 138. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The space in Donahue 103 that previously served as the reception area for Student Activities has been walled off and now belongs to the college radio station, WCCH, which will also be using a room across the hall in Donahue 128 for podcasting and will share that space with Apex, a new student multimedia magazine.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check out more photos in our &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/pg/HolyokeCommunityCollege/photos/?tab=album&amp;amp;album_id=10157501725524330&quot; title=&quot;Facebook photo gallery&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Facebook photo gallery.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;The new College Store opened Monday, Aug. 26, in the renovated Campus Center.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9618" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/baking" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|3|193" FileName="x9618.xml" Name="Baking" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/MARIA-M-C-1.jpg" Title="Bake like a pro" Abstract="Starting this fall, HCC will for the first time offer a stand-alone professional-level baking course open to anyone who wants to improve their kitchen skills." ThumbnailAltText="Maria Moreno Contreras" IntroCopy="Professional-level baking course open to anyone who wants to improve their baking skills." Date="2019-07-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Maria Moreno Contreras&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/MARIA-M-C-1.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This fall, Holyoke Community College will for the first time offer a stand-alone professional-level baking course open to anyone who wants to improve their kitchen skills.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 14-week evening course, Baking and Pastry Arts I (Culinary 114), will run Mondays from 4:30 to 9:15 p.m., Sept. 9 through Dec. 9, at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., Holyoke. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The two-credit course, taught by HCC baking instructor Maria Moreno Contreras, is exactly the same as the first of two baking courses required for students enrolled full time in HCC's Culinary Arts certificate and associate degree programs. For this new course, though, there are no prerequisites, and students don't have to take any college placement tests or enroll in any other classes. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Anybody can take this course,&quot; said Contreras, of Easthampton, a professional baker who previously worked at the Blue Heron Restaurant in Sunderland and operated her own local baking business, Chilean Sweets. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students in Baking and Pastry Arts I will learn about ingredients, measurement techniques, culinary math, and nutrition as well as the steps required to make yeast breads, quick breads, cookies, cakes, cake decorations, laminated dough, pate a choux, custards, puddings and dessert sauces. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a full-tilt professional baking course,&quot; said Kristine Ricker-Choleva, interim dean of Business. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since the opening of the Culinary Arts Institute in 2018, HCC has received a lot of phone calls from people interested in taking baking classes but who might not have time to attend a comprehensive culinary school. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This course is for anyone who wants to get a good base in baking fundamentals&quot; she said. &quot;It would also be appropriate for professionals working in the food industry who want to strengthen their baking skills or baking businesses, such as people who own food trucks or small bakeries.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If this course is successful, HCC will offer Baking and Pastry Arts II in the spring 2020 semester for students who want to continue. Depending on demand, HCC might also add a full-time baking certificate program to its slate of culinary arts offerings. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;A lot of culinary schools have a baking track,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cost of the course is $547. Seating is limited. To register, contact the HCC Admissions office at 413-552-2321 / Admissions@hcc.edu or apply online at hcc.edu/admissions&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Maria Moreno Contreras will teach a stand-alone professional baking course during the fall 2019 semester at HCC.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9621" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/kindness-challenge" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193" FileName="x9621.xml" Name="Kindness Challenge" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Future-Royal-Woods.jpg" Title="Powering Kindness" Abstract="A birthday tweet by President Christina Royal asking well-wishers for 4700 acts of kindness elicited an interview with columnist Cynthia Simison and a story in the Sunday Republican. " ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal and student Hayley Woods" IntroCopy="President's tweet elicits newspaper column" Date="2019-07-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Christina Royal talks to student Hayley Woods '19 in a photo from 2018. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Future-Royal-Woods.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This column was published July 28 on MassLive under the headline &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/living/2019/07/holyoke-community-college-president-christina-royal-makes-kindness-challenge.html&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke Community College president makes kindness challenge&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Holyoke Community College president makes kindness challenge&quot; &lt;/a&gt;and on Page C1 in the print edition of the &lt;em&gt;Sunday Republican&lt;/em&gt; under the headline &quot;Powering kindness for Western Mass.&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By CYNTHIA SIMISON&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Decluttering.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You know the deal. The closet is crammed with coats and jackets you haven't worn for years, if not decades. You have drawers filled with things you've forgotten you had.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Time to make a trip to Goodwill (or your favorite charity shop) in hopes your castoffs can find new life with someone else.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College&lt;/a&gt; president Christina Royal found herself doing plenty of decluttering over the past year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As I was donating stuff to Goodwill and other places, I'd be passing several homeless people on the street,&quot; Royal recalls. &quot;I began thinking there are probably things I could donate to a homeless shelter.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her &quot;stuff,&quot; like an old blanket, for instance, might be truly invaluable to someone else, Royal says.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And, then came a &quot;really cool moment&quot; during the past academic year when a faculty member saw a student wearing a jacket which looked very familiar. It turned out the jacket had been among donations the professor made to the college's Career Closet from her late father's clothing. (The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/student-resources/career-closet&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Career Closet&lt;/a&gt; provides business attire for students who need professional clothes for job interviews and meetings.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Yes, we know these things happen, but I witnessed the moment,&quot; Royal says. &quot;The student was so touched, hearing the story of how this jacket came to be for him, and the faculty member felt good about passing things along for her father who had passed away.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The randomness of it all was not lost on Royal. Nor the impact of a simple act of kindness that connected two individuals in a meaningful way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fast forward to last weekend. As her 47th birthday approached Royal started to think about ways in which family and friends might consider alternatives to gifts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;While there are many, many, very valid and needy charitable organizations, including the Holyoke Community College Foundation, I thought maybe I would try to do something a little different, not focused on contributing dollars,&quot; she says. &quot;What if we start generating goodwill, I thought. So many people are feeling disenfranchised by things happening in world. Our world is in such a state of transition. It just seems kindness starts locally. We could start our own little ripple effect. And, in addition to helping someone else, it makes you feel good.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Enter #4700actsofkindness. For the non-techies among us, that's a hashtag which can be attached to posts on social media, like Twitter and Facebook, to connect people who, for instance, participate in a cause or want to comment on a topic among a group of people with shared concerns.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/HCCPrez&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;The Twitter version of Royal's request read:&lt;/a&gt; &quot;For my 47th birthday, I ask that you join me in collectively engaging in 4700 random acts of kindness. Imagine the energetic shift of consciousness that can occur with this much kindness. Our world needs it. Are you in? Let's use hashtag #4700actsofkindness.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal believes strongly in the exponential power of what she's trying to accomplish. As part of its most recent strategic planning process, she notes, the college established a set of values that include kindness, inclusion, trust, innovation and collaboration.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For her, she says, &quot;kindness (is) one of the most powerful ones.&quot; As she began talking about her birthday idea with friends, she realized 47 is a small number and, at the same time, 4,700 &quot;sounds like a lot.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But, as she factored it with the number of her friends on Facebook, Royal figured that if each friend engaged in 6.4 random acts of kindness, the goal would be easily met. She determined, &quot;Let's try this and see what happens when we commit to really simple things. I believe in power of that energetic shift (that) when you do one random act, it has an amazing impact on you and the other person.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The response on social media is very positive. Within 24 hours, one of her Facebook friends elaborated on four acts she'd accomplished, including paying for the next car in line at a Dairy Queen because all the children were crying and the parent cautioned they only had enough money to pay for food, so there would be no Blizzards for the kids. Royal says the acts of kindness need not involve money and can be very simple indeed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She cites the kindness shown her by another faculty member who dropped into her office one day to thank her for her leadership.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was one kind word, and it left me smiling for the entire day,&quot; Royal says. &quot;We might just get people to focus on something positive.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In both her personal and professional lives, Royal uses social media, understanding all the while about its negative uses that accompany the positive. &quot;I think Twitter brings out the complexity of a democracy,&quot; she says. &quot;I think it's a great tool to allow a lot of voices to be heard. On the flipside, sometimes people forget there are other people behind the comments they are directing things to. Would they say the things they tweet if they were face-to-face with each other?&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Twitter &quot;wars&quot; that often break out, whether among politicians, entertainers or others, are a reminder, adds Royal, of some of the fundamental things taught in education &amp;ndash; civility, respect, how to communicate face-to-face.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's all the basis of our society, and (social media) can be used for better or for worse.&quot; &quot;Sometimes, it can be discouraging when there are a ton of voices, all weighing in on things, and a lot of stuff being highlighted is not very positive,&quot; Royal says. &quot;But there are positive things happening in our world. If we choose to focus on those, we might attract more of that.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I also want us to collectively harness our powers to be exponentially positive,&quot; she adds. &quot;The collective effect of millions of people doing those (positive) things creates a civil society. It starts locally, and what happens locally right in our backyard affects us more than anything else.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cynthia G. Simison is assistant to the publisher and managing editor of The Republican. She may be reached by email to &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:csimison@repub.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;csimison@repub.com&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9602" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-sp19-x9602" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x9602.xml" Name="Deans List SP19" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-Deans-Brandi-St.-Romain.jpg" Title="Dean's List Honors" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize the 981 students who earned Dean's List honors for the Spring 2019 semester. " ThumbnailAltText="Brandi St. Romain, of South Hadley, was one of the 981 HCC students who earned Dean's List honors for the Spring 2019 semester. " IntroCopy="HCC is proud to recognize all the students who made Dean's List for the Spring 2019 semester. " Date="2019-07-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Brandi St. Romain and her lab partner work on a chemistry experiment.  &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/STEM-Beaker.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. A student is placed on the Dean's List if his or her G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Follow the link below to see an alphabetical listing of all the HCC students who&amp;nbsp;earned Dean's List status for the Spring 2019&amp;nbsp; semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/deans-list&quot;&gt;Dean's List &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;Brandi St. Romain, of South Hadley, was one of the 981 HCC students who earned Dean's List honors for the Spring 2019 semester. Above, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;St. Romain&amp;nbsp; and her lab partner, Williams Pennington, also a Dean's List honoree, work on a chemistry experiment.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9553" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gateway-su19" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|165" FileName="x9553.xml" Name="Gateway SU19" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-Gateway-Cat.jpg" Title="'Put these fires out'" Abstract="In his final lesson, Gateway to College graduation speaker Gaylord Saulsberry advised students to remember their lessons to preserve the promise their graduation represents. " ThumbnailAltText="Caitlyn Paul of Holyoke delivers a speech to her classmates at HCC's Gateway to College graduation ceremony June 7." IntroCopy="HCC's Gateway to College program graduates 36" Date="2019-06-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC professor Gaylord Saulsberry delivers a speech to graduates at HCC's Gateway to College June 7 graduation ceremony on the stage of the Leslie Phillips Theater.  &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/HCC-Saulsberry-speech.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Unlike most graduation speakers, Gaylord Saulsberry ignored the lectern after being introduced and instead took a position at center stage. Like a conductor, he set down a black music stand and placed his pages on it, then looked out at the audience in the Leslie Phillips Theater and apologized for what he was about to do next &amp;ndash; turn his back.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After all, he said, the three dozen soon-to-be graduates from Holyoke Community College's Gateway to College program were on stage too, in their black caps and gowns, seated, for the moment, behind him. As their teacher of history and education for the past two years, he needed to deliver his final lesson face to face.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's the way I'm used to talking to them,&quot; he said, and then he turned around.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I have something to say to you and I have to say it with all sincerity,&quot; said Saulsberry, 72, a former high school principal from Amherst who is retiring this year from HCC after teaching here since 2003. &quot;The nation we are living in is on fire. It's ablaze.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The flames consuming it, he said, were those of division, racism, concern over climate change, gender discrimination, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, homophobia and selfishness, &quot;possibly the worst combination of nasties that I have ever seen in this country.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These flames, if left unchecked, will destroy the very promise that your graduation represents,&quot; he told them. &quot;You, the class of 2019, must be able to put these fires out.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Graduating Gateway students are used to putting their own fires out. Gateway is an alternative high school program that offers dropouts and struggling teens a chance to earn their high school diplomas by taking college classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Every person graduating today is on this stage for a reason,&quot; said student speaker Caitlyn Paul of Holyoke. &quot;The reason we are here, the reason we are so proud to be here, is because traditional high school didn't work for us, but we still made it. We stand before you today wearing a cap and gown, symbols that we overcame the bad, powered through and prevailed.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 36 students from Holyoke, Springfield, Westfield, West Springfield, Hampshire Regional, Palmer and Belchertown represent one of HCC Gateway's largest graduating classes since the program started in 2008.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Collectively they earned a total of 287 college credits and have a combined GPA of 3.1, &quot;the highest we've ever had,&quot; said Gateway to College coordinator Vivian Ostrowski. Twenty of them will be continuing their educations as HCC students in the fall, 90 percent of them are &quot;college ready,&quot; meaning they will not have to take any pre-college, developmental courses, and five of them have already completed their general education English requirements for their associate degrees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These are remarkable numbers,&quot; she said. &quot;I bow my head to the students and to their remarkable instructors.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those remarkable instructors include Gaylord Saulsberry, who is retiring from HCC after a 51-year career as an educator. In his speech, Saulsberry reminded the graduates about &quot;what we have learned&quot; in the classroom and in the Gateway program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We have learned, he said, to plot our individual courses without fear when the course is right and just but not to be afraid to change course when change is needed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I ask you to think of your own experience,&quot; he said. &quot;And John Brown.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We have learned, he said, that courage is the most important virtue we possess.&quot; Think of your decision to come to Gateway and think of Ida B. Wells.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We have learned that the most important part of life is learning how to change ourselves and how to change our communities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;So I say to you firmly and I say to you directly, dammit, vote. Know the issues. Vote for someone, vote for something, not against someone or something. Because, as Alice Paul once said, &amp;lsquo;A vote is a fire escape from a burning building. Without it, no one hears you and without it, you will certainly perish.'&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We have learned, he said, to choose our lives on purpose and not by accident, to leave our useless baggage behind, that kindness begets kindness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Think about what makes you happy, then do it,&quot; he said. &quot;Think of Old Saulsberry and why he taught for 51 years. Because it made me come alive. You made me come alive. You have been my teachers, and I am better, much better as a human being for having known you.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;List of graduates:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Belchertown: Angie Picardi.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hampshire Regional: Aliyah Hall.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke: Marissa Basler, Jazlynn Brown-Pena, Anaisha Camacho, Aisha Gallego, Maqueila Garcia, Nicholas Harris, Roselyn Lopez, Makayla Marty, Nayeli Montanez, Caitlyn Paul, Joel Ramos, Shalimar Scott, Anson Smith, Cameron Smith, Adalberto Torres.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Palmer: Cheyenne O'Gorman, Karrin Rimbold.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Springfield: Safiyah Bey, Melina Conrow, Anthonia Fisher, Ryan Gonzalez, Mykala Guzzo, Cyrah James, Tanishka Polanco, Jacob Turner, John Vidal, Alaija Williams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;West Springfield: Aubree Guilbrealt.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Westfield: Grace Cannady, Chastity Gonzalez, Kylie Morrison, Amber Plante, Samantha Vargas, Olivia White.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/pg/HolyokeCommunityCollege/photos/?tab=album&amp;amp;album_id=10157301088549330&quot; title=&quot;Gateway June 2019 Facebook photo gallery &quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos in our Facebook photo album ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Caitlyn Paul of Holyoke delivers a speech to her classmates at HCC's Gateway to College graduation ceremony June 7. (Above)&amp;nbsp;HCC professor Gaylord Saulsberry delivers a speech to graduates at HCC's Gateway to College June 7 graduation ceremony on the stage of the Leslie Phillips Theater. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9561" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/quillard-donation" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|225" FileName="x9561.xml" Name="Quillard Donation" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Scholarship-lunch-2.jpg" Title="Life-changing support" Abstract="New scholarships at HCC and Westfield State University will benefit Hispanic students from Holyoke, thanks to $100,000 donations to both institutions from a West Springfield couple. " ThumbnailAltText="Scholarship recipients mingle with donors at HCC's annual scholarship reception. " IntroCopy="$100,000 donations endow scholarships for Hispanic students " Date="2019-06-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Scholarship recipients mingle with donors at HCC's annual scholarship reception. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Scholarship-lunch-1.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;College students of Hispanic heritage from Holyoke will benefit from new scholarships established at both Holyoke Community College and Westfield State University, thanks to $100,000 gifts to each institution from Victor and Mariellen Quillard of West Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Victor Quillard, a retired president of Hampden Bank, and his wife Mariellen are both Holyoke natives and their gifts will support Hispanic residents from Holyoke who wish to pursue a college degree. The $100,000 donations were given to the Holyoke Community College Foundation and the Westfield State Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising corporations of each institution.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The gifts will establish two new endowed scholarships in the Quillards' name.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our community is fortunate to benefit from the Quillards' life-changing support,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation. &quot;Vic and Mariellen have been dear friends of HCC through the years, and this scholarship is evidence of their belief in the potential of today's and future generations of students. As a Hispanic Serving Institution, HCC is particularly grateful for the Quillards' leadership in helping us graduate more students from underserved populations and in creating a path for students to continue their education beyond HCC.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC presented its first Quillard Scholarship this spring to Bethany Serrano, a Foundations of Health major from Holyoke who hopes to be an orthopedic surgeon some day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This scholarship holds a lot of meaning to me and will be part of my journey as I continue my studies in the medical field,&quot; Serrano wrote in a thank you letter to the Quillards. &quot;I greatly appreciate this generous contribution and will forever be grateful.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Victor E. and Mariellen Quillard Scholarship at HCC gives preference to Holyoke residents of Hispanic heritage who have completed a minimum of 12 credits and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.75. The Victor and Mariellen Quillard Scholarship at WSU gives preference to Holyoke residents of Hispanic heritage who transfer from HCC to Westfield State and have a minimum GPA of 2.75.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We greatly appreciate the Quillards' generosity and their commitment to Holyoke and the Hispanic and Latino communities,&quot; said Erica Broman, vice president for Institutional Advancement at Westfield State University and executive director of the Westfield State Foundation. &quot;The Quillard Scholarship will have a transformative impact for these transfer students from HCC who attend Westfield State for many years to come.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by MICHAEL GORDON:&amp;nbsp;Scholarship recipients mingle with donors at HCC's annual scholarship reception on May 9, 2019.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9538" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/commencement-2019" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|65|165" FileName="x9538.xml" Name="Commencement 2019" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-grad-hands.jpg" Title="This is who you are now" Abstract="HCC celebrated its 72nd annual Commencement June 1, conferring nearly 900 associate degrees and certificates to the Class of 2019." ThumbnailAltText="A student at Commencement 2019" IntroCopy="HCC celebrates Class of 2019" Date="2019-06-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A student at Commencement 2019&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/HCC-diploma-up.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College celebrated its 72nd annual Commencement June 1 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, conferring nearly 900 associate degrees and certificates to the Class of 2019.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college's 864 graduates earned 768 associate degrees and 127 certificates. They ranged in age from 18 to 79 and hailed from 70 different Massachusetts cities and towns, states as far away as Florida and Michigan, and countries from Canada and Cameroon to Ecuador and India.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Graduating from Holyoke Community College is an accomplishment worth celebrating,&quot; said student orator Armanis Fuentes, who is heading to Williams College in September to study history. &quot;I have to thank HCC for giving me the audacity to dream big and an academic foundation I will build upon.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fuentes talked about the struggles and obstacles he faced as a student of color growing up in Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I didn't know many people who went to college. No one in my family did,&quot; he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And the struggles didn't stop once he got to college. &quot;Being first-generation is isolating,&quot; he said. &quot;It can feel like no one in your family understands what it is that you're even doing. But it's also empowering. It feels good to know that I'm making my family proud and paving the way for my younger brothers.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/fuentes-speech&quot;&gt;Read his full speech ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student speaker Tiffany Cavanaugh said she first heard the term &quot;neurodiversity&quot; at HCC, where she served for three years as president of the Students on the Autism Club, where she learned to use her voice and be an advocate for herself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When I found a community that got me, I felt that I was not alone,&quot; said the West Springfield resident who earned her associate degree in liberal arts with honors. &quot;I learned that it is okay to be myself and that I do not have to act a certain way to be accepted. I mean, honestly, what is normal anyways?&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cavanaugh-speech&quot;&gt;Read TIffany's speech ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As recipient of the 2019 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence Award, HCC English professor Lisa Mahon of Easthampton carried the ceremonial mace and led the procession of graduates into the arena and also gave the faculty address to the Class of 2019.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She thanked students for teaching her &quot;the true meaning of resilience,&quot; for not giving up no matter what kind of obstacles they faced.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You kept going and going and going and, at some point, it didn't matter who believed in you. Or didn't believe in you. You believed in yourself or you would not be here today,&quot; she said. &quot;Our stories are all different, yet they end the same: We kept going. And now we are here. When you walk across this stage and get your diploma, it is not just a piece of paper that you will hold in your hand: This is who you are now.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/mahon-speech&quot;&gt;Read Prof. Mahon's speech ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On behalf of the graduates, psychology major Natilie Besner of East Longmeadow announced the class gift, a monetary donation to the HCC Thrive Center, which maintains the college's food pantry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our priority this year was to be directly involved with solutions to student homelessness, hunger and food insecurity,&quot; said Besner, flanked on stage by four of her colleagues on the Student Senate. &quot;This donation will sustain the food pantry for one year and provide operational supplies that will last for years to come. Our class is making a contribution that will directly affect the lives of future students.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/class-gift-2019&quot;&gt;Read Natilie's speech ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/class-gift-2019&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;As part of the Commencement program, HCC presented a Distinguished Service Award to Lucy Perez, of East Longmeadow, an HCC graduate from the class of 1987, a member of the HCC Board of Trustees and one of the founders of HCC's English as a Second Language Program more than 30 years ago.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/pg/HolyokeCommunityCollege/photos/?tab=album&amp;amp;album_id=10157287992434330&quot; title=&quot;Commencement 2019 photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos in our Facebook photo albums ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/pg/HolyokeCommunityCollege/photos/?tab=album&amp;amp;album_id=10157274845424330&quot; title=&quot;More Commencement photos&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Another Facebook photo album ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by DON TREEGER&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9533" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/class-gift-2019" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="65|165" FileName="x9533.xml" Name="Class Gift 2019" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Gift-group.jpg" Title="'We represent you'" Abstract="The Class of 2019 made a monetary gift to the Thrive Center that will sustain the HCC food pantry for one year and provide operational supplies for many more." ThumbnailAltText="Members of the Class of 2019 present the class gift" IntroCopy="&quot;Our stories are your stories. Every one of us has something to be proud of.&quot;" Date="2019-06-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Natilie Besner presents the class gift&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Gift-besner.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Flanked by her colleagues from the Student Senate, graduating HCC student Natilie Besner '19 presented the class gift at Commencement 2019, a monetary donation to HCC's Thrive Center that is meant to help address food insecurity on campus.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Below is the full text of her remarks:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fellow graduates, we, the graduating Student Senators are honored to present the gift for the class of 2019.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We would like to start by asking you a question. Have you or someone you know personally dealt with food insecurity or hunger? Raise your hands. Keep them up. Have you or someone you know personally dealt with housing insecurity or homelessness? Finally, have you or someone close to you struggled to find affordable child care? Look around, that's almost all of us! It's part of our shared identity as the class of 2019 and these are obstacles that didn't stop us. We have overcome.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We want to take a minute to say thank you to every teacher, family member, and friend who helped us along the way, and especially to the ones who were there when we were living with issues that affected our ability to actually survive each day. Thank you, we did it together!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to introduce you to the graduating student senators up here with me.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Haley Woods, who has been the student representative on the Board of Trustees for the college this year. She's spoken for all of us regarding the college mission, focus, and policies that affect all students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ithar Gabriel, who had to support her family by going to work instead of finishing high school, but is graduating today after immigrating to the U.S., finishing her degree, and has five colleges interested in recruiting her with full scholarships.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adam Chapman, who balanced life, school, and a full-time job over three years and is now graduating with honors and transferring to UMass Amherst where he will do it all over again.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adam Abdelrahman, who was the one student chosen out of the entire graduating class to represent the courage, drive, and spirit of HCC as this year's &quot;29 Who Shine&quot; winner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's not just about accomplishment. It's about persistence and resilience. There are five of us standing up here, and yes, we have accomplished these things. But our stories are your stories. Every one of us has something to be proud of. Think about this:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of us...&lt;br /&gt;&amp;bull; Waited 8 years in a refugee camp to come to the U.S. (immigration)&lt;br /&gt;&amp;bull; Lives with a learning disability and yet makes honors every semester (disability)&lt;br /&gt;&amp;bull; Had the courage to come out to our family and be proud of who we are (LGBT)&lt;br /&gt;&amp;bull; Gets stared at and interrogated for the cultural piece we wear on our head (religion)&lt;br /&gt;&amp;bull; Lived in a shelter after escaping an abusive environment (housing)&lt;br /&gt;&amp;bull; Has been rejected from a job because of our accent or last name (culture)&lt;br /&gt;&amp;bull; Survived through years in the foster care system (system)&lt;br /&gt;&amp;bull; Had to choose between food and heat (hunger)&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;These are our stories but they are also your stories. We stand here before you, but we also represent you. Any one of you could be standing up here. As college students, we have been through similar circumstances, and sometimes you cannot see this by just looking at someone.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our priority this year was to be directly involved with solutions to student homelessness, hunger, and food insecurity. We worked hand in hand with students, faculty, and staff to address these problems. We put in hours of work organizing the food pantry, advocated for student support, and were able to speak with our Board of Trustees and legislators across the state.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is a special place that has impacted me and my journey at HCC; that place is&amp;nbsp;the Thrive Center. I felt inclined to share my story in hopes that more students like me would get the help they need. Last semester, I was not so fortunate. I didn't have a stable living situation and I was struggling financially. Getting adequate meals and being able to afford feeding myself was a daily struggle. Today, I stand here and can say, I am stable. I am graduating with honors and thanks to the Thrive Center I learned a lot about being an independent adult and the responsibilities that come with it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We would like to dedicate this gift to the Thrive Center staff for looking beyond outer appearances and helping all of us when we were most in need. You greeted us as equals and treated us with respect and we want to honor that with our class gift. Personally, this gift means so much because it will help Thrive continue this work with others who come into the office - especially when we are nervous, emotional and struggling. Thank you, Rosemary, Mary, and all of the others who make the center so welcoming.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We, the Student Senate, Class of 2019, would like to present the Thrive Center with a monetary donation to support the food pantry. This donation will sustain the food pantry for one year and provide operational supplies that will last for years to come. Our class is making a contribution that will directly affect the lives of future students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Margaret Mead said, &quot;Never doubt that a small group of THOUGHTFUL citizens can change the world.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Let's change the world!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9551" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/lucy-perez" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|65" FileName="x9551.xml" Name="Lucy Perez" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Lucy-Perez-feature.jpg" Title="'A strong voice'" Abstract="Longtime educator and HCC alumna Lucy Perez '87 of East Longmeadow was honored at Commencement with the 2019 Distinguished Service Award." ThumbnailAltText="Lucy Perez. " IntroCopy="Lucy Perez '87 honored with Distinguished Service Award" Date="2019-06-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Christina Royal presents the Distinguished Service Award for 2019 to Lucy Perez. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/DSA-presentation.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lucy Perez '87 of East Longmeadow, a longtime area educator, is the recipient of the 2019 Distinguished Service Award from Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The award recognizes the achievements of individuals whose dedication and outstanding service to HCC have enhanced the value of students' experience and improved the quality of life for all on campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perez, an HCC graduate from the class of 1987, has been a member of the HCC Board of Trustees since 2013 and serves on the college's Alumni Council and Foundation board. She holds an associate degree in liberal arts from HCC, a bachelor's degree in psychology from Mount Holyoke College, and a master's degree in education and a certificated in advanced graduate studies from the University of Massachusetts, where she concentrated in English language acquisition and literacy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She started her long career in education at HCC, working first as a counselor for the college's fledgling English as a Second Language program and later as its program coordinator. She taught education for many years at HCC and at Springfield Technical Community College, where she served as assistant dean of students before moving on to work for many years in human resources administration and recruitment for the Springfield Public Schools. She now works in human resources at Mount Holyoke College as its talent acquisition manager.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC president Christina Royal presented the Distinguished Service Award to Perez at HCC's 72&lt;sup&gt;nd&lt;/sup&gt; Commencement ceremony at the MassMutual Center in Springfield on June 1.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Over her long career, Lucy has worked tirelessly to strengthen the diversity of students, faculty and staff in public schools and on college campuses around the region, because she believes education should be accessible to all,&quot; Royal said. &quot;As a member of the HCC Board of Trustees, Alumni Council and Foundation board, she brings new ideas and questions and challenges us all to improve. We count on Lucy to be a strong voice, and this award bears witness to her dedication and commitment.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;President Christina Royal presents the Distinguished Service Award for 2019 to Lucy Perez.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9532" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cavanaugh-speech" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="65|165" FileName="x9532.xml" Name="Cavanaugh speech" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Commence-Tiffany-kiss.jpg" Title="'Speak Your Mind'" Abstract="Tiffany Cavanaugh '19 served as president of HCC's Students on the Autism Spectrum Club for three years, an experience that helped her learn to advocate for herself." ThumbnailAltText="Student orator Tiffany Cavanaugh '19 blows a kiss to her family and friends at Commencement" IntroCopy="&quot;HCC gave me the sense of community I’ve longed for.&quot;" Date="2019-06-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Commencement speaker Tiffany Cavanaugh&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Commence-Tiffany-side.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;For the past three years, Tiffany Cavanaugh has served as president of HCC's Students on the Autism Spectrum Club. The West Springfield resident graduated June 1 with honors and her associate degree in liberal arts. She was one of two graduating students selected to give speeches June 1 at Commencement 2019. Below is the full text of her remarks:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hello everyone. I hope everyone is enjoying their day so far. I know I am. It is such an honor to be speaking in front of all of you today.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before I came to Holyoke Community College, I didn't know many people like me. All I'd ever learned were negative stereotypes. I felt like I didn't have anyone to relate to. Although I had many friends, they didn't face the situations I face regularly, like having to cover my ears when a blaring loud fire alarm comes on, not understanding if someone is genuine or sarcastic, or having sensory processing differences from most people.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC I learned about neurodiversity, a concept that has replaced autism as an unfortunate condition. HCC gave me the sense of community I've longed for, and I joined the SAS Club, which stands for Students on the Autism Spectrum. By researching and learning from others, I was able to openly address what autism really is and learned to advocate for myself. I was diagnosed when I was 5 and became open about it when I was 14. However, at HCC, I became more accepting of it on a deeper level. I learned that we don't need awareness, we need acceptance. Therefore, I became an activist.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As the president of the club for three years, I learned how to use my voice, and by that, I have shown others that their voices are just as important. While at HCC, my vision of myself has changed, and I've become a better writer and public speaker. Without learning those skills from classes and the extracurriculars I was involved with, I wouldn't be speaking on this stage right now. Here is what I have learned at HCC about what it takes to succeed:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One, have confidence in yourself. Don't overthink things and don't define yourself by what people think about you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two, take advantage of each opportunity you have, whether it may help you academically, socially, or personally, you may develop skills that you never thought you would be good at.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Three, be yourself. That is most important. I know this world is a tough place to be, but don't be afraid to speak your mind and advocate for your rights.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I still receive comments that I do not &quot;look&quot; or &quot;act&quot; autistic and that I am not the same as other people on the spectrum, when really every autistic person is different. I learned that it is okay to be myself and that I do not have to act a certain way to be accepted. I mean, honestly, what is normal anyways?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I found a community at HCC that got me, I felt that I was not alone. That is why I am so grateful to the people who helped me along this journey: all my family and friends, but especially my mom. She made many sacrifices for me and I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for her. Also, thank you to SAS, SHOUTS, NSO, Green Key, and Phi Theta Kappa for giving me the opportunity to learn and grow from others. Thank you to all of my professors for challenging me and for supporting me when I was struggling, and to the Office for Students with Disabilities and Deaf Services, thank you for always being there for me when I needed to rant, to advocate for my rights, or if I just need a break and needed a stim toy to calm myself down.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To the Class of 2019, I wish that whatever you choose to do after your time here, whether you are transferring to a four-year college, entering the workforce, taking more classes here after graduation, or still have no idea what your plans are, that it makes you happy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Be proud of what you accomplished today.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whether you received an associate degree or certificate, that is a huge accomplishment. I know that whatever you choose to do in life after today, you will take the skills that you learned, and you will be amazing advocates for not just yourselves but for the community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From the words of Haley Moss, &quot;Being different isn't less. It isn't bad. It's just different, and different can be extraordinary.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations to the Class of 2019.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We did it! Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Student orator Tiffany Cavanaugh speaks to the Class of 2019 at Commencement June 1&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9531" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/fuentes-speech" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|65|165" FileName="x9531.xml" Name="Fuentes speech" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Commence-Armanis-point.jpg" Title="'We are exceptional'" Abstract="Commencement orator Armanis Fuentes '19 told fellow graduates that one important lesson he's learned is that HCC students can succeed &quot;wherever we go.&quot;" ThumbnailAltText="Graduating HCC student Armanis Fuentes gives a speech at Commencement 2019" IntroCopy="&quot;I have HCC to thank for giving me the audacity to dream big and the academic foundation that I will build upon at Williams.&quot;" Date="2019-06-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graduating HCC student Armanis Fuentes gives a speech at Commencement 2019&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Commence-Armanis-hand.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Commencement speaker Armanis Fuentes graduated June 1 with high honors and his associate degree in liberal arts. Fuentes was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in Holyoke. He will attend Williams College in September and plans to study history with a focus on Latinx Studies. Below is the full text of his remarks:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Good morning,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I just wanna start by thanking everybody for coming and sharing in this moment with us. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Graduating from Holyoke Community College is an accomplishment worth celebrating. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Growing up, I didn't know many people who went to college. No one in my family did. The only thing I knew was that I liked school and that teachers told me I was a good student &amp;ndash; I had &quot;potential,&quot; they would say. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My exposure to college came from watching TV. As a kid, I saw the whole gang from &quot;Saved By The Bell&quot; and Will and Carlton from &quot;Fresh Prince&quot; go off to college and I was waiting for that to happen to me too. The more I learned about the promise of a college education &amp;ndash; from TV, from teachers, from mentors &amp;ndash; the more I wanted that for myself. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But, college doesn't just happen to everybody. I had to learn that as I got older. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In many ways, it's still easy to feel like the promise of a college education doesn't include people that look like me or come from where I come from. Take the college admissions scandal recently in the news as an example. Low-income students, students of color, first-generation students, non-traditional students &amp;ndash; we can't take the easy way out. We have to fight to walk across stages. I know I have.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Growing up in Holyoke Public Schools, I've had to survive the school-to-prison pipeline, which strips students of color from their potential by criminalizing them. In the middle of my senior year at Holyoke High School, a school resource officer wrongfully, and with no warning, arrested me and charged me with a felony. I went from being a rising star student since I was kid to almost becoming a convicted felon at 17. That was dark time for me, and truthfully, I thought my college career was over before it began. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But thankfully, it wasn't. And I came to HCC to make sure that it wasn't over. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The struggles don't stop once you get into college. Being first-generation is isolating, it can feel like no one in your family understands what it is that you're even doing. But it's also empowering. It feels good to know that I'm making my family proud and paving the way for my younger brothers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All those obstacles, the sacrifices and the commitment was a small price to pay for my &quot;aha! moment,&quot; which was the moment I realized I hadn't lost any of the potential I had when I was kid. It was always there. I just had to believe in myself, reclaim it, and dream big.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I came to that realization in the spring of 2018, as I sat in a classroom on the second floor of Chapin Hall at Amherst College. This course brings together students from HCC and Amherst into the same classroom to learn about the political history of Holyoke. Half of me was intimidated by the idea of learning with students from such an elite college; the other half was eager to prove to myself I could do it. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I realized that the Amherst students were no different than us. We were all in class together, doing the same work, and I found myself thriving in the rigorous academic environment. That experience proved to me that what stood between students at Amherst and us at HCC is opportunity, not capability. I saw that I, and all of us, cannot only take up space at elite colleges, we can succeed wherever we go. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That course was a turning point for me. I will be continuing on to my bachelor's this fall with a full scholarship to Williams College &amp;ndash; a place I'd never dreamed to be at and I have HCC to thank for giving me the audacity to dream big and the academic foundation that I will build upon at Williams. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We have something that no large endowment can ever teach: resilience. Our resilience has been tested time and time again. We should rethink the way we look at our struggles, because every obstacle I surmounted has taught me more than any of my greatest successes. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I want to leave you with this: All of us here today are not exceptional students despite our struggles and hardships, we are exceptional because of them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Graduating HCC student Armanis Fuentes gives a speech at Commencement 2019 &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9530" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/mahon-speech" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|65|165" FileName="x9530.xml" Name="Mahon speech" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Commence-Lisa-Mahon-smile.jpg" Title="'Still, you kept going'" Abstract="HCC English professor Lisa Mahon delivered the faculty address to the Class of 2019 at Commencement, thanking students for teaching her the true meaning of resilience. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC English professor Lisa Mahon speaks at Commencement" IntroCopy="&quot;When you walk across this stage and get your diploma, it is not just a piece of paper that you will hold in your hand: It is who you are now. A graduate who believes in yourself no matter what anyone else thinks or says or does.&quot;" Date="2019-06-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Lisa Mahon&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Commence-Lisa-Mahon-smile.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;English professor Lisa Mahon was the recipient of the&amp;nbsp;2019 Elaine Marieb Chair for Teaching Excellence Award. As such, she carried the ceremonial mace and led the procession into the MassMutual Center arena for Commencement on June 1 and gave the faculty address to the Class of 2019. Below is the full text of her remarks:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Good morning! Board of Trustees. President Royal. Esteemed faculty, staff, and guests. Families and friends of our graduates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are all here at this graduation ceremony, celebrating this moment of your accomplishments.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To the graduating class of 2019 &amp;ndash; You did it!&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But how did you get here? What was your journey? &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are all here and got here by different paths, journeys, and reasons. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I grew up in a family where women were not expected to go to college. In my community, I did not often see people going to college. But my father, who has since passed away, saw something in me. He took me to the library. He introduced me to his favorite books. He encouraged me to write and learn and grow, and, because of him, I found my voice in this unfamiliar academic world. Because of him, I teach English. Because of him, I stand here today.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I finally left my hometown to go to college, I asked myself: Do I belong here? But I kept going. Eventually, I found my place.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I know what it is like to not have a voice, and, with hard work and determination, I found my voice. Here at HCC, I have been privileged to witness students finding their voices and finding their place.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I see myself as a witness to your success today, and that means the world to me. I have learned so much from you all. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through teaching in the Learning Communities program at HCC, where students can explore social issues from more than one perspective, I have been privileged to work with HCC students who have lived the lives of the social issues we study.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have seen these students bring their own life experiences into the classroom and turn challenges into empowerment. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have seen formerly incarcerated women stand up and speak their truths. Through this telling of their stories, we all found understanding and compassion in us.&amp;nbsp; These students made this happen. These students found their place.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By bringing the greater community into my classroom through service-learning, I have witnessed teen mothers find their voices by reading poetry so powerful to HCC students that there is not one dry eye left in the room. Through collaborating with HCC students, these young women are finding their place &amp;ndash; and reinforcing their will to keep going, keep achieving, keep growing. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through teaching in the amazing STRIVE program at HCC, I have seen students who were once told that their obstacles would make it hard for them to ever finish writing an essay, proudly read their paper in front of the entire class. They found their place. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In service-learning, we bring the classroom to the community; in STRIVE, all students are given a chance; and in Learning Communities, students see how all things connect.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These are the stories of students I have known, and I have been honored to witness these students continue their journeys when it would have been easier to just give up.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My students have taught me the true meaning of resilience. I am thankful to you all! &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, what is your story? &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some of you had someone who believed in you, who told you often &quot;you can do this!&quot; And so you kept going. Some of you had no one cheering you on and may have, in fact, had people in your life who told you that you would not graduate today, yet still &amp;ndash; you kept going. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some of you started HCC at 40, 50 or even 60 years old because you had a medical condition. Or not.&amp;nbsp; Or maybe your career had been taking care of your kids. Or not. But now you wanted to do something for yourself, except it wasn't easy and no one supported you. But still &amp;ndash; you kept going. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For others of you, English was not your first language and so you had to find your voice in this new language and adapt to a new country and culture, but still &amp;ndash; you kept going.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some of you had severe anxiety that made it hard to take tests and quizzes or stand in front of the class and present. But still &amp;ndash; you kept going. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some of you worked long hours at a job you didn't love, then stayed up late into the night to finish homework. Still &amp;ndash; you kept going. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Others of you were already up all night, a crying baby on your hip, clothes to wash and cleaning to do, but you got that paper done at 3 a.m. before the baby woke again. Yes, still &amp;ndash; you kept going. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You kept going and going and going and, at some point, it didn't matter who believed in you. Or didn't believe in you.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You believed in yourself or you would not be here today. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our stories are all different, yet they end the same: We kept going. And now we are here. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you walk across this stage and get your diploma, it is not just a piece of paper that you will hold in your hand: It is who you are now. A graduate who believes in yourself no matter what anyone else thinks or says or does. A person who keeps going.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm here to ask you today to keep doing what you have done to get here today. There will still be challenges ahead, for sure.&amp;nbsp; But - keep going. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I would like to end with the wisdom of Maya Angelou: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Still, I Rise. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;And so shall you!!&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations Class of 2019!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Lisa Mahon&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9522" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/marieb-million" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240918T18:51:30" CategoryIds="193|65|225" FileName="x9522.xml" Name="Marieb Million" Thumbnail="About/News/2019/Marieb-Amanda-chairs.jpg" Title="'You're Worth it'" Abstract="Holyoke Community College has received a $1 million legacy gift from former faculty member and alumna Elaine Marieb '80, who died in December at the age of 82." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Foundation board chair John Driscoll, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement Amanda Sbriscia, HCC president Christina Royal and HCC Board of Trustees chair Robert Gilbert hold a ceremonial check from the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Foundation" IntroCopy="$1 million legacy gift from Elaine Marieb will support nontraditional students" Date="2019-05-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Pathways coordinator Irma Medina, HCC students Savannah Vezina of Agawam and Nicole Haswell of Chicopee, and New Directions coordinator Lori Wayson hold a ceremonial check for $1 million from the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Foundation outside HCC's Marieb Center. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;Images/About/News/2019/Marieb-Marieb-Center.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During her lifetime, Elaine Marieb donated more than $1.5 million to Holyoke Community College in large and small amounts she once described as &quot;tokens of gratitude&quot; to the institution where she earned her nursing degree and taught biology for 24 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/marieb-memoriam&quot;&gt;Even after her death in December,&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;Marieb's generosity continues. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is the beneficiary of a $1 million legacy gift Marieb set up as part of her estate plan, money earmarked for HCC programs that support nontraditional age students.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The gift was officially announced Tues., May 28, at HCC's monthly Board of Trustees meeting, followed by the presentation of a $1 million ceremonial check. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is incredible. We are so thrilled and grateful,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/foundation-at-50&quot;&gt;HCC Foundation&lt;/a&gt;, the college's nonprofit fundraising corporation, which will invest and administer the funds. &quot;This gift will significantly enhance our efforts to support adult students and adult women at HCC.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This was Marieb's second $1 million donation to HCC. The first came in 2014 to support construction of the college's Center for Health Education and Center for Life Sciences. Over the years, her other donations helped establish scholarships, science labs, an endowed faculty chair, and the Elaine Marieb New Pathways Center, a computer room and study area for students in&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/marieb-adult-learner-success-center&quot;&gt;New Directions&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/x140.xml&quot;&gt;Pathways&lt;/a&gt;, two programs particularly meaningful to Marieb that will benefit from this new $1 million gift. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is very exciting for us, and it's wonderful going into the next academic year knowing we've got new dollars to support some of the initiatives we've highlighted as growth opportunities in our strategic plan,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &amp;nbsp; Marieb was herself a nontraditional college student. A native of Northampton, Marieb earned a bachelor's degree from Westfield State in 1964 when she was 28 years old. After that, she received a master's degree from Mount Holyoke College and a PhD in zoology from UMass. She was hired as a professor of biology at HCC in 1969. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She started writing textbooks on anatomy and physiology to address complaints from her nursing students that the materials then available were ineffective. She enrolled in HCC's nursing program to inform her writing, graduating with her associate degree in 1980. She retired in 1983 to devote herself to writing, becoming the author or co-author of more than 10 best-selling textbooks and laboratory manuals in anatomy and physiology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Though she moved to Sarasota, Florida, she made annual trips to HCC and always visited the Marieb Center to talk to students.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I can't believe how fortunate I am to be part of something like this,&quot; said Irma Medina, coordinator of HCC's Pathways Program, which helps nontraditional students prepare for and transfer to selective four-year colleges. &quot;For her to bestow that kind of generosity. I just hope we can reach more and do more.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ceremonial $1 million check from the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Foundation is now on display in the Marieb Center. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;I feel like the students here need to see it,&quot; she said. &quot;It says, yea, you're worth it. You're worth a million bucks. You're special.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Above)&amp;nbsp;Pathways coordinator Irma Medina, HCC students Savannah Vezina of Agawam and Nicole Haswell of Chicopee, and New Directions coordinator Lori Wayson hold a ceremonial check for $1 million from the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Foundation outside HCC's Marieb Center. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC Foundation board chair John Driscoll, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement Amanda Sbriscia, HCC president Christina Royal and HCC Board of Trustees chair Robert Gilbert hold a ceremonial check from the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Foundation&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9520" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/golf-championship" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|2|165" FileName="x9520.xml" Name="Golf Championship" Thumbnail="/images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Golf%20NEchamp2019%20TN.jpg" Title="Cougar Crowns" Abstract="The HCC golf team captured the 2019 New England championship, while sophomore Kyle Richter won the individual title after shooting a 79 on the final day.  " ThumbnailAltText="Kyle Richter watches his tee shot" IntroCopy="Sophomore Kyle Richter claims individual title " Date="2019-05-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;2019 cougar Golf team &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Golf19%20NE%20champs%20main.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC golf team captured the New England (NJCAA Region XXI) championship on Wed., May 22, completing a remarkable two-day performance at the beautiful Ranch Golf Club in Southwick.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The host Cougars won the team championship behind the exceptional golf of the event's individual champion, Kyle Richter&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;(East Longmeadow / East Longmeadow High School)&lt;/em&gt;. Richter shot a sensational 79 on the second day of the two-day tournament that launched him to the top of the leaderboard. His teammates, Ryan McGeary &lt;em&gt;(Agawam / Agawam High School)&lt;/em&gt;, Tyler Boissonneault &lt;em&gt;(Greenfield / Greenfield High School)&lt;/em&gt; and Peter DeStephano &lt;em&gt;(East Longmeadow / East Longmeadow High School)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;all played very well, guiding the team to their regional title. Boissonneault shot an 87 on day two and McGeary shot a 90 each day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The team championship earns the entire Cougar team a spot at the National Junior College Athletic Association Golf Championship June 4-7. This is Holyoke's first team regional championship since 2009 and the first during head coach Chris Stoddard's tenure. Stoddard has had several golfers qualify for nationals individually in his time as coach, including in each of the last three years. Richter and McGeary both qualified as individuals last year during their freshman seasons. Richter's individual regional championship is also Holyoke's first since 2009.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cougars will travel to Chautauqua Golf Club in Chautauqua, N.Y., to play in this year's national championship. The four-day tournament begins June 4.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Photos: (Main) The 2019 New England Champion Cougars L to R DeStephano, Richter, Coach Stoddard, Boissonneault, McGeary (Thumbnail) Richter watches his tee shot head toward the 17th green on day one of the New England Championship.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9519" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/marieb-award" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|165" FileName="x9519.xml" Name="Marieb Award" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Lisa-Mahon-family.jpg" Title="Leading Off" Abstract="English professor Lisa Mahon will lead the graduation procession and give the keynote speech to the Class of 2019 at HCC's 72nd annual Commencement Saturday. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC English professor Lisa Mahon, center, with her husband and daughter, after receiving the Marieb Chair for Teaching Excellence Award at HCC May 22. " IntroCopy="English professor Lisa Mahon is the 2019 recipient of the Marieb Chair for Teaching Excellence award. " Date="2019-05-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC English professor Lisa Mahon, center, with her husband and daughter, after receiving the Marieb Chair for Teaching Excellence Award at HCC May 22. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Lisa-Mahon-family.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lisa Mahon of Easthampton, HCC professor of English and recipient of the 2019 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence, will lead the procession of graduates and give the keynote address to the class of 2019 at the 72&lt;sup&gt;nd &lt;/sup&gt;&amp;nbsp;Commencement of Holyoke Community College, Sat., June 1, beginning at 10 a.m. at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;History major Armanis Fuente '19 of Holyoke/Springfield and Tiffany Cavanagaugh '19 of West Springfield have been selected as student orators. Alumnus and U.S. Army private Jonathan Mendez '15, '17 will sing &quot;The Star Spangled Banner&quot; and &quot;I Was Here.&quot;&amp;nbsp; Psychology major and Student Senate treasurer Natilie Besner '19 of East Longmeadow will present the class gift. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college will confer a Distinguished Service Award to Lucy Perez ' 87 of East Longmeadow, a member of the HCC Board of Trustees and one of the founders of the college's academic English as a Second Language program. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mahon teaches English and writing and is also coordinator of the college's Service Learning Program. The Marieb Award, endowed by the late HCC professor emeritus Elaine Marieb '80, recognizes a full-time member of the faculty for outstanding classroom teaching. Award recipients serve for one year and receive a small stipend for professional development, lead the procession at Commencement, and also give the keynote graduation speech HCC will stream the Commencement ceremony live over the Internet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The live stream will be available &lt;a href=&quot;/x5566.xml&quot; title=&quot;Link to commencement livestream page on hcc website&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Associate degrees and certificates will be conferred to approximately 900 graduates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;HCC English professor Lisa Mahon, center, with her husband and daughter, after receiving the Marieb Chair for Teaching Excellence Award at HCC May 22.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9500" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/aliens-lc" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|165" FileName="x9500.xml" Name="Aliens LC" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Aliens-Armanis-closeup.jpg" Title="Tipping Points" Abstract="A joint HCC-Mount Holyoke College Learning Community course this spring examined race, poverty and privilege and their impact on status in today's U.S. society." ThumbnailAltText="HCC student Armanis Fuentes makes a point during an LC class at Mount Holyoke College. " IntroCopy="Inter-institutional LC examines race, poverty, privilege and equity in U.S. society" Date="2019-05-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Mount Holyoke College professor David Hernandez makes a point during a joint HCC-MHC college course. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Aliens-Hernandez.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By RONNI GORDON&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;On a recent Monday afternoon, students in a Mount Holyoke College classroom were talking about tipping, specifically the &quot;dysfunctional&quot; tipping system employed in most U.S. restaurants, as described by author Saru Jayaraman in her book&lt;em&gt; Behind the Kitchen Door. &lt;/em&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One student with a lot to say on that subject was Armanis Fuentes, a history major from Springfield, who noted the &quot;racial hierarchies&quot; inherent in a system where managers often assign the best tables and schedules to their white staff. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yashera Roperto, a second-year liberal arts major from Northampton, who waitresses in that town, concurred. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;A lot of people work so hard, and we don't get compensated for the work we do,&quot; she said. Jayaraman's book &quot;made me think about situations that go on in my life.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fuentes and Roperto are both students at Holyoke Community College enrolled this spring in &quot;Aliens, Anti-Citizens and Identity,&quot; an inter-institutional Learning Community course made up of students from both HCC and Mount Holyoke. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like all &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/learning-communities&quot;&gt;HCC Learning Communities&lt;/a&gt;, this one combines two academic subjects focused on a single theme (in this case philosophy and Latino Studies in an examination of the unequal treatment, or alienization, of certain demographic groups within American society). &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Unlike most Learning Communities, &quot;Aliens&quot; was taught jointly by professors from two different colleges (HCC philosophy professor Don Hanover and Mount Holyoke Latino Studies professor David Hernandez) and met for half the semester on each campus. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Aliens&quot; was also one of a bunch of co-institutional LCs offered for free to HCC students over the past few semesters, thanks in part to a grant from the National Endowment for Humanities. For the 2018-2019 academic year, &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/free-lcs&quot;&gt;HCC ran free LC courses together with Smith College&lt;/a&gt;, Bay Path University, Hebei University of Science and Technology in China, as well as the one with Mount Holyoke. HCC also regularly runs a co-institutional LC every two years with Amherst College called &quot;The Immigrant City,&quot; a political science and history class focused on Holyoke. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;LCs, as they are known, typically count as two courses, so students earn double credits, six instead of three. They can save as much as $1,000 in tuition and fees for the semester if they sign up for the free ones. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This fall, HCC is offering a free LC called &quot;Teatro Nuestro: Performing Latinx Cultural Identity, Community, Aesthetic, Movement and 'Conexion,&quot; a combination of two classes, Introduction to Theater and Introduction to Latinx Studies. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the &quot;Aliens&quot; course summary, students &quot;will examine marginal and alien citizenship statuses as they are situated within contemporary capitalist society in the United States.&quot; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Use of the word &quot;anti-citizens&quot; in the course title refers to &quot;persons who are citizens of the U.S. who are still treated differently,&quot; Hernandez said. &quot;There are all these institutions that can discriminate against people. Everyone's not getting a fair shake.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The student-led conversation about tipping generated comments about immigration, race, poverty and privilege &amp;ndash; all key themes of the course. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hernandez said the class benefited from having diverse perspective, like those offered by Fuentes and Roperto. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Very interesting things happen,&quot; he said. &quot;HCC students are largely from here, and Mount Holyoke students are largely from somewhere else.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the&amp;nbsp;semester, students have read works including: &lt;em&gt;The Communist Manifesto: A Roadmap to History's Most Important Political Document&lt;/em&gt;, b&lt;em&gt;y &lt;/em&gt;Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, edited by&amp;nbsp;Phil Gasper; &lt;em&gt;Undocumented: How Immigration Became &lt;/em&gt;Illegal, by Aviva Chomsky; and &lt;em&gt;The Straight State: Sexuality and Citizenship in Twentieth-Century America,&quot; &lt;/em&gt;by Margot Canaday&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;All the books we have been reading are about how the working class is struggling,&quot; Hanover told the class. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a lot of ways, the subject matter couldn't be more timely, given the current political climate in the country, especially as it relates to immigration and border control. For instance, Hanover said students were stunned that the &lt;em&gt;Communist Manifesto&lt;/em&gt;, &quot;could capture what we're discussing today.&quot; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Where is the party in opposition that has not been decried as Communistic by its opponents in power?&quot; Marx wrote in 1848. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut to 2019, and on &lt;a href=&quot;https://thehill.com/homenews/media/431327-fox-friends-host-says-ocasio-cortezs-new-staff-salaries-are-socialism-and&quot;&gt;Fox and Friends&lt;/a&gt;, a co-host recently called one of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's proposals &quot;socialism and communism on display.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both then and now, Hanover said, &quot;If you want to pillory the other side, you dismiss them as Communists or Socialists.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The other books show &quot;how citizenship is denied by the 'othering' of those considered undesirable,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fuentes, who was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Holyoke, knows something about this word, defined as &quot;treating people from another group as essentially different from and generally inferior to the group you belong to.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&quot;Even though I'm a citizen, I don't feel fully American,&quot; he said. &quot;There's a sort of living in two worlds.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He said the &quot;Aliens&quot; class followed a format similar to that of other Learning Communities that he has taken, including The Immigrant City.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It started out high-concept and went into peoples' stories, how capitalism exploits people,&quot; he said. &quot;It was definitely enlightening.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Discussions might not be the end of students' experience with the subject matter.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;A lot of the books have call to action. You can organize around these things,&quot; Hernandez said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) HCC student Armanis Fuentes of Springfield talks during an LC class at Mount Holyoke College.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;(Above) Mount Holyoke College professor David Hernandez makes a point.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9508" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/scholarship-record" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|165" FileName="x9508.xml" Name="Scholarship Record" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-scholars-WSP.jpg" Title="Scholarship Record" Abstract="The HCC Foundation awarded 231 scholarships to incoming, current and graduating HCC students for the 2019-2020 academic year, totaling nearly $250,000. " ThumbnailAltText="Gabriel Artin, left, and Banen Mustafa, both of West Springfield at the May 9 scholarship reception" IntroCopy="Recipients, donors celebrated May 9 " Date="2019-05-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Scholarship recipient and donor at reception&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/HCC-Putnam-Springfield.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation has awarded a record 231 scholarships to incoming, current and graduating HCC students for the 2019-2020 academic year, totaling nearly $250,000.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC community recognized the awardees along with the donors whose generosity makes those scholarships possible at a May 9 reception in the HCC Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Longmeadow resident and HCC alumni donor Gregory S. Schneider '90, co-founder and chairman of 3BL Media in Northampton, and scholarship recipient and graduating art major Catherine Carija '19 of Deerfield, were the keynote speakers. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I had been out of school for 34 years,&quot; said Carija. &quot;Lucky for me I found my way to HCC. I was greeted so warmly by faculty and staff, and without the generosity of donors and HCC Foundation scholarships &amp;ndash; all that belief in me &amp;ndash; I wouldn't be graduating now and going on to Mount Holyoke College.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x9488.xml&quot;&gt;See the full list of 2019-2020 scholarship recipients.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The annual &quot;Scholarship Meet &amp;amp; Greet&quot; provides an opportunity for students to interact with the donors responsible for their awards.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the years, the HCC Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm of the college, has provided nearly $2.8 million in student scholarships while also investing in classroom equipment and technology for select academic and student support programs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The community is so invested in the foundation and in the college. It's quite impressive,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement. &quot;People are passionate about our mission and the work that we do, and that translates into life-changing financial support.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read about the history of HCC Foundation,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/foundation-at-50&quot;&gt;&quot;The Foundation at 50,&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;from the Spring 2019 issue of&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Alumni Connection.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See more photos from our May 9 Scholarship Reception in our &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/pg/give2hcc/photos/?tab=album&amp;amp;album_id=2302999443093295&quot; title=&quot;Scholarship Reception 2019&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Facebook album.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See a video from the&lt;a href=&quot; https://youtu.be/dVcq_KnxPJk &quot; title=&quot;Scholarship video&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; Scholarship Reception on our You Tube page ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Demitrius Rojas, left, and Siddeeqah Neveins, right, both of Springfield, recipients of the HCC Foundation's Roger and Caroline Putnam Scholarship, with donor Eileen Sorrentino, at the college's scholarship awards luncheon May 9. (Thumbnail) Gabriel Artin, left, and Banen Mustafa, both of West Springfield.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9487" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/29-who-shine-sp19" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|193|165" FileName="x9487.xml" Name="29 Who Shine SP19" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Adam-ESL.jpg" Title="Grand Recognition" Abstract="HCC student Adam Abdelrahman was honored at the State House Friday, May 3, as one of the &quot;29 Who Shine,&quot; an annual award from the state Dept. of Higher Education.  " ThumbnailAltText="Adam Abdelrahman, center, with staff and faculty from HCC's ESL department. " IntroCopy="Adam Abdelrahman one of the &quot;29 Who Shine&quot;" Date="2019-05-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Adam Abdelrahman with staff from HCC's STRIVE program, including his mentor, HCC learning specialist Denise Roy, front. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Adam-STRIVE.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College student Adam Abdelrahman was honored Friday at the State House as one of the &quot;29 Who Shine,&quot; an annual award from the state Dept. of Higher Education that recognizes top college students from across the Commonwealth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These students' stories are moving and inspiring and provide a powerful reminder of the importance of a college degree,&quot; Governor Charlie Baker said Friday during the awards ceremony at the bottom of the Grand Staircase in the State House in Boston. &quot;It is an honor to be able to recognize them for their hard work, dedication and contributions to their communities.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adam was joined at the State House ceremony by his mother, father and little brother; HCC president Christina Royal; staff and faculty from the HCC ESL program; and staff from HCC's STRIVE program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;29 Who Shine&quot; awards are presented to one student from each of the Commonwealth's 29 public campuses, including the 15 community colleges, nine state universities and five University of Massachusetts campuses. The awards are given to students who succeed not only in their academic pursuits but in their efforts to strengthen their local communities. Some have overcome personal battles, including addiction, domestic violence, and homelessness, to become leaders on their campuses, while others have helped create solutions to a broad range of issues facing the Commonwealth, from climate change to refugee resettlement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/adam-abdelrahman&quot;&gt;Read Adam's Story: &quot;A Shining Presence&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wwlp.com/news/massachusetts/top-college-students-in-massachusetts-awarded-by-lawmakers/1976908248&quot; title=&quot;Top college students in Massachusetts honored by lawmakers&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See an interview with Adam on 22 News ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each of the &quot;29 Who Shine&quot; also names a faculty or staff mentor who provided guidance and support throughout the student's years in college. For his mentor, Adam selected Denise Roy, learning specialist with HCC's STRIVE program, who was honored along with the other mentors at a reception immediately following the awards ceremony.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The students honored today have shown dedication to their studies and a commitment to others that bodes well for them and the future of the Commonwealth. We are proud of their success and excited about what they do moving forward,&quot; Education Secretary James Peyser said.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among this year's student honorees, 11 are planning to pursue their studies in STEM or health-care related fields, three are pursuing futures in environmental sciences, and seven are planning careers in social work and human services. Six of the students were adult learners (ages 25+) and five are immigrants to the United States. Many of the student honorees used their talents to help others by initiating volunteer work that helped the hungry and homeless, survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and tutoring for students with learning disabilities.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Today we see 29 living examples of what can come from state support of public higher education,&quot; said Carlos E. Santiago, Massachusetts Commissioner of Higher Education&lt;strong&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;The '29 Who Shine' remind us that when individual students succeed, the Commonwealth as a whole benefits from their knowledge and commitment to serve others. I could not be prouder of this year's stellar nominees.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/pg/HolyokeCommunityCollege/photos/?tab=album&amp;amp;album_id=10157210790289330&quot; title=&quot;Facebook photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Check out more photos from Friday's event in our Facebook photo album ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Adam Abdelrahman, center, at the State House Friday with staff and faculty from HCC's ESL department. (Thumbnail) Adam Abdelrahman with staff from HCC's STRIVE program, including his mentor, learning specialist Denise Roy, front.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9464" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/coach-d-returns" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="65|2" FileName="x9464.xml" Name="Coach D Returns" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-coachD-baseball.jpg" Title="'Livin' my dream now'" Abstract="Four years ago, at the age of 54, Tony Dismukes played first base for the Holyoke Community College Cougars baseball team; he returned to HCC this season as head coach." ThumbnailAltText="Coach Tony Dismukes grips a baseball during a recent game. " IntroCopy="&quot;They know they’re doin’ good if I call ‘em Bubba. Or Red Neck. If I call ‘em Red Neck, that’s a compliment.&quot; " Date="2019-05-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Coach D visits the mound during a recent game. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/HCC-coachD-mound.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This is a followup story to one from May 2015 titled&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/coach-d&quot;&gt;&quot;Who's on First? Coach D.&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a student at HCC back in the spring of 2015, Tony Dismukes took on one of the most significant assignments of his life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He tried out for the Holyoke Community College baseball team. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;No ordinary college athlete, Dismukes was a 54-year-old, retired Navy veteran who owned a hardwood flooring business and worked at Bradley International Airport as an officer for the Transportation Security Administration. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plus, he already had a bachelor's degree in resource management he had earned in the Navy. What did he need more college for?&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Well, despite a lifelong involvement with baseball that had started as a child growing up in Montgomery, Alabama, and playing in the Navy, which he had joined right after high school, and coaching the varsity team at Monson High, where he taught tech ed for five years, and serving in a succession of assistant coaching positions at Amherst College and Fitchburg State University, and one summer for the North Adams Steeplecats, Dismukes felt stymied in pursuit of his dream job as a head college baseball coach. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Time and time again, athletic directors told him he had a blank spot on his baseball resume &amp;shy;&amp;ndash; he had never played college ball. Filling that gap was the only reason he enrolled at HCC. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I always wanted to play,&quot; Dismukes said at the time, &quot;and I have this very small window of opportunity. I decided to give it my best shot.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That season, Dismukes played first base and pitched for the HCC Cougars. He practiced and played hard, picked up and lugged equipment, and listened and learned, from the coach, sure, but mostly from his teammates, all of them decades younger by a long stretch. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I loved it,&quot; he said recently. &quot;It was great. I just remember having the camaraderie with the kids. That's what I wanted. It was fantastic.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His best shot turned out to be enough. After serving the HCC team in 2018 as, yet again, an assistant, HCC athletic director Tom Stewart hired Dismukes as head coach for the 2019 season. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've been waiting for an opportunity like this to come along,&quot; said Dismukes, who prefers to be called Coach D. &quot;It took me a long time, later in life, to find out what I wanted to do, but this is definitely what I love to do.&quot; &amp;nbsp; Now 58, Dismukes has given up the flooring business &amp;ndash; too hard on his aging knees &amp;ndash; and traded his job at the TSA for one as a consumer technician at the FDA, the Federal and Drug Administration, which allows him to work from his Belchertown home during the baseball season. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This isn't a full-time job,&quot; he said of his new coaching position. &quot;It's a stipend, but it gets me in here. It's my program, and I'm loving it. The kids are great. This is so fun.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Winning would be fun too, and the Cougars have not experienced much of that in recent years, compiling losing records of 7 and 15 in 2018 and 6 and 17 in 2017. This spring, after opening the season with five straight losses, HCC defeated division rival Quinsigamond Communiy College 7-3 on the road. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That was my first win as a head coach,&quot; he said. &quot;It was good.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Seemingly always optimistic and joyful, Dismukes hopes to turn the program around through enhanced recruitment efforts. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I got a lot of work to do this summer,&quot; he says in a voice with a sweet southern melody. &quot;We've only got 15 kids this year. I'd love to have 25 kids. Of course, as you know, with baseball, you gotta have pitching. We got, really, two pitchers. Butchya know, they're improving. Their attitude is great. They're willing to learn. They're coachable. I'm having a blast and hopefully they are too. Hopefully they feed off ma' passion. I'm hoping to build a great program here. I really am.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stewart has high hopes as well. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Tony's been around baseball a while, and his enthusiasm has breathed new life into the program,&quot; he said. &quot;In order to be successful, particularly at this level, you've got to recruit kids and keep them motivated so they stay. He's got a whole new approach and you can see it. There's a lot of teaching going on. He's doing classroom work as well as in the gym and on the field. He's gonna do well.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dismukes' wife Donna, herself a retired Navy commander, is a frequent presence in the stands at Cougar Field. She brings snacks for the players and coffee for her husband. &quot;She's our number one fan,&quot; he said. &quot;I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for her support and encouragement. She's wonderful.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Down 6-2 in the fourth inning of a recent home game, Dismukes offered his own southern brand of encouragement from the third base line that made it difficult to identify the players with any certainty. They all seem seem to have the same nickname &amp;ndash; Bubba. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;O.K., Josh, here we go, Bubba.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;O.K., Brennan, bring 'em down, Bubba.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;All right, Aaron. Here we go, Bubba.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They know they're doin' good if I call 'em Bubba,&quot; he said. &quot;Or Red Neck. If I call 'em Red Neck that's a compliment.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dismukes said the players were was excited by that first win against Quinsigamond, but he tries to keep them motivated even when they lose. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's funny, cuz I just told 'em the other day. I bring 'em in. I said, I want y'all to know something. I get excited when I see you guys improve. When y'all make a good play, when y'all hit the ball. That's great. I said, I might not show the emotion cuz I'm thinkin' of other things, but inside I'm paddlin' like a duck. Calm on top, but underneath, I'm paddlin' like a duck. I think that kinda got 'em riled up there, knowing that someone cares for 'em. We're not just out there going through the motions. We gotta have a purpose when we come here. That's why I'm passionate about it.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dismukes still plays baseball himself in the western Massachusetts &quot;30 and Over&quot; league during the summer and recalls with characteristic joy the season he played on the HCC team. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During one game as the starting pitcher, he had a no-hitter going into the fourth inning - until he gave up a home run. He doesn't credit the early inning success, though, to his having any great &quot;stuff&quot; on the mound. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was so slow they were just trying to kill the ball,&quot; he said. &quot;It was so fun. I loved it. I loved it. It was great. And it paid off. I'm a head coach. I'm livin' my dream now. If I can just move into the teaching profession and coach I could do this until I'm 90. That would be another story.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Yes it would.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY by CHRIS YURKO&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by DAVE ROBACK: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Coach D grips a baseball during a recent game. (Above) Coach D makes a trip to the mound.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9489" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/scholarship-sp19" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|65|165" FileName="x9489.xml" Name="Scholarship SP19" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/AC-SP19-STOREY.jpg" Title="Scholarship Reception" Abstract="The HCC community recognized this year's scholarship recipients and donors at a lunchtime reception on Thursday, May 9, in the HCC Bartley Center. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC student and scholarship recipient Elizabeth Busker with donor Melissa Storey." IntroCopy="HCC Foundation awards 231 scholarships worth nearly $250,000 for 2019-2020. " Date="2019-05-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student and scholarship recipient Catherine Carija '19 of Deerfield will be one of the keynote speakers at the May 9 Scholarship Reception.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Catherine-Carija.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation has awarded a record 231 scholarships to incoming, current and graduating HCC students for the 2019-2020 academic year, totaling nearly $250,000.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC community will recognize the awardees along with the donors whose generosity makes those scholarships possible at a lunchtime reception on Thursday, May 9, beginning at 11 a.m. in the HCC Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keynote speeches will be delivered by HCC alumni donor Gregory S. Schneider '90, co-founder and chairman of 3BL Media in Northampton, and scholarship recipient and graduating art major Catherine Carija '19 of Deerfield, who will be attending Mount Holyoke College in September. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I had been out of school for 34 years,&quot; said Carija. &quot;Lucky for me I found my way to HCC. I was greated so warmly by faculty and staff, and without the generosity of donors and HCC Foundation scholarships &amp;ndash;- all that belief in me &amp;ndash; I wouldn't be graduating now and going on to Mount Holyoke.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x9488.xml&quot;&gt;See the full list of 2019-2020 scholarship recipients.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The annual &quot;Scholarship Meet &amp;amp; Greet&quot; provides an opportunity for students to interact with the donors responsible for their awards. &amp;nbsp; Over the years, the HCC Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm of the college, has provided nearly $2.8 million in student scholarships while also investing in classroom equipment and technology for select academic and student support programs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The community is so invested in the foundation and in the college. It's quite impressive,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement. &quot;People are passionate about our mission and the work that we do, and that translates into life-changing financial support.&quot; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read about the history of HCC Foundation,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/foundation-at-50&quot;&gt;&quot;The Foundation at 50,&quot;&lt;/a&gt; from the Spring 2019 issue of &lt;em&gt;Alumni Connection.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Scholarship recipient and graduating art major Catherine Carija '19 of Deerfield will deliver one of the keynote speeches at the May 9 HCC Scholarship Reception. (Thumbnail) HCC president Christina Royal, HCC student and scholarship recipient Elizabeth Busker&amp;nbsp; with donor Melissa Storey at the May 2018 Scholarship Reception. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9479" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/new-grinspoon-sp19" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|165" FileName="x9479.xml" Name="New Grinspoon SP19" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Grinspoon-Zych.jpg" Title="Down to Business" Abstract="Two HCC students received Spirit Awards this year from the Harold Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative, which recognizes college students for their businesses. " ThumbnailAltText="Tim Zych, owner of Hampshire County Hot Rods, poses with HCC president Christina Royal and the Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative awards banquet April 24. " IntroCopy="HCC students win Grinspoon awards" Date="2019-04-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student Eric Grigoryan with HCC president Christina Royal&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Grinspoon-Grigoryan.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eric Grigoryan's dad put a camera in his son's hand when the boy was about 5 years old.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By 8,&amp;nbsp;the young Grigoryan was helping his dad, a professional photographer, at weekend weddings. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dad let his son fly solo when Eric was just a freshman in high school. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When I did my first wedding it was so stressful,&quot; Grigoryan said. &quot;My dad kinda pushed me. He was like, 'if you mess up this video, I'm refunding the couple, but if you nail this, I'm gonna start taking you to work with me.'&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He nailed it. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now 19, the Westfield resident runs his own videography business, GrigCinema, inspired by his father's, GrigPhoto. He has already won numerous awards for his work from organizations including the Future Business Leaders of America, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Hampden County District Attorney's Office. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now he can add another, a Spirit Award from the Harold Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A second semester business administration student at Holyoke Community College, Grigoryan received $1,000 for GrigCinema, plus another $500 for his table-top display and presentation at the Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative awards banquet April 24 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He was one of two HCC students recognized this year with Spirit Awards for their businesses. The other was 20-year-old Tim Zych, of Belchertown, owner of Hampshire County Hot Rods, who received $1,200. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We specialize in the sale of investment grade classic cars, from '30s street rods and '50s cruisers to some of the hottest muscle cars of the '60s and '70s,&quot; Zych said at the awards banquet, giving his elevator pitch to visitors who stopped by his table-top display. &quot;We're experts in the restoration of classic cars of all makes and models.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What sets Hampshire County Hot Rods apart? Zych is happy to tell you. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're different from other auto builders in the industry cause what they want you to do is buy a car and bring it to them,&quot; Zych said. &quot;They're going to restore it and charge you a service fee. It's going to be a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of headache. We cut all that out because we own all our own inventory. We buy cars from all over the country. We restore them and we sell a finished product to the consumer. I can tell you this: The cars we sell are better than when they rolled off the showroom floor.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like Grigoryan, Zych was inspired by family history. His great-grandfather was a diesel mechanic, his grandfather a passionate care enthusiast and his father, his business partner, a autobody technician and collision repair specialist. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I grew up surrounded by classic cars,&quot; said Zych, who is studying entrepreneurship at HCC. &quot;I've learned everything I know from my dad. I developed a real heavy passion for these classics. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do career-wise and I thought, why not leverage my passion for classic cars into a business that I could enjoy and be really successful at.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Zych said he plans to use the Grinspoon award money to upgrade some shop equipment and get a dealer's license that will allow him to expand his inventory. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My ultimate goal is to have a brick and mortar dealership where customers can come in and have that experience of being surrounded by these beautiful cars in a showroom,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Grigoryan, meanwhile, said he plans to invest his award money in education, enrolling in master classes online to learn more about filmmaking composition and lighting and perhaps buying some lighting equipment, &quot;basically to take my business a step further.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Grinspoon award judges were not the only ones impressed by these two young entrepreneurs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm really very proud,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal, one of many HCC guests at the Grinspoon banquet. &quot;They're polished, they have very good elevator pitches, their displays are inviting and aesthetically beautiful and they have great concepts,&quot; she said. &quot;Both of them have very interesting businesses, and they're already successful.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC student Robert Clark also received $100 for winning HCC's Elevator Pitch competition and representing the college at the awards banquet with his business idea for Ergiture, furniture kits with interchangeable components. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) HCC student Tim Zych, of Belchertown, owner of Hampshire County Hot Rods, poses with HCC president Christina Royal and the Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative awards banquet April 24. (Above) Zych and HCC student Eric Grigoryan, of Westfield, owner of GrigCinema, here with President Royal at the Grinspoon banquet, both won Spirit Awards for their respective businesses.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9449" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/che-award" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|227" FileName="x9449.xml" Name="CHE Award" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-CHE-award.jpg" Title="'Outstanding' Work" Abstract="HCC's Center for Health Education received the Brian R. Johnson Outstanding Business Award for its commitment to a 'school-to-career' internship program in Southwick. " ThumbnailAltText="Sue Jones, left, HCC patient simulation technician and Michelle Sherlin, HCC simulation lab coordinator, in one of the simulation rooms." IntroCopy="HCC's Center for Health Education receives award" Date="2019-04-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;award ceremony&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/CHE-award%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Center for Health Education is the recipient of the 2019 Brian R. Johnson Outstanding Business Award in recognition of its commitment to a &quot;school-to-career&quot; internship program at Southwick Regional High School.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The award is presented each year by the Business Education Alliance of Southwick, created in the 1990s by local business leaders to establish partnerships between schools and area employers. Johnson was a co-founder of the BEA. Its motto is &quot;Building Bridges Between School and Career.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Brian was one of the visionaries who had this idea to create a workplace-ready force of kids,&quot; said Maryanne Margiotta, career facilitator at Southwick Regional High School and coordinator of its Diversified Learning Experience program. &quot;We have internships at dozens of different places, from daycare centers to Westfield District Court, Baystate Medical Center, Noble Hospital, our local schools, the Westfield Fire Department, the Southwick Dept. of Public Works, personal trainers. Each year we give the award to one employer that we really feel exemplifies his vision.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year it is HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;About 30 high school seniors participate in the DLE program every year. During the last three semesters, HCC has hosted six to intern as patient simulation technicians in the Center for Health Education. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The award was presented to representatives from the Center for Health Education during a celebration dinner Wed., April 10, at Southwick Regional High School. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's quite an honor,&quot; said Michelle Sherlin, HCC simulation lab coordinator. &quot;We're very proud of our association with Southwick and happy to be able to offer such meaningful work experiences to students considering future careers in healthcare.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, the high school seniors worked inside the center's simulation suites and control rooms. &amp;nbsp;The simulation areas allow nursing and other HCC students studying health careers to practice their training in a simulated medical environment with computerized medical mannequins &amp;ndash; sims &amp;ndash; that can be programmed with ailments and diseases suffered by real patients. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The students worked 12 hours over three to five days each week for a whole semester, unpaid. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They learned how to put wounds on the sims,&quot; Sherlin said. &quot;They learned to write the scripts for different simulation exercises. They learned to program the medication dispensing system. They learned debriefing techniques, medical terminology and documentation. They learned to program and operate the audio-visual system. They learned about everything a patient simulation technician would need to know.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The students who interned at HCC had expressed an interest in healthcare. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We like to match an internship to what the student is exploring as a career field,&quot; said Margiotta. &quot;In many cases, an internship really cements their decision to pursue that as a career, but we've also had students who decide it's not for them. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For 17-year-old intern Brittany Penland, it was the former.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I want to be a nurse,&quot; she said. &quot;The internship was a great experience, even better than I expected.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Penland is heading to Fitchburg State University in September to study nursing. She said, beyond the work in the simulation center, Sherlin and patient simulation technician Sue Jones gave her a lot of helpful advice in her nursing education, such as what courses to take. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Margiotta said Penland's experience was typical of others who intern at HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The students have really enjoyed all their time there and generally don't want to leave when their internship is finished,&quot; she said. &quot;They just learn so much and are better prepared for a career.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumb)&amp;nbsp;Sue Jones, left, HCC patient simulation technician and Michelle Sherlin, HCC simulation lab coordinator, pose with the award in one of the simulation rooms at HCC.&amp;nbsp; (Above) &lt;em&gt;Isabel Cheffer, a senior at Southwick Regional High School.&lt;/em&gt; Cheffer presents the Brian R. Johnson Outstanding Business Award to Jones and Sherlin.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9457" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/adam-abdelrahman" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x9457.xml" Name="Adam Abdelrahman" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Adam-Abdelrahman.jpg" Title="A Shining Presence" Abstract="HCC criminal justice major Adam Abdelrahman '19 of Springfield will be honored Friday, May 3, at the State House in Boston as one of the &quot;29 Who Shine.&quot;" ThumbnailAltText="Adam Abdelrahman" IntroCopy="HCC's Adam Abdelrahman '19 to be honored as one of the &quot;29 Who Shine&quot;" Date="2019-04-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Adam Abdelrahman&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Adam-Abdelrahman.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first thing most people notice about Adam Abdelrahman is his smile &amp;ndash; big, bright, ever present.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's like a light that shines around him,&quot; says Denise Roy, one of his advisers at Holyoke Community College, where the 23-year-old Springfield resident will graduate June 1 with high honors and his associate degree in criminal justice. &quot;He has a pretty big presence here and in the community, and he has affected so many people. His heart is so big and he wants to do so much.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Abdelrahman will be honored May 3 at the State House in Boston as one of the &quot;29 Who Shine,&quot; an annual event that recognizes one student from each of the 29 public colleges and universities in Massachusetts based on their academic achievements as well as their college and community service. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Roy, a learning specialist with HCC's STRIVE student support program and a Feeding Hills resident, will also receive an award that day in Boston as Abdelrahman's staff mentor, whom he describes as a &quot;second mom.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm so proud of him,&quot; she says. &quot;If you think about how large his family is and what they've gone through and the violence they've experienced and the path he's chosen to get himself here, well, it's heroic.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Abdelrahman could easily be forgiven for NOT smiling. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He witnessed his first murder at the age of six, two cousins shot by soldiers from the Sudanese army who attacked his village in Darfur. His family spent the next seven years living in a refugee camp where sickness and murder were all-too prevalent.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I lost a lot of family members and tribe members,&quot; he said, including his grandfather, a local mayor. &quot;I faced death many times too.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When he was 14, the family escaped, trudging for two weeks through the jungle to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, before moving on to Cairo, Egypt, where they sought asylum through the United Nations. Three years later, the family &amp;ndash; Adam, his mother, father and six younger siblings &amp;ndash; were relocated to Springfield, Massachusetts. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We could have wound up anywhere,&quot; Abdelrahman recalls. &quot;Sweden, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. Anywhere. But America chose my family.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He spoke three languages when he arrived &amp;ndash; Arabic, Fur (his father's tribe's), and Dinkah (his mother's tribe's) &amp;ndash; but not a word of English. To get himself started, though, he joined the First Generation Theater youth group in Springfield, part of the Performance Project, where one of the artists recommended the academic ESL program at HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2014, he started in level one and progressed on an accelerated pace through level four, and then on to the regular academic program at HCC, majoring in criminal justice and earning many honors and accolades along with the way, including Dean's List (five times), three HCC Foundation scholarships (so far), a class achievement award for ESL, the Lorraine Hansberry Award for Ethnic Diversity, a scholarship from the Massachusetts Educational Opportunity Association, and induction into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He embraced campus life like few other HCC students in recent memory. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During his four-plus years at HCC, he has held a work-study job in the ESL program office and served on the HCC Student Senate. He was the president of the International Club, a New Student Orientation leader, a STRIVE peer mentor, an academic tutor, and a member of the Criminal Justice Club and eSports Club. He has also worn the college's Cougar mascot costume for HCC events and parades. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I love it here,&quot; he said. &quot;HCC became my family, pretty much. Everybody was so kind to me. Being a refugee and coming to a new country with a new culture and new language, I was very afraid in the beginning, but everyone was so supportive. It means so much to me.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He also has an impressive history of community engagement: volunteer ESL teacher at the Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts; mentor, advocate and translator for new Sudanese immigrants at Gray House and Jewish Community Services in Longmeadow. He has participated in letter-writing campaigns in support of immigrant rights and voter registration drives. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If that was not enough, he works full time as a residential counselor at ServiceNet in Chicopee. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He has applied for transfer to a long list of colleges and universities, including UMass, Boston University and Georgetown. He intends to study international law for his bachelor's degree, then go to law school and work on issues relevant to refugees and immigrants, possibly returning to the classroom as a professor. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I want to hold governments accountable for the terrifying and horrible things they do to their own people,&quot; he says. &quot;That's my main focus. I cannot stop war by myself, but at least I can contribute and work toward stopping it or preventing it before it happens.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Words like that make those who know him best smile too. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is why I do the work that I do and why I love my job,&quot; says Roy. &quot;I get to watch people like him grow and possibly change the world.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;STORY and PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Adam Abdelrahman&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9451" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/ugly-lies" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165|226" FileName="x9451.xml" Name="Ugly Lies" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202019/Ugly-walker.jpg" Title="Soldiering On " Abstract="&quot;Ugly Lies the Bone,&quot; the HCC Theater Dept.'s Spring 2019 production, presents the story of an injured combat veteran – a woman – returning to a home she no longer knows." ThumbnailAltText="Preview of Ugly Lies the Bone" IntroCopy="HCC Theater Department presents &quot;Ugly Lies the Bone&quot; April 25-27" Date="2019-04-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Scene from Ugly Lies the Bone&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202019/Ugly-reach.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There's an early scene in Lindsey Ferrentino's 2014 play, &quot;Ugly Lies the Bone,&quot; when the main character, Jess, admonishes her sister for removing a mirror from the wall of their childhood home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You don't have to change anything,&quot; says Jess, a soldier returning to civilian life. &quot;I don't want things different.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nevertheless, things are different. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her hometown of Titusville, Florida, is suffering an economic decline caused by the ending of NASA's space shuttle program. She can't find a job. Her mother has dementia. Her younger sister, Kacie, has a new boyfriend Jess thinks is a deadbeat. Her long-term sweetheart married someone else while she was deployed. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than that, Jess is different too, changed psychologically, the way all soldiers are who've served in combat, and physically, from an IED explosion that left debilitating burns on her face, neck, arm and leg for which she is still undergoing treatment. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She's dealing with the fact that she's not the same anymore, and neither is anyone in her sphere,&quot; says Holyoke Community College theater professor Tim Cochran, director of &quot;Ugly Lies the Bone,&quot; the &lt;a href=&quot;/x9370.xml&quot;&gt;HCC Theater Department's spring 2019 production&lt;/a&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The show opens Thurs., April 25, and runs through Sat., April 27, with performances each night at 7:30 p.m., and a matinee April 27 at 2 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The title comes from a short verse written by Albert Einstein that may sound familiar:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Beauty is but skin deep&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ugly lies the bone&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Beauty dies and fades away&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;But ugly holds its own&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The play interweaves the two main aspects of Jess's present life: her experience at home and her experience in virtual reality therapy &amp;ndash; a real type of burn treatment known as &quot;distraction therapy&quot; &amp;ndash; that helps relieve acute pain. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For much of the play, Jess, played by HCC student-actor Carina Savoie of Agawam, wears virtual reality goggles while the disembodied voice of her therapist (Idalisha Carmona of Westfield) guides her through a virtual world. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Jess really starts to embrace the escape she feels and the distraction from the past she vividly recalls,&quot; says Cochran. &quot;In the virtual world she can do anything. She can run, she can jump, she can be anybody she wants to be. But it's sort of false and it becomes addictive.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For help creating both the real and virtual worlds, Cochran turned to HCC theater professor Matt Whiton for stage and lighting design and electronic media arts professor Justin West for media design. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What they came up is a kind of fractured set and a series of scattered screens on and off stage that will display the digital images as Jess would see them through her goggles. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I wanted the audience to experience some of what Jess is with this virtual freedom,&quot; says Cochran, &quot;to watch the character in front of us, knowing that she can't do certain things anymore because of her pain.&quot; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For background, and to supplement the script, the cast and crew visited the Warrior's Art Room in Westfield and talked to veterans engaged in art therapy there. Warrior's Art Room founder Steve Jones '15, an Iraq war veteran and HCC alumnus, also visited the cast in the Leslie Phillips Theater and described his own combat experiences. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're trying to maintain some level of authenticity,&quot; says Cochran, &quot;and the students have been hungry to learn.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He also invited HCC student-veterans to audition and cast Keith Gordon of Chicopee, a veteran and National Guardsman as Kelvin, Kacie's out-of-work boyfriend, whose repartee with the tough, quick-witted Jess provides much of the play's comic relief.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Keith has been really instrumental helping us understand post-traumatic stress and the kind of hyper-vigilance Jess would experience,&quot; says Cochran, who had&amp;nbsp;long wanted to do a play that addressed veterans' issues. It took him almost 15 years to find a script that was also &quot;a good play.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a story we haven't seen on stage,&quot; he says. &quot;It's specifically a story about a female veteran and deals with the specific challenges a female soldier would face coming home. That's a unique perspective we don't hear a lot about.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cast: &lt;/strong&gt; Jess: Carina Savoie of Agawam; Voice: Idalisha Carmona of Westfield; Kacie: Hannah Labreche, of Holyoke; Stevie: Edward Rodriguez of Springfield; Kelvin: Keith Gordon of Chicopee; Mom: Haley Thompson of Westfield. &lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&quot;Ugly Lies the Bone,&quot; by Lindsey Ferrentino&lt;br /&gt;Directed by Tim Cochran&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke Community College&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;April 25-27, 7:30 p.m.;&amp;nbsp;April 27, 2 p.m.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Leslie Phillips Theater, Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Building&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Friday, April 26, performance is ASL-interpreted &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tickets:&amp;nbsp; $10 (general admission); $8 (students and seniors); $5 (HCC students, faculty and staff)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Free for veterans.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;For more information or to reserve a seat, call the box office at 413.552.2528&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: The cast of &quot;Ugly Lies the Bone&quot; rehearse a scene.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9444" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/interprofessional-day" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|3|355" FileName="x9444.xml" Name="Interprofessional Day" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-Nursing-teacher-student.jpg" Title="Student Swap" Abstract="Hundreds of college students preparing for careers in healthcare will participate in the first multi-campus, multi-facility Pioneer Valley Interprofessional Day on Tuesday, April 16." IntroCopy="Valley's first Interprofessional Day April 16" Date="2019-04-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC nursing instructor works with student&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/HCC-Nursing-teacher-student.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hundreds of college students preparing for careers in a variety of healthcare fields will participate in the first multi-campus, multi-facility Pioneer Valley Interprofessional Day on Tuesday, April 16.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Healthcare simulation events are planned for Holyoke Community College, Elms College, Western New England University, American International College, Bay Path University, Springfield College, Baystate Medical Center and Mercy Medical Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a first, and it's a big deal,&quot; said Michelle Sherlin, simulation specialist at the Holyoke Community College Center for Health Education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a partial exchange, colleges will swap students studying to be nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and social workers, giving them the experience of working side by side in a simulated medical setting with students from different fields.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Interprofessional education is a necessary part of the provision of healthcare today and students need to be prepared to work together and communicate with other types of healthcare professionals,&quot; Sherlin said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For instance, HCC will send two groups of nursing students to Western New England University to participate in an ambulatory care simulation and NARCAN training with pharmacy, physician assistant, occupational therapy and social work students there. Meanwhile, HCC will host pharmacy and OT students from WNEU and nursing students from Elms in a medical simulation involving a &quot;complex patient&quot; visiting a physician's office.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In that scenario, which Sherlin will be running, the patient simulator &amp;ndash; a computerized medical mannequin &amp;ndash; will be programmed with multiple medical issues, including diabetes, pneumonia, high blood pressure and renal failure.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The students will have to figure out what his needs are and plan collaboratively,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Small groups of students will alternately engage in the simulation scenario throughout the morning while others watch a video feed in a nearby conference room, followed by debriefings about what they did right and how they could improve patient treatment and their communication methods.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Spring 2019 Interprofessional Day is organized by the Pioneer Valley Interprofessional Collaborative, a consortium of area colleges and medical facilities, through the Healthcare Workforce Partnership of Western Massachusetts, an initiative of the MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information and description of all the day's events are available at: &lt;a href=&quot;https://bit.ly/2U5GiTH&quot; title=&quot;PV IPEC&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bit.ly/2U5GiTH&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;Instructor Kara Moriarty works with a nursing student in one of the simulation rooms in the Holyoke Community College Center for Health Education.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9406" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/shouts-mentors" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|70|165" FileName="x9406.xml" Name="SHOUTS Mentors" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/SHOUTS-group.jpg" Title="SHOUTS Shout-Out" Abstract="SHOUTS – Students Helping Out Students – is a new HCC mentor program and collaboration between STRIVE and HCC's Office for Students with Disabilities and Deaf Services. " ThumbnailAltText="SHOUTS mentors welcome visitors during a grand opening of the SHOUTS office March 27." IntroCopy="A new HCC student-mentoring program opens its office " Date="2019-04-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;STRIVE adviser Denise Roy, right, talks with SHOUTS mentors Sue Lawrence, center, and Kiara Taylor during an open house at the new SHOUTS office.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/SHOUTS-Roy.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;People often twist themselves silly trying to invent clever acronyms that are both readable and descriptive. Most attempts fail, leaving the confused masses tripping their tongues over seemingly random associations of letters, like those you might find stuck inside an empty can of alphabet soup.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SHOUTS, though, is a winner, an acronym that works as a powerful verb and an apt summary of the organization it represents &amp;ndash; Students Helping Out Students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This new mentoring group comprises students from two distinct but related Holyoke Community College support programs with their own acronyms:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/trio-programs&quot;&gt;STRIVE&lt;/a&gt; (Students Together Reaching Individual Visions of Excellence) and &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services&quot;&gt;OSDDS &lt;/a&gt;(Office for Students with Disabilities and Deaf Services). &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're like guides helping students find the right facilities and services,&quot; says SHOUTS mentor Valeria Flores of Holyoke. &quot;I like helping people.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although SHOUTS has been operating since the fall 2018 semester, the group recently celebrated the grand opening of its office on the first floor of the HCC Donahue Building, which it shares with the Assistive Technology Center in DON 140. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The door is hard to miss, marked on both sides by colorful cartoons &amp;ndash; original art courtesy of SHOUTS mentor Nevalle Ward of Springfield &amp;ndash; and large letters that visually shout, &quot;Welcome All Students!&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SHOUTS does not have regular hours, but is staffed at least several hours every day by shifts of SHOUTS mentors, who are all volunteers. Students can fill out a short form to be matched with a mentor and set up an appointment, or they can drop by anytime the office is open, and you'll know it's open because a string of blue holiday lights will be draped around the door. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When the blue lights are on, people can just come on in,&quot; says Denise Roy, a STRIVE learning specialist and a SHOUTS adviser. &quot;The mentors will give them any type of support they need.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SHOUTS started as a mentor club exclusively for STRIVE, an academic support program that serves first-generation, low-income and disabled students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;But we felt we were missing people,&quot; says Roy, &quot;so that's when we reached out to OSDDS. Now it's both our programs working together to make sure students get the support they need from a student's perspective.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Inside the SHOUTS office, books dangle from the ceiling. The walls are awash with bright colors and a time-management clock. A banner proclaims &quot;Good Vibes.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are two computer terminals and lots of comfortable chairs. The mentors are trained not just to answer questions but to provide practical and meaningful support, such as helping students log into Moodle (HCC's internal network), find their grades, upload a video or document for a class, make an appointment with an adviser, or find their way to HCC's Writing, Math or Tutoring centers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They're not tutors. They're really navigators,&quot; said Roy. &quot;They all go through training so they understand what their role is, what the special programs are on campus, and how they need to work with students so they make sure they're directing them to the right place.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SHOUTS mentors also offer moral support and guidance, as suggested by the preponderance of motivational phrases affixed to the walls, such as: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Yes, you can.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Work hard. Dream big.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Change your words, change your mind.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The decor, Roy said, reflects the students' vision and ideas. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If one student says to another, you can do it, they're more likely to believe it,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many of the 16 current SHOUTS mentors started as mentees seeking support and guidance. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the open house, Roy singled out SHOUTS mentor Kiara Taylor of South Hadley. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When she first came to the group, she was very shy,&quot; Roy said. &quot;She really wouldn't say a peep. Now she's leading campus tours. She's an NSO (New Student Orientation) leader. She's talking to tons of students all the time.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Taylor agreed. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This group is actually what helped me establish myself,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now she's hoping to do the same for others. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For many, it's a lifetime connection to the college,&quot; said Roy. &quot;A lot of mentees become mentors, so they pass it on.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;SHOUTS mentors welcome visitors during a grand opening of the SHOUTS office March 27. (Above)&amp;nbsp;STRIVE adviser Denise Roy, right, talks with SHOUTS mentors Sue Lawrence, center, and Kiara Taylor during an open house at the new SHOUTS office.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9445" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sas-open-house" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x9445.xml" Name="SAS Open House" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Riv-Rege-HCC-SAS-Club.jpg" Title="'Proud to be myself'" Abstract="Members of HCC's Students on the Autism Spectrum Club talked about their college experiences during an April 4 open house covered by the Daily Hampshire Gazette. " ThumbnailAltText="Riv Rege talks on a panel of students from HCC's Students on the Autism Spectrum Club for an open house April 4. " IntroCopy="Students on autism spectrum talk about campus life at HCC" Date="2019-04-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Riv Rege talks on a panel of students from HCC's Students on the Autism Spectrum Club for an open house April 4. &quot; height=&quot;505&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Riv-Rege-HCC-SAS-Club.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story appears in the April 12, 2019, print edition of the Daily Hampshire Gazette and online on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gazettenet.com/Holyoke-Community-College-hosts-open-house-for-prospective-students-on-autism-spectrum-24602889&quot; title=&quot;'Proud to be myself' HCC club offers resources, support for students on autism spectrum&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;GazetteNET&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By GRETA JOCHEM&lt;br /&gt; Courtesty of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gazettenet.com/&quot; title=&quot;Daily Hampshire Gazette&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Daily Hampshire Gazette&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gazettenet.com/&quot; title=&quot;Daily Hampshire Gazette&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Tiffany Cavanaugh was diagnosed with autism at age 5, but she didn't tell people about it until she was 14.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It took me a while to accept my diagnosis,&quot; she said, speaking on a panel of Holyoke Community College students last Thursday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cavanaugh knew some students at West Springfield High School who, like her, were on the autism spectrum, but she wasn't familiar with the larger community. That changed when she came to HCC in the fall of 2016 and joined Students on the Autism Spectrum, or SAS.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cavanaugh, 21, who is now the president of the SAS club and a liberal arts major who hopes to graduate this year, was one of nine students from the group who spoke to prospective HCC students last week about their experiences at the school and the importance of the club. The event, hosted by SAS and the school's admissions office, included the panel, a tour and other activities for a group of prospective students and their parents. It was part of a series of events put on by SAS in April to celebrate &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.autismacceptancemonth.com/&quot;&gt;Autism Acceptance Month&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The SAS leaders, who initiated last week's event, pointed out that &quot;there was a need in the community to share with potential students the resources available and the experience at the college for those individuals that indicate that they are on the autism spectrum,&quot; said Bryn Nowell,&amp;nbsp;an HCC admissions counselor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html&quot;&gt;1 in 59&lt;/a&gt; children has&amp;nbsp;been identified with autism spectrum disorder, which can include sensory sensitivity, a need for routine, and challenges with some social interactions. But as one panelist pointed out, it doesn't affect everyone in the same way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;No one can look autistic &amp;ndash; it is a spectrum,&quot; Tia Dwinell said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Panelists spoke about resources available through the Office for Students with Disabilities and Deaf Services, including how to receive extra time on tests, notes from classmates and assistive technology like speech recognition software.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That allows for our students to make sure they are receiving accommodations that allow them to be as successful academically as possible,&quot; Nowell said of the office and its services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many current students in SAS said that middle and high school was challenging for them socially, but now the student group gives them a sense of community and a support system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dwinell, of Granby, said she was not comfortable with her diagnosis in high school and often felt alone &amp;ndash; she was the only person she knew in her grade with autism. Her social worker suggested she come to SAS club, and it has helped.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In high school, Stefanie Lamothe, of East Longmeadow, was encouraged not to &quot;stim,&quot; which she explained is a way for her to process a tough situation like feeling overstimulated by doing a repetitive action like rocking or feeling her hair.&amp;nbsp;&quot;I was trying to do my own thing to cope,&quot; she recalled.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It can be hard to hide your autistic traits,&quot; Riv Rege said. In the group, students are encouraged to be themselves. &quot;You can experience your autism however you want,&quot; Rege said. &quot;I don't feel like I need to hide my autism traits.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The group is an attraction for prospective student Patrick Wilkinson, a high school junior in Wilbraham.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Damian Ramos, an 18-year-old graduate of Dean Technical High School in Holyoke who hopes to study computer software, said he wanted to learn more about the club.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alex Fisher, a junior at Easthampton High School, said there may be some students with autism in his school, but &quot;nobody really talks about it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many prospective students also reflected on their fears. After the panel, the SAS members put up large sheets of paper on the wall with writing prompts at the top about worries and hopes for college. Participants then wrote&amp;nbsp;their responses&amp;nbsp;on sticky notes. Their fears included &quot;losing motivation to continue,&quot; &quot;being on my own&quot; and &quot;dropping out.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In response to a prompt asking what prospective students are looking forward to in going to college, one person wrote, &quot;finding my passion.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other notes read &quot;having more freedom&quot; and &quot;meeting more people.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cavanaugh is glad she found the community she didn't have in high school with SAS. &quot;I love the autism community,&quot; she said on the panel.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And though not every day is easy, she added, &quot;I'm proud to be autistic and proud to be myself ... I wouldn't change it for anything.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Greta Jochem can be reached at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:gjochem@gazettenet.com&quot; title=&quot;Greta Jochem email&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;gjochem@gazettenet.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CAROL LOLLIS, Daily Hampshire Gazette:&amp;nbsp;Riv Rege talks on a panel of students from HCC's Students on the Autism Spectrum Club for an open house April 4.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9416" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hungry-caterpillar" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x9416.xml" Name="Hungry Caterpillar" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Hungry-Group.jpg" Title="Caterpillar Action" Abstract="Early education students at HCC helped celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the most famous characters in children's literature, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. " ThumbnailAltText="Early education students from HCC get ready to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Very Hungry Caterpillar. " IntroCopy="HCC students help celebrate 50th birthday of beloved children's book" Date="2019-03-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC students put their thumbprints on a birthday cake card they made for Eric Carle Museum's 50th anniversary celebration for the Very Hungry Caterpillar. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Hungry-Print.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anyone with even a cursory appreciation for children's literature knows the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the green, red-faced worm who eats through the pages of his own picture book to become &amp;ndash; spoiler alert &amp;ndash; a beautiful butterfly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Very Hungry Caterpillar is regarded as one of the most successful children's books of all time &amp;ndash; award-winning, best-selling and beloved. First published in 1969, the book launched author and illustrator Eric Carle to global renown.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This spring, as part of a Service Learning project, early education students at Holyoke Community College helped celebrate the 50&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary of Carle's most-famous charaacter at the museum he and his wife co-founded, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm excited because the students have brought so much creativity and energy to this event,&quot; said Meg Nicoll, an art educator at the south Amherst museum. &quot;It's been a really holistic process, and I think it's going to be a fantastic day.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students enrolled in HCC professor Sheila Gould's Curriculum in Early Childhood Education course were tasked with designing and facilitating an art activity for guests visiting the museum's Art Studio for the 50&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary celebration on March 24. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;One of the objectives of this course is to learn how to create lesson plans that are adaptable to children with a wide range of abilities,&quot; Gould said. &quot;It was a natural fit to work with the museum because the students were able to practice lesson plan writing and design engaging activities in a way that would impact the community. Essentially, it's taking what we would have done in the classroom for pretend and doing it here, in real life.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier in the semester, Gould broke the class into four teams, each responsible for coming up with an idea for an interactive project based on the book. They spent weeks on research, gathered during tours of the museum and Art Studio and conversations with Nicoll at the museum and in the classroom at HCC. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The students have come here several times to learn about our philosophy and approach and learn about the Art Studio and how we set up projects for guests,&quot; said Nicoll.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coached by HCC business professors Ellen Majka and Alison Sawyer, each team developed a lesson plan and pitch for their idea that they delivered before a panel of judges made up of museum and HCC staff. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the end, judges deemed best an idea to collaborate with museum guests to create a giant caterpillar on the Art Studio windows, and the teams then worked together to plan it out. In their classroom at HCC, the students created a four-foot-tall Very Hungry Caterpillar head that would serve as the starting point.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Very Hungry Caterpillar Day, the students enlisted children and other visitors to help construct the body of the caterpillar from materials they prepared in the Art Studio a few days before. The students also made a large cardboard birthday cake and invited guests to &quot;sign&quot; it with their thumbprints. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The museum celebrates Very Hungry Caterpillar Day every year, but the 50&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary promised to be an even bigger event, coinciding with the last day of The Very Hungry Caterpillar exhibit in one of the museum galleries. The students had signed up to work in the Art Studio in two-hour shifts.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For big events, we could have several hundred people coming through the Art Studio throughout the day,&quot; said Nicoll, &quot;so having the extra help is great and having the students here to help prepare the materials is huge cause we can go through a lot of art materials on a day like this.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the Thursday before the 50&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary event, HCC students spent the morning cutting paper and taking care of other last-minute details. HCC student Dylan Burns saturated stamp pads and securing them in plastic bags.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This has been an amazing opportunity, said Burns of Suffield, Conn., &quot;especially to be doing it for the 50&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary of the Very Hungry Caterpillar, and to be able to do something that is community based really means a lot.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/pg/HolyokeCommunityCollege/photos/?tab=album&amp;amp;album_id=10157102780944330&quot; title=&quot;Very Hungry Caterpillar facebook photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos in our Facebook photo album ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Early education students from HCC get ready to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Very Hungry Caterpillar at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst. (Above)&amp;nbsp;HCC students put their thumbprints on a birthday cake card they made for Eric Carle Museum's 50th anniversary celebration for the Very Hungry Caterpillar.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9442" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/coach-d" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|2" FileName="x9442.xml" Name="Coach D" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Dismukes-SMILE.jpg" Title="Who's on first? Coach D" Abstract="Fifty-four-year-old Tony Dismukes enrolled at HCC to plug a hole in his very long resume – playing college baseball. Now he's living his dream." ThumbnailAltText="Fifty-four-year-old Tony Dismukes is playing first base for the HCC Cougars this season." IntroCopy="&quot;I always wanted to play, and I have this very small window of opportunity. I decided to give it my best shot.&quot; – Tony Dismukes" Date="2015-05-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Fifty-four-year-old Tony Dismukes is playing first base for the HCC Cougars this season.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Dismukes-baseball12.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tony Dismukes has led quite a varied and colorful working life.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He joined the U.S. Navy after high school and served in radio communications aboard an aircraft carrier and a guided missile cruiser. He met his wife in the service, and they raised two children in Rhode Island and later in Belchertown, where he still lives and owns a hardwood flooring business.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After the Navy, he joined the Air National Guard. In recent years, he has worked as an airport officer for the national Transportation Security Administration. For a while, he was the technology education instructor at Monson High School, teaching architecture, engineering, manufacturing, and wood shop.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Aside from his family, the one constant through it all has been baseball.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Montgomery native was a star high school athlete at Central Alabama Academy and played for the Navy base team when he was stationed in San Diego. He even helped start a Babe Ruth league in Scotland during the three years he was stationed there.&amp;nbsp;He was the varsity baseball coach at Monson High for five years and has worked as an assistant baseball coach at Amherst College and Fitchburg State College and spent one summer as an assistant coach for the North Adams Steeplecats, a team in the New England Collegiate Baseball League.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His preferred courtesy title is &quot;coach&quot; &amp;ndash; &quot;Coach D.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've always loved baseball,&quot; says Dismukes, an affable and unmistakably Southern man, who smiles and laughs a lot and talks in a drawl thick as the proverbial molasses. &quot;I've just always been involved with it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His dream is to one day be a head college baseball coach. But in his search for jobs he's been told by athletic directors that there was one important qualification missing from his resume &amp;ndash; collegiate playing experience.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Until now.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This spring, the 54-year-old Dismukes plays first base for the Holyoke Community College Cougars.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I always wanted to play,&quot; says Dismukes, &quot;and I have this very small window of opportunity. I decided to give it my best shot.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To get ready, Dismukes began training two months before the semester started. He is thick-limbed and stocky, built like a wrestler, which he was in high school when he was a two-time Alabama state champion at the 126-pound weight class. He is somewhat heavier than that now, but still looks strong and fit.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I don't smoke or drink,&quot; he says. &quot;I'm in pretty good shape. I didn't expect to start cause these kids are great. It's not that I can't hit or catch like they can. I can. It's just that I'm slower.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He is by decades the oldest player on the team, older even than head coach John Crowley. When Dismukes first declared his intention to try out, Crowley says he didn't think he was serious. Dismukes quickly proved otherwise.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He works out. He's good in the cage,&quot; Crowley said before a recent home game where Dismukes was warming up for a start at first base. &quot;He's an inspiration for these kids. He's going for his dream. He's a real big help. He does whatever we say. He's just very motivated to play ball. I think he'll succeed.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the second game of the season, in his first at bat as a college baseball player, the right-handed Dismukes singled and drove in a run.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;So one of my dreams has already come true,&quot; he says. &quot;I'm just having a great time out there.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As the starting pitcher in a recent game, Dismukes had a no-hitter going into the fourth inning -- until he gave up a homerun.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;His whole family was there,&quot; said Coach Crowley. &quot;He was so proud of himself.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To be eligible for the team, Dismukes had to enroll as a full-time student, so he's taking classes he doesn't really need with no intention of pursuing a degree.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The nice thing is, I got to pick classes that will help me instead of taking classes I have to take,&quot; he says.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He's taking three courses for 12 credits: public speaking, computer applications and English grammar and writing. His teachers all understand his circumstances, and even though his grades don't matter, he takes his classes as seriously as baseball.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I don't like to do bad,&quot; he says. &quot;I wanna do good. And sometimes I don't get any sleep cause I'm writing a paper or doing something for school, and, to be honest with ya, my body I can feel starting to break down. I'm sore and tired all the time. As much as I love this, when these two months are over, it's gonna be like a vacation.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His schedule is one that would be rough on the toughest college student. He wakes up at 2 a.m. to get to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Lockes, Conn., for his 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. shift as an airport security officer. After work, he comes to HCC for classes. In the afternoon, he plays baseball, and he's usually in bed by 7 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I wished I woulda gone to college after high school, but I wasn't ready,&quot; he says. &quot;Academically-wise I wasn't there, to be honest with ya. It's kinda funny. This private school paid my way to play sports. I had a chance to go to college to play baseball and&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;wrassle,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;but I was too scared to go, so I joined the military.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC, though, is not his first stint as a college student. He earned a bachelor's degree in resource management from Troy University in Alabama while he was in the service. He subsequently earned an associate degree in business administration while his wife, a career naval officer, was stationed in Rhode Island.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She's the smart one,&quot; he says. &quot;I'm just the dumb jock. It took me a long time. I never did think I would get a degree. I'm just not a school person, but my wife kept pushing me to take classes.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At first, Dismukes says, he had to adjust to the mindset of being a player instead of a coach. At times, he's had to step back and simply listen.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Everybody's got their own way,&quot; he says, &quot;but I don't wanna say anything. I wanna do what they tell me to do and smile.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He says he picks up equipment like all the other players and he understands the unique experience he's gaining as a collegiate player.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Being on the other side in the locker room, hearing them joke around and talk about what they like about being on the team, what they dislike, that part as a player is very beneficial,&quot; he says. &quot;That's what I was missing as a coach. I'm always learning stuff.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Initially his teammates thought he was just another coach and he was worried they might not accept him as a player, even as they tried to guess how old he was. He says he gained their respect during a team push-up contest in which he came in second.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I can't say enough about these ball players,&quot; he says. &quot;They're scrappy, they're nice, they kid around with me. They treat me just like everyone else. I've been having the best time with them.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During tryouts, he bumped into a former student and junior varsity baseball player who recognized him from his days coaching at Monson High School.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He said, are you trying out for the team? I said, believe it or not, yes, I am, Matt. He said, that's great. I guess that means I can call you Tony. I said, let's get something straight. I'm an old, southern guy. During the season you can call me Tony, but after the season, it's back to Coach D.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Fifty-four-year-old Tony Dismukes is playing first base for the HCC Cougars this season.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9394" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/ombudsperson" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66" FileName="x9394.xml" Name="Ombudsperson" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Lea-Occhialini-portrait.jpg" Title="No problem too small" Abstract="Holyoke Community College has hired East Longmeadow resident Lea Occhialini as its first-ever ombudsperson and chief culture officer. " ThumbnailAltText="Lea Occhialini" IntroCopy="HCC hires its first-ever ombudsperson and chief culture officer" Date="2019-03-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Lea Occhialini talks to staf&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Lea-Occhialini-mic.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These are some of things Lea Occhialini does NOT do on the job:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She does not take sides. She does not act as a judge &amp;ndash; or jury. She does not impose solutions. She is not an advocate. She does not testify in disciplinary proceedings. She does not keep records of conversations. She might not say hello to you in the hallway.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These are some of the things she DOES do on the job: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She listens. She protects confidentiality. She remains impartial and maintains her independence. She periodically destroys her notes and deletes her calendar. She helps resolve conflicts, mediates disputes, clarifies rights and policies, talks through ethical dilemmas. She keeps track of workplace trends and reports them to the college president.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The things Occhialini does NOT do &amp;ndash; and the things she DOES do &amp;ndash; she now does for Holyoke Community College as its first-ever ombudsperson and chief culture officer. She started her new position March 4.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;First and foremost, the ombudsperson is a resource for faculty and staff,&quot; she said. &quot;My job is to protect their interests at all levels of the college and to promote fairness.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Occhialini &amp;ndash; pronounced &quot;Ock-a-lini&quot; &amp;ndash; previously served as the faculty and staff ombudsperson at Hampshire College and a mediator and trainer in the Smith College Office of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity. Prior to that, she worked as a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court qualified mediator for the Mediation and Training Collaborative in Greenfield and helped oversee the Massachusetts Attorney General's Face-to-Face mediation program in Holyoke, Northampton and Greenfield small claims courts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The idea to add an ombudsperson and chief culture officer to the college came from President Christina Royal. The ombudsperson does not work in human resources and reports directly to the president.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm excited about this new position,&quot; Royal recently told the HCC Board of Trustees. &quot;Although it's very common at four-year institutions, to my understanding, this is the first time a community college in Massachusetts has had an ombudsperson.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Occhialini grew up in East Longmeadow and still lives there. She attended Smith College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and women's studies. She also holds a law degree from American University's Washington College School of Law and a certificate in the foundations of organizational ombudsman practice from the International Ombudsman Association&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She has worked in mediation since 2013.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During a recent staff meeting, Occhialini explained the &quot;four pillars of the ombudsperson profession.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am confidential, neutral, independent and informal, and when I say I am confidential I mean I keep no records of who I meet with and what we talk about,&quot; she said. &quot;So, no one can go into my office, go into my emails and find that information, and any notes or calendar I keep are only available to me and I periodically destroy that. I take confidentiality very seriously.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are only two exceptions to that confidentiality, she said: she is obligated to take action in the event of a serious threat of imminent harm; she is also a mandatory Title IX reporter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the types of issues that might merit a visit to the college ombudsperson: disputes with colleagues or supervisors; clarification of rights and policies; advice on how to engage in a difficult conversation; ethical dilemmas; cultural misunderstandings; concern about potential discrimination or retaliation; a change that affects your working environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Any troubling life event that's affecting your ability to do your job to the best of your ability,&quot; she said. &quot;I think sometimes people think they can only come to me with these crazy, dramatic issues. I hope that every member of the faculty and staff will utilize my services. No problem is too big or too small.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Lea Occhialini, HCC's new ombudsperson and chief culture officer, explains her job at a recent staff meeting.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9400" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/foundation-at-50" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|65" FileName="x9400.xml" Name="Foundation at 50" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/AC_SP19_cover.jpg" Title="The Foundation at 50" Abstract="Over the past 50 years, the HCC Foundation has awarded close to $3 million in scholarships and helped support the construction of nearly every major HCC building project.   " ThumbnailAltText="Foundation at 50 graphic from Alumni Connection" IntroCopy="How the HCC Foundation became a philanthropic force" Date="2019-03-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Joseph Wright &amp;rsquo;54, center, and his wife Angela &amp;rsquo;54, left established one of the first foundation scholarships at HCC, with 2017-2018 scholarship recipient Manpreet Kaur and HCC Foundation board member Frances Kane &amp;rsquo;56.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Wrights-Kane-2-2017-HCC-scholarships-43.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note:&lt;/strong&gt; This story also appears in the &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/AC/AC_SP19_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Spring 2019 Alumni Connection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Spring 2019 issue&lt;/a&gt; of the Alumni Connection.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By JANICE BEETLE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After completing his military service in 1952, Joseph. Wright wanted to take advantage of the GI Bill. One day, wearing his U.S Army Air Corps uniform, he visited the office of George E. Frost, then the director of Holyoke Junior College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I walked in and said, 'I really want to go to college, but I don't know a thing about it,'&quot; Wright recently recalled. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I can help you with that,&quot; Frost replied.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Throughout Wright's two years at Holyoke Junior College &amp;ndash; later to become Holyoke Community College &amp;ndash; Frost continued to help Wright and the many other students who he mentored over the years. In 1968, though, it was Frost who needed assistance.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The former Holyoke High School building on Sargeant Street where the college had been established burned down on Tuesday, Jan. 4. Frost &amp;ndash; and other city leaders &amp;ndash; turned to Wright for help launching a corporation that could raise money to rebuild the college on a new campus. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Friends of Holyoke Community College was incorporated as a nonprofit on Aug. 1, 1968. Charged with fundraising, it was one of the first organizations of its kind in the country affiliated with a community college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wright became a founding board member. At 88, he only recently stepped down, having served the organization &amp;ndash; now known as the HCC Foundation &amp;ndash; for all of its 50 years.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's spectacular how the foundation has grown,&quot; says Wright, now an emeritus board member. &quot;It's one of the most successful community college foundations anywhere.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation is certainly one of the most successful community college foundations in the state, according to Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement for HCC and the foundation's executive director. With total assets of more than $14 million, including investments of $13.4 million, HCC has the largest endowment of any community college foundation in Massachusetts. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation, like its antecedent, The Friends of Holyoke Community College, exists solely to support students and the mission and programs of HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In its early years, the foundation helped pay for the development of the original two buildings (A and B, now Frost and Donahue) on the new Homestead Avenue campus. Since then, through capital campaigns, public investments and private donations, the foundation has helped support the construction of every other major building project in HCC history, such as The David M. Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation, the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, the Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center on Maple Street, the Center for Health Education on Jarvis Avenue, the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street, and, most recently, the Center for Life Sciences, which opened on the first floor of the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Building for the start of the Fall 2018 semester. Over the years the foundation has provided nearly $2.8 million in student scholarships while also investing in classroom equipment and technology for select academic and student support programs.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The community is so invested in the foundation and in the college. It's quite impressive,&quot; Sbriscia says. &quot;People are passionate about our mission and the work we do, and that translates to life-changing financial support.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A 30-member board now oversees the foundation. David Bartley, an alumnus from the class of 1954 and the college's second president &amp;ndash; he took the reins after Frost &amp;ndash; is one of the current board members. Many say it was Bartley's passion and innovation that enabled the foundation to thrive. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Elaine Ironfield, who served as the foundation's executive director in the 1980s, explains that after the Homestead Avenue campus opened in February 1974, city leaders considered the work of the Friends corporation complete. The $200 remaining in its coffers was given to the HCC Alumni Association, and the Friends became inactive. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the early 1980s, Bartley appointed Ironfield, a faculty member at the time, to run the HCC development office. Her charge included a mandate to revive the fundraising corporation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We had enough of the original board members in Holyoke who were still available and willing to come together,&quot; Ironfield says. &quot;The Alumni Association gave the $200 back.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 1985, the name of the organization was changed to the Holyoke Community College Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and the state approved the amendment on July 30, 1985. The board at that time included Wright '54, his classmate Bartley '54, Maurice Ferriter '52, Patrick Bresnahan '57, and the late Alan Taupier '55. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bartley, now 84, says the foundation was a mechanism through which leaders of HCC could introduce the college to members of the community. His goal was to reach more than alumni.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We had to find some way, other than just relying on the state, to provide money,&quot; he says. &quot;This was a project for the community.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ironfield says a consultant who helped them get started advised, &quot;You've got to tell your story.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the next few years, HCC played host once or twice a week to friends of the college and businesses in the area. They were treated to a breakfast and then offered a tour of the campus. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;People needed to see what we did,&quot; Ironfield says. &quot;We'd talk about the college and what was happening there, and we'd take them into the classrooms.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That was just common sense &amp;ndash; to show people what we had,&quot; Bartley says. &quot;We needed to show it off.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bartley often made the point to potential donors that HCC provided a steady stream of transfer students to Mount Holyoke, Smith, Westfield State, and the University of Massachusetts. And he was careful to note that HCC served the region. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are not the Holyoke community college,&quot; he would say. &quot;We are the regional community college, located in Holyoke. We serve Holyoke, Westfield, Chicopee, Northampton. This is not just for Holyoke.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Francis Kane '56, a longtime member of the foundation board, says Bartley called the foundation's growth campaign &quot;friend-raising,&quot; a common term nowadays. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Patiently, he brought different groups in for tours,&quot; he says. &quot;The college became better known. It did raise friends and dollars at the same time. It was well thought out by President Bartley and Elaine Ironfield. They worked extremely well together.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ironfield says the foundation began to really build support in the late 1980s. Individual and corporate gifts began to flow in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sbriscia says that through the work of the foundation board, Ironfield and Sbriscia's predecessor, Erica Broman, the foundation saw steady and impressive growth in its endowment, which is now close to double what it was a decade ago. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 1987, the foundation awarded its first scholarship &amp;ndash; the only one that year. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wright, and his wife, Angela, who met one another while studying at Holyoke Junior College, founded the&amp;nbsp;Angela '54 and Joseph '54 Wright Scholarship, one of the first of the roughly 140 scholarships the foundation manages today. Other early&amp;nbsp;scholarships were established by&amp;nbsp;George Boudreau '66 and his brother Paul '67 &amp;ndash; a former chair of the foundation board &amp;ndash; Elena and Frank Cataldo, and the late professor emerita Elaine Marieb '80. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We saw establishing scholarships as our primary mission,&quot; says Ironfield, noting that in the past 20 years, Broman, now at Westfield State University, brought huge growth to the foundation, in part as a result of $1 million capital campaign gifts from Yankee Candle founder Michael Kittredge&amp;nbsp;'73 in 2003 and Marieb in 2014.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Those were key milestones and set the foundation on the path it's on now,&quot; says Ironfield, a longtime donor herself. &amp;nbsp; &quot;How can you ask people for money when you aren't giving it yourself? I believe in the foundation. I believe in the college.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kane says the scholarship program was a critical piece of the foundation package as it allowed the college to hold events at which donors had the opportunity to meet grant recipients. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That really turns on donors,&quot; he says. &quot;It's much more powerful than asking for money for desks.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In May 2018, 215 HCC students received financial awards through scholarships established by alumni, board members, businesses and members of the community. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Further evidence of the foundation's impact is visible on donor plaques throughout the HCC Kittredge Center, the Center for Health Education and other HCC buildings. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This growth has enabled HCC to respond to the needs of our community,&quot; says Sbriscia. &quot;Every day, foundation funds inspire our students and help them thrive, whether that's through facilities, equipment, programs or scholarships.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wright and his wife, Angela, continue to support the original scholarship they created as well as several others. Each spring, they attend the scholarship banquet and meet the students who benefit from their generosity. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's a must,&quot; he says. &amp;nbsp; He continues to be impressed by Frost's vision for HCC. In the early days, he notes, Frost recruited professors with PhDs to teach part time. Many were department chairs from premier private colleges, such as Smith and Mount Holyoke.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wright credits his HCC education for preparing him to transfer to Boston University and launching his career in retail. By the time he retired, he was executive vice president of the New England division of Waldbaum Inc., the supermarket chain. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His loyalty to HCC is unwavering. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I had a meeting recently with a friend at Boston University, my alma mater,&quot; Wright says. &quot;I said to him, 'Don't send me any appeals. My heart belongs to Holyoke Community College.&quot; &amp;nbsp; He adds, &quot;Whenever I get the chance to talk to HCC students, I tell them, 'Never forget the opportunity you got here that laid the foundation for the rest of your life.' George Frost did that for me.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: (Above) Joseph Wright '54, center, and his wife Angela '54, left who established one of the first foundation scholarships at HCC, congratulate 2017-2018 scholarship recipient Manpreet Kaur, with HCC Foundation board member Frances Kane '56 at right.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9386" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/training-station" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="227|194" FileName="x9386.xml" Name="TRAINing Station" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-TRAIN-Zenaida.jpg" Title="TRAIN(ing) Station" Abstract="HCC is leading a Pioneer Valley initiative to help unemployed and underemployed individuals acquire the skills they need to secure – and retain – stable jobs.   " ThumbnailAltText="Zenaida Torres-Ortiz of Holyoke slices apples for butternut squash soup, part of a culinary exploration portion of the new TRAIN Job Readiness program now taking place at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute." IntroCopy="HCC leading new job-readiness initiative" Date="2019-03-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Kermit Dunkelberg, assistant vice president of Adult Education and Workforce Development, talks to students on the first day of classe for the TRAIN job readiness program. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/TRAIN-Kermit.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although Melanie Rojas already holds a bachelor's degree from Mount Holyoke College, she has had a difficult time finding regular employment since graduating in 2015. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the most part, she has been focused on taking care of her disabled daughter. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's been hard to find a job that fits my time schedule,&quot; she said. Now, Rojas is part of a new workforce program she hopes will give her a boost toward a career. It's called the TRAIN Job Readiness Program. Holyoke Community College is leading this new initiative, which seeks to help unemployed and underemployed individuals acquire the job-readiness skills they need to secure &amp;ndash; and retain &amp;ndash; stable employment. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The program really works with you to try to find the best fit, and I feel I need some help finding a job that would be a good fit,&quot; Rojas said. In November, HCC and its partners were awarded a $247,000 grant from the Mass. Dept. of Higher Education's Training Resources and Internship Networks initiative &amp;ndash; TRAIN &amp;ndash; to develop a three-stage program that includes training in job readiness, industry-specific training in culinary arts or manufacturing, followed by internships with local employers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's partners in the TRAIN Pioneer Valley Consortium project include the MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board, the MassHire Franklin Hampshire Workforce Board, the MassHire career centers in Holyoke, Springfield, and Franklin and Hampshire counties, Springfield Technical Community College, and Greenfield Community College. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The goal is to connect each job seeker with supports, career exploration and skill building to help them land their next job and start their next career,&quot; said Kermit Dunkelberg, HCC assistant vice president of Adult Basic Education and Workforce Development. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Up to 120 individuals from Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties are expected to participate in some way. The first cohort of students started their training March 11 at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We hear from employers all the time, and we hear it from every sector, that many applicants lack basic job readiness skills &amp;ndash; things like customer service, communication, conflict resolution, time management,&quot; said Dunkelberg. &quot;They say, we can train them to do the work, but we need them to have these basic things. What we're trying to do here is develop a regional model.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, the University of Massachusetts Auxiliary Dining Services in Amherst, the Log Cabin Group in Holyoke, MGM Resorts in Springfield, Peerless Precision Inc. in Springfield, Bete Fog Nozzle Inc. in Greenfield, and the Pioneer Valley Hotel Group have agreed to provide internship, apprenticeship, or job shadowing opportunities to program participants. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The other piece that all our research in the region shows is that people lack the hands-on experience of working in an industry,&quot; said Dunkelberg. &quot;We're trying to connect them to those opportunities as well, so they can see what the expectations are on the job and for employers to be able to try somebody out and see what they can do.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC worked with the regional career centers to develop a three-week, 60-hour &quot;essential skills/job-readiness&quot; pre-training course that will be offered at least four times at locations in the three Pioneer Valley counties. Job readiness workshops will begin in Greenfield on March 25, again in Holyoke on April 8, and in Springfield on May 6. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These will really focus on professional behavior, punctuality, attire, teamwork,&quot; he said. &quot;Communication is huge &amp;ndash; and customer service. Customer service across the Valley is something that employers recognize needs to be improved.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The pre-training segment also includes career exploration. &amp;nbsp; In the past, job readiness training has been incorporated into other workforce training programs HCC has offered, and that will continue, Dunkelberg said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Really, you can't do enough of it, so it's not just something that will be done at the front end and never addressed again,&quot; he said. &quot;People need to keep practicing these skills over and over because these are the things that not only prevent people from being hired, but prevent people from staying in a job, so it's also about job retention.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After the pre-training, participants have the opportunity to continue into one of the industry-specific training segments: a four-week, 120-hour program in culinary arts and hospitality at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute; or a 44-hour manufacturing training program at STCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also, participants might instead choose to enter another industry-specific training program offered by one of the community colleges. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Someone could go into healthcare training, it that was the right fit for them, or straight into the college,&quot; Dunkelberg said. &quot;We're mainly looking to get people ready for employment but we definitely want to encourage everyone to think about their long-term educational pathway. The great thing is it's customizable, according to an individual's needs and their interests and skills.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rojas, who holds a bachelor's degree in English and Spanish, said that ultimately she would like to work in translation or teaching. She is most looking forward to the work experiences the TRAIN program offers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I feel like if I get my foot in the door I could make a good impression,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Zenaida Torres-Ortiz of Holyoke slices apples for butternut squash soup, part of a culinary exploration portion of the new TRAIN Job Readiness program now taking place at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. (Above)&amp;nbsp;Kermit Dunkelberg, assistant vice president of Adult Education and Workforce Development, talks to students on the first day of classe.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9389" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/leadership-luncheons" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|65" FileName="x9389.xml" Name="Leadership Luncheons" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Leadership.jpg" Title="Featured Leaders" Abstract="HCC president Christina Royal and alumna Beth DeGray '99 are two of the featured presenters at an upcoming Women's Leadership Luncheon series beginning March 22. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC alumna Beth DeGray '99 and HCC president Christina Royal are two of the featured presenters at an upcoming Women's Leadership Luncheon series. " IntroCopy="The four-part Women's Leadership Luncheon Series begins Friday, March 22, at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute." Date="2019-03-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Beth DeGray and Christina Royal&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Leadership.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College president Christina Royal and HCC alumna Beth DeGray, managing partner of Log Cabin/Delaney House are two of the featured presenters at a spring Women's Leadership Luncheon Series hosted by the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The four-part, monthly &quot;Leadership in Your Future 2019&quot; series kicks off Friday, March 22, and continues on April 26, May 24, and June 28. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each of four presenters will sit at a different table and speak on a subject of their choosing. Over the course of the four-session series, they will rotate among the tables so guests have the opportunity to hear all the presentations. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The four presenters are: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ashley Allen&lt;/strong&gt;, vice president of Marketing for Health New England (&quot;What is a Career? &amp;amp; Designing Your Career Destiny&quot;) &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Beth DeGray '99&lt;/strong&gt;, managing partner at Log Cabin/Delaney House/D. Hotel Suites &amp;amp; Spa (&quot;Mentoring &amp;amp; Being Mentored&quot;) &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Christina Royal&lt;/strong&gt;, president of Holyoke Community College (&quot;Authentic Leadership in an Age of Disruption&quot;) &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shannon M. Rudder&lt;/strong&gt;, executive director of Providence Ministries, Inc. (&quot;Building Your Coalition&quot;) &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The luncheons will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St. Lunch will be prepared and served by students in the HCC Culinary Arts program. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The series will provide an opportunity to learn from women leaders of area institutions and a chance for participants to network with their peers and gain insights on building their own careers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cost is $150 for all four sessions. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Seats are limited. To reserve a spot, please call Jordan Hart at 413-534-3376 or send an email to &lt;a href=&quot;hart@holyokechamber.com &quot; title=&quot;Jordan Hart email&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;hart@holyokechamber.com&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can also register online at &lt;a href=&quot;http://holyokechamber.com&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke chamber&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;holyokechamber.com&lt;/a&gt; under &quot;Events.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9385" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/advanced-prep" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x9385.xml" Name="Advanced Prep" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Sanchez-HHS.jpg" Title="Advanced Prep" Abstract="A new partnership between HCC and Holyoke Public Schools is helping high school students prepare for college and get an early start on their degrees.  " ThumbnailAltText="Alex Sanchez is one of four HCC professors teaching Early College classes this spring to sophomores at Holyoke High School." IntroCopy="Through HCC's Early College program, Holyoke High School students are getting a head start on their college degrees." Date="2019-03-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Alex Sanchez is one of four HCC professors teaching Early College classes this spring to sophomores at Holyoke High School.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Sanchez-HHS-gloves.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College professor Alex Sanchez's 8:20 Friday class begins with the usual commotion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students file in and out. There's a lot of end-of-the-week chatter combined with the vibration of awkwardly conjoined chairs and desks grating on linoleum as students wrestle into a comfortable orientation.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once they settle, Sanchez offers a mild rebuke about missing assignments and a reminder that they are now halfway through the spring semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You should check your grades,&quot; he says.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The day's lesson starts with a discussion of recent news headlines that relate to the subject of the class, Introduction to Criminal Justice.&amp;nbsp;One student mentions the expanding legal troubles of the rapper R. Kelly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They've got a video,&quot; she says.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Another brings up the gruesome story of the Colorado father arrested for allegedly murdering his wife and two daughters and disposing of their bodies in an oil tank. This leads into a lecture about the mundane nature of most police patrols, crime scene investigations and other such subjects that he seasons with tales from his 20 years as a police officer in Springfield. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've got a funny story about that,&quot; he says, before launching into what is more often than not a self-deprecating yarn in which he is the subject of the farce, like seeing his first corpse as a rookie (and then walking through the crime scene), crashing his cruiser into a stolen car (and letting the thief get away), being confronted with a large, sweaty, confused, naked man suspected of B&amp;amp;E, and answering calls about problem animals, such as a rabid racoon or a large moose. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Inevitably, they're laughing.&amp;nbsp;He understands the material &amp;ndash; and this audience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The course is one Sanchez has taught routinely throughout his 13 years as a professor of criminal justice at HCC. The main difference here is that he is teaching this course at Holyoke High School, which he once attended. The students are all sophomores in their mid-teens. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even so, at the end of the school year, if they pass his class, they will each earn three college credits. Similarly, in another Holyoke High School classroom, an HCC professor is teaching Introduction to Health Careers (for three credits), a third Introduction to Robotics (a four-credit lab science course), and a fourth Mass Communications (three credits) &amp;ndash; the same courses offered on the nearby HCC campus for students in degree-seeking programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Welcome to Early College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Early College is a new partnership between HCC and the Holyoke Public Schools meant to prepare high school students for college-level work, get them closer to a college degree, and help them defray the costs of their college educations.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In June, the state awarded HCC and HPS a $131,600 grant to establish the program, one of five such partnerships &amp;ndash; and the only one outside the Boston area &amp;ndash; to receive an official&amp;nbsp;&quot;Early College&quot; designation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Many young people need an opportunity to see themselves in college so they can know it is possible for them,&quot; Carlos Santiago, Mass. commissioner of Higher Education, said when the grants were announced. &quot;By giving high school students, particularly those who will be the first in their families to attend, the chance to succeed in college-level courses before they earn a high school diploma, we give them the confidence to know that a college degree is within their reach.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In Holyoke, Early College works like this. At the end of their freshman years, all Holyoke High School students must now choose a high school academy that follows one of four programs of study: Community and Global Studies; Technology, Engineering and Design; Medical and Life Sciences; or Performing and Media Arts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, up to 100 freshman each year can also elect to enroll in Early College. In the fall term of their sophomore years, these students take a special class at Holyoke High School known as AVID &amp;ndash; Advancement via Individual Determination. The AVID class focuses on teaching students basic college skills, such as how to read a textbook, write a college paper, take notes and manage their time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The AVID classes meet five days a week but on Mondays and Fridays in the spring term, the class is turned over to the HCC professors who teach their college courses. And on Wednesdays, HCC sends professional tutors from the college to work with students in each of the four classes &amp;ndash; classes chosen to align with the four high school academies. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Early College curriculum was created jointly by faculty and staff from HCC and Holyoke Public Schools.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC already had a robust dual enrollment partnership with Holyoke Public Schools, as we do with more than 30 other high schools,&quot; said Renee Tastad, HCC dean of Enrollment Management and College Access Programs. &quot;The Early College program kicks the preparation and support up a notch.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At full capacity, in fall 2020, up to 300 students in grades 10-12 will be part of the program. Next fall, as juniors, the 76 sophomores now taking college courses at Holyoke High School will take at least one course on the main HCC campus. By the time they graduate from high school, the participating students will earn a minimum of 12 college credits they can apply toward a degree at HCC or transfer to another college or university. And those credits won't cost them anything.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to studies, dual enrollment courses and early college programs boost college completion rates for low-income students, minorities and first-generation college goers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our dual enrollment kids are much more successful than our regular population, with a 90 percent course pass rate compared to 70 percent,&quot; Tastad said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In early March, the Holyoke Public Schools announced a marked increase in the high school graduation rate and a decrease in the district's dropout rate over the past five years, crediting, in part, expanded academic opportunities, such as the district's dual enrollment partnership with Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since 2013, the number of Holyoke High School students taking college classes at HCC has increased from two to 72 in the fall of 2018. Those numbers don't include the 76 now enrolled in Early College or another 40 from Holyoke in HCC's Gateway to College program, which puts high school dropouts and students at risk for dropping out into college classes where they earn credits toward their high school diplomas and toward a college degree. With a graduation rate of 76 percent, HCC's Gateway program has been held up as a national model of success. Many continue on at HCC after completing the Gateway program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In our experience, with proper challenge and support, students who never envisioned college for themselves can find success in college coursework, see themselves as college students, and start on the path toward earning a degree,&quot; Tastad said&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Alex Sanchez is one of four HCC professors teaching Early College classes this spring to sophomores at Holyoke High School. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9387" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/culinary-arts" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165|194" FileName="x9387.xml" Name="Culinary Arts" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-Culinary-Jasiah-Scott.jpg" Title="Culinary Delight" Abstract="A year after HCC opened its new facility in downtown Holyoke, the college's Culinary Arts program continues to grow – and impress.    " ThumbnailAltText="HCC culinary arts student Jasiah Scott of Springfield helps prepare bowls of Vietnamese pho soup for a Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. " IntroCopy="HCC Culinary Arts program continues to grow – and impress" Date="2019-03-22" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Michael Serrano prepares salmon fillets&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/HCC-culinary-Serrano.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During his first semester as a culinary arts student at Holyoke Community College, Tyler Carrier wrote a paper about a commercial kitchen appliance known in the industry as an Alto-Shaam, after the company that manufactures them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An Alto-Shaam is a special kind of oven, a &quot;combitherm&quot; oven to be exact. The beauty of the &quot;combi&quot; is that it can cook using steam or convection heat or some combination of the two.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the time, Carrier had never used an Alto-Shaam nor had he ever seen one. That was the assignment: Write about an unfamiliar piece of kitchen equipment. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was researching fancy equipment, and that came up,&quot; he remembers. &quot;I thought it was really cool.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A fall 2017 graduate, Carrier earned both his Culinary Arts certificate and associate degree in Food Service Management from HCC. He now works for the college as a lab tech at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, ordering food and supplies, keeping the kitchens clean and helping out with classes.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 20,000-square-foot, $6.43-million facility opened in January 2018. Since then, Carrier has spent a lot of time in the institute's five, gleaming, stainless steel kitchens. His favorite is the first-floor production kitchen, the most advanced and the one designed like a professional, European-style, restaurant kitchen. He likes the layout, and he likes the tools. Among the modern, high-tech appliances and fixtures is an Alto-Shaam, and that, he says, is &quot;super cool.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When I first came to the program as a student, this was only talk,&quot; the 21-year-old Easthampton resident says about the insitute. &quot;There were no pictures. There were no diagrams of the new kitchens. And then I got to be part of the process. So, for me, going from being a student in the old facility to working with students in the new facility, I'm super excited, and I'm very grateful to be part of it.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute occupies the first two floors of a renovated industrial building called The Cubit in downtown Holyoke, Mass. It has been a tremendous hit with students, faculty, staff, state and local officials, employers and community groups since day one.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are so excited,&quot; HCC student Behnam &quot;Ben&quot; Alimarzei '18 said at the time, speaking soon after the opening for himself and on behalf of his culinary arts classmates. &quot;Everything's brand new. New building. New equipment. New technology. It's beautiful.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students were so eager to get in they began showing up an hour and half early for classes on the first day of the Spring 2018 semester when the Culinary Arts Institute officially opened.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is what I was hoping for, and I'm all excited about it,&quot; Chef Warren Leigh, chair of the Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts programs, said then. &quot;If I'm a student, I'm thinking, this is my place.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The old place, on the main HCC campus, was stale as old bread, undersized and out of date. Before the move downtown, HCC's Culinary Arts program lived on the second floor of one of HCC's oldest academic buildings. The program space included a single, all-purpose teaching kitchen (for both credit and noncredit programs) and a small bakeshop, plus an adjacent room for special events. It was tight, without a pinch of room to grow.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is one of only a handful of public colleges or universities in Massachusetts to offer a program in culinary arts and it is the only one with a culinary arts program accredited by the American Culinary Federation, offering both a one-year certificate and two-year associate degree. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC offers students the opportunity to complete a culinary school or university-caliber culinary education at an affordable price and with a unique level of attention and support,&quot; says Kristine Ricker Choleva, interim dean of Business and Technology. &quot;Students leave the program poised to enter the workplace or move on to further education.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Talk of finding an off-campus home worthy of the program began in earnest in 2014 after the announcement that MGM Resorts International would be building a $960 million resort-casino in Springfield and the realization that hundreds of new culinary and hospitality jobs would follow, putting increased demand on an industry that was already underserved.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The idea got a boost that year when the state awarded HCC a $1.75 million economic development grant to build a cutting-edge, culinary arts center in Holyoke's Innovation District that would continue the revitalization of the city's downtown and also address regional employment needs. In subsequent years, as planning continued and a location secured, HCC received additional financial support from both public and private sources: the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the city of Holyoke, the governor's office, the HCC Foundation, and MGM.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The result was a $6.43 million facility in the square, red-brick former factory known as The Cubit on the corner of Race and Appleton streets, right along the city's second level canal.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the grand opening celebration in April 2018, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito noted the small part the governor's office played in its development, with a $229,000 allocation through the state Executive Office's Workforce Skills Capital Grant Program &quot;to put in state-of-the-art equipment that you have all been able to see today.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a learning lab,&quot; she said. &quot;Allowing people to learn the subject matter and then apply it to hands-on learning &amp;ndash; there is no substitute for that. And this is a learning lab that we are looking to replicate in other parts of the state, not just in culinary arts, but in advanced manufacturing, engineering and life sciences.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other organizations took notice. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In June 2018, the Boston Foundation awarded HCC won the Deval Patrick Prize, which recognizes community colleges that do an outstanding job partnering with employers to build effective career pathways for their students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In announcing the award, Rosalin Acosta, Mass. secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, cited HCC's efforts to scale up the labor pool to meet the needs of employers in the hospitality and food service industry, add workforce training programs for job seekers and incumbent workers, align the curriculum to meet industry needs, develop stackable workforce credentials, and increase community engagement around issues such as food insecurity. Most impressive, she said, was the opening of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in HCC's Innovation District.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The facility is the region's only state-of-the-art hospitality and culinary arts center and will help increase experiential learning opportunities, especially for hands-on training,&quot; she said. &quot;This is a primary example of Holyoke Community College's amazing ability to anticipate a workforce need and partner with an employer to address that need.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC students and staff now have at their disposal five kitchens, each with a unique design and purpose, a large banquet-sized dining room, three smart classrooms, staff offices, lockers, conference space, student lounges, and much more. The facility is big, open, airy, clean and bright.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's fantastic,&quot; said Nate Waugaman, executive chef at MGM Springfield, who visited the site during construction and again after it was done. &quot;Pretty impressive. It's a huge leap from the previous facility. It's going to make a huge difference in the ability to train students with modern equipment and what we actually use in the business today. I'm really impressed with the way it's come together.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For instance, the production kitchen has a pasta cooker (before they just used pots), a self-draining deep fryer (with a faucet that supplies fresh oil), plate warmers (so they no longer have to stick dishes in the oven before serving), two bain-maries (cold or hot water basins), heat lamps on retractable cords (to keep food warm), heat-sensing exhaust fans (that automatically turn on) and a long, stainless steel chef's table (for plating or seating for small parties of 8-10 people who want to watch as their food is prepared).&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And there's that Alto-Shaam.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I would say we have just about anything new that's being used or just starting to be used by independent restaurants,&quot; said Leigh &amp;ndash; &quot;to prepare students properly for what's happening out there now.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the second floor, there are offices, lockers, two computer classrooms, one large classroom/hotel lab for hospitality training and a second teaching kitchen expressly designed for HCC's noncredit workforce training programs, continuing education courses and personal enrichment classes, such as an evening gourmet cooking series that started soon after the facility opened last year. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Now we can have anything we can think of for professional development in one facility,&quot; said Leigh, &quot;and this is what we've been talking about: If anybody is thinking of any kind of food or beverage solution, whatever that means for them in our industry, they should be calling HCC.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They have been. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Soup, a community-based, crowd-funding program for new artists and entrepreneurs, part of SPARK Holyoke, is now holding its events here. So is the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;MGM made an investment here, and everybody knows that,&quot; said Michele Cabral, former interim dean of Culinary Arts, &quot;so we have a really good relationship with them.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The resort-casino opened in August 2018, and, as expected, many students and graduates from HCC's Culinary Arts program have gone on to work for MGM, which employs close to 3,000 people, including about 800 in food service. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Area employment needs extend well beyond MGM, though. According to Jeffrey Hayden, HCC vice president of Business and Community Services, who oversees the culinary and hospitality workforce training programs, a 2017 regional survey identified 1,700 vacant jobs in food service and hospitality in Hampden County alone, and HCC is working with dozens of other employers to fill them.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new facility and its multiple kitchens will allow for increased capacity in all programs, credit and noncredit, and the college has revamped its curriculum to add a new associate of science degree program in culinary arts. Plans are also in the works to add a baking certificate into the mix. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leigh expects the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute to become a favored location for all kinds of community and regional events, such as cooking competitions, celebrity chef demonstrations, conferences and more.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beyond that, he believes the institute will draw students who might have previously gone elsewhere for their culinary training.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There is no state-owned institution like this in New England,&quot; Leigh said. &quot;We have the most current, purpose-built culinary arts facility in New England. Maybe for the Northeast. I don't know if I'd be that bold, but it could be.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC culinary arts student Jasiah Scott of Springfield helps prepare bowls of Vietnamese pho soup for a Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. (Above)&amp;nbsp;Michael Serrano of Simsbury, Conn., prepares salmon fillets for a Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. Serrano graduated from HCC's Culinary Arts program in June 2018. He now works for MGM Springfield at the resort-casino's Italian restaurant, Cal Mare.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9355" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/faith-was-here" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x9355.xml" Name="Faith Was Here" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Bunker-Family.jpg" Title="Faith Was Here" Abstract="During a short time, a &quot;bright and energetic spirit&quot; became a fixture in the Bunker, HCC's veterans resource center, and her presence remains.    " ThumbnailAltText="Maneesha-Faith Lalchandani, second from right, with her Bunker family" IntroCopy="'Yes, she was one of our vets and part of our Bunker family.&quot; " Date="2019-03-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Bunker poster photo&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Bunker-Family.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By CHRIS YURKO&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every time she signed in at the Bunker, Faith Lalchandani drew a smiley face next to her name.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But hers was no ordinary smiley face.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Instead of dots, Faith used hash marks for eyes, and she stuck a cheeky little tongue out of the side of its mouth.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That was her thing. Her calling card, for lack of a better word,&quot; said HCC student Robert Vigneault, the Bunker assistant, also known as the CQ, or charge of quarters. &quot;I can actually go back and look at them now. They kind of stood out.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So did Faith. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the fall 2018 semester, she became a fixture in The Bunker, HCC's veterans resource center. Vigneault remembers the first time she came in. She was wearing a shirt with an Air Force emblem on it. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I thought, oh, Air Force. With me being Air Force &amp;ndash; that's always a story starter for me,&quot; he said. &quot;That's when I found out she was over at Barnes, Air National Guard.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Faith made herself at home in the Bunker, settling in frequently to do homework, color a mandala or simply hang out with the other student-veterans and military personnel who use the center. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She came in with such a bright and energetic spirit,&quot; said Vigneault. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One day, she came in holding about 15 pages of handwritten notes, plopped them on the table, flipped open her laptop and then sat there for several hours, typing and periodically pausing to ask a question about proper writing style. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was just one of those days where she was engaged with a lot of different people and talking about a lot of different things,&quot; he said. &quot;She was always like that.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She seemed to fit right in. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In the military, the camaraderie between people is everything from loving to brotherly or sisterly type stuff, like giving you a friendly punch on the arm,&quot; said Vigneault. &quot;It's about making fun of somebody in a kind of light-hearted way and complimenting them in the same respect. Give as good as you get type of thing, and she was like that. She was that open.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In early December, wearing camouflage pants and an Air Force hoodie, Faith enthusiastically posed with her Bunker mates for a photograph that became the poster that now adorns the door to Frost 149. That's her, second from the right, next to Liz Golen, HCC coordinator of Student Activities and the Bunker adviser. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That was the first day I met Faith,&quot; said Golen. &quot;We had a good time taking that picture, then we spent some time hanging out and talking about how involved she was going to be this spring on campus. She seemed to be really looking forward to that. After that day and getting to know her in general down there at the Bunker, it was so much harder to hear that she was gone.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to her obituary, on January 18, Maneesha-Faith M. Lalchandani, 23, &quot;lost her battle with mental illness and tragically died by a self-inflicted wound.&quot; She had killed herself at her home in Holyoke. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There really are no words to describe the kind of shock and sorrow that followed.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If she would have come in here and hid in the corner and kept to herself, and I've had a couple of people do that, the red flags go up,&quot; said Vigneault. &quot;But she came in, she engaged, she talked.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of nine siblings, Faith &amp;ndash; that was how she introduced herself &amp;ndash; was a 2014 graduate of Chicopee Comprehensive High School. In addition to being a member of the Air Force, she had worked as a corrections officer in Vermont. Only after her death did her friends at the Bunker learn she had last taken classes at HCC in 2016, though she was enrolled for the Spring 2019 semester as a criminal justice major. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It turned out she was taking classes through an online school but she came here every day because she had support here, and she knew the Bunker was here,&quot; Golen said. &quot;So, yes. She was one of our vets and part of our Bunker family.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Friday, Feb. 22, Vigneault organized a memorial for Faith in the HCC board conference room so members of the campus community, in particular the campus military community, could pay their respects. He and others wore red shirts in honor of &quot;Red Shirt&quot; Fridays, a national initiative calling to &quot;Remember Everyone Deployed.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many of the red shirts had the number 22 on their sleeves in recognition of the &quot;22 Too Many&quot; movement, which seeks to call attention to the issue of veteran suicide, 22 being the number of veterans said to take their own lives every day. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Honestly, one is too many, and I think we all understand that,&quot; said Shawn Dominik, a representative from the Worcester-based nonprofit Veterans Inc. and one of the guest speakers. &quot;I think the biggest thing is getting the word out about the services that are available for veterans.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I didn't know Faith, but it's sad to see a young person leave this earth so soon, knowing how much impact she could have had on people's lives,&quot; said Jesus Pereira, the veterans service agent for the city of Holyoke. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vigneault spoke first and last. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;One thing I'd like to tell everyone,&quot; he said. &quot;If you're having problems, you're not alone. It may feel like that, but you're not.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On display was the the poster photo taken with Faith in December.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This sits on the Bunker door,&quot; he said. &quot;As you can see, she is in our minds every day.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He passed around a yellow box of brightly colored markers. About a week before the memorial, while tidying up the mandala stand on the main table in the Bunker, Vigneault had noticed some scribble on the outside of the box. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Faith left us a note,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the box, written in green, slightly smudged ink, it said, &quot;Faith Wrote Here.&quot; She had drawn a tiny heart over the &quot;i&quot; and underneath all of it a smiley face, with two hash marks for eyes and a cheeky little tongue sticking out of its mouth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Faith Lalchandani, second from the right, poses for a photo in December with her Bunker mates, including Bunker assistant Robert Vigneault, center, and Liz Golen, coordinator of Student Activities, far right.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9360" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/french-film-festival-sp19" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|3|193" FileName="x9360.xml" Name="French Film Festival SP19" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202019/visages-villages.jpg" Title="French Film Festival" Abstract="Holyoke Community College will present six free French-language films over three weeks during its third annual French Film Festival, March 19-April 3.  " ThumbnailAltText="A shot from the film Visages, Villages by Agnes Varda" IntroCopy="HCC will present six French films on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, March 19-April 3" Date="2019-02-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Scene from Loin des hommes&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/Events/Spring%202019/far-from-men-loin-des-hommes-venice.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will present six free French-language films during its third annual French Film Festival, March 19-April 3. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 2019 festival runs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for three weeks, with a different film shown each night. Screen times are 7 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater in HCC's Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts building.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among this year's entries are two documentaries; a 1936 classic by director Jean Renoir; a North African buddy &quot;western&quot; starring American actor Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn from Lord of the Rings movie fame) as a French teacher fleeing across the mountains with an Algerian fugitive; and a film starring Academy-Award-winning French actress Marion Cotillard as a woman battling the stigma of depression while fighting to reclaim her factory job.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All the films are in French with English subtitles. Admission is free and open to all. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If there's a theme that ties the films together, it's the power of community,&quot; said HCC professor Margaret Sweeney, one of the festival organizers. &quot;I think all of the films deal in one way or another with the ways in which groups of people, particularly common people, maybe somewhat disenfranchised people, come together to overcome obstacles.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The festival opens Tuesday, March 19, with L'Atelier (&quot;The Workshop&quot;), about a novelist teaching a youth writing workshop in a once prosperous seaside town now struggling with economic insecurity and unemployment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The second film, Loin des hommes (&quot;Far from Men&quot;), will be screened on Wed., March 20. Set in 1954, the film is based on the novel The Guest by Albert Camus, and tracks Mortensen (as the French teacher) and an Algerian fugitive as they make their way through the Atlas Mountains, hiding from both French troops and a rebel army.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My husband, who's a great fan of westerns, calls it a North African western,&quot; said Sweeney. &quot;It's a gripping tale, beautifully done.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The festival continues in week two, on March 26, with Deux Jours, Une Nuit, or &quot;Two Days, One Night&quot; &amp;ndash; exactly how long Cotillard has to convince her co-workers to forego a 1,000-euro bonus so she can keep her job.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The fourth film, on March 27, Examen d'Etat (&quot;National Diploma&quot;) is a documentary about Congolese high school students who organize themselves to prepare for a national exam.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is the third educational documentary we've had that really zeroes in on one aspect of the larger French educational system,&quot; said Sweeney.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year's festival classic, Le Crime de Monsieur Lange (&quot;The Crime of Mister Lange&quot;) by Renoir, on April 2, is about a publishing company whose nefarious boss decamps in the wake of crushing debt and later returns to find the now prosperous business being successfully run by a workers' cooperative.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It doesn't go well, and, yes, there is a murder,&quot; said HCC French professor and co-organizer Sabine Charton-Long, &quot;but the movie is still very dynamic, entertaining, and not really about the crime itself.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The festival closes on Wed., April 3, with Visages, Villages (&quot;Faces, Places&quot;), a documentary by an starring Agn&amp;eacute;s Varda, the grande dame of French new wave cinema, who teams up with young, world-famous street artist JR, as they travel the French countryside in his photo van, making huge portraits that &quot;capture the soul of the communities&quot; they visit, said Sweeney.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're very enthusiastic about presenting this festival to HCC, to the students and employees and to show the college's cultural power to the community,&quot; said Charton-Long. &quot;We would like all Francophiles and Francophones to come and participate.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The festival is presented by the HCC Foreign Language department and supported by a grant from the French-American Cultural Exchange Foundation, and offered through FACE's Tourn&amp;eacute;es Film Festival program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please contact Sabine Charton-Long at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:schartonlong@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;schartonlong@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or Margaret Sweeney at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:msweeney@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Margaret Sweeney email&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;msweeney@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A full schedule of films and descriptions are below.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Week 1:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tuesday, March 19&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;em&gt;L'Atelier/ The Workshop (2017), Laurent Cantet (1h53&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;br /&gt; Olivia, a Parisian novelist, has been hired to spend the summer in La Ciotat, a beautiful but distressed town on the Mediterranean, teaching a writing workshop for a diverse group of young people.&lt;br /&gt;Watch the trailer:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/MAFGIe6GcBg&quot; title=&quot;L'Atelier trailer&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/MAFGIe6GcBg &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wednesday, March 20&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;em&gt;Loin des hommes/Far from Men (2014), David Oelhoffen (1h41)&lt;/em&gt; In 1954, stuck between the French troops and the rebel army, a French teacher and a local Algerian man are forced to flee together across the Atlas Mountains. Based on The Guest by Albert Camus. Starring Viggo Mortensen.&lt;br /&gt;Watch the trailer:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/38YXNj2eM5s&quot; title=&quot;Loin des hommes&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/38YXNj2eM5s &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Week 2:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tuesday, March 26&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;em&gt;Deux Jours, Une Nuit/ Two Days, One Night (2014), J.P. and L. Dardenne (1h35)&lt;/em&gt; In a Belgian industrial town, Sandra (Academy-Award winner Marion Cotillard) has a weekend to convince her colleagues to renounce a $1000 bonus so that she can get her job back.&lt;br /&gt;Watch the trailer:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/qxLqaEGZiDY&quot; title=&quot;Deux Jours, Une Nuit&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/qxLqaEGZiDY &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wednesday, March 27&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;em&gt;Examen d'&amp;Eacute;tat/National Diploma (2014), Dieudo Hamadi (1h32)&lt;/em&gt; This documentary follows a group of Congolese high school students taking matters into their own hands after their teachers demand fees to help them study for the high stakes national diploma.&lt;br /&gt;Watch the trailer:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/sX4TOPjp768&quot; title=&quot;Examen d'Etat&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/sX4TOPjp768 &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Week 3:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tuesday, April 2&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;em&gt;Le Crime de Monsieur Lange/ The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936), Jean Renoir (1h23)&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/em&gt;In this Renoir masterpiece, with screenplay by Jacques Pr&amp;eacute;vert, the story of a murder turns into a timely&amp;nbsp; manifesto on the abuse of power and its consequences.&lt;br /&gt;Watch the trailer:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/F7YjUceObN8&quot; title=&quot;Le Crime de Monsieur Lange&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/F7YjUceObN8 &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wednesday, April 3&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Visages, Villages/ Faces, Places (2017), Agn&amp;egrave;s Varda (1h53) &lt;/em&gt; In this Academy-Award nominated documentary presents a portrait of modern-day France and explores the evolving relationship between open-hearted, 89-year-old Agn&amp;egrave;s Varda and the world-famous young street artist JR.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Watch the trailer:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/KKbjnLpxv70&quot; title=&quot;Visages, Villages&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/KKbjnLpxv70 &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS:&amp;nbsp; (Thumbnail) A scene from Visages, Villages (&quot;Faces, Places&quot;), the las film in this year's HCC French Film Festival. (Above) Viggo Mortensen, right, plays a French teacher, in the French film Loin des hommes (&quot;Far from Men&quot;).&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9356" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/engaged-scholar" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|193" FileName="x9356.xml" Name="Engaged Scholar" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Raul-Gutierrez-profile.jpg" Title="Engaged Scholar" Abstract="Spanish professor Raúl Gutiérrez was selected for the inaugural 18-month program from a highly competitive pool of candidates nominated by top college administrators.     " ThumbnailAltText="HCC assistant professor of Spanish Raul Gutierrez" IntroCopy="HCC assistant professor Raúl Gutiérrez selected for new program" Date="2019-02-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Raul Gutierrez&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Raul-Gutierrez-profile.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College assistant professor of Spanish Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez has been selected as an &quot;Engaged Scholar&quot; for 2019-2020 by the Eastern Region Campus Compact, a regional partnership of colleges and universities dedicated to promoting civic engagement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guti&amp;eacute;rrez, who lives in Holyoke, was one of 12 scholars picked for the inaugural, 18-month program that also includes academics from 11 other institutions from Maine to Washington D.C., such as Lehigh University, Ithaca College, Swarthmore, Dartmouth, Georgetown and Yale. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Scholars were selected from a highly competitive pool of candidates nominated by college and university presidents and chief academic officers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Campus Compact is thrilled to welcome the first cohort of the Eastern Region Engaged Scholars Initiative,&quot; said Marisol Morales, vice president for Network Leadership at Campus Compact, the national network. &quot;The interest in the program and the caliber and diversity of all the applicants was extraordinary. The goal of this program is to develop and support equity-minded community engaged scholars and practitioners who can shape the future of this field.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guti&amp;eacute;rrez&amp;nbsp; is coordinator of HCC's Foreign Language program, coordinator of the Center for Public Humanities at HCC and adviser to the HCC LISA Club (Latino International Students Association). He also spearheaded the creation of a new LatinX Studies program at the college that will be offered beginning in the Fall 2019 semester and teaches Spanish literacy to migrant farmworkers through Head Start in Springfield. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The idea behind the Engaged Scholars program is create a cohort of scholars focused on working in the community,&quot; said Gutierrez.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He said his projects will focus on two areas: building a civic engagement / service learning component into the new Latinx Studies program and continue to work with migrant farmworkers. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I want to work with them to create an oral history around their experiences as immigrants and as farm workers, with the end goal of creating a repository somewhere for their stories,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/raul-gutierrez&quot;&gt;Guti&amp;eacute;rrez&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;was born in Mexico and holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a master's degree in Hispanic Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He and the 11 other scholars will participate in an 18-month ongoing learning and leadership process that includes professional development, collaboration and scholarship to help the individual participants and the cohort strengthen their scholarship, research and impact. Scholars will participate in in-person and online learning opportunities, including retreats, regular meetings, and the Eastern Region Campus Compact Conference March 25-27 in Providence, Rhode Island. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The&amp;nbsp;Campus Compact is a national coalition of 1,000 colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education. As the only national higher education association dedicated solely to campus-based civic engagement, Campus Compact enables campuses to develop student's citizenship skills and forge effective community partnerships. Eastern Region Campus Compact (ERCC) is a partnership comprised of state and multi-state Compacts serving Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. The Compacts that make up ERCC collaborate on member services and opportunities regionally.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO of Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez by CHRIS YURKO&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9354" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cc-update-sp19" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|165" FileName="x9354.xml" Name="CC Update SP19" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/CC-FRONT-Square.jpg" Title="All Square" Abstract="The renovated HCC Campus Center is on schedule to reopen for the Fall 2019 semester. Take a look at our sneak preview slideshow. " ThumbnailAltText="Campus Center " IntroCopy="HCC Campus Center on schedule to reopen for Fall 2019" Date="2019-02-22" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Campus Center new facade&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/CC-FRONT-Square%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Editor's Note: This is another in a series of periodic visual updates to the Campus Center renovation project.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It may be tough to remember exactly what it looked like before. Let's just say, it wasn't pretty.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now it is.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While work continues on the $43.5 million renovation of the HCC Campus Center &amp;ndash; the building is scheduled to reopen for the Fall 2019 semester &amp;ndash; the exterior, at least, is largely complete. The new face of the Campus Center is higher and wider thant is was before, with its previously sloped, stained, concrete facade squared off with modern metal trim and tall windows. Out back, on the Courtyard side, the new atrium entrance is also nearly done. Take a look at the slideshow below for a glimpse of both the inside and outside of HCC's new Campus Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here's links to a couple of past Campus Center updates:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/topping-history&quot;&gt;March 2018: Topping History&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/taking-shape&quot;&gt;March 2018: Taking Shape&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cc-update-fa17&quot;&gt;October 2017: Rough Cuts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;And you can see more photos in our &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10157040095929330&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=5affdfec5b&quot; title=&quot;CC Facebook photo gallery&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Facebook photo gallery ...&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9309" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-fa18" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x9309.xml" Name="Deans List FA18" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Amaraya-Deza.jpg" Title="Dean's List Honors" Abstract="HCC is proud to recognize the 964 students who earned Dean's List honors for the Fall 2018 semester. " ThumbnailAltText="Amaraya Deza, of Amherst, was one of the 964 HCC students who earned Dean's List honors for the Fall 2018 semester. " IntroCopy="HCC is proud to recognize all the students who made Dean's List for the Fall 2018 semester. " Date="2019-02-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Dean's List honoree Amaraya Deza of Amherst&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Amaraya-Deza.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. A student is placed on the Dean's List if his or her G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Follow the link below to see an alphabetical listing of all the HCC students who&amp;nbsp;earned Dean's List status for the Fall 2018&amp;nbsp; semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/deans-list&quot;&gt;Dean's List &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Amaraya Deza, of Amherst, shown here at last spring's scholarship awards reception, was one of the 964 HCC students who earned Dean's List honors for the Fall 2018 semester.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9346" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/heights-praise" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165|226" FileName="x9346.xml" Name="Heights Praise" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/H-finale-zoom.jpg" Title="'Heights' Praise" Abstract="The HCC Theater Department's production of &quot;In the Heights&quot; won awards for outstanding ensemble work and choreography at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival." ThumbnailAltText="Scene from In the Heights" IntroCopy="HCC production of 'In the Heights' earns two Kennedy Center awards" Date="2019-02-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Scene from In the Heights&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/H-piragua-flag.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Theater Department's fall 2018 production of Lin-Manuel Miranda's &quot;In the Heights&quot; was recognized earlier this month with two awards at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC production, directed by theater professor Patricia Sandoval with musical direction by HCC music professor Ellen Cogen, won awards for outstanding ensemble work and choreography. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The awards were announced at the end of the festival, which was held at Cape Cod Community College Jan. 29-Feb. 3. Eleven HCC students and two HCC theater faculty members attended. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;KCACTF Region I includes colleges and universities in northern New York and all six New England states. Awards are based on the recommendations of respondents, who travel around the country to view college theater productions and offer critiques. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Receiving the award for outstanding ensemble work was particularly rewarding, Sandoval said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's an incredible honor because it recognizes the work that the cast did together,&quot; Sandoval said. &quot;That is the purpose of theater &amp;ndash; creating art together.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She said credit for the choreography award goes to choreographer Tiffany Joseph, of Amherst, who is now a member of HCC's adjunct faculty, teaching communication and movement. Joseph also played the role of Graffiti Pete in the production, which included members of the community and Holyoke High School students, as well as HCC students, alumni and staff.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC presented the show seven times over two weekends in November. All but one performance was sold out. One night there was a snowstorm. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through a combination of music and dance, &quot;In the Heights&quot; tells the story of a bodega owner and other residents of a mixed Latino community in the Washington Heights neighborhood of upper Manhattan. The performance blends salsa, hip-hop, rap, and traditional Broadway ballads. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sandoval began planning for the show last spring and held auditions over the summer so there would be more time to rehearse. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was a lot of work, and the intention of it worked, I believe,&quot; she said. &quot;The show was a success on many levels - bringing in the community and getting them to recognize the college, the Theater Department, and how the college is holding true to its promise to include the community, which is predominantly Latino. We were the perfect institution to do that.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Theater Department has had tremendous success in recent years at the Kennedy Center festival, winning eight awards over the last seven years in categories including outstanding ensemble acting, dedication to a script, stage managing and best original music. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I continue to be impressed with the accomplishment of our theater program in these competitions,&quot; said Monica Perez, vice president of Academic Affairs.&amp;nbsp;&quot;It speaks volumes about the quality of the program and our faculty.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Theater Department puts on two full stage productions each academic year, one in the fall and one in the spring. In addition, HCC students take part in the annual alumni-sponsored 24-Hour Theater Festival in September, a Festival of One-Act plays in the spring, and No Shame Theater, a periodic student-run event where students gather to write, rehearse and perform short plays in one evening. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rehearsals are now underway for the spring 2019 production of &quot;Ugly Lies the Bone,&quot; by Lindsay Ferrentino, about a female soldier who returns home after being severely disfigured in combat. Directed by HCC theater professor Tim Cochran, the show will be presented at HCC April 25-27.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Scenes from the HCC Theater Department's award-winning production of &quot;In the Heights.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9290" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hotel-lab" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x9290.xml" Name="Hotel Lab" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Cubit-exterior-FA18.jpg" Title="Grant funds hotel lab" Abstract="The education and training space on the second floor of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute will be set up like a hotel reception area, with a front desk and adjoining guest room.  " ThumbnailAltText="HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street in Holyoke. " IntroCopy="&quot;The enhanced training will allow students to gain necessary hands-on skills,&quot; said Peter Rosskothen, president of Log Cabin Delaney House, one of HCC's industry partners. " Date="2019-01-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Hotel lab&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/CSI-hospitality.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has secured a $35,000 grant to establish a hotel training lab on the second floor of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The award, announced by Gov. Charlie Baker and other administration officials, comes from the Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant Program, which funds the purchase of new equipment for educational initiatives linked to workforce needs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC hotel lab will be set up like a hotel reception area with front desk and adjoining guest room and equipped with the most up-to-date technology and software. It will be used for non-credit workforce training programs as well as credit-based associate degree and certificate programs in Hospitality Management.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Hospitality is a growing industry in our region,&quot; said Jeff Hayden, HCC vice president of Business and Community Services. &quot;The hotel lab will give students the ability to learn in a model hotel room and reception lobby, gain knowledge about key card access systems, and understand point-of-sale technology. This is the kind of experiential training employers have been asking for.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The competitive Skills Capital Grants require institutions to partner with local businesses and align the curriculum to meet industry requirements. HCC's partners include the Lob Cabin Delaney House, the Tower Square Hotel Springfield and MassHire career centers in Holyoke and Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The enhanced training will allow students to gain necessary hands-on skills for employment, transfer to a bachelor's degree program, or advance their careers,&quot; Log Cabin Delaney House president Peter Rosskothen wrote in a letter supporting the grant. &quot;We look forward to working with HCC to increase our regional capacity to train students for the growing hospitality industry. The growth of a strong and qualified workforce will impact every hotel property in the valley.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the past three years, HCC has been awarded nearly $400,000 through the Skills Capital Grant Program, including $127,741 in 2016 to expand and enhance its EMT Training Program and $229,500 in 2017 for kitchen equipment at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, which opened in January 2018 on Race Street in the Holyoke Innovation District.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This new round of Skills Capital Grants mainly targets educational programs for people who may need help overcoming barriers to employment - those who may be unemployed or underemployed, lack English proficiency, or do not yet hold college credentials and want to develop new skills.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These grants create important career pathways for both students and adult learners across the Commonwealth to support key industries,&quot; said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The hotel training lab should be up and running in February, said Hayden.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: (Thumbnail) Holyoke Community College will set up a hotel training lab on the second floor of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street in downtown Holyoke. (Above) This room on the second floor of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute is being turned into a hotel training lab.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9313" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gateway-feb19" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165" FileName="x9313.xml" Name="Gateway Feb19" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Jaysha-M-Gaylord.jpg" Title="'It's how we finish'" Abstract="HCC's new crop of Gateway to College graduates, the program's 22nd class since 2008, collected a total of 159 high school credits and 115 college credits. " ThumbnailAltText="Jaysha Mejia of Holyoke celebrate her graduation from HCC's Gateway to College program with history instructor Gaylord Saulsberry." IntroCopy="Gateway to College graduates it 22nd class since 2008" Date="2019-02-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Gateway to College class of Feb. 2019&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Gateway-group.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a freshman and sophomore, Biannca Colflesh was very active in her school community. For the most part, during those two years, she enjoyed Holyoke High. &quot;It's supposed to be the best time of your life,&quot; she remembers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then, she hit &quot;a few bumps.&quot; By the end of her junior year, she was failing all her classes and pretty much stopped going. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This was unlike me, and I realized I had lost myself,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the help of her parents, she found her way to Holyoke Community College and its Gateway to College program. Gateway at HCC is part of a national network of programs that put struggling high school students and dropouts into college classes, where they work toward their high school diplomas and also collect transferable college credits. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They accepted me,&quot; Colflesh said, &quot;and I'm thankful for that.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Colflesh was one of 15 HCC Gateway students who graduated from the program Feb. 1, when she found herself on the stage of the Leslie Phillips Theater, giving a speech to her classmates, family, friends, teachers and Gateway staff. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to Gateway, Colflesh earned 12 college credits and her diploma from Holyoke High School. She is already enrolled full time at HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are not statistics, and labels don't define us,&quot; said Natasha Perez of Springfield, another student speaker and new Gateway graduate who had been a high school dropout. &quot;Here we are doing what everyone thought we couldn't. Was it a struggle? Yea. Was it worth it? Absolutely. It doesn't matter how the journey starts; it's how we finish.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 15 new graduates from Holyoke, Springfield, Agawam, Westfield and West Springfield finished with a total of 159 high school credits and 115 college credits. They represent the 22&lt;sup&gt;nd&lt;/sup&gt; graduating class since the Gateway program was founded at HCC in 2008. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They are, from Holyoke: Evan Alicea, Bianna Colflesh, Justin Delgado, Oscar Dilone, Johnathan Hodge-Kennedy, Nathanael Mannering, Jaysha Mejia, Britney Moran, Soniah Roque; from Springfield: Maralyse Montuori, Natasha Perez, Jeysha Vega Colon; from Agawam: Rodney Sanders; from Westfield: Gemma Lugo; and from West Springfield: Ryan Stenwick. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With a graduation rate of 76 percent, HCC's Gateway program is one of the most successful in the United States and a two-time winner of Gateway National's Excellence Award. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Anytime you get to the end of an incredible journey and you have a chance to say, I have finished, I have been successful, I have completed &amp;ndash; it's a wonderful, wonderful moment,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a child, Royal told the graduates, she wasn't a big fan of school, preferring to spend her time on the baseball field. Only later did she learn to appreciate how much education had helped her escape the circumstances of growing up poor and crafting a different life than the one she grew up in. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Over time I grew to appreciate the fact that college saved my life,&quot; she said. &quot;To see all of you sitting here today having made it to the end, it is a phenomenal accomplishment and something that you should not only feel great about, but take time to celebrate. I'm so happy to be here and be able to bask in your success.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10157001599734330&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=25a9a645ba&quot; title=&quot;Gateway graduation Facebook photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos in our Facebook photo album ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Jaysha Mejia of Holyoke celebrate her graduation from HCC's Gateway to College program with history instructor Gaylord Saulsberry. (Above) The 15 graduates from this cohort of Gateway to College come from Holyoke, Springfield and Westfield.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9283" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/chief-lefebvre" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66" FileName="x9283.xml" Name="Chief Lefebvre" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Laura-Lefebvre.jpg" Title="Top Cop" Abstract="With more than three decades of law enforcement experience, Laura Lefebvre, of Worthington, takes the helm as chief of the HCC campus police department. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC's new police chief, Laura Lefebvre, in her office" IntroCopy="'I'm not looking for the adrenaline rush anymore,' says Laura Lefebvre, HCC's new chief of police. " Date="2019-01-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Laura Lefebvre&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Laura-Lefebvre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On her first night as a young cop, Laura Lefebvre was called aside by a sergeant who said she was replacing a male officer who needed to feed his family and that she should go back home to the kitchen where she belonged.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the time of her hiring in 1986, Lefebvre was one of only four women on the 450-person Hialeah Police Department in Dade County, Florida, a status quo many would have preferred remain.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Nothing personal,&quot; said another male officer in her squad, &quot;but women don't belong as patrolmen.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He advised her to go work as a matron in juvenile detention. Later, that same officer became chief of police, and he apologized.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He told me he was wrong,&quot; said Lefebvre. &quot;I proved him wrong.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lefebvre (pronounced &lt;em&gt;Le-fave&lt;/em&gt;) would become the first woman assigned to the robbery division at Hialeah; more recently, she was the first female sergeant in the campus police department at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And now she is the first woman to serve as chief of police at Holyoke Community College. She started Jan. 8.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm not unaccustomed to being the first woman,&quot; she said. &quot;There's a lot of firsts under my belt.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lefebvre, 56, is a seasoned investigator with more than 30 years of law enforcement experience. Before being hired as HCC's director of Public Safety, she served for five years as staff sergeant in the MCLAPD, second in command.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was very happy at MCLA,&quot; Lefebvre said. &quot;I worked for a brilliant chief. We did some great things together to move the department along.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In Florida, Lefebvre worked in the juvenile sexual battery unit investigating child abuse cases before going to the robbery division. She later moved into homicide as a detective during the lively era captured in the hit TV series &quot;Miami Vice.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We didn't drive great sports cars and we didn't dress really well, but that was the time,&quot; she said. &quot;Miami was crazy and fast. The drug trade was high. There were a lot of homicides.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;On her office desk, from those days, there is a group photo of Lefebvre and her fellow officers posing like gangsters. She's wearing a sundress and holding an AR-15.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I knew I didn't want to sit behind a desk,&quot; she said, explaining her choice of careers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although she does a lot of desk-sitting now &amp;ndash; &quot;I'm not looking for the adrenaline rush anymore&quot; &amp;ndash; Lefebvre had her share of close calls on the streets in Florida. She was once stabbed in the back and neck with hair-cutting shears &amp;shy;(and bitten in the face) during a SWAT team raid on a fugitive's hideout.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I broke my hand. I've evacuated burning buildings. I've been in car accidents and air-lifted. I've had all this stuff,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's not to mention frequent &quot;armed confrontations&quot; &amp;ndash; shootouts &amp;ndash; including one just two weeks before she took an early retirement from Hialeah in 1999.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of her most memorable cases from those days was recounted in an episode of the true-crime documentary series &quot;Forensic Files.&quot; In &quot;Tourist Trap&quot; (Season 8, Episode 6), Detective Lefebvre explains how she used bite mark evidence to help convict a man who had carjacked and robbed two German tourists at Miami International Airport, one of a rash of such crimes at the time. It was a pioneering case.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lefebvre retired from the Hialeah in 1999 and moved to Worthington, Mass.,&amp;nbsp; with her husband, Gary, a Granby native and also a retired police officer, and their two young children, Spencer and Emily, now adults.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Up north, she spent a few years as an officer with the Hadley Police Department and a police lieutenant at Westfield State University. Before going to MCLA, she worked for 11 years as a fraud investigator for the National Insurance Crime Bureau and the insurance giant Unum.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She is a big proponent of community policing, and throughout her career has been a field-training officer, teaching at police academies in Florida, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She holds a bachelor's degree from MCLA in interdisciplinary studies in business and sociology and will complete her master's degree in education at MCLA this May.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm a big advocate of professional development,&quot; she said. &quot;We should be learning constantly. I'm a lifelong learner. Everybody should be.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Laura Lefebvre&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9250" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/free-lcs" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165|225" FileName="x9250.xml" Name="Free LCs" Thumbnail="/images/Tranquil-Leah-Brooks.jpg" Title="'Something invaluable'" Abstract="Inter-institutional Learning Community classes give HCC students the opportunity to experience academic life on another campus. And, thanks to a grant, they're free." ThumbnailAltText="HCC student Leah Brooks studies a photograph by Diane Arbus in the Smith College Museum of Art for &quot;The Tranquil(ized) Fifties,&quot; a free Learning Community class taught jointly by professors from Smith and HCC. " IntroCopy="HCC offers free inter-institutional LCs" Date="2019-01-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC students gather outside the Smith College Museum of Art.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Tranquil-group-outside.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College student Nicole Perry knew she was in for a challenging semester when she signed up for &quot;The Tranquil(ized) Fifties: Consensus and Dissensus in Mid-Century America.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was her second &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/learning-communities&quot;&gt;Learning Community&lt;/a&gt;, a special HCC class that combines two academic subjects focused on a single theme. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Tranquil(ized) Fifties&quot; was an honors course offered in the fall exploring conformity and conflict in the 1950s through the study of literature, fine art and mass entertainment from that decade. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Part of an HCC-Smith College partnership, the class was taught jointly by an HCC art professor and a Smith College English professor and met in Northampton at Smith, often in the Smith College Museum of Art, where the students &amp;ndash; from both HCC and Smith &amp;ndash; had access to teaching galleries closed to the general public. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I really loved this class,&quot; Perry, a Hadley resident, said in December. &quot;It was a ton of reading and work but I learned so much. I am currently applying to Smith and Mount Holyoke College for transfer, so actually the course load has helped me feel prepared about what I should expect and confident that I can handle it.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those were the benefits. The cost? Free. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Tranquil(ized) Fifties&quot; is just one in a series of inter-institutional Learning Communities being offered for free to HCC students thanks to a $100,000 grant the college received in November 2017 from the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 2018, the first full year of the grant, HCC offered free and half-price LCs with Smith, Amherst College and Tangshan University in China.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the spring 2019 semester, which begins Monday, Jan. 28, HCC is offering free LC courses together with Bay Path University, Mount Holyoke College and Hebei University of Science and Technology in China.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Because LC courses count as two, students earn six credits, rather than the usual three, and can save as much as $1,000 in tuition and fees for the semester if they sign up for the free ones. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is extraordinary, offering free classes to study at Smith, Mount Holyoke, Amherst or Bay Path,&quot; said Professor Jim Dutcher, one of the coordinators of HCC's LC program. &quot;What an amazing experience for our students.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The free LC classes this spring include &quot;If you don't have the stories: Native American History and Literature&quot; a history and world literature course taught by professor Patricia Kennedy at HCC and professor John Jarvis at Bay Path; &quot;Aliens, Anti-Citizens and Identity,&quot; a philosophy and Latino Studies class taught by Donald Hanover at HCC and David Hernandez at Mount Holyoke; and &quot;Journey,&quot; a humanities and English composition course taught by Dutcher and Xian Liu from HCC together, remotely, with instructors and their students from Hebring University in China.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;'Journey' is not a class about China,&quot; Dutcher said. &quot;We're partnering with China. China is there. Journey is the theme, so we look at different aspects of journey &amp;ndash; road trips, internal trips, all kinds of trips.&quot; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every semester, HCC offfers about a dozen LCs, as they're known. HCC has been a national leader in the development of Learning Community courses for more than 20 years. The college has the oldest LC program in Massachusetts and is still one of only a handful of public or private colleges in the state that offers them. Inter-institutional LCs are uncommon &amp;ndash; but not at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These inter-institutional LCs create a kind of natural transfer pathway for our students,&quot; said HCC professor and LC program coordinator Jack Mino. &quot;They get direct classroom experience with a faculty member from another institution and they gain exposure to another campus and get to experience academic life somewhere else. That's something invaluable.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perry agrees. &quot;The Tranquil(ized) Fifties&quot; has turned out to be her favorite class so far at HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I really love the idea of learning a topic through two different disciplines,&quot; she said. &quot;An added bonus was seeing some incredible artwork. I would highly recommend this LC and LCs in general. It was a great experience.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO:&lt;em&gt; (Above) HCC students enrolled in the LC course &quot;The Tranquil(ized) Fifties&quot; meet outside the Smith College Museum of Art in Northampton. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC student Leah Brooks of Oxford, Mass., studies a photograph by Diane Arbus in the Smith College Museum of Art for &quot;The Tranquil(ized) Fifties,&quot; a free Learning Community class taught jointly by professors from Smith and HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9269" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/extended-hours-sp19" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|97|165" FileName="x9269.xml" Name="Extended Hours SP19" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Hours-advising.jpg" Title="At Your Service" Abstract="HCC Admissions, Financial Aid, Testing, Advising and Student Accounts offices will stay open longer to accommodate students as they prepare for the Spring 2019 semester. " ThumbnailAltText="A student seeks assistance in the HCC Advising Center." IntroCopy="Admissions, Financial Aid, Testing, Advising and Student Accounts extending service hours" Date="2019-01-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A student seeks assistance in the HCC Advising Center.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Hours-advising.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will hold extended service hours to accommodate new and continuing students before for the spring 2019 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beginning Monday, Jan. 14, and continuing through Friday, Feb. 1, HCC Admissions, Financial Aid, Testing, Advising and Student Accounts offices on the second floor of the Frost Building will open at 8:30 a.m. and stay open until 7 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Fridays, those offices will be open from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The spring 2019 academic semester begins Monday, January 28. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There is still plenty of time for students to register for the spring semester,&quot; said Renee Tastad, dean of Enrollment Management and College Access Programs. &quot;We know our students are very busy with jobs and families and life in general, so we try to make all the accommodations we can so the registration process is smooth for everyone.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please contact HCC Admissions at 413-552-2321 or admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PHOTO: A student seeks assistance in the HCC Advising Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9280" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/rn-bsn" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|355|225" FileName="x9280.xml" Name="RN-BSN" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/WSU-HCC-FOUR.jpg" Title="Nursing Pact" Abstract="A new admission agreement makes it easier for students to earn a bachelor's degree in nursing at Westfield State University after earning an associate degree in nursing at HCC." ThumbnailAltText="Diane Prusank, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Westfield State University; Ramon Torrecilha, president of Westfield State University; Christina Royal, president of Holyoke Community College; and Monica Perez, vice president of Academic Affairs at Holyoke Community College. " IntroCopy="RN-to-BSN completion program announced" Date="2019-01-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ramon Torrecilha, president of Westfield State University; Christina Royal, president of Holyoke Community College; &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/WSU-HCC-signing.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Officials from&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;Holyoke Community College and&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;Westfield State University today signed a dual admission agreement that streamlines the process for students who want to continue their nursing education at Westfield after earning an associate degree in nursing at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The RN-to-BSN completion program partnership was announced during a ceremony at HCC's Center for Health Education on Jarvis Avenue, home to the college's RN (registered nurse) and LPN (licensed practical nursing) programs and medical simulation center.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're delighted to be here today and excited about this new venture to expand our existing collaboration with HCC to offer a streamlined, efficient pathway to a bachelor of science in nursing degree for HCC students,&quot; said Westfield State University President Ramon S. Torrecilha. &quot;This is important because it underscores the values of both institutions &amp;ndash; our commitment to accessibility and our commitment to affordability.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By granting automatic admission, the new agreement simplifies the application process for HCC nursing students who want to earn a BSN at Westfield - and can also significantly reduce the cost for that degree. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We already have a really strong partnership with Westfield State and this is an opportunity to enhance that partnership,&quot; said HCC President Christina Royal, &quot;and it's all for the sake of our students, who need and want easier options as they move from their two-year studies to their four-year studies. Many of our students prefer Westfield State, so we want to make that transfer process as seamless as possible.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Officials said the new program will consist mostly of online coursework with limited on-campus requirements. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Applications are now being accepted for fall 2019 enrollment. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the agreement, graduates of HCC's associate degree program can transfer up to 90 course credits into the BSN degree program at Westfield. HCC students need 72 credits to complete the requirements for their associate degree in nursing. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The total cost of the 30 nursing degree credits for the completion program is $10,800, making the program one of the most cost-effective of its kind in the area,&quot; said Shelley Tinkham, dean of the College of Graduate and Continuing Education at Westfield State. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Full-time students can complete the program as quickly as one year; students can also opt to complete the program on a part-time basis in 24 months. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 15 percent by 2026, significantly faster than the average for all occupations. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Torrecilha said nursing professionals with BSN degrees will remain in high demand for the foreseeable future. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This latest collaboration emphasizes both institutions' commitment to growing this high-demand segment of the workforce, underscoring our mutual concern and interest in preparing future generations of nursing professionals,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal cited a recent report, the &quot;Pioneer Valley Labor Market Blueprint,&quot; that identified health sciences as a priority sector for western Massachusetts. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's one of the economic engines that drive our region,&quot; said Royal, &quot;and so for us to stay focused on providing opportunities like these that are going to lead to vibrant jobs in this community is just going to bolster that sector of the economy.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Above) Westfield State University President Ramon Torrecilha and Holyoke Community College President Christina Royal sign an agreement for a new nursing degree completion program between the two schools.&amp;nbsp; (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;After the signing: Diane Prusank, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Westfield State University; Ramon Torrecilha, president of Westfield State University; Christina Royal, president of Holyoke Community College; and Monica Perez, vice president of Academic Affairs at Holyoke Community College. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9279" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/a-lot-to-get-here" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66" FileName="x9279.xml" Name="A Lot to Get Here" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Jose-Bou-Chronicle-Cavanaugh.jpg" Title="'A lot to get here'" Abstract="HCC criminal justice professor José Bou recounts his journey from prison to academia in an interview with The Chronicle of Higher Education." ThumbnailAltText="Jose Bou" IntroCopy="&quot;When I got that degree, I remember being in my bunk, running over the raised lettering and engraving. Just touching it, crying, thinking to myself, 'This is the first thing I’ve ever really finished.'&quot;" Date="2019-01-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jose Bou&quot; height=&quot;505&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Jose-Bou-Chronicle-Cavanaugh.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story appears in the Jan. 10 online edition of &lt;em&gt;The Chronicle of Higher Education&lt;/em&gt; under the headline: &quot;He spent 12 years in prison. Now he teaches criminal justice to college students.&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By EMMA PETTIT&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Chronicle of Higher Education&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sitting in his prison cell, Jos&amp;eacute; Bou never imagined himself standing at the front of a classroom, teaching criminal justice.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bou earned his undergraduate degree in English from Boston University while serving a 12-year sentence at a Massachusetts prison for drug trafficking. After his release, in 2011, Bou got a master's degree in criminal justice, also at BU. Now, at 42, he's an instructor at Holyoke Community College, in Holyoke, Mass., where he was born. Bou considers himself lucky. Degree programs for prisoners aren't nearly as widespread as they once were. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed a crime bill that made people in state and federal prisons ineligible for Pell Grants. By cutting off the funding, the law quashed many existing college-&amp;shy;in-prison programs. Advocates have tried ever since to bring them back, but funding and support are still shaky, despite evidence that education stalls the revolving door of recidivism. In 2017 a &lt;a href=&quot;https://nces.ed.gov/blogs/nces/2017/01/11/default&quot;&gt;survey&lt;/a&gt; by the National Center for Education Statistics found that most incarcerated people - 58 percent - had not taken any academic classes behind bars.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bou spoke with &lt;em&gt;The Chronicle&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;recently about his time in prison, how his life experiences inform his teaching, and why&amp;nbsp; &amp;ndash; with adequate resources &amp;ndash; he thinks there could be more people like him.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.chronicle.com/article/He-Spent-12-Years-in-Prison/245451?key=nbhuwAvuzuO_LrP40ugFwLyr3yJ7bC2GysKod0scMG9UZ8nesmOBbTQzJrSkFWssbWd4WkM2UHM2SFV0NkpHWkZwdi1PNGlGUnd0V0JwRWtLdGFULWN3cmkyUQ&quot; title=&quot;Chronicle of Higher Education interview with HCC professor Jose Bou&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Read the full interview here on The Chronicle's website ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO of HCC professor Jos&amp;eacute; Bou by MATTHEW CAVANAUGH&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10534" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/kindness-in-action" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x10534.xml" Name="Kindness in Action" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/HCC-Giving-Sierra.jpg" Title="Kindness in Action" Abstract="HCC marked the 20th anniversary of its annual Giving Tree campaign by fulfilling the holiday wishes of 375 consumers from four area nonprofit agencies. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC student Sierra Palazzi of West Springfield helps distribute gifts for the 20th annual HCC Giving Tree campaign." IntroCopy="HCC Giving Tree Campaign marks 20th year" Date="2019-12-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Carlottta Thackeray from the MSPCC loads up her van with gifts from HCC. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/HCC-Giving-MSPCC.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College celebrated the 20th anniversary of its annual Giving Tree campaign Thursday, fulfilling the holiday wishes of 375 consumers from four nonprofits that aid and support some of the area's most at-risk residents.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the campaign's closing ceremony, HCC students, faculty and staff gathered with representatives from WestMass Elder Care, Homework House, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and the Holyoke Soldiers Home to share food, stories and gifts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Every year, when HCC asks us if we want to be a part of this, there is no way we could say no,&quot; said Brittani Bey, a home visitor from the MSPCC. &quot;All of our families are more than grateful to have something for their child, otherwise they might not be able to give them anything at all.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eleven HCC departments participated in this year's Fall Food Fest in November, raising $833 for the Giving Tree campaign. The money was used to fulfill 26 gift tags for MSPCC and create gift boxes that included baby wipes, diapers, clothing, books and toys.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We have several families who are in shelters right now and questioning where they might sleep tomorrow,&quot; Bey said. &quot;To be able to give them gifts and provide them with something really brightens their day, and we appreciate all of your help.&quot; &lt;br /&gt;Each year during the annual campaign, Giving Trees are set up in designated areas around the HCC campus. Participants choose colored-coded tags from one of the nonprofit agencies based on the age of the recipient and their wish for a gift. The wrapped gifts are then sorted and piled on tables for the closing celebration.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;From the moment the Giving Trees go up, there is some magic and excitement that is generated on campus,&quot; said K.C. Senie, chief of staff to President Christina Royal. &quot;You see them in the hallways and people taking tags, which is wonderful. It's really about kindness, isn't it? And kindness is one of our values at HCC, and when I look at the missions of our community partners, I dare say it's one of your values too.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Senie pointed out that this year the staff at WestMass Elder Care made a reciprocal gesture of generosity to the college, collecting and donating 226 pounds of food and supplies to the HCC Food Pantry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is kindness,&quot; she said, &quot;and together we have a collective impact on the communities and the people that we serve, so thank you.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See more photos in our &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/pg/HolyokeCommunityCollege/photos/?tab=album&amp;amp;album_id=10157817172054330&quot; title=&quot;Giving Tree Facebook photo gallery&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Facebook photo gallery ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Carlotta Thackeray, an office manager from the Mass. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, loads up her van with gifts from the HCC community. (Thumbnail) HCC student Sierra Palazzi of West Springfield helps distribute gifts during HCC's 20th annual Giving Tree celebration.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x20012" URL="x20012.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20012.xml" Name="News 2018" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x7341" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/fire-at-50" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|165" FileName="x7341.xml" Name="Fire at 50" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Fire-archive.jpg" Title="Out of the Ashes" Abstract="Fifty years ago, on Jan. 4, 1968, a fire destroyed the main HCC campus building in downtown Holyoke, altering the course of the college's history forever. " ThumbnailAltText="Fire destroys the original downtown HCC campus building on January 4, 1968." IntroCopy="Fifty years ago, a fire destroyed the original HCC campus building in downtown Holyoke" Date="2018-01-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;An empty shell is all that remained of the original downtown HCC building after it was gutted by fire on Jan. 4, 1968.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Fire-shell.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The alarm sounded at 1:25 p.m. on a frigid Thursday. Black clouds erupted from the rooftop, rising into the steel gray sky.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College was burning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Within minutes, flames had engulfed the upper floors of the main college building. Six hours later, despite the efforts of nearly 200 firefighters, the blaze had essentially destroyed the 68-year-old downtown landmark on Sargeant Street, formerly Holyoke High School, on the hill where the Holyoke Senior Center now stands.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Holyoke Fire Department found it extremely difficult to fight the fire in the bitterly cold weather,&quot; retired HCC history professor George Ashley wrote in his 2005 book,&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;History of Holyoke Community College: 1946-1975&lt;/em&gt;, &quot;but many of the students and faculty stood around in the cold all afternoon and watched the building burn to the ground. By nightfall, the site was a grotto formed by the exterior walls of the former building, which were now filled only with rubble and enormous mounds of ice.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That was 50 years ago, on January 4, 1968. Some might remember the date if not the day; many have probably never heard the story before, about how the great fire forever altered the history of HCC and how the Holyoke community saved the college from an uncertain future.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college, founded in 1946 as Holyoke Junior College, had moved into the former high school building just four months before, after completing $1.5 million in renovations to that facility and the annex across the street. At the time, the college had 1,561 students and more than 60 full-time teachers. According to news reports from the day, there were about 500 students and faculty in the building when the fire started in the attic, the cause later attributed to a faulty ventilation fan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Everyone got out safely, though one firefighter was hospitalized after suffering a heart attack.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to Ashley, a few staff and students were able to save most of academic records from offices on the lower floors &quot;as fire raged above them,&quot; but many professors lost their personal libraries, collections, and doctoral dissertations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Almost everyone who witnessed the event was overcome by a combination of horror and despair,&quot; wrote Ashley.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The charred remains of many college records, including papers belonging to George Frost, HCC's first president, are maintained today in the HCC Library archives in the Donahue Building.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That January, with a week to go in the college semester and finals yet to come, the Holyoke community rallied to find space and equipment so classes could continue to operate. &quot;While the fire was still burning,&quot; Ashley wrote, the city arranged for the former Elmwood School building to be reopened and &quot;offers of both space and equipment poured in from local churches and colleges.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The following Monday, Jan. 8, the college held an assembly in the auditorium at Mountain Park to let students know where their classes and exams would be held. About 1,500 students showed up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the meeting, according to Ashley, President Frost said the school would be rebuilt: &quot;We will have to start from scratch ... and we will start now.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;However, there was great fear in the community that, rather than rebuild the college in Holyoke, state education officials would prefer to merge HCC with the newly created Springfield Technical Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To preempt that effort, President Frost and Holyoke mayor William Taupier launched a campaign to keep the college in Holyoke, and they joined with business, education, and civic leaders to do just that under the name &quot;Friends of Holyoke Community College.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The day after the fire, in fact, Taupier, on behalf of the city, optioned a parcel of land, a former dairy farm in a hollow off Homestead Avenue, where a campus could be built.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An advertisement in the Jan. 9, 1968, edition of the Holyoke Daily Transcript Telegram (from Taupier and the Holyoke Board of Alderman) urged residents to write to the governor and the chairman of the state Board of Regional Colleges, urging them to rebuild in Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It would be a serious loss for our community, and our young people,&quot; the ad said. &quot;Speak up. Let it be known that we cherish and are very proud of this home-grown Community College.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Speak up they did, and, with support from some important state officials whose names should be familiar &amp;mdash; Maurice A. Donahue, then president of the state Senate; and David Bartley '54, then majority leader in the state House of Representatives (and future HCC president), a $1.1 million bill for site development of a new Holyoke Community College was approved in May 1968 and later signed by Gov. John Volpe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The money will be used to develop a site for the college on the Sheehan property off Homestead Ave. as a campus-type facility to replace the old Holyoke High School, destroyed by fire earlier this year,&quot; a news report said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the next six years, HCC would operate out of a hodgepodge of buildings and disparate classrooms all around the city. &quot;It was a nightmare,&quot; said Ashley, who had started teaching for HCC nine months after the fire. After those tumultuous years, he said during a 2011 interview, the new campus, when it opened in 1974, seemed like &quot;Disneyland.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jan. 4, 1968, proved to be a pivotal day, not only in the history of HCC but for the city as well, HCC president Christina Royal noted in her recent inaugural address.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The passion and pride the community felt for Holyoke Community College is why we are in this room, and on this land today, the site of what was once the Sheehan dairy farm,&quot; she said. &quot;Other two-year colleges had been established in the Commonwealth, but ours was the first, and its roots, its history, its mission, engendered a fierce loyalty in the community we serve.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The lessons learned have served the college well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The fire demonstrated our collective spirit of steadfastness, resiliency and transformation,&quot; she said, &quot;and our rise from the ashes to reinvent ourselves, stronger (and with fireproof buildings), all the while demonstrating perseverance for the sake of our students and communities.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY by CHRIS YURKO. PHOTOS from the HCC Archives: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Fire destroys the original downtown HCC campus building on January 4, 1968. (Above) An empty shell is all that remained after fire gutted the original downtown HCC campus building 50 years ago.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9258" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/new-arrivals" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="321|193|165" FileName="x9258.xml" Name="New Arrivals" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/PRNA-two.jpg" Title="New Beginnings" Abstract="A special English for Speakers of Other Languages program is helping hurricane evacuees from Puerto Rico build new lives and careers in western Massachusetts." ThumbnailAltText="Maria Crespo Santos, of Chicopee, and Yamilette Gonzalez Caceres, of Springfield, both completed HCC's Puerto Rican New Arrivals Program." IntroCopy="HCC program focused on hurricane evacuees" Date="2018-12-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Group photo of HCC's Puerto Rican New Arrivals program celebration&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/PRNA-group.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In Puerto Rico, before Hurricane Maria forced thousands to flee the devastated island, Maria Crespo Santos had been working as a medical technician in a pathology laboratory and blood bank.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I like to work with people,&quot; she said recently. &quot;I like to work in the medical field.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The storm, however, had caused too much damage and, like so many others, she left. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was horrible,&quot; she said. &quot;I don't live in Puerto Rico; I survive in Puerto Rico.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Crespo Santos, 58, moved to western Massachusetts about a year ago. She now lives with her sister in Chicopee and works in retail, but thanks to a special Holyoke Community College ESOL program for Puerto Rican evacuees like her she is on the road back to a career in the medical field. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She was one of more than two dozen students recognized for completing the five-month, English for Speakers of Other Languages program.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With her improved English skills, Crespo Santos has already been accepted into a medical assistant training program at HCC that begins in February. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a pleasure and an honor to be part of this group,&quot; she said at a Dec. 20 celebration that included a feast of traditional Puerto Rican food. &quot;The teachers and advisers have a commitment to us, and I don't quit. I have to follow my dreams. Follow my goals. I have challenges, but I try very hard.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Puerto Rican New Arrivals Program started July 23 and concluded Dec. 20 with a recognition ceremony at HCC's Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center (PAFEC) in downtown Holyoke. The HCC division of Business and Community Services offered the free ESOL program specifically for residents of Puerto Rico who left the island after Hurricane Maria and relocated to western Massachusetts. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classes were held Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and funded through a National Dislocated Worker grant administered by the MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board in partnership with the MassHire Holyoke and MassHire Springfield career centers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program focused on much more than just English language skills, however. Students received lessons in computer literacy at the Gill Technology Center on the first floor of PAFEC, and they received job search and resume development support from advisers at HCC and counselors at the MassHire career centers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Community integration and civic engagement was also part of the curriculum. Guest lecturers included state Rep. Aaron Vega and Holyoke mayor Alex Morse, who provided lessons on state and local government. Classes took field trips to the Holyoke Public Library, Nuestras Raices farm and Springfield museums. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We wanted them to understand where they were culturally and talk about what that change means for them individually and also connect them to some of the organizations that are here that can offer services they might benefit from,&quot; said Kermit Dunkelberg, HCC assistant vice president of adult basic education and workforce development.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The students came in with different levels of English language skills and they are heading in different directions, Dunkelberg said. Some have found jobs; others will continue to participate in HCC's regular, free ESOL classes; some, like Crespo Santos, have enrolled in one of HCC's workforce training programs. Many have expressed an interested in continuing their education as students at HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I admire you so much for focusing on your next steps,&quot; said President Christina Royal. &quot;Our purpose at Holyoke Community College is to serve the community, and you are part of our community. Thanks for being part of this, and as you move on we hope you'll think about the skills you need for the jobs you're looking for and just know we are here to help.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Maria Crespo Santos, of Chicopee, and Yamilette Gonzalez Caceres, of Springfield, both completed HCC's Puerto Rican New Arrivals Program. (Above) Students and staff from HCC's Puerto Rican New Arrivals Program celebrate after completing classes on Dec. 20&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9251" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/record-wrap" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x9251.xml" Name="Record Wrap" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Giving-MSPCC-Luis-Rene-Robles.jpg" Title="'You Ease Our Hearts'" Abstract="HCC added Enlace de Familias to its 19th annual Giving Tree campaign drive and donated a record number of gifts this year to five local nonprofit agencies. " ThumbnailAltText="Luis Rene Robles, a home visitor in the Healthy Families program at MSPCC, holds up a gift." IntroCopy="HCC adds fifth charity for annual Giving Tree campaign" Date="2018-12-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Giving Tree closing reception&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Giving-Enlace-Elsie-Betty-Gail.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Faculty, staff and students at Holyoke Community College helped spread holiday cheer this month as they delivered a record number of donated gifts to representatives from five local charities at the closing reception for the college's 19&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; annual Giving Tree campaign.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, the HCC community fulfilled the holiday wishes of 375 consumers from Homework House, WestMass ElderCare, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the Holyoke Soldiers' Home, and &amp;ndash; for the first time &amp;ndash; Enlace de Familias, the Holyoke agency that has been working with Puerto Rican evacuees who left the island after the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Holyoke is such a welcoming city, but when you come with trauma and when you come with only the clothes on your back, there is a lot of need,&quot; said Betty Medina Lichtenstein, executive director of Enlace, the state-designated welcome center for Puerto Rican evacuees that has assisted more than 2,000 evacuees since October 2017. &quot;Last year, Christmas came quickly and gifts were not really part of the equation but with the help of what you are giving this year, they are going to have Christmas and so we are very grateful. So, for them, may you all be blessed.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each year during the annual campaign, which begins in early November, &quot;Giving Trees&quot; are set up in designated areas around campus. Participants choose colored-coded tags from one of the nonprofit agencies based on the age of the recipient and their wish for a gift. The wrapped gifts are piled high on tables for the closing celebration, when&amp;nbsp;HCC faculty, staff, and students join with representatives from the agencies to distribute the gifts and celebrate the season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is an amazing tradition and always brings out the best of HCC,&quot; President Christina Royal said at the Giving Tree opening ceremony in November. &quot;Last year was my first to partake in the Giving Tree experience and I was really blown away by the generosity of our community here at the college.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The sharing of stories from past recipients has become as much a part of the annual tradition as the presentation of gifts. Roseann Martoccia, executive director of WestMass ElderCare, came prepared with testimonials written on small index cards.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Martoccia talked about &quot;L.V.,&quot; a 72-year-old woman who received a small, lightweight vacuum last year. &quot;I didn't even know such a wonderful machine existed,&quot; the woman told her caregiver. &quot;Thank you. You have made my Christmas dream a reality.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;S.H.,&quot; an 88-year-old woman who lives alone in Chicopee, got a toaster oven: &amp;nbsp;&quot;Mine is broken. This is a great gift and I'll put it to good use.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For 69-year-old &quot;B.A.&quot; who lives in Holyoke, it was a pajama set with socks: &quot;I love it, and it's something I really need.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Martoccia's last story was about &quot;R.N.,&quot; a 91-year-old woman with dementia who was gifted a baby doll that doesn't cry. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When she received the doll, she was very excited and happy about her new baby,&quot; Martoccia said. &quot;Her family reports that the doll calms her during moments of distress, and our staff who visit her observe that she has the baby with her at all times, and she takes very good care of it.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Thank you on behalf of our staff, the consumers and their caregivers,&quot; she said. &quot;These gifts go a long way.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year a selection of tags included requests for a winter coat for a teenage boy from Enlace de Familia; a nightgown for an 81-year-old woman from WestMass ElderCare, pajamas, socks, jeans, underwear, hats and gloves, a night light and Nerf toys for a 7-year-old boy from the MSPCC's Healthy Families program; gift cards and clothes for residents of the Holyoke Soldiers' Home; and board games and school supplies for children at Homework House.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You ease our hearts because you give gifts to the children in our Homework House family,&quot; said Sister Jane Morrissey, co-founder and site supervisor of the Holyoke's free after-school tutoring program. &quot;We ask the schools and families to bring us the children most at risk for failure in school, so you know how vulnerable they are in multiple ways. So, thank you from the heart of Homework House.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Past Giving Tree closing ceremonies were held in the smaller Board of Trustees conference room in the Frost Building. But with the addition of a fifth charity, the campaign has outgrown that space. This year's reception was held for the first time in the PeoplesBank Conference Center in HCC's Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also new this year, HCC student clubs held a variety of fundraisers to benefit the campaign, raising nearly $500 that they used to buy gifts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's not just the faculty, staff and students who give the gifts,&quot; Golas said, &quot;we have people from outside in the community who come in; we have retirees still calling and saying, 'look, if you have leftover tags, give us a buzz, and we'll help out.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Luis Rene Robles, a home visitor in the Healthy Families program at MSPCC, holds up a donated gift. (Above) Elsie Rodriguez-Garcia, director of HCC's STRIVE program; Betty Medina Lichenstein, executive director of Enlace de Familias; Gail Golas, chair of HCC's Giving Tree campaign, stand behind a cart filled with gifts for clients of Enlace.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9249" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/tom-kettle" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x9249.xml" Name="Tom Kettle" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Kettle-stairs.jpg" Title="in Case of Emergency " Abstract="HCC and Westfield State University are combining resources with the hiring of a full-time director to oversee emergency management and operations planning on both campuses." ThumbnailAltText="Bill Fogarty, vice president of Administration and Finance, gives a campus tour to Thomas Kettle, HCC's new director of emergency preparedness and response." IntroCopy="HCC, Westfield State hire joint director of emergency management" Date="2018-12-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Thomas Kettle, Bill Fogarty, Linda Szalankiewicz&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Kettle-Fogarty-IT.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a first for both institutions, Holyoke Community College and Westfield State University have jointly hired a dedicated, full-time director to oversee emergency management and operations planning on each campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As director of emergency preparedness and response, Thomas Kettle of Foster, R.I., will split his time 60-40 between Westfield State and HCC, respectively, while maintaining offices on both campuses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An emergency management specialist, Kettle comes to the new position after serving since 2013 as the fire safety specialist at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where his job included support and training in emergency planning and operations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He started his new position Monday, Dec. 10.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With more than 20 years of experience as an emergency management responder and practitioner, Kettle said he was seeking an emergency management opportunity at an institution of higher education.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What drew me to this position was the opportunity to fill a newly created position and to be&amp;nbsp;the bridge for collaboration between Westfield State and HCC,&quot; said Kettle.&amp;nbsp;&quot;This is a new approach to emergency management, providing both institutions a way to share resources throughout the planning and response phases should an emergency event occur.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kettle is a former infantryman and section sergeant in the U.S. Army. He holds a bachelor's degree in fire science from Providence College and, earlier this year, completed his master's degree in emergency management from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kettle will report to the vice presidents for Administration and Finance at each institution. Among his duties, he will be responsible for updating and expanding existing emergency operation plans at both schools.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Combining resources will prove pivotal for each institution, said officials, noting that Westfield State and HCC have a solid history of partnerships and their close proximity laid the groundwork for this shared position.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We've been impressed with Mr. Kettle's knowledge and ideas,&quot; said William Fogarty, HCC vice president of Administration and Finance.&amp;nbsp;&quot;The fundamentals of emergency response are the same for both institutions, and we hope that many of his activities will have collective benefits. We're looking forward to our campuses achieving a higher level of emergency response capability and safety with Mr. Kettle's hire.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Both campuses were pursuing support in this area and it made sense to explore a partnership given our proximity and having similar needs as state college and university colleagues,&quot; said Stephen Taksar, vice president of Administration and Finance at Westfield State. &quot;It also reduces the overall cost of funding for a full-time position.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At Westfield State, the coordinator of the university's emergency response team was an additional responsibility of another staff member.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, the director of Public Safety had led an interdepartmental emergency planning committee responsible for the development and expansion of the college's emergency operations plan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Bill Fogarty, vice president of Administration and Finance, leads Thomas Kettle on a tour of HCC. (Above) Bill Fogarty, center, introduces Thomas Kettle to Linda Szalankiewicz, HCC's chief information officer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9218" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/heights-symposium" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193" FileName="x9218.xml" Name="Heights Symposium" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Heights-curtain-call-hold.jpg" Title="A day 'In the Heights'" Abstract="HCC and Mount Holyoke College are co-hosting a symposium on Fri., Nov. 30, exploring the ideas, themes and characters in Lin-Manuel Miranda's first hit musical." ThumbnailAltText="In the Heights curtain call" IntroCopy="Musical inspires HCC-Mount Holyoke College symposium" Date="2018-11-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;In the Heights dance scene with Puerto Rican flags&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Heights-flags-wide.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By RONNI GORDON&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Following the success of sold-out performances at Holyoke Community College for its fall production of &quot;In the Heights,&quot; HCC and Mount Holyoke College are co-hosting a day-long symposium this week exploring the ideas, characters and themes in Lin-Manuel Miranda's first hit musical.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The joint venture, &quot;In the Heights in Holyoke &amp;ndash; A Latinx Cultural Project and Symposium,&quot; will kick off Thurs., Nov. 29, at 4:30 p.m. in Mount Holyoke's Mary Woolley Hall with a talk by Alberto Sandoval-S&amp;aacute;nchez, &quot;Occupying Broadway: Lin-Manuel Miranda's &lt;em&gt;In&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;the Heights&lt;/em&gt; Spectacular Claim to Latina/o Cultural Citizenship.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The symposium officially opens Friday morning, Nov. 30, at HCC with a series of lectures supported by HCC's &quot;One Community: Holyoke&quot; initiative and concludes Friday afternoon with a lunch and additional lectures at Mount Holyoke. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All the sessions are free and open to the public. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sandoval-S&amp;aacute;nchez, the symposium organizer, is a professor emeritus of Latina/o Studies at Mount Holyoke and served as scholar-in-residence at HCC and as a consultant on the &quot;In the Heights&quot; production. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He is also a co-founder of The New England Consortium for Latina/o Studies and noted that the 10&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary of the Tony-award-winning musical's Broadway debut was an appropriate time to gather Latinx scholars from the consortium to discuss the play's themes and importance. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, he said, the symposium is a way to honor the performers &amp;ndash; HCC students and alumni, Holyoke High School students, and others from the community &amp;ndash; who brought audiences to their feet each night for seven performances in the Leslie Phillips Theater. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I wanted to prepare special events so people could come together from different points of view,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sandoval- S&amp;aacute;nchez said he was not surprised by the show's success. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's exciting because it was about a Latino community in Washington Heights,&quot; he said. &quot;The Latino population at HCC is 28 percent. This created a sense of community and it also made people feel proud of the culture.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC theater professor Patricia Sandoval, an HCC and Mount Holyoke College alumna, directed the production. She said that while the musical is set in a mixed Hispanic barrio in the upper West Side of Manhattan it could just as easily have been set in Holyoke. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It brings to light the struggles, hopes and dreams of this community,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The symposium will explore themes raised in the show, such as gentrification, identify, culture, as well as music, and Latino/a theater. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One speaker will discuss grandmothers as icons, which ties into central character in the play - Abuela Claudia - and to a photo exhibit that was also on display in the HCC theater lobby during performances, &quot;Neustras Abuelas/Our Grandmothers.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The photo exhibit is integral,&quot; said Sandoval-Sanchez. &quot;My goal is for students to have access to their culture and be proud.&quot; &lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Friday, Nov. 30&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;At Holyoke Community College, Kittredge Center 301-303&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;9:30 - 11:30 a.m.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Community, Mobility &amp;amp; the Broadway Lottery,&quot; Arnaldo L&amp;oacute;pez, art manager and development strategist, Pregones Theater, New York City. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;&lt;em&gt;Paciencia y F&amp;eacute;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;in Long Island City: Performing and Teaching&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;In the Heights&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;at&amp;nbsp;LaGuardia Community College, NYC,&quot;&amp;nbsp;Juan Recondo, lecturer, CUNY and New York University.&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;&lt;em&gt;In the Heights&lt;/em&gt; in Holyoke: An Interdisciplinary Analysis for the Mapping of Latinidad, Civic Engagement, and Feminism,&quot; Vanessa Rosa, assistant professor of Latina/o Studies, Mount Holyoke College. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;At Mount Holyoke College, New York Room, Mary Woolley Hall&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;2-5 p.m. &lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Music as Praxis: Hope, Faith, and Community the Soundtrack for&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;In the Heights,&lt;/em&gt;&quot; Marisol Negr&amp;oacute;n, assistant professor of American Studies and Latino Studies, University of Massachusetts, Boston. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Gentrification of Our Dreams: Urban Space and Upward Mobility in Lin-Manuel Miranda's&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;In the Heights,&lt;/em&gt;&quot; Israel Reyes&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese, Dartmouth College. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;&lt;em&gt;Paciencia y F&amp;eacute;&lt;/em&gt;: Abuelas as Icons and Everyday People,&quot;&amp;nbsp;M&amp;eacute;rida R&amp;uacute;a,&amp;nbsp; professor of Latina and Latino Studies and American Studies, Williams College. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Anita, Diana, Vanessa: The Triangulation of Landmark Latinx Women on Broadway,&quot; Catherine Young, lecturer, Princeton University Writing Program. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For a more detailed schedule of events, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/spanish/heights/holyoke-events&quot; title=&quot;In the Heights symposium schedule&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/spanish/events&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: A scene from the Fall 2018 HCC production of Lin-Manuel Miranda's &quot;In the Heights&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9237" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/freight-farms-fresh" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|65|165" FileName="x9237.xml" Name="Freight Farms Fresh" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Freight-Claire.jpg" Title="Freight Farms Fresh" Abstract="The HCC-led urban agriculture project in downtown Holyoke was the featured story on page one of the weekend's Daily Hampshire Gazette. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC student intern Claire McGale shows off some lettuce grown in a repurposed shipping container. " IntroCopy="HCC-led container farms project featured in Daily Hampshire Gazette" Date="2018-12-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Lettuce grows in vertical rows inside the Freight Farms container.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Freight-rows.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Editor's Note: This story appeared online &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gazettenet.com/HCC-Freight-Farms-hg-120718-21970375&quot; title=&quot;Urban harvest: Holyoke freight container home to high-tech produce farm&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Dec. 7 on Gazettenet&lt;/a&gt; and in print Dec. 8 on &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/News/Freight-DHG-12-8-18.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Urban Harvest&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Page One of the Daily Hamsphire Gazette&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By GRETA JOCHEM&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Courtesy of the Daily Hampshire Gazette&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two 40-foot shipping containers sit in an empty lot in the middle of downtown Holyoke on Race Street.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A passerby may not think twice about them, but inside one container an acre of lettuce is growing hydroponically, without the use of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The inside of Holyoke Freight Farms looks more like a futuristic science lab rather than a farm. Sleek containers of romaine and butterhead greens hang vertically from the ceiling in neatly packed rows. The space is just big enough for a handful of people to stand inside with the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The farmers have a lot of control: an electronic panel allows them to change the temperature and dispense nutrients, while lights can be turned on to give the plants a &quot;daytime,&quot; said Claire McGale, an intern with Holyoke Freight Farms and a sustainability studies student at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Inside the container she pointed out piping on the ceiling that helps deliver water to the plants. It takes about eight weeks to grow the plants from seeds, and the container farm can produce 500 lettuce plants weekly, McGale explained.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MassDevelopment's Transformative Development Initiative, which aims to spur economic growth in the state's Gateway Cities, provided funding for the project. Holyoke Community College is leading the project; other partners include the City of Holyoke and the grassroots urban agriculture organization Nuestras Ra&amp;iacute;ces. The refurbished shipping container is from the Boston-based company Freight Farms, which sells growing systems it has nicknamed &quot;Leafy Green Machines&quot; all around the world.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some produce is sold to Gateway City Arts just down the street, and they are currently working to get more customers, said Alina Davledzarova, farm manager and a HCC alumna.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Right now, she said, growing is happening in one of the two containers until demand picks up. Roughly 10 percent of the produce will be donated to the college's food pantry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's the first time they've had fresh produce in the pantry,&quot; said Insiyah Bergeron, Holyoke Innovation District manager and a fellow at MassDevelopment. The project is also educational.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is meant to be a training project,&quot; Bergeron said, &quot;to train interns from HCC and the community in the basics of hydroponic food production.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The plan, Bergeron said, is to soon bring in a few Holyoke residents in an apprenticeship program to work in the freight containers and learn skills for a job in hydroponic growing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's also to get people to think about what farming could look like beyond the limited growing season,&quot; she added.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In Holyoke &amp;ndash; a city without a lot of farmland &amp;ndash; the growing containers are useful, McGale pointed out. Plus, she added, they are not affected by erratic weather and storms. For example, farm fields have been dumped with a heavy rain this year and this fall was one of the rainiest on record for several areas around New England.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Another advantage: Greens can be grown all year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;How many people can say that they're farming an acre of lettuce in New England year-round and giving it to people down the street?&quot; asked Davledzarova.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is a lot of work though, Davledzarova and McGale agreed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The inside of the freight container needs to be kept very clean to avoid issues like algae growth and plants need to be handled with gloves and protected by hairnets.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How do the hydroponically grown greens taste? Said McGale of the lettuce: &quot;My daughter eats spinach now ... she's seven.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) HCC sustainability studies major Claire McGale examines some lettuce. (Above) Rows of lettuce grow vertically inside one of the two Freight Farms containers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9217" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/kids-as-currency" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|193" FileName="x9217.xml" Name="Kids as Currency" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Enduring_Racism_logo.jpg" Title="'Kids as Currency'" Abstract="The Nov. 26 panel discussion focusing on U.S. policy toward immigrant children is the second event in HCC's year-long 'Enduring Racism' speaker series. " ThumbnailAltText="Enduring Racism logo" IntroCopy="Nov. 26 event is part of HCC's 'Enduring Racism' speaker series" Date="2018-11-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Enduring Racism logo&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Enduring_Racism_logo.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part its year-long &quot;Enduring Racism&quot; speaker series, Holyoke Community College will present &quot;Kids as Currency: Immigrant children as pawns in American social policy&quot; on Monday, Nov. 26, beginning at 6 p.m. at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The evening will feature two speakers who are experts in their fields: Moira Maguire, HCC dean of Social Sciences, and David Hern&amp;aacute;ndez, associate professor of Latina/o Studies at Mount Holyoke College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drawing on the adoption of Irish children by American couples in the 1940s and 1950s, and the 2018 U.S. policy of separating children from their parents at the Mexican border, Maguire and Hern&amp;aacute;ndez will examine the historical roots of family separation and the ways that immigrant children have, over the past 70 years,&amp;nbsp;represented the biggest hopes and worst fears of American society. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event is free and open to all. A reception will precede the discussion at 5:30 p.m. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maguire, who started working at HCC last spring, holds a PhD in history from American University. As a teacher and scholar specializing in 20&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; century Irish history, she spent more than 10 years at the University of Ireland Maynooth, where her research on infanticide and the Irish government's care of unwed mothers and their children led to many articles and a book, &lt;em&gt;Cherished Equally? Precarious Childhood in Independent Ireland&lt;/em&gt;. She has also worked as a consultant for the BBC on several documentaries. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hern&amp;aacute;ndez specializes in immigration policy, detention and deportation, and Latina/o history. His research focuses on immigration enforcement, in particular, the U.S. detention system. A prolific writer on the subject, he is completing a book examining the racial genealogy of immigrant detention in the United States.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;Enduring Racism&quot; series is a yearlong invitation to join in an open and honest conversation about racism and its many forms in American society.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Through the sharing of personal stories and scholarship, we trust that as a community we will become more knowledgeable, so we can begin the process of overcoming the pain and degradation of racism,&quot; said Mary Jane O'Connor, HCC Wellness coordinator and one of the event organizers. &quot;We do this with the recognition that this can be both a challenging and an affirming conversation and also understand that it is necessary and must be on-going as we seek truth and reconciliation.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information contact Mary J. O'Connor at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:moconnor@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;moconnor@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;, 413-552-2422 or Camille Close at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:cclose@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;cclose@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or 413-552-2277&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9225" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/delgado" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|353" FileName="x9225.xml" Name="Delgado" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Jose-Delgado.jpg" Title="'Whatever I can do' " Abstract="Springfield native Jose M. Delgado, a former aide to Springfield mayor Domenic Sarno, has been appointed to the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees. " ThumbnailAltText="New HCC trustee Jose Delgado" IntroCopy="HCC welcomes new trustee, Jose M. Delgado of Springfield " Date="2018-11-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC trustee Evan Plotkin, left, and HCC president Christina Royal welcome Jose Delgado to his first Board of Trustees meeting.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Delgado-group%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jose M. Delgado, a Springfield native who has been active in local and state-wide government affairs for most of his professional career, has been appointed to the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees by Gov. Charlie Baker.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Delgado, 32, is director of Government Affairs for MGM Springfield and a former aide to Springfield mayor Domenic Sarno.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Despite my age, I've been out in the community for a while, particularly in Springfield,&quot; Delgado said after his first HCC trustees meeting on Tues., Nov. 27. &quot;It's good to see some familiar faces on the board, but also some folks that I don't know. It's exciting to hear what's going on at HCC. I'm honored to be part of it and looking forward to what's to come.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Born and raised in Springfield, Delgado graduated from Central High School before going to Westfield State College where he earned his bachelor's degree in Mass Communications with a minor in Business Management. Earlier this year he completed his master's degree in Business Administration at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm a first-generation college student and not too different from many of the students here at HCC,&quot; he said. &quot;My mom didn't make it to high school. My dad graduated high school and that was about it. So higher ed, education in general, is important to me because I've seen what it did in my life. I'm a kid who grew up on public assistance, was able to break that cycle, and I'm looking forward to doing the same thing here at HCC in terms of motivating students &amp;ndash; whatever I can do to help.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since graduating from Westfield State in 2008, Delgado has also worked as a program coordinator for the Massachusetts Latino Chamber of Commerce, a field operations supervisor for the U.S. Census Bureau, and a pre-admissions advisor and recruitment coordinator for the University Without Walls at UMass.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a volunteer, Delgado has served as vice chair of the Springfield Puerto Rican Parade Committee and is a founding board member of Suit Up Springfield. In 2014, he was named one of the &quot;40 Under Forty&quot; by &lt;em&gt;Business West&lt;/em&gt; magazine.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He lives in Springfield with his wife, Danielle, and two young children, Jonah, 7, and Mia, 3.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Jose Delgado. (Above) HCC trustee Evan Plotkin and HCC president Christina Royal welcome Jose Delgado, right, to his first HCC Board of Trustees meeting&lt;/em&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9210" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/wendlandts" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="65|165" FileName="x9210.xml" Name="Wendlandts" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Wendlandts-bridge.jpg" Title="Alumni Challenge" Abstract="Longtime donors Margaret '58 and Gary Wendlandt have pledged to match, dollar-for-dollar, every gift made to a new HCC student emergency fund, up to $20,000. " ThumbnailAltText="Peg and Gary Wendlandt" IntroCopy="'We could not possibly know what and how many emergencies our students will face each academic year, but we do know that we are more prepared to respond to these needs thanks to the Wendlandts' generosity.'  – HCC vice president Amanda Sbriscia" Date="2018-11-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Peg and Gary Wendlandt&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Wendlandts-bridge.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story also appears in the Fall 2018 issue of &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/AC/AC_FA18_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Alumni Connection Fall 2018&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Alumni Connection&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By JUDITH KELLIHER&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For Margaret &quot;Peg&quot; (Laframboise) Wendlandt '58, attending Holyoke Community College proved to be a transformative experience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Though she had enjoyed Cathedral High School in Springfield and her friendships there, she wasn't much involved in school activities. But HCC &amp;ndash; then Holyoke Junior College &amp;ndash; was different. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On her way to an associate degree, she joined the student council, graduation committee, tea committee, and yearbook and newspaper staffs. She helped organize popular dances and waved pom-poms on the sidelines for sports teams as a cheerleader. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That HCC experience continues to influence her life.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She and her husband, Gary Wendlandt, a graduate of Washington University and a retired insurance executive, believe in the power of education. Since 2009, the Wendlandts have funded two endowed scholarships through the HCC Foundation: one for students with significant financial need and one for those in the nursing and health fields. Every year, scholarships in their name are awarded to 11 HCC students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They understand first hand what that kind of support can mean. In March 1958, during her sophomore year, Peg's father died, leaving her mother to support the family. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Without a scholarship, I would not have been able to attend college full time,&quot; she said. &quot;I am very grateful that someone helped me and am glad that we are now in a position to help others.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After HCC, Peg went on to the University of Massachusetts and, later, to Western New England School of Law. As the first HCC alumna to earn a law degree, Peg received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007 and the Distinguished Service Award at Commencement in 2014.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Education has made a great deal of difference in our lives and how we have succeeded over the years,&quot; said Peg, whose career included work as a family law attorney, a substitute teacher in the Holyoke Public Schools, and an actuarial analyst at Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. &quot;Gary and I both received scholarships to assist us in achieving our goals of education, and feel fortunate that we can help others do the same.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Wendlandts have also accounted for HCC in their estate plan. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most recently, the New York City residents donated $20,000 to the President's Student Emergency Fund, established in 2017 by HCC president Christina Royal to assist students experiencing financial emergencies or facing catastrophic events. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;While many of us may have a support system or safety net to assist during challenging times, that may not be the case for some HCC students,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation. &quot;And none of them should see their educational dreams derailed by circumstances beyond their control.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gifts like the Wendlandts' mean HCC officials can respond when the need arises, Sbriscia said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We could not possibly know, with certainty, what and how many emergencies our students will face in each academic year,&quot; she said. &quot;But we do know that we are more prepared to respond to these needs thanks to the Wendlandts' generosity.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not content with the initial donation to the fund, the couple recently issued an additional, dollar-for-dollar, matching challenge gift to the President's Student Emergency Fund of up to $20,000. (Details Below.) &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We felt the emergency fund was an excellent way for us to help students in need,&quot; Peg said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After all these years, it's the little memories that often transport Peg back to HCC, like the time the cheerleaders had to make their own outfits. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;At that time, since I did not know how to sew, cheerleader Pat Cousineau's mother made my outfit for me,&quot; she recalled. &quot;She also assisted with others. That was the kind of community we were. That's why I want to give back.&quot; &amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;$20,000 Challenge&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now through the end of 2018, Peg and Gary Wendlandt will match, dollar for dollar, every gift made to the President's Student Emergency Fund &amp;ndash; up to $20,000. That's an additional $20,000 in emergency funding. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How it works: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You give $25 - the Wendlandts give $25. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You give $100 - they give $100.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alumni and friends give a collective $20,000 between now and Dec. 31, 2018 - the Wendlandts will match it with another $20,000. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gifts of any size will be matched.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To make your gift and see it matched, go to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/alumni-and-friends/make-a-gift&quot; title=&quot;Donate&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/donate&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;and choose President's Emergency Fund from the dropdown menu after &quot;Designation.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Peg '58 and Gary Wendland&lt;/em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;t&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9223" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/train-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="321|194" FileName="x9223.xml" Name="TRAIN grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/HCC-Lunch-serve.jpg" Title="Getting Ready" Abstract="HCC is leading a Valley consortium in the creation of a new job-readiness &quot;pre-training&quot; program designed to help unemployed and under-employed people secure stable employment. " ThumbnailAltText="An HCC student gets ready to serve lunch at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute" IntroCopy="HCC secures $247,000 TRAIN grant" Date="2018-11-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student serving lunch&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/HCC-Lunch-serve%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded a $247,000 grant to help unemployed and underemployed individuals acquire the job-readiness skills they need to secure &amp;ndash; and retain &amp;ndash; stable employment. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through this grant from the Mass. Dept. of Higher Education's Training Resources and Internship Networks initiative &amp;ndash; TRAIN &amp;ndash; HCC will work with a long list of regional partners to develop a three-stage program that includes pre-training in job readiness, industry-specific training in culinary arts or manufacturing, followed by some kind of work experience with a local employer. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Up to 120 individuals from Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties are expected to participate in some way through June 2019. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We hear from employers all the time, and we hear it from every sector, that many applicants lack basic job readiness skills &amp;ndash; things like customer service, communication, conflict resolution, time management,&quot; said Kermit Dunkelberg, HCC assistant vice president of Adult Basic Education and Workforce Development. &quot;They say, we can train them to do the work, but we need them to have these basic things. What we're trying to do here is develop a regional model.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's partners in the TRAIN Pioneer Valley Consortium project include the MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board, the MassHire Franklin Hampshire Workforce Board, the MassHire career centers in Holyoke, Springfield, and Franklin and Hampshire counties, Springfield Technical Community College, and Greenfield Community College. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, the University of Massachusetts Auxiliary Dining Services in Amherst, the Log Cabin Group in Holyoke, MGM Resorts in Springfield, Peerless Precision Inc. in Springfield, and Bete Fog Nozzle Inc. in Greenfield have agreed to provide internship, apprenticeship, or job shadowing opportunities to program participants. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The other piece that all our research in the region shows is that people lack the hands-on experience of working in an industry,&quot; said Dunkelberg. &quot;We're trying to connect them to those opportunities as well, so they can see what the expectations are on the job and for employers to be able to try somebody out and see what they can do.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is working with the regional career centers to develop a three-week, 60-hour &quot;essential skills/job-readiness&quot; pre-training course that will be offered at least four times at locations in the three Pioneer Valley counties, said Dunkelberg. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;'That will really focus on professional behavior, punctuality, attire, teamwork,&quot; he said. &quot;Communication is huge &amp;ndash; and customer service. Customer service across the Valley is something that employers recognize needs to be improved.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The pre-training segment will also include career exploration. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the past, job readiness training has been incorporated into other workforce training programs HCC has offered, and that will continue, Dunkelberg said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Really, you can't do enough of it, so it's not just something that will be done at the front end and never addressed again,&quot; he said. &quot;People need to keep practicing these skills over and over because these are the things that not only prevent people from being hired, but prevent people from staying in a job, so it's also about job retention.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After the pre-training, participants will have the opportunity to continue into one of the industry-specific training segments: a four-week, 120-hour program in culinary arts and hospitality at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute; or a 44-hour manufacturing training program at STCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also, participants might instead choose to enter another industry-specific training program offered by one of the community colleges. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Someone could go into healthcare training, it that was the right fit for them, or straight into the college,&quot; Dunkelberg said. &quot;We're mainly looking to get people ready for employment but we definitely want to encourage everyone to think about their long-term educational pathway. The great thing is it's customizable, according to an individual's needs and their interests and skills.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: An HCC student gets ready to serve lunch at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9214" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/transgender-rights" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193" FileName="x9214.xml" Name="Transgender Rights" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/MA-CC-logo.jpg" Title="For Transgender Rights" Abstract="HCC president Christina Royal and the 14 other Massachusetts community college presidents have issued an open letter to U.S. Education Sec. Betsy DeVos in support of transgender rights.  " ThumbnailAltText="Mass CC logo" Date="2018-11-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Open letter to Betsy Devos&quot; height=&quot;2471&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/NEW-New-Devos-ltr-ccprez.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;1500&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9204" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/home-in-the-heights" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|226" FileName="x9204.xml" Name="Home 'In the Heights'" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Heights-Vanessa-CENTER.jpg" Title="At Home 'In the Heights'" Abstract="Director Pat Sandoval drew inspiration – and talent – from the region’s vibrant Latino community for the HCC production of ‘In the Heights,’ through Nov. 17." ThumbnailAltText="Cast members rehearse a scene from the HCC production of 'In the Heights'" IntroCopy="Director draws inspiration – and talent – from area's vibrant Latino community" Date="2018-11-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Cast members rehearse a scene from HCC production of 'In the Heights'&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Heights-Vanessa-CENTER.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By RONNI GORDON&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The theme of Lin-Manuel Miranda's &quot;In the Heights&quot; is home, and home is where HCC theater professor and director Patricia Sandoval '84 found inspiration for the production of the Tony Award-winning musical opening on campus Thursday, Nov. 8. She found it in the rich Latino culture of Holyoke, drawing on the city and nearby communities for a cast ranging from local high schoolers to HCC students and alumni to community members and professional dancers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I believe there is a lot of talent at HCC and in the community, and I wanted everyone to celebrate that,&quot; she said. &quot;Everyone (in rehearsals) is enjoying the music and the dancing and the celebration of the Latino community,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But there is more to it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I hope the audience takes away an appreciation of the Latino community and a better understanding of the issues involved (such as) gentrification, immigrants' rights ... and the struggle to succeed in college,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Performances are Nov. 8-10 and Nov. 15-17 at 7 p.m., with a matinee at 2 p.m. on Nov. 10, in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater. The Nov. 16&amp;nbsp;performance will be ASL interpreted. Tickets are available at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hcctheater.brownpapertickets.com/&quot; title=&quot;In the Heights tickets&quot;&gt;hcctheater.brownpapertickets.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;($10 general admission, $8 students and seniors, $5 for members of the HCC community). If not sold out, they will be available at the door&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The story follows a bodega owner (Usnavi, played by HCC student Michael Borges of Springfield) and other residents of a Latino community in the Washington Heights neighborhood of upper Manhattan over three days. The performance blends salsa, hip-hop, rap and Broadway ballads, and according to Sandoval, is challenging because Miranda tells the story through the music rather than in dialogue and song like a traditional Broadway musical.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The interest for the young people is it speaks to them; it is their story,&quot; she said. HCC music professor and college chorale director Ellen Cogen, musical director for the production, plays piano along with a nine-piece orchestra comprised mostly of HCC faculty.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She said the show has a similar &quot;vibe&quot; to that of &quot;Hamilton,&quot; winner of 11 Tony Awards and the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The accessibility of our show is incredible,&quot; Cogen said. &quot;Ten dollars is the most expensive ticket. The level of the talent is strong, and so is the energy. People will get so much more than their money's worth.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alberto Sandoval S&amp;aacute;nchez, professor emeritus at Mount Holyoke College and expert in Latino Studies, served as a consultant for the production and scholar-in-residence at HCC. &quot;I saw 'In the Heights' a few times on Broadway. It was spectacular. A hip-hop musical for a new generation. This was the first Broadway show with a full cast of Latina/o actors, singers and dancers,&quot; he said in an email. &quot;Although it was a box-office success on Broadway, I always wondered what it would be like to bring it to a community-based theater.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sandoval, the director (no relation to Sandoval S&amp;aacute;nchez except for having been his student at Mount Holyoke), said his involvement helped students understand the play's significance &amp;ndash; and the culture behind it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am always paying attention to their body language,&quot; he said. &quot;Most important, I pay attention to their Spanish. There are many words in Spanish and phrases. I work with pronunciation and enunciation. I want them to feel the Spanish.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Miranda started writing the musical in 1999 during his sophomore year at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. It&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;premiered in 2005 at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn., before moving Off-Broadway in 2007 and then to the Richard Rodgers Theatre in 2008, where it won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Miranda grew up in the Inwood section of Manhattan, north of Washington Heights His parents were born in Puerto Rico and met in graduate school at New York University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;A lot of the show comes out of the theme of home, and what we define as home,&quot; he told Playbill at the time. &quot;It's especially a struggle for those of us who were born here and have parents who speak nostalgically of where they came from. What do we take with us? What traditions do we pass on to our kids?&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tiffany Joseph, an instructor at The Center dance studio in Amherst, choreographed the HCC performance, drawing on the theme of home &amp;ndash; as in cast members' roots &amp;ndash; to elicit authentic movement from non-dancers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Each character has specific feelings and emotions and they bring that out in dance,&quot; she said. &quot;Since most are Latino, when they're doing salsa and meringue they feel it in their bodies.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The cast:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC students:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Usnavi: Michael Borges, from Springfield&lt;br /&gt; Vanessa: Ashley Morris, from Chicopee&lt;br /&gt; Daniela: Rochelli Smith, from Springfield&lt;br /&gt; Carla: Nanette Mendieta, from Holyoke&lt;br /&gt; Ensemble: Rose Soucie, from Westfield&lt;br /&gt; Ensemble: Zachary Martins, from Holyoke&lt;br /&gt; Ensemble: Joseph Ramah, from Chicopee&lt;br /&gt; Ensemble: Jerannchris Rivera-Heredia, from Springfield&lt;br /&gt; Ensemble: Chestina Thrower, from Springfield&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke High School students:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Benny: Michael Luciano&lt;br /&gt;Piragua Guy: Adriel Berrios&lt;br /&gt;Sonny: Melina Garcia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC alumni:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Camila: Adriana Piantedosi, from Northampton&lt;br /&gt;Kevin: Axel Cruz, from Chicopee&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC staff:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Abuela Claudia: Shannon Sarkisian, from Holyoke&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Community members:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Ensemble: Adrianelys Sanchez, from Springfield&lt;br /&gt;Graffiti Pete: Tiffany Joseph, from Amherst&lt;br /&gt;Nina: Maya Kirsi, from Northampton&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Professional Dancers:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Club Dancer: Steve Bailey, from Easthampton (also HCC alum and staff)&lt;br /&gt;Club Dancer: Roxanne Labato-Bailey, from Easthampton&lt;br /&gt;Club Dancer: Waleska Santiago, from Springfield&lt;br /&gt;Club Dancer: Junior Lozada, from Northampton&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: HCC student Ashley Morris, front, of Chicopee plays Vanessa in the HCC Theater Dept.'s production of the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical &quot;In the Heights,&quot; Nov. 8-10, and Nov. 15-17. Behind her is HCC student Michael Borges in the red shirt as bodega owner Usnavi, and Holyoke High School students Michael Luciano (as Benny) and Melina Garcia (as Sonny).&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9189" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/on-to-illinois" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="2|165" FileName="x9189.xml" Name="On to Illinois" Thumbnail="/images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/district%20win18%20TN.jpg" Title="On to Illinois" Abstract="The HCC women's soccer team won the NJCAA Division III district championship Friday, earning a spot in the Elite Eight of the national championship tournament Nov. 7-11. " ThumbnailAltText="2018 Lady Cougars celebrate district championship win" IntroCopy="Women’s soccer team to compete for national title " Date="2018-10-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;District Champion Lady Cougars&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/district%2018%20win%20pic.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px; vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC women's soccer team won the District G Championship Friday afternoon, defeating Nassau Commnity College 1-0, punching a ticket to the 2018 NJCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke put forth a gritty performance in a hard-fought game against a physical Nassau team who put pressure on the Cougars throughout the matchup. For the Lady Cougars soccer program, the shutout win is extra sweet as Nassau eliminated HCC last season on penalty kicks and with an overtime golden goal in 2016.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Center midfielder Steph Robert &lt;em&gt;(Monson, MA / Monson HS)&lt;/em&gt; scored the contest's only goal in the 19th minute with a bomb of a shot from 35 yards out that found the top left corner of the goal. Robert also shared the shutout, playing the second half of the game in goal, making four saves. Emily Toro-Mattoon &lt;em&gt;(East Longmeadow, MA / East Longmeadow HS)&lt;/em&gt; was the starting goalkeeper, making five saves in her half of the shutout. Toro-Mattoon's five stops included a spectacular diving save to her right that kept Nassau off the scoreboard. Center back Jessica Patruno &lt;em&gt;(Granby, MA / Granby HS)&lt;/em&gt;, who has played exceptionally all season, played another outstanding game alongside outside back Kari Little &lt;em&gt;(Amherst, MA / Amherst HS)&lt;/em&gt; who was also tremendous in the victory. Midfielder Miranda Grochowski &lt;em&gt;(Westfield, MA / Westfield HS)&lt;/em&gt; tallied the assist on the Cougars' goal and midfielder Madison Zollo &lt;em&gt;(Monson, MA / Monson HS)&lt;/em&gt; played superbly for Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Lady Cougars, who are 13-6-1 overall and 13-4-1 in NJCAA Division III, will travel to Rockford, Illinois from November 7-11 to participate in the 2018 NJCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship. The national event is comprised of the final eight (Elite 8) Division III women's soccer teams with a National Champion crowned on Sunday November 11. This year, HCC women's soccer makes its seventh appearance in the Elite 8 with their most recent being in 2013 when the Lady Cougars finished third in the nation. Let's go Cougars!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.njcaa.org/sports/wsoc/2018-19/div3/national_championship/index&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here to see 2018 NJCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/teams/womens-soccer&quot;&gt;Click here for women's soccer page on HCC athletics webpage&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Photos: (Main &amp;amp; Thumbnail) The 2018 District G Champion Lady Cougars.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9207" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/grinspoon-fa18" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|165" FileName="x9207.xml" Name="Grinspoon FA18" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Grinspoon-Conference-2018-HCC-students-.jpg" Title="Business Support" Abstract="More than 60 HCC students and faculty attended the Grinspoon Collegiate Entrepreneurship Conference last week for a day of workshops, speakers and networking." IntroCopy="More than 60 students and faculty represented HCC at annual Grinspoon conference" Date="2018-11-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC business students at the Grinspoon collegiate conference&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Grinspoon-Conference-2018-HCC-students-.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SPRINGFIELD &amp;ndash; More than 60 HCC students and faculty members attended the Grinspoon, Garvey &amp;amp; Young Collegiate Entrepreneurship Conference at the MassMutual Center on Friday, Nov. 2.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 14&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; annual event drew more than 450 business-minded students and faculty from 14 area colleges for a day of hands-on workshops, entrepreneur exhibits, speakers, and networking opportunities. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Organized by the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation and area colleges, the Entrepreneurship Conference is held annually to inspire, motivate and support local college students to turn their ideas into businesses.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC is always well represented at these events,&quot; said Ellen Majka, HCC business professor and advisor to the HCC Emerging Business Leaders Club. &quot;Two of our students, Nate Frank and Chris Cruz had table top displays at the conference for their start-up businesses.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Frank and Cruz were among four HCC business students who won Spirit Awards at the annual &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/grinspoon-sp18&quot;&gt;Grinspoon conference last spring&lt;/a&gt;, Frank for his hat business, Bay State Brimmers, and Cruz for his urban apparel company, Interstellar Design. They &amp;nbsp;were among 28 student exhibitors&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students began their day by participating in what was billed as the world's largest collegiate idea jam. In a bracket system, the best ideas were voted on in real time by fellow students with winners moving on to the next round. Those with the 10 most promising ideas made their pitches to a team of sharks in one of 10 breakout sessions, with the three finalist pitching to the entire audience following lunch. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Breakout sessions included &quot;Curiosity: The Fuel that Sparks Entrepreneurship,&quot; &quot;Crowdfunding 101,&quot; &quot;Launching a Food Business,&quot; &quot;Rapid Prototyping,&quot; &quot;Shark Tank,&quot; and &quot;Grinspoon Entrepreneurial Spirit Award Winners Tell Their Stories.&quot;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event is a Pioneer Valley community endeavor with local entrepreneurs and presenters from colleges and businesses in the region.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The keynote speaker was Marc Gammell, co-founder of the Springfield-based Treaty Biotech, who talked about coming up with the idea for FogKicker, an anti-fog solution. Gammell, a graduate of UMass Amherst, was the recipient of a Grinspoon Entrepreneurial Spirit Award and the Grinspoon, Garvey &amp;amp; Young Alumni Award.&amp;nbsp;He was also a finalist in the Valley Venture Mentors Accelerator.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participating colleges included American International College, Amherst College, Bay Path University, Elms College, Greenfield Community College, Hampshire College, HCC, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Springfield College, Springfield Technical Community College, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Western New England University and Westfield State University.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9194" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/chw-opioids" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194|357" FileName="x9194.xml" Name="CHW Opioids" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/CHW-Esther.jpg" Title="'A really big deal'" Abstract="A $1.6 million federal award will benefit HCC and community health centers in Holyoke, Springfield and Greenfield in the battle against opioid addiction. " ThumbnailAltText="Esther Russell of Springfield talks to &quot;Mrs. Johnson&quot; during a simulated home visit. " IntroCopy="$1.6 million award will benefit HCC and three regional community health centers" Date="2018-10-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Esther Russell of Springfield talks to &amp;quot;Mrs. Johnson&amp;quot; during a simulated home visit. &quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/CHW-Wide.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;847&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is the lead partner in a project that will bring $1.6 million in federal grant money to the Pioneer Valley to train community health workers in the battle against opioid addiction.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA, part of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, has awarded HCC $400,000 over two years to add as many as 36 seats per year to its existing community health worker program. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to core studies in community health, students in the program will receive specific instruction and training in addiction and substance abuse disorders. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also, HCC's three regional partners &amp;ndash; Holyoke Health Center, Franklin County Community Health Center and the Springfield Health Department &amp;ndash; will each receive separate $400,000 grants to support on-site practical training of those students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a really big deal,&quot; said Rebecca Lewis, chair of HCC's Foundations of Health program. &quot;Each of the health centers is getting a huge award. Part of why we got this is because we took a regional approach. We'll be recruiting students from all over the Pioneer Valley.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The course of study will include three classes, free to all participants. The first cohort will begin in spring 2019 with &quot;Core Competencies for Community Health Workers,&quot; followed by &quot;Introduction to Addiction Studies&quot; in the summer of 2019, and concluding with a 125-hour practicum at one of the three health centers in the fall of 2019.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a fantastic opportunity to leverage the resources of our academic partner (HCC) with the real-world implementation of the community health worker role,&quot; said Edward Sayer, chief executive officer of Community Health Center of Franklin County. &quot;Health centers have been leaders in the area of integrated primary care for 50 years, so programs like these that build on developing a skilled workforce are essential to continuing the work of improving the health of our local communities.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Community health is an emerging healthcare field and community health workers are typically employed by agencies to focus on underserved populations, conducting home visits and connecting clients with needed services. They do not provide medical care. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Springfield's $400,000 grant will go toward services at the city's Homeless Health Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Community Health Workers are the critical link between our patients and the primary care system,&quot; said Helen Caulton-Harris, commissioner of the Springfield Health Department. &quot;The value of CHW's goes beyond the care continuum; they are a trusted community advocate and voice for many who often get lost in our complex system of care. This grant enables the city of Springfield the ability to support and enhance the care our residents receive, while providing critical hands on training that will strengthen the healthcare workforce and our response to the opioid crisis.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Upon successful completion of the three-course series, students will receive a certificate of completion that can serve as a stand-alone community health worker credential. Or, the nine HCC credits they earn can be applied toward a full Community Health Worker certificate (26 credits), an associate degree in Foundations of Health or an associate degree in Human Services.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This grant is a supplemental award to a $431,000 grant HCC received last year from HRSA to train community health workers focused on behavioral health. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Because of the opiate crisis nationally, this new funding is really focused on training community health workers so they have a skillset in addiction and training that will help them identify people at risk for addiction, help get people into treatment and learn to work as part of an integrated primary-care team,&quot; Lewis said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, the grant will allow for the hiring of a project coordinator and a professional tutor dedicated to community health worker students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classes will meet on Saturdays or in the evening. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's really focused on adult learners, incumbent workers and nontraditional students,&quot; Lewis said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;About three years ago, HCC became the first area institution to start a&amp;nbsp;Community Health Worker certificate program with an eye toward pending state regulations that would allow the college to apply to become an official training site. The state Dept. of Public Health has only this week approved standards for a voluntary state certification process for community health workers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: A Community Health Worker student&amp;nbsp;talks to a patient during a simulated home visit during a class.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9173" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/seven-straight" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|2|165" FileName="x9173.xml" Name="Seven Straight" Thumbnail="/images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/2018%20W.Socc%20team%20pic%280%29.jpg" Title="Seven Straight" Abstract="After winning their seventh consecutive New England regional championship Sunday the Cougars play for the district championship today at 2:30 p.m. on O'Connell Field. " ThumbnailAltText="Lady Cougars 2018" IntroCopy="Cougars capture New England title again" Date="2018-10-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;2018 Lady Cougars Soccer - New England Champs&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/2018%20NE%20champ%20pic.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 2018 HCC women's soccer team won the New England (Region XXI) championship Sunday afternoon, defeating Massasoit Community College 2-1 in overtime.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In doing so, the Cougars claimed their seventh consecutive regional championship and 11th in the past 13 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cougars split games with Massasoit during the regular season and the two sides had finished tied atop the New England standings with matching regional records of 9-1-0. Holyoke's regular season loss to the Warriors was the program's first regional loss since 2011.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The team&amp;nbsp; worked extremely hard to prepare for their tournament meeting with Massasoit, and I think we had just the right game plan for the season's most important game,&quot; said coach Rob Galazka.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A strong wind played a key role in Sunday's matchup; all three of the game's goals were scored by the team with the wind at their backs. Holyoke trailed 1-0 at halftime but a relentless attack in the second half led to the tying goal. The momentum carried into overtime where the Cougars won the game.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Center midfielder Sam Tersavich &lt;em&gt;(Westfield / Hampshire Regional)&lt;/em&gt;, a key figure all season,&amp;nbsp; scored the game-winning overtime goal to claim the championship for the Cougars with just 33 seconds remaining in the first overtime period.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tersavich launched a shot from 35 yards out that sailed over the opposing goalkeeper's outstretched arms and dropped in just under the crossbar, sending the Cougars into elation. During the second half, defender Gabby Petlock &lt;em&gt;(Southampton/ Smith Vocational HS)&lt;/em&gt; was moved up into the offense to play her more natural position of forward. This is where Petlock sprinted past the Massasoit defense to receive a perfect through ball pass from Tersavich and bury her breakaway chance for the game-tying goal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the three games against Massasoit this season, Holyoke has scored five goals, all of which were scored by Tersavich and Petlock. Center back Jessica Patruno &lt;em&gt;(Granby / Granby HS)&lt;/em&gt; led the defense on Sunday alongside Petlock and Kari Little &lt;em&gt;(Amherst / Amherst HS)&lt;/em&gt;, keeping a strong Massasoit offense from earning too many scoring chances. Center midfielder Shannon McCarthy &lt;em&gt;(Chicopee / Chicopee Comprehensive HS)&lt;/em&gt; was outstanding for the Cougars, dominating in the middle of the field while leading the game plan to deny long passes to Massasoit's speedy forwards.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In its semifinal game Saturday, the Cougars defeated Bunker Hill Community College 5-0, led by a goal and two assists from Madison Zollo &lt;em&gt;(Monson / Monson HS)&lt;/em&gt;. Steph Robert &lt;em&gt;(Monson / Monson HS)&lt;/em&gt; and Emily Toro-Mattoon &lt;em&gt;(East Longmeadow / East Longmeadow HS)&lt;/em&gt; each scored in the win and each played one half of the game in goal to share the shutout. Olivia Brooks &lt;em&gt;(Agawam / Agawam HS)&lt;/em&gt; and Tersavich had the other goals on Saturday and McCarthy had a pair of assists.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cougars regional record is 11-1-0 and 12-6-1 overall. Their record against NJCAA division III teams is 12-4-1. The New England championship is the women's soccer program's seventh consecutive title and 11th in the past 13 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Next, Holyoke will host a District Championship on Sat., Oct. 27 at noon against Nassau Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nassau has been a thorn in the Cougars' side in recent years, having ended the team's season&amp;nbsp; three of the past four years. The Cougars played Nassau earlier this season in Garden City, N.Y., falling 2-1 in overtime.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke looks to avenge the series of heartbreaking losses Friday, Oct. 26, at home, where a win would punch their ticket to the NJCAA National Tournament (Elite Eight) for the first time since 2013.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Photos: (Main) The 2018 New England champion Lady Cougars. (Thumbnail) The Cougars celebrate around Tersavich after the overtime game-winning goal.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9176" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/grand-opening" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165|194" FileName="x9176.xml" Name="Grand Opening " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/CLS-ribbon-cut.jpg" Title="'An Exciting Moment'" Abstract="HCC marked the official opening of the Center for Life Sciences with a ribbon-cutting celebration featuring lab demonstrations and tours of the $4.55 million facility. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC students, officials and guests cut the ceremonial ribbon officially opening the Center for Life Sciences. " IntroCopy="HCC officially opens its new Center for Life Sciences" Date="2018-10-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Biology professor James Knapp gives a microbiology demonstration during the grand opening celebration of the new HCC Center for Life Sciences. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/CLS-Knapp-demo.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College marked the official opening of its new Center for Life Sciences today with a ribbon-cutting celebration featuring lab demonstrations and tours of the 13,000-square-foot, $4.55-million state-of-the-art facility.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is an amazing space,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal, standing in the crowded lobby of the center on the first floor of the Marieb Building. &quot;This building has not been renovated since 1972. With this facility, we've just brought the education level of our biotechnology and life science programs into the 21&lt;sup&gt;st&lt;/sup&gt; century.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/center-for-life-sciences-open&quot;&gt;The Center for Life Sciences&lt;/a&gt;, which opened for classes in September for the start of the fall semester, features a suite of new science labs and classrooms and the only ISO-certified cleanroom at any community college in Massachusetts. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Today we all celebrate another great achievement for Holyoke Community College,&quot; said Congressman Richard Neal of Springfield, who noted the importance of community colleges for providing opportunities to aspiring students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As we've watched what's happened to the cost of higher education, we are all reminded that it is more important than ever to have a flourishing community college system,&quot; said Neal '70, an HCC alumnus.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/10/hccs_readies_21st_century_work.html&quot; title=&quot;MassLive story, photos and video&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See story, photos and video on MassLive &lt;/a&gt;...&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jim Peyser, state secretary of Education, said the ribbon-cutting celebration was an important part of the state's first annual STEM Week. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What we're trying to do is shine a spotlight on all the great things that are going on around the Commonwealth in STEM education,&quot; he said. &quot;In Massachusetts, there is something on the order of 600,000 jobs in STEM fields. There are 270,000 or so postings for STEM jobs in the state. This is not just a big part of our economy, but the fastest growing part.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The fact that this new lab facility is open is a reflection of the forward thinking of this institution and this community to find out where the future is leading and to move in that direction,&quot; he said. &quot;This is a really exciting moment.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the other officials and dignitaries on hand for the celebration were Holyoke mayor Alex Morse, state representatives Aaron Vega of Holyoke, also an HCC alumnus, and Angelo Puppolo of Springfield, who, along with the many visitors and guest, toured the new science labs and talked to biotechnology and microbiology students as they conducted experiments dressed in white lab coats. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These are our future doctors, future scientists and future researchers,&quot; Royal said. &quot;These are the types of aspirations that they have as they start here at HCC and look to move on into the workforce or toward opportunities to transfer and continue their educations. It's wonderful to watch.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center provided the majority of funding for the project in the form of a $3.8 million grant, with the balance of the total cost coming from the HCC Foundation. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are committed to providing the innovative infrastructure, alongside dynamic educational and experiential opportunities, and other necessary resources to develop the next generation of great scientists, engineers, and life science entrepreneurs,&quot; Travis McCready, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, said in a statement. &quot;HCC is providing its students with state-of-the-art equipment, facilities, and instruction to gain the skills necessary to further fuel our world-class talent pipeline.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC students, officials and guests cut the ceremonial ribbon officially opening the Center for Life Sciences. (Above) HCC professor James Knapp demonstrates microbiology lab techniques for his students and guests during the grand-opening celebration of the HCC Center for Life Science&lt;/em&gt;s.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9120" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/in-the-heights-tickets" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165|226" FileName="x9120.xml" Name="In the Heights Tickets" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/In-the-Heights-news.jpg" Title="'In the Heights' On Stage" Abstract="Get your tickets now for the HCC Theater Dept's Fall production of the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical &quot;In the Heights,&quot; Nov. 8-10 and Nov. 15-17." ThumbnailAltText="The cast of HCC's production of &quot;In the Heights&quot;" IntroCopy="Tickets are now on sale for HCC's fall production, &quot;In the Heights&quot;" Date="2018-10-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;In the Heights cast&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/In-the-Heights-news.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before his &quot;Hamilton&quot; became a Broadway phenomenon, Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote &quot;In the Heights,&quot; a Tony-award winning musical celebrating Latino culture, music and dance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Theater Department will bring &quot;In the Heights&quot; to the stage in November for a full-scale production with a cast comprising HCC students, staff and alumni, students from Holyoke High School, and other talented local actors and singers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We want to celebrate the Latino community at HCC and the Latino community in the city of Holyoke,&quot; said HCC theater professor and director Patricia Sandoval '84. &quot;We want to celebrate the talents of the community and give visibility to the youth of Holyoke. Bringing this show to campus does just that.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The show will be performed seven times over two weekends, Nov. 8-10, and Nov. 15-17. Show times are 7 p.m. each night with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sat., Nov. 10, in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater. The Friday, Nov. 16, performance will be ASL interpreted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tickets are now on sale on line for all dates and times through Brown Paper Tickets at &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcctheater.brownpapertickets.com&quot; title=&quot;In the Heights tickets&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;hcctheater.brownpapertickets.com&lt;/a&gt; ($10 general admission, $8 students and seniors, $5 for members of the HCC community).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tickets will also be available at the door if the shows do not sell out in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's incredibly exciting,&quot; said Alberto Sandoval-Sanchez, professor emeritus at Mount Holyoke College, an expert in Latino Studies who is serving as a consultant for the production and scholar-in-residence at HCC for the semester. &quot;We're expecting large audiences because it's so contemporary and it has so much to offer young audiences.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lin-Manuel Miranda started writing &quot;In the Heights&quot; when he was a sophomore at Wesleyan University. The story is set around Fourth of July celebrations in the primarily Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City where Miranda grew up. The original Broadway production was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won four: Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography, and Best Orchestrations. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album and was nominated for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The production is supported by grants from the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts (MiFA) and MassHumanities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC music professor and college chorale director Ellen Cogen will serve as musical director for the production. Tiffany Joseph has been hired as the choreographer. There will also be a 10-piece band to perform the score. HCC theater professor Matthew Whiton is handling scenic design and lighting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: The cast of the HCC Theater Dept. production of &quot;In the Heights.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9171" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cannabis-careers" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x9171.xml" Name="Cannabis Careers" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/HCC-AUTUMN.jpg" Title="Cannabis Careers" Abstract="HCC and its partners have been chosen to design training and internship programs for Holyoke area residents who want to work in the state's burgeoning cannabis industry. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC campus autumn" IntroCopy="HCC part of team launching training programs for cannabis jobs" Date="2018-10-22" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC campus fall&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/HCC-AUTUMN.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is part of a team that has been selected to develop workforce-training programs for area residents who want to work in the burgeoning cannabis industry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Thursday, Oct. 18, a consortium consisting of HCC, the city of Holyoke and the Somerville-based Cannabis Community Care and Research Network (C3RN) was picked by the state's Cannabis Control Commission as a Cannabis Social Equity Training Vendor. The consortium will design training and competency-based internship/apprenticeship pilot programs for four, entry-to mid-level occupations to meet expected workforce demands in the cannabis industry in Holyoke and the surrounding region. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The four jobs are cannabis cultivation assistant, dispensary patient advocate (&quot;bud tender&quot;), extraction technician assistant, and cannabis pantry cook/cannabis culinary assistant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cannabis Control Commission is funding the effort through its Social Equity Program, which seeks to assist communities and populations disproportionately affected by drug enforcement laws before the decriminalization of medicinal and recreational/adult-use marijuana in Massachusetts.&amp;nbsp; After students receive core competency training they will be paired with one of more than 50 cannabis companies, academics, ancillary businesses, consultants, experts, and other stakeholders who have signed on to be members of the C3RN/HCC training, internship, and apprenticeship network.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The goal of this one-year pilot program will be to train and link students to employment opportunities in Holyoke and greater western Massachusetts,&quot; said Jeff Hayden, HCC vice president of Business and Community Services. &quot;The purpose of this two-pronged training is to help individuals get placed in a job and to find long-term career pathways.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hayden added that there will be no cannabis or cannabis products on the HCC campus or on any of its off-campus sites where training might take place.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We will be training students in customer service, dosing and extraction methods and techniques, but when it is time for students to work with actual product, that will take place offsite through our partner C3RN,&quot; he said. &quot;As the education partner, we want to ensure that local residents and students have access to opportunities &amp;ndash; including those in emerging industries such as cannabis &amp;ndash; that lead to jobs.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This new-to-Massachusetts industry provides employment opportunities, especially for communities with high levels of poverty and unemployment, C3RN officials said. The team hopes to be the leaders in setting the standard for certificate training and innovative models for bringing those who have operated in the industry for decades into the new, legal and regulated market. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The selection of Holyoke as a site for social equity training will bring lasting economic impact to our city,&quot; said Mayor Alex Morse. &quot;We already offer the best cost profile and platform for cannabis growing in the state and adding the workforce development component will only strengthen the industry's success here and have a positive impact on our residents.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The project scope, timelines, and next steps are subject to further negotiations with the Cannabis Control Commission.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is an important step in establishing an educated, informed, and standardized workforce for the cannabis industry while providing a streamlined process for employment for social equity applicants,&quot; said Miyabe Shields, PhD, director of Education for C3RN. &quot;The cannabis industry is at a critical point of its development and we are thrilled to be able to assist the state&amp;nbsp; in creating employment opportunities and raising the bar for cannabis education across the board.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We hope the training models produced in this project will have wide, culturally relevant, lasting, and technically sound impacts on addressing the stigma against cannabis use in Massachusetts, the U.S., and globally,&quot; said Marion McNabb, DrPh, chief executive officer of C3RN.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO of Holyoke Community College&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9104" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gifts-that-count" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165|194" FileName="x9104.xml" Name="Gifts That Count" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Chicopee-Check.jpg" Title="'Gifts that count'" Abstract="The Chicopee Savings Bank Charitable Foundation has donated $50,000 to HCC for the benefit of students preparing for careers in the culinary arts and hospitality industry.  " ThumbnailAltText="Representatives from the Chicopee Savings Bank Charitable Foundation present a ceremonial check for $50,000 to HCC president Christina Royal and HCC Foundation officials. " IntroCopy="Chicopee Savings Bank Charitable Foundation donates $50,000 for HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute" Date="2018-10-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;William Wagner, president of Chicopee Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, and HCC president Christina Royal toast a plaque recognizing the foundation's $50,000 donation to the HCC MGM Culinary Arts institute. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Wagner-Royal-plaque.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Chicopee Savings Bank Charitable Foundation has donated $50,000 to Holyoke Community College that will benefit students preparing for careers in the culinary arts and hospitality industry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;William Wagner, president of the foundation, presented an oversized check for that amount to HCC president Christina Royal and HCC Foundation officials during a brief ceremony Oct. 2 at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The $50,000 donation will go toward programs, equipment, maintenance, instruction, and student services at the institute, which opened in January 2018 at 164 Race St. in downtown Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The foundation is pleased to lend its support to HCC's remarkable new culinary arts institute,&quot; said Wagner, an HCC alumnus from the class of 1971. &quot;It's quite an impressive facility unique in western Massachusetts that we can be proud of for generations to come. With HCC's expansion into this state-of-the-art facility, our region's growing hospitality industry will directly benefit from well-trained chefs and hospitality staff. HCC has a rich history of providing quality education in western Mass. and we couldn't be prouder to stand behind them.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the ceremony, a plaque recognizing the donation was unveiled outside the institute's &quot;general purpose lab&quot; &amp;ndash; the teaching kitchen used for HCC's noncredit culinary and workforce training programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are honored to name a space here in recognition of the generosity of the Chicopee Savings Bank Charitable Foundation,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC's vice president of Institutional Advancement. &quot;This investment will allow us to continue to enhance our culinary arts training and professional development for the benefit of our students and the community. We are incredibly grateful for this leadership support and especially pleased that it gives us a chance to thank Mr. Wagner, an HCC alumnus, for his continued commitment to our mission.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Chicopee Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, a private 501(c)(3) was established in 2006. In 2016, Chicopee Savings Bank merged with Westfield Bank. Wagner is the former president of Chicopee Savings Bank and now the chief business development officer for Westfield Bank, as well as president of the foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When we converted the bank to a public corporation we set up a foundation that would live on with the Chicopee name, doing all the things that Chicopee Savings Bank used to do in terms of philanthropy,&quot; Wagner said. &quot;We've given away about four and a half million dollars and the foundation now has about $8 million. We try to make gifts like this that count, gifts in our community that are worthy, so we're happy to be part of it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Representatives from the Chicopee Savings Bank Charitable Foundation present a ceremonial check for $50,000 to HCC president Christina Royal and HCC Foundation officials. (Above) William Wagner, president of the Chicopee Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, and HCC president Christina Royal toast a plaque recognizing the foundation's donation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9152" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/trunk-or-treat-redux" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x9152.xml" Name="Trunk or Treat Redux" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/TT-ghoulgrab.jpg" Title="Trunk or Treat Tonight" Abstract="The HCC Education Department's second annual Trunk or Treat early Halloween event will be held today, Fri., Oct. 26, in Parking Lot R, beginning at 5:30 p.m. " ThumbnailAltText="The inaugural Trunk or Treat event at HCC drew more than 200 children to the HCC campus for an early Halloween experience. " IntroCopy="The second annual event will be held Fri., Oct. 26, in parking lot R" Date="2018-10-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Education Dept. trunk at inaugural Trunk or Treat&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/TT-ghoulgrab.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Education Club at Holyoke Community College, in collaboration with nearly two dozen &amp;nbsp;college clubs, departments and programs &amp;ndash; and community groups &amp;ndash; will be hosting its second annual &quot;Trunk or Treat&quot; pre-Halloween celebration on Friday, Oct. 26, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last year, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sweet-success&quot;&gt;Trunk or Treat,&quot; attracted more than 200 area children and their parents &lt;/a&gt;to the HCC campus for a safe, fun, and early alternative to traditional trick-or-treating on Halloween night.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like the inaugural event, the second annual HCC Trunk or Treat will be held in Parking Lot R behind the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation on the HCC campus, 303 Homestead Ave. Rather than going door to door seeking Halloween treats, children can instead go &quot;trunk to trunk&quot; to collect their candy, visiting cars decorated with seasonal themes and familiar stories and characters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event is free and open to the public. Children must be accompanied by an adult. In the event of rain, Trunk or Treat will be held in the hallways and classrooms on the first floor of the Donahue and Frost buildings and students will be available to direct visitors to those areas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last year, 17 HCC clubs and departments sponsored cars and decorated them for the event. Prizes were awarded to vehicle sponsors in various categories like Best Executed Theme, Scariest Trunk, Best Costumes and Most Original. HCC Early Children education coordinator and Education Club adviser Sheila Gould said she expects even more participants this year, including cars sponsored by groups from the community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Already, Holyoke Public Schools, DCF Foster Outreach, the Hampden Country Sheriff's Department, and 413 Family Fitness have pledged to take part.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are thrilled that so many community agencies are reaching out to participate,&quot; Gould said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So far, Gould said, 22 HCC clubs, departments and community groups have signed up for the event and children can expect to see vehicles decked with themes such as the Wizard of Oz, Lilo and Stitch, SpongeBob Squarepants, Enchanted Garden, Willie Wonka, Haunted House, Just Dance, Magic School Bus and Milky Way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And more vehicle sponsors are welcome. To sign up, please contact Sheila Gould at sgould@hcc.edu&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;The inaugural Trunk or Treat event at HCC drew more than 200 children to the HCC campus for an early Halloween experience.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9100" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/mystemstory" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="417|165|227" FileName="x9100.xml" Name="MySTEMStory" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Kira-michelle.jpg" Title="#MySTEMStory " Abstract="The four community colleges in western Mass. are hosting an Oct. 24 event to help connect female community college students with professional women working in STEM fields." ThumbnailAltText="HCC STEM alumna Michelle Rame '17 works with a Holyoke high school student on an engineering project. " IntroCopy="Western Mass. community colleges partner on Oct. 24 event for women in STEM" Date="2018-10-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC alumna Michelle Rame '17  &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Michelle-Rame-bridges.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The four community colleges in western Massachusetts are spearheading a regional effort to connect female community college students with professional women working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics &amp;ndash; STEM &amp;ndash; fields.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Registration is now open for the event, which is scheduled for Oct. 24, &amp;nbsp;from 5-8 p.m., at the UMass Center at Springfield. The event is free except for a $5 parking fee at the Tower Square garage.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The STEM Starter Academies at Holyoke, Springfield Technical, Berkshire, and Greenfield community colleges, along with the Society of Women Engineers affiliate at STCC, are sponsoring the networking workshop they call #MySTEMStory.&amp;nbsp;Organizers hope the event will help build a network for Pioneer Valley women in STEM.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Oct. 24 gathering will feature a panel discussion and Q&amp;amp;A led by mechanical engineer Prasha Sarwate Dutra, a quality manager in a manufacturing facility in Rhode Island. She hosts a website and podcast called &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://herstemstory.com/&quot;&gt;Her STEM Story&lt;/a&gt;&quot; to inspire women to pursue careers in STEM.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College alumna Michelle Rame '17, a mechanical engineering major and STEM Scholar at HCC now studying at Western New England University, will be part of the panel, representing the voice of&amp;nbsp; undergraduate women in STEM.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Michelle is one of our stars,&quot; said Melissa Paciulli, HCC STEM project administrator, and one of the organizers of the event.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also on the panel will be a student studying STEM at the graduate level and a STEM-industry professional.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beth McGinnis-Cavanaugh, a physics and engineering professor at STCC and faculty advisor to the college's SWE chapter, said #MySTEMStory creates a unique opportunity to connect STEM students and professionals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This will be an opportunity for professionals to inspire the next wave of STEM women by sharing their stories about successes, challenges, motivation and persistence in the STEM fields,&quot; McGinnis-Cavanaugh said. &quot;We encourage professional women from any STEM field to join us.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;McGinnis-Cavanaugh said many of her students have never met a professional woman working in the male-dominated world of STEM.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Many of our students enrolled in STEM programs are lower-income or first-generation college students with backgrounds that simply don't afford them access,&quot; McGinnis-Cavanaugh said. &quot;They don't have necessary, meaningful connections to professional role models. We thought a networking event would be a wonderful way to help them make those connections. The women who are studying today at STCC, HCC, GCC and BCC are the future of the STEM workforce. We need to do all we can to provide the peer and professional support that will help them persist and succeed.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.esa.doc.gov/reports/women-stem-2017-update&quot;&gt;United States Department of Commerce's Women in STEM: 2017 Update&lt;/a&gt;, women filled 47 percent of all U.S. jobs in 2015, but held only 24 percent of STEM jobs. Undergraduate degrees are evenly divided between men and women, but women only make up about 30 percent of all STEM degrees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The vision we have for #MySTEMStory is to provide a place that will bring together STEM students, professionals and academics to help support, mentor and raise each other up,&quot; Paciulli said. &quot;Being a woman in STEM can bring unique challenges, and students are going to have the opportunity to meet women who have learned how to navigate pathways to success.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Geraldine de Berly, vice president of academic affairs and chief academic officer at STCC, said the networking event reflects the college's focus on encouraging and nurturing women to excel in the STEM fields.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I applaud the faculty and staff at the community colleges for their work in putting this important event together,&quot; de Berly said. &quot;As the statistics show, women are underrepresented in STEM classrooms and related industries. We hope that #MySTEMStory inspires students and shows them they can pursue rewarding careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics after graduation.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alysha Putnam, STEM Special Programs coordinator at Greenfield Community College, said the #MySTEMStory event provides area community college women an opportunity to access knowledge to help them grow and develop.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We become inspired, motivated and encouraged when we know that others like us have gone out and done it before,&quot; Putnam said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Connie West of the Berkshire Community College STEM Starter Academy is excited for the opportunity to elevate the conversation about the importance of women exploring STEM fields in higher education. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It is important, especially in Western Mass., to increase access and opportunities for women to go into careers in the STEM field, and every opportunity we have as educators to highlight this with our students will hopefully yield meaningful outcomes in the future STEM workforce for our region,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;To register, visit &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://tinyurl.com/MySTEMStory&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;tinyurl.com/MySTEMStory&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;. Hors d'oeuvres will be served and a cash bar will be available. For more information, contact Beth McGinnis-Cavanaugh (&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:bmcginnis-cavanaugh@stcc.edu)&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;bmcginnis-cavanaugh@stcc.edu)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;, Melissa Paciulli (&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mpaciulli@hcc.edu)&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;mpaciulli@hcc.edu)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; or Alysha Putnam (&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:PutnamA@gcc.mass.edu)&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;PutnamA@gcc.mass.edu)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Top) HCC alumna and STEM Scholar Michelle Rame '17, now a student at Western New England University, will be a panelist at an Oct. 24 networking workshop for women in STEM fields. (Thumbnail) Rame works with a Holyoke High School student on a summer&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/stem-bridges&quot;&gt;STEM project.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9084" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/future-focus" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165" FileName="x9084.xml" Name="Future Focus" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Future-Royal-Woods.jpg" Title="Future Focus" Abstract="Holyoke Community College unveils a new blueprint for the years ahead: An interview with President Christina Royal." ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal talks to HCC student Haley Woods, a member of the Strategic Planning Committee. " IntroCopy="HCC unveils a new blueprint or the years ahead" Date="2018-09-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC unveiled its new mission, vision, values and student experience statements at a May 23 Future Walk.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Future-Walk-bannerw.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDITOR' NOTE: This story appears in the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/AC/AC_FA18_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Fall 2018 Alumni Connection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Fall 2018 issue of HCC's Alumni Connection magazine&lt;/a&gt;, as part of a package of stories about the college's recent&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/strategic-plan&quot;&gt;Strategic Planning&lt;/a&gt; initiative.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;See also:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/success-for-all&quot;&gt;Success for All: HCC as an HSI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;BY CHRIS YURKO&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a candidate for the position of president at Holyoke Community College, Christina Royal did her homework. Before her interviews, she studied all she could about the college and combed the HCC website for information about its history, people and programs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the items she reviewed was the HCC mission statement, which, she noted to herself, went on for six, packed paragraphs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Later, during her first days as president, she revisited that mission statement on the college website, and copied and pasted it into a Word document, realizing then that it filled an entire page, single spaced. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My first thought was, How does everybody know what the essence of the work we're doing is if the mission statement is this long?&quot; she recently recalled. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To find out, she started asking faculty, staff and other administrators &amp;ndash; &lt;em&gt;What does the HCC mission statement say?&lt;/em&gt; &quot;Nobody, not a single person,&quot; she recalls, &quot;could recite it.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They can now. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The old mission statement &amp;ndash; RIP &amp;ndash; in service since 2005, checked in at 479 words. The new one is but three, and here they are: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Educate. Inspire. Connect.&lt;/em&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I love our mission statement,&quot; Royal said in a July interview. &quot;It's clean, crisp. It's on point, and I think it'll resonate very well. All three words really speak to the core mission of what we do. There's a level of focus now to our mission that you don't need a whole page to say. You can say it in three words.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While the words may seem simple and obvious, they are the result of a year-long initiative unlike anything the college has gone through in recent memory. This &quot;Strategic Planning Process&quot; included hundreds of faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees, and community members who engaged in various configurations for workshops, brainstorming sessions, discussions, lectures, brown bag lunches, surveys, focus groups, forums and more to produce a blueprint to guide HCC for the next four years and construct a foundation for a future beyond even that.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Besides a new mission statement, the Strategic Planning Process also produced a few things HCC has never had before: an aspirational vision statement, a values statement, and a pledge to students to deliver a transformational college experience. On top of that, the effort produced a set of four strategies and nine objectives that will guide day-to-day college operations as HCC recalibrates its priorities to address changing demographics, educational expectations, and the needs of students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can read all these on the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/strategic-plan&quot;&gt;Strategic Planning pages on the HCC website.&lt;/a&gt; Before the Fall 2018 semester, President Royal sat down for an interview to explain what the Strategic Planning Process was all about. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is a Strategic Plan and how is it different than the typical planning the college is used to?&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I would describe the process that existed before as more of an operations plan to identify the day-to-day work that has to occur in order to move forward. The difference with a strategic plan is the strategy element; it's being strategic about our future, figuring out what we want to accomplish in the next couple of years in support of our students and the communities we serve. What do we need to do? What issues do we need to address? How are our students doing and how can we position them to do better? What issues are our communities going through and what role does the college have in that process? &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why did the college need to do this now?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was important to get started because there is an increasing level of accountability in public higher education and I didn't feel we could afford to wait. There is a changing expectation with every new person that's in office in the White House and the Dept. of Education at a national level and an increasing emphasis on outcomes and performance. When you're talking about trying to move the needle on some of these very difficult types of issues we need to start sooner rather than later. For example, if you put together a pilot to test a new initiative to help improve completion rates, you might not know the impact of that pilot for a number of years. So I think it's important that we start now, that we start to create a culture of experimentation, of being data informed in looking at what we're trying, that we look at best practices and we take into consideration our specific communities to come up with new ideas on how to move forward. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What are those &quot;difficult types of issues&quot;?&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student success is a top priority, and many times, fostering that success begins with our work with high schools to ensure students are prepared for college-level work and life. &amp;nbsp; HCC has tremendously high-achieving students - it has given me such pride to witness their accomplishments day after day. However, we must remember we are educating students from some of the poorest communities in the entire state. &amp;nbsp; While the percentage of school-aged children living in poverty in Massachusetts is about 14.5 percent, it is 42.3 percent in Springfield and 43.7 percent in Holyoke. We have a responsibility to provide the highest-quality education to all who seek it. Doing so requires a commitment to addressing equity and closing the achievement gap. These are challenges that we, as a community college, are uniquely positioned to tackle. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Another issue is financial sustainability. State funding doesn't cover as much of our budget as it did in previous years. Pell funding also doesn't cover as much of the cost of education as compared to past years. We need to be better advocates for communicating the importance and value of education to our society as a whole and the specific importance and value to our local communities. We also have to address affordability, because many of our students do not have financial means, even though we are a very affordable option in the Pioneer Valley.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;And enrollment has been declining.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Higher education has always had a counter-cyclical relationship to the economy, so when the economy is strong, people are able to readily obtain higher paying jobs. When the economy turns downward, the job market becomes tighter and those lacking skills or experience look to higher education to enhance their portfolio and gain job skills. Right now, our economy is doing relatively well, which translates for us into declining enrollment. However, my larger concern is looking at retention, or ensuring that every single one of our current and future students can be successful and graduate. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Let's get back to the new mission statement. Three words?&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The steering committee and the board of trustees did a fabulous job providing drafts that captured the essence of what HCC represents, and students, faculty and staff gave us great feedback. We went through several iterations because the early language was not exactly what we wanted. With further refinement we finally landed on the words that resonate most. When you engage that many people, some amazing insights emerge, and when you discover the language that really speaks to you, it seems so obvious, but let's not forget the year's work it took to get there. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why is that mission statement so important?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The demographics of our students are so different today than they were 15 years ago. I believe we have a team that is very student centered, but for us to really make progress on some of these persistent and challenging issues there has to be a level of focus within the institution. That focus starts at the top with the mission statement. Let's look at those three words. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Educate.&quot; Our first priority is education. It's important that we know our ultimate goal is to provide education, training, and academic credentials that lead to jobs. As a liberal arts institution, we also teach students to become better citizens who contribute to their communities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The second is &quot;Inspire.&quot; We serve thousands of individuals at varying stages of work and life. Some of them are struggling with day-to-day issues like poverty and food and housing insecurity and others are looking for a good foundation for their first two years in order to transfer to the college of their choice. We meet students where they are, but to get through college, every single person needs inspiration. They need guidance, they need coaching, they need support. Inspiration is really important. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And the last piece, &quot;Connect,&quot; was an interesting one that I think emerged in this process in a number of ways, especially in thinking about our role as a connector within the community. Our job isn't necessarily to directly and solely solve all of the challenges students face. They are going to come to us with academic issues, which we are going to work to resolve. But they are going to come to us with a lot of non-academic issues as well, and those non-academic issues might be things best addressed by community organizations, such as helping to resolve food insecurity and housing insecurity, and child care and transportation. How do we get people connected to other people in support of lifting up this community? How do we connect students to other institutions for continued education or to employers for career opportunities? How do we connect high achieving students to the internships and experiential learning opportunities that will prepare them to transfer to top-ranking universities in our region and beyond? &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC now has a vision statement: &quot;Holyoke Community College aspires to be a college of academic excellence known for helping students overcome barriers to success.&quot; Can you explain how that came about?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;The mission statement really focuses on our reason for existence. This represents who we are and what we do. Our vision statement speaks to what we want to work toward in the future. The mission statement reflects present day. The vision statement reflects the future.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college did not have a vision statement, so this was a new exercise for us. The purpose of the vision statement is to help propel HCC forward; it's providing some guidance on a future direction but it also speaks to some things that are out of reach now but are aspirational and possible with a long-term strategy. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first part of our vision statement has to do with aspiring to be a college of academic excellence. That piece really speaks to our commitment to being the best educational institution we can be and focusing on the richness of the learning experiences our faculty and staff cultivate for students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The second piece of our vision statement has to do with being known for helping students overcome barriers to success. There was a little bit of debate about this during the plan's development, because talking about barriers in a vision statement seemed a bit contradictory, that we should be focusing on positive aspirations. But when we talk about the idea of being a college that is known for helping students overcome barriers, it specifically creates a huge opportunity for us to be a college actually known for coming up with solutions to the most stubborn and persistent issues our students are experiencing and that community colleges across the nation are experiencing.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's an intentionally bold statement. There was a lot of thought that went into its development and what we will need to do to move our college and our communities forward. Helping our students overcome barriers to success is one of those elements.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC has never had a values statement. Why does the college need one?&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A mission statement provides clarity on who we are; the vision statement represents where we're headed; values are more about the college culture. Values represent us as a people. The three words of kindness, inclusion and trust represent our foundation. Kindness is a reflection of the care and empathy that we want to underlie our work. Trust is necessary in order to work effectively as an institution. Inclusion is already a part of who we are when we think about diversity and equity. Those values serve as the bedrock for innovation and collaboration, how we want to take our work to the next level. We want to be creative, and we want to work more effectively together. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why was a pledge to students, a student experience statement, something important to articulate?&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The student experience statement is a reflection of students' being part of the strategic planning process, and a big part&amp;nbsp; of that process, both as an input and an output. We need to understand what students think of HCC. What is the experience they're having and what do they want to have? What could we do differently to improve their current experience? What would they change? So, through the student experience workshops - we had two of them with different groups of students and employees coming together - we built models of what a student experience looks like now and what the ideal experience might look like. What I thought was fascinating was the intersection of how our employees look at how we serve and support students and what students experience when receiving those services and supports. Through that, there were a couple of things that were important to everyone and those are defined in our student experience statement. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The process resulted in the creation of four priorities that form the essence of the strategic plan: teaching and learning; equity, inclusion &amp;amp; student success; workforce&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;development &amp;amp; transfer; and sustainability. Is that enough?&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a word: Yes. As you go through a strategic planning process, the first and most important things to determine are: how are we doing today, what emerging issues and trends are going to affect how we do our work tomorrow, and what do we need to do to move the dial on some of the key areas of accountability at the state and federal level. It's very difficult to take year-long conversations, SWOT surveys, environmental scans, input and source documents, and student success data and distill it down to a few key priorities. But that's part of the process, and I think what we have now is exactly what we need for where we are today. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How do the mission, vision, values and student experience statements translate into action in terms of day-to-day operations?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The four strategies of our strategic plan are focused at the broadest level of the institution. The nine objectives add another layer of understanding about what those strategies represent. But for a lot of people the work resides at the level below the strategic plan. So we are now working on action plans that will enable supervisors to provide guidance to their staffs on the type of work that we'll be engaged in, particularly when it comes to annual planning. That's where it will start to become much more tangible for people. But I will say that, beyond the actual day-to-day work, people need to embrace the plan as our core work, and we need to stay focused on those areas identified as our priorities, and that if we do those things well, the college is going to be significantly better off in four years than when we started this plan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why only four years?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Four years is not a long time, but I do feel this will give us an opportunity to start to benchmark to see how we're making progress. Originally we were looking at a three-year plan, but we have to align the strategic plan to the budget and to our other plans, such as our IT plan, facilities plan, student success plan, academic plan, and ultimately with accreditation. Our accreditation visit is in 2020, so it was important for us to be able to go through that visit and then be able to get the feedback from our accreditors so we can start work on the next plan. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So after four years HCC will need to do this all again?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think we will be in a much better place in four years to refresh this work as we continue. This felt like a very intense process, because it's the first time the college has gone through it in recent history. As people now have skillsets and an understanding and the experience of going through a strategic planning process they will continue to foster that mindset, then when we actually get to the point of needing to refresh our plan it's not going to feel like such a new process to them; it's going to feel like an extension of the strategy and planning work we're already doing. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When you first came on board you said one of your priorities was to guide HCC through a strategic planning process. Now that you've done that, how do you feel about it?&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm really, really happy with the product that we have developed in this process, but I think that what I'm most impressed with is how the process brought us together as a campus community. We have people who are dedicated and committed to putting students first, and I see that every day. It's been really impressive watching the campus community come together and watching the community at large support us through this process. I've heard a tremendous amount of positive feedback about the college and people are very excited about the direction we're going in. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Any other thoughts about the process or the plan?&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I believe education is the solution to most problems in our society, and it takes a village to raise a student. What I'm most proud of about HCC, and what I think will serve as a catalyst for our success with this plan, is that we take our middle name seriously. Partnership is baked into the DNA of Holyoke Community College; we recognize the value of community in addressing issues and creating opportunities for area residents to be successful.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;President Christina Royal talks to HCC student Haley Woods, a member of the Strategic Planning Committee. (Above) HCC unveiled its new mission, vision, values and student experience statements at a Future Walk last spring.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9045" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cooking-confidently" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|194" FileName="x9045.xml" Name="Cooking Confidently" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Chef-Carter.jpg" Title="Cooking Confidently " Abstract="Chef Tracy Carter, formerly of the Food Network, will lead a new series of noncredit cooking classes at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, beginning Sept. 27." ThumbnailAltText="Chef Tracy Carter will be leading a new series of gourment cooking classes for home cooks this fall at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. " IntroCopy="&quot;My goal is to give the beginner home cook the confidence to take on any recipe in the kitchen&quot;" Date="2018-09-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Tracy Carter at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Chef-Carter.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Professional chef Tracy Carter, formerly of the Food Network, will be leading a new series of classes at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute this fall geared toward home cooks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Cooking Confidently,&quot; the monthly series of stand-alone, noncredit classes, begins Thursday, Sept. 27, with &quot;Peak of Perfection: Celebrating the Season,&quot; during which Chef Carter will teach participants to prepare a healthy, three-course vegetarian meal.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The series continues with &quot;Visit to Asia&quot; on Oct. 18, &quot;Small Plates&quot; on Nov. 8, and &quot;Flavors of Argentina&quot; on Dec. 6.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All the classes meet at the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute at 164 Race St., in downtown Holyoke on Thursday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. Each class is $79 and space is limited.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our first cooking series last spring in the new facility was so popular and successful we wanted to do it again,&quot; said Ken White, HCC dean of Community Service. &quot;These classes are meant for anyone who wants to enjoy a night out, improve their culinary skills, enjoy a gourmet meal, and take home tasty leftovers. We're very fortunate to have secured an instructor with the experience and talent of Chef Carter.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carter is a graduate of the International Culinary Schools at the Art Institute in Los Angeles. She grew up in Springfield and moved back to the area in March after living for six years in New York City, where she worked as a freelance food stylist and culinary producer at the Food Network on shows such as &quot;Chopped,&quot; preparing the baskets of ingredients for the cooks involved in the on-air competitions, and working alongside famous chefs like Bobby Flay and Anne Burrell. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My goal through teaching these classes is to give the beginner home cook the confidence to take on any recipe in the kitchen,&quot; Carter said from her own home in Chicopee. &quot;I believe that mastering a few basic skills can provide anyone with confidence to expand their culinary repertoire. I try to focus on fresh and seasonal food and concepts that cooks can put their own spin on in the future.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here are the full menus for the series:&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sept. 27:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Peak of Perfection: Celebrating the Season&quot; &amp;ndash; Roasted cauliflower topped with pistachio gremolata, drizzled with yogurt tahini sauce and finished with jewels of pomegranate seeds; wild mushroom stuffed eggplant; pears poached in wine and warm spices served with creamy, whipped mascarpone. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oct. 18&lt;/strong&gt;: &quot;Visit to Asia: A Light &amp;amp; Refreshing Journey&quot; &amp;ndash; Vegetable tempura with garlic-vinegar dipping sauce; summer rolls with shrimp, shaved vegetables and rice noodles with spicy-tangy chili peanut sauce; gluten- and dairy-free coconut panna cotta. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nov. 8&lt;/strong&gt;: &quot;Small Plates: Tapas Night&quot; &amp;ndash; Slightly charred and blistered shishito peppers; papas fritas with garlic aioli; albondigas (Spanish meatballs in garlic tomato sauce); crispy churros dusted with cinnamon sugar. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dec. 6:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Flavors of Argentina: Grilled Churrasco &amp;amp; Crispy Smashed Potatoes&quot; &amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp; Grilled skirt steak with chimichurri sauce and roasted, crispy, smashed potatoes; warm rice pudding. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information or to register for classes, please go to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/bce&quot;&gt;www.hcc.edu/bce&lt;/a&gt; or call 413.552.2500.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Chef Tracy Carter will be leading a new series of gourment cooking classes for home cooks this fall at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9083" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/success-for-all" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x9083.xml" Name="Success for All" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/HSI-Quinones.jpg" Title="'Success for All'" Abstract="Holyoke Community College explores its future as a federally recognized Hispanic Serving Institution. " ThumbnailAltText="Myriam Quinones" IntroCopy="HCC explores its future as a Hispanic Serving Institution. " Date="2018-09-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Myriam Quinones, coordinator of HCC Multicultural Academic Services, &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/HSI-Quinones.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDITOR' NOTE: This story appears in the &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/AC/AC_FA18_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Fall 2018 Alumni Connection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Fall 2018 issue of HCC's Alumni Connection magazine&lt;/a&gt;, as part of a package of stories about the college's recent Strategic Planning initiative.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;See also:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/future-focus&quot;&gt;Future Focus &amp;ndash; HCC unveils a new plan for the years ahead&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By CHRIS YURKO&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In fall 2016, Holyoke Community College marked a major milestone. For the first time, Hispanic student enrollment at the college surpassed 25 percent.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With that, HCC joined a growing national club of colleges and universities recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Education as &quot;Hispanic Serving Institutions,&quot; or HSI's. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HSI designation makes HCC eligible to apply for special grants to expand educational opportunities and enhance services and supports for Hispanic students, who have historically trailed their white classmates in the metrics typically used to quantify academic success: persistence (remaining enrolled from one semester to the next), retention (remaining enrolled from one year to the next), course completion, and graduation. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By spring 2018, Hispanic enrollment at HCC had already risen to nearly 28 percent, a trend expected to continue, not just in Massachusetts, but nationwide. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The LatinX population is growing,&quot; said Carlos Santiago, Massachusetts commissioner of Higher Education, during a May 23 forum at HCC focused on strengthening HCC as a Hispanic Serving Institution. &quot;These students are coming to your doors. They're coming in with all different backgrounds. For some of them, English is not their first language. Some of them are coming from school districts that didn't quite give them the skills they need to be successful walking in on day one. They're coming in with gaps.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At a time when total college enrollment is declining, due mostly to an improved economy, low unemployment, and a decrease in the number of high school graduates, the increasing Hispanic student population represents both opportunities and challenges, Santiago said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If you can take the student that needs the most help and lift that student's achievement,&quot; he said, &quot;everyone will benefit.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Addressing the achievement gap is a priority for the state, Santiago said. It is also a key provision of HCC's &lt;a href=&quot;/about/strategic-plan&quot;&gt;new strategic plan&lt;/a&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HSI forum, held in the Leslie Phillips Theater, followed HCC's Future Walk celebration in the lobby outside, where the college's new mission, vision, values and student experience statements &amp;ndash; part of the strategic planning process &amp;ndash; were unveiled. In her opening remarks at the HSI forum, President Christina Royal noted that more than 50 percent of Holyoke residents are Hispanic and that Holyoke is home to the largest concentration of Puerto Ricans in the continental United States, per capita. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In Holyoke Ward 2, specifically,&quot; she said, &quot;the average income is around $14,000 per year, so we know the impact that education can have on the residents and their families in our local communities.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In fall 2016, she said, 58 percent of HCC's first- time, degree-seeking Hispanic students required developmental education in English (compared to 32 percent for white students); 88 percent required developmental education in math (compared to 76 percent for white students); and 56 percent required both (compared to 30 percent for white students). &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is why equity is so important to the work that we do and to our strategic plan,&quot; she said,&quot;because you can't have success for all without equity.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What being an HSI does not mean is that HCC intends to focus its attention on Hispanic students to the exclusion of others, said Spanish professor M&amp;oacute;nica Torregr&amp;oacute;sa, who introduced the forum's panel of presenters. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Much like using universal design in our classrooms improves the educational experience, not just for students with disabilities but also for students with diverse learning styles, strengthening the ways in which we serve LatinX students actually enhances HCC's mission to serve all students,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One program model that shows great promise in reducing the achievement gap is Puente. Puente, which means&quot;bridge&quot; in Spanish, builds off the success of HCC's Multicultural Academic Services program, called MAS, which means &quot;more.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MAS was established in 2010 as an intensive advising and academic support program for English as a Second Language students transitioning to regular classes and for international students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The MAS program works under the theoretical perspective that all students will benefit from the services we provide, which target those marginalized ones just like universal design,&quot; said MAS coordinator Myriam Qui&amp;ntilde;ones. &quot;Retention for MAS program students has always been higher than their HCC student counterparts.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For example, she said, from fall 2016 to fall 2017, the overall retention rate at HCC was 50 percent and 45 percent for Latino students compared to 63 percent for all MAS students and 66 percent for MAS Latino students. Through Puente, created in 2016, MAS now also focuses on a third group &amp;ndash; high school students transitioning to HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Imagine that you are about to choose a retirement plan,&quot; Qui&amp;ntilde;ones said. &quot;Your first step is to look at companies. What does your employer support? Which is better, an aggressive or conservative plan? What is a Morning Star profile? Words like vesting, bull market, stocks, bonds, or cash are so foreign and confusing. That is how our first-generation, underserved students feel when applying for college.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Key components of Puente include HCC student mentors, summer programming, campus tours, student panels, bilingual open houses, financial aid workshops, admissions workshops, and high school visits by representatives from the Office for Students with Disabilities and Deaf Services and the Pathways transfer program. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Community and college collaborations are key to building that strong bridge for new students,&quot; she said, &quot;especially first-generation, first-time, underserved and low-income students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spanish professor Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez talked about the success of HCC's &quot;Bridging Cultures&quot; project,&quot; a three-year, grant-funded initiative to integrate Latino Studies material into humanities and social science classes. In 2015, HCC received a $120,000 award from the National Endowment for the Humanities to design new curricula in partnership with the Center for Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of the grant's main objectives was professional development: each summer, HCC faculty engaged in week-long workshops &amp;ndash; called &quot;Latino Studies Boot Camp&quot;&amp;ndash; with UMass scholars to develop new course material infused with LatinX content. The result has so far resulted in the creation of new classes, such as &quot;Introduction to Latino Studies,&quot;&quot;Latino/a Politics,&quot; and&quot;Tainos, Creoles and Boricuas: Caribbean Identities in History and Literature.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beyond that, though, professors are incorporating LatinX material into existing courses, such as reading LatinX writers in English classes, analyzing the Puerto Rican debt crisis in economics, and examining the work of Mexican photographers in art class. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;By learning about diverse cultures and the contributions of LatinX people, all students widen their knowledge and are better equipped to function in today's multicultural world,&quot; Guti&amp;eacute;rrez said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There was also a cultural component. The grant paid to bring in guest speakers, artists and writers for campus events open to the general public, such as author Esmeralda Santiago, whose spring visit filled the Leslie Phillips Theater with a standing-room only crowd. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guti&amp;eacute;rrez shared a comment from one student in Prof. Torregr&amp;oacute;sa's Caribbean history and literature course: &quot;Having classes examining culture, influence and contributions of the Puerto Rican and Caribbean community is critical in Holyoke. The students at this college should be represented and celebrated. In addition, this class provided the space for myself and other non-LatinX students to learn to participate in a discussion about personal identity and culture. The class was a critical moment in my education as well as my cultural literacy and understanding.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While HCC's HSI designation is based on enrollment, said Michele Snizek, director of Retention and Student Success, the focus is on reducing achievement gaps &amp;ndash; increasing those rates of persistence, retention, completion and graduation. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The goal is to take our successful models, some of which you've seen here this afternoon,&quot; she said, &quot;and determine how we can grow those to benefit all students. Success for all is the measure we're using.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Carlos Santiago, state commissioner of Highe Education, speaks at HCC during a May 23 forum focusing on the college as a Hispanic Serving Institute. (Above)&amp;nbsp;Myriam Qui&amp;ntilde;ones, coordinator of Multicultural Academic Services, also known as MAS, talks about the Puente program&lt;/em&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9042" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/nursing-pipeline" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x9042.xml" Name="Nursing Pipeline" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/CHE-classroom.jpg" Title="Nursing Pipeline " Abstract="The HCC pilot program will provide English language classes to nurses from Puerto Rico so they can reenter the workforce in Massachusetts. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC nursing students in the Center for Health Education." IntroCopy="Pilot provides ESOL classes for Puerto Rican nurses" Date="2018-09-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC nursing students in the Center for Health Education&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/CHE-classroom.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is launching a pilot program to teach English language skills to nurses from Puerto Rico so they can reenter the workforce in Massachusetts. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;Western Mass Pipeline for Puerto Rican Nurses&quot; project gives priority to evacuees from Hurricane Maria but is also open to other nurses from Puerto Rico who now reside in western Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The free program, supported by a $35,000 Nursing and Allied Health Pathways grant from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, will provide 108 hours of ESOL (English as a Second or Other Language) classes &amp;ndash; six hours a week for 18 weeks &amp;ndash; for up to 30 Puerto Rican nurses who want to pursue their licenses in Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There is a need for more nurses in the region,&quot; said Kermit Dunkelberg, HCC vice president of Adult Basic Education and Workforce Development. &quot;At the same time, we have nurses from Puerto Rico who are already licensed, have experience and are living here and are not able to work in their field and typically working below their education and training because their license doesn't apply in Massachusetts.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ESOL classes are designed to prepare participants to pass the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam, which will qualify them to take the NCLEX nursing exam. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program is based on the successful &quot;Welcome Back&quot; model at Bunker Hill Community College, one of HCC's partners, along with MassHire Holyoke, formerly CareerPoint. Bunker Hill established the Boston Welcome Back Center in 2005 to help immigrant and refugee nurses who had earned their credentials outside the United States obtain their Massachusetts nursing licenses and find jobs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Welcome Back Center has found that generally nurses from Puerto Rico don't need to retake any coursework,&quot; Dunkelberg said. &quot;They need to pass the language exam, so it's primarily an English barrier and a licensing barrier, and we're addressing that.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dunkelberg said the pilot program could be expanded in the future to include other professionals, such as teachers, who may need to improve their English to get jobs in their fields. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This nursing initiative is hopefully the beginning of a wider look at licensure of people with credentials from Puerto Rico or from other countries so they can enter the workforce in Massachusetts more quickly,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classes are tentatively scheduled to begin by the end of September. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nurses from Puerto Rico who are interested in applying should contact Sheila Kelly at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:skelly@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Sheila Kelly email&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;skelly@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or 413-552-2027 for more information.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9041" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/record-setter" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|2|165" FileName="x9041.xml" Name="Record Setter" Thumbnail="/images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/A%20Msocc%20mn.jpg" Title="Record Setter" Abstract="With 12 points in a single game, HCC freshman Joseph Evborokhai earned  NJCAA Division III 'Player-of-the-Week honors for Sept. 3-9.  " ThumbnailAltText="men's soccer 2018" IntroCopy="12-point game earns NJCAA honors for Evborokhai" Date="2018-09-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Men's soccer 2018&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/A%20Msocc%20mn.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cougars' soccer player Joseph Evborokhai has been named NJCAA Division III Men's Soccer Player of the Week for September 3-9. The freshman standout had a record-setting performance in Holyoke's home opener and was a major factor in the team's two regional wins last week.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Evborokhai, a graduate of Holyoke High School, scored a hat trick in Holyoke's 11-0 dismantling of Roxbury Community College Sept. 5 while also recording six assists, setting an HCC record, eclipsing the previous mark of four assists held by several players. Evborokhai's 12 points in a game also tied a 45-year-old HCC record set by Mike Lapan in 1973. Evborokhai was also instrumental in the Cougars' 2-1 victory over Quincy College Saturday, playing exceptionally throughout the contest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Evborokhai currently leads the Cougars in assists and points and is second on the team in goals. Holyoke is 2-0-0 in regional games this season and 2-2-0 overall.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.njcaa.org/general/2018-19/POTW_Hub/Player_of_the_Week&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here for link to NJCAA Players of the Week page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Photos: Evborokhai (#18) moves to get open with teammates in support.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x8989" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/readers-choice" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x8989.xml" Name="Readers Choice" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Readers-News.jpg" Title="Best Again!" Abstract="Holyoke Community College has been voted the best two-year college in the Pioneer Valley by readers of the Daily Hampshire Gazette for the fifth year in a row." ThumbnailAltText="HCC students hold Gazette Readers Choice Award announcements for 2018" IntroCopy="HCC voted best two-year college again" Date="2018-08-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC students hold Readers Choice award announcements&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Readers-News.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been voted the best two-year college in the Pioneer Valley by readers of the Daily Hampshire Gazette for the fifth year in a row.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://view.publitas.com/p222-4389/readers-choice-2018/page/14-15&quot; title=&quot;Gazette Readers Choice Awards 2018&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See the Gazette's Readers Choice Awards for 2018 ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7718" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/massteach" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|417|165" FileName="x7718.xml" Name="MassTeach" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Eng-touch.jpg" Title="STEM Pilot Granted" Abstract="HCC, Westfield State University and Springfield Public Schools will partner on a new state program designed to diversitfy the ranks of STEM educators. " IntroCopy="$1.5 million grant to fund MassTeach program" Date="2018-08-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Engineering Day at HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Eng-chair-done.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College, Westfield State University, and Springfield Public Schools will leverage a $1.5 million state grant from the National Science Foundation to develop&amp;nbsp;MassTeach, a new model for increasing and diversifying the ranks of educators prepared to teach STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math) in high-need school districts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC, Westfield, and Springfield Public Schools were one of three regional partnership groups selected for the pilot program, by the state Dept. of Higher Education, which received the NSF award.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students selected for the program will receive $20,000 scholarships, divided into two $10,000 stipends, said Allison Little, STEM director for the Dept. of Higher Education HCC will recruit potential candidates for entry into the program beginning in fall 2018 with the first cohort beginning in spring 2019.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this region, many of the candidates are expected to come from HCC's STEM Starter Academy program, which gives high school students a chance to take free STEM college classes and learn more about STEM careers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;While Massachusetts is a national leader in K-12 education, there is a sense of urgency to recruit and diversify the STEM teacher pools, and in particular to serve our Latino and black students,&quot; said HCC math professor Ileana Vasu, coordinator of HCC's STEM program. &quot;MassTeach is predicated on the belief that decreasing diversity gaps by recruiting teachers from community colleges like HCC will improve underrepresented minority student achievement.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;State officials hope to expand MassTeach&amp;nbsp;to all 15 community colleges and nine state universities within three years, eventually placing 50 new teachers in STEM classrooms with 50 more teacher candidates in the post-secondary pipeline. Further, they hope&amp;nbsp;MassTeach&amp;nbsp;will serve as a new national model for recruiting, training and retaining STEM educators.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are thrilled to be working with Springfield Public Schools and Holyoke Community College to help educate aspiring STEM teachers and increase the diversity of teachers in our area schools,&quot; said Westfield State president Ramon S. Torrecilha. &quot;This collaborative program is indicative of Massachusetts' progressive approach to education and a gracious endorsement by the NSF to support our teachers and students across the Commonwealth.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Currently, 90 percent of Massachusetts teachers are white, compared with an overall student population that is 60 percent white. One of the expectations of MassTeach&amp;nbsp;is to place new teachers in urban communities where they grew up and attended school, allowing grant evaluators to gauge whether educators' local roots serve as a catalyst for student retention.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What's exciting about&amp;nbsp;MassTeach&amp;nbsp;is that it is not a stand-alone initiative that will end once the federal grant is spent,&quot;&amp;nbsp;said Carlos E. Santiago, commissioner of Higher Education&lt;strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This program is built on the solid foundation of our new transfer system, regarded as one of the most comprehensive and student-friendly systems in the nation. We're very pleased that the NSF has recognized our ability to effectively move STEM teacher candidates from community colleges to state universities to urban districts where their talents can be put to good use.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The five-year grant was awarded through NSF's Robert Noyce Scholarship track. It is the first of its kind awarded to a state higher education system and will be used to simultaneously address two critical issues: the overall shortage of trained and licensed STEM instructors and the lack of under-represented minorities currently teaching in the Commonwealth's K12 classrooms.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new program, intended to be both sustainable and scalable, will utilize &quot;A2B&quot; (associate to bachelor's) degree pathways that are part of the statewide&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mass.edu/masstransfer&quot;&gt;MassTransfer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;system.&amp;nbsp;MassTransfer&amp;nbsp;allows students to begin their undergraduate education at one of the state's community colleges and then transfer to any state university at a substantial cost savings and without a loss of credit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MassTeach&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;scholar&lt;em&gt;s&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;will receive $20,000 scholarships as well as academic advising to keep them on track to transfer, graduate with a STEM degree and obtain a STEM teaching license. By drawing from the highly diverse community college population,&amp;nbsp;MassTeach&amp;nbsp;will cultivate a culturally rich pool of potential educators who are often the first in their family to attend college and likely to reside in economically disadvantaged urban districts where the need for qualified and diversified STEM instructors is most acute. DHE developed the program in collaboration with campus administrators, faculty, and staff.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Highly qualified, effective and diverse educators is a strategic focus of the Springfield Public Schools.&amp;nbsp;It is intentional and embedded in our mission because teacher quality is a key determinant of student success,&quot;&amp;nbsp;said Daniel J. Warwick, superintendent of the Springfield Public Schools.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&quot;We are so pleased about the&amp;nbsp;MassTeach&amp;nbsp;grant and how it aligns so closely with the district's &quot;grow your own&quot; initiatives.&amp;nbsp;MassTeach&amp;nbsp;will enable us to move closer to our goal of a more diversified teacher workforce, especially in the area of STEM where there is a critical shortage not just in Springfield but also nationwide.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: HCC students lead a STEM Exploration Day for Springfield High School students last spring.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7736" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/in-the-heights-auditions" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|165|226" FileName="x7736.xml" Name="In the Heights auditions" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/In-the-Heights-news.jpg" Title="'In the Heights'" Abstract="The HCC Theater Department will hold auditions for its fall production of the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical Aug. 21 and Aug. 22 in the Leslie Phillips Theater." ThumbnailAltText="A playbill photo from the original Broadway production of &quot;In the Heights,&quot; by Lin-Manuel Miranda." IntroCopy="HCC to hold auditions for the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical Aug. 21-22" Date="2018-08-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Cast of the HCC production of In the Heights&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/In-the-Heights-news.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Before his &quot;Hamilton&quot; became a Broadway phenomenon, Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote &quot;In the Heights,&quot; a Tony-award winning musical celebrating Latino culture, music and dance.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Theater Department, in collaboration with Mount Holyoke College, will bring &quot;In the Heights&quot; to the stage for a full-scale production this fall and is now seeking performers who want to star in it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Auditions will be held Tuesday, Aug. 21, and Wednesday, Aug. 22, from 2 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. each day, in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater on the second floor of the Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts building, with possible callbacks on Friday, Aug. 24, from 2 to 5 p.m. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Auditions will consist of readings from the script (copies are available in room C214 of the FPA building) and singing (16 bars from any song from the original production). Performers should also come prepared to dance.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While auditions are open to all, preference will be given to those with a connection to HCC or to Holyoke Public Schools.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We want to celebrate the Latino community at HCC and the Latino community in the city of Holyoke,&quot; said director Patricia Sandoval. &quot;We want to celebrate the talents of the community and give visibility to the youth of Holyoke. Bringing this show to campus does just that.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are 12 speaking roles and about an equal number of ensemble parts. Ensemble auditions will be held early in September on a day and time to be determined.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC music professor and college chorale director Ellen Cogen will serve as musical director for the production, and HCC will be hiring a choreographer to help with the dancing and a 10-piece band to perform the score.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The production is supported by grants from the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts (MiFA) and MassHumanities. Alberto Sandoval-Sanchez, professor emeritus at Mount Holyoke College, an expert in Latino Studies, will serve as a consultant for the production and scholar-in-residence at HCC for the semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's incredibly exciting,&quot; said Sandoval-Sanchez. &quot;We're expecting large audiences because it's so contemporary and it has so much to offer young audiences.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The musical will be performed at HCC eight times over two weeks, &amp;nbsp;Nov. 8-10 and Nov. 15-17.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In the Heights,&quot; which Miranda started writing as a college sophomore, is set around Fourth of July celebrations in the primarily Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City. The original Broadway production was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won four: Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography, and Best Orchestrations. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album and was nominated for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: The cast of the HCC Theater Department production of In the Heights.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7720" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/center-for-life-sciences-open" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165|194" FileName="x7720.xml" Name="Center for Life Sciences Open" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/CLS-Rabinsky-Hood.jpg" Title="Class Action" Abstract="The new Center for Life Sciences at HCC features a suite of high-tech classrooms and labs, including an instructional cleanroom like those used in the biotechnology industry. " ThumbnailAltText="Professor Emily Rabinsky talks to students about some of the equipment in the new Center for Life Sciences." IntroCopy="HCC's new Center for Life Sciences opened Sept. 4 with the start of the fall semester" Date="2018-09-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Students meet one of the biotech labs in the new Center for Life Sciences for the first day of the Fall 2018 semester. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/CLS-open-news.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students at Holyoke Community College are the beneficiaries of the school's new Center for Life Sciences, which opened Sept. 4 with the start of the Fall 2018 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 13,000-square-foot facility, on the first floor of HCC's Marieb Building, features a suite of new biotechnology classrooms and labs and what is believed to be the only ISO certified instructional cleanroom at any Massachusetts community college and one of very few at any college or university in western Massachusetts. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These state-of-the-art facilities and new equipment will allow us to train our students in laboratory settings similar to what they will experience in industry, making them more competitive for the biotech job market,&quot; said HCC professor Emily Rabinsky,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/biology&quot;&gt;biotechnology program&lt;/a&gt; coordinator. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cost of the $4.55 million project, including new equipment, was covered by a $3.8 million grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, supplemented by $750,000 from the HCC Foundation's Building Healthy Communities Campaign, which also paid for the construction of the college's Center for Health Education on Jarvis Avenue. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Center for Health Education, home to HCC's nursing, radiologic technology programs and SIM medical simulation center, opened in 2016. Those programs were relocated to the CHE from the first floor of Marieb, clearing space for the construction of the Center for Life Sciences. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new labs will be used primarily for biotechnology, genetics and microbiology classes and as needed for other biology courses. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once it's fully operational, the cleanroom will have a certification rating of ISO 8, which means air quality of no more than 100,000 particles per cubic foot. Inside the cleanroom there will be a hooded biosafety cabinet where the sterility will increase to ISO 7, or no more than 10,000 particles per cubic foot. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rabinsky plans to incorporate the cleanroom into her Introduction to Biotechnology class this fall as a way to teach students how to put on cleanroom gowns while maintaining sterility. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Clean rooms are commonly used in the biotech industry and this is an essential first step before anyone can be allowed in one since contamination could be disastrous,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Grant funds and donations also paid for new equipment including a high-end, research grade fluorescent microscope, like those used in the pharmaceutical industry; a micro volume spectrophotometer (used to measure small amounts of genetic material); and an electroporator (for genetic engineering). &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Starting this fall, HCC will be offering a non-credit, professional development course called &quot;Introduction to Cleanroom Technology&quot; in the Center for Life Sciences; Rabinsky said she is developing a new credit course for a future semester called &quot;Cell Culture and Protein Purification&quot; that will also take advantage of the new facility. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In this course, students will learn how to maintain a mammalian cell culture, in addition to learning how to work in a cleanroom,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A grand opening celebration will be held at the Center for Life Sciences sometime during the fall semester.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10156507409954330.1073742099.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=0874111df0&quot; title=&quot;Center for Life Sciences photo gallery&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos in HCC's Facebook photo album ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) A sign on the first floor of the Marieb Building announces the new Center of Life Sciences. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;One of two state-of-the-art labs in the new Center for Life Sciences.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7651" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/freight-training" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|3|165" FileName="x7651.xml" Name="Freight training" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/FF-seeding-claire.jpg" Title="Freight Training" Abstract="HCC students planted the first seeds inside Holyoke's two new shipping container gardens, part of an urban agriculture project and collaboration with the city and Nuestras Raices. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC student intern Claire McGale from Northampton looks over the first batch of newly planted seeds in one of Holyoke's new Freight Farms container gardens on Race Street. " IntroCopy="HCC students plant first seeds inside Holyoke container farms" Date="2018-07-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student intern Claire McGale from Northampton looks over the first batch of newly planted seeds in one of Holyoke's new Freight Farms container gardens on Race Street. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/FF-seeding-claire.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some time in early October, the first heads of lettuce grown inside a metal shipping container in downtown Holyoke will be ready for harvesting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yesterday, Holyoke Community College student interns planted the first seeds in one of two 40-foot-long Freight Farms shipping containers that now sit in a lot off Race Street next to the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. The planting was part of a two-day training for HCC students, staff and community farmers to learn the basics of hydroponic farming.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hear more about the Freight Farms project on WAMC-Northeast Public Radio ...&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wamc.org/post/farming-box-comes-downtown-holyoke&quot; title=&quot;Farming in a box comes to downtown Holyoke&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Farming in a box comes to downtown Holyoke&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/07/hcc_and_nuestras_raices_begin.html&quot; title=&quot;HCC and Nuestras Raices to train urban farmers in container farms project&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Read more about it on MassLive ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The two Freight Farms shipping containers &amp;ndash; each is called a &quot;Leafy Green Machine&quot; &amp;ndash; grow leafy greens and herbs without the use of soil. Each of the container farms can hold 256 grow towers with a capacity of 10-12 plants each. As part of their training, the interns deposited seeds of New Red Fire lettuce into trays of little brown pods, which were then soaked briefly in a water bath and placed under blue and red grow lights.&amp;nbsp;After three weeks, the lettuce seedlings will be transferred to the grow towers for another eight weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each shipping container can grow as much produce in a year as an acre of farmland.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The shipping containers were delivered in April for a joint urban agriculture project that includes HCC, the city of Holyoke and the community nonprofit Nuestras Raices. The funds for the project, $208,000, were provided by the state through MassDevelopment as part of its Transformative Development Initiative, which is meant to accelerate economic growth in its Gateway Cities' communities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; The training, which began yesterday continue through today, is being lead by representatives from the Freight Farms company that adapted the shipping containers into hydroponic farms. Alina Davledzarova, of Westfield, HCC class of '17, has been hired as the part-time container farm manager. She will be working with Dylan Donicz, of Holyoke, HCC class of '15, who was recently hired as the farm manager for Nuestras Raices. Among others taking part in the training this week are Kate Maiolatesi, head of the sustainable studies and sustainable agriculture programs at HCC, and some of her students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The two container farms are expected to be up and running with the newly trained staff on Wednesday, July 18.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;HCC student intern Claire McGale from Northampton looks over the first batch of seedpods in one of Holyoke's new Freight Farms container gardens on Race Street.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7685" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/extended-hours" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="97|165|228" FileName="x7685.xml" Name="Extended Hours" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/HCC-hours.jpg" Title="Extended Hours" Abstract="For two weeks before the start of the Fall 2018 semester, Holyoke Community College will offer extended service hours to accommodate new and continuing students. " ThumbnailAltText="An HCC Financial Aid advisor assists a new student. " IntroCopy="HCC offices will stay open late beore the start of the semester " Date="2018-08-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;An HCC Financial Aid Advisor assists a student. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/HCC-hours.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will hold extended service hours to accommodate new and continuing students before the start of the fall 2018 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For two weeks beginning Aug. 20, HCC &lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot;&gt;Admissions&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid&quot;&gt;Financial Aid&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;/admission/course-placement&quot;&gt;Placement Testing&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center&quot;&gt;Advising&lt;/a&gt; and Student Accounts offices on the second floor of the Frost Building will open at 8:30 a.m. and stay open until 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, Aug. 20-23, and Monday through Thursday, Aug. 27-30. On Friday Aug. 24 and Friday Aug. 31, offices will be open from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The fall 2018 academic semester begins Tuesday, Sept. 4.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We know many of our students work and have families to take care of, so we're happy to stay open late to accommodate their busy lives,&quot; said Renee Tastad, dean of Enrollment Management and College Access Programs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The extended service hours will also remain in effect through Friday Sept. 7 during the class add/drop period, Sept. 4-6, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday, Sept. 7, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please contact HCC Admissions at 413-552-2321 or admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: An HCC Financial Aid advisor assists a new student.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7653" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/healthy-cooking" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="194" FileName="x7653.xml" Name="Healthy Cooking" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/canal-slicing.jpg" Title="Healthy Cooking" Abstract="Holyoke city employees participated in a two-day class at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute to learn how to prepare and cook healthy meals." IntroCopy="City employees prepare &quot;dinner by the canal&quot;" Date="2018-07-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Enrique Melendez, left, a Holyoke Department of Public Works employee, and Jim Crowley, of Holyoke Gas &amp;amp; Electric, slice onions during a health cooking class at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute hosted by Training and Workforce Options&quot; height=&quot;503&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/canal-slicing.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the first day of the two-part class, Jim Crowley grilled some salmon that he ate with fresh, locally grown produce.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's fantastic on a salad,&quot; said Crowley, who works for Holyoke Gas &amp;amp; Electric. &quot;So when you're eating it, it doesn't feel like you're on a diet. You're just eating better food.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Crowley was one of several city of Holyoke employees and their spouses who took a two-day course and learned to prepare healthy meals at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street in downtown Holyoke. After preparing them in the industrial sized kitchen, they sat down to enjoy their cuisine for what was billed as &quot;dinner by the canal.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Training and Workforce Options (TWO), a Holyoke Community College and Springfield Technical Community College partnership, hosted the healthy cooking class on July 10 and July 17.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Warren Leigh, chairman of the hospitality management and culinary arts programs at HCC, developed the two-part, hands-on class, which promotes health and wellness. Participants included Holyoke employees from a cross section of departments. City employees who took the class focused on the Mediterranean diet, which is abundant in fruits, vegetables and olive oil. The class introduces participants to knife skills, food choices, portion control, gluten-free food and cooking styles (grilling, steaming, baking and roasting).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participants cooked with produce that was grown locally and learned about sustainability, which is the production of food using farming techniques that protect the environment. The city of Holyoke's Wellness Committee approached TWO about hosting healthy cooking classes that could be offered to city employees and spouses. The intent of the class was to introduce employees to better cooking methods and new foods.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cigna, the health insurer for the city of Holyoke, paid for the program. Sixteen Holyoke employees and their spouses participated in the first class, which offered up a menu that included fresh chickpea salad, scallops and salmon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participants in the July 17&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; class learned a variety of useful culinary techniques, from peeling and cutting onions and vine-ripe local tomatoes to mincing garlic and herb, poaching chicken breast and preparing lentil and ragout.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Melissa Melendez, who works for the Holyoke Retirement Board, admitted she's not a great cook, so she signed up for the class to learn some tips about healthy cooking.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was up for a new experience,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other participants said they were excited to see the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. The 20,000-square foot facility, located in the Cubit building across the street from Holyoke's second-level canal, has five teaching kitchens, separate lab stations and a bakery.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've been driving by it for quite some time,&quot; Crowley said. &quot;It's just beautiful inside. It's a real gem for the area.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by JIM DANKO:&amp;nbsp; Enrique Melendez, left, a Holyoke Department of Public Works employee, and Jim Crowley, of Holyoke Gas &amp;amp; Electric, slice onions during a health cooking class at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute hosted by Training and Workforce Options.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7638" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/line-cook-training" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x7638.xml" Name="Line Cook Training" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/MGM-Annie-Ladle.jpg" Title="'I'm part of the show'" Abstract="The free Line Cook Training program at HCC is helping experienced kitchen workers sharpen their culinary skills – and find jobs with MGM. " ThumbnailAltText="Annie Rosa of Springfield credits the free line cook training program at HCC for helping her land a kitchen job with MGM Springfield. " IntroCopy="HCC culinary students find jobs with MGM" Date="2018-06-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Axel Rojas of Springfield has been hired by MGM Springfield to work as a line cook at the resort-casino's new South End Market. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/MGM-Axel.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Annie Rosa signed up for the free Line Cook Training program at Holyoke Community College with a clear objective in mind &amp;ndash; get a job working in one of the new restaurants soon opening at MGM Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 38-year-old Springfield resident had worked in other restaurant kitchens, including Cracker Barrel, Cafe Lebanon, and Subway, but admits that most of her experience came from taking care of her family. She needed a professional boost.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm an MGM hopeful,&quot; she'd said earlier this month, not long after starting daily classes at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lo and behold, before the four-week training program was set to conclude on Friday, June 29, Rosa had accepted an offer to work as a pantry chef at The Chandler, MGM's fine dining steakhouse. She starts July 30. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm no longer a hopeful. I'm part of the show,&quot; she said, putting her own spin on the MGM tag line. &quot;Want to hear my roar?&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Indeed, Rosa, 38, was smiling &amp;ndash; and roaring &amp;ndash; during the last week of the HCC program, which she credits for helping her land the job with MGM. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I came here with a plan,&quot; she said. &quot;I passed my ServSafe training and my TIPS training. I made new friends. I learned new things. And to work for MGM and have the possibility of growing my career with them &amp;ndash; that was my ultimate goal. Overall, it was an awesome experience.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So far half the students in the program &amp;ndash; four of the eight who completed the training &amp;ndash; have been offered restaurant jobs with MGM. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of them, Axel Rojas, 26, of Springfield, had been working most recently for Aramark dining services on the main campus at HCC. He'll soon start a job as a line cook at MGM's South End Market. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Getting into MGM was one of my main goals,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The same goes for 25-year-old Naquan Murray, also of Springfield. Previously at the Lord Jeffery Inn in Amherst, Murray will be working in one of MGM's production kitchens as a &quot;garde manager&quot; &amp;ndash; a pantry chef like Rosa, responsible for cold food preparation.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I knew this program would give me more experience,&quot; Murray said. &quot;I feel pretty good. I'm happy to get in there.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Applications are now being accepted for the next round of Line Cook Training, which is free to experienced kitchen workers who want to take their culinary skills to a higher level. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is designed for professionals who have been out there for a while,&quot; said HCC Culinary Arts instructor Warren Leigh. &quot;Maybe they're prep cooks, maybe they're line cooks and they want to get better. They want to move up. That's what we're hoping to get in the next round also. That way we can push them to be better. We can make them better with their knife skills, really master saut&amp;eacute;ing, really master grilling &amp;ndash; as best as we can in four weeks.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classes will run Monday through Friday, July 23 through August 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute at 164 Race St., Holyoke. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Class topics include moist and dry cooking methods, soups, stocks, sauces, knife skills, culinary math, and ServSafe and TIPS certifications. Students will also participate in resume workshops and mock interviews. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program is funded partly through a $50,000 grant HCC recently received as winner of the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deval-patrick-award&quot;&gt;Deval Patrick Prize from the Boston Foundation&lt;/a&gt; for expanding its culinary arts program to help address workforce needs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Applicants must have at least two years of experience working in the culinary industry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information or to register, please contact Ann Rocchi, job placement assistant, 413-552-2753, or Milissa Daniels, career development counselor, at 413-552-2042.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnaila)&amp;nbsp;Annie Rosa of Springfield credits the free line cook training program at HCC for helping her land a kitchen job with MGM Springfield. (Above)&amp;nbsp;Axel Rojas of Springfield has been hired by MGM Springfield to work as a line cook at the resort-casino's new South End Market. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7637" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/three-for-forty-x7637" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|65" FileName="x7637.xml" Name="Three for 'Forty'" Thumbnail="/images/40Under40logo.jpg" Title="Three for 'Forty'" Abstract="Three HCC alumni – Nathan Costa '03, Crystal Childs '07, and Yahaira Antonmarchi '12 – were among the '40 Under Forty' honored by Business West." ThumbnailAltText="Business West 40 Under Forty" IntroCopy="Three HCC alumni among Business West's '40 Under Forty' for 2018" Date="2018-06-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC alumni Yahaira Antonmarchi, Crystal Childs and Nathan Costa are among Business West's '40 Under Forty' for 2018. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Three-Forty.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Three HCC alumni were among the &quot;40 Under Forty&quot; recognized last week at the Log Cabin last week by &lt;em&gt;Business West&lt;/em&gt; magazine for their career achievements and community service.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They are: Nathan Costa '03, president of the Springfield Thunderbirds hockey team; Crystal (Gryszkiewicz) Childs '07, a marketing and creative consultant; and Yahaira Antonmarchi '12, director of community relations for the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All the members of the '40 Under Forty' Class of 2018 were celebrated at a June 21 gala at the Log Cabin Banquet &amp;amp; Meeting House in Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Costa, 35, is a Springfield native who studied communications at HCC and then transferred to Northeastern University where he majored in journalism. Costa joined the Thunderbirds in 2016 as executive vice president and was promoted to the top spot in August. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Childs, 37, is a Westfield resident who has worked as a graphic designer and marketing consultant for nearly 20 years, including 10 years at &lt;em&gt;Balise Motor Sales. She is on the board of directors of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce and is co-founder of the EMBEE Marketing and Business Summit.&lt;/em&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Antonmarchi, 33, earned her associate degree from HCC in business administration and then transferred to Elms College for her bachelor's degree. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://businesswest.com/blog/introducing-the-40-under-forty-class-of-2018/&quot; title=&quot;40 Under Forty Class of 2018&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Read their full profiles in &lt;em&gt;Business West&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Yahaira, Nate and Crystal exemplify the very best of Holyoke Community College,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement. &quot;Their drive, passion, and commitment to community makes them truly worthy of the '40 Under Forty' honor. Today's students are fortunate to have such positive examples of leadership, and HCC is proud to celebrate these three alumni for their accomplishments.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: Three HCC alumni &amp;ndash; Yahaira Antonmarchi '12, Crystal Childs '07 and Nathan Costa '03 &amp;ndash; are among Business West magazine's '40 Under Forty' for 2018.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7639" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-sp18" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|65|165" FileName="x7639.xml" Name="Deans List SP18" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Spotlights/Feature/PTK-Nicholas-Parenteau-family.jpg" Title="Dean's List Honors" Abstract="HCC is proud to recognize the 1,060 students who earned Dean's List honors for the Spring 2018 semester. " ThumbnailAltText="Nicholas Parenteau was one of the 1,060 HCC students who made the Dean's List for the Spring 2018 semester. " IntroCopy="HCC is proud to recognize all the students who made Dean's List for the Spring 2018 semester. " Date="2018-06-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. A student is placed on the Dean's List if his or her G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Follow the link below to see the list of all the HCC students who&amp;nbsp;earned Dean's List status for the Spring 2018&amp;nbsp; semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/deans-list&quot;&gt;Dean's List &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Nicholas Parenteau, shown with his mother and daughters, was one of the 1,060 HCC students who made the Dean's List for the Spring 2018 semester.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7632" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/lc-grant-update" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x7632.xml" Name="LC grant update" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Journey-closeup.jpg" Title="Grant lifts LC's" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is adding five new inter-institutional courses to its catalog of Learning Communities and offer free or reduced tuition to those who enroll. " ThumbnailAltText="John Jarvis, a professor of Native American Studies at Bay Path University, gives a guest lecture to the HCC Learning Community class, Journey, this spring. " IntroCopy="HCC adding five new inter-institutional LCs, including some free ones" Date="2018-06-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;John Jarvis, a professor of Native American Studies at Bay Path University, gives a guest lecture to the HCC Learning Community class, Journey, this spring. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Journey-teach.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities that will allow the college to expand its catalog of popular and highly regarded Learning Community courses and offer free or reduced tuition to students who enroll in those classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With a $100,000 grant from the NEH Division of Education Programs &amp;mdash; matched in part by the college &amp;mdash; HCC is adding five new &quot;inter-institutional&quot; courses to its rotation of &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/learning-communities&quot;&gt;Learning Communities&lt;/a&gt;. Those classes will be offered in partnership with Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Bay Path University, UMass-Amherst and Tangshan Normal University in China.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more than 20 years, HCC has been a national leader in the development of Learning Community courses &amp;mdash; unique educational experiences that combine two classes from distinct academic areas focusing on a common subject or theme. HCC has the oldest LC program in Massachusetts and is still one of only a handful of colleges in the state, public or private, that offers them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learning Communities are part of a trio of programs at HCC known as&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/integrative-learning&quot;&gt;Integrative Learning &lt;/a&gt;that also includes the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/honors&quot;&gt;Honors &lt;/a&gt;and &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/community-based-learning&quot;&gt;Service Learning&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;programs.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each semester, HCC lists about a dozen or so LCs in its course catalog, such as&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cli-fi-sp15&quot;&gt;&quot;Cli-Fi: Stories and Science of the Coming Climate Apocalypse,&quot;&lt;/a&gt; a combination of English composition and environmental science, a lab class. In 2015, the &quot;Cli-Fi&quot; course received mention in &lt;em&gt;The New York Times&lt;/em&gt; and other newspapers around the world in stories about the emerging study of &quot;climate fiction.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Typically, Learning Community courses, called &quot;LCs&quot; for short, are co-taught by two instructors from HCC. These new courses will feature one instructor from HCC and another from one of its partners. Students from both institutions are eligible to enroll and the classes will meet on both campuses, with the exception of the LC with China, where students from both countries will &quot;meet&quot; and collaborate online.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;One of the purposes of the grant is to promote the humanities,&quot; said HCC psychology professor Jack Mino, co-founder of HCC's LC program. &quot;It's partly about enhancing the LC program, but what's really exciting is that we'll be able to offer more inter-institutional LCs as well as our first international LC.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This fall, Mino is co-teaching &quot;All Things Connect,&quot; an LC combining psychology and literature that focuses on the environment.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new LCs follow a model established by courses HCC has offered before in collaboration with Mount Holyoke College and Amherst College. In fact, the HCC-Amherst College course, &quot;The Immigrant City,&quot; a combination of history and political science focusing on Holyoke, will continue under the grant this coming spring.&amp;nbsp;Thanks to the grant and the matching funds from HCC, tuition and fees for that course will be waived.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's first international LC, &quot;Journey,&quot; was offered for free for the spring semester, a savings of more than $1,000 for the HCC students who enrolled. That six-credit class combines composition and special topics in humanities and included ESL students from Tangshan Normal University in an exploration of music, art and literature from both American and Chinese cultures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more details on these classes and other Learning Communities, check&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/course-finder&quot;&gt;out the online Fall 2018 Class Schedule and Registration Booklet.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the other courses, HCC will be waiving half of the tuition and fees, a discount of about $500 per student, or the cost of one regular three-credit class.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Another new LC, &quot;Red and White America: Native Responses to European Contact,&quot; will pair an English professor from HCC with a professor of Native American Studies at Bay Path.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;'Alien' Incarcerations&quot; will take a look at immigration and incarceration from the perspectives of Latin-American Studies (Mount Holyoke) and philosophy (HCC).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC English professor Jim Dutcher, the grant program manager, will teach the HCC component of a new LC with UMass, &quot;Breaking Bread and Making Friends: Food for the Common Good,&quot; a look at food journalism.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The LC course with Smith, &quot;Free to be Free: Mid-Century Experimental Art and Literature,&quot; was offered for the first time for the fall 2017 semester; classes meet frequently at the Smith College Museum of Art in Northampton.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Learning Community courses are very well regarded by the four-year colleges and universities our students attend after they earn their HCC degrees,&quot; said&amp;nbsp; Dutcher, who will also be the HCC instructor for the &quot;Journey&quot; class with China. &quot;We're hoping these Learning Communities will open even more transfer pathways for our students as they become familiar with other campuses and the faculty members and students there.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;John Jarvis, a professor of Native American Studies at Bay Path University, gives a guest lecture to the HCC Learning Community class, Journey, this spring.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7611" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gateway-su18" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x7611.xml" Name="Gateway SU18" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Gateway-300.jpg" Title="Gateway milestone" Abstract="The 34 students from eight local districts represent the program's largest class ever and bring the total number of HCC Gateway graduates to 303.  " ThumbnailAltText="HCC's Gateway to College program graduated its largest class ever June 5, 34, bringing the total to 303 over 10 years. " IntroCopy="'Failure is a part of learning. Dropping out and going back to school has taught me the importance of education.' – student speaker Julia Rodrigue" Date="2018-06-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC's Gateway to College program graduated its largest class ever June 5, 34, bringing the total to 303 over 10 years. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Gateway-300.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gateway to College at HCC marked another milestone June 5, topping 300 graduates for the first time in the 10-year history of the alternative high school program, which has become one of the most successful of its kind in the country.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 34 students from eight local districts also represent the program's largest graduating class ever, bringing the total number of HCC's Gateway graduates to 303. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Each and every one of us is strong,&quot; said student speaker Eric Montagna of Holyoke during the graduation ceremony in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater. &quot;High school was rough, but we made it. We're stronger than the people who told us we couldn't. They knocked us down, but we got back up. We will succeed because we are strong.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gateway to College is a national program that takes struggling high school students and dropouts and puts them into college classes. Students enrolled in Gateway work toward their high school diplomas while also racking up transferable college credits. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC started its Gateway program in 2008 and for the last two years has been recognized with the national network's Excellence Award for exceeding benchmarks for retention, GPA and graduation rate. In 2014, HCC's Gateway program was ranked number one among all the Gateway programs in the United States. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Some students struggle in traditional high school,&quot; said Vivian Ostrowski, coordinator of HCC's Gateway program. &quot;Those same students can be, and are, wildly successful in a different academic environment and culture. That is the secret to Gateway.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One such success story is Julia Rodrigue from Amherst. In high school, Rodrigue had a GPA of 1.6 and dropped out during her senior year. Through Gateway, she earned 14 college credits at HCC and graduated from the program with a GPA of 4.0. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For her academic achievements, Rodrigue received the Presidents Award from the Gateway National Network. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Failure is a part of learning,&quot; Rodrigue told her classmates. &quot;Dropping out and going back to school has taught me the importance of education. Finishing something easy isn't as great of an accomplishment as achieving a goal that has been challenging.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rodrigue plans to continue her college education at HCC in the fall and intends to study education in the hopes of being a teacher. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I entered Gateway with no confidence in myself academically,&quot; she said. &quot;I'm leaving here today with the skills to be successful in college.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keynote speaker and HCC professor Ra&amp;uacute;l Guti&amp;eacute;rrez gave a brief Spanish lesson. &quot;There's a saying, &lt;em&gt;Esso vale la pena&lt;/em&gt;, meaning 'It's worth the struggle.' You students are worth it. Sometimes, as a professor, you can make me a little frustrated, but it's worth it. You are worth it. Don't ever forget that.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke mayor Alex Morse, who was in the audience to support the Holyoke students graduating from Gateway, was asked to address the crowd of faculty, staff, family and friends in the theater. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Wherever you go,&quot; he said, &quot;remember where you're from. Holyoke needs you. It needs your intelligence, ideas, and energy.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 34 new Gateway graduates earned a total of 306 college credits between them.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They include, from Amherst: Julia Rodrigue; from Belchertown: Emily Bray, David Dawson; from Hampshire Regional: Isaac Kingston (Easthampton), Hunter Laurin (Southampton); from Holyoke: Natalie Clayton, Marie Cruz, Eric Montagna, Mya Rios, Eddie Rivera, Tatiana S. Rivera, Harrison Rodriguez, Minoshkeilee Serrano, Nicholas Smith, Zakary Tardy, Valencia Torres-Feliciano; from Palmer: Alyssa Charbonneau, Tyler Czupryna, Alicia Jackson, Joanne LaVallee; from the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts High School: Pablo Juarez (Belchertown); from Springfield: Eyup Atmaca, Catavia Brown, Martavius Coleman, Nichelle Colon, Ashton Connor, Shelby Corliss, Vincent Figueroa, Yanely Rivera, Tay-Jonna Sparks, Kahmal Wilson; and from Westfield: Sofia Arroyo, Michael Butler, Nikita Chepurin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;HCC's Gateway to College program graduated its largest class ever June 5, 34, bringing the total to 303 over 10 years.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10544" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/kates-kits" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|68|165" FileName="x10544.xml" Name="Kates-Kits" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/Kates-Group.jpg" Title="Kits for Kate's" Abstract="Four HCC student clubs created winter care packages for agencies in Holyoke and Springfield that serve the homeless. " ThumbnailAltText="Group delivery to Kate's Kitchen" IntroCopy="Student clubs deliver winter care packages for homeless" Date="2019-12-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Lindsey Pare of Ludlow hands out kits at Kate's Kitchen&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/Kates-Lindsey.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As the fall semester concluded last Friday, representatives from four Holyoke Community College student clubs delivered hundreds of winter care packages to agencies in Holyoke and Springfield that serve the homeless.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Members of the HCC Military Club, Criminal Justice Club, Radio Club and Sociology Club created hygiene kits (84 for women; 86 for men) that included basic toiletries such as razors, shaving cream, deodorant, chap stick, soap, lotion, toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs and sanitary products.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They also prepared 208 kits that included hats, mittens, scarves and blankets and gave away winter coats.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Friday, Dec. 20, they dropped off the care packages to the Springfield Rescue Mission and handed out items to the lunchtime crowd at Kate's Kitchen in Holyoke, part of Providence Ministries.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Hygiene products were the things the agencies told us were needed the most, especially by homeless people, who often don't have the opportunity to maintain their hygiene on a regular basis,&quot; said HCC student and Military Club member Robert Vigneault of Belchertown.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The items were collected in donation boxes placed at various locations on the HCC campus, stored and sorted in the HCC Veterans Lounge. The kits were prepared by students in the days before the delivery using clear plastic bags so people could see what was in them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They appreciate wholeheartedly what you're all giving back,&quot; said Kate's Kitchen chef Tonya Miller, who is also a housing administrator at Lerato House, a sober living home for men run by Providence Ministries. &quot;This touches my heart.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;People here really appreciate it,&quot; said Kate's Kitchen volunteer Michael Porcello of Springfield. &quot;This is a tremendous gift. There are a lot of people who are cold out there. We take this stuff for granted but this is a necessity for life.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jose Laboy of Holyoke collected several kits he said he intended to hand out to people living on the streets, as he once did, who could not make it to Kate's Kitchen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My mission is reaching out to people,&quot; said Laboy. &quot;This is great. These people are doing the right thing. A lot of people need these things.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Representatives from four HCC student clubs delivered winter care packages Kate's Kitchen in Holyoke on Friday, Dec. 20. (Above) Lindsey Pare '18 of Ludlow hands out winter care kits to guests at Kate's Kitchen in Holyoke while HCC student Robert Vigneault looks on.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7612" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deval-patrick-award" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|194" FileName="x7612.xml" Name="Deval Patrick award" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/CAI-chefs.jpg" Title="Culinary Program Prize" Abstract="Holyoke Community College won the 2018 Deval Patrick Prize from the Boston Foundation for expanding its culinary arts and hospitality programs into a new, downtown facility.   " ThumbnailAltText="Faculty and staff at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute stand on the second floor landing of the new facility. " IntroCopy="HCC recognized for culinary arts program expansion" Date="2018-06-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC lab tech and culinary arts alumnus Tyler Carrier prepares mussels for a lunch at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Lunch-tyler-mussels.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has won the 2018 Deval Patrick Prize for Community Colleges from the Boston Foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC will receive the $50,000 prize named after the former governor for expanding its culinary arts and hospitality programs to address industry needs and for the partnerships the college put together to construct the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in Holyoke's Innovation District.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;First awarded in 2015, the Deval Patrick Prize recognizes community colleges that do an outstanding job partnering with employers to build effective career pathways for their students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In this economy, postsecondary education opens doors for graduates to succeed that would remain locked,&quot; said Paul S. Grogan, president and CEO of the Boston Foundation. &quot;What Holyoke Community College has done with this partnership is take an already strong program to the next level. The program leverages a shared interest between Holyoke Community College and local employers like MGM &amp;ndash; and does it in a student-focused way that makes it a win for the college, the employers and most importantly, the students setting out from the program into careers with promise and potential.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In announcing the award in Boston Tuesday, Rosalin Acosta, Mass. secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, cited HCC's efforts to scale up the labor pool to meet the needs of employers in the hospitality and food service industry, add workforce training programs for job seekers and incumbent workers, align the curriculum to meet industry needs, develop stackable workforce credentials, and increase community engagement around issues such as food insecurity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most impressive, she said, was HCC's opening of the $7.5 million, 20,000 square-foot culinary arts institute in downtown Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The facility is the region's only state-of-the-art hospitality and culinary arts center and will help increase experiential learning opportunities, especially for hands-on training,&quot; she said. &quot;This is a primary example of Holyoke Community College's amazing ability to anticipate a workforce need and partner with an employer to address that need.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC president Christina Royal accepted the award on behalf of the college. She said enrollment in culinary arts and hospitality programs had already increased 10-20 percent since moving into the new space.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The launch of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute is just the beginning of what we hope to accomplish with our business and community partners and we're doing our part to help with the revitalization of Holyoke, not simply for our student, but for all the residents in our communities,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Part of the $50,000 prize money is allocated for a free, line-cook training program for experienced kitchen workers that started Monday, June 4.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbanail)&amp;nbsp;Faculty and staff at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute stand on the second floor landing of the new facility.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;(Above)&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7613" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/chris-palames" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|4" FileName="x7613.xml" Name="Chris Palames" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Palames-Royal.jpg" Title="'A Valued Friend'" Abstract="Holyoke Community College honored disability rights activist Chris Palames of Florence with its 2018 Distinguished Service Award at Commencement June 2. " ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal presents the Distinguished Service Award to Chris Palames at Commencement June 2. " IntroCopy="HCC honors disability rights activist Chris Palames" Date="2018-06-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Christina Royal presents the Distinguished Service Award to Chris Palames at Commencement June 2. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Palames-Royal.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Disability rights activist Chris Palames of Florence is the recipient of this year's Distinguished Service Award from Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Palames is the founder of the Stavros Center for Independent Living in Amherst, executive director of Independent Living Resources, and a retired consultant for the Massachusetts Division of Capital and Asset Management, which manages building and construction projects for state facilities, including colleges and universities. He has served on the Northampton Commission on Disability, the Massachusetts Disability Policy Consortium and is frequently consulted on matters large and small by staff in HCC's Office for Students with Disabilities and Deaf Services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC president Christina Royal presented the award to Palames at &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/commence-2018&quot;&gt;HCC's 71st Commencement ceremony&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;at the MassMutual Center in Springfield on June 2.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Chris has long been a valued friend of HCC, and, as a consultant for the Commonwealth, has had a significant role in helping to make HCC and other Massachusetts colleges more welcoming and accessible to all,&quot; Royal said. &quot;Chris, thank you for your friendship, and for the important work you do to make our world, our community, and our college a better place. We are so happy to honor you today.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Palames began his life as an activist as a freshman at Wesleyan University in the 1960s, demonstrating for civil rights on the White House lawn. A spinal cord injury left him a quadriplegic, but, after a year recuperating, he was back, protesting the Vietnam War and completing his bachelor's degree in psychology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by DON TREEGER: President Christina Royal presents the Distinguished Service Award to Chris Palames of Florence at Commencement June 2.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7610" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/early-college" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193" FileName="x7610.xml" Name="Early College" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/HHS-Spanish-students.jpg" Title="Early College Boost" Abstract="HCC and Holyoke Public Schools received a $131,600 state grant to establish a new program to help high school students get an early start on their college educations." ThumbnailAltText="Holyoke High School students Ernice Colon and Jasmin Rodriguez confer on an assignment in a dual enrollment Spanish class HCC ran at HHS in 2016." IntroCopy="First Early College cohort will begin in September" Date="2018-06-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;xxxx&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/HHS-Santa.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;847&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College and Holyoke Public Schools have been awarded a $131,600 state grant to establish a new program to help high school students get an early start on their college educations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC-HPS program was one of only five such partnerships &amp;ndash; and the only one outside the Boston area &amp;ndash; to receive an official&amp;nbsp; &quot;Early College&quot; designation from the state. The Early College Program will enable participating Holyoke students to earn a minimum of 12 college credits before they graduate from high school. Beginning in their sophomore years, students enrolled in the program will complete college courses in fields of study that align with academic majors at HCC and transfer pathways to Massachusetts four-year colleges and universities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is no cost to participating students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like other dual enrollment classes, the Early College courses will be taught by HCC faculty at Holyoke High School or on the HCC campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC already has a robust dual enrollment partnership with Holyoke Public Schools along with approximately 20 other area high schools,&quot; said Renee Tastad, HCC dean of Enrollment Management and College Access Programs. &quot;This Early College Program kicks the preparation and support up a notch.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Early College program is designed for 100 students each academic year, beginning in the sophomore year. At full capacity, in fall 2020, up to 300 students in grades 10-12 will be part of the program, Tastad said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sophomore students will take their first college courses at Holyoke High School. In their junior and senior years they will take courses on the main HCC campus on Homestead Avenue.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In our experience, with proper challenge and support, students who never envisioned college for themselves can find success in college coursework, see themselves as college students, and start on the path toward earning a degree,&quot; Tastad said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first cohort of nearly 80 Holyoke High School freshmen visited the HCC campus in May for an acceptance day and barbecue lunch. They will begin their Early College classes as sophomores in September, earning both high school and college credits.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Early College curriculum was created jointly by faculty and staff from both HCC and HPS working over the past year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are very proud of the faculty and staff at these high schools and colleges for taking on the hard work to create early college programs so students will benefit from challenging course work that will prepare them for success in high school and college, as well as reduce their overall cost of obtaining a degree,&quot; Gov. Charlie Baker said in announcing the Early College designations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to studies, dual enrollment courses and early college programs boost college completion rates for low-income students, minorities and first-generation college goers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Many young people need an opportunity to see themselves in college so they can know it is possible for them,&quot; said Carlos Santiago, Mass. commissioner of Higher Education. &quot;By giving high school students, particularly those who will be the first in their families to attend, the chance to succeed in college-level courses before they earn a high school diploma, we give them the confidence to know that a college degree is within their reach.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, Massasoit Community College in Brockton, and Salem State University in Salem also received Early College designations to work with public high schools in their communities.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;HCC adjunct professor Santa Garcia hands out papers in a college-level Spanish class she taught at Holyoke High School. (Thumbnail) Holyoke High School students Ernice Colon and Jasmin Rodriguez, then 17, confer on an assignment in a college-level, dual enrollment Spanish class HCC ran at Holyoke High School in 2016.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7609" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/commence-2018" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|65|165" FileName="x7609.xml" Name="Commence 2018" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Commence-story-feature.jpg" Title="HCC honors new grads" Abstract="Holyoke Community College recognized the Class of 2018 Saturday during its 71st Commencement ceremony at the MassMutual Center in Springfield." ThumbnailAltText="A graduating HCC student at Commencement 2018" IntroCopy="&quot;This is what an HCC graduate looks like&quot; – President Christina Royal" Date="2018-06-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A graduating HCC student at Commencement 2018&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Commence-glasses.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;College is like a roller coaster ride, professor Alex Sanchez told the Holyoke Community College Class of 2018 &amp;ndash; full of excitement, anticipation and anxiety, ups, downs, twists and turns, but, in the end, well worth the trip.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You've reached the final stretch of this amazing ride and you tell yourself, 'This wasn't so bad.' Some of you will say, 'That was awesome,' while others will say, 'I'm glad it's over,' said &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sanchez-speech&quot;&gt;Sanchez, the faculty speaker at the college's 71st Commencemen&lt;/a&gt;t, held June 2 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. &quot;I can assure you that everything in life will have its ups and downs, fast speeds and slow ones, but you know that this is part of life, and things will get better.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sanchez, a Holyoke native who now lives in Southwick and is an HCC alumnus from the Class of 1990, advised the graduates to challenge themselves as they move on with their lives. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Don't' be afraid to take another leap of faith, as you have done with your education and careers,&quot; he said. &quot;Work hard. ... Remember that you did this and you can challenge yourselves and take another roller coaster ride.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC celebrated 903 new graduates, awarding 787 associate degrees and 140 certificates in more than 80 different academic programs. Graduates ranged in age from 17 to 70, and hailed from 71 different Massachusetts cities and towns, nine states from as far away as California and Florida and 17 different countries on four continents.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Some of you wanted to create a better life for yourselves and your families,&quot; HCC president Christina Royal told the graduates. &quot;For others, this journey has been about preparing for a new career, and, maybe for others, it's about setting an example for your children about the importance of education and lifelong learning.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Whatever your reason may be,&quot; she said, &quot;you had the courage to begin, or begin anew. You had the determination to persist and persevere through all the challenges that life has thrown at you in this journey. You had the curiosity to make new friends and explore new interests. You had the humility to ask for help when you needed it. And you had the mindset to start what you finished. And this is what an HCC graduate looks like.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In her Commencement address,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/rosario-speech&quot;&gt;student speaker Jaritza Rosario of Holyoke&lt;/a&gt; talked about how she had dropped out of middle school and was motivated to get her high school equivalency and then study business at HCC to help her run her start-up jewelry company, Florr. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I had the passion to succeed but not the skills,&quot; said Rosario, &quot;I remember reading that 80 percent of businesses fail within the first three years because of lack of knowledge. I said to myself, 'Well, I'm going to college to get some knowledge, because I'm not failing.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She did that and graduated with her associate degree in business administration. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I remember my first semester at HCC. I wanted to give up,&quot; she said. &quot;I didn't even know how to write an essay, and now here I am, reading one to you at graduation.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Liberal arts major Nicholas Parenteau, a Holyoke native who now lives in San Leandro, Calif., performed an original spoken word piece titled&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/spoken-word&quot;&gt;&quot;153 Years of At-Risk Youth.&quot;&lt;/a&gt; Chicopee resident Brittany Berta, a music major and jazz singer, sang &quot;A Moment Like This&quot; by Kelly Clarkson. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Disability rights activist Chris Palames of Florence received a&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/chris-palames&quot;&gt;Distinguished Service Award.&lt;/a&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also speaking were state Rep. Aaron Vega of Holyoke, whose daughter, Courtney Joaquin, graduated with her associate degree, and Katy Abel, associate commissioner of the Mass. Dept. of Higher Education.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10156328283044330.1073742096.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=fd1ae1bf1b&quot; title=&quot;Commencement 2018 Facebook photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos in our Commencement 2018 Facebook album ....&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Graduating HCC students at Commencement 2018.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7608" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/spoken-word" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="65|165" FileName="x7608.xml" Name="Spoken Word" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Parenteau-mouth.jpg" Title="Powerfully Poetic" Abstract="Liberal arts major and honors student Nicholas Parenteau '18 delivered a powerful and personal spoken word performance at Commencent 2018. " ThumbnailAltText="Nicholas Parenteau '18 delivers a powerful spoken word performance at Commencement 2018. " IntroCopy="'Let us be the teachers we never had, in the schools we were forced to attend, in the neighborhoods people are scared to go to!&quot;" Date="2018-06-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Nicholas Parenteau gives a spoken word performance at Commencement 2018.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Parenteau-fingers.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;On Sat., June 2, liberal arts major Nicholas Parenteau received his associate degree from HCC with high honors and delivered a powerful spoken word performance of his original work, '153 Years of At-Risk Youth.' Nick was also one of HCC's Profiles of Excellence for Commencement 2018, and you can read more about his personal and educational journey in the story,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/x7602.xml&quot;&gt;&quot;The Long Road Taken.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;153 Years of At-Risk Youth&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Written and performed by Nicholas Parenteau&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke Community College 71&lt;sup&gt;st&lt;/sup&gt; Commencement&lt;br /&gt;June 2, 2018&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;By the age 13 I was arrested, fingerprinted, and convicted&lt;br /&gt;For breaking a window while playing at the park with my friends. &lt;br /&gt;Circumstanced without privilege. &lt;br /&gt;No path laid out before me. &lt;br /&gt;Blind eyed and ignorant &lt;br /&gt;In search for a place &lt;br /&gt;A struggle of the many &lt;br /&gt;Self-aware enough to know that our pigment does not define our level of intelligence. &lt;br /&gt;There isn't a tone of integrity, or a hue of dignity and tolerance &lt;br /&gt;Future determined. &lt;br /&gt;Bleached faced &quot;You will never make it.&quot;&lt;br /&gt; Never to be Beat down by the words of Injustice. &lt;br /&gt;A flame turns into a blazing fire, motivational twist to inspire. &lt;br /&gt;Telling myself: This has to be rock bottom, so I can only go higher and higher. &lt;br /&gt;I am that rose that grows in concrete. &lt;br /&gt;A game changer and validator for me my cultural inheritance.&lt;br /&gt; A mover and shaker, a motivator. &lt;br /&gt;A Teacher, soldier, a father, a lover, a neighbor. &lt;br /&gt;Focused, I will never quit. Found myself working harder and harder &lt;br /&gt;I am the uncrowned adversity king.&lt;br /&gt; Feeling so inhuman, dressed in salt of my mother's tears. &lt;br /&gt;Because like the virgin Mary only a mother knows the worth of her son. &lt;br /&gt;Reaching for the sky, and all I see are constellations. &lt;br /&gt;Dystopian ghettos in which our grandmother escaped, &lt;br /&gt;with the hopes of finding the promise land &lt;br /&gt;Leader of the free world promoting fear among the Peace with a simple Tweet. &lt;br /&gt;Finding unity and comfort in my baby's eyes with the hopes that their future will be free &lt;br /&gt;Public schools training our youth to take a seat &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;when progress has always been made on our feet. &lt;br /&gt;We stood for equality, at the Montgomery Bus. &lt;br /&gt;We stood for some more at Arlington too. &lt;br /&gt;We stood for progress and tangible change &lt;br /&gt;We stood for Women rights and a quantifiable wage. &lt;br /&gt;Peaceful protests turned away by the hands of privileged. &lt;br /&gt;Am I crazy or to we have a weakness &lt;br /&gt;Complacent in our comfort, we turn a blind eye. &lt;br /&gt;History repeats itself like the vintage song from a carousel. &lt;br /&gt;We have our eyes wide shut. &lt;br /&gt;And our mouths wide closed. &lt;br /&gt;Scared to witness the truth. &lt;br /&gt;Emmeline Pankhurst - 1913,&quot; Give us Freedom or give us Death.&quot; &lt;br /&gt;Eleanor Roosevelt - 1948, &quot;We must not be confused about what freedom is!&quot;&lt;br /&gt; Martin Luther King - 1963, &quot;That one day this nation will rise up and live out the meaning of its creed&quot;! &lt;br /&gt;Elie Wiesel - 1999, &quot;Indifference is not a beginning; it is the end!&quot; &lt;br /&gt;Gloria Allred - 2018, &quot;The equality of rights shall &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; be denied!&quot; &lt;br /&gt;As the White House still rings with the apparitional sound of &quot;Yes WE Can&quot;! (Barack Obama)&lt;br /&gt;&quot;Si Se Puede&quot;! (Cesar Chavez)&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Let us be the teachers we never had, in the schools that I, w,e were forced to attend,&lt;br /&gt;in the neighborhoods people are scared to go to!&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Because it's 153 years later and we are still AT-RISK.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Nicholas Parenteau deliver's a spoken word performance at HCC's 71st Commencement June 2 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7607" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sanchez-speech" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66" FileName="x7607.xml" Name="Sanchez speech" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Sanchez-palm.jpg" Title="'Challenge Yourselves'" Abstract="Faculty speaker Alex Sanchez told the HCC Class of 2018 that college is like a roller coaster ride, full of excitement, anxiety, ups, downs, twists and turns – but worth the trip.     " ThumbnailAltText="HCC faculty speaker Alex Sanchez" IntroCopy="&quot;Don't be afraid to take another leap of faith, as you have done for your education and careers.&quot;" Date="2018-06-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Commencement speaker Alex Sanchez&quot; height=&quot;708&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Sanchez-tie-hands.jpg&quot; width=&quot;1192&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Criminal justice professor Alejandro &quot;Alex&quot; Sanchez was the recipient of the &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/staff-awards-sp18&quot;&gt;2018 Elaine Marieb Chair for Teaching Excellence Award&lt;/a&gt;. As such, he carried the ceremonial mace and led the procession into the MassMutual Center arena for Commencement on June 2 and gave the faculty address. Below is the full text of his remarks:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Good morning, Board of Trustees, President Royal, distinguished guests, faculty, staff, family, friends, and, more importantly, graduates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, we honor you, for your great accomplishment of earning your certificates and associate degrees. If I may, I'd like to give a special shout-out to my Criminal Justice students. Please stand to be recognized. I am so proud of all of you! Whoot! Whoot!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To my students: While we hear of so much bad publicity about law enforcement and the criminal justice system, hopefully you can make a difference or a change. It may not be easy, but I believe in all of you and your capabilities to be positive change makers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like all of you, I too am a graduate of HCC, and in honor of HCC being a Hispanic Serving Institution ...&amp;nbsp; wait for it [pulls out tie decorated like a Puerto Rican flag] ...&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&quot;les mando saludos ha todos aqui ha los graduantes.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Quick Fact: When I was your age (a few years ago) my mother asked me what I was going to do with my life. She suggested, EMT? Police? I thought about it, and while I didn't want her telling me what to do, I looked into policing and at first I said &quot;what am I doing?&quot; &quot;Can I do this?&quot; and I was blessed with a great career and many opportunities, including attending college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It wasn't easy, working full time with a family and attending school, but I did it, and I can say that while most of you come to the college semester after semester to get this degree, the feeling of knowing that you have finished and earned your degree is one of the greatest feelings in the world, and this day will stay with you for the rest of your lives. I can honestly tell you that I can't remember each and every course I took, or the names of every professor, but I do remember some of them, those who made an impact in my life, but what I remember most is my graduation day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the graduates and those who have supported you along the way!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So, what is this college experience? Some of you knew you would come while others questioned yourself, can I do this? I wanted to describe the college experience by comparing it with a roller coaster ride. We've all seen them ... we've all ridden them ... but our first time was quite an adventure. This came to me when my daughter Gabriella and I experienced her first roller coaster ride. The waiting, anxiety, the fear and what she didn't know or expect.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you made the choice to attend college (or when it was strongly suggested), you knew that this would be something different. Something you hadn't prepared yourselves for. It's like getting in a line for a roller coaster ride and telling yourself, either &quot;I can do this&quot; or &quot;What am I doing?&quot; You're watching as others get on the ride, strap themselves in and see that this could be exciting. As you progress through the lines, you wonder if this is the right choice, wondering not only, can you do this? but can you commit yourself to this? and man this is scary! Once you reach the front of the line you are nervous but yet excited because you know this can really be fun. As a prospective student I'm sure you had similar thoughts. Can I do this? Can I commit myself? And, man, this will be scary! Once the ride starts, it's a slow pace and you tell yourself that &quot;this may not be so bad.&quot; You're committed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As the coaster starts up the track, once again you start to panic and think, &quot;Was this the right choice&quot;? Deciding to go to college and starting your first class can bring about the same thoughts and emotions. So, as the roller coaster reaches the top, you get this feeling of OH MAN! WHY! And then it rushes down the track at a high rate of speed. As you brace yourself, it takes a sudden turn and it slams you from side to side. At school, you start to see this as you go, taking classes and realizing that this experience can go up or down and before you know it, it starts its twists and turns and makes you feel like you can't control it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While some of you get that rush of satisfaction knowing that &quot;you can do this,&quot; there are others who are saying &quot;why, why am I here?&quot; This ride will take you up, down, around and over several loops and you tell yourself &amp;nbsp;that this will end soon. Being a college student means that you've made a commitment of being here and this ride won't be easy for most, but you're here and you're committed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So, finally, you've reached the final stretch of this amazing ride and you tell yourself, &quot;This wasn't so bad.&quot; Some of you will say, &quot;That was awesome&quot; while others will say, &quot;I'm glad it's over.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As this year's graduating class I can assure you that everything in life will have its ups and downs, fast speeds as well as slow ones, but you know that this is part of life, and things will get better. Remember to challenge yourselves and don't be afraid to take another leap of faith, as you have done for your education and careers. Work hard and know that somewhere down the road, someday, maybe here, or somewhere else, you will be in front of a new graduating class and telling your story. Remember that you did this and you can challenge yourself and take another rollercoaster ride.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Oh, by the way, after the ride with my daughter, I asked her if it was fun. She looked at me &quot;eyes wide open&quot; and nodded, yes, it was. I then said, &quot;Do you wanna go again?&quot; and immediately her &quot;yes&quot; nod turned into a strong &quot;NO&quot; nod.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She was glad the ride was over, but she eventually got back on that rollercoaster ride.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you and congratulations to the Class of 2018!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Criminal Justice professor Alex Sanchez gives the faculty address at HCC's 71st Commencement June 2 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7606" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/rosario-speech" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|165" FileName="x7606.xml" Name="Rosario Speech" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Rosario-heart.jpg" Title="'I'm not failing'" Abstract="In her Commencement speech, student orator Jaritza Rosario '18 talked about starting her own company and how wanting to succeed as an entrepreneur motivated her to go to HCC.  " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Commencement student speaker Jaritza Rosario of Holyoke" IntroCopy="&quot;I said to myself, 'Well, I'm going to college to get some knowledge, because I'm not failing.&quot;  " Date="2018-06-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Commencement speaker Jaritza Rosario&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Rosario-fist.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;On Saturday, June 2, student orator Jaritza Rosario received her associate degree in business administration from HCC. In her Commencement address, Rosario talked about starting her own company, Florr, and how wanting to succeed as an entrepreneur motivated her to enroll at HCC to study business. Jaritaza was also featured in an&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/jaritza-rosario&quot;&gt;HCC Student Profile in 2016.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Below is the full text of her remarks:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Good morning everyone! How are you guys feeling today?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I would like to thank families, friends, staff, professors, and everyone for coming to join us in celebrating this day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Graduates of 2018, we did it!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's such an honor to be up here on this day. My name is Jaritza Rosario. I'm passionate about nature. I'm passionate about the environment and I love flowers. My love of flowers is the reason why I started a business called Florr. Florr is jewelry made from Flowers. Real flowers. This necklace that I'm wearing has flowers picked by me from Isla Bonita, Puerto Rico! &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, I think of my fellow Puerto Ricans who suffered the devastation of Hurricane Maria. I think of you and my heart weakens because I know that there are many of you today without water or electricity. Our thoughts and prayers are with you always. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since humans are not the only ones that love flowers, my business will contribute to saving the bees: every piece of jewelry sold will help me plant more flowers. Looking into the future, I will also establish scholarships to students and entrepreneurs here and in Puerto Rico who have a passion for saving the environment. I started this company before I came to HCC, and being here has allowed me to enhance and develop my skills to continue to grow my business and follow my dreams. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You see, I was not a school kind of girl. I dropped out of middle school. I never went to high school. Being young and hearing all the wrong stuff in music, watching nonsense on TV and being surrounded by all the wrong influences, made it hard for me to understand that education was really important. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also, during my teen years, I was going through a lot: I lost my faith in myself, trust in people, and hope in the world. I felt alone. To all the people who suffer from depression, physical and/or sexual abuse, you are not alone #metoo. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I kept on telling myself, &quot;You are strong, and you are fearless.&quot; What I can tell you is that it takes time; time heals, but it is a different process for everyone. I found myself when I found my love for nature and that's when my vision for Florr became my motivation. I had the passion to succeed but not the skills. I remember going home to look up words like net income, gross margin and I still was not getting it, but one thing I do remember while doing my research is reading something that I will never forget. It said that 80% of businesses fail within the first three years because of lack of knowledge.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;I said to myself, &quot;Well, I'm going to college to get some knowledge because I'm not failing.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I remember my first semester at HCC. I wanted to give up. I didn't know how college worked. I had to get used to reading, and let me tell you I had to have my phone next to me at all times to Google words like &quot;vague&quot; or &quot;revenue.&quot; I didn't even know how to write an essay, and now here I am, reading one to you at graduation. I had to constantly remind myself that if other people can do it, I can do it too. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;College isn't easy. I had to stay late nights because I didn't have a computer, and when my car wasn't working, I took the shuttle bus home. Thank God for La Guagua! Many times I had no money, so I went without food, and despite these struggles, I advanced to college level in all subjects. If I was to turn around time I would do it all over again. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Throughout my time at HCC I have met so many great people. I want to recognize the college moms and those students who, despite their struggles, including homelessness, they continue to persist. Literally, it takes a village. I want to give a huge thanks to the Tutoring Center. I was there so much that I became one of their work-study students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you for being there for all of us when we needed it. I have also met so many great professors: Ellen Majka, who was also my advisor, Leah Russell, Erica Bergquist, Kate Maiolatesi, Lois Koltz and Mary Orisich; thank you for being such awesome professors and believing in me.&amp;nbsp; I'm glad that I chose HCC for my journey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Throughout my time here I realized that I would rather read a book than turn on the TV, I learned that I like school and I also learned to take risks. Because of that, I became an alumna of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and the Valley Venture Mentors program. I am also glad to announce that I will be starting up a second business, but I'm not going to tell you just yet, so stay tuned. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm sure we are all going to miss this place. All the people we met, all the times we fought our cozy bed on those cold mornings. All the memories created here. We all have to move on to our next chapter in life but HCC will always be a part of us. I feel like HCC gave me another opportunity in life. One of my dreams was to be here today, at graduation, speaking to you and having my family and friends watch me graduate; and guess what? I am.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To all my family and friends, I love you! &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the words of Audre Lorde, &quot;When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you.&amp;nbsp; And, once again, congratulations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Student orator Jaritza Rosario talks to the Class of 2018 at HCC's 71st Commencement June 2 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7596" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/future" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x7596.xml" Name="Future " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/C-Santiago-reach.jpg" Title="A Firm Commitment" Abstract="HCC spent a day exploring its future and renewed its commitment to improving the success of all students, especially Latinos and other traditionally underserved populations." ThumbnailAltText="Carlos Santiago, Mass. commissioner of Higher Education, speaks at HCC May 23. " IntroCopy="HCC explores its future as a Hispanic Serving Institution" Date="2018-05-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Myriam Quinones, coordinator of HCC Multicultural Academic Services, explores the word wall at HCC's May 23 Future Walk. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Future-words-myriam.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story was originally published in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gazettenet.com/HCCLatinx-hg-052418-17706814&quot; title=&quot;HCC reaffirms commitment to educating underserved Hispanic students&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;May 24 edition of the Daily Hampshire Gazette and Gazettenet.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By M.J. TIDWELL&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Courtesy of the Daily Hampshire Gazette&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At Holyoke Community College, 27 percent of students identify as Hispanic, many of them Puerto Rican.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Designated a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, the college took a moment Wednesday to reflect on the ways it serves its Latinx students and to reaffirm its commitment to providing strong education to all students, and especially those underserved, first generation, low-income Latinx students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Latinx (pronounced &quot;La-teen-ex&quot;) is a gender-neutral term used by some in place of Latino or Latina. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Hispanic Serving Institution&quot; is a federal designation for colleges and universities where more than 25 percent of the student population is Hispanic and can open up opportunities for designated schools to apply for specialized grants.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An afternoon panel discussion by professors at the college touched on a sampling of the initiatives that have helped improve the success of Latinx students over the last few years. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spanish professor Ra&amp;uacute;l D. Guti&amp;eacute;rrez showed a video illustrating the ways in which Latinx studies have been integrated into the college's curriculum with a Bridging Cultures Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The college, in collaboration with the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at the University of Massachusetts, received a three-year, $120,000 award to enhance courses with Latino studies content in 2015. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guti&amp;eacute;rrez also shared letters from students that spoke of the value of diversity in the classroom, not just in students but in learning materials. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Why not read Latinx authors in English class and learn about Puerto Rico's debt crisis in economics class?&quot; Guti&amp;eacute;rrez said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spanish professor M&amp;oacute;nica Torregrosa asked the crowd to consider two questions: Does the college's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution mean it focuses only on the 27 percent of the school that is Latinx? What about the other 73 percent? &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Diversifying and strengthening the ways we serve Latinx students actually helps HCC serve all students,&quot; Torregrosa said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Myriam Qui&amp;ntilde;ones, coordinator of the school's Multicultural Academic Services (MAS) program, talked about how the program helps transition English learners, international students and students coming in from high school to the college environment. The program's services help all students, Qui&amp;ntilde;ones said, but intentionally target underserved, low-income, first-generation Latinx students. The program results in higher retention rates for all students, she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the elements of the program she touched on were trips to local high schools in Holyoke and Northampton to provide on-site placement testing, and English as a Second Language presentations to encourage high school students to attend college. She also said the program helped 74 percent of new students last fall complete their financial aid documentation. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;With each interaction with MAS, students trust one more person at HCC,&quot; Qui&amp;ntilde;ones said. &quot;The bridge just gets stronger.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; 'Students first'&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Michele Snizek, director of retention and student success, said focusing on student outcomes positions the college for excellence, which in turn will guide the school to apply for grants for Hispanic Serving Institutions that can improve education for all students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're framing the HSI designation through a student lens,&quot; Snizek said. &quot;We want to focus on students first and then look at grant opportunities.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Students first&quot; is also the new mantra of Carlos Santiago, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, who spoke about higher education at the state level. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Santiago has twice been named one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States by Hispanic Business Magazine. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;College is not just tuition, fees and books,&quot; Santiago said. &quot;Students need help navigating to and through college.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He said there are problems facing students that many administrators might not realize: hunger, homelessness, the need for child care, access to dependable transportation. Holyoke Community College, he said, is on the front lines of the future of education in providing guidance, assistance and resources to help students, particularly Latinx students, earn their degrees. He said he read a report due to be released soon that shows Massachusetts has a significant gap in Latinx students completing higher education. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You're at the forefront of change,&quot; Santiago told the college. &quot;You are a precursor of big changes coming to the rest of Massachusetts.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easier access&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shannon Sarkisian, a community outreach and admissions counselor, said after the panel discussion that between the acronyms and forms that need to be filled out and decisions about classes, degrees, and time commitments that need to be made, higher education can be daunting for anyone. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I really think speaking about being a Hispanic Serving Institution is very important,&quot; Sarkisian said. &quot;Not only does it help bring higher education to more and more Latinx community members, but the specific movement geared to meeting the needs of Latinx students helps everyone access higher education.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's something Felicita Nieves knows well. She first went to community college in New York 16 years ago, but got &quot;scared away&quot; by the complicated school system and didn't finish her degree. Now, she's in her second year studying early childhood education at HCC and has an on-campus job providing guidance to new students as someone who has been in their place herself. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm a non-traditional student and single mom trying to figure out how I'm going to do everything,&quot; Nieves said. &quot;I wish this was the college I had started in because if it had been, I would have my associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees by now.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She said she helps new students through the entire college process, from course decisions to financial aid and getting around campus. Her mother, a Spanish speaker, is considering going to HCC to learn English to advance in her career field, she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We want you to go to school. We're here to help you.&quot; Nieves said. &quot;That's why I love HCC, because they do everything for the community. They look at all our needs. It's a family.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier in the day a &quot;Future Walk&quot; celebration unveiled the school's new strategic plan, displaying its mission, vision, values statements and a timeline showing how the plan was developed on signs and visuals for viewers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As Holyoke Community College looks towards the future, so do its students, with the 71st commencement ceremony on the way, June 2 at 10 a.m. at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO at HCC: (Above)&amp;nbsp;Myriam Quinones, coordinator of HCC Multicultural Academic Services, explores the word wall at HCC's May 23 Future Walk. (Thumbnail) Carlos Santiago, state commissioner of Higher Education, speaks about Latino student success in higher education. &lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7589" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/james-moriarty" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="2|165" FileName="x7589.xml" Name="James Moriarty" Thumbnail="/images/Javelin-throw.jpg" Title="(All) American History" Abstract="James Moriarty's 175-foot javelin throw at the NJCAA track and field championships earned him a spot on the medal stand and a place in HCC's record books. " ThumbnailAltText="James Moriarty throws the javelin at the 2017 NJCAA National Championship." IntroCopy="James Moriarty's javelin throw earns him spot on the medal stand and place in HCC record books" Date="2018-05-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;James Moriarty of South Hadley prepares to throw the javelin earlier this season during a track and field tournament at Yale University where he finished first. &quot; height=&quot;505&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/track_main.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The throw measured 53.35 meters, or 175 feet. With that, James Moriarty earned a spot on the medal stand and a place in Holyoke Community College athletic history. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the weekend, Moriarty, a sophomore from South Hadley, took second place in the men's javelin event at the NJCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, New York. Though edged out of first by a mere five feet, his throw garnered Moriarty All-American honors. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He is the first HCC athlete ever be named an All American in track and field, according to Thomas Stewart, HCC's director of Athletics. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's great for the college and great for the kid,&quot; Stewart said. &quot;It's fantastic.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a freshman, Moriarty was part of HCC's reconstituted track and field squad, which returned as a varsity sport in the spring of 2017 after a hiatus of more than 20 years. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In his first year, under the guidance of head coaches Nick Davis and Luke Archambault, Moriarty threw both the shot put and javelin. In 2017, he qualified for the national championship in the javelin throw and finished eighth. He was the only member of the HCC track and field team to qualify this year. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In an April 29 tournament at Yale University, Moriarty finished first against athletes from big-name schools all over the Northeast, including Yale, Columbia, Marist, Stony Brook, Sacred Heart and Hofstra. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stewart said he hopes Moriarty's success will bring more attention to track and field at HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It keeps us in the spotlight nationally, and this is only our second year back,&quot; Stewart said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Moriarty graduated from HCC June 2 with honors and his associate degree in Communications, Media and Theater Arts.&amp;nbsp; Stewart said Moriarty will attend the University of Massachusetts Amherst next fall and intends to throw the javelin next year for school's track and field team.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;To graduate cum laude and with All-American honors shows he's had success both in and out of the classroom,&quot; Stewart said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) James Moriarty of South Hadley prepares to throw the javelin earlier this season during a track and field tournament at Yale University where he finished first. (Thumbnail) Moriarty throws the javelin at the 2017 NJCAA Div. III Track and Field Championships.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7585" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/staff-awards-sp18" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66" FileName="x7585.xml" Name="Staff Awards SP18" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Alex-Sanchez-Marieb.jpg" Title="Fitting Tribute" Abstract="Criminal Justice professor Alex Sanchez '90 will lead the Commencement procession June 2 as the recipient of the 2018 Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC criminal justice professor Alex Sanchez addresses his colleagues after receiving the 2018 Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence. " IntroCopy="Criminal Justice professor Alex Sanchez '90 named Marieb Award winner for 2018" Date="2018-05-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC professor Alex Sanchez on the stage of the Leslie Phillips Theater with his wife, daughters and students. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Marieb-Sanchez-family-students.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last fall, HCC professor Alex Sanchez invited a CrossFit trainer to campus to put members of the Criminal Justice Club through a series of physical training sessions around the campus track.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The trainer barked commands. The students stretched. They ran. They did sit-ups, pushups and other exercises. The lesson was clear. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They all want to be cops,&quot; said Sanchez, who was himself one for 20 years, mostly in Springfield. &quot;But a lot of recruits fail out of the academy because they can't do PT.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the six sessions, Sanchez, the club adviser, didn't just watch his students from the sidelines, though. He came in his workout clothes and sweat right alongside them. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I like being in the club and taking the students places,&quot; Sanchez said. &quot;I like being involved in physical fitness with them. If we go on a hike, I'm there with them. If we run around the track, I'm going to be there with them.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And when Sanchez took the stage of the Leslie Phillips Theater May 9 to receive the Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence Award, HCC's highest honor, many of his students were right there alongside him. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's not just me,&quot; Sanchez said to his colleagues during the annual staff and faculty awards ceremony, &quot;it's everyone working together that makes this place happen, that makes this place tick. I appreciate the recognition, but I do it because I enjoy doing it, and I like being here.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Marieb Award was endowed by HCC professor emeritus Elaine Marieb '80 to recognize a full-time faculty member who exemplifies outstanding classroom teaching. Award recipients serve for one year and receive a small stipend for professional development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also recognized with staff awards this year were Mary Starzyk, a clerk for the Arts &amp;amp; Humanities division, who received the Outstanding Classified Staff Member Award; and Erin O'Brien, a learning specialist in the Office for Students with Disabilities and Deaf Services, who received the Outstanding Professional Staff Member Award.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As the Marieb Award winner, Sanchez will carry the ceremonial mace and lead the procession into the MassMutual Center for Commencement June 2 and &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sanchez-speech&quot;&gt;give the keynote speech to graduates&lt;/a&gt;. Sanchez, whose given name is Alejandro, is a Holyoke native who now lives in Southwick with his wife, Stefanie, and two daughters, Gabriella, 10, and Samantha, 8. He also has three adult children from a previous marriage and is twice a grandfather. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A tenured member of the Criminal Justice faculty, he has been teaching full time at HCC since 2006 and is an alumnus of the college from the class of 1990. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sanchez joined the Springfield Police Department a few years after graduating from Holyoke High School. After earning his associate degree from HCC in criminal justice he went on for his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Westfield State and his master's degree in criminal justice from Anna Maria College. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He is a former Holyoke city councilor and served on the city fire commission and planning board. In his 30's, he joined the Navy Reserve. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sanchez plans to use his Marieb Award to get his certification as a &quot;protection professional&quot; and incorporate that knowledge and experience into his coursework. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I teach security,&quot; he said. &quot;It's good for Intro to CJ classes.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His favorite class, though, is &quot;Police in Society,&quot; which covers all aspects ot policing. He derives a lot of discussion material from the news. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Every day there's something we can talk about,&quot; he said, &quot;whether it's human relations or ethics.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part of that class, he takes students to the gym for a rigorous physical ability test.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The students come in wanting to do something, and I can help them achieve that,&quot; he said. &quot;Along the way, though, I'm going to tell them, you know, there are steps to getting there.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Alex Sanchez, addressing his colleagues after receiving the 2018 Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence. (Above) Sanchez, center, with his wife, Stefanie, left, daughters Samantha and Gabriella, and four of his criminal justice students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7566" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/three-for-forty" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|65" FileName="x7566.xml" Name="Three for 'Forty'" Thumbnail="/images/40Under40logo.jpg" Title="Three for 'Forty'" Abstract="Three HCC alumni – Nathan Costa '03, Crystal Childs '07, and Yahaira Antonmarchi '12 – are among the '40 Under Forty' being honored by Business West magazine." ThumbnailAltText="Business West 40 Under Forty" IntroCopy="Three HCC alumni among Business West's '40 Under Forty' for 2018" Date="2018-05-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC alumni Yahaira Antonmarchi, Crystal Childs and Nathan Costa are among Business West's '40 Under Forty' for 2018. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Three-Forty.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Three HCC alumni are among the &quot;40 Under Forty&quot; recognized this spring by &lt;em&gt;Business West&lt;/em&gt; magazine for their career achievements and community service.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They are: Nathan Costa '03, president of the Springfield Thunderbirds hockey team; Crystal (Gryszkiewicz) Childs '07, a marketing and creative consultant; and Yahaira Antonmarchi '12, director of community relations for the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Costa, 35, is a Springfield native who studied communications at HCC and then transferred to Northeastern University where he majored in journalism. Costa joined the Thunderbirds in 2016 as executive vice president and was promoted to the top spot in August. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Childs, 37, is a Westfield resident who has worked as a graphic designer and marketing consultant for nearly 20 years, including 10 years at &lt;em&gt;Balise Motor Sales. She is on the board of directors of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce and is co-founder of the EMBEE Marketing and Business Summit.&lt;/em&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Antonmarchi, 33, earned her associate degree from HCC in business administration and then transferred to Elms College for her bachelor's degree. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://businesswest.com/blog/introducing-the-40-under-forty-class-of-2018/&quot; title=&quot;40 Under Forty Class of 2018&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;All three are profiled in this week's edition of&lt;em&gt; Business West&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Yahaira, Nate and Crystal exemplify the very best of Holyoke Community College,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement. &quot;Their drive, passion, and commitment to community makes them truly worthy of the '40 Under Forty' honor. Today's students are fortunate to have such positive examples of leadership, and HCC is proud to celebrate these three alumni for their accomplishments.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All the members of the '40 Under Forty' Class of 2018 will be celebrated at a June 21 gala at the Log Cabin Banquet &amp;amp; Meeting House in Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: Three HCC alumni &amp;ndash; Yahaira Antonmarchi '12, Crystal Childs '07 and Nathan Costa '03 &amp;ndash; are among Business West magazine's '40 Under Fory' for 2018.&amp;nbsp;They will be celebrated along with their 37 &quot;classmates&quot; at the annual 40 Under Forty Gala on Thurs.,&amp;nbsp; June 21, at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7583" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/scholarship-meet-sp18" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="321|165|225" FileName="x7583.xml" Name="Scholarship Meet SP18" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Scholarship-antonmarchi-troppe.jpg" Title="Life-changing Gifts" Abstract="The HCC Foundation and Alumni Association awarded a school record 223 scholarships worth close to $250,000 to incoming, current and graduating students for 2018-2019." ThumbnailAltText="Luis and Lisette Antonmarchi of West Springfield, recipients of the Elia Dreyfuss Scholarship from the HCC Foundation, with Marie Troppe, coordinator of the HCC Transition to College and Careers program. The Antonmarchis are students in the TCC program and are both enrolled to attend HCC in the fall. " IntroCopy="HCC Foundation and Alumni Association award record 223 scholarships" Date="2018-05-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Burns family with scholarship recipient Brittany Moreland, center. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Scholarship-Burns-donors.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before she died several years ago, Elia Dreyfuss was the longtime coordinator of the Transition to College and Careers program at Holyoke Community College and a stalwart advocate for adult basic education.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Friends and colleagues established an endowed scholarship in her memory through the &lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation&quot;&gt;HCC Foundation&lt;/a&gt;. Two gifts are awarded each year to students who&amp;nbsp;graduate from the TCC program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, the Elia Dreyfuss Scholarship for 2018-2019 was awarded to Luis and Lisette Antonmarchi, a married couple from West Springfield. They both plan to use the money to continue their educations at HCC in the fall.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Attending the 2018 HCC Scholarship &quot;Meet &amp;amp; Greet&quot; May 10 to present the Antonmarchis with their scholarship certificates were Marie Troppe, present director of HCC's TCC program, and Rose Egan, director of the Community Education Project, where Elia Dreyfuss taught English to Latino adults.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These are the sorts of connections that make this event so special. Friends and colleagues of Elia Dreyfuss wished to honor her life-changing work. With this fund, Elia's legacy lives on through the achievements of deserving students like Lisette and Luis,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, executive director of the HCC Foundation and emcee of the &quot;Meet &amp;amp; Greet&quot; scholarship reception, which honored this year's scholarship recipients and the donors who make those awards possible.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Foundation and Alumni Association together awarded a school record 223 scholarships this year to current, incoming and graduating HCC students. For the 2018-2019 academic year, the HCC Foundation will provide close to $250,000 in direct student aid. The average award is about $1,000 but can go as high as $5,000. As noted by several speakers, these scholarships can make an immeasurable difference to students who otherwise might not be able to afford to attend college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;A scholarship,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal, &quot;is a life-changing gift.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships&quot;&gt;HCC Foundation scholarship application period&lt;/a&gt; opens in February each year and scholarships are announced in April for the following academic year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10156273677064330.1073742094.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=b5f8545bbd&quot; title=&quot;Facebook gallery&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;To see more photos of this year's event, please go to our Facebook Photo Album ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Luis and Lisette Antonmarchi of West Springfield, recipients of the Elia Dreyfuss Scholarship from the HCC Foundation, with Marie Troppe, coordinator of the HCC Transition to College and Careers program. The Antonmarchis are students in the TCC program and are both enrolled to attend HCC in the fall. (Above) Brittany Moreland of Longmeadow, recipient of the Eleanor&amp;nbsp; V. Burns Scholarship, stands with Emily Burns '16 and her father Brian Burns '85. Eleanor Burns was Brian's mother and a long-time employee of HCC, where Brian works as a police sergeant.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7581" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/engineering-day" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|417|165" FileName="x7581.xml" Name="Engineering Day" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Eng-touch.jpg" Title="Shock Value" Abstract="About two dozen high school students from Springfield visited HCC recently for a day dedicated to exploring STEM – science, technology, engineering and math.    " ThumbnailAltText="Students from Putnam Vocational High School work on a logic game using toothpics and a checkerboard during STEM Exploration Day at HCC. " IntroCopy="HCC students lead day of STEM exploration for local high schoolers" Date="2018-05-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Students from Putnam Vocational High School try to figure out a logic puzzle. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Eng-checkerboard-three.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They calculated the trajectory of projectiles, explored the computer science that enables 3-D printing, built bridges out of newspapers, plotted transit maps, solved logic puzzles, examined atomic structures and generated magnetic fields. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alban Medina conjured crackling bolts of static electricity from a large silver ball. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You want to try it?&quot; Medina said to his classmates. &quot;It's science. I'm gonna be a battery, guys.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Medina, an 18-year-old senior from Putnam Vocational High School, actually has his sights set on becoming a video game developer. But earlier this month he joined about two dozen Springfield high school students at Holyoke Community College for Engineering Exploration Day. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event was sponsored by the HCC &lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot;&gt;Admissions Office&lt;/a&gt;, the &lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships&quot;&gt;HCC STEM Scholars Program&lt;/a&gt;, and the &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/stem-equity-programs&quot;&gt;HCC STEM Starter Academ&lt;/a&gt;y. The students, from Putnam and the Springfield High School of Science and Technology, were invited based on an expressed interest in continuing their educations after high school. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While the students had a chance to participate in many different activities, Medina said he learned a lot about electricity from the exercise with a Van de Graff generator, which uses a hand crank to charge up a large silver ball with electrons that can be discharged by tool or touch. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It showed me that everyone has a little bit of electricity around us,&quot; he said &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC STEM scholars &amp;ndash; students attending HCC on scholarship from the National Science Foundation &amp;ndash; and STEM teachers led the high school students in a series of workshops and activities. They gave tours of HCC's STEM Resource Room and talked about HCC's STEM Scholarship Program and free summer and fall STEM Starter Academy classes. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Engineering Day was really about informing the high school students about STEM fields and what HCC has to offer to help them reach their goals,&quot; said Oscar Rubio, an HCC STEM scholar majoring in computer science and math. Rubio conducted one of the opening presentations. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They seemed like an enthusiastic group,&quot; he said. &quot;I hope some decide to come to HCC and join STEM.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's the plan for Dayana Luna, a 17-year-old Putnam senior. She'll be taking a free, four-credit STEM Explorations class this summer through HCC's STEM Starter Academy. She's graduating from Putnam this spring and already enrolled at HCC for the fall, but undecided about her STEM major. &amp;nbsp; &quot;I'm exploring for now,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Luna, Medina and their classmates from Putnam were accompanied on their visit by Mark Jordan, department chair of Putnam's Robotics program. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is great,&quot; he said. &quot;I came from a community college environment. To see the level of support and everything they've got for students here who are interested in STEM fields, it's fantastic.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Melissa Paciulli, HCC's STEM project administrator, said the day was a tremendous success.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Engineering Exploration Day was not only about letting incoming students know about our STEM programs and classes,&quot; she said, &quot;it also offered our STEM students the opportunity to share their personal experiences of how HCC has impacted their personal journeys. Our students consistently impress me with their willingness and excitement to reach out to incoming and potential students. Our students are our best advertising.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The next session of HCC's free STEM Starter Academy classes begins July 9. For more information, go to:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/stem-equity-programs&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/stemstarter&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10156257489219330.1073742093.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=edb89f0d10&quot; title=&quot;Engineering Exploration Day photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos in our Facebook photo album ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Alban Medina, of Springfield, in the red hoodie, gets ready to shock one of his classmates from Putnam Vocational High School, during an exercise in electricity at HCC's Engineering Exploration Day earlier this month. (Above) Dayana Luna, 17, of Springfield, left, and her classmates from Putnam work on a logic game using toothpics and a checkerboard during Engineering Exploration Day at HCC.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7561" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/grinspoon-sp18" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|165" FileName="x7561.xml" Name="Grinspoon SP18" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Grin-Alyssa-Royal.jpg" Title="In the (Business) Spirit" Abstract="Four Holyoke Community College students captured awards for their home-grown businesses from the Harold Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative. " ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal congratulates HCC student Alyssa Smith for winning a Grinspoon Foundation Spirit Award for Girl Time, her private manicuring service.  " IntroCopy="HCC student-entrepreneurs collect Grinspoon awards" Date="2018-04-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student Nate Frank stands next to an assortment of hats from his business Bay State Brimmers. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Grin-Nate-Frank.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like all good business ideas, Nate Frank's began with a question: &quot;What if ...?&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A few years ago, as a student at Northampton High School, Frank often wore Ralph Lauren hats. Ralph Lauren makes the Polo line of men's clothes. The logo is a polo player. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He had a thought: &quot;Wouldn't it be cool if someone put the Algonquian warrior from the Massachusetts state flag on a hat?&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;No one else had done it, he discovered, so he did. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eventually, that idea grew into a business, Bay State Brimmers, described in its mission statement as a &quot;Massachusetts-based clothing brand devoted to empowering pride and community among people in New England.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So far, through Bay State Brimmers, Frank sells two lines of baseball hats and beanies. One line features a pine tree as its emblem (&quot;The N.E. Pine Tree Collection&quot;), the other the Algonquian warrior, who, as on the flag, carries a bow and arrow, pointing down, signifying peace. That's the &quot;Massachusetts Peaceful Warrior Collection.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That goes along with the philosophy of being peaceful but being able to defend yourself if necessary,&quot; Frank said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now a business administration major at Holyoke Community College, the 21-year-old Holyoke resident collected a $900 check Wednesday night from the Harold Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative, which held its annual awards banquet at The Log Cabin restaurant. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Frank was one of four HCC students who received Spirit Awards for their home-grown businesses, which were on display along with those of their peers at other area colleges. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am always in awe of the innovation and initiative of our students,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Helen Chui, 31, a business administration and marketing major from Springfield, received $300 for Shake Shake Cup, a food business in which she serves, in a cup, your choice of shredded mango or cooked corn prepared with a variety of seasonings, spices and sauces. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a healthy snack,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She intends to use the money to buy supplies for the kiosk she is opening soon at the Holyoke Mall. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC student Christopher Cruz, 19, of Springfield, and his co-founder, STCC student Gary Lindsey, each received $500 for their urban apparel business, Interstellar Supply Clothing, which is already operating at the Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester, Conn. Interstellar clothes feature the tagline &quot;Splash.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's about making a splash,&quot; said Cruz, explaining the positive message they're trying to convey. &quot;Make a difference in the community. It encourages women and men and boys and girls to be amongst the stars.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alyssa Smith, 22, of Springfield, represented HCC in the annual Elevator Pitch competition with her 90-second marketing spiel for Yoga for Youth. She also received $800 as a Spirit Award winner for her private, by-appointment-only, manicuring service, Girl Time. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's like your girlfriend is doing your nails,&quot; she said. &quot;It's personal, it's unique, and it's catered.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Smith started the business in her dorm room when she was a biology student at Springfield College. She's now taking entrepreneurship classes at HCC, and on March 1 she opened her first studio, on Main Street in Springfield. &amp;nbsp; She hopes to some day to expand the business into a franchise operation, &quot;so you can get the Girl Time experience wherever you're at,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For his part, Frank said he intends to invest his Spirit Award money in an embroidery machine for Bay State Brimmers, so he won't have to farm out work to subcontractors. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It will help me to be able to play around with the machine and do it myself,&quot; he said.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10156240128559330.1073742091.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=a2158ef60f&quot; title=&quot;Grinspoon facebook album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos from the Grinspoon banquet in our Facebook photo gallery&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;President Christina Royal congratulates HCC student Alyssa Smith for winning a Grinspoon Foundation Spirit Award for Girl Time, her private manicuring service.&amp;nbsp; (Above) HCC student Nate Frank won $900 from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation for Bay State Brimmers, his line of baseball caps featuring Massachusetts pride logos like the Algonquin &quot;peaceful warrior&quot; from the state flag.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7542" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cai-opening" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165|194" FileName="x7542.xml" Name="CAI Opening" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/CAI-polito-bakeshop-tour.jpg" Title="'A Proud Moment'" Abstract="Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito toured the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute during the grand opening celebration of the 20,000 square-foot, $6.43 million downtown 'learning lab.'" ThumbnailAltText="HCC Culinary Arts student Heart Moser leads Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito on a tour of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute during Thursday's Grand Opening celebration." IntroCopy="Community helps celebrate grand opening of HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute" Date="2018-04-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Holyoke mayor Alex Morse cut the gold ribbon during the grand opening celebration of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/CAI-scissor.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two years ago, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse led Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito on a tour of the empty building that would one day become the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. She'll never forget it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It looked very different,&quot; she said yesterday during a grand opening celebration for the new Holyoke Community College facility. &quot;I had to put my imagination cap on because it was gutted. There was nothing here, and to see it today - this is a really proud moment for me and for everyone.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Polito, the mayor and hundreds of others from the city, the region and the state got a close up look at the finished product as HCC Culinary Arts students, alumni and guest chefs from MGM Springfield prepared a variety of small plates for guests in the facility's five kitchens. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is an incredible day for all of us here in Holyoke, in this region, and in this Commonwealth,&quot; Polito said. &quot;I am very grateful on behalf of Gov. Baker and our entire team how proud we are of all of you for working hard to make this day happen.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 20,000 square-foot, $6.43 million facility occupies the first two floors of The Cubit Building at 164 Race St. Though the institute opened for classes in January for the start of the spring semester, yesterday's event marked its official opening. After remarks, Polito, HCC president Christina Royal, and Mayor Morse together held a large scissor as they cut a ceremonial gold ribbon. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before that, Polito noted the small part the governor's office played in the facility, with a $229,000 allocation through the state Executive Office's Workforce Skills Capital Grant Program &quot;to put in state-of-the-art equipment that you have all been able to see today,&quot; she said. &quot;This is a learning lab. Allowing people to learn the subject matter and then apply it to hands-on learning, there is no substitute for that. And this is a learning lab that we are looking to replicate in other parts of the state, not just in culinary arts, but in advanced marketing, engineering and life sciences.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Polito noted that, according to the regional employment board, there are 1,700 vacant jobs in the culinary and food service industry in western Massachusetts. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;How are we going to fix that?&quot; she said. &quot;We're going to fix that through programs and institutions like this.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The lieutenant governor had a personal guide during her tour of the facility &amp;ndash; HCC Culinary Arts student Heart Moser. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Heart represents the individual, the students, young and older, who will come to this building and be a part of this program and learn the skills and professional acumen,&quot; she said. &quot;She represents you well, and I was really happy to have a few moments with her because she talked about how this is really a dream come true for her.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 20-year-old Moser, who is from Granby, will receive her certificate in Culinary Arts in June.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That is very valuable to her and to us in the Commonwealth,&quot; Polito said. &quot;She's going a step further. She's going to continue on in college and perfect her baking skills.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Polito was followed at the lectern by several other speakers, including 20-year-old Michael Serrano of Springfield. Serrano works at the 99 Restaurant while taking classes at the new building. He'll earn his Culinary Arts certificate in June and then continue on at HCC for his associate degree in Food Service Management. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This facility has a big role in my education,&quot; said Serrano, who also has a work-study job at the institute cleaning and organizing the kitchens. &quot;The space is amazing. There's way more than in the last facility.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The best part of this place,&quot; he said, &quot;is that it's mine. I come in here, and I don't own in legally, but it's mine. I can walk through these door and not worry about anything.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10156209265154330.1073742088.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=e5b3febb93&quot; title=&quot;CAI Grand Opening facebook photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CHECK OUT MORE PHOTOS ON OUR FACEBOOK ALBUM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) HCC president Christina Royal, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Holyoke mayor Alex Morse cut the gold ribbon during the grand opening celebration of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC Culinary Arts student Heart Moser leads Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito on a tour of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute during Thursday's Grand Opening celebration. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7562" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/secret-gardens" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|194" FileName="x7562.xml" Name="Secret Gardens" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/FF-group-wide.jpg" Title="Secret Gardens" Abstract="The two Freight Farm containers will provide year-round urban agriculture, education and training opportunities for Holyoke residents and HCC students. " ThumbnailAltText="One of the two Freight Farms containers that were delivered last week to an empty lot near the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, seen in the background. " IntroCopy="Freight Farms containers use hydroponic techniques (without soil) to grow year round" Date="2018-04-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Freight Farm Inside Look&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/FF-inside.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each large metal box can grow as much produce in a year as two acres of farmland, though you'd never know without peeking in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From the outside, it looks like a shipping container you might see stacked on a barge. That is in fact what it was before being repurposed by a company called Freight Farms into a self-contained, hydroponic garden unit called a &quot;Leafy Green Machine.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And now Holyoke has two of them. They sit side by side in a vacant lot on Race Street next to the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, where some of the leafy green vegetables grown inside will eventually make their way.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The pair of 40-foot-long Freight Farms containers was delivered last week, thanks to an investment of $208,000 from the state, and just in time for Holyoke Innovation Week, which continues through Sunday, April 29. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The funds were provided by MassDevelopment, as part of its Transformative Development Initiative, which is meant to accelerate economic growth in its Gateway Cities' communities. The project will provide year-round urban agriculture, education and training opportunities for city residents and Holyoke Community College students. Other partners include Nuestras Raices, the city of Holyoke, and the Holyoke Redevelopment Authority. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The official announcement of the Holyoke Freight Farms urban agriculture project was delivered on the site Thursday by Jay Ash, state secretary of Housing and Economic Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/04/collaborative_effort_to_grow_l.html&quot; title=&quot;Freight Farms container story on masslive&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See the story about the announcement on MassLive ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Gateway Cities are the center of our economic activity,&quot; he said. &quot;It's important for them to succeed, not only for the region but for the Commonwealth.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ash noted the location of the two containers near the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, a project supported by another grant from his office. &quot;Every time you do something successful, it just makes you want to do something more,&quot; he said. &quot;I can't say enough good things about having Holyoke Community College in this community &amp;ndash; and doing great things.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bill Fogarty, HCC vice president of Administration and Finance, said people at HCC were excited about supporting urban agriculture in Holyoke and using the container farms as training grounds for students with a wide variety of academic interests, from business and marketing to culinary arts, nutrition and sustainable agriculature.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think we can all feel the momentum in downtown Holyoke and I think we can all agree that the momentum is based on partnerships,&quot; he said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of the partners is the nonprofit community gardening group Nuestras Raices, which will manage the container farms.&amp;nbsp;Hilda Roque, executive director of Nuestras Raices, noted that her agency already manages 17 community gardens in the city plus a 38-acre farm.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When they say, grow food, we're there,&quot; she said. &quot;We grow a lot of food and that's our mission ... This will give our farmers the opportunity to extend their knowledge and help others. We're always looking for alternatives where we can grow more food.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The city and HCC will share the costs of utilities, maintenance and labor. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The containers will be used to teach hydroponic growing techniques to agricultural interns from the community and HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some of the harvested produce &amp;ndash; lettuce, spinach, basil, cilantro and other leafy greens and herbs with shallow roots &amp;ndash; will be sold to the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, HCC on-campus dining services, and local restaurants. Some will be donated to help feed hungry people on campus and in the community. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These container farms provide a means of addressing food insecurity in Holyoke while at the same time offering experiential learning opportunities for resident interns and students in HCC's sustainability, nutrition, culinary arts and health programs,&quot; HCC president Christina Royal said earlier this week. &quot;Partnerships such as these are key to transforming Holyoke and enabling our community to thrive.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Jay Ash, secretary of Housing and Economic Development, stands with a group of other notables, in front of one of two Freight Farms containers delivered to an empty lot on Race Street in Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7537" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/a-delicious-debut" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|66|165" FileName="x7537.xml" Name="A Delicious Debut" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Lunch-soup.jpg" Title="A Delicious Debut" Abstract="Since it opened for classes in January, the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute has been greeted with overwhelming praise by students, faculty, employers and the community.  " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Culinary Arts student Anthony Edwards puts the finishing touches on Castillan garlic soup for a Spanish-themed lunch at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. " IntroCopy="HCC will celebrate the grand opening of its new Culinary Arts facility on Thursday, April 12" Date="2018-04-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Culinary Arts students prepare a meal at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/CAI-crepes.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito will be the first featured speaker at a&lt;a href=&quot;/x7514.xml&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;grand opening celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;at the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Thursday, April 12.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editors's Note: This story also appears in the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/AC/AC_SP18_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Spring 2018 Alumni Connection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Spring 2018 issue of HCC's Alumni Connection magazine.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During his first semester as a student in HCC's Culinary Arts program, Tyler Carrier wrote a paper about a commercial kitchen appliance known in the industry as an Alto-Shaam, after the company that manufactures them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An Alto-Shaam is a special kind of oven, a &quot;combitherm&quot; oven to be exact, or &quot;combi&quot; oven for short, because it can cook using either steam or convection heat or some combination thereof. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the time, Carrier had never used an Alto-Shaam nor ever seen one. That was the assignment: Write about a piece of kitchen equipment you've never heard of or used. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was researching fancy equipment, and that came up,&quot; he recently recalled. &quot;I thought it was really cool.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A Fall 2017 graduate, Carrier earned both his Culinary Arts certificate and associate degree in Food Service Management from HCC. He now works for the college as a lab tech at the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, ordering food and supplies, keeping the kitchens clean and helping out with classes. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He spends a lot of time in the institute's five, shiny new kitchens. His favorite is the first-floor production kitchen, the most advanced and the one designed like a professional, European-style, restaurant kitchen. He likes the layout, and he likes the new tools. &amp;nbsp; Among the many, modern, high-tech appliances and fixtures that define the new facility, the production kitchen includes an Alto-Shaam, and that, Carrier said, is &quot;super cool.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When I first came to the program as a student, this was only talk,&quot; the 20-year-old Easthampton resident said, admiring the gleaming stainless steel all around. &quot;There were no pictures. There were no diagrams of the new kitchens. And then I got to be part of the process. So for me going from being a student to working with students in the new facility, I'm super excited, and I'm very grateful to be part of all this.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carrier is not the only one. Reviews have been pouring in: The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute is a palate-pleasing smash. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are so excited,&quot; HCC student Behnam &quot;Ben&quot; Alimarzei said one afternoon, speaking for himself and on behalf of his Culinary Arts classmates as he prepared mushroom crepes for a &quot;Taste of the Space&quot; event for HCC faculty and staff. &amp;nbsp; &quot;Everything's brand new. New building. New equipment. New technology. It's beautiful.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anticipation had been building for weeks as construction neared completion. Students were so eager to get in they began showing up an hour and half early for classes on the first day of the Spring 2018 semester when the Culinary Arts Institute officially opened. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;All giggly and proud&quot; is how Chef Warren Leigh, chair of the Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts programs, described them, feelings he attributed to a surge in morale and a true sense of ownership of the new facility. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is what I was hoping, and I'm all excited about it,&quot; he said. &quot;If I'm a student, I'm thinking, this is my place.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The old place, of course, was vastly undersized and grossly out of date &amp;ndash; stale as old bread. Before the move downtown, HCC's Culinary Arts program lived on the second floor of the Frost Building on the main campus. Its space included a single, all-purpose teaching kitchen (used for both credit and noncredit programs) and a very small bakeshop, plus the adjacent Picknelly Dining Room for special events. It was tight, and not a pinch of room to grow. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Talk of finding an off-campus home began in earnest in 2014 after the announcement that MGM Resorts International would be building a $960 million resort-casino in Springfield and the realization that hundreds of new culinary and hospitality jobs would follow, putting increased demand on an industry that was already underserved. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The idea got a boost that year when the state awarded HCC a $1.75 million economic development grant to build a cutting-edge, culinary arts center in Holyoke's Innovation District that would continue the revitalization of the city's downtown and also address regional employment needs. In subsequent years, as planning continued and a location secured, HCC received additional financial support from both public and private sources: the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the city of Holyoke, the governor's office, the HCC Foundation, and MGM. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The result is a $6.43 million facility consisting of nearly 20,000-square feet on the first two floors (and part of the basement) in the square, red-brick former factory known as The Cubit on the corner of Race and Appleton streets, right along the city's second level canal. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC students and staff now have at their disposal five kitchens, each with a unique design and purpose, a large banquet-sized dining room, three smart classrooms, staff offices, lockers, conference space, student lounges, and much more. It's big, open, airy, clean and bright. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's fantastic,&quot; said Nate Waugaman, executive chef at MGM Springfield, who visited the site during construction and again after it was done. &quot;Pretty impressive. It's a huge leap from the previous facility. It's going to make a huge difference in the ability to train students with modern equipment and what we actually use in the business today. I'm really impressed with the way it's come together.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Immediately as you enter, the first of the five kitchens is visible, straight across the first-floor lobby and through a set of glass doors. The &quot;demo kitchen&quot; looks like a TV set, with cascading levels of bench desks and chairs facing a cooking station, where a chef or instructor can demonstrate techniques and prepare recipes while students or guests observe from their seats. Like all the kitchens here, this one is high-tech, wired with cameras to capture the cooking action close up and large monitors for easy viewing from all angles and the ability to broadcast either live or recorded images to screens elsewhere in the building, to classrooms on the main campus, or anywhere in the world. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Paneless glass dividers separate the demo kitchen from the dining room, which seats nearly 100. The dividers swing open and slide out of the way to make more room for events.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The baking lab, or bakeshop, is nearly two and a half times larger than the old one. Up to 24 students can comfortably work side by side here at three, long, wooden bakery benches. &quot;Before, it was just 10 students. Ten was snug, but we'd squeeze 12 in,&quot; said Maureen Hindle '12, also a Culinary Arts lab tech and herself graduate of the program with both a certificate and degree. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hindle was baking cupcakes for the &quot;Taste of the Space&quot; event and pointed out some of the bakeshop's fancy equipment, like the fully programmable convection ovens and Revent three-deck oven &amp;ndash; just push a button for &quot;baguette&quot;&amp;ndash; and a dozen new, portable, instant-on table-top burners that look like hot plates but are much, much better. &quot;These actually have immediate heat, and, when you take the pan off, the surface is almost instantaneously cool to the touch,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There's tons more storage space throughout, including two walk-in refrigerators on the first floor and a walk-in freezer in the basement (next to the laundry). &quot;That will allow us to bring in and support the volume that we're actually planning on producing in here,&quot; Hindle said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first-floor teaching kitchen is a little larger but much more efficient than the one on campus. There are three identical, peninsula-type workstations with ranges, ovens and refrigerators on each side, for a total kitchen capacity of 24 students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On campus, dishes and cookware were washed in the kitchen. This facility has a separate dish room. The new dishwashing machine is more powerful than the old one. It can handle pots and pans as well as china glass and flatware. They now have a pulper, a garbage disposal that separates liquids from solids and &quot;predigests&quot; the material, meaning less compost to haul away. &quot;Our dish room is set up like a dish room in a restaurant,&quot; said Leigh, &quot;so that's really new for us.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Off the dining room, through a set of double restaurant doors, is the facility's Cadillac kitchen, the production kitchen, designed for more advanced culinary classes and for the preparation of meals for special events and large functions. It's an old-school, European design, said Leigh, with island stations. In here, cooks work face to face, rather then back to back like they do in most American restaurant kitchens, &quot;so they can communicate better with each other,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's a flexible setup but designed for separate cooking lines: entree and saut&amp;eacute; line by the windows, hot appetizers in the middle, cold appetizers, salads and desserts on the opposite side. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The production kitchen has a pasta cooker (before they just used pots), a self-draining deep fryer (with a faucet that supplies fresh oil), plate warmers (so they no longer have to stick dishes in the oven before serving), two bain-maries (cold or hot water basins), heat lamps on retractable cords (to keep food warm), heat-sensing exhaust fans (that automatically turn on) and a long, stainless steel chef's table (for plating or seating for small parties of 8-10 people who want to watch as their food is prepared). &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And there's that Alto-Shaam. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I would say we have just about anything new that's being used or just starting to be used by independent restaurants,&quot; said Leigh &amp;ndash; &quot;to prepare students properly for what's happening out there now.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the second floor, there are offices, lockers, two computer classrooms, one large classroom/hotel lab for hospitality training and a second teaching kitchen expressly designed for HCC's noncredit workforce training programs, continuing education courses and personal enrichment classes, such as a new gourmet cooking series that started in February. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Now we can have anything we can think of for professional development in one facility,&quot; said Leigh, &quot;and this is what we've been talking about: If anybody is thinking of any kind of food or beverage solution, whatever that means for them in our industry, they should be calling HCC.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They already are. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Soup, a community-based, crowd-funding program for new artists and entrepreneurs, part of SPARK Holyoke, is now holding its events here. So is the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MGM has been making use of the facility's kitchens to conduct bench tests - cooking auditions - for its chef candidates. And Waugaman, MGM's executive chef, is part of the review team examining HCC's Culinary Arts curriculum to make sure it stays current. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;MGM made an investment here, and everybody knows that,&quot; said Michele Cabral, interim dean of Culinary Arts, &quot;so we have a really good relationship with them.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The resort-casino is scheduled to open in September. Waugaman said MGM Springfield will employ close to 3,000 people. About 800 will be in the food service and beverage areas. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Area employment needs extend well beyond MGM, though. According to Jeffrey Hayden, HCC vice president of Business and Community Services, who oversees the culinary and hospitality workforce training programs, a regional survey conducted last year identified 1,700 vacant jobs in food service and hospitality in Hampden County alone, and HCC is working with dozens of other employers to fill them. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new facility and its multiple kitchens will allow for increased capacity in all programs, credit and noncredit, and plans are in the works to add an associate of science degree in Culinary Arts. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leigh expects the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute to become a favored location for all kinds of community and regional events, such as cooking competitions, celebrity chef demonstrations, conferences and more. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beyond that, he believes the institute will draw students who might have previously gone elsewhere for their culinary training. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There is no state-owned institution like this in New England,&quot; Leigh said. &quot;We have the most current, purpose-built culinary arts facility in New England. Maybe for the Northeast. I don't know if I'd be that bold, but it could be.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7553" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/freight-farms" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|3" FileName="x7553.xml" Name="Freight Farms" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/HCC-Freight-Farms.jpg" Title="Special Delivery" Abstract="Two Freight Farms containers were delivered last week, thanks to an investment of $208,000 from the state, and just in time for Holyoke Innovation Week.   " ThumbnailAltText="One of the two Freight Farms containers that were delivered last week to an empty lot near the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, seen in the background. " IntroCopy="Freight Farms containers provide gardens in a big, metal box" Date="2018-04-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Freight Farm &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/HCC-Freight-Farms.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each large metal box can grow as much produce in a year as two acres of farmland, though you'd never know without peeking in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From the outside, it looks like a shipping container you might see stacked on a barge. That is in fact what it was before being repurposed by a company called Freight Farms into a self-contained, hydroponic garden unit called a &quot;Leafy Green Machine.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And now Holyoke has two of them. They sit side by side in a vacant lot on Race Street next to the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, where some of the leafy green vegetables grown inside will eventually make their way.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The pair of 40-foot-long Freight Farms containers was delivered last week, thanks to an investment of $208,000 from the state, and just in time for Holyoke Innovation Week, which continues through Sunday, April 29. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The funds were provided by MassDevelopment, as part of its Transformative Development Initiative, which is meant to accelerate economic growth in its Gateway Cities' communities. The project will provide year-round urban agriculture, education and training opportunities for city residents and Holyoke Community College students. Other partners include Nuestras Raices, the city of Holyoke, and the Holyoke Redevelopment Authority. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The official announcement of the Holyoke Freight Farms urban agriculture project will be delivered by Jay Ash, state secretary of Housing and Economic Development, during a press conference Thursday, April 26, at noon, at 150 Race St., where visitors will get their first opportunity to look inside the farm containers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also speaking will be Mayor Alex Morse; Hilda Roque, executive director of Nuestras Raices; and Bill Fogarty, HCC vice president of Administration and Finance. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nuestras Raices, a nonprofit that manages community gardens throughout the city, will run the day-to-day container operations. The city and HCC will share the costs of utilities, maintenance and labor. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The containers will be used to teach hydroponic growing techniques to agricultural interns from the community and HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some of the harvested produce &amp;ndash; lettuce, spinach, basil, cilantro and other leafy greens and herbs with shallow roots &amp;ndash; will be sold to the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, HCC on-campus dining services, and local restaurants. Some will be donated to help feed hungry people on campus and in the community. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These container farms provide a means of addressing food insecurity in Holyoke while at the same time offering experiential learning opportunities for resident interns and students in HCC's sustainability, nutrition, culinary arts and health programs,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &quot;Partnerships such as these are key to transforming Holyoke and enabling our community to thrive.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;One of the two Freight Farms containers delivered last week to an empty lot on Race Street in Holyoke, near the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, seen in the background.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7539" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/matt-medina" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165|225" FileName="x7539.xml" Name="Matt Medina" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Matt-Don.jpg" Title="Shining On" Abstract="HCC student Matthew Medina, a Jack Kent Cooke national transfer scholarship recipient, was honored Friday in Boston as one of the state's '29 Who Shine.' " ThumbnailAltText="HCC student Matt Medina left holds his 29 Who Shine award alongside his faculty mentor, HCC philosophy professor Don Hanover." IntroCopy="HCC student Matthew Medina represented the college in Boston May 4 as one of the state's '29 Who Shine' " Date="2018-04-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student Matt Medina holds a certificate recognizing him as a Jack Kent Cooke scholarship recipient, with Pathways program coordinator Irma Medina and Transfer Affairs coordinator Mark Broadbent.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/JKC-award-Matt-medina.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the second time in two years, a Holyoke Community College student has been awarded a prestigious, national scholarship from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Matthew Medina, a 24-year-old Springfield resident, was one of only 47 students selected for the 2018 Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship out of some 2,500 applicants and 534 finalists nationwide. The scholarship provides up to $40,000 a year to community college students so they can complete their bachelor's degrees. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a huge financial burden off my shoulders,&quot; Medina said. &quot;It's a big relief. I'm feeling pretty good.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Matt's adviser, Irma Medina (no relation), coordinator of HCC's Pathways Program, said getting a Jack Kent Cooke scholarship is tougher than getting into many of the competitive colleges and universities he has applied to for transfer, such as Amherst, Hampshire, Williams, Dartmouth, Cornell and Brown. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You have to meet the financial need but the academic piece is also important,&quot; she said. &quot;There are multiple essays and they all have to be well written, and you have to apply to selective schools.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last year, HCC student Kiana Estime of Great Barrington received a Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship. She is now a studying anthropology at Mount Holyoke College. Since 2008 five HCC students have been awarded the scholarship.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Medina will graduate in June with his associate degree in liberal arts, high honors and a GPA of 3.95.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the second honor Medina has received in as many weeks. Medina was also selected to represent HCC at the State House on May 4, where he will receive a &quot;29 Who Shine&quot; award from the Mass. Dept. of Higher Education. The &quot;29 Who Shine&quot; ceremony is an annual event that recognizes a single student from each of the state's 29 community colleges and public universities. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC philosophy professor Donald Hanover, a Holyoke resident, will also receive an award that day as Medina's faculty mentor. &quot;Professor Hanover is simultaneously the sweetest and most intimidating professor I know,&quot; Medina said. &quot;In tough times, he was understanding, yet he pushed me to my limits as a writer and thinker.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Unlike most HCC students, Medina enrolled having already earned an associate degree in IT security from another school. He'd also worked in IT for several area employers, including Mass Mutual. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But he wanted to continue his education and decided to enroll at HCC to take advantage of the college's strong transfer support programs, challenging academic offerings, and connections to top four-year schools. Under the guidance of Pathways coordinator Irma Medina, he immersed himself in Learning Communities and Honors classes, among the most rigorous and highly regarded by transfer schools. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After HCC, he plans to study cognitive science, a new field that combines computer science, neuroscience, ethics and linguistics. Guiding him in this pursuit, he said, are an interest in artificial intelligence and a belief that the benefits of AI technology should be ethically deployed and equitably distributed. After earning his bachelor's degree, he hopes to go to law school and ultimately work in cyber security policy with a focus on artificial intelligence. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the past, Matt has volunteered with the Children's Study Home in Springfield, where he was once a resident himself, working as a mentor for adolescent boys, teaching them Tai Chi, meditation and other mindfulness practices. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On campus, Medina works as a peer tutor in the Writing Center. He serves as vice president of leadership for HCC's chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and is spearheading an initiative that would allow students to use their EBT cards for SNAP benefits to purchase food on campus. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Outside of school, he continues to dabble in computer science. He and some friends are now seeking venture capital funding for a smart phone app they have developed that will support farmers, retailers and distributors working in the state's burgeoning marijuana industry, taking advantage of provisions in the law that create preferences and provide business and legal services to people from historically disadvantaged groups. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Medina was born in New Jersey and lived in a lot of places, including Puerto Rico, Yonkers and Newburgh, N.Y., before winding up in Springfield, where, for a time, he lived in the back room of a jewelry store, with permission. Earlier, he had aged out of public schools before he could graduate and eventually got his high school equivalency certificate through the National Farm Workers Council. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like many of his classmates, he takes the bus to school most days. Sometimes, though, when the weather is good, and he doesn't have an early class, Medina throws down his long board, backpack on his shoulders, and skates up Route 5, all the way to HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC student Matt Medina left holds his 29 Who Shine award alongside his faculty mentor, HCC philosophy professor Don Hanover. (Above)&amp;nbsp;HCC student Matt Medina holds a certificate recognizing him as a Jack Kent Cooke scholarship recipient, with Pathways program coordinator Irma Medina and Transfer Affairs coordinator Mark Broadbent. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7515" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/esmeralda-santiago" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|3|193" FileName="x7515.xml" Name="Esmeralda Santiago" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/ES-12.jpg" Title="'I'm here for you'" Abstract="Author Esmeralda Santiago's visit to Holyoke Community College drew a standing-room only crowd to the college's Leslie Phillips Theater." ThumbnailAltText="Esmeralda Santiago speaks at Holyoke Community College " IntroCopy="Author draws standing-room-only crowd to HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater" Date="2018-03-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Esmeralda Santiago takes a moment to pose for a photo with HCC criminal justice professor Jose Bou.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/ES-bou-pose.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If there was any question about how much author Esmeralda Santiago means to people of Latino heritage, as well as others, one need only have glimpsed the crowd that turned out at Holyoke Community College last Thursday to put any doubt to rest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nearly every seat in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater &amp;mdash; capacity 318 &amp;mdash; was filled. Extra chairs were brought in. Anyone who couldn't find an empty one stood along the sides or sat on steps in the aisles. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC professors brought their classes. Holyoke High School sent a contingent of students and staff. So did Holyoke's Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School. The Margarita Muniz Academy, the first bilingual high school in New England, bused 40 11&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; graders all the way from Boston. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many, like HCC student Cindy Soriano, came clutching copies of Santiago's 1994 memoir, &quot;When I Was Puerto Rican,&quot; like Bibles to a church service and waited in a long line later to have them signed. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've read some of her books. This is my favorite, though,&quot; said Soriano, who lives in Northampton. She wore a purple and blue baseball cap that said &quot;Puerto Rico&quot; on it in bold, bright red letters. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm skipping a class,&quot; she whispered. &quot;Just to come here and see her and hear her speak&amp;nbsp; &amp;mdash; it was so meaningful and inspiring to me.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier, as Santiago took the stage, attendees rose to their feet, clapping and cheering. Santiago smiled. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm so thrilled to see so many of you and to see such a diverse audience here,&quot; she said. &quot;I have to admit that I don't always get this kind of audience, but you are my favorite.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The crowd returned her affection with more cheers and applause. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've always longed to be able to look out at an audience like this, where you can see all the humanity that I know exists in the world,&quot; she said. &quot;I'm here, really, for you. I'm with you.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Santiago's visit was sponsored in part by a Bridging Cultures Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Three years ago, HCC, in collaboration with the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at the University of Massachusetts, received a three-year, $120,000 award to enhance HCC humanities courses with Latino Studies content. The grant also paid for cultural enrichment events like this one. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Today's program is the culmination of this three-year project,&quot; said HCC Spanish professor and grant co-coordinator Monica Torregrosa, &quot;a grand finale, so to speak, in which we are so grateful to host such as well-known and popular author.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Esmeralda's memoirs and novels are a true inspiration to Latinos and non-Latinos alike,&quot; Torregrosa said in her introduction. &quot;Not only is she an award-winning author, but she is also an advocate for public libraries and the arts. She is passionate about the need to encourage and support the artistic development of young people with storytelling and media literacy.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Santiago grew up in Puerto Rico in a one-room shack with a dirt floor and a tin roof, the eldest of 11 children. Her family moved to Brooklyn when she was 13. In her talk, titled &quot;Writing a Life: A Transcultural Journey,&quot; Santiago described how she learned English from children's books in the Brooklyn public library, about attending New York's famous High School of Performing Art and Manhattan Community College before transferring to Harvard University. She talked about teachers and mentors and how meaningful they were to her as she adapted to life in the continental U.S. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was not very knowledgeable and I was kind of na&amp;iuml;ve and innocent, &lt;em&gt;por que soy puertorrique&amp;ntilde;a decente&lt;/em&gt;,&quot; she said. &quot;But these people kind of guided me through that and I still remember them.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Santiago emphasized the importance of reading &quot;challenging books,&quot; especially if you want to be writer. &quot;The thing that books allowed were to show me a world outside this very narrow universe that I was inhabiting,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During a brief question and answer session, Maneylai Bena, 17, from the Margarita Muniz Academy, asked Santiago if there was anything in her life or books that she would change.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Nothing,&quot; she replied. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Santiago spoke for an hour and would likely have kept going but not for a schedule that included signing books in the theater lobby. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Irma Medina, '97, coordinator of HCC's Pathway program, brought her tattered copy of &quot;When I Was Puerto Rican&quot; and could not hold back tears when the author signed it. She purchased Santiago's memoir at the Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley while nervously waiting for an interview appointment at Mount Holyoke College, where she had applied for transfer from HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I kept thinking, what the hell am I doing here? I don't belong here. I should leave,&quot; Medina remembers. As I walked into the bookstore there was this beautiful display, and there is was, When I Was Puerto Rican.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She started reading. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I had never seen or read a book like this before. I saw myself. This was my story too and she gave voice to it. It meant I'm here. I matter. It was my sign. I did belong.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Esmeralda Santiago speaks at HCC. (Above) Esmeralda Santiago takes a moment during a book signing to pose for a photograph with HCC professor Jose Bou.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7507" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/drones" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|194" FileName="x7507.xml" Name="Drones " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Drone-remote.jpg" Title="Flying Drones" Abstract="A new HCC course will teach individuals how to operate drones legally and safely and prepare them to pass the FAA Remote Pilot in Charge certification exam. " ThumbnailAltText="Drone " IntroCopy="New HCC course prepares students for FAA Remote Pilot in Charge certification test" Date="2018-03-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Drone pilot instructor Larry Harmon holds a drone.  &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Drone-Lawrence-Harmon.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The CIA recruited Larry Harmon right out of college. First they put him in the Army Reserve. Then they put him to work analyzing satellite images at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, at the time a CIA subsidiary.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That was after the Cuban Missile Crisis, more than 50 years ago. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was in tactical,&quot; he said. &quot;We're talking Vietnam. That kind of got me started, but I always ended up trying to find ways to use the technology we had in the intelligence agencies for public service.&quot; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Harmon went on to start the GeoGraphics Lab at Bridgewater State University, concentrating on the emerging consumer applications of GIS technology. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These days, though, as co-director, he focuses on drones. His specialty, as both an educator and private consultant, is aerial imagery and analytics. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Harmon will bring his vast experience to Holyoke Community College beginning April 28 for a new course, &quot;Flying Drones for Profit, Public Safety, and Commercial Applications.&quot; The hands-on class will prepare individuals to take the FAA Remote Pilot in Charge exam, which they must pass to become licensed drone operators. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You have to understand everything the FAA needs you to know about flying a drone, what the rules are, how you fly legally and how you fly safely,&quot; Harmon said during a recent campus visit. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The six-week, noncredit course meets on Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon from April 28 to June 2 and costs $349. Space is limited. Participants can bring their own drones but do not need one to take the class. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The lecture portion of the course will meet in the HCC Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development on the main campus at 303 Homestead Ave. Students will fly drones outside, nearby, either on the college baseball field or soccer field. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The class is really designed to help folks study, prepare and pass the FAA license exam,&quot; said Ken White, HCC dean of Community Service. &quot;Larry is the expert in New England on this.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is the first college in western Massachusetts to offer a drone pilot course to the general public, White said, and may be only the second in the entire state. Bridgewater State University offers a semester-long credit class as part of its Aviation Science program, Harmon said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Harmon and White expect the course will appeal to professionals in a wide range of industries including engineering, construction, insurance, agriculture, emergency services, public safety, security, environmental management, transportation, and retail as well as those involved in more artistic pursuits like movies, video and photography. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The drone industry is certainly growing. According to the online blog DroneDeploy, the FAA had certified nearly 29,000 commercial drone pilots by December 2016 and has been receiving some 2,000 new registrations daily. By that estimate, there could be as many as&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;420,000 licensed commercial drone pilots by 2021. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What broke the industry open, said Harmon, was the release of the DJI Phantom, a &quot;prosumer&quot; model that produced professional-grade photos and was sold in stores like Best Buy. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The technology, Harmon said, has advanced way beyond what he used to look at during his time working for the government.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is the fourth generation of it,&quot; Harmon said, holding up a DJI Phantom IV. &quot;This is what we'll be training with. This thing has better quality than satellites.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;To register, go to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/bce&quot; title=&quot;Workforce development and personal enrichment&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;hcc.edu/bce&lt;/a&gt; and look for 'Pilot Training' under 'Personal Enrichment' or call &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2324&quot;&gt;413.552.2324&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Larry Harmon, co-director of the GeoGraphics Lab at Bridgewater State University and an FAA certified Remote Pilot instructor, holds up a DJI Insight 2 drone during a recent visit to campus.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7525" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/a-new-enemy" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165|226" FileName="x7525.xml" Name="A New Enemy " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Enemy-portrait-askance.jpg" Title="A New Kind of Enemy" Abstract="The HCC Theater Dept. presents its Spring 2018 production, Henrik Ibsen's classic, 'An Enemy of the People,' April 19-21, on stage in the Leslie Phillips Theater. " ThumbnailAltText="A scene from An Enemy of the People" IntroCopy="The HCC Theater Dept. presents Henrik Ibsen's classic, 'An Enemy of the People,' April 19-21." Date="2018-04-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A scene from An Enemy of the People&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Enemy-portrait-camera.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Henrik Ibsen wrote &quot;An Enemy of the People&quot; in the late 19&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; century, a time when women largely lacked both power and standing in male-dominated society.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's not surprising that the main character in Ibsen's 1882 play is a man, Dr. Thomas Stockmann, &quot;Medical Officer at the Baths&quot; in a town off the southern coast of Norway, according to the script. His significant other, Catherine Stockmann, is described only as &quot;his wife.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the Holyoke Community College Theater Department's spring 2018 production, however, which opens April 19 for a three-day run, director Tom Geha reversed those roles. The whistle-blower whose discovery of polluted waters threatens the town's fortunes, thus incurring the wrath of its residents, is a woman, Dr. Catherine Stockmann. Thomas is her dutiful husband. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I don't like to change things unless I feel like it's going to benefit the play,&quot; said Geha, an adjunct HCC theater instructor. &quot;When we read it for the first time with all the actors it was like a eureka moment. It's almost like it was written for a woman. The lines are just amazing because the town is gas lighting her and telling her she's crazy, doing a lot of explaining to her, making fun of her discoveries as a doctor, making fun of science. It just goes in so many directions because she's a woman, and it works.&quot;&lt;s&gt;&lt;/s&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even though Ibsen, called the &quot;father of modern realism,&quot; was known for writing strong female characters, Geha found the play too &quot;man heavy.&quot; As originally written, the only other female character was Petra, a feisty schoolteacher and the daughter of Thomas and Catherine. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I wanted Petra's feistiness to come from somewhere,&quot; Geha said, &quot;and I thought, what if it came from her mother, and rather than being docile and obedient, she was an independent and educated woman who at the time would have stood out.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Enter Catherine Stockmann, M.D., played by HCC student Alma Huremovic of West Springfield. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Geha added another woman to the cast by changing the gender of the aptly named Morten Kiil, played by Hannah Labreche of Holyoke. Kiil owns the tannery responsible for polluting the baths the town relies on for its tourist trade. She also happens to be Thomas Stockmann's foster mother, setting up a juicy mother-in-law/daughter-in-law dynamic that adds another layer of tension, says Geha. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What's more, the mayor of the town &amp;ndash; and its chief defender &amp;ndash; is the doctor's younger brother, Peter Stockmann. That the doctor is now a woman introduces a completely different kind of sibling rivalry, says Geha. Before Catherine reveals her research about the contaminated baths, there's genuine affection and playfulness between the two. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She pokes fun at him,&quot; said Geha. &quot;There's a real teasing element, but then when everything collides, it's just pure hate, and it's wonderful.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While other recent productions have updated the setting to modern times, like 21&lt;sup&gt;st&lt;/sup&gt; century Flint, Michigan, Geha kept it as is. Mostly. He did make one slight adjustment, advancing the chronology from the 1870s to the 1890s to account for the decade when Norway had its first female doctor. That detail was important to him, even if the only real change is a single digit in the theater program.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also, he said, a modern adaptation would destroy the timeless themes that give the play its resonance and make it a theater classic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a play about questioning truth, about the nature of truth, about commerce versus the environment and who wins out,&quot; Geha said. &quot;If it's modern, it's like we're just turning on the news, and I think people are a little tired of the news.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plus, he said, &quot;I really wanted the costumes.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Principal cast: Alma Huremovic of West Springfield (as Dr. Catherine Stockman); Louis Burgos of Holyoke (as Thomas Stockmann); Carina Savoie of Agawam (as Petra); Dan Ireland of Feeding Hills (as Peter Stockmann); Hannah Labreche of Holyoke (as Morten Kiil); Ryan Dumont of Chicopee (as Hovstad); Matthew Gover of Ludlow (as Billing); Michael Barboza-McLean of Feeding Hills (as Horster); and Joshua Ortiz of Holyoke (as Aslasken). &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10156223293654330.1073742089.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=3baf56257b&quot; title=&quot;An Enemy of the People Facebook album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Check out scenes from the April 18 dress rehearsal in our Facebook album ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Holyoke Community College Theater Dept. presents: &amp;nbsp;&quot;An Enemy of the People&quot; By Henrik Ibsen. Directed by Tom Geha. Set design and lighting by Matthew Whiton. Costumes by Richard Vaden.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;April 19-21, 7:30 p.m. April 21, 2 p.m. All performances in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater Tickets: $10 general admission; $8 students and seniors; $5 HCC community Friday, April 20 performance is ASL-interpreted&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) HCC student actors rehearse a scene from &quot;An Enemy of the People.&quot; (Above) &quot;An Enemy of the People&quot; family portrait, from left to right: Hannah Lebreche of Holyoke as Morten Kiil; Louis Burgos of Holyoke as Thomas Stockmann; Alma Huremovic of West Springfield as Dr. Catherine Stockmann; Carina Savoie of Agawam as Petra Stockmann; and Dan Ireland of Feeding Hills as Peter Stockmann.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7495" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gun-walkout" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|3|165" FileName="x7495.xml" Name="Gun Walkout" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Walk-MtTom-group.jpg" Title="Walking Out In Synch" Abstract="Students from the Mount Tom Academy spent 17 quiet minutes in the HCC Courtyard Wednesday during a synchronized national protest against gun violence. " ThumbnailAltText="Mount Tom Academy students and their teacher Barbara Cheney during the national walkout protesting gun violence." IntroCopy="National protest becomes teachable moment in Mount Tom Academy classroom" Date="2018-03-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chloe Roux and other Mount Tom Academy students work on their assignments.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/Walk-Chloe.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Compared to other walkouts, this one was low key and low volume. No one gave a speech or held a placard. There was no chanting. No TV cameras. No microphones. No audience. No noise.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For 17 minutes, nine students stood quietly in a loose circle in the Holyoke Community College courtyard. But those nine represented the entire day's attendance of Mount Tom Academy, a small alternative high school at Holyoke Community College and the only program on campus meeting this week during Spring Break. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While they did not expect to draw much attention, the students nevertheless wanted to act in synch with others from their generation who walked out of classes Wednesday at 10 a.m. to protest gun violence in the wake of the Feb. 14 mass shooting that killed 17 students and staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the morning, before they walked out, the class signed up online with The Action Network to officially put the world on notice: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Mount Tom Academy Stands with Parkland.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I don't think us walking out is really going to change anything,&quot; said Tattianna Bilodeau, 17, of Southampton, &quot;but I think it was important for us to do.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mount Tom Academy coordinator Barbara Cheney decided to incorporate the walkout and the reasons behind it into the day's lesson plan. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She started with a poll to gauge interest. Six said, &quot;I'm down with walkout.&quot; Three were &quot;not sure,&quot; but in the end, everyone decided to participate. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chloe Roux, for one, said she was glad she did. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It made it more real,&quot; said the 17-year-old Belchertown resident. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The students read and analyzed a Feb. 18 &lt;em&gt;New York Times&lt;/em&gt; article about student protests, &quot;A 'Mass Shooting Generation' Cries Out for Change.&quot; They discussed &quot;what we know&quot; about Parkland, other school shootings and gun violence, and &quot;what we wonder ... what we want to know more about ... and what we are confused about ...&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Later in the day they watched a documentary about the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., that killed 15 people. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These guys were all born after Columbine,&quot; she said, &quot;so everyone in this room grew up with mass shootings.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's weird how these things happen and we care about them for a week and then they blow over,&quot; said Sean Delson, 17, of Longmeadow. &quot;We really need to start actually taking action, rather than just go, 'thoughts and prayers,' and people going on with their lives and letting people go on getting shot.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Everyone in this room,&quot; Cheney said, &quot;you are the next voting bloc. This generation. You are going to decide who you are going to elect to be your representatives. So, although maybe nothing's going to change now, you guys are going to decide as a future voter.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students spent the rest of the day immersed in the material, writing essays and letters to elected officials. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even though few people may have witnessed the walkout its lessons were not lost.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This issue of school shootings is something I'm passionate about and I never realized it,&quot; Roux wrote in an essay. &quot;The walkout we took part in, the article we read and the documentary we watched really moved me.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Students from Mount Tom Academy participated in Wednesday's national walkout to protest gun violence. (Above) Chloe Roux of Belchertown and other students in Mount Tom Academy work on an assignment about gun violence.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7496" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/keith-hazel" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="321|69|165" FileName="x7496.xml" Name="Keith Hazel" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/College4-Hazel-talk.jpg" Title="Staging a Comeback" Abstract="HCC liberal arts major Keith Hazel, 39, gave the keynote speech at 'College for a Day,' which he attended himself in 2016 while preparing for his high school equivalency test. " ThumbnailAltText="Keith Hazel gives the keynote speech during HCC's annual 'College for a Day' event. " IntroCopy="HCC liberal arts major, 39, gives 'College for a Day' keynote" Date="2018-03-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Keith Hazel gives the keynote speech during this year's College for a Day event at HCC.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/College4-Hazel-front.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To hear him tell it, Keith Hazel was sitting in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater one morning two years ago with tears streaming down his cheeks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On stage was Frances Rivera-Diaz, a Holyoke Community College student and the keynote speaker at &quot;College for a Day,&quot; an annual event that brings close to 200 adult basic education students to campus each spring to sample classes and learn about college programs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rivera-Diaz talked about her life as a high-school dropout who had persevered through homelessness and dead-end jobs to earn her GED and ultimately found success in college as an engineering major and national STEM scholarship recipient.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the time, Hazel, then 37, was a student with The Literacy Project in Northampton, preparing for his own high school equivalency test, the HiSET.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Her story was so inspirational, so profound and touching to me that I cried my eyes out,&quot; Hazel said recently in his thick Brooklyn accent. &quot;I'm a big mush, bro.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A couple of weeks ago, on Thursday, March 16, Hazel found himself standing on that same stage giving the keynote speech at this year's &quot;College for a Day,&quot; hoping to inspire others the way Rivera-Diaz had inspired him.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;School was once something I dreaded, but then I came to realize how much I love it,&quot; he said. &quot;Her speech reaffirmed my decision to further my education.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Easthampton resident is now in his second semester as a fully enrolled, degree-seeking HCC liberal arts major. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At that &quot;College for a Day&quot; event in March 2016, Hazel learned about &quot;Transition to College and Careers,&quot; an HCC program for adult learners who have either never been to college or who have been away from traditional classrooms for a long time.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Instinctually, I knew TCC was my next step,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On his first day, a quote on a hallway poster grabbed his attention: &quot;If you want something you've never had you have to do something you've never done.&quot; He immediately took a picture and posted it on Facebook.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I truly identified with that quote because that's what I had begun to do with my life,&quot; he said. &quot;I had always tried to take the easy way out in life and never got anywhere. I was exhausted doing the same things over and over again, expecting different results. But those results never materialized until I decided to take action and do something I had never done.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through TCC, Hazel learned about computers and career building. He studied math and English. He met people who cared about learning and the power of education. He gained confidence. &quot;My whole life I thought I was too stupid or not good enough because that's what I was taught ... but going back to school changed all that,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Growing up in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, Hazel said, was rough, life at home &quot;unconventional,&quot; fueled with drugs, abuse, neglect, crime, violence, divorce. It took a toll.&amp;nbsp; School was hard. He attended a lot of them &amp;mdash; Catholic school, military school, boarding school in upstate New York, another one in Connecticut (&quot;That didn't end well&quot;), public high school in Brooklyn (&quot;Not good&quot;), down to Florida to live with his mother (&quot;That was going good for a while - but then it didn't&quot;). Then it was back to Brooklyn.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 10&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;nbsp;grade, he dropped out.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &quot;After a while my father said, yo, if you don't want to go to school you don't have to, but you have to work,&quot; said Hazel. &quot;You can't like do nothing and hang out on the street and get high and get in trouble. I had my first official job when I was 14. I was a stonemason's apprentice.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;About eight years ago, he moved to western Massachusetts to help his father and brother run two family stores in Northampton, The Vault and Shop Therapy, where he still puts in 30-40 hours a week. He's fortunate, he said, that he has resources to help him pay for school and support his two children. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Knowing that he had long wanted to go back to school, some friends referred him to The Literacy Project.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That inspired me to elevate my mind and myself through the learning process,&quot; he told the &quot;College for a Day&quot; audience. &quot;For the first time I realized I could change my circumstances through learning.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During his first semester at HCC, Hazel earned all A's and B's and finished with a 3.67 GPA. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Now, after not being able to form a correct sentence, I am in Honors English. My math scores have risen ... &lt;em&gt;exponentially&lt;/em&gt;,&quot; he said, laughing along with the crowd, then adding in his thick Brooklyn accent, &quot;which is a math term that means positive, positive, positive, raised to a higher &lt;em&gt;powah&lt;/em&gt;.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This spring he's also taking Introduction to Latino Studies, to learn about his Latino heritage. &quot;Yo soy Puerto Rican,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp; But the most important reason he wanted to go college, he said, was to study American Sign Language with the intention of becoming a professional interpreter for the Deaf.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So,&quot; he said in conclusion, &quot;if you are willing to do something you've never done then you too can have something you've never had. I hope my experience and story has served as an inspiration to you all, because if I can do it, anyone can.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Keith Hazel give his College for a Day speech.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7490" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/taking-shape" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|165" FileName="x7490.xml" Name="Taking Shape" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/CC-atrium-girders.jpg" Title="Taking Shape" Abstract="Both inside and outside, the Holyoke Community College Campus Center, in the middle of a $43.5 million renovation, is beginning to resemble its future self. " ThumbnailAltText="Steel girders form the frame of the atrium that will cover a stairwell leading down into the second floor of the HCC Campus Center. " IntroCopy="$43.5 million Campus Center renovation advances" Date="2018-03-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Work crews begin framing the new atrium leading inside the Campus Center. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/CC-atrium-crane.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Editor's Note: This is another in a series of periodic visual updates to the Campus Center renovation project.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Work crews have begun framing the atrium that will serve as the new western entrance for the HCC Campus Center once a $43.5 million renovation on the building is complete next year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last week, a yellow crane with a long extension arm was positioned in the lower courtyard and steel girders stacked nearby. Since then the beams that will support the roof of the atrium have been lifted into place, giving a clearer picture of the scope of that addition. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The glass atrium will cover an area previously known derisively as &quot;the pit.&quot; The pit was an external concrete staircase that led from the lower courtyard down to the second floor entrance of the Campus Center. Pour drainage also resulted in the pit being a collection area for water during storms. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the past seven months that area was completely excavated, a new drainage system put in place and a foundation poured. The atrium will cover the entrance to the Media Arts Center on the third floor of the building as well as a new stairwell leading down toward the cafeteria lobby on the second floor. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, on the eastern side of the building facing Homestead Avenue, workers have finished putting a roof on the new front fa&amp;ccedil;ade that now covers a exterior balcony that will become part of an extended dining area on the second floor. &amp;nbsp; Altogether, those two additions will add about 9,000 square feet to the 57,000 square foot building. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two weeks ago, HCC held a&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/topping-history&quot;&gt;&quot;Topping Off Ceremony&quot;&lt;/a&gt; to celebrate the addition of the last beam on the new front face. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Inside, walls are going up in areas on the first floor that will become the future home of Admissions Department, and the Advising, Career and Transfer Center, as well as the Student Engagement area on the second floor. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A new main entrance has also been carved out on the first floor and a steel frame put up over a future foyer. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Campus Center is expected to reopen for the Fall 2019 semester.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7489" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/french-film-festival-x7489" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x7489.xml" Name="French Film Festival" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Zucchini-big.jpg" Title="French Film Festival" Abstract="HCC's annual celebration of French language films offers three weeks of movies that offer a different perspective of French society, March 20 through April 4." ThumbnailAltText="A screen shot from My Life as a Zucchini" IntroCopy="The annual festival offers six French language films over three weeks. " Date="2018-03-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Screen shot from My Life as a Zucchini&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Zucchini-big.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;The third Holyoke Community College French Film Festival opens Tues., March 20, with&amp;nbsp; &quot;Quand on a 17 ans&quot; (&quot;Being 17&quot;) a coming-of-age &amp;mdash; and coming-out &amp;mdash; story about the struggles of two teenagers living in a small, mountain town. It concludes Wed., April 4, with &quot;Ma Vie de Courgette&quot; (&quot;My Life as a Zucchini&quot;), an animated comedy-drama about children living in an orphanage. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In between there is a documentary about an autistic poet, a feature about two battle-weary female soldiers on leave at a luxury resort, a story of an Algerian immigrant who cleans houses to support her two teenage daughters, and a classic 1967 crime noir thriller.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They all offer a different perspective of French society,&quot; said Sabine Charton-Long, an HCC French instructor and one of the organizers. &quot;The festival is an exciting opportunity to share prize-winning French films with the wider community.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The festival runs every Tuesday and Wednesday for three weeks, with a different film shown each night. Screen times are 7 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater in HCC's Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts building.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All the films are in French with English subtitles. Admission is free and open to all. &amp;nbsp; The festival is presented by the HCC Foreign Language Department and HCC Student Clubs and Activities, supported by a grant from the French-American Cultural Exchange Foundation, and offered through FACE's Tourn&amp;eacute;es Film Festival program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A full schedule of films and descriptions are below.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please contact Sabine Charton-Long at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:schartonlong@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;schartonlong@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Week 1:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tues., March 20: &lt;em&gt;Quand on a 17 ans (Being 17), &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;2016, directed by Andr&amp;eacute; T&amp;eacute;chin&amp;eacute;. Beautifully set in a little town in the Pyr&amp;eacute;n&amp;eacute;es Mountains, this film tells a coming-of-age and coming-out story that subtly explores the confusion, fear and violence of two high schoolers who experience unfamiliar feelings.&amp;nbsp;View Trailer ... &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/xBaYbRo9ySw&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/xBaYbRo9ySw&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wed., March 21:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Derni&amp;egrave;res Nouvelles du Cosmos (Latest News from the Cosmos), &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;2016, directed by Julie Bertuccelli. This documentary draws viewers into the world of H&amp;eacute;l&amp;egrave;ne, a 30-year-old severely autistic woman who writes poetry with laminated letters and contemplates the nature of creativity and communication as well as the hidden potential in people of all abilities.&amp;nbsp;View Trailer ... &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/D8JFy6F8UtU&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/D8JFy6F8UtU&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Week 2:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tues., March 27:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Voir du Pays (The Stopover), &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;2016,&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;directed by Delphine and Muriel Coulin. Two young French female soldiers spend time with their unit at a resort hotel on Cyprus recovering from a military operation gone terribly wrong in Afghanistan. Their story offers insights into the long-range consequences of asymmetric, globalized war.&amp;nbsp;View Trailer ... &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/pRekfFs53QA&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/pRekfFs53QA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wed., March 28:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fatima, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;2015,directed by&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;Philippe Faucon. Loosely based on a true story and featuring a superb performance by real-life cleaning lady Soria Zeroual, &lt;em&gt;Fatima&lt;/em&gt; tells the story of a middle-aged, divorced Algerian woman living in a French suburb, cleaning houses and offices from dawn to dusk to provide her spirited teenage daughters with a better future.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;View Trailer ... &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/eHM9rSskaqw&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/eHM9rSskaqw&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Week 3:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tues., April 3:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Panique, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;1947, directed by Julien Duvivier. &lt;em&gt;Panique,&lt;/em&gt; recognized today as a treasure of French film noir, was the first of several adaptations of &lt;em&gt;Mr. Hire's Engagement&lt;/em&gt; by Belgian crime writer Georges Simenon. The thriller provides deep insights into the mentality of the lynch mob and into the pessimistic world view prevalent after World War II.&amp;nbsp;View Trailer ... &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/nXpddF9qBFA&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/nXpddF9qBFA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wed., April 4:&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ma Vie de Courgette (My Life as a Zucchini&lt;/em&gt;), &lt;/strong&gt;2015, directed by Claude Barras. Though bravely realistic, &lt;em&gt;My Life as a Zucchini&lt;/em&gt; is an unexpectedly uplifting look at childhood tragedy. The film is imbued with a real-life sense of childhood wonder, both through its inventive animation and its commitment to exclusively telling the story from the children's perspective.&amp;nbsp;View Trailer ... &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/3nRwYWVxjRU&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/3nRwYWVxjRU&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7462" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/topping-history" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|165" FileName="x7462.xml" Name="Topping History" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/HCC-beam-secure%280%29.jpg" Title="Topping History" Abstract="Members of the HCC community added their names to a white steel beam that is now a permanent part of the Campus Center, where a two-year, $43.5 million renovation is underway. " ThumbnailAltText="Workers secure the  ceremonial white steel beam to the roof of the Campus Center. " IntroCopy="Students, faculty and staff add their names to Campus Center renovation" Date="2018-03-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Student signs name to ceremonial beam&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/HCC-beam-burns.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For now, you can still see it, in the top left corner of the Campus Center roof.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But some day soon, that white steel beam will be hidden behind the building's new fa&amp;ccedil;ade. And there it will remain as long as the building stands, covered with the names of all the HCC students, faculty, staff and construction workers who marked it before the beam was raised to its permanent home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Having the opportunity to sign this beam represents the last piece of the building that we're erecting, the highest point,&quot; said President Christina Royal, &quot;and while you won't necessarily see it, everybody who signed it today, you're leaving your imprint on history. And that's what it is. This represents our history.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal offered her remarks during a &quot;Topping Off&quot; ceremony yesterday in front of the HCC Campus Center, now in the middle of a two-year, $43.5 million, top-to-bottom renovation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a construction practice that reportedly dates back to 7th century Scandinavia, &quot;Topping Off&quot; ceremonies are held before the last and highest beam is fixed to the frame of new buildings. Traditionally, the beam is painted white and signed by work crews and others involved in the project and adorned with a small evergreen tree and an American flag.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Topping Off ceremonies are also meant to honor the construction workers, many of whom signed the beam.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The white beam was displayed outside the construction zone for a couple of hours before the ceremony so members of the HCC community would have a chance to sign it. By the time it was lifted, the 10-foot beam was covered with signatures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10156087187934330.1073742081.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=451d2e5856&quot; title=&quot;Facebook Topping History gallery&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos in our Facebook photo album.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is an absolutely perfect day for an event like this,&quot; Royal said, remarking on the warm air and clear blue sky. &quot;I think the sun reflects the optimism that we all have about this space and what's being constructed behind us.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The nearly 40-year-old Campus Center was emptied and closed a year ago for the project. Since then, the first and second floors have been completely gutted and reconstruction work has advanced on both the interior and exterior.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The renovation will add about 9,000 square feet to the 57,727 square foot building.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The main changes include the squaring off of sloping surfaces and the addition of high windows on a new front fa&amp;ccedil;ade to complement the look of the adjacent and more modern HCC Kittredge Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The entire structure will be sealed in a watertight, energy-efficient envelope. A glass atrium entrance is being added to the campus courtyard side of the building. An external balcony will be enclosed and the dining area extended on the second floor. A dedicated visitor parking lot will lead to a walkway bridge spanning a restored brook that was temporarily diverted underground.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The bridge will lead to a new main entrance and into a first-floor &quot;Welcome Center&quot; that will house the Admissions Office, Assessment Center, and Advising, Career and Transfer (ACT) Center, which are all being relocated from the Frost Building.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A second floor &quot;Student Engagement&quot; area will include the cafeteria and food court, the College Store (relocated from first floor); Student Activities and Student Clubs (relocated from the Donahue Building); Multicultural Academic Services (relocated from the Frost Building); and lounge areas with study &quot;pods&quot; and charging stations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Electronic Media and Photography programs will return to the third-floor Media Arts Center, which is getting new ductwork, lighting and ceilings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This Campus Center is a massive undertaking for the college,&quot; Royal said. &quot;It's one of the largest footprints we have on campus. What's so significant about this space is that it is for students, and this project will have a transformative effect as we bring offices together to help us better support and serve our students.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The building is expected to reopen for the Fall 2019 semester.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO&amp;nbsp; (Above) HCC student Erin Burns of Belchertown signs the beam for herself and other members of her family who also attended HCC. (Thumbnail) Workers lift the last beam into place for the Campus Center roof.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7452" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/charlie-epstein" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|353" FileName="x7452.xml" Name="Charlie Epstein" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Epstein-Royal.jpg" Title="On Board" Abstract="Investment adviser and East Longmeadow resident Charlie Epstein is the newest addition to the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees." ThumbnailAltText="Charlie Epstein, right, with HCC president Christina Royal, after his first board meeting." IntroCopy="HCC welcomes Charlie Epstein as new trustee" Date="2018-02-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Charlie Epstein, right, with HCC president Christina Royal, after his first board meeting.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Epstein-Royal.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees welcomed its newest member, Charlie Epstein, an investment adviser and retirement consultant from East Longmeadow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Epstein was appointed to the board b&quot;y Gov. Charlie Baker and sworn in on Feb. 2.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's always a pleasure to strengthen the board,&quot; said trustees chair Robert Gilbert. &quot;Charlie is a very good financial planner. His program is stellar. With his financial acumen, he'll be a welcome addition.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Epstein is the principal of the Holyoke-based Epstein Financial Group LLC and Epstein Financial Services, a registered investment advisory firm that provides corporate retirement plan consulting as well as wealth management and financial planning services for business owners, professionals and individual plan participants.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His two-year term runs through March 2020.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC is an enormous resource for western Massachusetts,&quot; Epstein said. &quot;The college educates individuals from all backgrounds in job skills that will truly impact the success of our great Commonwealth.&amp;nbsp;I am honored to be selected as a trustee.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Epstein is also owner of the 401K Coach Program, which offers financial adviser education services and training, the author of two books &amp;mdash; &quot;Paychecks for Life: How to Turn Your 401(k) into a Paycheck Manufacturing Company&quot; and &quot;Save America, Save! The Secrets of a Successful 401(k) Plan&quot; &amp;mdash; an industry conference speaker, and commentator who has appeared on the Fox Business Network. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 1994 he founded the Family Business Center of the Pioneer Valley in Amherst and remains on its board of directors. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Colgate University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Charlie Epstein, right, with HCC president Christina Royal, after his first board meeting.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7435" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/theater-awards" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165|226" FileName="x7435.xml" Name="Theater Awards" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Rhinos-point.jpg" Title="Theatrical Acclaim" Abstract="Two HCC Theater Department productions received outstanding ensemble acting awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. " ThumbnailAltText="A scene from HCC's Fall 2017 Theater Department production of &quot;Rhinoceros,&quot; directed by Tim Cochran." IntroCopy="Two HCC Theater Department products recognized at Kennedy Center festival" Date="2018-02-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A scene from the Spring 2017 HCC Theater Department production of &amp;quot;Getting Out&amp;quot;&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/GO-shadow-bars.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One play was a drama about an abused woman trying to rebuild her life after getting out of prison. The other was a comedic parable about the dangers of conformity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both Holyoke Community College Theater Department productions won ensemble acting awards earlier this month at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/getting-out&quot;&gt;HCC's production of &quot;Getting Out,&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;by playwright Marsha Norman, received the award for &quot;Outstanding Ensemble Performance&quot; for the Spring 2017 semester. &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/rhinos&quot;&gt;The college production of &quot;Rhinoceros,&lt;/a&gt;&quot; by Eugene Ionesco, won the same award for the Fall 2017 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC belongs to KCACTF Region I, which includes New York and all six New England states. Awards are based on the recommendations of respondents, who travel around the country to view college theater productions and offer critiques.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a really nice recognition because we're in competition with four-year institutions, and it's a large region,&quot; said HCC theater professor Pat Sandoval, director of &quot;Getting Out.&quot; &quot;This is a real credit to our department because it shows that the students are working together to create a place and time, and it comes across that they are well rehearsed and ready to perform.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The awards were announced during the 2018 KCACTF Region I festival, held Jan. 30 to Feb. 4 at West Connecticut State University in Danbury, Conn. During the six-day festival, HCC students and theater department staff attended lectures and workshops and participated in theater-related activities and competitions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC English professor Lisa Mahon and sociology professor Melissa Weise also received an award at the festival for &quot;Dramaturgy,&quot; or historical accuracy. Mahon and Weise co-taught a course during the Spring 2017 semester about incarcerated women called &quot;Orange is the New Black.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The research and background information the class gathered informed preparations of the cast and production team for &quot;Getting Out,&quot; and statistics and other information from their course was displayed in the theater lobby during performances.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is not the first time HCC has been honored at the festival. Last year, the college's Spring 2016 production of &quot;The Whale,&quot; by Samuel B. Hunter, won the award for &quot;Outstanding Dedication to the Script.&quot; That play was directed by HCC theater professor Tim Cochran, who also directed &quot;Rhinoceros,&quot; and HCC students have received individual honors at past festivals for acting and stage managing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our theater program consistently receives recognition at this event, which speaks to the quality and excellence of the curriculum and our faculty,&quot; said Monica Perez, HCC vice president of Academic Affairs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Theater Department puts on two full stage productions each academic year, one every semester. In addition, HCC students take part the annual alumni-sponsored 24-Hour Theater Festival in September, a Festival of One-Act plays in the spring, and No Shame Theater, a periodic student-run event where students gather to write, rehearse and perform short plays in one evening.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC students can study theater, acting, stage fighting, set design, and production as part of the CMTA &amp;mdash; &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/communication-media-and-theater-arts&quot;&gt;Communications, Media and Theater Arts &amp;mdash;&lt;/a&gt; associate degree program, take theater classes as electives or join the HCC Drama Club, also known as the HCC Players.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This was the fourth time HCC student Jakub Bucior, of Suffield, Conn., has attended the festival. Bucker had both on-stage and off-stage roles in &quot;Rhinoceros,&quot; serving as assistant director and playing the role of the &quot;Logician&quot; in Ionesco's social satire, where, one by one, the residents of one town literally turn into rampaging beasts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year at the festival Bucior focused on directing and playwriting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was definitely fun,&quot; said Bucior, &quot;It was a good experience. The workshops were amazing.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Auditions were held last week for &quot;Enemy of the People,&quot; by Henrik Ibsen, the Theater Department's Spring 2018 production, directed by Tom Geha.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Above) &lt;em&gt;Marissa Perez, right, of Florence, played the main character Arlene, a woman just out of prison in &quot;Getting Out,&quot; while Carina Savoie, of Agawam, played Arlie, her younger self. (Thumbnail) A scene from HCC's Fall 2017 Theater Department production of &quot;Rhinoceros,&quot; directed by Tim Cochran. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7445" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/topping-off" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193" FileName="x7445.xml" Name="Topping Off" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/CC-roof-worker.jpg" Title="Topping It Off" Abstract="HCC will hold a traditional &quot;Topping Off&quot; ceremony&quot; Wed., Feb. 28, as the last beam is added to the new roof of the HCC Campus Center, now under renovation. " ThumbnailAltText="Worker on the steel beams of the campus Center. " IntroCopy="Tradition dates back to 7th century Scandinavia" Date="2018-02-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Campus Center front&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/CC-topoff.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a tradition that reportedly dates back to 7th century Scandinavia, Holyoke Community College will hold a &quot;Topping Off&quot; ceremony&quot; on Wed., Feb. 28, as the last beam is added to the new roof of the HCC Campus Center, where a two-year, $43.5 million renovation project is now underway.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The short ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the parking lot in front of the building. In keeping with tradition, the last beam will be painted white to signify completion of the framework and the building's attaining its full height. The beam will be displayed at the site beginning at 9 a.m. that day so members of the HCC community will have the opportunity to mark it for posterity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Students, faculty and staff will literally be able to add their names to history by signing the beam before it is raised,&quot; said Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement. &quot;We think this is a fitting way to symbolize the inclusive atmosphere our new Campus Center will provide.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ceremony is also meant to honor the construction crew. Walsh Brothers is the general contractor for the project, which is expected to be completed next year.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC President Christina Royal will offer brief remarks before the beam is raised to its permanent home atop the building.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Akin to a barn raising, &quot;topping off&quot; ceremonies are traditionally held as the last beam is raised into place on new buildings. Besides being painted white, the beam is also typically adorned with a small evergreen tree on one end and an American flag on the other.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Above) Construction crews work on the roof of the HCC Campus Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7423" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gaming-preview" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x7423.xml" Name="Gaming Preview" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Gaming-J-C-M-craps.jpg" Title="Gaming School Glimpse" Abstract="HCC and its partners offered a preview earlier this week of the gaming school where job seekers can be trained to work as dealers and croupiers for MGM Springfield. " ThumbnailAltText="Jeff Hayden, HCC vice president of Business and Community Services, with HCC president Christina Royal and Michele Cabral, interim director of the MCCTI Gaming School, during a preview event at the school, which is set to open Feb. 26. " IntroCopy="HCC, STCC, MGM offer preview of MCCTI Gaming School" Date="2018-02-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal tests her blackjack dealing skiils as MGM trainer Angel Rivera of Springfield offers tips.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Gaming-royal-deal.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The house was full, and not just at the poker tables.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Reporters, photographers and many others flocked to downtown Springfield Tuesday for a chance to preview the new MCCTI Gaming School in advance of its scheduled opening Monday, Feb. 26.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The school, on the ninth floor of 95 State St., overlooking construction of MGM Springfield's $960 million resort-casino, will train area residents who want to work for MGM as dealers and croupiers in a variety of casino games, including poker, blackjack, craps, roulette and mini-baccarat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is running the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gaming-school&quot;&gt;Massachusetts Casino Careers Training Institute Gaming School&lt;/a&gt; with Springfield Technical Community College through their TWO (Training and Workforce Options) collaborative and in partnership with MGM Springfield, which owns the gaming school facility and will supply the trainers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10156045125354330.1073742079.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=2931045970&quot; title=&quot;Gaming School FB photo gallery&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Take a look inside the gaming school in our Facebook photo gallery&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classes are now forming. MGM expects to hire as many as 450 new employees to work at casino game tables.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The opening of the MCCTI Gaming School is a testament to the way in which collaborations between community colleges and workforce partners can bridge the gap between the skills of individuals and the needs of employers,&quot; said HCC President Christina Royal, who toured the school and got some tips from experienced MGM trainers at one of the blackjack tables, where she practiced dealing to students already registered to attend classes there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We provide residents with pathways to careers that lift families out of poverty, raise lifetime earnings and reduce costs to society, and we ensure that employers have the skilled workers they need to enable their businesses to thrive,&quot; she said. &quot;The partnership between HCC, STCC and MGM is an example of what we can achieve when we work together. This and future collaborations are what it takes to ensure that our region and its people thrive.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The gaming school occupies one large room set up to mimic a casino floor. It is equipped with 30 tables (four poker, four roulette, four craps, two mini-baccarat, 12 blackjack, and four novelty), 432 decks of cards and eight sets of dice.&amp;nbsp; Fifteen professional trainers will run three class sessions each day from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tuesday's sneak peak also came with some big news for prospective students. MGM announced a tuition reimbursement program for students who successfully complete training in two table games, pass their try-out, get hired and work for MGM for at least one year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The school itself is also offering a payment plan for students that will allow them to start classes for as little as $200.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A full schedule of training classes, course descriptions, tuition costs and other details at the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mccti.org/&quot; title=&quot;MCCTI Gaming School&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MCCTI website.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In other news, Michele Cabral, most recently HCC's interim dean of Business and Technology, will oversee day-to-day operations at the gaming school as its acting director.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cabral started her career as a certified public accountant for KPMG Peat Marwick and later worked for CIGNA Insurance and Farm Credit Financial Partners Inc. where she was the chief financial and operating officer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She joined HCC in 2014 as a full-time member of the business faculty, teaching accounting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The West Springfield resident holds a bachelor's degree from Westfield State University and an MBA from Elms College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She will also remain interim dean of HCC's Hospitality and Culinary Arts programs, until a permanent dean is hired for the Business and Technology position.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, check out these recent news stories about the Gaming School.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MassLive:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com/business-news/index.ssf/2018/02/mgm_springfield_casino_community_college.html#incart_2box&quot; title=&quot;Gaming school preview photos&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MGM, community colleges show off dealer school (video and photo gallery)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MassLive&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com/mgm_springfield/index.ssf/2018/02/mgm_springfield_offers_tuition.html&quot; title=&quot;MGM offers tuition reimbursement for gaming school students&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MGM offers tuition reimbursement for gaming school students&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WAMC-Northeast Public Radio&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://wamc.org/post/needing-dealers-mgm-offers-tuition-reimbursement-gaming-school&quot; title=&quot;MGM offers sneak peak at new gaming school&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MGM offers tuition reimbursement for gaming school&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Western Mass News:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.westernmassnews.com/story/37495263/mgm-offers-sneak-peek-at-new-gaming-school&quot; title=&quot;MGM offers sneak peak at new gaming school&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MGM offers sneak peak at new gaming school&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Valley Advocate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://valleyadvocate.com/2018/02/14/sneak-peek-inside-mgms-new-casino-career-training-institute-springfield/&quot; title=&quot;Sneak Peak inside New Casino Careers Training Institute&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Sneak Peak Inside New Casino Careers Training Institute&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Above) HCC president Christina Royal tests her blackjack dealing skiils as MGM trainer Angel Rivera of Springfield offers tips. (Thumbnail) Jeff Hayden, HCC vice president of Business and Community Services, with HCC president Christina Royal and Michele Cabral, acting director of the MCCTI Gaming School, during a preview event at the school.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7436" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/library-update" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|165" FileName="x7436.xml" Name="Library Update" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Slideshows/Library-NEW2.jpg" Title="Library Update" Abstract="The Holyoke Community College Library has a new look after a recent renovation meant to improve services for modern times.  " ThumbnailAltText="The new library checkout desk is set back off the main lobby space. " IntroCopy="The HCC Library lobby gets a $65,000 facelift" Date="2018-02-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Picture of updated library lobby with new carpet, paint, furniture and circulation desk. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Library-new.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The old, ratchety, hip-thwacking turnstiles are gone now. So too is the electronic gate once meant to deter book thieves. An entire wall was removed and the circulation desk relocated.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visitors to the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/library&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College Library&lt;/a&gt; will notice these and many more changes since classes resumed for the Spring 2018 semester. In fact, the library lobby on the second floor of the Donahue building has been completely transformed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There's new carpet, new furniture, fresh paint, and a lot more room for students who want to sit, relax, and study in a quiet, tranquil space.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We wanted to make the library more student centered,&quot; said Mary Dixey, dean of Library Services. &quot;You don't see setups like we had anymore.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The biggest change was the demolition of the old circulation desk that took up more than a third of the lobby. The new circulation desk is much smaller and set off to the side where the HCC Archives used to be before the wall was removed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Library reserves are in the back behind the circulation desk, along with specialized CDs, relocated from the second floor. The archives were moved to a smaller corner office. All the changes have added about 500 square feet of study space.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dixey said modern libraries no longer use the kinds of traffic control devices and security systems they once did, like turnstiles and electronic gates. As book circulation has declined and electronic resources have increased, libraries rely much more the honor system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The philosophy today is different,&quot; she said. &quot;It's not about control. It's about service. We're just not expecting people to steal.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even as overall enrollment has declined, library gate counts have held steady to about 100,000 a year, she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;People are coming here,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Removal of the old circulation desk has also made it easier for people using wheelchairs to find the elevator.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was kind of an obstacle course before,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The $65,000 library renovation began in January and was completed by the second week of the semester.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The library has seen other improvements as well over the past few semesters, including the replacement of long tables with individual study carols on the second floor and the construction of bar-height tables and chairs by the window overlooking the HCC&amp;nbsp; courtyard.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Above) The newly renovated HCC Library lobby. (Thumbnail) The circulation desk has been relocated to the space where they HCC Archives used to be before a wall was removed.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7421" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/stronger-together" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|66" FileName="x7421.xml" Name="Stronger Together" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Royal-treeger-hall.jpg" Title="'Stronger Together'" Abstract="HCC's history of regional collaboration runs deep, according to President Christina Royal, whose viewpoint piece was published Sunday in the Republican's Outlook 2018 section. " ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal" IntroCopy="President Royal: HCC's history of regional collaboration runs deep" Date="2018-02-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Gaming license awarded to STCC and HCC&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Gaming-certificate.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/News/Royal-Viewpoint-Outlook-2-11-18.pdf&quot; title=&quot;HCC history rooted in collaboration&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;This Viewpoint piece&lt;/a&gt; was published Feb. 11, 2018, on Page K1 of The Republican newspaper's Outlook 2018 section under the headline 'HCC history rooted in collaboration.&quot; It was also &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2018/02/holyoke_community_college_hist.html&quot; title=&quot;HCC history rooted in collaboration&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;published online&lt;/a&gt; on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com&quot; title=&quot;MassLive&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MassLive&lt;/a&gt; Feb. 13.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This year's Outlook theme was collaboration &amp;mdash; &quot;Stronger Together.&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By CHRISTINA ROYAL&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;President of Holyoke Community College&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At Holyoke Community College, we use the words &quot;collaboration&quot; and &quot;partnership&quot; a lot, and with good reason.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We don't do anything alone. Whether we're talking about workforce development and job training, building new facilities, developing academic programs, or forging transfer pathways, to be true to our mission, every HCC venture, project or initiative must in some way benefit the cities and towns we serve, the residents who live there and the places they will work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For example, in response to industry needs, in January we opened the HCC-MGM Culinary Arts Institute in Holyoke's Innovation District. We expect the institute to become the region's premier culinary arts and hospitality education and training facility, supplying a new generation of workers for area restaurants and hotels and filling many of the jobs that will be available once MGM Springfield opens in September.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This was not a solitary endeavor but a partnership of the college, the city of Holyoke, MGM and local developers, funded through a mix of city, state, and federal funds, grants and private donations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's middle name might be &quot;community,&quot; but that middle C could just as well stand for &quot;collaborate&quot; or &quot;co-create,&quot; that is, working together to build something new, such as the gaming school set to open later this month in Springfield. HCC will operate the school jointly with our colleagues at Springfield Technical Community College, and in partnership, once again, with MGM Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Why?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Community colleges are in the business of education, and we operate in the public interest. As good community partners we want area residents to be educated, skilled and properly trained for the jobs that are available and offer the most potential. &lt;br /&gt;As the oldest two-year college in Massachusetts, HCC has 71 years of experience partnering with institutions of all kinds. In fact, the college was born of innovation through collaboration.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We trace our origins back to the 1920s, when faculty from Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke and Springfield colleges and the University of Massachusetts came together to start offering college-level classes to working adults, at the time a radical idea.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Later, the Holyoke Graduate School began operating out of Holyoke High School. Students then were mostly veterans of World War II, taking advantage of the educational benefits of the GI Bill.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 1946, that school became Holyoke Junior College with classes taught mostly by distinguished faculty from the area's top colleges. Holyoke Junior College joined the state college system in 1964 and was renamed Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 1968, however, a fire destroyed the downtown campus and put the college's future in doubt. Administrators, trustees and state officials pushed to merge HCC with STCC, founded the previous year. But, Holyoke officials, local business leaders, educators and residents objected and, ultimately, prevailed. The city itself optioned the land &amp;mdash; a former dairy farm &amp;ndash; on which the new campus was constructed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;The community understood then &amp;mdash; and understands now, I believe &amp;mdash; that Holyoke Community College is vital to the region's fortunes. Finally, we can put a dollar figure on that.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;A recent economic impact study calculated the value of HCC to the Pioneer Valley at nearly $215 million annually, a contribution about as large as the region's entire arts, entertainment and recreation industry.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That is a big impact &amp;mdash; and a lot of responsibility.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So we look for opportunities to &quot;co-create&quot; with partnerships like &quot;E2E,&quot; Education to Employment, the workforce and training center we recently established in downtown Ware at the invitation of the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corp.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We're working with area high schools to expand dual enrollment programs and with Holyoke to strengthen career pathways at Dean Technical High School and also to develop new models for K-12 education to better prepare students for college.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We aggressively apply for grants to expand workforce training for the unemployed and to enhance our academic offerings. For instance, HCC recently received a $431,000 federal grant to expand our Community Health Worker program. Our partners are Behavioral Health Networks and Gandara Center, two human service agencies in need of employees with that kind of skill set.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When it opens on campus this summer, our Center for Life Sciences will offer advanced biotechnology education and training in the region's only instructional &quot;clean room&quot; lab, designed in consultation with one of our alumni, scientist Steven Richter, a member of the Class of 1975, who is founder of Microtest Labs, now Avista Pharma, in Agawam.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Society is never still. We can't be either. Institutions like HCC can be key catalysts of change, but we must also evolve and grow along with our economies and communities. When we need to adapt, we do. That benefits us all.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PHOTO: Bruce Stebbins, commissioner of the Mass. Gaming Commission, awards a license to operate a gaming school to HCC president Christina Royal and STCC president John Cook. The two schools, in collaboation with MGM Springfield, will run the MCCTI Gaming School through TWO, their workforce training partnership&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7411" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/new-aa-officer" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x7411.xml" Name="New AA officer" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Nicholas-DAgostino.jpg" Title="That's Affirmative" Abstract="Nicholas D'Agostino, HCC's new Affirmative Action officer and Title IX coordinator, is a longtime advocate for equity and social justice." ThumbnailAltText="Nicholas D'Agostino" IntroCopy="Nicholas D'Agostino is a longtime advocate for equity and social justice." Date="2018-02-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Nicholas D'Agostino&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Nicholas-DAgostino.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is proud to welcome Nicholas D'Agostino as its new Affirmative Action officer and Title IX coordinator.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;D'Agostino comes to HCC after working for nearly 12 years as an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action professional in the state of Connecticut, most recently as the associate in Diversity and Equity at Central Connecticut State University and before that as an EEO specialist with the Conn. Dept. of Children and Families.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He started at HCC on Monday, Jan. 29.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm grateful for the opportunity to join the HCC team,&quot; said D'Agostino. &quot;Taking the leap to leave one institution to join another is never easy, but I believe HCC was the right choice for me. I look forward to building upon HCC's strong foundation and hope to contribute in a meaningful way to the future of the college and our community.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A longtime advocate for equity and social justice with a focus on LGBTQ issues, D'Agostino has been an Anti-Defamation League anti-bullying trainer for more than 10 years and has a long association with True Colors, a support and advocacy group in Hartford for LGBTQ youth, which he has served as board president. He has either led or participated in hundreds of affirmative action and discrimination investigations during his career.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At CCSU, D'Agostino conducted awareness and advocacy programs, promoted social justice initiatives, engaged the college community in sexual harassment and assault prevention and led training sessions on diversity, Title IX compliance, anti-racism, and LGBTQ awareness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Title IX is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in federally funded education programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;D'Agostino holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from Quinnipiac University and a master's degree in counselor education with a specialization in student development in higher education from CCSU.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He and his husband live in Wallingford, Conn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Nicholas D'Agostino&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7314" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/economic-impact" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x7314.xml" Name="Economic Impact" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/HCC-Spring-thumb.jpg" Title="'Economic powerhouse'" Abstract="A new report calculates HCC’s economic value to the Pioneer Valley at nearly $215 million a year and notes that HCC represents a wise investment for both students and taxpayers." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Spring flowers" IntroCopy="Report: HCC a great investment for students, taxpayers, region " Date="2018-01-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC campus spring with flowers&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-Spring-thumb.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Students who graduate from Holyoke Community College with an associate degree will see an average increase in annual earnings of about $10,000 a year compared to those with only a high school diploma, according to a new report that calculates the total economic impact of HCC on the Pioneer Valley at nearly $215 million annually.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;By comparison,&quot; the report says, &quot;this contribution that the college provides on its own is almost as large as the entire Arts, Entertainment, &amp;amp; Recreation industry in this area.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The analysis of HCC's &quot;economic value&quot; was conducted by Emsi, an economic modeling firm whose clients include colleges and universities as well as some of the largest for-profit corporations in the U.S., such as Amazon and Coca-Cola. For this, Emsi based its conclusions on academic and financial reports from HCC, industry and employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau and other surveys related to education and social behavior.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The study, commissioned by the college, looked at data from 2015-2016.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When you talk about our impact, most people don't think about our economic impact,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &quot;They think about HCC offering education and the impact the college has directly on students' lives in terms of their academic studies and career pathways. I don't think people realize that we are an economic powerhouse in this region. This study puts a numerical value on what we do every day.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For fiscal year 2016, which ended June 30, 2016, the study found that the total economic impact of the college on the economy in the three counties of the Pioneer Valley (Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin) was $214.6 million, or about 0.7 percent of the region's GRP (Gross Regional Product).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That number includes direct spending by the college's 991 full-time and part-time employees as well as operational spending by the college itself and accounts for a multiplier effect, which measures how that money works its way through the regional economy. The total also includes short-term construction projects and spending by students who relocate to the Pioneer Valley as well as spending by students who choose to remain in the area for college rather than go elsewhere. In FY 2015-2016, HCC served 8,243 credit students and 3,024 non-credit students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The largest impact, though, comes from alumni &amp;mdash; former students who continue to live and work in the region: $155.1 million, or enough to support 2,642 jobs, the report notes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The study also examined the economic benefits of HCC from a student's perspective, noting that those who complete their associate degree could expect to earn an average of $9,600 more per year than those with only a high school diploma.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In return for their investment,&quot; the report says, &quot;HCC's students will receive a stream of higher future earnings that will continue to grow through their working lives.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put another way, for every $1 students invest in their education (out-of-pocket expenses, interest on loans, foregone income while in school), they will earn $3.2, an average return of 12.7 percent.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is an impressive return, especially when compared to the 30-year average 10.1 percent of the U.S. stock market,&quot; the report says.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The report also concludes that HCC represents a &quot;a solid investment&quot; for taxpayers, generating more in tax revenue than it takes in through state and local funding, $54.6 million, compared to $31.6 million, or a benefit-cost ratio of 1.8, an average rate of return of 4.5 percent.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Massachusetts also benefits as a whole from the presence of HCC in two major ways: increased prosperity from an expanding economic base and savings generated by the improved lifestyles of students, most notably in a reduction in medical costs through improved health, reduced crime and lower employer contributions toward unemployment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The results of this study demonstrate that HCC creates value from multiple perspectives,&quot; Emsi concludes. &quot;The college benefits local businesses by increasing consumer spending in the region and supplying a steady flow of qualified, trained workers into the workforce. It enriches the lives of students by raising their lifetime earnings and helping them achieve their individual potential. It benefits state and local taxpayers through increased tax receipts across the state and a reduced demand for government-supported social services. Finally, it benefits society as a whole in Massachusetts by creating a more prosperous economy and generating a variety of savings through the improved lifestyle of students.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/News/HCC_Econ-Impact_Final.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Emsi Economic Impact Report Executive Summary&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here to view the full Executive Summary of the report.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7356" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/deans-list-fall-2017" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x7356.xml" Name="Deans List Fall 2017" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Lindsey-Pare.jpg" Title="Superior Achievement" Abstract="Holyoke Community College is proud to recognize the 1,033 students who earned Dean's List honors for the Fall 2017 semester. " ThumbnailAltText="Lindsey Pare is one of more than 1,000 HCC students who made the Dean's List for the Fall 2017 semester." IntroCopy="HCC is proud to recognize the students who have earned Dean's List honors for the Fall 2017 semester. " Date="2018-01-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Each semester Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the Dean's List. A student is placed on the Dean's List if his or her G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Follow the link below to see the list of all the HCC students who&amp;nbsp;earned Dean's List status for the Fall 2017 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/achievements/deans-list&quot;&gt;Dean's List&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Lindsey Pare is one of more than 1,000 HCC students who made the Dean's List for the Fall 2017 semeste&lt;/em&gt;r.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7398" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/holyoke-soup" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x7398.xml" Name="Holyoke Soup" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/CAI-signs-corner.jpg" Title="Soup's On" Abstract="Holyoke Soup, a community-based, crowdfunding event, will debut Thurs., Feb. 15, at its new location at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute." ThumbnailAltText="HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute" IntroCopy="Postponed community event will now debut Thurs., Feb. 15, at HCC's new Culinary Arts facility" Date="2018-02-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute Dining Room&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/HCC-tables-set.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After Wednesday's snow cancellation, Holyoke Soup, a community-based, crowdfunding, idea-generating offshoot of &lt;a href=&quot;https://sparkholyoke.com/&quot; title=&quot;SPARK Holyoke&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SPARK Holyoke&lt;/a&gt;, will now debut at its new location at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Thurs., Feb. 15, at 5:30 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Soup is a dinner celebrating and supporting creative and entrepreneurial projects in&amp;nbsp;Holyoke. For $5, attendees receive soup, salad, and bread while listening to presentations about business, art, urban agriculture, social justice, social programs, education, technology, and much more. Contestants have four minutes each to pitch their ideas, and audience members vote for the pitch they like best. Whoever receives the most votes collects the money from that evening.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new location of&amp;nbsp;Holyoke&amp;nbsp;Soup represents an increased collaboration between the SPARK entrepreneurship program and Holyoke Community College. The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, at 164 Race St., opened Jan. 22.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're really excited to be able to work with HCC and utilize its new culinary facility, bringing a new level of excitement to this great community event that always brings a diverse group of people together,&quot; said SPARK program manager Tessa Murphy-Romboletti.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dinner will be prepared and served by students from the culinary arts programs at HCC and Dean Technical High School. HCC students and faculty will be conducting tours of the new facility, and local entrepreneurs will also be showcasing their businesses and selling their products at pop-up shops featured throughout the evening.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There is great synergy in SPARK's endeavor and HCC's mission, so we are delighted to be able to offer our new Culinary Arts Institute as a resource,&quot; said Jeffrey Hayden, HCC vice president of Business and Community Services. &quot;We can't wait to see the new opportunities that will certainly emerge from this partnership.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event is open to the public for the $5 donation. Anyone interested in attending is asked to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.eventbrite.com/e/holyoke-soup-tickets-42240153436?utm_source=eb_email&amp;amp;utm_medium=email&amp;amp;utm_campaign=new_event_email&amp;amp;utm_term=viewmyevent_button&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke Soup registration&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;register online.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SPARK Holyoke is a program of the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce Centennial Foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: (Thumbnail) HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. (Top) The dining room at the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute at 164 Race St., Holyoke&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7342" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gourmet-cooking" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|194" FileName="x7342.xml" Name="Gourmet Cooking" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/Chef-Dino.jpg" Title="Order Up" Abstract="HCC's new gourmet cooking and baking series begins Feb. 9 with a class focused on Italian classics, taught by Chef Dino Diaz '12, a graduate of the college's Culinary Arts program." ThumbnailAltText="Chef Dino is a 2012 graduate of HCC's Culinary Arts program. " IntroCopy="HCC launches evening gourmet cooking and baking series at new culinary arts facility" Date="2018-01-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chef Dino Diaz&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/Chef-Dino.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coinciding with the debut of the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in downtown Holyoke, Holyoke Community College is offering an evening series of gourmet cooking and baking classes in the facility's state-of-the-art teaching kitchens.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In each single-session, hands-on class, participants will learn how to prepare appetizers, salads, sauces, entrees and desserts under the guidance of professional chefs. Not only will they dine on their creations, they will also leave with the knowledge and confidence they need to replicate those recipes at home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first gourmet cooking class, &quot;Italian Classics: Back to Naples,&quot; is Friday, Feb. 9, from 6 to 9 p.m., followed by the inaugural baking class, &quot;Valentine's Day Romance: Love and Chocolate,&quot; on Tuesday, Feb. 13, from 5:30 to 9 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These and all future classes will be held at HCC's new, downtown culinary arts education and training center at 164 Race St.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The college is very excited about bringing these types of culinary experiences to the Pioneer Valley,&quot; said Ken White, HCC dean of Community Services. &quot;It's an evening out for entertainment and education. It's meant to be fun.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The gourmet cooking series grew from cooking classes offered on campus during the past few years as part of HCC's Summer Youth Programs for teens and pre-teens.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those classes were taught by Domingo &quot;Dino&quot; Diaz Jr. of Springfield, a professional chef, HCC adjunct faculty member and a 2012 graduate of HCC's Culinary Arts program. On each day of those summer sessions, &quot;Chef Dino&quot; focused on a different kind of cuisine and stressed cooking basics with an upscale, fine-dining focus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The parents were so crazy about the food he was having their kids prepare they asked if we would ever consider running classes like that for adults,&quot; White said. &quot;We said, yes, if we ever had the opportunity, and the new facility on Race Street now provides us the perfect opportunity.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute will officially open Monday, Jan. 22, with the start of the spring semester. Diaz, for one, is excited about the vast, second-floor space where he'll be conducting his classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The layout will give students the true feeling of working in a restaurant kitchen,&quot; he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Diaz designed and will teach the &quot;Dine Out with Chef Dino&quot; gourmet cooking classes. The menus each night are a mix of his personal recipes and those he likes from other sources. In the &quot;Back to Naples&quot; class, for instance, he will teach participants how to prepare a five-course classic Italian meal from scratch &amp;mdash; handmade fettuccini, slow-cooked Italian meat sauce, chicken parmigiana, saut&amp;eacute;ed broccoli rabe, Sicilian salad and ricotta-filled cannoli with dark minced chocolate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classes are limited to 12 people, and they work in teams of two.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Unlike similar types of programs where each team works on different dishes, what separates ours from others is that everybody in the class gets to create, prepare and produce every item they're going to be consuming that night,&quot; White said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And the classes are not just about cooking. Participants will also learn about picking produce and buying locally sourced, non-GMO ingredients, how to elegantly plate their dishes, pairing sides, pairing wines, and preparing meals for people with dietary restrictions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's really a full night of learning what it's like to create a visually appealing, healthy, fine-dining experience,&quot; White said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The baking classes will be taught Maria Contreras, the baking instructor in HCC's Culinary Arts program. In her Feb. 13 Valentine's Day Romance class, participants will learn how to make a flourless chocolate ganache tort and chocolate mousse.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classes in the gourmet cooking series cost $79 each. Baking classes are $59 each.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Other Spring semester classes:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Beef Bourguignon: A French Classic,&quot; with Chef Dino, Thursday, March 8, 6-9 p.m. (Beef bourguignon; baby carrots, pearl onions and button mushrooms; whipped potatoes; supreme salad with maple apple vinaigrette; chocolate souffl&amp;eacute;)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Salmon Three Ways,&quot; with Chef Dino, Thursday, April 5, 6-9 p.m. (salmon with homemade pesto; salmon with citrus soy glaze; blackened salmon; risotto a la Milanese with baby asparagus; New York style lemon cheesecake)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Croquembouche: A Celebration of That Someone Special or Special Occasion,&quot; with Chef Contreras, Tuesday, April 17, 5:30-9 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Show Stopper Starters (appetizers),&quot; with Chef Dino, Friday, May 11, 6-9 p.m. (seared scallops; stuffed mushrooms; tenderloin crostini; artichoke hearts a la francaise)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For more information or to register for classes, please go to: www.hcc.edu/bce or call 413.552.2500.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Above) Chef Dino Diaz '12 will teach a series of gourmet cooking classes at the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute starting Feb. 9.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7327" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/lets-cook" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|194" FileName="x7327.xml" Name="Let's Cook" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2018/Features/CAI-crepes.jpg" Title="Let's Cook" Abstract="The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute is open. Take a look inside the gleaming new $6.43 million, 20,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art hospitality and culinary training facility." ThumbnailAltText="Students prepare crepes at the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute" IntroCopy="Explore the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.  " Date="2018-01-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute main entrance&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2018/Features/CAI-mainentrance.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The kitchens are open, and the ovens are on. It's time to cook.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classes officially began Monday, Jan. 22, with the start of the spring semester at the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, a $6.43 million, 20,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art culinary education and training facility in downtown Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC staff, faculty, and trustees got a sneak preview of the new facility during a &quot;Taste of the Space&quot; event Tuesday evening, where an assorted menu of small plates were prepared by Culinary Arts students and alumni using the new kitchens for the first time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;style type=&quot;text/css&quot;&gt;&lt;!--p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000}span.s1 {font-kerning: none}--&gt;&lt;/style&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are so excited,&quot; said student Behnam Alimirzaei, who prepared mushroom crepes. &quot;Everything's brand new. New building. New equipment. New technology. It's beautiful.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Take a virtual tour below and check out more photos on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155970158629330.1073742078.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=5c6864ebbb&quot; title=&quot;HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute Facebook photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;HCC's Facebook page.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you would like to enroll in HCC's Culinary Arts certificate or associate degree programs, please start by filling out an online application through&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot;&gt;Admission&lt;/a&gt;, or contact the Admissions office at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;admissions email&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or 413.552.2321.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you are interested in one of our noncredit &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.3dcartstores.com/Gourmet-Cooking-Series_c_1546.html&quot; title=&quot;Gourmet Cooking Series&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Gourmet Cooking&lt;/a&gt; or&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.3dcartstores.com/Gourmet-Baking_c_1545.html&quot; title=&quot;Gourmet Baking&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Gourmet Baking&lt;/a&gt; classes, follow the links and sign up online or call HCC Community Services at 413.552-2500.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Read more:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com/business-news/index.ssf/2018/01/first_classes_monday_for_holyoke_communi.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MassLive: Holyoke Community College MGM Culinary Arts Institute Ready for Students&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gourmet-cooking&quot;&gt;HCC News: HCC adds evening gourmet cooking and baking classes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Listen:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://wamc.org/post/plenty-jobs-waiting-classes-begin-soon-community-colleges-new-culinary-education-center&quot; title=&quot;With plenty of jobs waiting, classes begin soon at community college's new culinary education center&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;On WAMC Northeast Public Radio: Classes set to begin at HCC's new culinary arts education center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x20013" URL="x20013.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20013.xml" Name="News 2017" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x360" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/hccs-all-american" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="2" FileName="x360.xml" Name="HCC's All American" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Jenn-Galindo-thumb.jpg" Title="HCC's All-American" Abstract="Sophomore midfielder Jennifer Galindo earned top honors for 2016 for her play in NCJAA Division III women's soccer. " ThumbnailAltText="Jennifer Galindo moves the ball downfield against AIC in the 2016 home opener against AIC last fall." IntroCopy="Sophomore midfielder Jennifer Galindo earns top honors for 2016 in women's soccer. " Date="2017-01-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jennifer Galindo&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Jenn-Galindo-feature.jpg&quot; style=&quot;float: left; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;Sophomore Jennifer Galindo, a defensive center midfielder who helped lead the HCC women's soccer team to its fifth straight New England Championship, has been named a first-team All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association for Division III for the 2016 season.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Galindo, a liberal arts major who graduated from Chicopee Comprehensive High School and now lives in South Hadley, lead the Lady Cougars with 13 assists and was named the team's most valuable player. She finished with 12 goals and a total of 37 total points, second only to her sister, attacking center midfielder Natalie Galindo of Chicopee, who was named a first-team All-American after the 2015 season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Jennifer was one of the Cougars most dominant players all season,&quot; said coach Rob Galazka. &quot;She has exceptional skill with the ball, tremendous vision on the field and outstanding offensive and defensive abilities. She is also an extraordinary distributor of the ball. This honor is well deserved.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jennifer Galindo also received first-team All New England honors for 2016 along with her sister Natalie, freshman forward Olivia Neiswanger of Holyoke and freshman center back McKenzie Wilson of South Hadley.Freshman center midfielder Allison Zollo of Monson, sophomore wing midfielder Alexandria Stuetzel of Feeding Hills and sophomore defender Rebekah Herring of Springfield earned second-team All-New England honors. Herring, a team captain, was also named Lady Cougar Player of the Year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Lady Cougars had a perfect 11-0-0 record in regional games this year, outscoring their competition 73-2 while registering nine shutouts on their way to the regional championship title.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the men's side, freshman midfielder Chris Thomas of East Longmeadow and sophomore midfielder Luis Gomes of Ludlow earned first-team All New England honors and freshman midfielder Jacob Whitacre of Granby earned second-team All New England honors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Jennifer Galindo moves the ball downfield against AIC in HCC's 2016 home opener.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7317" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/story-after-story" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193" FileName="x7317.xml" Name="Story After Story" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Giving-jane-cart.jpg" Title="Story After Story" Abstract="HCC's 18th annual Giving Tree Campaign fulfilled the holiday wishes of 343 disadvantaged individuals from four local nonprofit agencies. " ThumbnailAltText="Sister Jane Morrissey, of Homework House, gets an eyeful of gifts at the 18th annual Giving Tree campaign closing ceremony." IntroCopy="18th annual HCC Giving Tree Campaign fulfills 343 holiday wishes" Date="2017-12-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Joanne Borkowski, assistant director of WestMass ElderCare, offers thanks to the HCC community for their generosity during the annual Giving Tree Campaign.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Giving-Borkowski.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here's one story, out of hundreds every year and thousands over the last 18.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's about Mr. Smith. Widower. Very low income. Lives in a mobile home.&amp;nbsp; Medical issues. Daughter and granddaughter in California. Typically spends the holidays alone.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a client of WestMass ElderCare, though, Mr. Smith has been a beneficiary of the annual Holyoke Community College Giving Tree Campaign.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He's a very proud man, but somewhat embarrassed when the case manager comes in, because his home is modest, run-down, and his clothes are worn,&quot; said Joanne Borkowski, assistant director of the Holyoke-based nonprofit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last year, through the Giving Tree, he received a $25 gift card to Walmart, his favorite store. With that, he bought a new pair of pajamas and a robe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The next time I go to the hospital&lt;/em&gt;, he told his case manager, &lt;em&gt;I want to look presentable.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He was thrilled and touched and overwhelmed by that gift,&quot; Borkowski said during the closing ceremony for the 18th annual HCC Giving Tree Campaign. &quot;I could go on with story after story of people who are just so overwhelmed with the kindness of the HCC community. They're lonely, they're home most of the time, they're isolated, so when someone reaches out like this and presents them with this kindness, they are so grateful.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, through the Giving Tree campaign, the HCC community fulfilled the holiday wishes of 343 individuals from four local nonprofit agencies: WestMass ElderCare, Homework House, the Holyoke Soldiers' Home and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the annual campaign, which lasts from early November through the middle of December, Giving Trees are set up in designated areas around campus. Participants choose colored-coded tags from one of the four agencies based on the age of the recipient and their wish for a gift. The wrapped gifts are then piled on tables for the closing celebration when&amp;nbsp;HCC faculty, staff, and students join with representatives from the agencies to distribute the gifts and share food and stories.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This event is so very meaningful to our community. It is a privilege to be able to support the wonderful work of our partners and friends,&quot; HCC president Christina Royal said during the celebration in a videotaped message. &quot;The work you do throughout the year makes a real difference in the lives of our most vulnerable neighbors. When I was a child, services like these helped my mother ensure that our family had a happy holiday, so thank you. I think the display of gifts around this room reflects the enthusiasm our students, faculty and staff have for this event. I am extremely proud to be part of this community.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To see more photos, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155879109624330.1073742074.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=4c1027fea6&quot; title=&quot;Giving Tree 2017 Facebook photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;please go to the album on HCC's Facebook page.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above)&amp;nbsp;Joanne Borkowski, assistant director of WestMass ElderCare, offers thanks to the HCC community for their generosity during the annual Giving Tree Campaign. (Thumbnail) Sister Jane Morrissey, site supervisor at Homework House, gets an eyeful of presents as they are hauled away.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7324" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/special-delivery" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x7324.xml" Name="Special Delivery" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Soldiers-bag.jpg" Title="Special Delivery" Abstract="Members of the Holyoke Community College Military Club visited the Holyoke Soldiers' Home to present gifts collected through the annual HCC Giving Tree campaign.    " ThumbnailAltText="HCC student Jonathan Jasmin delivers a holiday gift bag to Soldiers' Home resident Alan B. " IntroCopy="Military Club delivers holiday gifts to Soldiers' Home" Date="2017-12-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student delivers gifts to Soldiers' Home resident. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Soldiers-cheer.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Members of the Holyoke Community College Military Club made a special visit to the Holyoke Soldiers' Home Friday, Dec. 15, to deliver gifts purchased for the residents there as part of the college's 18th annual Giving Tree campaign.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, the HCC community fulfilled the holiday wishes of 343 individuals from four local nonprofit agencies: WestMass ElderCare, Homework House, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the Holyoke Soldiers' Home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's amazing how much people in the HCC community never forget about our veterans, and you have no idea how much that means to the guys and the gals,&quot; said Soldiers' Home superintendent Bennett Walsh. &quot;They don't want anything, they're so proud, and they're so wonderful but just remembering them with something like this, with a small gift, goes miles and miles and miles and miles.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the annual campaign, which lasts from early November through the middle of December, Giving Trees are set up in designated areas around campus. Participants choose colored-coded tags from one of the four agencies based on the age of the recipient and their wish for a gift. The wrapped gifts are then piled on tables for the closing celebration, when HCC faculty, staff, and students join with representatives from the agencies to distribute the gifts and share food and stories.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rather than have representatives from the Soldiers' Home distribute the gifts to their residents this year, the HCC Military Club decided to do it themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155882316124330.1073742076.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=33286938e0&quot; title=&quot;Military Club visits Holyoke Soldiers' Home&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos from the Military Club's visit on HCC's Facebook page ...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This event is so very meaningful to our community. It is a privilege to be able to support the wonderful work of our partners and friends,&quot; HCC president Christina Royal said during the closing celebration in a videotaped message. &quot;The work you do throughout the year makes a real difference in the lives of our most vulnerable neighbors. When I was a child, services like these helped my mother ensure that our family had a happy holiday, so thank you. I think the display of gifts reflects the enthusiasm our students, faculty and staff have for this event. I am extremely proud to be part of this community.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) HCC student Jonathan Jasmin of Westfield delivers a holiday gift bag to Soldiers' Home resident Alan B. (Above) HCC student Ysabel Robles Ramos of West Springfield hands a holiday gift bag to Soldiers' Home resident Dave S.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7313" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gaming-school" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x7313.xml" Name="Gaming School" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Gaming-certificate.jpg" Title="Gaming School A Go" Abstract="Hundreds of people filled the lobby of the MassMutual Center today for the launch of the new MCCTI Gaming School, a collaborative effort between HCC and STCC.  " ThumbnailAltText="Bruce Stebbins, Massachusetts Gaming commissioner, awards a gaming school certificate to HCC president Christina Royal and STCC president John Cook. " IntroCopy="A full schedule of training classes, along with course descriptions, prices and school policies, is available on the MCCTI website." Date="2017-12-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Prospective students register for classes during a launch event for the new MCCTI Gaming School in Springfield.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Gaming-computers.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SPRINGFIELD &amp;mdash; Holyoke Community College and Springfield Technical Community College today officially launched the new MCCTI Gaming School, where area residents interested in working as professional card dealers or croupiers at MGM Springfield can start taking training classes early next year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC and STCC, through TWO, their Training and Workforce Options collaborative, and MCCTI, the Massachusetts Casino Career Training Institute, will run the gaming school on the ninth floor of 95 State St., Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Massachusetts Gaming Commission issued a certificate to MCCTI to operate the gaming school on Nov. 9. That certificate was presented at today's launch event in the first-floor lobby of the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;MGM Springfield is inspired by our educational and workforce development partners' strong commitment to creating a healthier regional economy through career opportunities,&quot; said Alex Dixon, general manager for MGM Springfield. &quot;We are grateful for their willingness to learn about and adapt teachings for the gaming and hospitality industry. Today, we celebrate this milestone and look forward to hiring the first-ever table game professionals in the Commonwealth.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today's event also signaled the opening of registration for training classes, which will begin Feb. 26 in anticipation of the opening of the $960 million MGM Springfield resort casino in September 2018.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jeffrey Hayden, vice president of Business and Community Services for HCC, who also served as executive director of TWO and MCCTI, noted that the MGM International website prominently features two new resort casinos MGM is building that are literally half a world apart, one in Massachusetts and one in Macau.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There will be a $1 billion facility one block from here,&quot; he said. &quot;The show is coming to Springfield.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A full schedule of training classes, along with course descriptions, prices and school policies, is available on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mccti.org/&quot; title=&quot;MCCTI Gaming School&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MCCTI website&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;under &quot;Gaming School,&quot; where job seekers can also register and explore other employment possibilities with MGM.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The citizens of the region want to work in positions that provide a livable wage and the potential for advancement,&quot; said Springfield mayor Domenic Sarno. &quot;MGM Springfield will provide both, right in the heart of our region in downtown Springfield. I want to thank the community college presidents for their continued dedication to providing people with the education and skills they need to be successful in the job market.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is truly a great day for Springfield and a great day for Massachusetts,&quot; said Jim Peyser, Massachusetts secretary of education. &quot;MCCTI is not just a targeted solution to a specific workforce challenge, it's also a model for how we, collectively, can work together as employers, colleges, state government, local government, and a variety of other public and private partners. &quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Robert Westerfield, vice president of Table Games for MGM Springfield, said starting out as a dealer at MGM can truly open up career pathways with the organization.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I started off as a craps dealer,&quot; he said. &quot;I stand before you as vice president of Table Games. Anybody can do it.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2012, the presidents of the state's 15 community colleges signed a memorandum of understanding with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to work collaboratively to provide training for casino jobs in each of the state's three defined casino regions: Greater Boston, southeastern Massachusetts, and western Massachusetts. In the western Massachusetts region, MCCTI is operated by TWO.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We know that economic development and workforce development are not separate efforts,&quot; said STCC president John B. Cook. &quot;It is imperative that economic and workforce development are integrated for the benefit of our region's businesses and citizens. The investment of MGM Springfield will allow many of our citizens to begin the process of getting employed and establishing a career pathway.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I particularly appreciate HCC's historic and continuing partnerships with STCC in support of the workforce needs of area businesses,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &quot;Both colleges offer a wide variety of educational and training options for job seekers and incumbent workers in industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, engineering, hospitality, culinary arts and many other fields. MCCTI and events like today reinforce the important role community colleges play in the state and regional economy.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The MCCTI Gaming School will provide dealer training in black jack, roulette, craps, poker and other casino games. Participants who successfully complete training programs for at least two different table games will be guaranteed an &quot;audition,&quot; or tryout, for a job at MGM Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Above)&amp;nbsp;Prospective students register for training classes during a launch event for the new MCCTI Gaming School in Springfield. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Bruce Stebbins, Massachusetts Gaming commissioner, awards a gaming school certificate to HCC president Christina Royal and STCC president John Cook.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7315" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/pr-tuition" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|97|193" FileName="x7315.xml" Name="PR tuition" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Tuition-alexandra.jpg" Title="Hurricane Relief" Abstract="Holyoke Community College will now be able to offer in-state tuition rates to evacuees from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands displaced by Hurricane Maria." ThumbnailAltText="HCC student Alexandra Santiago, a recent evacuee from Puerto Rico, talks to a TV reporter during a press conference. " IntroCopy="'I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue my education.&quot; — Alexandra Santiago" Date="2017-12-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Royal and students at DHE tuition announcement&quot; height=&quot;709&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Tuition-group.jpg&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education this week voted to grant in-state tuition rates to evacuees from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands who have been displaced by Hurricane Maria. Now, Holyoke Community College, the state's 14 other community colleges, state universities and the University of Massachusetts campuses will be able to offer lower tuition rates through at least the spring 2018 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Wednesday, state education officials visited Springfield, where they introduced several recent evacuees from Puerto Rico who will qualify for the reduced tuition rates. One of them, Alexandra Santiago, had her studies at the University of Puerto Rico interrupted because of&amp;nbsp; Hurricane Maria when her mother, a school teacher, lost her job, and the university is now essentially closed.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am grateful to the board for the opportunity to continue my education,&quot; said Santiago, who has relocated to Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Santiago, who will be studying communications at HCC, was introduced by HCC president Christina Royal, who noted during her remarks that Holyoke is home to the largest population of Puerto Ricans living in the continental United States, per capita.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The devastation left by the hurricanes that struck Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands has had a powerful impact on the city of Holyoke and Holyoke Community College,&quot; Royal said. &quot;Nearly 50 percent of our city's population is Puerto Rican. As a designated Hispanic Serving Institution, 27 percent of HCC's student body is Latino and many of our staff members also come from Puerto Rico or have family there.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/12/massachusetts_will_offer_in-st.html#incart_m-rpt-2#incart_std#incart_m-rpt-2&quot; title=&quot;Mass. to offer in-state tuition to hurricane evacuees&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Read the story on MassLive&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To qualify for in-state tuition rates, students must provide documentation of their displacement and meet all the admission and transfer requirements of a public higher education institution. Although students will be still required to pay fees and other education-related expenses, the savings differential - in-state versus out-of-state - can be significant.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An evacuee enrolling at HCC would pay tuition at an annual rate of $4,272 instead of an out-of-state rate of $9,216. While students will continue to remain eligible to participate in federal financial aid, they will not be immediately eligible for state financial assistance. Approximately 50 individuals from Puerto Rico have either enrolled or expressed interest in taking classes at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They are seeking ESOL classes, degree or certificate programs and Spanish-language HiSET placement test,&quot; Royal said. &quot;We expect that the number will increase in the weeks and months ahead.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also speaking at the press event at Springfield Technical Community College was Massachusetts Commissioner of Higher Education Carlos E. Santiago, who is a native of Puerto Rico.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;While we expect the number of students who take advantage of the resident tuition rates to be modest, the Board's vote today helps ensure that any student who wants to continue with his or her education here will find it easier to do so,&quot; said. &quot;Our goal is to make sure that no one's college dreams are derailed by the roar of a hurricane.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal said the support HCC has made available to evacuees extends beyond just financial savings from lower tuition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;To support students coming from Puerto Rico, HCC has designated staff that work individually with students to connect them and their families with the resources they need,&quot; she said. &quot;It is highly personalized and done in collaboration with our community partners.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One such partner is Enlace de Familias, a Holyoke-based nonprofit and state-designated welcome center for Puerto Rican refugees. Enlace offers assistance for people who need to apply for health care, emergency housing, Social Security, FEMA assistance and other social services. HCC itself also has a college guide in Spanish for families, as well as staff who are fluent in Spanish and serve as counselors, mentors, tutors and points of contact between HCC and the larger Latino community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Ensuring that the needs of families are met and bringing the family along on the student's educational journey is very important,&quot; Royal said. &quot;HCC has been very intentional in creating an environment where Hispanic students can thrive.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The BHE motion and a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document can be found at&lt;a href=&quot; http://www.mass.edu.&quot; title=&quot;DHE&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; www.mass.edu.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: (Thumbnail) HCC student Alexandra Santiago, a recent evacuee from Puerto Rico, talks to a TV reporter during a press conference. (Above) From left to right, Marcos Figueroa, Alexandra Lopez, Esia Santiago, HCC president Christina Royal, Mass. commissioner of Higher Education Carlos Santiago, Daniel Flores, and Harold Santiago, HCC Admissions counselor.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7307" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/i-love-hcc" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65" FileName="x7307.xml" Name="'I love HCC'" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Guidance-Royal-Kiana.jpg" Title="'I love HCC'" Abstract="Kiana Estime '17 returned to campus to tell area high school guidance counselors about her educational journey as a first-generation, low-income college student." ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal and Kiana Estime '17 during an Admissions event at HCC." IntroCopy="'I want it on my transcript. I want it to say that I went here, because this place changed my life. It really did.'" Date="2017-12-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Kiana Estime '17 talks go high school guidance counselors during an Admissions event at HCC.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Guidance-Kiana-1.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a high school student looking forward to college,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/kiana-estime&quot;&gt;Kiana Estime&lt;/a&gt; faced many of the same challenges others do.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For one thing, her family didn't have a lot of money.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm a first-generation, low-income student, so I've had a lot of financial obstacles,&quot; she said. &quot;And trying to understand how to shape my educational journey has been very difficult, because my parents did not go to college.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Estime, 20, is now a student in her first semester at Mount Holyoke College, where she is working toward her bachelor's degree in anthropology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She got there, though, by way of HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She told the story of her educational journey to more than 70 guidance counselors from area high schools today during a series of information sessions and workshops organized by the Admissions Office at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm so happy to be here,&quot; said Estime. &quot;I love HCC, and I hope that it comes off that way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Estime was a senior at Monument Mountain High School in Great Barrington with a 3.8 GPA when she was accepted to Smith College. Excited, she opened the financial aid letter and, deflated, realized she could not afford it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was like, I have nowhere to go,&quot; she recalled.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A mentor from Great Barrington whose sister had attended HCC introduced her to Irma Medina, coordinator of Pathways, an HCC college transfer program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;With the Pathways Program, I realized that I could have contact with all the Five Colleges,&quot; she said. &quot;There was already a program here that laid out the steps that I needed to take to transfer, and that's what I was looking for - a place where I knew I could be supported as a first-generation, low-income college student.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Estime moved to Amherst for the shorter commute and found that HCC suited her in ways she had never imagined.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She learned financial literacy from advisers in the Financial Aid office.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I spent a lot of time there,&quot; she said. &quot;They helped me understand loans and the meaning of credit and budgeting and all of those things that I didn't think important until I got to HCC.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She learned the proper way to write an essay and took advantage of tutors in the college Writing Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The resources here at HCC are phenomenal,&quot; she said. &quot;I talk all the time at Mount Holyoke College about how well HCC prepared me for this type of education.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She was also drawn to HCC's Honors classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I really wanted to be pushed,&quot; she said. &quot;I wanted to know I could go into an elite education and thrive.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And she is.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I felt very prepared leaving here,&quot; she said. &quot;I'm actually in a situation where I'm in classes at Mount Holyoke and feeling like it's easier than the classes I took at HCC.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through Medina, Estime learned about the &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/kiana-estime&quot;&gt;Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship&lt;/a&gt;. She applied and got it. The scholarship pays up to $40,000 a year for three years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's really allowed me to take control of my education,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Estime spent two years at HCC but she transferred to Mount Holyoke College beore she earned her associate degree. She is amending that now, she said, through a process called &quot;reverse transfer,&quot; which allows students to transfer credits from their new school back to HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Then, I'll have an associate degree from HCC,&quot; she said. &quot;I want it on my transcript. I want it to say that I went here because this place changed my life. It really did.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Kiana Estime '17 talks to area high school guidance counselors during an Admissions event at HCC. (Thumbnail) President Christina Royal and Kiana Estime '17&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7311" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/chw-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|357" FileName="x7311.xml" Name="CHW grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/CHW-SIM-grant.jpg" Title="Grant boosts program" Abstract="The four-year, $431,227 allocation will enable approximately 120 people to take a series of classes to enhance their education and training as community health workers." ThumbnailAltText="Students in HCC's Community Health Worker program talk to a simulated patient during a class at the school's Center for Health Education." IntroCopy="HCC awarded $431,227 to expand Community Health Worker program" Date="2017-12-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Janet Grant, coordinator of HCC's Community Health Worker program, consults with students during a class. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/CHW-grant-class.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded a grant of more than $400,000 from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to expand its Community Health Worker program in partnership with area employers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The four-year, $431,227 allocation will enable approximately 120 people to take a series of three credit-bearing classes to enhance their education and training as community health workers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The three classes &amp;mdash; free for those accepted into the grant program &amp;mdash; were selected in consultation with representatives from Behavioral Health Network and the Gandara Center, two regional behavioral health nonprofit agencies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're partnering with BHN and Gandara, and they're sending a bunch of their current staff who are already working in various capacities with clients,&quot; said Rebecca Lewis, chair of HCC's Foundations of Health program. &quot;There's been interest from a lot of different employers.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The grant was awarded through HRSA's Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training division. HRSA is part of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The initial cohort of 27 students will take the first of three required classes during the spring 2018 semester, &quot;Core Competencies for Community Health Workers.&quot; That introductory course will be followed over the summer with the second, where students will have a choice of either &quot;Children's Behavioral Health&quot; or a more general &quot;Essential Health Topics for Community Health Workers&quot; course. The third class, to be completed in the fall, is a practicum with an area employer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lewis said the Mass. Dept. of Public Health currently has regulations pending for a state certification process for community health workers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The three classes align with pending regulations,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A second cohort of 30 students will begin in the fall when courses will be offered in the evenings and on Saturdays to make it more convenient for those currently working.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Community health is an emerging healthcare field and community health workers are typically employed by agencies to focus on underserved populations, conducting home visits and connecting clients with needed services. They are not nurses nor home health aids and do not provide medical care.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Historically, community health workers are bilingual and bicultural and they're from the communities that they serve,&quot; said Lewis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Upon successful completion of the three-course series, students will receive a certificate of completion that can serve as a stand-alone community health worker credential. Or, the nine HCC credits they earn can be &quot;stacked,&quot; that is, applied toward a full Community Health Worker certificate (26 credits), an associate degree in Foundations of Health or an associate degree in Human Services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Some people might want to work in a more clinical healthcare setting, like working in a health center,&quot; Lewis said. &quot;Some people might want to work for a social service agency.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two years ago, HCC became the first area institution to start a&amp;nbsp;Community Health Worker certificate program with an eye toward pending state regulations that would allow the college to apply to become an official training site.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Students in HCC's Community Health Worker program talk to a simulated patient during a class at the school's Center for Health Education. (Above) Janet Grant, coordinator of HCC's Community Health Worker program, leads a class discussion.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7298" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/montes-march" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193" FileName="x7298.xml" Name="Montes March" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/March-Monte-FOUR.jpg" Title="Fighting Hunger" Abstract="HCC President Christina Royal joined Monte's March as the two-day fundraising walk made its way through Holyoke to raise awareness — and money — to fight hunger. " ThumbnailAltText="Shannon Rudder and HCC president Christina Royal joined Andrew Moorehouse and Monte Belmonte for the WRSI radio DJ's annual Monte's March to raise awareness — and money — to fight hunger." IntroCopy="President Christina Royal joins Monte's March VIII through Holyoke" Date="2017-11-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal talks to Andrew Moorehouse, executive director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, outside Kate's Kitchen in Holyoke during Monte's March.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/March-Royal-Kates.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the goal of bringing attention to the issue of food insecurity and raising real dollars in the battle against hunger, a walking caravan left Springfield today for the annual two-day trek north known as Monte's March.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As the group passed through Holyoke, HCC president Christina Royal joined the band at Kate's Kitchen, a free meals program operated by Providence Ministries. The marchers stopped there briefly for coffee and interviews with local TV reporters and WRSI radio DJ Monte Belmonte, founder of the march, who was broadcasting live and pushing a shopping cart full of electronic equipment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Why is this something HCC wanted to get involved with?&quot; Belmonte said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is such an important topic for us because we see this day in and day out with our students at HCC,&quot; Royal said. &quot;Food insecurity touches a lot of our students and we recognize that it's hard to educate someone who's hungry. We know we have to partner with community groups like the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Kate's Kitchen, Providence Ministries and Nuestras Raices to address this issue.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All of the proceeds from the fundraising march benefit the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. Last year Monte's March raised $200,000. HCC put up a matching gift challenge for the 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. hour today and ended up donating $1,000.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Ninety-four percent of our students live within a 20-mile radius of the college, so this is an investment in the community, and we're happy to be a part of this event,&quot; Royal said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Andrew Moorehouse, executive director of the Food Bank, who is taking part in the entire two-day journey from Springfield to Greenfield, noted that more than a quarter million people in the four counties of western Massachusetts suffer from food insecurity, meaning they don't know where their next meal is coming from.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's one in four people,&quot; he said. &quot;That's a staggering and sobering thought.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the days marchers were U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern from Worcester and state Rep. Aaron Vega of Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm so inspired to see so many people rally around our mission and the work that we couldn't do without our partners like Providence Ministries and Holyoke Community College, which are elevating the importance of food insecurity and the issue of hunger,&quot; Moorehouse said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Royal marched with the group from Kate's Kitchen to Enlace de Familias, a nonprofit that has been working on Puerto Rican relief efforts, and then to Gateway City Arts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Anything we can do to raise awareness about this issue and help folks in western Massachusetts is something I want to get behind,&quot; Royal said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To donate to Monte's March VIII, call 888-323-HOPE (4673) or visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.foodbankwma.org/events/montes-march-8/&quot; title=&quot;Monte's March VIII&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Monte's March VIII online.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See more photos on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155815836484330.1073742069.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=08ad5ded17&quot; title=&quot;Monte's March Facebook Photo Album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;HCC's Facebook page.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Shannon Rudder, executive director of Providence Ministries, and HCC president Christina Royal joined Andrew Moorehouse, executive director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and Monte Belmonte, of WRSI, for Belmonte's annual Monte's March to raise awareness &amp;mdash; and money &amp;mdash; to fight hunger. (Above) HCC president Christina Royal talks to Andrew Moorehouse outside Kate's Kitchen during Monte's March.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7305" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gbemiga" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3" FileName="x7305.xml" Name="Gbemiga " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Gbemiga-Portrait.jpg" Title="'I'm not in a box'" Abstract="Olugbemiga 'Gbemiga' Adekunle is a rapper, athlete, scholar, and the new dean of Science, Engineering and Mathematics at Holyoke Community College. " ThumbnailAltText="Olugbemiga &quot;Gbemiga&quot; Adekunle is the new dean of Science, Engineering and Mathematics at Holyoke Community College. " IntroCopy="Olugbemiga Adekunle is HCC's new dean of Science, Engineering and Math" Date="2017-11-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Olugbemiga &amp;quot;Gbemiga&amp;quot; Adekunle is the new dean of Science, Engineering and Mathematics at Holyoke Community College. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Gbemiga-Excellent.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By JANICE BEETLE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Olugbemiga Adekunle was an associate dean at Blue Ridge Community College in Virginia when inspiration struck him one afternoon in August 2016.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adekunle had just learned about an online rap challenge, so he ducked into a classroom to record a theatrical and fast-paced video of himself that now lives on his prolific &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/Cx7xeX3zB40&quot; title=&quot;Olugbemiga on YouTube&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;YouTube channel&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Six-foot-five and African-American&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Nigerian-American. Everybody's staring and ... &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Don't know what to say &amp;mdash; pausing to pronounce my name&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;As a professor, the game done changed&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Profess IT? I might be. Computer science? Aight&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;But I'm blessin' the lesson, confessin', I'm guessin', and stressin' the life of Christ&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;And no I ain't no expert on every subject matter&lt;br /&gt;I use to wish my dunk would make a backboard shatter ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is Gbemiga (pronounced &quot;Beng-gah&quot;) Adekunle, Holyoke Community College's new dean of &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem&quot;&gt;Science, Engineering and Mathematics&lt;/a&gt;. He holds advanced degrees in computer engineering, has been a computer science professor, and is a three-time faculty fellow at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I see people as well-rounded. I want people to see me that way too,&quot; he says, noting that even though he is tall, of Nigerian descent, an athlete, and an educator, he is not just a basketball player or just a scholar. &quot;I'm not in a box.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adekunle arrived at HCC this fall, after spending the summer at the NASA Glen Research Center for the third time, gaining experience in the field of systems engineering. Previously, he served for six years at Blue Ridge Community College as a professor and, more recently, as associate dean for the science, technology, engineering, math, and English departments. He now lives in Holyoke with his wife, Martha, and his five- and three-year-old children.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At 37, Adekunle is roughly the same age his parents were when they moved to the United States from Nigeria in the 1970s.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They wanted career opportunities,&quot; he says, noting his father is a retired nurse and his mother is a nursing assistant. He was raised in Tennessee and Maryland, where his parents still live.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He holds a bachelor of science degree in computer engineering from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a master of science in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is currently a Ph.D. student at Old Dominion University, studying instructional design and technology online at the institution based in Norfolk, Virginia.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;All of his experiences will serve him well in this position and support his work on behalf of the division,&quot; Monica Perez, vice president of Academic Affairs, said when she introduced &quot;Gbemiga,&quot; which he prefers to be called,&amp;nbsp; to colleagues at the beginning of the semester.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adekunle says he is excited to have a new challenge and the chance to put his administrative experience into action at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The focus of my work is making sure that students are successful,&quot; he says. &quot;I also will aim to ensure that faculty are supported and get appropriate training to help them advance their careers.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to collaborating with Perez and department chairs, Adekunle hopes to help the college build community partnerships that can serve as resources for students interested in internships.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With his interest in rap as well as comedy and improv, Adekunle is sure to connect easily with students. A look at his YouTube channel tells you this. There you can watch him propose to his wife and take part in multiple skits with faculty and staff at Blue Ridge Community College; his videos also offer a glimpse into his interests in Star Wars, religion and fun.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;A big part of my interest in comedy is this mantra of &amp;lsquo;Yes ... and ...,'&quot; he says. &quot;It's about agreeing and adding to the conversation. That helps to not shut things down. It helps for any organization.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Olugbemiga &quot;Gbemiga&quot; Adekunle in his office at Holyoke Community College, where he is the new dean of Science, Engineering and Mathematics.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7290" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/lc-grant-story" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165|225" FileName="x7290.xml" Name="LC grant story" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/LC-Hawk-student.jpg" Title="Grant lifts LC's" Abstract="Holyoke Community College will add five new inter-institutional courses to its catalog of Learning Communities and offer free or reduced tuition to those who enroll. " ThumbnailAltText="Thomas Bradbury, of Florence, a student in the Learning Community course &quot;All Things Connect,&quot; a combination psychology and English literture that focuses on the environment, holds a Harris's hawk on a recent field trip to New England Falconry in Hadley. " IntroCopy="HCC adding five new inter-institutional LCs, including some free ones" Date="2017-11-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A student in the Learning Community course &amp;quot;All Things Connect holds a Harris hawk during a recent field trip to New England Falconry in Hadley. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/LC-Hawk-landscape-cropped%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities that will allow the college to expand its catalog of popular and highly regarded Learning Community courses and offer free or reduced tuition to students who enroll in those classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With a $100,000 grant from the NEH Division of Education Programs &amp;mdash; matched in part by the college &amp;mdash; HCC is adding five new &quot;inter-institutional&quot; courses to its rotation of &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/learning-communities&quot;&gt;Learning Communities&lt;/a&gt;. Those classes will be offered in partnership with Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Bay Path University, UMass-Amherst and Tangshan Normal University in China.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more than 20 years, HCC has been a national leader in the development of Learning Community courses &amp;mdash; unique educational experiences that combine two classes from distinct academic areas focusing on a common subject or theme. HCC has the oldest LC program in Massachusetts and is still one of only a handful of colleges in the state, public or private, that offers them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learning Communities are part of a trio of programs at HCC known as&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/integrative-learning&quot;&gt;Integrative Learning &lt;/a&gt;that also includes the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/honors&quot;&gt;Honors &lt;/a&gt;and &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/community-based-learning&quot;&gt;Service Learning&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;programs.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each semester, HCC lists about a dozen or so LCs in its course catalog, such as&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cli-fi-sp15&quot;&gt;&quot;Cli-Fi: Stories and Science of the Coming Climate Apocalypse,&quot;&lt;/a&gt; a combination of English composition and environmental science, a lab class. In 2015, the &quot;Cli-Fi&quot; course received mention in &lt;em&gt;The New York Times&lt;/em&gt; and other newspapers around the world in stories about the emerging study of &quot;climate fiction.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Typically, Learning Community courses, called &quot;LCs&quot; for short, are co-taught by two instructors from HCC. These new courses will feature one instructor from HCC and another from one of its partners. Students from both institutions are eligible to enroll and the classes will meet on both campuses, with the exception of the LC with China, where students from both countries will &quot;meet&quot; and collaborate online.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;One of the purposes of the grant is to promote the humanities,&quot; said HCC psychology professor Jack Mino, co-founder of HCC's LC program. &quot;It's partly about enhancing the LC program, but what's really exciting is that we'll be able to offer more inter-institutional LCs as well as our first international LC.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This semester, Mino is co-teaching &quot;All Things Connect,&quot; an LC combining psychology and literature that focuses on the environment.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new LCs will follow a model established by courses HCC has offered before in collaboration with Mount Holyoke College and Amherst College. In fact, the HCC-Amherst College course, &quot;The Immigrant City,&quot; a combination of history and political science focusing on Holyoke, will continue under the grant this coming spring.&amp;nbsp;Thanks to the grant and the matching funds from HCC, tuition and fees for that course will be waived.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's first international LC, &quot;Journey,&quot; will also be offered for free for the spring semester, a savings of more than $1,000 for HCC students who enroll. That six-credit class combines composition and special topics in humanities and will include ESL students from Tangshan Normal University in an exploration of music, art and literature from both American and Chinese cultures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/course-finder&quot;&gt;For more details on these classes and other Learning Communities, check out the online Spring 2018 Class Schedule and Registration Booklet.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the other courses, HCC will be waiving half of the tuition and fees, a discount of about $500 per student, or the cost of one regular three-credit class.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Another new LC, &quot;Red and White America: Native Responses to European Contact,&quot; will pair an English professor from HCC with a professor of Native American Studies at Bay Path.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;'Alien' Incarcerations&quot; will take a look at immigration and incarceration from the perspectives of Latin-American Studies (Mount Holyoke) and philosophy (HCC).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC English professor Jim Dutcher, the grant program manager, will teach the HCC component of a new LC with UMass, &quot;Breaking Bread and Making Friends: Food for the Common Good,&quot; a look at food journalism.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The LC course with Smith, &quot;Free to be Free: Mid-Century Experimental Art and Literature,&quot; was offered for the first time for the fall 2017 semester; classes meet frequently at the Smith College Museum of Art in Northampton.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Learning Community courses are very well regarded by the four-year colleges and universities our students attend after they earn their HCC degrees,&quot; said&amp;nbsp; Dutcher, who will also be the HCC instructor for the &quot;Journey&quot; class with China. &quot;We're hoping these Learning Communities will open even more transfer pathways for our students as they become familiar with other campuses and the faculty members and students there.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Claire McGale of Northampton, a student in the Learning Community course &quot;All Things Connect,&quot; a combination of psychology and English literature that focuses on the environment, hold a Harris's hawk on a recent field trip to New England Falconry in Hadley. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Thomas Bradbury, of Florence, a student in the Learning Community course &quot;All Things Connect,&quot; a combination psychology and English literture that focuses on the environment, holds a Harris's hawk on a recent field trip to New England Falconry in Hadley.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7297" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/loud-and-clear" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|68" FileName="x7297.xml" Name="Loud and Clear" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Radio-DJ-Savage-King.jpg" Title="Loud and Clear" Abstract="An infusion of new equipment and energy boosts the signal and spirits at 103.5 WCCH, the Holyoke Community College campus radio station. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC student Seymour Tatem of Springfield, a.k.a. &quot;DJ Savage King,&quot; sits in the WCCH radio booth during his show." IntroCopy="Investment of equipment and energy boosts signal and spirits at 103.5 WCCH" Date="2017-11-22" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;WCCH radio advisor Stevie Converse points to some old equipment they keep around as collector's items. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Radio-stevie-point.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In radio, dead air is the enemy. Silence a sin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If listeners can't find what they're looking for, they'll keep spinning the radio dial.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The main job of any radio station is to maintain its signal,&quot; says HCC communications instructor Stevie Converse, faculty adviser to 103.5 WCCH, the Holyoke Community College radio station.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In recent years, maintaining that signal had become increasingly difficult, mainly due to old and outdated equipment prone to failure.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At times, said Betsy Cortis '17, WCCH's music and program director, &quot;We've been completely out of order.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That was before Tuesday, Nov. 14. On that day, the station went intentionally dark, that is, silent, for hours as a new soundboard was installed by Scott McPherson, executive director of Holyoke Media, who volunteered his time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The old console was about 25 years old, said Converse. The microphone and headphone channels had died, leaving DJs to patch together technological Band-Aids using consumer-grade equipment brought in from home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm lucky Betsy's here,&quot; said Converse. &quot;She trouble-shoots very well.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The installation of the soundboard represents a renewed investment in the station on the part of the college. Over the summer, the station also received a new audio limiter, a piece of equipment that compresses the broadcast signal to reduce distortion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The limiter was likely the original from the station's founding 40 years ago and wasn't working, leading to a weak and distorted signal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I remember the first day I started, I saw the needles weren't moving,&quot; said Converse, who is now in her third semester as adviser for the station. &quot;There was no volume going out. It was very poor quality. The only way to prevent distortion was to turn the volume way down, but it was so low, you could pass right by.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She said the new equipment was well worth the total investment of $7,000.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's beautiful, so nice and clear,&quot; Converse said. &quot;It sounds like every other radio station now, in terms of volume and clarity. The students are really excited.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That is evident by the increased level of interest in the station and the HCC Radio Club, which Converse also advises. The number of student DJs had dropped to a low of five before the start of the semester. There are now 23, Converse said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We were losing DJs,&quot; she said, &quot;because no one wants to spend their time on something that's not going anywhere.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Converse has a lot of ideas about what she'd like to do at the station. Live musical performances. Radio dramas. Public affairs programs. Mainly getting more professors and students involved, as well as the larger Holyoke community.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before coming to HCC, Converse had worked for nine years at Free Press in Florence, a nonprofit advocacy group that does a lot of work with low-power FM stations and community television.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's my passion,&quot; she said, &quot;community media.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She will teach Introduction to Radio Broadcasting at HCC in the spring and has ideas about that too, like expanding the traditional course to include podcasting and streaming. She'd also like to introduce a kind of lab component where students rotate through the different jobs at a real radio station.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This semester, students in the club have been conducting fundraisers to raise money to buy a new FM tuner, a device that ensures the station broadcasts at the correct frequency, and a new emergency alert system, which is required by the FCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There's a lot we can do but we can't do it without the equipment,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Radio bandwidth is finite, she says, and stations can lose their frequency if is not properly maintained.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We have 10 watts of power,&quot; she said. &quot;We should treat it like gold.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Above)&amp;nbsp;WCCH Radio Advisor Stevie Converse points to an equipment rack holding WCCH's new audio limiter.&amp;nbsp; (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC student Seymour Tatem of Springfield, a.k.a. &quot;DJ Savage King,&quot; sits in the WCCH radio booth during his show in front of a new soundboard.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7281" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/inauguration-story" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x7281.xml" Name="Inauguration Story" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Royal-inaug-speech-2.jpg" Title="'Student by Student'" Abstract="Holyoke Community College inaugurated Christina Royal Friday as its fourth president — and the first woman to hold the position. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal delivers her inaural address" IntroCopy="Christina Royal inaugurated as fourth HCC president" Date="2017-11-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal after receiving her presidential medallion during inauguration ceremonies Friday at HCC.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Royal-inaug-medal.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In her inauguration address, Holyoke Community College president Christina Royal affirmed her commitment to the community college concept - that everyone deserves the opportunity for an affordable and high quality college education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We accept students under any circumstances and meet them where they are, determine what they need, empower them to see their own potential, guide them on their educational journey, and stand proudly with them at graduation,&quot; she said from the podium in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater. &quot;And, student by student, this is how you build an educated society.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal spoke Friday soon after HCC student trustee Jonathan Jasmin of Westfield placed the presidential medallion around her neck, marking her official installation as the fourth president of the college and the first woman to hold that position. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her address capped the inauguration ceremony, which was attended by some 200 members of the campus community, dignitaries, and guests, including Royal's family. &amp;nbsp; In her speech, she traced her educational journey from a first-generation college student who grew up in a low-income, bi-racial family to the top spot at HCC, a job she began in January. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC's mission and commitment to access, equity, success and affordability is deeply personal to me ... ,&quot; she said. &quot;No one in my immediate family graduated from college. No one. I literally had no concept of college and no one to give me perspective on it.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;But I did know this,&quot; she added. &quot;If I wanted to create a future that was less burdensome than the one my parents had, I needed to do something differently.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What she did was decide that college was her gateway to a more prosperous life, even though her family could not afford the cost. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Tuition and fees were paid by Pell and other grants, a presidential scholarship, work-study opportunities and student loans,&quot; she said. &quot;When my family dropped me off at college, we were thinking that I was set for the first year, only to find out that I needed another $400 for books for my first semester. We just didn't have it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/inaugural-address&quot;&gt;Click here to read the full text of her inauguration speech ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The procession into the theater that opened the inauguration ceremony included the presidents of the other Massachusetts community colleges, as well as the leaders from some of HCC's top transfer partners: Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Elms College and Westfield State University. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carlos E. Santiago, Massachusetts commissioner of Higher Education, offered brief remarks as did Holyoke mayor Alex Morse, state Rep. Aaron Vega of Holyoke, HCC Board of Trustees chair Robert Gilbert, HCC Spanish professor Monica Torregrosa, HCC student Boshan Zheng, and Gillian McKnight-Tutein, vice president of Academic and Student Affairs from Front Range Community College, a former colleague from Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio where Royal started as executive director of Distance Learning. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;McKnight-Tutein said she recognized early on that Royal was &quot;born for greatness,&quot; even though the future HCC president was initially underestimated by others. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Men underestimated her knowledge of technology &quot;because she was a girl,&quot; McKnight-Tutein said. They underestimated her work ethic, because she was young, and &quot;the establishment&quot; underestimated her ability to negotiate agreements, &quot;because she was new.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They were all wrong,&quot; she said. &quot;What they underestimated most was her grit ... It's no coincidence that the Holyoke community has chosen the best and the brightest to lead the best and brightest. Holyoke Community College will be even greater for having made the decision to hire you as their president.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal noted that while community colleges play an indispensable role in public high higher education, there are significant challenges they must continue to address, &amp;nbsp;such as food insecurity and homelessness, mental health issues, transportation and affordability. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;But the greatest threat to the mission of open access education is losing our societal perspective of education as a public good,&quot; she said. &quot;While I think the next decade will bring about a lot of change, some disruptive, to community colleges and higher education in general, I also believe the best years are ahead of us.&quot; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7284" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/rhinos" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|165" FileName="x7284.xml" Name="Rhinos" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Rhinos-point.jpg" Title="'That's Absurd!'" Abstract="The HCC Theater Dept.'s production of Eugene Ionesco's &quot;Rhinoceros&quot; explores the dangers — and comedy — of conformity. The play runs through Saturday." ThumbnailAltText="A scene from the HCC Theater Department production of &quot;Rhinoceros&quot;" IntroCopy="Ionesco's 'Rhinoceros' explores the dangers — and comedy — of conformity" Date="2017-11-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A scene from the HCC Theater Department production of &amp;quot;Rhinoceros&amp;quot;&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Rhinos-window.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To prepare his actors for Eugene Ionesco's famous play &quot;Rhinoceros,&quot; director and Holyoke Community College theater professor Tim Cochran made them watch Marx Brothers' movies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If you look at some of the farcical, situation comedies of the Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, and the Marx Brothers, they knew something about timing and physical comedy you just don't see anymore,&quot; Cochran says.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Rhinoceros&quot; belongs to the genre of drama called &quot;Theater of the Absurd.&quot; It's an extreme social satire about the dangers of conformity, but Cochran says the playwright incorporates techniques inspired by those old vaudevillian masters &amp;mdash; cartoonish characters, clipped dialogue, broad gestures, visual gags &amp;mdash; and uses them to advance the story to its ridiculous conclusion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When you look at the themes of the play, it appears like a study in sociology about how people so easily submit to dogmatic ideology,&quot; says Cochran, &quot;but Ionesco does it in a comedic way. It's supposed to be funny.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Theater Department will present &quot;Rhinoceros&quot; Nov. 16-18, at 7:30 p.m. on the stage of the Leslie Phillips Theater in the Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts building. There will be a special matinee performance Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. The Friday, Nov. 17, performance will be ASL interpreted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tickets are available at the door for $10 (general admission); $8 (students and seniors); $5 (HCC students, faculty and staff) or may be reserved in advance by calling 413-552-2528.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The premise of &quot;Rhinoceros&quot; is on its face absurd. The play is set in a village whose residents are afflicted with &quot;rhinoceritis,&quot; a condition that literally transforms them, one by one, then a few at a time, into rhinoceroses, some involuntarily, and some by choice.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Ionesco felt his characters were like puppets,&quot; says Cochran, &quot;that we are all puppets following the scripts that have been given to us, what we wear, how we talk, the things we say that are clich&amp;eacute; &amp;mdash; slogans he called them &amp;mdash; words and phrases repeated so often in society they lose their meaning.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Amid the ensuing chaos stands &amp;mdash; or, rather, slouches &amp;mdash; Berenger, Ionesco's unlikely hero, a hard-drinking, unshaven, sloppy, unambitious clerk, played by HCC student Gabriel Cifuentes of Chicopee. As the story progresses, Berenger becomes increasingly isolated as everyone else in the village transforms, or conforms, as it were.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Berenger becomes the sort of &amp;lsquo;Everyman' by not conforming,&quot; says Cochran. &quot;He's trying to be something better than he is but he's always falling back into these old habits. For him, sliding along through life is actually a virtue. That he hasn't subscribed to any philosophy or ideology becomes his salvation.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cochran said he decided to produce &quot;Rhinoceros&quot; after teaching what is typically a difficult unit on Theater of the Absurd in his &quot;Modern Drama&quot; course last November, which happened to coincide with the Presidential election.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Students are so used to watching realistic plays about realistic things they started to get really excited about the farcical nature of absurdity and how funny it is to make fun of our own absurd lives,&quot; says Cochran. &quot;What we wear, the things we say, who we deify, who we choose for our leaders.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even though Ionesco wrote &quot;Rhinoceros&quot; in the late 1950s as a kind of penance for not speaking out against the rise of fascism in his native Romania before World War II, Cochran says the play has plenty to say about today's world, where people, often on social media, tend to seek out and listen only to opinions that agree with their own beliefs &amp;mdash; and how ridiculous reality can be:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You hear that a lot now:&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt; I can't even believe this is happening. I can't believe this is real. That's absurd&lt;/em&gt;.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Scenes from the HCC Theater Department production of &quot;Rhinoceros&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7283" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/giving-tree-open-fa17" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x7283.xml" Name="Giving Tree Open FA17" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Giving-heather.jpg" Title="'A Spirit of Giving'" Abstract="Holyoke Community College opened its 18th annual Giving Tree Campaign last week for the benefit of children, elders and veterans from four local nonprofit agencies. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Student Senate president Heather Paiva Perez browses the tags on this year's HCC Giving Tree. " IntroCopy="HCC opens 18th annual Giving Tree Campaign" Date="2017-11-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal picks some gift tags off the HCC Giving Tree.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Giving-Royal-tags.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last November, having just been selected as the new president of Holyoke Community College, Christina Royal sent money from Minnesota to her future staff assistant Nelson Lopez to fulfill the holiday wishes of some needy Holyoke children.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I &lt;em&gt;assume&lt;/em&gt; he used the money to buy gifts,&quot; Royal joked last week during the kickoff for this year's HCC Giving Tree Campaign.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I did,&quot; Lopez replied, adding that he picked at least eight gift tags from the Giving Tree to fulfill on her behalf.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, newly inaugurated President Christina Royal chose another handful of tags herself, all of them for children at Holyoke's Homework House.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm very happy to be part of this,&quot; she said. &quot;I'm really very touched that we have this tradition and a spirit of giving here at HCC. It's touching but not surprising. I've seen it in the many ways we care for students and the generosity of donors who contribute to student scholarships. This really showcases how HCC is focused on giving to our local community.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For this, the 18th annual Giving Tree Campaign, gifts purchased by members of the HCC community will support children, elders and veterans at four local nonprofit agencies: the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, WestMass Elder Care, the Holyoke Soldiers Home - and Homework House.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The yellow tags President Royal selected were for boys and girls age 8 to 10. She gravitated toward tags for children who wanted puzzles and games.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I know when I was little the kinds of gifts I would have liked to have,&quot; she said. &quot;I remember when I got my first robotics kit. The idea that there were Legos with moving parts was just so cool.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year's Giving Tree campaign closes on Thurs., Dec. 14, with the presentation of gifts to representatives from each of the four agencies from 10 a.m. to noon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Giving Trees are located in the main lobby on the third floor of the Frost Building and in the HCC Library on the second floor of Donahue. There is also a small Giving Tree in the lounge area on the second floor of the Kittredge Center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To participate, choose a tag from any one of the Giving Trees; write your name and contact information on the bottom half of the tag; tear that part off and deposit it into the Giving Tree box next to the tree; buy the gift; wrap it; attach the top part of the tag with a piece of tap and bring it to Nelson Lopez in the President's Office on the third floor of the Frost Building by Dec. 6.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions should be directed to Gail Golas, the Giving Tree campaign chair, at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:ggolas@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Gail Golas email&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;ggolas@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or 552.2270.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC Student Senate president Heather Paiva Perez browses the tags on this year's HCC Giving Tree. (Above) HCC president Christina Royal picks some gift tags off this year's Giving Tree.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7277" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/inaugural-address" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x7277.xml" Name="Inaugural Address" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Inaug-three.jpg" Title="Inauguration Address" Abstract="Read the full text of President Royal's Inauguration Address" ThumbnailAltText="HCC student trustee Jonathan Jasmin, left, with President Royal and student speaker Boshan Zheng" IntroCopy="&quot;We accept students under any circumstances and meet them where they are, determine what they need, empower them to see their own potential, guide them on their educational journey, and stand proudly with them at graduation. Student by student, this is how you build an educated society.&quot;" Date="2017-11-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Newly inaugurated HCC president Christina Royal received applause after completing her address.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Inaug-speech-applause.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holyoke Community College officially installed Christina Royal as its fourth president today during inauguration ceremonies held in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Below are highlights from her inaugural address.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155768772939330.1073742063.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=bc9d3e7abe&quot; title=&quot;Inauguration Facebook photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See our photo album of today's event on Facebook ....&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Inaugural address of HCC president Christina Royal:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;We are here to celebrate the start of the next chapter at Holyoke Community College. I am here with great intention, excited to be part of HCC and our Commonwealth's Community College system. Community colleges represent one of the greatest innovations in contemporary American higher education.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The concept emerged from a convergence of several factors, including the standardization of secondary education, the establishment of teacher education as a legitimate profession, the increase of continuing education and adult learning, both products of a post-World War II shift, the rise of the research university, and the desire for open access post-secondary education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The reason why this experiment, initially known as junior colleges, has been around since the early 1900s is rooted in one fundamental premise - every individual deserves the opportunity for an education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This principle is central to our commitment to student success and to ensuring that an affordable, extraordinary education is within reach for everyone.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's mission and commitment to access, equity, success, and affordability is deeply personal to me. I am a first generation college student and grew up in a low-income bi-racial family. No one in my immediate family graduated from college. No one. I literally had no concept of college, and no one to give me a perspective on it. How do you know what you don't know?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But I did know this: if I wanted to create a future that was less burdensome than the one my parents had, I needed to do something differently. Not knowing the particulars, I made a decision that college was my gateway to a more prosperous life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My family did not have the financial means to support my education. Tuition and fees were paid by Pell and other grants, a presidential scholarship, work study opportunities, and student loans. When my family dropped me off at college, we were thinking that I was set for the first year, only to arrive and find out that I needed another $400 for books for my first semester. We just didn't have it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We didn't realize that we would have to pay separately for textbooks, every semester, or how costly they would be.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our students have many similar stories that shape not only WHY they want to pursue an education, but why they choose to come to Holyoke Community College:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull; Our tuition and fees are among the lowest in the state.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull; We have award winning faculty and staff.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull; HCC's Gateway to College program ranks #1 among 41 colleges across 21 states.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull; This College ranks among the top 11 colleges in the nation in pay equity for women and minority administrators.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull; The prestigious Aspen Institute named HCC as one of six community colleges in the nation whose preparation for transfer places students on the fast track to a bachelor's degree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull; HCC is ranked number one as the only college in the country for its inter-institutional Learning Community collaboration with select liberal arts colleges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull; We have strong business and industry partnerships, and some of our most successful stories are of individuals going from skills training to jobs. For example, this past year over 200 Nursing Assistants and Pharmacy Technicians were placed into employment with over a dozen health care and pharmacy partners.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The culture at HCC can be defined as a &quot;Students First&quot; mindset, and faculty and staff are the essential reasons why students choose HCC. For example, a student named J.R. is a high school dropout who at one time didn't think he'd make it to age 21. J.R. took classes at the Adult Learning Center in downtown Holyoke. He credits his teacher, Allison Reid, with opening the door to college for him. He says he was stunned when Allison told him he was intelligent. No teacher had ever told him that. J.R. enrolled at HCC and he soared. A learning community with professors Nicole Hendricks and Mary Orisich had a profound impact on him, and he took every class he could with Professor Tracy Ross, who nurtured a growing interest in sociology and social problems. J.R. was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, became a member of the Green Key Society, and joined our Admissions department's Team Inspire, mentoring students at Dean Tech. J.R. is currently a student at Amherst College, studying sociology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If Holyoke Community College can be ascribed a single core value, it would be &quot;equal access to education for all.&quot; HCC has its origins in what was once considered the radical idea to offer college level courses to working adults. In the early years of the 20th Century, faculty from Amherst, Smith and Mount Holyoke colleges, together with what is now the University of Massachusetts and Springfield College, organized to offer classes throughout the Pioneer Valley. During the 1920s and 30s, hundreds of classes were taught, and a movement began to establish a college for adults. By the mid 1940s, as veterans returned from the war to take advantage of the GI Bill, the Holyoke Graduate School was formed, and began offering evening classes in Holyoke High School. When Massachusetts enacted legislation permitting municipal higher education institutions to be called junior colleges, the Holyoke School Committee changed our name to Holyoke Junior College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Unlike other municipal junior colleges, which were almost exclusively staffed by secondary school teachers, Holyoke Junior College students were taught by distinguished faculty from the founding area colleges, such as Amherst, Smith and Mount Holyoke. In fact, by the 1950s, Holyoke Junior College boasted a greater percentage of Ph.D.s on its faculty than the most prestigious colleges in Massachusetts. In a valley filled with elite colleges that, at the time, primarily educated the sons and daughters of our nation's more privileged citizens, here was an institution where working people received the very best education, a theme we've continued to this day. The belief that all people deserve access to the highest quality education is one that runs deep in our egalitarian veins.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On July 1, 1964, Holyoke Junior College joined the state college system and was renamed Holyoke Community College. Within a few years, the college was able to add full-time faculty, expand its curriculum and attract a growing body of students by offering day and evening courses. In the fall of 1967, HCC moved into an impressive building that had been completely renovated, at a cost to the state of $1.5 million dollars. Four months later, it burned to the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The fire that took place on January 4, 1968, was a pivotal moment for HCC. There was a strong sense among college administrators, faculty and board members that the Commonwealth would prefer to merge the college with the newly created Springfield Technical Community College. Holyoke's mayor William Taupier joined with business, education, and civic leaders to ensure that the college remained in Holyoke. The day after the fire, Mayor Taupier, on his own, took an option for the city to buy land where a campus could be built. Holyoke residents flooded the governor's office with letters urging that the college be rebuilt in Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The passion and pride the community felt for Holyoke Community College is why we are in this room, and on this land today, the site of what was once the Sheehan dairy farm. Other two-year colleges had been established in the Commonwealth, but ours was the first, and its roots, its history, its mission, engendered a fierce loyalty in the community we served.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our community understands that HCC is critical to the success of this region and the State. The fire demonstrated our collective spirit of steadfastness, resiliency and transformation - and our rise from the ashes to re-invent ourselves, stronger, and with fireproof buildings, all the while demonstrating perseverance for the sake of our students and communities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My first piece of artwork procured in Holyoke was at the Celebrate Holyoke event in August. It is a photograph of 12 different front doors in Holyoke. I recall staring at the photo, thinking about it as a metaphor for higher education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is a transformative place of learning. The doors we open for students are tangible, such as making connections with teachers and staff or opening doors to internship opportunities. These are the applied measures of the doors we open: student success rates, college completion rates; job placement rates post-graduation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But the most profound doors we open for students are the ones in their minds. When our students come to believe in themselves and their own potential; when they know in their very soul that they are just as capable as everyone else, then, truly, anything is possible.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is easy to equate education with enrollment projections, credits sold, retention and completion...because this is the way the public holds higher education accountable. But these numbers reveal very little about the way in which HCC transforms the lives of our students. As educators, we specialize in cultivating and nurturing human capital. The only true measure of awakening a student from within is to see the footprint that they leave on their communities, their families, and the world.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Take for instance, Sam. Sam battled addiction, homelessness, and bipolar disorder. He worked as a machine operator, customer service rep, food broker, and garbage sorter. He ran a cleaning business, first in Puerto Rico, and later, in Massachusetts, where he settled. A meeting with Mary Martone, an advisor for HCC's Adult Basic Education and Transition to College &amp;amp; Careers programs, led him to this program. From there, he enrolled in HCC's free summer STEM Starter Academy, and, in the fall of 2015, he enrolled full time at HCC, where he was a recipient of a National Science Foundation STEM Scholarship. Today Sam is a member of the HCC Military Club and the STEM Club. He is a STEM mentor and ambassador, a chemistry tutor and lab technician, who plans to double major in chemistry and environmental science and transfer to a four-year school to get his bachelor's degree, with the goal of being an environmental chemist.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The concept of education and how we measure success needs to change because employers have different needs, the jobs are different, and the students are different. More than half of our students attend part time. Half are low-income. Community college students-our students-struggle to balance college with job and family responsibilities. They are among the most vulnerable members of our community, which makes their successes and triumphs that much more significant. But the pathway to figuring out your purpose in life is not always so clearly defined in an academic plan. Because making mistakes, failing, learning unexpected lessons, and shifting your direction in life are all part of the journey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jasmine is one such student. She dropped out of HCC at 19, after failing her classes. Homeless, she battled drugs and alcohol. At 23 she got sober, and shortly after, gave birth to her son. Intent on making a life for herself and her son, she returned to HCC, where she found a mentor in Pathways Coordinator Irma Medina. Jasmine began her studies as a Foundations of Heath major, intending to go on to nursing school, but a course in medical anthropology illuminated a new path, one that fused all of the disciplines that she loved.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I met Jasmine shortly after I became president of HCC. She had earned high honors, was a volunteer with the Prison Birth Project and taught childbirth education classes at the Hampden County Women's Correctional Facility in Chicopee. I had the honor of joining her at the State House in Boston last spring, where she was one of &quot;29 Who Shine,&quot; an annual event that recognizes the academic achievements and community service of one student from each of the 29 public colleges and universities in Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She is currently at Mount Holyoke College, studying medical anthropology. Her dream is to some day run a community health clinic that offers comprehensive reproductive care and other services to low-income women and those struggling with substance abuse.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Franklin D. Roosevelt said, &quot;The test of our progress is not whether we add to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide for those who have too little.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We serve one fundamental purpose: we create the conditions for learning to occur.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;We do this by creating a highly diverse ecosystem of learners from all walks of life.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;We do this by creating opportunities and an environment for students to question themselves, to question the roles they play in their communities, to question their contributions to society, and to question what's important to them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We accept students under any circumstances and meet them where they are, determine what they need, empower them to see their own potential, guide them on their educational journey, and, stand proudly with them at graduation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And, student by student, this is how you build an educated society.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While community colleges play an indispensable role in public higher education, there are some significant challenges ahead. Food insecurity. Homelessness. Mental health issues. Transportation. Affordability. Equity. Success. Completion. But the greatest threat to the mission of open access education is the concern about losing our societal perspective of education as a public good. While I think the next decade will bring about a lot of change, some disruptive, to community colleges and higher education in general, I also believe the best years are ahead of us.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As I have come to learn over the past 10 months about the incredible history of this institution, innovation is the thread that binds our past and our future. Holyoke Community College was birthed in innovation, in creating something new, the two-year college concept.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As we move expeditiously into the future, I want to leave you with some final thoughts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We remain steadfast in our commitment to creating life-changing experiences for our students. Most students are here because they want to grow and change. They don't come here to remain the same. They come here to be seen and encouraged, and to engage with people with whom they do not cross paths on a regular basis. They come to understand their limits and be stretched beyond them. They come to awaken what has laid dormant in them for months or decades.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They come to be inspired about how they can affect change in their families and communities. And they come to make sense of what is happening in the world, and how they process it.&lt;br /&gt;We remain committed to diversity, which is our greatest strength and contributes substantially to why students receive a great education at HCC. We will continue to strengthen our impact as a Hispanic Serving Institution. The diversity of our students, faculty, and staff, and our intentional focus on inclusion, contributes to our greatness and enhances the quality of our students' experiences. A focus on equity and student success will allow the promise of education to become the reality: that community colleges are the great equalizers of education. The doors are open to all, and all can succeed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We have students from over 70 communities in the region and remain committed to reaching them wherever they are. We are working with dozens of school districts and our outreach continues to grow with a focus on those most in need. ESOL has expanded in Holyoke, Ludlow and Springfield. The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute will give the College a second location in downtown Holyoke, in addition to our Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center. This will give us a strong workforce development presence in an area of high unemployment. In the same regard we have recently opened the Education to Employment Center in partnership with the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation in Ware, Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the past four years we have worked closely with MGM Springfield in order to provide a ready workforce for their $1 Billion resort planned for Springfield. The MCCTI, MA Casino Careers Training Institute Gaming School, operating under TWO, Training &amp;amp; Workforce Options in partnership with STCC, will provide skills training in gaming related occupations for the unemployed and underemployed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We will continue to set the bar high, seeking to lift HCC as a model community college in the nation, while serving the students in our local communities and meeting them where they are, with the varied and complex circumstances they each bring with them to our doorstep.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, while we are co-creating the future with our faculty, staff, students, trustees, foundation, business leaders, and community members, we will keep reinventing ourselves for the betterment of our students. Learn. Unlearn. Relearn. Let's continue to grow and change, as we encourage our students to do, but with our core commitments in mind: access, equity, success, and affordability.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today and every day, we celebrate a proud past and a bright future. Holyoke Community College is not a student's last stop. We are their first choice.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC student trustee Jonathan Jasmin congratulates Christina Royal after putting the presidential medallion around her neck, completing her inauguration as the fourth president of Holyoke Community College. (Above) HCC president Christina Royal receives applause after completing her inauguration address during ceremonies in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7260" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sullivan-award" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|68|165" FileName="x7260.xml" Name="Sullivan Award" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Lindsey-Pare.jpg" Title="'The very definition'" Abstract="HCC Student Senate vice president Lindsey Pare was recognized for exemplary leadership at a state-wide college conference last month.  " ThumbnailAltText="Student Senate vice president Lindsey Pare, winner of the 2017 Dean Sullivan Award " IntroCopy="HCC's Lindsey Pare wins state-wide award for student leadership " Date="2017-10-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Lindsey Pare&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Lindsey-Pare.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, she is vice president of the Holyoke Community College Student Senate, the campus governing body she served last year as secretary.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But that's not all.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/lindsey-pare&quot;&gt;Lindsey J. Pare &lt;/a&gt;is also an HCC New Student Orientation leader, an Admissions ambassador and tour guide, a peer adviser, and a member of both the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society and HCC's Green Key Honor Society.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But that's not all.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 21-year-old Ludlow resident is a founding member of the HCC COMMitted Club, which is devoted to community service, and a former secretary for the HCC Military Club; twice she has received scholarships through the HCC Foundation, as well as multiple awards from HCC for academic achievement, college service, and commitment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And now there's this.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Oct. 20, at the annual Community College Student Leadership Association conference in Hyannis, Mass., Pare received the 2017 Dean Sullivan Award, which each year is presented to one student from all 15 community colleges in the state in recognition of their enthusiasm and dedication to student leadership.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Her enthusiasm is exemplary,&quot; said Student Activities coordinator Elizabeth Golen in her remarks introducing Pare as this year's award winner. &quot;She is the one who gets students to participate in any event - fundraisers, community service projects, bake sales, even webinars. You can catch her leading study groups, cheering on her peers. She readily provides guidance to fellow senators, friends and peers, always putting others first.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Recipients of the award receive a personalized plaque and a $100 gift certificate to their campus store. Also, a perpetual plaque inscribed with all the recipients' names is displayed for one year on the campus of the current winner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's crazy to me that I won it and what big deal it is, given how it's given to only one person from all the colleges,&quot; Pare said. &quot;It fills my heart with love and gratitude for everyone who supported me.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She said the award was especially meaningful given that she was nominated by her friend and colleague, HCC Student Senate president Heather Paiva Perez.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Working with Lindsey has been an honor and privilege,&quot; said Paiva Perez. &quot;She is the very definition of a leader.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pare was one of 12 HCC student senators who traveled to Hyannis for the three-day conference, attending workshops and meeting their counterparts in student government from the state's other community colleges. The theme of this year's conference was &quot;Epic Strengths.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A Foundations of Health major with a GPA of 3.88, Pare earned her certificate at HCC in medical assisting last spring and will graduate next May with her associate degree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She plans to pursue a career in nursing.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Lindsey Pare, holding two plaques recognizing her as the recipient of the 2017 Dean Sullivan Award for student leadership.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7272" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/sweet-success" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x7272.xml" Name="Sweet Success" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/TT-ghoulgrab.jpg" Title="Sweet Success" Abstract="More than 200 costumed kids showed up for the HCC Education Club's inaugural 'Trunk or Treat' event Friday to collect some early Halloween swag." ThumbnailAltText="HCC student senator hands out candy at inauguaral Trunk or Treat event at HCC Friday." IntroCopy="Inaugural 'Trunk or Treat' event attracts hundreds" Date="2017-10-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC education faculty members created a penguins of madagascar display for the inaugural Trunk or Treat event. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/TT-Education.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They came early and they stayed late &amp;mdash; but not too late &amp;mdash; a few at a time at first and then by the dozen, children wearing costumes, accompanied by their parents, happy to collect some early Halloween treats, both healthy and sweet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Judging by the size of the crowd that showed up on campus Friday night at dusk, HCC's inaugural &quot;Trunk or Treat&quot; event was a great success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;By our count, we had 200 to 250 children,&quot; said Education professor Sheila Gould, adviser to the HCC Education Club, which organized the event. &quot;We counted by how many boxes of Goldfish crackers we gave out.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155758002934330.1073742061.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=8d70d5c86c&quot; title=&quot;Trunk or Treat Facebook Photo Album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos from Friday's event on HCC's Facebook page.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many wearing costumes themselves, HCC faculty, staff and students decorated the back ends of 18 cars and trucks for the early Halloween event. Rather than going door to door to collect candy and other treats, children were able to go &quot;trunk to trunk&quot; n Parking Lot R by the Bartley Center, experiencing a wide variety of spooky and less ghoulish displays.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participating HCC departments and programs included the Students on the Autism Spectrum Club, Marieb Adult Learner Success Center, WCCH Radio Club, Multicultural Academic Services, STRIVE, the Student Senate, HCC Education faculty, HCC Education Club, Westfield State University Education Club, HCC Admissions, HCC Business &amp;amp; Techology Division, HCC Latino International Students Association (LISA Club), the HCC Military Club, HCC Spanish professor Raul Gutierrez and his family, HCC Forensic Science professor Elizabeth Butin and her family, and HCC students Isabel Lamkins and Tommy Dunn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While many faculty and staff members brought their children, most seemed to be from neighborhoods around the campus. Parents said they appreciated being able to take their children out &quot;trick or treating&quot; on a weekend night while it was still light out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As a parent, my children had a wonderful, safe time,&quot; said Gould. &quot;They talked about it all weekend.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gould said the feedback the first Trunk or Treat has been so overwhelmingly positive it is likely to become an annual HCC event.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Other people on campus have already expressed interest in participating next year,&quot; she said. &quot;Some groups already shared their ideas for next year's themes. I've also had some online feedback from community friends who said things like, 'This will be a new tradition for our family.'&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prizes were awarded in a variety of categories for best trunk displays:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Best Executed Theme: Winter Wonderland (Students on the Autism Spectrum Club)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Enthusiastic, Energetic and Excited Award: Isabel Lamkins (HCC Education student)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Best Costumes: HCC Student Senate&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Scariest Trunk: Zombies (Psychology Club)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Funniest Trunk: ATM (Business &amp;amp; Technology Division)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most Original: Garden display (Admissions Office)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC education students began talking last fall about sponsoring some kind of Halloween-related event.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Students were brainstorming ideas to involve the whole HCC community in a way that would benefit children and families in the area,&quot; said Gould.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last year, the HCC Education Club became the first community college club in Massachusetts to be recognized by the Massachusetts Teachers Association as a chapter of SEAM (Student Educators Association of Massachusetts), whose members host community events and participate in statewide education conferences.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Above) HCC Education faculty members Sheila Gould, left, Tricia Kiefer, Tracey Burton and Joan Giovannini dressed as the Penguins of Madagascar for HCC's inaugural Trunk or Treat event Friday.&amp;nbsp; (Thumbnail) HCC student senator Dylan Burns hands out Halloween treats.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5996" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/ivonne-vidal" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|353" FileName="x5996.xml" Name="Ivonne Vidal" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Vidal-Gilbert-Pokela.jpg" Title="New trustee welcomed" Abstract="Ivonne Vidal is a staff attorney for the Committee for Public Counsel Services in Springfield and originally from Cuba." ThumbnailAltText="New HCC trustee Ivonee Vidal, left, joins chair Robert Gilbert and trustee Julie Pokela for her first Board of Trustees meeting at HCC on Tuesday, Oct. 24. " IntroCopy="Ivonne Vidal is a public defender and immigrant from Cuba" Date="2017-10-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ivonne Vidal&quot; height=&quot;353&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Vidal-new-headshot.jpg&quot; style=&quot;float: right; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ivonne Vidal, a staff attorney for the Committee for Public Counsel Services in Springfield, has been appointed to the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees by Gov. Charlie Baker.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC trustees, faculty and staff officially welcomed her to the college for her first board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 24.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vidal holds a law degree from Boston University School of Law and a bachelor's degree in International Relations and Economics from Brown University. As an undergraduate, she spent a year studying international relations and economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A native Spanish speaker, Vidal grew up in Cuba and has been living in the United States since she was 15 and in western Massachusetts for the past six years.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As a public defender and an immigrant, I am keenly aware of the transformative role education plays in a person's life,&quot; Vidal said. &quot;Holyoke Community College is at the forefront of this movement, finding innovative ways to engage and improve the lives of residents in Holyoke and western Massachusetts. I am very excited to become a part of this institution, and I'm looking forward to helping advance its mission to the best of my ability.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before moving to New England for college, Vidal worked as an aide at The English Center in Miami, helping to teach English as a Second Language and citizenship classes. She also spent summers in Miami working as an executive intern in the public defender's office. As a law student at Boston University, she worked for Greater Boston Legal Services and as an legal intern with Masferrer &amp;amp; Associates, PC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Ivonne's background in law and her Spanish-speaking skills will strengthen our already talented board,&quot; said Board of Trustees chair Robert Gilbert. &quot;Our goal is to foster an environment where students can succeed not only academically in college, but in their lives as well. New trustees bring fresh ideas that will help guide HCC into the future and strengthen connections with our community partners.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vidal lives in Easthampton with her husband, Benjamin Farrell, who is also a public defender.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Ivonne Vidal, left, with HCC trustees Robert Gilbert (chair) and Julie Pokela. (Inset) Ivonne Vidal.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7214" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/champs-again" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|2|165" FileName="x7214.xml" Name="Champs Again" Thumbnail="/images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/NE%20chmp%20TN.jpg" Title="Champs Again" Abstract="The New England Champion HCC women's soccer team will travel to Long Island for the NJCAA Division III district title game on Sat., Oct. 28, against Nassau Community College. " ThumbnailAltText=" Holyoke's four sophomores pose with the Region XXI championship plaque. L-R Catherine Hotham, McKenzie Wilson, Allison Zollo and Emma Gomes." IntroCopy="The Cougars shut out STCC 2-0 Sunday to win their sixth straight New England Championship.  " Date="2017-10-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The 2017 HCC women's soccer team, New England champions.&quot; height=&quot;503&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/FB%20NE%20chmps%202017.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;847&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC women's soccer team won the 2017 New England Championship (Region XXI) on Sunday for the sixth straight year with a 2-0 home victory over local rival Springfield Technical Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The New England champion Cougars are a perfect 9-0-0 in regional play this year and have registered eight shutouts while outscoring their opponents 54-1.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Co-captain Allison Zollo of Monson (Monson High School) led the way as the most dominant player on the field in Sunday's win, anchoring Holyoke's defense and stifling STCC attackers for the duration of the contest. In addition to her stellar defending, Zollo scored the Cougars' second goal, heading a perfectly placed corner kick from Emma Gomes of Ludlow (Ludlow High School) past the opposing goalkeeper.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tamara Nicholson of Chicopee (Chicopee High School), who played exceptionally in all three matchups against STCC this season, opened the scoring for the Cougars when she sprinted past the Rams' defense before depositing the ball in the back of the net. Holyoke's sophomores each played an enormous role in Sunday's win as co-captain McKenzie Wilson of South Hadley (Smith Academy) and defender Catherine Hotham of Southampton (Hampshire Regional) joined Zollo and Gomes among the team's outstanding performers, with Hotham tallying an assist.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Goalkeeper Maddisin Atkinson of Easthampton (Smith Vocational High School) made two saves, earning her 11th and the team's 12th shutout of the season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cougars, the top-seeded team in this year's NJCAA Division III Region XXI tournament, had shut out the STCC Rams in their two previous meetings this season by scores of 4-0 and 5-0&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;STCC played us pretty strong, but we had a little too much for them to handle,&quot; said head coach Rob Galazka &amp;lsquo;94. &quot;This year's group deserves their New England Championship. Great group of kids and great soccer players.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;STCC, the number two seeded team, defeated Massassoit Community College Friday in the semi-final game to earn the right to play HCC for the championship.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cougars have an overall record of 14-4-0 and the New England championship is the sixth consecutive regional title for the HCC women's soccer program as well as its 10th in the past 12 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has not lost a game in regional play since 2011.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Up next for the Cougars is a district championship game at Nassau Community College on Long Island on Sat., Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m. In the 2016 district championship game, the Cougars fell short at home to the same opponent in a heartbreaking 1-0 double overtime loss; earlier this season HCC defeated Nassau by a 2-0 score in a game played at home on O'Connell Field.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The winner of Saturday's district championship earns the opportunity to play in the NJCAA Division III National Championship Tournament (Elite Eight).&lt;em style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: The 2017 HCC women's soccer team, New England Champions for the sixth straight year.&amp;nbsp;(Thumbnail) Holyoke's four sophomores pose with the Region XXI championship plaque. L-R Catherine Hotham, McKenzie Wilson, Allison Zollo and Emma Gomes.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7210" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/six-in-sight" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|2|165" FileName="x7210.xml" Name="Six in sight" Thumbnail="/images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/PA111295.jpg" Title="Six in Sight" Abstract="The Holyoke Community College women's soccer team will play for its sixth straight New England championship Sunday at 1 p.m. at home on O'Connell Field. " ThumbnailAltText="Cassidy Snyder moves to a loose ball during a road win at STCC." IntroCopy="The Lady Cougars will play for their sixth straight New England championship Sunday at 1 p.m. at home on O'Connell Field. " Date="2017-10-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Emma Gomes controls the ball as she shields off a defender in an early season game. &quot; height=&quot;503&quot; src=&quot;images/Student%20Life/Athletics/Athletics%20News/Emma%20A1%20main.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;847&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College women's soccer team will play for its sixth straight New England Championship Sunday, Oct. 22, at home on O'Connell Field.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Game time is 1 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Undefeated in regional play with an 8-0-0 record, the Lady Cougars earned the number one seed in the title tournament. They will take on the winner of today's semi-final game between number two seed Springfield Technical Community College (5-2-1) and number three seed Massasoit Community College (4-3-1).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC was undefeated against both teams this season, shutting out STCC two times (4-0 and 5-0) and beating Massasoit twice (1-0 and 3-1).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Behind the outstanding goalkeeping of freshman Maddisin Atkinson (Easthampton), leadership of co-captains Allison Zollo (Monson) and McKenzie Wilson (South Hadley) and the coaching of Rob Galazka &amp;lsquo;97, the Lady Cougars amassed an overall record of 13-4-0, recording seven shutouts and conceding just one goal while scoring 52 goals in regional play (NJCAA Division III).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Along the way, freshman forward Cassidy Snyder (Holyoke) broke the team's single-season scoring record with 26 goals.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: (Above) Sophomore Emma Gomes controls the ball as she shields off a defender in an early season game. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Cassidy Snyder moves to a loose ball during a road win against STCC.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5985" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/inauguration" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x5985.xml" Name="Inauguration" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Royal-treeger-hall.jpg" Title="A New Chapter" Abstract="Christina Royal will officially be inaugurated as HCC's fourth president during a ceremony on Friday, Nov. 3, beginning at 10 a.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater." ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal" IntroCopy="The Presidential Inaguration ceremony will be held Fri., Nov. 3." Date="2017-11-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Royal-treeger-hall.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will mark a new chapter in its history with the inauguration of Christina Royal as its fourth president Friday, Nov. 3, at 10 a.m. in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater in the Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts building.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal, who lives in Northampton, started working at HCC in January. She is just the fourth president in the 71-year history of HCC and the first woman to hold the position.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Friday, Nov. 3, inauguration ceremony will commence at 10 a.m. in the theater lobby of HCC's Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Building with a processional of HCC faculty, staff and distinguished guests, including the presidents of nearly all the other Massachusetts community colleges, as well as the presidents from some of HCC's top local transfer partners: Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Elms College and Westfield State University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also attending and offering brief remarks during the ceremony will be: Carlos E. Santiago, Massachusetts commissioner of Higher Education; Holyoke mayor Alex Morse; state Rep. Aaron Vega, of Holyoke; Gillian McKnight-Tutein, vice president of Academic and Student Affairs from Front Range Community College; Monica Torregrosa, HCC professor of Spanish; and HCC student Boshan &quot;Bo&quot; Zheng of Easthampton.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Robert Gilbert, chair of the HCC Board of Trustees, will present the presidential medallion to President Royal, who will give a special address.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For those who cannot attend and will still like to watch, the inauguration ceremony will be livestreamed on the HCC website.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ceremony will be immediately followed at about 11:20 a.m. by an inauguration celebration showcasing HCC's &quot;Proud Past and Bright Future&quot; in the lobby outside the theater and in the adjoining Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before coming to HCC, Royal served as the provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights, Minn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She holds a PhD in education from Capella University and a master of arts in educational psychology and a bachelor of arts in math from Marist College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She succeeded President William F. Messner, who retired in August 2016 after serving for 12 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: HCC President Christina Royal&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5980" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/culinary-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|194" FileName="x5980.xml" Name="Culinary Grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Culinary-summer-outside.jpg" Title="Grant boosts facility" Abstract="The $229,500 state grant will be used to purchase kitchen equipment and computers for the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, which is expected to open next month. " ThumbnailAltText="Cubit Building, home to the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, set to open next month." IntroCopy="State awards HCC $229,500 for computer and kitchen equipment" Date="2017-10-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Architect's rendering of HCC MGM Culinary Arts institute&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Slideshows/Culinary-stairs-rendering.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute got a big boost yesterday from the governor's office with the awarding of a $229,500 grant for the purchase of computer and kitchen equipment for the new downtown training facility, which is expected to open next month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During an appearance at Nashoba Valley Technical High School in Westford, Gov. Charlie Baker announced a total of $9.5 million in Workforce Skills Capital Grants to 32 community colleges, high schools and educational institutions to enhance and expand career training programs like the ones Holyoke Community College will be operating at the Cubit Building on the corner of Race and Appleton streets in the city's Innovation District.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These Skills Capital Grants will help boost our economy and equip students with new skills, knowledge and experience with state-of-the-art equipment across the Commonwealth,&quot; Baker said. &quot;We look forward to continuing our work with these 32 institutions and previous awardees to enhance their programs and develop a skilled workforce ready to meet the needs of the Commonwealth.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC grant will be used to buy 32 computer workstations, networking infrastructure, and software programs unique to hospitality and culinary industry workplaces, as well as kitchen equipment such as refrigerators, grill and fry tables, ice machines, skillets, griddles, steamers, and dishwashers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;All the items purchased with the grant will directly support workforce training for occupations within the growing hospitality and culinary arts industry of western Massachusetts, including preparing workers for MGM Springfield, one of our major employer partners,&quot; said Amy Dopp, interim vice president of Institutional Advancement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dopp said the new equipment will allow the college to increase the number of seats available in its credit and non-credit programs and be able to customize instruction to meet the needs of local employers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Construction of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, which will occupy nearly 20,000 square feet on the first and second floors of the Cubit Building, is expected to completed in late November with non-credit workforce training programs beginning in December. HCC's credit programs in Hospitality and Culinary Arts will relocate from the main campus to the new facility for the beginning of the Spring 2018 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The competitive grants are awarded to educational institutions that demonstrate partnerships with industry, as well as align curriculum and credentials with businesses' demand, in order to maximize hiring opportunities in each region of the state. Economic Development legislation proposed by the Baker-Polito Administration and passed by the state legislature last year authorizes $45 million in program funding over the next three years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;While Massachusetts has the most highly educated workforce of any state in the nation - with 50 percent of our workforce holding a bachelor's degree or higher - there is a skills shortage that needs to be addressed to support future business growth and economic success,&quot; said Education secretary James Peyser. &quot;With these Skills Capital Grants, we are ensuring our education and workforce investments meet current and future industry growth in the Commonwealth by requiring schools that receive grants partner with local businesses.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: An architect's rendering of the lobby of the soon-to-open HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, in downtown Holyoke.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5918" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/new-vp" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|193|65" FileName="x5918.xml" Name="New VP" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2019/CAI-Amanda-chef.jpg" Title="HCC hires new VP" Abstract="Amanda E. Sbriscia will lead HCC's fundraising efforts as head of Institutional Advancement and oversee Alumni Affairs, Resource Development, and Marketing. " ThumbnailAltText="Amanda E. Sbriscia" IntroCopy="Amanda E. Sbriscia is HCC's new vice president of Institutional Advancement" Date="2017-09-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Amanda E. Sbriscia&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2019/CAI-Amanda-chef.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is pleased to announce that Granby resident Amanda E. Sbriscia has been hired as its new vice president of Institutional Advancement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sbriscia will lead HCC's fundraising efforts as head of the HCC Foundation and oversee Alumni Affairs, Resource Development, and Marketing and Communications. She begins Oct. 30.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am thrilled to be joining HCC at a very exciting time in its history,&quot; Sbriscia said. &quot;I look forward to connecting with our alumni, friends, faculty and staff, and to engaging the community in our efforts to support students and build on the college's excellent reputation.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sbriscia, 33, comes to HCC with more than 10 years' experience in education and fundraising. Most recently, she served as senior director of Advancement at Bay Path University following her role there as director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before Bay Path, Sbriscia worked in fund development for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts and as director of Annual Giving for Anna Maria College in Paxton, Mass. Her experience in higher education also includes work in major gifts, volunteer management, corporate sponsorship, and strategic planning.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We were fortunate to have four extremely qualified finalists to consider for this position, and we put each of them through a full day of rigorous interviews,&quot; said HCC president Christina Royal. &quot;In the end, though, Amanda's experience, presence, and passion really made her stand out. She has an energy that I believe will integrate fluently with our current campus leadership and help propel us forward as we begin to develop a strategic plan for the future of HCC, and I'm excited that she will soon be here.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She has served on the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and is a member of Women in Philanthropy and the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield. She is also a classroom reader through Springfield School Volunteers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Originally from Elysburg, Penn., Sbriscia moved to western Massachusetts after earning her bachelor's degree in communications from Cedar Crest College and a master's degree in higher education administration from Drexel University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was a phonathon caller as a work-study student, got promoted to student supervisor, realized I love this work and have been in the business ever since,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sbriscia is currently pursuing her doctor of education degree in organizational leadership from Northeastern University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In her spare time, she is an avid runner and has completed four marathons and is planning to run this fall in the Newport Marathon and New York City Marathon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She and her husband Keith live in Granby.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Amanda Sbriscia, HCC's new vice president of Institutional Advancement&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5879" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/getting-it-right" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193" FileName="x5879.xml" Name="Getting It Right" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-IWD-Kiana.jpg" Title="HCC 'Getting It Right'" Abstract="A national report lists HCC as one of the top performers among U.S. colleges for maintaining racial and gender equity in its administrative positions. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC students Kiana Estime shakes hands with President Christina Royal at an International Women's Day rally at HCC. " IntroCopy="College lauded for racial and gender equity" Date="2017-09-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal shakes hands with Kiana Estime '17 during an International Women's Day celebration at HCC last spring. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-IWD-Kiana.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been listed among the top institutions of higher education in the country for maintaining diversity and gender equity in its administrative positions, according to a national report.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In that report, titled &quot;Institutions That Are Getting It Right,&quot; the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, or CUPA-HR, compared representation and pay equity for women and minority administrators from more than 2,000 public and private colleges and universities over 16 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Researchers determined that only 11 institutions had maintained &quot;consistent success&quot; in four critical areas: women's pay equity, minority pay equity, women's representation and minority representation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC was one of them and the only college or university from Massachusetts on the list.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Congratulations on being one of the top institutions in the country to maintain diversity and equity in your administrative positions,&quot; Jacqueline Bichsel, CUPA-HR's director of Research, said in an email to HCC's Human Resources director Clara Elliott. &quot;This is a remarkable accomplishment.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Holyoke Community College's aspirations are to represent our diverse student body,&quot; said Elliott. &quot;In doing so, HCC makes diversity recruitment a deliberate act. Our Affirmative Action goals are guided to the outreach and recruitment of underrepresented groups, not only in leadership positions but across the campus community.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;CUPA-HR has been conducting salary and demographic surveys for 50 years and used data from its annual &quot;Administrators in Higher Ed Salary Survey&quot; to determine the results.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It is wonderful to be recognized as an institution that focuses on core issues relating to equity,&quot; said President Christina Royal. &quot;At HCC, we believe that diversity makes us stronger. This is central to our history and our mission and a fundamental part of our future.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the report, &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/News/Surveys_Publications_Brief_InstitutionsGettingItRight.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Getting It Right report&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;available online&lt;/a&gt;, 2,279 distinct higher ed institutions were included in the analysis. The institutions were ranked on each of the four metrics from lowest to highest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The report defined &quot;top institutions&quot; as those with diversity/equity ranks in the top two-thirds every year they participated in the surveys. Institutions had to participate for at least 10 years to be considered.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Although many institutions did well in at least one diversity/equity area, relatively few did so for both representation and pay, either for women or minority administrators,&quot; the report says. &quot;However, 11 institutions were top performers in all areas ... over 16 years.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The top 11 were not ranked against each other. Four community colleges were among them, including HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Two-year institutions often have strong ties to their local area, as well as a mission to aid underserved populations,&quot; the report says, &quot;and they were generally ranked highly on all diversity/equity measures.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&amp;nbsp;HCC president Christina Royal, the first woman president of HCC, shakes hands with Kiana Estime '17 during an International Women's Day celebration at HCC last spring.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5912" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cc-update-fa17" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193|165" FileName="x5912.xml" Name="CC Update FA17" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/CC-front-rough.jpg" Title="Rough Cuts" Abstract="Take a close look inside and around the HCC Campus Center, where a two-year, $43.5 million renovation project is now under way.   " ThumbnailAltText="HCC Campus Center front" IntroCopy="Take a look inside and around the HCC Campus Center, where a $43.5 million renovation project is now under way." Date="2017-10-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Front of Campus Center now under construction&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/CC-front-rough.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tannery Brook is underground. The stream that runs along the east side of the HCC Campus Center now flows through six-foot metal conduit and is buried under tons of fill and dirt strong enough to support the heavy machines required to renovate the building during a two-year, $43.5 million project.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the courtyard side, the descending stairwell to the cafeteria entrance has been excavated, making space for what will eventually become an enclosed atrium.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Construction fences went up around the site during the summer. Demolition began soon after. Since then, crews have been busy chipping, scraping, peeling, stripping and hauling away tons of concrete and other material from both the interior and exterior.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Curious about what's going on? Want to know what's been done so far and what the Campus Center will become? Take a look at the slideshow below.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eventually, as you'll see in the architect's renderings, the building's sloping surfaces will be squared off and the concrete fa&amp;ccedil;ade covered with metal cladding to fix the water leaks that have plagued the building since it opened in 1980.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Exterior walkways will be enclosed, and the addition of large windows on the eastern side of the building - looking out from an expanded dining room - will give the Campus Center a look that complements the adjacent Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All told the project will add about 9,000 square feet of space to the current 58,727 square feet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tannery Brook will eventually be returned to its natural state and, with an assist from HCC students, the streambed planted with native vegetation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A dedicated visitors parking lot will direct prospective students and their families over a bridge crossing the brook and leading to the first floor, where they will find a new Admissions, Advising, and Testing suite. The second floor will feature updated and expanded dining facilities, a new Campus Store, lounge areas, charging stations and Student Activities office.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The main impetus for this project is to get the building watertight,&quot; said Bill Fogarty, vice president of Administration and Finance, &quot;but we also wanted to improve the operation of the building and bring together programs and departments that complement each other to make the Campus Center a real hub of student engagement.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Media Arts and Photography will return to the third floor of the building, which is also being updated with new ductwork, lighting and ceilings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Construction is expected to last two years with the building reopening for the Fall 2019 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5837" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/daca" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165" FileName="x5837.xml" Name="DACA" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/MA-CC-logo.jpg" Title="In support of DACA " Abstract="HCC president Christina Royal and the 14 other Massachusetts community college presidents issued a statement in support of DACA students.  " ThumbnailAltText="Mass CC logo" Date="2017-09-05" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;CC presidents support DACA&quot; height=&quot;1058&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Joint%20Statement%20in%20Support%20of%20DACA%20w-signatures_9317.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5867" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/golf-classic-2017" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|65" FileName="x5867.xml" Name="Golf Classic 2017" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Golf-Stewart.jpg" Title="Benefit honors 'Doc'" Abstract="The 30th annual HCC Foundation Golf Classic was dedicated to the memory of Francis Baker, a local podiatrist and lifelong friend to the college. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal poses with golfers at the 30th annual HCC Foundation Golf Classic. " IntroCopy="30th annual golf benefit dedicated to memory of Francis Baker" Date="2017-09-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Former HCC president David Bartley pays tribute to Francis &amp;quot;Doc&amp;quot; Baker at the 30th annual HCC Foundation Golf Classic on Sept. 11. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Golf-bartley.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Former Holyoke Community College president David Bartley and the late Francis &quot;Doc&quot; Baker started caddying together at Holyoke Country Club when they were eight years old and started playing golf together when they were nine.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was my pleasure to have him as a friend for over 75 years,&quot; Bartley said yesterday during the HCC Foundation's 30th Golf Classic, an annual fundraising benefit that this year was dedicated in memory of Baker, a lifelong Holyoke resident and long-time friend to the college who died July 23 at 84.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Baker, a local podiatrist who, like Bartley, was born and raised in Holyoke, served two terms on the HCC Board of Trustees (1984-1992), while Bartley was the college president, including three years as chairman. He was also a member of the HCC Foundation board from 1987 until his death and was a founding member of the HCC Foundation golf committee, on which he served as a committee chair.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When it came to Holyoke Community College, Francis Baker was always there,&quot; Bartley said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than 90 golfers played in the scramble-style tournament Monday at the Springfield Country Club in West Springfield. All the net proceeds from this year's event - more than $25,000 - will go toward classroom equipment and student services at the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute at 164 Race St. in downtown Holyoke. As well, a room at the new culinary arts and hospitality education center will be named for Baker.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Francis Baker really started this golf tournament 30 years ago,&quot; Bartley said during a tribute to Baker. &quot;We raised a lot of money for this college.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since the first HCC Foundation Golf Classic was played in 1988, the tournament has raised more than $500,000 for student scholarships and educational technology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bartley noted that the HCC Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm of the college, now has an endowment of more than $14 million, making it one of the largest and most successful community college foundations in the country.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This golf tournament is a good reminder that the college really needs the support of the community,&quot; HCC president Christina Royal said to golfers and guests during the dinner portion of the program, &quot;and so being here and participating, you're really helping to contribute to the college and to the students, so thank you.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During his tribute, Bartley added that his friend &quot;Fran&quot; was also a &quot;beloved Irishman,&quot; and worked hard on behalf of the city's St. Patrick's Day Parade, serving as a parade president and a grand marshal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There are very few people who loved or worked harder for the city of Holyoke than Dr. Francis Baker,&quot; he said. &quot;Fran is in a better place today, but he certainly had a major influence on Holyoke Community College and on the city of Holyoke. Thank you, Fran and God bless you. Until we meet again.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Former HCC president David Bartley delivers a tribute to the late Francis &quot;Doc&quot; Baker. (Thumbail) HCC president Christina Royal stands with golfers Tom Stewart, Bill Bagshaw and David Monaco on the fourth tee at Springfield County Club. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5841" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/dean-bbq" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193" FileName="x5841.xml" Name="Dean BBQ" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Dean-Royal-mike.jpg" Title="'Pursue Education'" Abstract="HCC president Christina Royal helped welcome high school students back to school at a BBQ and resource fair Friday at Dean Technical High School." ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal helps welcome high school students back to school at a BBQ and resource fair at Dean Technical High School." IntroCopy="HCC president Christina Royal helped welcome high school students back to school at a BBQ and resource fair at Dean Technical High School." Date="2017-09-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal talks to students at Dean Technical High School last week. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Dean-Royal.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College president Christina Royal last week called the college's partnership with Holyoke Public Schools &quot;absolutely critical&quot; and urged students at the city's Dean Technical High School to continue their educations, no matter where they ultimately go.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Of course, we want you to think about Holyoke Community College if you're going to pursue post-secondary education,&quot; said Royal, one of the guest speakers Friday at a Welcome Back BBQ and Resource Fair at Dean, &quot;but I want to give you a message about education in general.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I believe education is transforming,&quot; she continued. &quot;It doesn't matter what kind of education you get, what kind of pathway you choose - pursue education. Because, having an open mind, exploring creative outlets, finding your sources of innovation, that will come as you expose yourselves to different experiences and different people along the way.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal urged students to use their time in school to focus on finding their passion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Ultimately,&quot; she said, &quot;whatever pathway you choose, if you're passionate about it, that's what's going to lead to a successful and happy life.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College was one of the sponsors of last week's Welcome Back BBQ and Resource Fair, which was brought about 300 people to the school for food, fun and other festivities. The event was geared for 10th, 11th and 12th graders and their families and featured representatives from some 20 community organizations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal was introduced to the crowd by state Rep. Aaron Vega from Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm very proud to say we have a very strong partnership with Holyoke Public Schools,&quot; said Royal, who cited dual enrollment programs like Gateway to College as one successful pathway between the public schools and HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The partnership we have is absolutely critical to ensure that we can help foster your success here and help foster success at whatever your next destination is,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: HCC president Christina Royal talks to students at Dean Technical High School in Holyoke Friday, Sept. 1.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5482" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/holyoke-civic-symphony" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|165|226" FileName="x5482.xml" Name="Holyoke Civic Symphony" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-Chorale.jpg" Title="Musical connections" Abstract="The Holyoke Civic Symphony, founded at HCC in 1967, celebrated its 50th anniversary Sunday, with an assist from HCC music faculty and students." ThumbnailAltText="HCC music professor Ellen Cogen conducts the HCC College Chorale in preparation for the 50th anniversary concert of the Holyoke Civic Symphony Sunday, May 7." IntroCopy="Relationship between HCC and symphony dates back 50 years" Date="2017-05-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC music professor Ellen Cogen conducts the HCC College Chorale in preparation for the 50th anniversary concert of the Holyoke Civic Symphony Sunday, May 7.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-Chorale.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By RONNI GORDON&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beethoven's &lt;em&gt;Symphony No. 9 in D minor&lt;/em&gt; is also called &quot;the Choral&quot; because of its unprecedented use of singers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some 100 of them, including 30 from Holyoke Community College, will join the Holyoke Civic Symphony on Sunday, May 7, as they perform that iconic work for the group's 50th anniversary, season-ending concert.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When those singers file out onto risers, the Holyoke Community College Chorale will be among them, just as several HCC alumni and current music students will be among those seated with the symphony.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The concert, called &quot;50 Years of Joy,&quot; is a fundraiser for the orchestra. It begins Sunday at 3 p.m. at Holyoke High School, 500 Beech St.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The close relationship with HCC dates back to the symphony's founding in 1967.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The symphony started that year as part of Holyoke Community College and was then called the Holyoke Community College Civic Orchestra. The name was changed in the late &amp;lsquo;80s s as a lead-up to incorporating as a separate non-profit for the 1991-1992 season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 60-member symphony is composed primarily of non-professional musicians, with professionals performing as guest soloists and contributing original compositions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The symphony practices every Monday night in one of the first floor rehearsal rooms in HCC's Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Building and holds its regular fall, winter and spring concerts in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Though no longer part of the name, HCC has played a vital role in the orchestra's longevity, says historian (and flutist) Jane Rausch, co-author of a manuscript, &quot;The Sound Choice: The Holyoke Civil symphony, Holyoke Massachusetts: A History, 1967-2017.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC has consistently provided rehearsal and performance space without cost,&quot; she said. &quot;The orchestra uses HCC's percussion instruments. HCS has played compositions written by HCC faculty and members of the music faculty have performed as soloists with the orchestra.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC music students can also join the symphony for college credit. Over the years many of them have done so, sometimes continuing to play as alumni.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although he doesn't teach a class, symphony music director and conductor David Kidwell is considered a member of the HCC adjunct faculty. To earn credit, students must attend the 2 &amp;frac12;-hour Monday night rehearsals, two concerts a semester, six rehearsals and a dress rehearsal. There is no textbook, no text, said Kidwell, who is also minister of music at Edwards Church in Northampton.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The students bring a nice energy and youthfulness to the orchestra,&quot; he explained during a recent rehearsal break. &quot;It's a good opportunity for them. It's something a lot of colleges don't have.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He said it's also an opportunity for musicians from the area to be involved with students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Zach Sears, '11, a 28-year-old cello player from Longmeadow, performed with the symphony as an HCC liberal arts major and is doing so again this year through a cooperative exchange with Westfield State University, where he is a senior.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's exciting to go through the process of working on the major pieces of the orchestral repertoire,&quot; he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During a recent rehearsal, about two weeks before the anniversary show, Kidwell said he was pleased with the way his musicians played the second movement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Really good job, guys,&quot; he said. &quot;I wanted to get through as much as possible and we only had to stop one time ... Transitions, there are so many transitions. I just want to go back and pick out a few spots but I don't want to wear us out.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At a break in the symphony's weekly Monday night rehearsal at HCC, over snacks laid out on a table, one musician from the 60-member group said to him, &quot;That's quite the piece.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kidwell replied, &quot;I hope you'll listen to it at home.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The concert, a fundraiser for the orchestra, is scheduled for May 7 at 3 p.m. at Holyoke High School, 500 Beech Street. Admission is $10 adults; $5 for children under 12.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Singing with HCC Chorale and the symphony will be the Edwards Church Choir of Northampton, the Holyoke High School Choir, and others. The featured soloists are soprano Erin Nafziger, mezzo soprano Eileen Ruby, tenor Mark Todd, and bass John Thomas.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Also on the program will be the premiere performance of Adrienne Albert's Homeward Bound, commissioned by the symphony for its 50th Anniversary season.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: HCC music professor Ellen Cogen conducts the Holyoke Community College Chorale as they prepare to play with the Holyoke Civic Symphony on Sunday, May 7.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5499" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/29-who-shine-2017" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|165" FileName="x5499.xml" Name="29 Who Shine 2017" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/thumb_29-17-group-gov_1024.jpg" Title="State House Honor" Abstract="Graduating HCC student Jasmine Errico received a &quot;29 Who Shine&quot; award from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education." ThumbnailAltText="HCC student Jasmine Errico, far right, poses with Gov. Charllie Baker, her grandmother and HCC president Christina Royal, far left, after receiving a 29 Who Shine award from the Dept. of Higher Education at the State House Friday." IntroCopy="HCC student Jasmine Errico one of the state's &quot;29 Who Shine&quot;" Date="2017-05-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student Jasmine Errico, far right, poses with Gov. Charllie Baker, her grandmother and HCC president Christina Royal, far left, after receiving a 29 Who Shine award from the Dept. of Higher Education at the State House Friday.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/thumb_29-17-group-gov_1024.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Graduating HCC student Jasmine Errico was honored in Boston Friday as one of the &quot;29 Who Shine,&quot; the Dept. of Higher Education's annual awards that recognize one student from each of the 29 public colleges and universities in Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The 29 Who Shine honorees are exceptional student leaders who saw a way to improve something and acted on it, and for that we are grateful. They are a credit to the colleges and universities they attend. We are proud of their contributions to their communities and the Commonwealth,&quot; said Education Secretary James Peyser.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The awards ceremony was held Friday, May 5, at the base of the Grand Staircase in the Massachusetts State House.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each of Massachusetts' 29 public college and university campuses selects its own honoree for the &quot;29 Who Shine&quot; awards based on criteria established by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. Students are required to be residents of Massachusetts who have strong academic profiles and a record of civic engagement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Errico, a trained doula who lives in Easthampton, volunteers with the nonprofit Prison Birth Project in Holyoke. She will graduate May 27 with high honors and her associate degrees in liberal arts. She has been accepted to Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, where she intends to study medical anthropology. A single mother herself who has struggled with homelessness and addiction, Jasmine hopes to one day work as a clinical nurse midwife and offer reproductive services to low-income women, women of color and women battling substance abuse or domestic violence.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can read more about her in the recent HCC News profile:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/jasmine-errico-news&quot;&gt;&quot;Mother of Inspiration.&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Every year the 29 Who Shine remind us that our public college and university graduates represent the future of the Commonwealth,&quot; said Carlos E. Santiago, commissioner of Higher Education. &quot;They are here to learn, here to stay, and it is incredibly inspiring to see how each honoree is contributing to our common good.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also recognized at the event was Jasmine's staff mentor, Irma Medina, coordinator of HCC's Pathways Program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: &lt;em&gt;HCC student Jasmine Errico, far right, poses with Gov. Charllie Baker, her grandmother and HCC president Christina Royal, far left, after receiving a 29 Who Shine award from the Dept. of Higher Education at the State House Friday, May 5.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5496" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/food-justice-conference" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x5496.xml" Name="Food Justice Conference" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Food-Justice.jpg" Title="Food Justice " Abstract="Holyoke College College is teaming up with Nuestras Raices for the first Holyoke Food Justice Conference May 6, at HCC." ThumbnailAltText="Food Justice Conference graphic" IntroCopy="The event, organized by Nuestras Raíces and HCC, will host a diverse group of nationally recognized food movement leaders" Date="2017-05-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student paints fence at Nuestras Raices farm in Holyoke during a volunteer day last spring.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-Nuestras-Tyler.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Around 200 people are expected to attend the first annual Holyoke Food Justice Conference Sat., May 6, at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The conference, organized by Nuestras Ra&amp;iacute;ces and HCC, will host a diverse group of nationally recognized food movement leaders who will share from their experiences working toward food justice and their visions for the work ahead.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the spirit of the conference, tickets are available on a sliding scale: a full price ticket is $65, but community members can make a donation instead, based on what they can afford.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We do not want to exclude anyone,&quot; said Jharikem Borrero-Irizarry, Community &amp;amp; Outreach organizer for Nuestras Ra&amp;iacute;ces. &quot;In an effort to account for systemic economic realities, we are making a limited number of tickets available for Holyoke-Springfield area community members for free. We want everyone to come.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The conference will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater, Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Building.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Speakers include: Leah Penniman (Soul Fire Farm, Grafton, N.Y.), Ricardo Salvador (Union of Concerned Scientists), Eric Toensmeier (Perennial Solutions, Holyoke), Maria Cartagena (The People's Historian, Holyoke), Twila Cassadore (San Carlos Apache Tribe), Liz Ogilvie (Gardening the Community, Springfield), Christina Rice and Alyssa Chan (Harvard Food Law &amp;amp; Policy Clinic), Arcenio Lopez (Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project), Jennifer Weston (Standing Rock Sioux, UMass Boston, youth representatives from Nuestras Ra&amp;iacute;ces and Gardening the Community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC Nutrition professor Laura Christoph, and others at HCC helped organized the conference. Christoph has been working this spring with Nuestras Raices on a Kellogg Foundation grant-funded program called Nuestra Comida, which encourages implementing policy, community engagement and youth pathways through school to improve our food system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I sit on their leadership team and connect the group with HCC resources, possible Service Learning projects and other collaborations to work toward a healthier community,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He conference sponsors are Nuestras Raices, Holyoke Community College, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The conference will explore the historical roots of food inequity and evaluate the current food system, and examine and policy strategy movements working nationwide to make the U.S. food system more equitable for all.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For 25 years, Nuestras Ra&amp;iacute;ces, has been working on the intersection of food, culture, and urban agriculture in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The group continues to advance its work of building a sustainable and equitable food system for all residents of Holyoke and beyond.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Conference statement: &lt;em&gt;Given the current political climate, we firmly believe we must strive harder than ever to build an inclusive movement for a just, racially equitable, and sustainable food system: one that addresses privilege and access, values indigenous knowledge, and is led by, represents, and lifts up people of color and those from underserved communities. Inequity is present across the food chain, manifesting through the low wages and unfair working conditions experienced by food producers and vendors, the spread of food deserts, and unequal food access in marginalized communities. Now is the time to reclaim our food system and advance food equity through social and political change.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To register, please call Nuestras Raices at 413.535.1789 ext. 209 or go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.eventbrite.com/e/holyoke-food-justice-conference-tickets-32843343324&quot; title=&quot;Food Justice Conference 2017&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://www.eventbrite.com/e/holyoke-food-justice-conference-tickets-32843343324&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5501" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/club-awards-2017" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|68|165" FileName="x5501.xml" Name="Club Awards 2017" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Club-awards-Commitment.jpg" Title="HCC Club Awards" Abstract="The annual award celebration recognizes HCC clubs and the students and staff who make them possible. " ThumbnailAltText="Sylvia Nkrumah, Karianne Santiago, and Teddy McCormick received the &quot;Commitment Award&quot; Friday at HCC's annual spring Club Award celebration." IntroCopy="Students on the Autism Spectrum named Club of the Year" Date="2017-05-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sylvia Nkrumah, Karianne Santiago, and Teddy McCormick received the &amp;quot;Commitment Award&amp;quot; Friday at HCC's annual spring Club Award celebration.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Club-awards-Commitment%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Students on the Autism Spectrum club was named Club of the Year Friday during a rousing celebration that recognized HCC clubs and the students and staff who make them possible.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The annual spring Club Awards ceremony was held in the Leslie Phillips Theater, followed by a reception in the Picknelly Dining Room.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students on the Autism spectrum also won awards for several other categories, including Outstanding Advisor, Phoenix Award, Excellence in Leadership, Starfish &lt;br /&gt;Award and Best Awareness Project.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here is a full list of Club Award winners:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Club Advisor of the Year:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Tricia Kiefer and Sheila Gould, Education Club (SEAM)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Outstanding Advisor:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Stevie Converse, Radio Club&lt;br /&gt;Maureen Conroy and Andrea Holjacki, Students on the Autism Spectrum &lt;br /&gt;Myriam Quinones, CommITTED Club&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Event of the Year:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Paint Night, Military Club. Last fall the club raised more than $400 for the Vietnam Vets Welcome Home dinner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Humanitarian Effort Award:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Anime Club&lt;br /&gt;Student Senate&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Phoenix Award (For an HCC club returning after a hiatus):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Students on the Autism Spectrum Club&lt;br /&gt;Education Club&lt;br /&gt;Military Club&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rising Star Award (For a new member who has shown great potential, leadership skills, and promise and will be returning next year, as an officer or leader.):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jared Hawk, Education Club&lt;br /&gt;Heather Paiva Perez, Student Senate&lt;br /&gt;Muhammed Azmi Bin Zainal Abidin, CommITTED and International Students Club&lt;br /&gt;Chris Miller, Radio Club&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Heart and Soul Award (A friend to all, this giving person listens to others with patience and understanding and always goes the extra mile for the club, its mission, and its members):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chloe Soto, Student Senate&lt;br /&gt;Jess Krolicki, Radio Club&lt;br /&gt;Chet Wilson, Military Club&lt;br /&gt;McKenzie Wilson, Education Club&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Team Work Award (Two individuals who work best together to get things done):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amanda Rooke and Teddy McCormick, Student Senate&lt;br /&gt;Chet Wilson and Jon Jasmin, Military Club&lt;br /&gt;Chloe Soto and Jonathan Mendez, Student Senate&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Excellence in Leadership Award:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Harry Farris, Anime Club&lt;br /&gt;Tiffany Cavanaugh, Students on the Autism Spectrum Club&lt;br /&gt;Gina Burke, Education Club&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Commitment Award:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sylvia Nkrumah, Education Club&lt;br /&gt;Karianne Santiago, Student Senate and CommITTED Club&lt;br /&gt;Teddy McCormick, Student Senate and STEM Club&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Charisma Award:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;McKenzie Wilson, Education Club &lt;br /&gt;Karianne Santiago, CommITTED Club and Student Senate&lt;br /&gt;Natalie Richards, Student Senate&lt;br /&gt;Jonathan Mendez, Student Senate and CommITTED Club&lt;br /&gt;Jared Hawk, Education Club&lt;br /&gt;Chloe Soto, Radio Club and Student Senate&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Best Volunteer Project of the Year:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;CommiTTED Club (Traffic box painting in Holyoke)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Starfish Award (This person helps others unconditionally despite their own personal obstacles, notices everyone's contributions no matter how small, encourages others, and expects little in return):&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Mariya Primako, Student Senate and Emerging Business Leaders Club&lt;br /&gt;Heather Paiva, Student Senate&lt;br /&gt;Jay Everson, Students on the Autism Spectum Club&lt;br /&gt;Lindsay Pare, Military Club and Student Senate&lt;br /&gt;Frances Rivera Diaz, Queer Straight Alliance, STEM Club, Student Senate&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Best Awareness Project:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Create and Learn about STIM Toys, Students on the Autism Spectrum &lt;br /&gt;22 Push-up Challenge, MIlitary Club&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Best Cultural event:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Ask a _____ , International Students Club&lt;br /&gt;Holocaust Remembrance Table, Shalom Club&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by Noah Koski:&amp;nbsp;Sylvia Nkrumah, Karianne Santiago, and Teddy McCormick received the &quot;Commitment Award&quot; Friday at HCC's annual spring Club Award celebration.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5583" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/jonathan-mendez" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="65|165|226" FileName="x5583.xml" Name="Jonathan Mendez" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Mendez-speech-news.jpg" Title="'I found my village'" Abstract="In his Commencement address, Jonathan Mendez, '17, talked about his early struggles, the power of music, and how HCC prepared him for the next stage of his life." ThumbnailAltText="Student orator Jonathan Mendez addresses students, staff, faculty and guests at Commencement 2017." IntroCopy="&quot;HCC has helped shape me, helped me grow and flourish, as well as accomplish impossible things&quot;" Date="2017-05-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Student orator Jonathan Mendez gives a speech at Commencement 2017.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Mendez-speech-news.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;On Sat., May 27, &amp;nbsp;student orator Jonathan Mendez received his associate degree in liberal arts from Holyoke Communty College. In his Commencement 2017 address, Mendez talked about his early struggles, the power of music, and how HCC prepared him for the next stage of his life. Below is the full text of his speech.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Good morning graduates, faculty, staff, administrators, and President Royal. Before I begin, I would like to dedicate this speech to someone special, who has inspired me to embrace who I am and who's also graduating today, Chloe E. Soto.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I stand at this podium today to tell you a story, my story. Being here at this moment was a challenge, but not as challenging as the story I'm about to tell you. You see, I did not have a normal childhood. By the age of 6 I had suffered physical abuse, trauma, neglect, rejection, and misdiagnosis. Because of this, I was removed from my family and sent away to various hospitals and institutions where I suffered even more trauma and rejection. I was brought up by staff, counselors, and therapists who were now the authoritative figures in my life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As I was forced to live in these places, I found ways of coping on my own. When I could escape for a moment, all I would do was listen to music. I would memorize the lyrics and lose myself in them. I would imagine myself performing each song on stage in front of an audience, and it was the most exhilarating experience. Being able to shut out the harsh and complicated world I was stuck in and to imagine a reality where I could show the real me was life saving. The idea of opening up, letting down the walls I had created to protect myself was thrilling.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After the many institutions I was passed through, I arrived at a place where I was no longer an object or a number. I was suddenly treated like a human being. It took me sometime to trust the staff, but just the thought that someone valued me, gave me the realization, no, the revelation, that I was someone, that I had agency. Something clicked like clockwork inside me. I started to turn myself around, and I started realizing that not everything about me was negative and that I had power.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The transition from institutional regiment and rules to the real world was another challenge for me. I was sent back to live with my dysfunctional family and suddenly I needed to fend for myself. This was a family I no longer knew. They themselves needed help and support. I, once again, was rejected. I was so terrified of being criminalized and sent to jail that I became tough on myself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This journey taught me to strive for more and not give up. I struggled to fend for myself, and found shelter with people I hardly knew. I became strong, and, along the way, I developed a support system. Throughout this stage of my life, I found people like my literature teacher, Susanne; my uncle, Junior; and my best friend, Yady, who helped motivate me to further my education and stay focused on what's important. I began to understand the true meaning of responsibility, and finally, to learn how to do things and take care of myself. I'm still struggling, but this time I have control of myself. I have the power.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here's what I know: Who you were in the past is just as important as who you are in the present and future. Your story is what defines who you are; it has brought you to this very moment. Never be ashamed of your story and when you get the chance to tell it, be proud of it. I'm here to tell you, no matter what you've been through, what your trials or tribulations were, you decided to make something of yourself and accomplish your dreams and goals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For many of us here today, we have been through so much when all the odds were against us. We overcame challenges that have kept others from graduating and from succeeding in life. We refused to allow adversity to define us and to tell us who we ought to become. We screamed, we cried, we slaved over essays and mathematics. We stayed up all night to finish our assignments on time while juggling our personal lives, taking care of children or grandparents, working at our full time/part time or multiple jobs all at the same time. But more importantly, we fought. And we fought hard to be here, on this day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As we continue to move forward with our education or wherever our journey takes us from here, it is true that we must work hard and take care of our responsibilities. However, it is equally important to take care of ourselves. Our minds, our bodies and our spirits are very important. As Mimsy would tell us, you need your attention as well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have broken chains and boundaries I didn't think I could. I've become a stronger person, and I have found my voice. It's true what they say, &quot;It takes a village&quot; and at HCC, I found my village. HCC has helped shape me, helped me grow and flourish, as well as accomplish impossible things, and, because of this, I am grateful. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am proud of myself, and I will continue to grow and empower those around me, to aspire to be better, because that is what HCC taught me. It makes me sad to leave, but it's okay, because I've accomplished what I needed to here, and I am ready for the next stage in my life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you Holyoke Community College. I will always be grateful.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Student orator Jonathan Mendez addresses students, staff, faculty and guests at Commencement 2017 on Sat., May 27, at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5532" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/a-la-mode" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|65|226" FileName="x5532.xml" Name="A La Mode" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Tom-Roche.jpg" Title="'a la Mode' tops all " Abstract="Holyoke Community College alumnus Tom Roche, '16, won NCTV's '7 Day Film Sprint' with a spy spoof featuring a deadly ice cream cone." ThumbnailAltText="HCC alum Tom Roche, '16, took first place in NCTV's annual 7-day film festival. " IntroCopy="Tom Roche, '16, wins '7 Day Film Sprint' with spy spoof featuring deadly ice cream cone" Date="2017-05-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Tom Roche, '16, during a recent visit to HCC. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Tom-Roche.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a fledgling filmmaker, Tom Roche once tried to recreate an iconic scene from the original &quot;Saw.&quot; In the opening moments of that horror film, two men awaken to find themselves chained by their ankles in a dank room. Over the course of the film they must confront several unpleasant options, including starvation, murder, or self-amputation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In his version, Roche used an old shirt to lash younger brother Kenny to a bedpost.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was really bad,&quot; said Roche. &quot;I used to make really crappy home movies.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Granted, he was only 10 at the time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More recently, Roche's short film, &quot;a la Mode,&quot; won first place in the annual &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://northamptontv.org/watch-2017-7-day-film-sprint-films/&quot; title=&quot;7 Day Film Sprint&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;7 Day Film Sprint,&lt;/a&gt; &quot; a one-week film competition sponsored by &lt;a href=&quot;http://northamptontv.org/&quot; title=&quot;Northampton Community TV&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Northampton Community Television&lt;/a&gt;. Roche, of Holyoke, a 2016 graduate of HCC, had one week to cast, write, film, edit and deliver a 1-5-minute movie.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part of the competition, contestants all had to incorporate the same prop &amp;mdash; an ice cream cone &amp;mdash; and the same line of dialogue: &quot;Here we go again.&quot; Each team was assigned a random genre. Roche had to make a spy movie.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Roche's &quot;a la Mode,&quot; a spy-movie spoof, beat 19 other entries.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There were so many things I wanted to fix and make better, but that was part of the challenge,&quot; said Roche, who majored in Communications, Media and Theater Arts at HCC. &quot;Seven days and you're done. You can't be a perfectionist about it, which is sometimes the issue with art &amp;mdash; you feel like you're never done with it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Roche, now 22, is the second student from HCC to win the NCTV film contest in the past two years. Last spring, HCC student Brianna Craven of South Hadley won the &quot;7 Day Film Sprint&quot; with her short dystopian movie &quot;Dead Awake.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Roche and Craven both studied video and film production with HCC Electronic Media Arts professor Justin West.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am very proud of these guys,&quot; West said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A lifelong film buff, Roche discovered a love for stage productions as a student at Holyoke High School. &quot;I started doing musicals,&quot; he said. &quot;I did &amp;lsquo;Legally Blonde' and &amp;lsquo;9 to 5.' Musicals are cool, but I can't sing.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Roche started as a Creative Writing major at HCC but shifted to CMTA to study both film and theater. He had a part in the HCC Theater Department's Fall 2014 production of &quot;When the Rain Stops Falling&quot; and literally played a sandwich &amp;mdash; in a dream sequence &amp;mdash; in the Fall 2015 production of &quot;American Hero.&quot; He also directed a one-act play at HCC called &quot;Hamlette,&quot; a parody of Hamlet with a female protagonist, and played a TV set in another one act play.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am interested in both theater and film,&quot; he said. &quot;I love acting for both. I love writing for both. I love directing for both. I definitely want to do all of it: acting, writing, directing.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For &quot;a la Mode,&quot; he did, with help from his film and acting troupe: Melany Sandoval-Rivera, a 2017 HCC graduate now at Westfield State, and former HCC theater student Darrius Johnson, Roche's younger brother Kenny, now 18&amp;nbsp; and a senior at Holyoke High, and a few other friends.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the movie, the mandatory prop is featured in the opening scene, as a man falls to the floor dead after helping himself to an poisoned ice cream treat. Roche plays super spy Jim Bland as he investigates the murder. Along the way he is assisted by his technician &quot;B,&quot; who works at Staples, and a high-tech talking bicycle called &quot;Pepper&quot; that Bland has to pedal in pursuit of a villain, leading to a crash and the mandatory line of dialogue, &quot;Here we go again.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's all tongue in cheek. In fact, the credits list co-producers &quot;Tom Roche&quot; and &quot;Tom Foolery,&quot; his alter ego.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I love the Austin Powers films, so I was trying to find ways to take these movie tropes and turn them on their heads,&quot; Roche said.&amp;nbsp;&quot;I always put a little bit of comedy in whatever I do.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Roche has a few more film and theater projects coming up. He plans to enter the upcoming Worcester Film Wars, a four-day film festival May 18-21 sponsored by Hunt's Photo. He will appear as Orcus in &quot;She Kills Monsters,&quot; a comedic Dungeons and Dragons-inspired play at Eastworks in Easthampton July 7-9.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Orcus is basically the devil, but the joke is he's retired and doesn't want to be the bad guy anymore,&quot; said Roche.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finally, Roche is writing and directing a sketch comedy show that will be produced at the Bing Arts Center in Springfield August 18-19.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Watch &quot;a la Mode' ...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe frameborder=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; src=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ef1XmgEOST4?list=PLe5ZHYAKDcRHMmyRzLN9Yy7xmb1kjk92Q&quot; width=&quot;560&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Tom Roche, '16, during a recent visit to HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5586" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/lou-barry" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x5586.xml" Name="Lou Barry " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Barry-portrait.jpg" Title="Work at HCC 'payback'" Abstract="Adjunct Criminal Justice professor Lou Barry '73 was one of HCC's Distinguished Service Award winners for Commencement 2017." ThumbnailAltText="HCC adjunct professor of Criminal Justice Lou Barry" IntroCopy="Adjunct Criminal Justice professor Lou Barry '73 was one of HCC's Distinguished Service Award winners for Commencement 2017." Date="2017-06-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC adjunct professor Lou Barry instructs a young student about the basics of crime scene investigation during a Criminal Justice Academy Summer Youth program. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/barry-crime-scene.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By JANICE BEETLE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When Louis Barry met Selina Ortega in 2015, the HCC student was enrolled in his summer course as well as two others in the Criminal Justice Department. At the same time, she was working a part-time job, serving in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, and attending a local police reserves academy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As Holyoke Community College's interim public safety director, Barry knew Selina had applied to be a full-time campus police officer and was a stellar candidate, but a computer glitch had inadvertently knocked her out of the candidates' pool. So, he did what comes naturally to him; he helped her.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Barry took his student to see Monica Perez, vice president for Academic Affairs. Perez helped Ortega complete her coursework and reserves responsibilities in time to accept the campus job.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He gently pushes students in the right direction,&quot; said Perez. &quot;He empowers them by teaching them how to navigate the system and advocate for themselves. He sees their promise.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Barry brushes off the praise. &quot;It was no big deal really,&quot; he said. &quot;I enjoy getting students off to a good start.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That dedication to students is one reason why Barry, a graduate of HCC's Class of 1973 and an adjunct professor of Criminal Justice at HCC, was selected for a Distinguished Service Award for Commencement 2017.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Barry, 63, served for 23 years as police chief in Granby, where he also recently completed two three-year terms on the Board of Selectmen. He's an instructor at the Western Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training Academy - and two others in the region - and works with a forensic psychologist as a private investigator of cold cases.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Enriching the lives of young people - from college age to schoolchildren - is a focus of Barry's energy. He is the founder and coordinator of HCC's popular Criminal Justice Academy, a summer youth program that gives area teens a taste of law enforcement and crime scene investigation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On campus, Barry is the longest-standing member of HCC's Criminal Justice adjunct faculty in CJ, teaching since 1990, and in the fall of 2015, he stepped forward to assume the role of interim director of Public Safety.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This work at HCC is payback for getting my career going,&quot; Barry said, during an interview last month, noting he wouldn't have transitioned well from high school to a four-year college. &quot;If HCC didn't get me started, I have no idea what I would have wound up doing.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Barry grew up in Norwood, spending his summers on Cape Cod, until he was in junior high school and moved to Agawam. He graduated from Agawam High School and briefly considered attending a Boston-area college before enrolling at HCC in the Criminal Justice program that was newly formed by George Gaudette.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His career goal at the time was to be a park ranger, and Criminal Justice most closely fit the bill. After graduating from HCC in 1973, he enrolled at Castleton State College in Vermont, where he eventually earned a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice. After his first two semesters, he got a job as a summer special officer on the Cape.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Barry's first shift, at 7:30 a.m., as he was about to launch his training with a senior officer, the two stumbled on a house break-in in progress. Half an hour later, Barry had three felony arrests under his brand new police belt.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That really turned me on to the job,&quot; he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Barry worked as a patrolman, a detective, and then as sergeant on the Cape, and also earned a master's degree in Criminal Justice at Anna Maria College. After both of his sons were born, he and his wife, Dianne, moved back to this area to be closer to family.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Barrys' sons both graduated from West Point and are in the U.S. Army. Nicholas, the older son, is a major stationed at West Point, where he teaches engineering; Matthew is a captain and a lawyer assigned to the Judge Advocate Generals Office.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While serving as a police sergeant on the Cape, Barry trained summer officers and enjoyed the interactions. He mentioned to Gaudette that he'd love to try teaching a course, and in the spring of 1990, he taught a human relations class and then came on board in the Criminal Justice Department in the fall, and he has been there ever since.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I really enjoy it,&quot; Barry said. &quot;I see myself, sitting in the chair 27 years ago. It's a good feeling to be able to get these students jump-started in a career.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since Barry retired as Granby chief, he has also been teaching at Western New England University and Cambridge College, and at three area police academies. &quot;I keep busy,&quot; he says.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, he will run two summer youth programs on campus in August, and he's deep into a 14-year-old homicide case in Vermont, for which he partners with a professor who has a forensic psychology background.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I have no intention of slowing down at this point,&quot; he said. &quot;I don't know what I'd do all day.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: HCC adjunct professor Lou Barry instructs a young student about the basics of crime scene investigation during a Criminal Justice Academy Summer Youth program.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5533" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/staff-awards-sp17" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|65|165" FileName="x5533.xml" Name="Staff Awards SP17" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Leskes-wardlook.jpg" Title="Teaching Excellence" Abstract="ESL teacher Vivian Leskes was chosen for HCC's highest honor, the Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence and will lead the Commencement procession.  " ThumbnailAltText="ESL professor Vivian Leskes, winner of the 2017 Marieb Chair or Teaching Excellence, with her husband, HCC Visual Arts professor Frank Ward. " IntroCopy="Vivian Leskes chosen for Marieb Award, HCC's highest honor " Date="2017-05-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;vivian leskes and frank ward&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/Leskes-wardlook.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;English as a Second Language professor Vivian Leskes will carry the ceremonial mace and lead the procession of graduates at Commencement May 27 after being chosen for HCC's highest honor, the Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leskes has been an ESL teacher at HCC for 25 years. She is fluent in Spanish and has been studying Russian since taking a sabbatical trip to Ukraine in 2001.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I need to keep practicing because if you don't use a language you lose it,&quot; she said. &quot;My Russian &amp;mdash; they call it advanced, but I'm never satisfied with it, so I have tremendous respect for the students who are taking their degrees in a language that's not their native one, and it's been so useful for me here at the college because our second largest group of ESL students is Russian speaking.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The announcement was made Wednesday afternoon during an assembly of faculty and staff in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also receiving annual staff awards were Jennifer Maccarini, coordinator of HCC's Nursing Success Program (Professional Staff Award), and Valentyna Semyrog, administrative assistant, Business &amp;amp; Community Services (Classified Staff Award).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Marieb Award was endowed by HCC professor emeritus Elaine Marieb, '80, to recognize a full-time member of the faculty who exemplifies the characteristics associated with outstanding classroom teaching. Award recipients serve for one year and receive a small stipend for professional development, lead the procession at Commencement, and also give the keynote graduation speech.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The identity of the Marieb winner is a closely kept campus secret until the big reveal at the final Professional Association meeting of the academic year. The announcement caught Leskes completely off guard. She recently announced her retirement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I assumed that since I was retiring that would disqualify me,&quot; she said, &quot;so I was totally unprepared.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leskes, 69, who lives in Ashfield, with her husband, HCC Visual Arts professor and photography instructor Frank Ward, is originally from the Bronx. She attended the famous Bronx High School of Science, and spent two years at Wellesley College before transferring to Barnard College at Columbia in New York City, where she earned her bachelor's degree in English.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She had already been studying Spanish for many years when she participated in a program called Encampment for Citizenship in Puerto Rico, where she developed much of her Spanish fluency. She honed those skills working for a community center in the South Bronx.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Spanish has really been the key to every job decision that I have ever made in my life,&quot; she said. &quot;And I've told people that's the power of being bilingual, to have those two languages and be available to different communities. Every time there was a personnel decision to be made, I had the advantage because I could speak Spanish.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She started her ESL career as a tutor in Greenfield Public Schools working with young Puerto Rican students. She then went to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to earn her master's degree in bilingual education. She was hired at HCC as an adjunct to teach both Spanish and ESL, then after a year she was offered a job as a full time ESL teacher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the years, Leskes has also worked for the U.S. Dept. of State as an &quot;English Language Specialist.&quot; She has given workshops and plenary addresses at embassies and conferences all over the world. &quot;They've sent me to Russia several times and all those countries in central Asia, and I've been to Morocco, Turkey, Kuwait and Peru.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During her award acceptance speech - unprepared and unrehearsed, because it was a surprise - Leskes told her colleagues how much she believes in the mission of community colleges. &quot;I feel at the community college we are really doing the work that needs to be done to facilitate opportunities for students who might not get them otherwise,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She and her husband Frank are on their way to Germany next week to see their first grandchild, son of their son Caleb. Their daughter is getting married at the end of the summer, so she will be busy as she prepares for retirement. She will remain chair of the ESL Program through the summer and said she plans to use her Marieb stipend to continue studying Russian, but not toward any kind of degree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm doing it because I love the language so much,&quot; she said. &quot;And I'm so interested in the culture.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Depending on how much she misses teaching, she said, she hinted that she might come back in some capacity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I don't feel my career is over,&quot; she said, a few hours before a retirement party held in her honor. &quot;My work's not over.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;ESL professor Vivian Leskes, winner of the 2017 Marieb Chair or Teaching Excellence, with her husband, HCC Visual Arts professor Frank Ward. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5588" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/commencement-2017" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|193|65|165" FileName="x5588.xml" Name="Commencement 2017" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Commence-pinkcell.jpg" Title="Commencement 2017" Abstract="Holyoke Community College conferred associate degrees and certificates to 1,003 members of the Class of 2017 on Sat. May 27, at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. " ThumbnailAltText="A graduating HCC student celebrates after receiving her diploma at Commencement 2017." Date="2017-06-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A graduating HCC student celebrates after receiving her diploma at Commencement 2017.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Commence-pinkcell.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College celebrated its 70th Commencement on Sat., May 27, at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, conferring associate degrees and certificates to 1,003 members of the Class of 2017.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Below are excerpts from local media coverage with links to the full stories:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'Superhuman determination' defines HCC's Class of 2017&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By REBECCA MULLEN&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gazettenet.com/&quot; title=&quot;Gazettenet&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Daily Hampshire Gazette&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SPRINGFIELD - Cheering friends and family packed the 8,000-seat MassMutual Center on Saturday morning as Holyoke Community College's Class of 2017 took the final steps toward an educational milestone.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As approximately 1,000 graduates streamed into the arena for the school's 70th commencement, whistles and applause echoed throughout the building as the students eagerly awaited the awarding of degrees and certificates with wide smiles and bedazzled&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;mortarboards.Commencement speaker Vivian Leskes who is retiring this year after teaching English as a Second Language at HCC for 25 years, said in her address that she had &quot;witnessed superhuman determination&quot; in her students to pursue their degrees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many worked a full-time job or cared for multiple family members while they were juggling school assignments, she said. What's more, many were the first in their families to attend college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Nobody said education would be easy,&quot; Leskes, of Ashfield, said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gazettenet.com/Holyoke-Communication-College-Class-of-2017-graduates-9265481&quot; title=&quot;Commencement 2017 story in Gazette&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Read the full story and watch a video by photographer Kevin Gutting ...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Graduates of HCC showed 'superhuman determination'&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By BRIAN STEELE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com/&quot; title=&quot;MassLive&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Republican/MassLive.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SPRINGFIELD - Graduates of the Holyoke Community College Class of 2017 were told this weekend to cultivate strong networks, to help others and to be proud of themselves for overcoming challenges to receive an education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During Saturday morning's 70th HCC commencement ceremony at the MassMutual Center, college president Christina Royal encouraged the graduates to look forward to bright futures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We have a role to play in ... enriching the lives of those around us,&quot; said Royal. &quot;It is my hope that, wherever you go and whatever you do best, you carry this sense of connection to others and the pride that you feel in yourselves at this moment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/05/graduates_of_holyoke_community.html#incart_river_mobile_home&quot; title=&quot;Commencement 2017 coverage on MassLive&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Read the full story and see more photos ....&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Major feeling of accomplishment for graduates at 70th HCC Commencement&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://wwlp.com/2017/05/27/a-major-feeling-of-accomplishment-for-graduates-at-70th-hcc-commencement/&quot; title=&quot;Graduation 2017 coverage on 22News&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Coverage on WWLP-22NEWS&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You can also read the full text of keynote Commencement speeches by ESL professor Vivian Leskes, winner of the 2017 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence, and student orator Jonathan Mendez '17.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/leskes-speech&quot;&gt;&quot;Reach out&quot; - Vivian Leskes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/jonathan-mendez&quot;&gt;&quot;I found my village&quot; - Jonathan Mendez&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/HolyokeCommunityCollege/&quot; title=&quot;Facebook gallery&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;And check out our Commencement 2017 photo albums on Facebook ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by DON TREEGER:&amp;nbsp;A graduating HCC student celebrates after receiving her diploma at Commencement 2017.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5596" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/alumni-awards-su17" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|65" FileName="x5596.xml" Name="Alumni Awards SU17" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-awards-group.jpg" Title="HCC Honors Alumni" Abstract="This year's awardees were Howard Greaney '66, of Holyoke, Nancy Fields '74, of Leeds, Patricia Sandoval '84, of Southampton, and Dave Condon '06, of East Longmeadow.  " ThumbnailAltText="Howard Greaney '66, Nancy Fields '74, Patricia Sandoval '84, and Dave Condon '06 were honored Tues., June 6, at HCC's 40th annual alumni awards dinner." IntroCopy="This year's awardees were Howard Greaney '66, Nancy Fields '74, Patricia Sandoval '84, and Dave Condon '06.  " Date="2017-06-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC alumni award recipients for 2017&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-awards-group.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College celebrated four distinguished alumni last night at the 40th Annual Holyoke Community College Alumni Awards Dinner and Scholarship Benefit at the Log Cabin in Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year's alumni honorees were Howard Greaney '66, of Holyoke, retired Holyoke public school teacher and administrator and City Council member; Nancy Fields '74, of Leeds, owner of Fields Graphic Designs; and Patricia Sandoval '84, of Southampton, HCC professor of communications and theater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dave Condon '06, of East Longmeadow, president of Northeast Security Systems, received the Rising Star Award, which celebrates alumni who have received their undergraduate degrees within the last 12 years and have made significant contributions to society through professional or philanthropic work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maggie Pereiras, from Bay Path University, served as emcee for the evening. Students from HCC's Music program provided entertainment. Dawn Bryden '89, president of the HCC Alumni Association, and HCC President Christina Royal offered welcome remarks.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://wwlp.com/2017/06/06/hcc-honors-4-alumni-at-annual-awards-dinner/&quot; title=&quot;HCC honors 4 at alumni awards dinner - 22News&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See coverage on WWLP-22News, including an interview with award winner Dave Condon ....&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://photos.masslive.com/4502/gallery/seen_holyoke_community_colleges_40th_annual_awards_dinner/index.html&quot; title=&quot;MassLive photo gallery of 40th alumni awards dinner&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See a photo gallery of the event on MassLive ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This event, open to all HCC alumni, students and the general public, is a fundraiser for student scholarships. Each year, the Holyoke Community College Alumni Association and the HCC Foundation recognize distinguished alumni for their professional accomplishments and community service.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRISTINA ROYAL:&amp;nbsp;Howard Greaney '66, Nancy Fields '74, Patricia Sandoval '84, and Dave Condon '06 were honored Tues., June 6, at HCC's 40th annual alumni awards dinner. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5584" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/leskes-speech" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|3|165" FileName="x5584.xml" Name="Leskes speech" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Leskes-speech.jpg" Title="'Reach out' " Abstract="ESL professor Vivian Leskes reminded graduates that &quot;we are all beholden to the immigrants who have contributed blood and sweat to this country.&quot;" ThumbnailAltText="HCC professor Vivian Leskes addresses the Class of 2017 at HCC's 70th annual Commencement. " IntroCopy="&quot;You deserve to celebrate your own persistence, but do not forget whose shoulders we all stand on.&quot;" Date="2017-05-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;ESL professor Vivian Leskes addresses the Class of 2017 at HCC's 70th annual Commencement May 27 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Leskes-speech.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Earlier this month, English as a Second Language professor Vivian Leskes was awarded the &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/staff-awards-sp17&quot;&gt;2017 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence&lt;/a&gt;. On Saturday, carrying the ceremonial mace, she led the procession of graduates, faculty and staff into the MassMutual Center in Springfield &amp;nbsp;for HCC's 70th annual Commencement. Below is the full text of her address to the Class of 2017:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Good morning! Trustees, President Royal, administrators, faculty, staff, parents, and 2017 graduates of Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Welcome to this wonderful day. Bienvenidos a todos. Добрый Поджаловать , As-Salaam-Alaikum, Ramadan Mubarak!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is my great honor to be here, to join you in celebrating this special day. It's time for us to congratulate you and for you to congratulate yourselves for your effort, your persistence, and your achievement. Each one of you graduates has a story to tell about your journey, how you reached this day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Give a shout-out if you always knew that you would get to this point and always knew what you would study. Or maybe, your route to this day was a long, winding one. Let's hear a shout-out from those of you who had to start again and again. How about a shout-out if you changed your field of study?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both as a professor and as an adviser, I have heard many students' stories. I teach English as a Second Language, and I have witnessed what seems to be superhuman determination and persistence on the part of students. One student has trouble getting her essays in on time because she is caring for an autistic son. One student falls asleep in class because he is working 60 hours a week at a convenience store to support his parents and siblings. Another student has excessive absences because he has to translate for his ill mother when she goes to the hospital. Some students have been through war and refugee camps. All of them have left family, friends, and familiar places behind, and they come to be transformed in this new country. And I know that some of these stories are your stories as well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even if you have lived in this area all your lives, you too are on a journey. In the process of your journey, you students have inspired and transformed us, the faculty. We are all rooting for you to achieve your goals. Did we faculty nudge you and push you? Did we make even more demands on you when you thought you couldn't face any more deadlines or write any more papers? Well, know that we are cheering for you. Nobody said education would be easy, but, just like a physical journey, it is transformative. We all emerge in a different place from where we started.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There's a book that has been on my mind recently because my students have just finished studying it. Maybe some of you have also read it, &lt;em&gt;The House on Mango Street&lt;/em&gt; by Sandra Cisneros. It is the story of a young girl, Esperanza, of Mexican-American heritage, coming of age in a poor urban neighborhood. The women of Esperanza's neighborhood are bound by traditional female roles. They can barely see any alternatives. They seem doomed to repeat the same patterns, Esperanza's great-grandmother, her mother, her friends, sitting at the window, looking out, leaning on an elbow, passively accepting whatever the world hands them, unable to break out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But Esperanza dreams of being a different sort of woman, one with her own physical and psychological space, able to maximize her potential. She even wants to change her name. She knows that she is secretly Zeze the X, a superhero who will surprise the people who think they know her. She will not just sit by the window, unable to take action. I think I'll call you all Zeze the X, the superheroes who have persisted in order to change your own lives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, May 27, 2017, I challenge you to make a difference for others. Education is a personal journey, but it has repercussions for society, especially as we all try to improve democracy in this country. This is a very important time to be getting an education. My ESL students all revere this country with its world-famous freedoms, but it takes continuous effort to create such a society. I'd like to give some historical perspective.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than 100 years ago, on the top of a 10-story building in New York City, there was a factory that made ladies' clothing. They called the dresses &quot;shirtwaists&quot; at that time, and the factory was called the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. Young immigrants, mostly Jewish and Italian women between the ages of 13 and 23, labored at sewing machines for 10-12 hours a day, six days a week. Many of these girls did not speak English and were illiterate. The supervisors locked the workers into this sweatshop so that they couldn't steal from the company or leave their sewing machines.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out in this factory. There were 500 young women working there. You can imagine what happened, with the doors locked, and the girls unable to get out. They jumped out the windows and down elevator shafts trying to escape. One hundred forty-six young immigrants died that day. The fire called attention to the terrible, working conditions of immigrants. This day was important, not only because of the great loss of life, but also because, after it, people joined together to demand and eventually win improved conditions for us, the American workers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My grandmother, Fanny Bregshtein, an immigrant from Lithuania, worked in a sweatshop like the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. She had made the trans-Atlantic passage by ship, alone at the age of 15. She and my grandfather never had money. My father, the only child who lived to adulthood, slept on the couch in the living room. Fanny never learned to read and write English. She sat, leaning on her elbow, looking out the window like the women on Mango Street, but somehow she realized her son's ticket out of poverty was education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;City College in New York was free in those days, the only way the children of immigrants could go to college. My father sold shoes during the day. But he persisted in his education, and he eventually attended law school at night. He became a civil rights lawyer and contributed to the landmark court decision Brown vs. the Board of Education, which declared that African-Americans had a right to equal access to education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm telling these stories because we are all beholden to the immigrants who have contributed blood and sweat to this country. They continue to do so today, despite anti-immigrant sentiment. Immigrants, especially undocumented ones, continue to struggle under miserable working conditions because they are afraid to speak up. Today, energetic, hopeful, and creative people come to the U.S. for the same reasons that all previous generations have come.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is talk about putting up walls to prevent immigrants from entering across our southern border, talk of separating families, depriving young people of education. However, we are all immigrants and the children of immigrants, or in the case of many African-Americans, descendants of slaves who were forced to work under unimaginable conditions. You deserve to celebrate your own persistence, but do not forget whose shoulders we all stand on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I respectfully ask you to take great pride in your educational achievements today and to reach out with a grateful hand to your family, your community, and the society at large.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is not the time to push away those who look different from us, or those who may speak a different language or practice a different religion, or those who love differently from the way we do or have different abilities than we have. This is not a time to build a wall around ourselves and our possessions or to be afraid that if others solidify their rights and liberties, our own freedom will be diminished. This is a time to feel gratitude. An education is a lifelong treasure, something that no one can ever take from you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My wish for you is that you use that treasure to good purpose. May you enrich your own lives but also enrich our global community with your talents and energy and power. Speak up for those who need help. Don't forget the ones who stay behind. Don't be afraid or too busy to speak for those who do not have a voice. Use your education to fly. Go far. Go high. But, as Esperanza says at the end of &lt;em&gt;The House on Mango Street&lt;/em&gt;, come back for the ones who are &quot;left behind, for the ones who cannot out.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: ESL professor Vivian Leskes, winner of the 2017 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence, addresses the Class of 2017 at HCC's 70th annual Commencement May 27 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5597" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/greener-campus" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|3|193|165" FileName="x5597.xml" Name="Greener Campus" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Energy-ribbon-smiling.jpg" Title="A Greener Campus" Abstract="HCC celebrated the completion of a $5.2 million Energy Conservation Project that will save on utility costs and significantly reduce the college's carbon footprint." ThumbnailAltText="HCC President Christina Royal, with a little help from some colleagues, gets ready to cut a green ribbon signifying completion of HCC's $5.2 million Energy Conservation Project." IntroCopy="A $5.2 million Energy Conservation Project will save the college nearly $200,000 in utility costs annually and reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 672 tons per year. " Date="2017-06-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC President Christina Royal, with a little help from some colleagues, gets ready to cut a green ribbon signifying completion of HCC's $5.2 million Energy Conservation Project.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Energy-ribbon-smiling.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is a little bit greener now, and that's not just because it's spring and the sun is finally out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC recently completed energy upgrades to campus facilities that will significantly reduce its consumption of electricity and natural gas, saving the college nearly $200,000 annually in utility costs and reducing carbon emissions by 672 tons per year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yesterday, the college celebrated the completion of its $5.2 million Energy Conservation Project with a ceremonial ribbon cutting in HCC's Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Building.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ribbon, symbolically green, contained the phrase, &quot;Working Together Towards a Sustainable Future.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;As a member of the Presidents' Climate Leadership Network, HCC is serious about its commitment to sustainability, to reducing its environmental impact, and to using resources thoughtfully and responsibly,&quot; said HCC President Christina Royal. &quot;As an institution of higher education, we also play a special role in equipping citizens with the knowledge needed to solve the problems our planet faces as the result of human activity.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The energy project was conducted as part of the state's selection of HCC as a &quot;Toward Zero Net Energy&quot; pilot site under its Accelerated Energy Program, which was designed to reduce energy consumption while creating clean energy jobs and reducing utility costs in public facilities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The college has always been very supportive of all new opportunities for us to help the campus be more efficient and make the world a better place,&quot; said Hope Davis, deputy commissioner of the state's Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, or DCAMM, which oversees all state college construction projects. &quot;One of the highlights of this project for us was the work we did with engagement of the college community. It's really been a wonderful partnership.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Work on the energy project began last spring and was completed by the beginning of the spring 2017 semester. According to Peter Blauvelt, senior project manager for ADI Energy, the project's energy contractor, the majority of the energy savings is being derived from new LED lights and upgrades to the computer energy management system and HVAC systems in the buildings throughout campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was a pleasure working with DCAMM and Holyoke Community College on this infrastructure project that reinvests in the learning environment, saves energy and provides a sustainable future,&quot; Blauvelt said. &quot;This project was a great example of how energy technology has come a long way and is making sustainability not only a cost effective investment but the right thing to do.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sustainability Studies professor Kate Maiolatesi said the college's selection as a Toward Zero Net Energy pilot site has been a wonderful and exciting opportunity for HCC students, who were included in the project planning and design meetings on campus and in Boston. Some also received internships with the college's energy consultant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They got to use the campus as a kind of living lab,&quot; she said. &quot;During those early planning meetings, there were a lot of cool ideas discussed and thought about. A lot of the more visible ones&quot; - such as wind turbines and rain harvesting - &quot;actually got put on the side because the ones that are more invisible make a lot more sense. They have a lot larger costs savings and a lot larger reduction in our carbon output.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even though he was new to HCC this year and not part of those planning meetings, James Westcott, a Sustainability Studies major from West Springfield, said he appreciates the investment HCC and the state have made to make the campus &quot;greener.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I came to Sustainability Studies to make a difference, as clich&amp;eacute; as that sounds,&quot; Westcott told the crowd at Wednesday's event. &quot;As students, it's really nice to see the projects that we work on being implemented, so to be part of a campus that really cares about my program and what I believe in really makes all the difference in what I'm learning and what we're doing here.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;HCC President Christina Royal gets ready to cut a green ribbon signifying completion of HCC's $5.2 million Energy Conservation Project. Standing beside her are, from left to right: Hope Davis, deputy commissioner of DCAMM; Peter Blauvelt, senior project manager at ADI Energy; Student Trustee Theodore McCormick '17, of Holyoke; Bill Fogarty, HCC vice president of Administration and Finance; HCC Board of Trustees vice chair Julie Pokela; and Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5618" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/emt-program" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x5618.xml" Name="EMT program" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/EMT-Training-CPR.jpg" Title="First Class Training" Abstract="HCC's new, enhanced EMT program produced its first class of graduates, all of them now certified to work as emergency medical technicians." ThumbnailAltText="EMT students Bonnie and Justin Cook, from Hardwick, perform CPR on a &quot;patient,&quot; during a simulated emergency at Holyoke Community College." IntroCopy="HCC's new, enhanced EMT program produced its first class of graduates" Date="2017-06-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;EMT students Bonnie and Justin Cook, from Hardwick, perform CPR on a &amp;quot;patient,&amp;quot; during a simulated emergency at Holyoke Community College.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/EMT-Training-CPR.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The patient, Mr. Santiago, was in cardiac arrest, so Justin Cook and his wife, Bonnie, began CPR.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Justin performed chest compressions; Bonnie handled ventilations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite their efforts, however, Mr. Santiago died.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That was terrible,&quot; Justin said a little while later, evaluating his performance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're gonna get there,&quot; Bonnie offered, in consolation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The scene took place a couple of months ago, when the Cooks were about halfway through the new enhanced EMT training program offered at Holyoke Community College. Mr. Santiago is actually a $58,000 high-tech patient simulator. This was the Cooks' first time putting their classroom training into practice during an emergency simulation exercise.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The experience was intense,&quot; Bonnie said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last month, after more than 170 hours of training, in the classroom and in the medical simulation rooms at HCC's Center for Health Education, the Cooks passed the course and their state exam. They are now both certified basic-level emergency medical technicians and hope to put their training into practice as EMTs in their hometown of Hardwick.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We were asked to help out our community, so we were ready to volunteer,&quot; said Justin, 26, who was already an on-call firefighter in Hardwick.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cooks were part of the inaugural class of this new program. According to Ken White, dean of Community Service, all 11 students who completed the course passed their state certification exams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The program went extremely well,&quot; White said. &quot;The instruction was exceptional. The students were very very happy, and the state was very pleased with the facility as well as the equipment and the results of the exams.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last fall, HCC received a $127,741 state Workforce Skills Capital Grant to purchase new equipment to enhance its EMT training program, which is offered through TWO &amp;mdash; Training and Workforce Options &amp;mdash; HCC's collaboration with Springfield Technical Community College.&lt;br /&gt;&quot;It is the exact same equipment you will find in well-equipped modern ambulances today,&quot; White said. &quot;So our students already have experience using the same equipment they'll be using in the field.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Grant money was also used to purchase &quot;Mr. Santiago,&quot; a simulator specifically designed for EMT and paramedic training.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He hemorrages, and you can apply pressure to stop bleeding or use a tourniquet, and he has a computer that records how much pressure is being applied,&quot; said Michelle Sherlin, coordinator of HCC's simulation laboratories, who orchestrated the simulation exercises for the EMT program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not only that, but students can use a real defibrillator to shock him, and he has a built-in CPR monitor that shows the effectiveness of the compressions and ventilations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is actually the highest level of equipment that I've seen or taught with,&quot; said instructor Mike Marafuga, an EMT with the Soutwick Fire Department. &quot;I've never used simulation with an EMT program, so this is actually one of the first classes that I know of in the state that does this.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sherlin agreed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is pretty innovative, what we're doing here,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The next Emergency Medical Technician Basic Course begins Sept. 12 and runs through Dec. 7, on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 to 10 p.m. and Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at HCC's Center for Health Education, 404 Jarvis Ave., Holyoke. For more information, please contact Ken White at 413.552.2324 or kwhite@hcc.edu&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Bonnie and Justin Cook, from Hardwick, perform CPR on a &quot;patient,&quot; during a simulated emergency at Holyoke Community College. They were members of the first class of HCC's new enhanced EMT training program.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5594" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gateway-graduation-sp17" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x5594.xml" Name="Gateway Graduation SP17" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Gateway-6-17-tassels.jpg" Title="Tremendous Class" Abstract="HCC's award-winning Gateway to College program this week graduated 33 students — the largest class in its nine-year history. " ThumbnailAltText="Members of the June 2017 class of Gateway to College celebrate their graduation by shifting their tassels to the left side of their caps. " IntroCopy="HCC's award-winning Gateway to College program graduated 33 students Tuesday, the largest class in its nine-year history. " Date="2017-06-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Gateway to College graduates shift their tassels from the right side of their caps to the left. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Gateway-6-17-tassels.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Gateway to College program graduated the largest class in its nine-year history Tuesday afternoon, awarding certificates to 33 high school students who have been taking college courses at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those students will now collect their diplomas from eight area high schools: Springfield, Holyoke, Westfield, Palmer, Longmeadow, Agawam, Minnechaug, and Belchertown. Between them the students also amassed a total of 372 transferable college credits, or enough to fulfill the requirements for more than six associate degrees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What you achieved is nothing short of miraculous,&quot; said Mark Guglielmo, the Gateway fine arts instructor and the keynote speaker for the graduation ceremony.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gateway to College is a national program that takes high school dropouts or students at risk for dropping out and gives them the opportunity to earn their high school diplomas as dual enrolled college students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;You gave us a second chance when you didn't have to,&quot; said student speaker Deborah Manus, who is from Holyoke. &quot;This is the beginning of bigger and bigger things.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guglielmo, a visual artist who was new to the program this year, told the students, their families and guests how impressed he was with the staff and how well Gateway works.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The one ingredient that has me coming back is love,&quot; he said. &quot;The adults responsible love these young people. It's so simple but so hard for so many.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Gateway to College program has consistently been one of the best performing Gateway programs in the country, earning top marks for G.P.A., and graduation and retention rates. For the second year in a row, the program has won the national organizations excellence award.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Gateway helps to foster more success for students,&quot; said HCC President Christina Royal. &quot;Look to your next milestone. Education is about lifelong learning. Consider continuing at HCC.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many Gateway students do.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since its founding in 2008, HCC's Gateway to College program has helped 251 students earn their high school diplomas while also getting an early start on college. More than half have continued onto college and so far 30 have earned their associate degrees from HCC and six have earned bachelor's degrees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Six Gateway to College graduates earned their associate degrees from HCC on May 27.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I told myself I had to change,&quot; said student speaker Lionel Resto, who is also from Holyoke. &quot;What's behind me now is Gateway, pushing me forward. It feels natural for me to be here.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the other Gateway graduates were, from Springfield: Melanie Acevedo, Irelies Colon, Eimy Holguin, Ariana Perez, Ruddy R. Reynoso, Nathalia Rivera, Amanda Serrano, and Alyna Tirado; from Holyoke: Destinee Bailes, Zoe Bickford, Aisha T. Cruz, Julissa Figueroa, Hectsy Robles, J'Anthony Isiah Smith Sr., and Mannix Torres; from Westfield: Serena Boisvere, Elyza Colson, Desiree Morceau, Jordyn Newsome, Jackson Olin, and Marisa Rodriguez; from Palmer: Cora Boudreau, Destiny Champagne, and Aaron Palmer, from Longmeadow: Zackary Center, and Nathan Donnelly; from Agawam: Lindsey Pattenaude; from Belchertown: Kassandra Luna.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by HANNAH WAREHAM:&amp;nbsp;Gateway to College graduates shift their tassels from the right side of their caps to the left.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5610" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/transfer-playbook" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165|225" FileName="x5610.xml" Name="Transfer Playbook" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Transfer-Fair-UMass.jpg" Title="Transfer success" Abstract="A recent story on CNBC named Holyoke Community College one of the &quot;Six community colleges that will fast-track you to a bachelor's degree.&quot; " ThumbnailAltText="A student at HCC's annual Transfer Fair holds application information for UMass-Amherst. " IntroCopy="A story on CNBC names Holyoke Community College one of the &quot;Six community colleges that will fast-track you to a bachelor's degree.&quot; " Date="2017-06-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A student at HCC's annual Transfer Fair holds materials from the University of Massachusetts.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Transfer-Fair-UMass.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The relationship between Holyoke Community College and the University of Massachusetts is highlighted in a national report as a model of a successful transfer partnership other colleges would do well to emulate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC and UMass were selected as one of only six pairs of &quot;high performing&quot; community colleges and partner universities in &quot;The Transfer Playbook: Essential Practices for Two- and Four-Year Colleges&quot; from the Aspen Institute and the Community College Research Center at Columbia University's Teachers College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The report, originally released in 2016, was recently cited in a May 30, 2017, story on CNBC that names HCC one of the &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/26/six-community-colleges-that-will-fast-track-you-to-a-bachelors-degree.html&quot; title=&quot;Six community colleges that will fast track you to a bachelor's degree - CNBC&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Six community colleges that will fast-track you to a bachelor's degree.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We analyzed the practices at partnerships of community colleges and four-year institutions with high rates of transfer student success,&quot; said Davis Jenkins, senior researcher at CCRC and co-author of the report. &quot;This report presents the evidence-based strategies that community colleges and university leaders can use to improve outcomes on their own campuses.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The free report is available online at &lt;a href=&quot;http://as.pn/transfer1&quot; title=&quot;Transfer Playbook&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;http://as.pn/transfer1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The report praises HCC for its &quot;culture of commitment to transfer,&quot; and &quot;the institution's goal of improving transfer rates&quot; and cites then HCC President Bill Messner for regularly communicating &quot;the importance of clear transfer pathways with UMass-Amherst leaders.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;People who are steeped in transfer &amp;mdash; it's the norm around here,&quot; Messner says in the report.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That emphasis on transfer is continuing under the administration of new HCC President Christina Royal, who started in January.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Making sure our students have the academic skills and tools they need to succeed after they leave HCC is critical,&quot; Royal said. &quot;As a community college, we focus most of our attention on matters close to home, so it is deeply meaningful and satisfying to receive this kind of national recognition.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The report cites collaborative grants that align degree pathways and support student success for HCC students who transfer to UMass; HCC's learning community courses that &quot;provide the sort of rich and rigorous learning experiences that will prepare student for four-year college coursework&quot;; the HCC Honors program, including a new transfer pact between HCC and Commonwealth Honors College at UMass; the emphasis on dual enrollment for high school students taking college classes; and regular visits to HCC from UMass transfer representatives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The report also notes the general expectation among faculty, staff and advisors that students at HCC will transfer after earning a certificate or degree: &quot;Everyone asks, 'where are you going next?&quot; an HCC student quoted in the report remarks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each year, UMass-Amherst accepts and enrolls more transfer students from HCC than from any other community college in Massachusetts. For the Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 semesters, a total of 203 HCC students transfered to UMass-Amherst.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;A student at HCC's annual Transfer Fair holds application information for UMass-Amherst.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5774" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/serving-soon" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165|194" FileName="x5774.xml" Name="Serving Soon" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Culinary-lobby.jpg" Title="Serving Soon" Abstract="Take a look inside the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, now under construction in downtown Holyoke.  " ThumbnailAltText="A view of construction inside the lobby of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute" IntroCopy="HCC's new downtown Culinary Arts and Hospitality education center is on schedule to open this fall." Date="2017-08-11" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The Cubit Building, future home of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts institute.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/Events/Culinary-summer.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Construction is well under way on HCC's new downtown Culinary Arts and Hospitality education center, with the project on schedule to be completed and programming to begin this fall.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When it opens, the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute will occupy the first and second floors of the Cubit Building, a square, four-story, red-brick former factory in Holyoke's Innovation District on the corner of Appleton and Race streets, directly across from the city's new Canal Walk, adjacent to the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center, and down the block from Gateway City Arts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a great building in a fantastic location in a developing and reinvigorated part of the city,&quot; said Amy Dopp, HCC's interim vice president of Institutional Advancement. &quot;We're very happy to be able to contribute to that renewed vitality and believe the city, the college, and the region will all benefit from our presence there.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will celebrate the progress of the project on Saturday, Aug. 26, during the city's Celebrate Holyoke community festival. A short program outside the building will begin at noon, followed by tours every half hour from 12:30 until 4:30 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke mayor Alex Morse and HCC president Christina Royal are expected to offer short remarks while students and faculty from HCC's Culinary Arts program will serve a selection of freshly made dishes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155540576639330.1073742053.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=c2d95e65d0&quot; title=&quot;Culinary center Facebook photo gallery&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here to see how things are shaping up inside the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in our Facebook photo gallery&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://wwlp.com/2017/08/26/hcc-mgm-culinary-arts-institute-nears-completion/&quot; title=&quot;HCC Culinary center nears completion&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute Nears Completion - WWLP, 22News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/08/celebrate_culinary_arts_center.html&quot; title=&quot;Tour construction of new HCC Culinary center&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Tour construction of new HCC Culinary Arts Center - MassLive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Work on the $6.2 million, 19,888-square foot project is scheduled to be done by late September, pending any unanticipated delays. W.J. Mountford Co., of South Windsor, Conn., is the general contractor. Funding was secured from a variety of sources: the Mass. Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development ($1.75 million), the U.S. Economic Development Administration ($1.55 million); HCC reserves and HCC Foundation ($2.4 million), the City of Holyoke ($400,000), and MGM Resorts ($100,000).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the first floor, students and teachers will have at their disposal multiple training areas: a teaching kitchen, bakery laboratory kitchen, production kitchen, dining room, and a classroom with a demonstration kitchen, all fitted with the most modern equipment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The second floor will feature two smart classrooms, a hotel laboratory, a teaching kitchen for noncredit programs, men's and women's changing rooms, a student lounge, conference space, and faculty and staff offices.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're going to have the latest and greatest of everything,&quot; said chef and HCC Culinary Arts professor Warren Leigh. &quot;It's going to be the finest, free-standing community college hospitality and culinary arts education and training center in New England - nearly 20,000 square feet. That's exciting.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There will be plenty of room for HCC to expand its programs for students seeking two-year degrees and one-year certificates, as well as those looking for short-term job training&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The facility will allow HCC to bring all levels of culinary and hospitality training into one location: associate degree and credit certificate programs; noncredit professional development certificates, such as ServSafe and TiPS; personal enrichment classes, including gourmet cooking; and job training for the unemployed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Noncredit programming will begin in November and credit classes next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/6833da05-5d3b-4f25-a16a-713fbecc7b95&quot; title=&quot;Student Lounge panorama&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here to see a 360-degree panoroma of the second floor student lounge&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/1fb4a488-c954-4953-b35e-feca86c73054&quot; title=&quot;Dining room&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here to see a 360-degree panorama of the dining room&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155540576639330.1073742053.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=c2d95e65d0&quot; title=&quot;Culinary center Facebook photo gallery&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5652" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/stem-bridges" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|65|417" FileName="x5652.xml" Name="STEM Bridges" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Kira-michelle.jpg" Title="Building Bridges" Abstract="Recent HCC graduates shared their engineering insights with high school students enrolled in a Holyoke summer STEM program.   " ThumbnailAltText="Kira Tillman, 17, of Holyoke adds books to her newspaper bridge under the supervision of HCC STEM Scholar Michelle Rame '17." IntroCopy="Recent HCC alumni shared engineering insights with high school students enrolled in a Holyoke summer STEM program   " Date="2017-07-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Justin Braithwaite adds books to his newspaper bridge during a summer program at PAFEC.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Justin-group.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px; vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kira Tillman spent the better part of an hour rolling newspapers into tight, stout tubes. She bound them each with gift-wrapping tape so they wouldn't unfurl and then stuffed the tubes with crumbled up newspaper pages.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was going to leave them hollow,&quot; Tillman said, &quot;but she told me if you filled them they would be stronger.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tillman is a 17-year-old student enrolled in the Holyoke Public Schools Success Center Summer STEM program. The &quot;she&quot; who had offered the sage advice was 26-year-old Michelle Rame, a 2017 graduate of Holyoke Community College, where she was a STEM Scholar and majored in mechanical engineering.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rame and two other 2017 alumni &amp;mdash; Diane Grunwald and Teddy McCormick &amp;mdash; visited the HPS program Monday to talk about what it's like to be a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) student at HCC and lead an exercise in simple engineering. The assignment: build a bridge using only newspaper and tape that can support a stack of textbooks. Students were free to invent their own designs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What do you think is most important, the legs or the road?&quot; said Rame, who will continue to study engineering this fall at Western New England University. &quot;Your purpose is to hold books in the air. Your bridge has to hold the weight, not the table. Me, personally, I think the legs are more important than the road.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thus Tillman's diligence on her bridge supports.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I never thought of stuffing the legs,&quot; admitted Grunwald, a STEM Scholar who majored in math at HCC and now attends UMass.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The two-week HPS Summer STEM program was new this year, said teacher Danielle Razon, and represents an attempt by the district to keep students academically engaged during a time when many lose interest in school.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the past, Holyoke summer school programs focused mostly on &quot;credit recovery&quot; &amp;mdash; making up classes students had failed. This program, which is voluntary and free, allows students to earn five extra high school credits.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This offers them something different,&quot; said Razon. &quot;The summer goal is to engage as many students as we can. The district is aware that the summer slide happens, and they're trying out a lot of things to see what works.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HPS Summer STEM program is modeled after a pre-STEM program from HCC's Adult Learning Center that is offered to adult students transitioning from high school equivalency courses to college classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HPS Success Center, which, like the ALC, is based at HCC's Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center on Maple Street in Holyoke, was formerly known as HALO (Holyoke Adult Learning Opportunities). Whereas HALO offered a daytime program for adults seeking their high school equivalency degrees, the HPS Success Center operates as an alternative school for students from Holyoke High and Dean Tech.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is another way to catch kids before they drop out,&quot; Razon said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Razon and her teaching partner, Nicole McNeil, decided to focus the inaugural Summer STEM program on renewable energy and asthma, two subjects of particular relevance to Holyoke, given the location of the hydroelectric dam and the Mount Tom Solar Farm and the fact that 27 percent of residents suffer from asthma, Razon said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our benefits and deficits,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Razon said the Summer STEM program curriculum doesn't include much career exploration, so the presence of the HCC STEM alumni offered valuable insights for the 13 high school students enrolled.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This was an opportunity for us to connect them to their next step, get them to think about something beyond high school,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Justin Brathwaite, 18, said he is already thinking about his next step. He plans to attend HCC this fall to study computer science. On the bridge building exercise, he and his partner, 17-year-old Joel Ramos, took a different design approach than Tillman did.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They fashioned their newspapers into long, thin tubes and used them like rebar to reinforce their roadway.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tillman, meanwhile, spent only a few minutes crafting her road out of thick, flat sections of The Republican.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Time to test it,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Let's see how many books it takes to crush,&quot; said Rame.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Too many, as it turns out. By the time she was done, Tillman's bridge held 26 thick, hardcover textbooks stacked as high as she could reach.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;All done. I used all the books. Perfect,&quot; she said, cracking a smile for the first time and claiming victory in the friendly competition. &quot;I beat you, Justin.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's all that matters,&quot; said McNeil. &quot;Wow, Kira.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tillman said she plans to study culinary arts in college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rame suggested a different plan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Come be an engineer,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top) &amp;nbsp;Justin Brathwaite, 18, of Holyoke, adds books to a newpaper bridge during a STEM project as his partner Joel Ramos, 18, left, and HCC STEM Scholar alumni Michelle Rame '17 and Diane Grunwald '17 look on. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Kira Tillman, 17, of Holyoke adds books to her newspaper bridge under the supervision of HCC STEM Scholar Michelle Rame '17. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5776" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/dubchaks" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="65|165|225" FileName="x5776.xml" Name="Dubchaks" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Dubchak-Family.jpg" Title="Family Bonds" Abstract="The musical Dubchak siblings of Westfield are represented in the Holyoke Community College classes of 2010, 2013, 2017 — and counting. " ThumbnailAltText="The seven Dubchak siblings " IntroCopy="Four of the seven Dubchak siblings have already graduated from HCC.  " Date="2017-08-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The seven Dubchak siblings&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Dubchak-Family.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By LAURIE LOISEL&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Dubchak offspring of Westfield are a close-knit bunch. Ranging in age from 13 to 29, they are children of Ukrainian immigrants who came to the United States in 1992 when the two oldest were 3 and 4.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, all seven Dubchak children center their work and social lives around their family. All are accomplished musicians. They play music together in church. Their family band plays weddings. The three eldest boys run a family business.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And here's another thing they share: Five of the seven have studied at Holyoke Community College. Four have already graduated and the fifth is on track to earn his diploma next year. Everyone in the family expects that the two youngest, Jeremy, 16, and James, 13, will one day be HCC alumni as well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first Dubchak to enroll at HCC was Lisa, now 28. It made sense. The campus is less than four miles and just a 9-minute car ride from the family home. She graduated in 2010 with a degree in music education and then earned a bachelor's degree from Westfield State University and a master's degree in music composition from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other Dubchaks followed suit at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Maybe I just inspired them,&quot; said Lisa, with a quick smile and quiet laugh, after her older brother teased that he and his brothers felt outdone by her.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Once I started and completed it, it just seemed like they could do it as well,&quot; she reasoned.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Katerina, 23, who goes by the nickname Katie, was next. She graduated from HCC in 2013 with degree in music and earned her bachelor's in biology from UMass in May.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Roman, 29, and Filipp, 2, meanwhile, were both working full time at a music repair business more than an hour away in Westborough. They started at HCC part time and accumulated credits over time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Roman earned his associate degree in business administration in May; Filipp has five more classes ahead and aims to graduate in December of 2018.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;David, 21, graduated alongside Roman in May and is now enrolled at UMass, where he is majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Their mother, Rimma Dubchak, 52, says she fully expects her youngest two, Jeremy and James, to attend HCC when the time comes because the school has been such a good fit for the rest of her family.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While it's not uncommon to see a couple of siblings or even multiple generations from a single family attend HCC, the number of Dubchak alums is unusual. If all seven ultimately earn their HCC degrees, as their parents fervently hope they will, it would likely qualify as some kind of a school record, according to HCC staff.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Roman says HCC worked for him for many reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The teachers were cool. You could come up to them and they'd help you out,&quot; he said. &quot;And it seemed like a good bang for the buck, not only money wise, but getting into other colleges.&quot; Right now he's concentrating on the family musical instrument repair business but he may eventually go on for his bachelor's degree, possibly at UMass.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;David says HCC gave him a good foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;One of the best things at HCC is actually how you get to interact with the professors because the class size is so small,&quot; he said. &quot;When you need help, which you usually do, your professor can devote time to you.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For Rimma, the prospect that all of her children could earn college degrees is thrilling. When she was living in the Ukraine and facing religious and political persecution, higher education did not seem possible for her family.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm very excited and surprised I can send my kids to college,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sticking together&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Even with college degrees in hand, the Dubchaks tend to stay around. Six of the Dubchak children still live in their comfortable home at the corner of Wieser Drive and Old County Road in Westfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Filipp got married in 2016. He and his wife, Ella, who also briefly attended HCC and plays in the family band, live in a house just across the street on Old County Road. When there's yard work to be done, everybody pitches in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Dubchak children's love of, and proficiency in, music was nurtured by their parents, who are also musicians. Rimma plays viola and their father, Victor, 58, plays guitar. To some degree, the parents guided their children to take up different instruments, so that one day they could form a functioning band.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We all started at an early age and we just continued because music is important in our family,&quot; said Lisa, who plays piano and flute. &quot;We always played in church, so that was important.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Roman puts it this way: &quot;Our parents wanted to make sure we do something for God.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With their parents, the seven siblings form a nice-sized wedding band, and when the family joins the orchestra at their church, Southwick Baptist, they comprise about a third of its ensemble.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most members of the family play more than one instrument. Roman plays saxophone, piano and oboe; Filipp plays clarinet; Katie is a violinist; David is a cellist and also plays double bass and electric bass; Jeremy plays oboe and piano, and James plays trumpet and piano. Everybody sings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last year, the family played four weddings, but the band, they say, is informal. They don't have a formal name. They mainly play for friends of friends who hear about them by word of mouth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We don't do it for the money. It's more like friends know that we play and they ask us to give music for their wedding,&quot; said Roman.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On a warm July day, several members of the Dubchak band gathered in their air-conditioned living room to play a couple of tunes. With Lisa on piano, Katie standing behind turning the pages of the score and playing violin, Roman on soprano sax and David on electric bass, the foursome made an impressive sound. The rich melodies of &quot;Corazon de Nino&quot; by Raul di Blasio filled the room as their beaming mother looked on. Clearly there was musical chemistry, the fruits of their childhood practicing evident.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Playing music wasn't always this rewarding for all of them though. As children, Roman said, some of them didn't appreciate the discipline required.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It felt like a bummer,&quot; he said. &quot;Our friends were riding bikes and playing soccer while we were practicing.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For me, it didn't seem like a bummer,&quot; Lisa interjected.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For the boys it did,&quot; Roman assured his sister. Even so, nowadays he recognizes the value of those efforts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Now it's paid off,&quot; he said. &quot;It's just part of us.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Their father has a slightly different perspective.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;One of my sons, he didn't want to play, but now he says, &amp;lsquo;Why didn't you push me harder?'&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If music is a central focus of the Dubchak family life, it's also, for several members, a professional focus as well. Lisa is a music teacher and choral director for the Westfield public schools. The three older boys, Roman, Filipp and David, run their own instrument repair business, Dubchak Artist Services, LLC, for which they won a $1,500 Spirit Award from the Grinspoon Entrepreneurial Initiative in April.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They operate their business from the renovated basement of their home, where they service, repair and restore all manner of wind and brass instruments, including tubas, French horns, clarinets, trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and flutes. In addition to holding a contract with a large music store to service their school rental instruments, musicians come from far and wide to have them repair and restore instruments.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In an age when families tend to be going in many different directions, the Dubchaks' close relationship is rather remarkable. Lisa and Roman believe it is both religion and music that knits them together so strongly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;A lot of families, they don't really stick together,&quot; said Lisa. &quot;I guess we just like each other.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Well it's probably just our family culture of being together,&quot; added Roman. &quot;We constantly do things together.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He believes their shared passion for music is something that can't be underestimated.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It keeps us together,&quot; he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by DON TREEGER (unless otherwise noted): The seven Dubchak siblings: Standing, from left are Roman '17, Filipp '18, and David '17. Sitting, from left: Jeremy, Katie '14, Lisa '10, and James.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5660" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/gateway-excellence-2017" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|193|165" FileName="x5660.xml" Name="Gateway Excellence 2017" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Gateway-acevedo.jpg" Title="Excellence Again" Abstract="For the second year in a row, HCC's Gateway to College program was recognized with a national award for exemplary performance." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Gateway to College coordinator Vivian Ostrowski, right, talks to new graduate Melanie Acevedo, of Springfield, in June." IntroCopy="HCC's Gateway to College program earns national award for second year in a row" Date="2017-08-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Gateway to College coordinator Vivian Ostrowski, right, talks to new graduate Melanie Acevedo, of Springfield, in June.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Gateway-acevedo%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the second year in a row, the Gateway to College program at Holyoke Community College has received national recognition for exemplary performance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Gateway to College National Network, based in Portland, Oregon, honored HCC with its 2017 Gateway Program Excellence Award at a conference in Providence, Rhode Island, last month.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gateway is a second-chance, dual-enrollment program for students who have either left high school or are at risk for dropping out. Gateway students take college classes and earn college credits while also working toward their high school diplomas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 2017 award recognizes Gateway programs that exceeded all four of the network's performance benchmarks for the 2015-2016 academic year: First-Term GPA, One-Year Persistence, Two-Year Persistence, and Three-Year Graduation Rate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's Gateway program won the national network's inaugural Excellence Award last year and in 2014 was ranked number one among all the Gateway programs in the United States.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're awfully proud,&quot; said HCC Gateway to College coordinator Vivian Ostrowski. &quot;Putting disadvantaged, at-risk youth into college classes may seem counterintuitive, but our students have proven year after year that this model works and they can succeed at high academic levels.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In June, HCC's Gateway to College program graduated the largest class in its nine-year history, awarding certificates to 33 students from Springfield, Holyoke, Westfield, Palmer, Longmeadow, Agawam, Minnechaug, and Belchertown.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among them was J'Anthony Smith of Holyoke, who received the Gateway National Networks Presidents Award, which recognizes students who earn a GPA of 3.7 or higher. Smith will continue his studies at HCC in September as a business administration major. He is also a candidate for a Holyoke City Council seat in Ward 2.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's Gateway program had a total enrollment of 104 students for the 2015-2016 academic year. Together they recorded a First-Term GPA of 2.51 compared to a network average of 2.49; 82.8 percent for One-Year Persistence (year-to-year retention rate), compared to a network average of 56.3; 66.7 percent for Two-Year Persistence, compared to a network average of 44.9 percent; and a Three-Year Graduation Rate of 61.1 percent, compared to a network average of 36.8 percent.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Of the 42 Gateway programs in the U.S., only eight received the Excellence Award this year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are proud to have Holyoke in our network and your program is an exemplar for all of our partners and high school reengagement programs across the country,&quot; Emily Froimson, president of the Gateway National Network wrote in congratulatory letter to HCC president Christina Royal. &quot;We are encouraged by your success and look to your program to be a model and a leader within our network.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since its founding in 2008, HCC's Gateway to College program has helped 251 students earn their high school diplomas while also getting an early start on college. More than half have continued on to college and so far 30 have earned their associate degrees from HCC, and six have earned bachelor's degrees. Six Gateway to College graduates earned their associate degrees from HCC on May 27.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by HANNAH WAREHAM:&amp;nbsp;HCC Gateway to College coordinator Vivian Ostrowski, right, talks to new graduate Melanie Acevedo, of Springfield, in June.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5781" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/against-hate" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|65|165" FileName="x5781.xml" Name="Against Hate" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/MA-CC-logo.jpg" Title="United Against Hate" Abstract="The presidents of the 15 state community Colleges released a statement condemning the violence, bigotry, racism and hate witnessed in Charlottesville, Virginia. " ThumbnailAltText="Massachusetts community college logo" Date="2017-08-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;United Against Hate letter&quot; height=&quot;1054&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/MCC%20statement%208-17-17.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5467" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/culinary-challenge" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|165" FileName="x5467.xml" Name="Culinary Challenge" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Johanna-Velazquez.jpg" Title="A Healthy Challenge " Abstract="Culinary Arts students have been competing each week in a friendly class contest that aims to teach them about nutritional cooking." ThumbnailAltText="Culinary Arts student Johanna Velazquez of Westfield prepares gnocci for her weekly nutrition class cooking challenge. " IntroCopy="Course teaches Culinary Arts students about nutrition" Date="2017-04-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Culinary Arts student Scott Buchanan of Ludlow serves mini carrot muffins to guest judges, President Christina Royal and her staff assistant Nelson Lopez. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Judges-Culinary.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Professor Laura Christoph runs her &quot;Nutrition for Food Service Professionals&quot; class kind of like an episode of &quot;Chopped,&quot; one of the Food Network's popular cooking competitions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On &quot;Chopped,&quot; contestants receive a mystery basket of mandatory ingredients and must prepare an original dish &amp;mdash; before time runs out. A panel of judges evaluates each one on presentation, creativity, and taste.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Losers are &quot;chopped&quot; until one chef remains.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Christoph's cooking challenge isn't so draconian.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each week, she presents her students with a list of readily available ingredients. Working in small groups, they must create an original recipe and have one hour to cook it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Volunteer judges - anyone at HCC who shows up in the Picknelly Dining Room on Monday afternoons - offer opinions on creativity and flavor. Christoph grades on how well those dishes incorporate weekly lessons.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This contest is more about learning than losing. No one gets chopped.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They're really making up their own stuff,&quot; Christoph said. &quot;I am not a culinary artist. I'm a nutritionist, so this is a way that they can use their skills to create something new, but using their nutrition knowledge.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students in the class are all part of the Culinary Arts program, training to be chefs or work in the food service industry. Each week in her class, they study a different nutrient. It might be a macronutrient, like carbohydrate, protein or fat, or a micronutrient, like a vitamin or mineral. On Mondays, they cook.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They're learning how to cook for special populations,&quot; Christoph said. &quot;That special population might be a lifestyle choice, like vegan or vegetarian, or it might be medical necessity, like someone with a heart condition or someone who needs to eat a gluten free diet.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Along with the recipes they prepare for the cooking challenge, students must also write a short paragraph to accompany their dishes, give a brief oral presentation in front of the judges, and answer questions from Christoph.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They have to mention whether or not their recipe includes those lifestyle factors, and they have to talk about the things that are good about their recipe, in terms of nutrients,&quot; she said. &quot;They also have to mention if their dish has some added sugar or solid fat in it and how it could be altered to make it a little healthier.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Josh Perreault, a 21-year-old Culinary Arts student from South Hadley, said the weekly cooking challenge has been an &quot;absolutely incredible&quot; experience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've been cooking for five years now,&quot; he said. &quot;This is the first time I've ever had to think about making my dishes healthy. Where I work it's really just about how it looks and how it tastes.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perreault has been one of the cooking challenge champions. &quot;He keeps winning for presentation,&quot; Christoph said. &quot;Week one he had access to quinoa and some carrots. They only protein was an egg, and he made this gorgeous quinoa pilaf with the most beautiful poached egg I've ever seen on it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other standout dishes, she said, were a black bean burger and a savory oatmeal made from quinoa and oats with eggs on the side.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The students are all given the same ingredients, and it's just amazing the variety of things they come up with,&quot; she said. &quot;They do some really great stuff.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The class has also been partnering this semester with the Thrive Financial Success Center at HCC on a Service Learning Project. Thrive helps students who are struggling financially by helping them manage their budgets and referring them to other service agencies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ingredients Christoph chooses each week for the cooking challenge &quot;baskets&quot; are mostly inexpensive, nonperishable items you might find in a food pantry or could buy fresh from a local farmers market, such as oats, raisins, carrots, potatoes, lentils, quinoa, spinach, and apples.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The class is collecting the recipes they've created this semester into an e-book they plan to make available to Thrive center clients. By the time the semester is over, the cookbook will be more than 100 pages.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The format of the class brings it back to home, how you can do really good cooking inexpensively,&quot; said Scott Buchanan, a 60-year-old Culinary Arts student from Ludlow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The last cooking challenge for the semester is Monday, May 1. Students present their dishes from 3:45 to 4:15 p.m. in the Picknelly Dining Room, Frost 265.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whose final meal will be best?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You be the judge.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) Culinary Arts student Johanna Velazquez of Westfield prepares gnocci for her weekly nutrition class cooking challenge. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC Culinary Arts student Scott Buchanan of Ludlow serves mini carrot muffins to guest judges, President Christina Royal and her staff assistant Nelson Lopez while Professor Laura Christoph looks on.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5471" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/cli-fi-sp15" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|165|225" FileName="x5471.xml" Name="Cli-Fi SP15" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Cli-Fi-lab34.jpg" Title="HCC takes lead in 'Cli-Fi' " Abstract="The HCC Learning Community course, &quot;Cli-Fi: Stories and Science of the Coming Climate Apocalypse,&quot; combines Introduction to Literature and Topics in Science." ThumbnailAltText="Jhaydan Sheftall, Dylan Kelly and Connor Jacoby build a calorimeter for an experiment in the Cli-Fi class." IntroCopy="New Learning Community course combines literature and geology" Date="2015-04-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jhaydan Sheftall, Dylan Kelly and Connor Jacoby build a calorimeter for an experiment in the Cli-Fi class.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Cli-Fi-lab34.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By RONNI GORDON&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When Holyoke Community College English professor Elizabeth Trobaugh heard a piece on National Public Radio about an emerging genre of science fiction dealing with climate change &amp;mdash; &quot;cli-fi' for short &amp;mdash; she knew it was a perfect fit for a Learning Community class like one she and environmental science professor Steven Winters have co-taught before called &quot;Alternate Worlds&quot; that looked at the real-life foundations for science fiction.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Cli-fi is the ideal intersection of literature and science,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The result is this semester's &quot;Cli-Fi: Stories and Science of the Coming Climate Apocalypse,&quot; part of a national trend where more and more colleges are now offering classes about the growing Cli-Fi genre in movies and novels.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC course combines Introduction to Literature and Topics in Science and consists of six hours of class time each week plus a two-hour science lab.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The science they're practicing is deepening their understanding of the literature and climate change in general,&quot; Trobaugh said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students recently read Paolo Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl, set in a dystopian future in Bangkok, Thailand, where climate change has caused the temperature to soar. Oceans rise 18 feet above sea level, and viruses from genetically modified foods devour victims. Oil peaked ages ago, and the source of energy is measured in tightly regulated calories that form the basis of the economy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This set the stage for a discussion about the science of calorie counting as a measurement of heat, and a lab in which students burned various foodstuffs and measured their output with calorimeters they constructed. Winters brought in rice, cheese puffs and marshmallows; they also set aside one bagel from the bag-full that Trobaugh brings every Thursday morning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They have also extracted DNA from strawberries to better understand the genetic manipulation in the story. And they used the web application Google Earth to simulate the rise of water and see which areas of Bangkok would be most affected.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Climate-change fiction dates back to The Drowned World, a 1962 novel by J. G. Ballard, but novels in this genre have increased in the past 10 years. And the settings are not necessarily in the future but more often the present, such as Barbara Kingsolver's Flight Behavior, Ian McEwan's Solar, and Nathaniel Rich's Odds Against Tomorrow, whose cover depicts the Manhattan skyline partially submerged in water.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Climate activists like blogger Dan Bloom, who coined the term &quot;Cli-Fi&quot; in 2008, view climate fiction as one possible way to move people to action more effectively than scientific data projections.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bloom, who exchanged emails with Trobaugh about the HCC class and wrote about it on his blog, called it &quot;a model for other community colleges nationwide to follow.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This kind of combination class where students read and discuss climate novels and also take part in science labs gives them a chance to use both their EQ (emotional intelligence) and their IQ in coming to grips with a warming world and future impacts of global warming,&quot; he wrote in an email.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trobaugh and Winters were also recently interviewed about the class by an international reporter working for Reuters in London.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other readings include I'm With the Bears: Short Stories from a Damaged Planet, edited by Mark Martin, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, by Elizabeth Kolbert, and Environmental Transformations: A Geography of the Anthropocene, by Mark Whitehead.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the course description: &quot;Classroom studies will be augmented by guest speakers, films and frequent field trips to museums and important geological sites that can help us understand the nature of climate and climate change on Earth.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a final project, students will write their own cli-fi short stories.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The class recently watched an extended version of the 2009 James Cameron movie Avatar set on the planet Pandora and humans' attempts to mine it at the expense of an indigenous people called the Na'vi.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's interesting to read a novel where we're presented with these ideas and look at the science behind it,&quot; said Benjamin Meck, a second year liberal arts major from Northampton. &quot;It fosters more of a connection with the writing when you can see it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trobaugh said that rather than depressing students, Cli-Fi energizes them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We might be creating some environmental activists,&quot; she said. &quot;Or maybe they will become business people who create green energy.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the very least, the course is opening up young minds to new ideas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're learning about things that are happening now that are having an impact on the environment,&quot; said Catia Correia, a first-year student from Amherst. &quot;Now I'm more aware of what I use.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Jhaydan Sheftall, Dylan Kelly and Connor Jacoby build a calorimeter for an experiment in the Cli-Fi class lab.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5468" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/grinspoon-awards-2017" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|3|65|165" FileName="x5468.xml" Name="Grinspoon Awards 2017" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Dubchaks-three-sax.jpg" Title="The Right Stuff" Abstract="Holyoke Community College student-entrepreneurs were recognized by the Grinspoon Foundation for their home-grown businesses. " ThumbnailAltText="Brothers Filipp Dubchak, David Dubchak and Roman Dubchak received a Grinspoon Spirit Award for their musical instrument repair business, Dubchak Artist Services, LLC. " IntroCopy="Student-entrepreneurs rewarded for the home-grown businesses" Date="2017-04-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student Scott Cummings explains the silk-screening process to HCC president Christina Royal. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Scott-Royal.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Dubchaks grew up musical, like a Westfield version of the Von Trapp family. Their parents, originally from Ukraine, played instruments, and they made sure their children did too, and different ones, so that one day they might form a band.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Roman, the oldest, learned saxophone, Filipp clarinet, and David, cello and bass. Over the years, the three brothers not only developed an expertise for playing those instruments, they developed an expertise for fixing them as well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last year, the musical instrument repair business they run out of their parents' basement, Dubchak Artist Services, LLC, had $100,000 in sales.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last night, the three brothers &amp;mdash; two are current HCC students and one a recent grad &amp;mdash; were recognized with a $1,500 Spirit Award from the Grinspoon Entrepreneurial Initiative, $500 each.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two other HCC students also won Grinspoon Spirit Awards for their home-grown businesses: Scott Cummings Jr., a Visual Arts major from West Springfield, received $600 for After Midnight Designs, his graphic design and silk-screening business; Tauqeer Hassan, a business administration major from Amherst, received $500 for Tiqi Torch, his cell phone accessory business.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ashley Rivest, a business administration major from Chicopee, represented HCC in the annual Elevator Pitch competition, impressing the crowd with her polished 90-second presentation for the Scrub Buddy, a miniature robot that automatically cleans your bathroom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All of the Spirit winners said they are going to invest the award money back into their businesses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Roman Dubchak, 28, a business administration major who earned his certificate in entrepreneurship from HCC last May, said he and his brothers sometimes put in as much as 30-40 hours a week working on the family business. They have been repairing instruments for more than 10 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We were musicians,&quot; said Roman, &quot;so we kind of fell into it by accident. It made sense.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;David, 20, the brass specialist, finished his associate degree in biotechnology in December. He's now at the University of Massachusetts studying biochemistry and molecular biology. He plans to walk with his brother Roman at Commencement May 27.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Filipp, 25, the woodwind specialist, is studying computer programming at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rounding out the family band, the Dubchaks, are sisters Lisa, 28, HCC Class of 2010, on flute, and Katie, 23, Class of 2013, on violin; Ella, Fillip's wife, on violin; and two younger brothers, 13.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They play weddings.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top)&amp;nbsp;HCC student Scott Cummings explains his silk-screening process to HCC president Christina Royal at the annual Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative Award Ceremony &amp;amp; Banquet yesterday at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. Cummings won a Grinspoon Entrepreneurial Spirit Award for his graphic design business, After Midnight Designs. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Brothers Filipp Dubchak, David Dubchak and Roman Dubchak received a Grinspoon Entrepreneurial Spirit Award for their musical instrument repair business, Dubchak Artist Services, LLC.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5454" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/jasmine-errico-news" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|3|165" FileName="x5454.xml" Name="Jasmine Errico News" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/THIS-Jasmine-Errico.jpg" Title="Mother of Inspiration" Abstract="Holyoke Community College student Jasmine Errico, '17, of Easthampton, will be honored at the State House May 5 as one of the &quot;29 Who Shine.&quot;" ThumbnailAltText="Jasmine Errico" IntroCopy="Jasmine Errico, '17, will be honored at the State House May 5 as one of the &quot;29 Who Shine.&quot;" Date="2017-04-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jasmine Errico&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/THIS-Jasmine-Errico.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px; vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She can imagine it now, a future as a clinical nurse midwife.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than that, though, &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/jasmine-errico&quot;&gt;Jasmine Errico&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;would some day like to run a community health clinic, or a bunch of them, offering comprehensive reproductive care and other services to low-income women and those struggling with substance abuse. She wants them to be places where women can get birth control and counseling, attend AA and NA meetings and parenting classes, and give birth in a safe, supportive environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is an ambitious plan, but she is already on her way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At 28, Errico is a trained doula who has attended 14 births since 2015. She is a volunteer with the &lt;a href=&quot;http://theprisonbirthproject.org/&quot; title=&quot;Prison Birth Project&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Prison Birth Project&lt;/a&gt; and teaches childbirth education classes on Wednesdays at the Hampden County Women's Correctional Facility in Chicopee.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In May, she will graduate from Holyoke Community College with high honors, a GPA of 3.89, and her associate degree in liberal arts. She has been accepted for transfer to Mount Holyoke College, where she intends to study medical anthropology, and, after that, nursing and midwifery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Hopefully I can piece it all together,&quot; said Errico, who lives in Easthampton. &quot;At HCC, they really taught me that that it is possible. I didn't have that dream coming in here. I've had the experiences in my life to know that those things are needed, like I've been the mom giving birth, I've been the person who needs help getting sober. But being here at HCC really fine-tuned that. I know exactly what I want to do.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For her academic achievements and her commitment to community service, Errico will be honored May 5 at the State House in Boston as one of the &quot;29 Who Shine,&quot; an annual event that recognizes one student from each of the 29 public colleges and universities in Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She will be joined that day by Irma Medina, of Springfield, coordinator of HCC's &lt;a href=&quot;/x140.xml&quot;&gt;Pathways Program&lt;/a&gt;, who will also be receiving an award as Errico's staff mentor. &quot;Without Irma's constant support and trouble-shooting, my time at HCC would have been much different,&quot; Errico said. &quot;She has always been there to advise me, tell me when I'm wrong, tell me when I'm right, let me cry, encourage me to keep going, and remind me why I started to begin with.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Growing up poor, in a family beset by domestic violence and abuse, Errico had never much cared for school. She dropped out in ninth grade.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I developed a really bad attitude, I like to say. I got in trouble a lot and got into alcohol and drugs, and so I just kind of gave up,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At 19, she earned her GED from HCC, then took a couple of credit classes. She failed them both. &quot;I was still having trouble,&quot; she said. &quot;I was homeless at the time. I just never showed up.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Errico tried California for a while, then Boston. At 23, she got sober &amp;mdash; then pregnant. &quot;Having my son really helped me focus,&quot; Errico said. She gave HCC another shot.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She credits HCC's &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/marieb-adult-learner-success-center&quot;&gt;Marieb Adult Learner Success Center&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and &lt;a href=&quot;/x140.xml&quot;&gt;Pathways&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;programs, which target nontraditional and low-income students, for giving her the guidance she needed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They were amazingly supportive,&quot; she said. &quot;I didn't have to hide who I was at all.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Errico started as a Foundations of Heath major, concentrating on health science. She earned her credentials as a certified nursing assistant at HCC, with the intention of continuing on to nursing school. A course in medical anthropology inspired her to think differently.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That class really formed what I want to do,&quot; she said. &quot;That's where I saw all of the disciplines that I love meet in one place. Birth work, recovery work, hands-on nursing, social justice, reproductive justice &amp;mdash; it all just met there.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She had already been working as a volunteer at Grace House, a recovery program in Northampton for formerly incarcerated mothers. There she served as a sponsor for women in recovery, facilitated group meetings, and attended births.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the summer of 2015, Errico participated in HCC's Organizing for Community Change Leadership Institute. For her OCCLI project, she worked with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherwoman.org/&quot; title=&quot;MotherWoman&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MotherWoman&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;in Hadley, nonprofit support network for mothers in Hampshire County, conducting research to help the agency better reach low-income women and women of color.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2016, she was selected for the Reproductive Rights Activist Service Corp. Summer internship at Hampshire College and paired with the Prison Birth Project, a Holyoke-based nonprofit, where she had already started working as a volunteer doula and teacher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She also started an independent &quot;company&quot; she calls &quot;Grateful Momma Doula,&quot; which offers free doula services to low-income women, single mothers, and women dealing with substance abuse issues and domestic violence. It's just her.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Jasmine is a single mom powerhouse who always thinks about how she can help others,&quot; said HCC Anthropology professor Vanessa Martinez, Errico's medical anthropology teacher and coordinator of the OCCLI program. &quot;She has strong academic potential matched with a dynamic and caring personality.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In other words, she shines.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY AND PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Jasmine Errico, HCC's 2017 &quot;29 Who Shine&quot; award winner&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5447" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/visual-art-awards-sp17" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|360|165|226" FileName="x5447.xml" Name="Visual Art Awards SP17" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Art-show-hand.jpg" Title="Visual Art Awards" Abstract="This year's Student Art Exhibition runs through May 1 in the Taber Art Gallery and other campus locations." ThumbnailAltText="A visitor takes a photo at the Student Art Exhibition. " IntroCopy="This year's Student Art Exhibition runs through May 1 in the Taber Art Gallery and other campus locations." Date="2017-04-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Student Art Show opening Spring 2017 &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Art-show-heads.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every Spring, Holyoke Community College honors its art students with a show of their own and recognizes the top students for outstanding talent.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year's Student Art Exhibition runs through May 1 in the Taber Art Gallery, the HCC Library display cases, second floor of Donahue and third floor of the Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Building.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The exhibition opened Tuesday but officially kicked off last night with a reception and awards ceremony in the HCC Library lobby outside the art gallery, and the place was packed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than 40 students received nominations for various art awards.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The following students received faculty art awards: Kathryn Berchin, Kelly Riley, Catherine Carija, Brendon Castro, Jessica Impoco, Ryan Jobb, Susan Reyes, and Logan Vincent-Sutherland.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Receiving awards for photography: Kailyn Marshall, Yasmina Mattison-Sudan, Brandon Pigeon, Keyshan Gomez, and Sylke Avalo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jessica Impoco also received a special award for serving as president of the Visual Arts Club.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The following students were recognized for their outstanding attire at the reception: Elnora Larry, Robert Proulx, Luis Lopez, Caitlin Pereira, Aundrea Bulley, Jessica Impoco, and Catherine Carija.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All locations are open to the public during regular school sessions, except the Taber Gallery which is open Mon - Thurs. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO:&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155182945724330.1073742042.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=63ac43b68d&quot; title=&quot;Art Exhibition facebook photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; See more photos on HCC's Facebook page.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5440" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/nursing-westhampton" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|355|165" FileName="x5440.xml" Name="Nursing-Westhampton" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Kane-nurse-weho.jpg" Title="Health Education" Abstract="Nursing students from Holyoke Community College are getting on-the-job training in Westhampton and Southampton public schools. " ThumbnailAltText="Lindsey Sojkowski, a school nurse at Hampshire Regional, explains the different visits from students to Brittney Kane, a first year nursing student at HCC." IntroCopy="HCC nursing students get on-the-job training in Westhampton schools." Date="2017-04-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Lindsey Sojkowski, a school nurse at Hampshire Regional, explains the different visits from students to Brittney Kane, a first year nursing student at HCC.&quot; height=&quot;505&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Kane-nurse-weho.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story was originally published April 18 on Gazettenet under the headline: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gazettenet.com/Nursing-students-complete-mini-practicum-at-elementary-and-high-schools-9269693&quot; title=&quot;Learning the medical ropes&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Learning the medical ropes.&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;STORY by CAITLIN ASHWORTH&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PHOTO by CAROL LOLLIS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Courtesy of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gazettenet.com&quot; title=&quot;Gazettenet&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Daily Hampshire Gazette&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;WESTHAMPTON &amp;mdash; It's one thing to learn about bloody noses and sore throats in a textbook or classroom. It's quite another dealing with these common ailments while on the job as a school nurse.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's exactly why Lyudmila Burunova, a first-year nursing student at Holyoke Community College, is spending some of her Fridays this spring in a mini-training at Westhampton Elementary School in the shadow of school nurse Amy Avakian.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One recent Friday started out simply enough. Burunova gave an ice pack to one student in pain and ibuprofen to another. Then, around 9:30 a.m., a student with a bloody nose ventured into the Avakian's office, wiping blood on his sleeve. Pressure was put on the nose to stop the bleeding as well as an ice pack. The student's shirt was changed. Spare clothing donated to the school is kept in the nurse's office just for cases like this one.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A short time later second-grader Chris Hanks, 7, wandered into the office.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My neck is bothering me,&quot; he said. &quot;Every day it gets worse and worse ... It started yesterday.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With Burunova by her side, Avakian asked the boy to show her where it hurt and Hanks put his hands on his throat. As kids at a young age are still learning the names of body parts, Avakian asks them to touch were they feel uncomfortable to be clear.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Is it inside your throat?&quot; she asked. Hanks nodded yes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Avakian shined a flashlight to look at Hanks's tonsils, telling Burunova what to look out for. There was some redness, which could be viral or caused by allergies, Avakian said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Do you think a cough drop will help?&quot; she asked. Hanks said yes and went back to class.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This collaboration between HCC and Hampshire Regional School District began in February, both as a way to give young students exploring the field of nursing - with an emphasis on school nursing - and to enable the nurses in the district to share their expertise with the next generation. Each student comes to the school one day per week for about a month.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mary Phelan, the health education coordinator for the district, said they are looking to expand the program, allowing students to be on site for more days.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part of the clinical training, some 15 HCC nursing students are spending time with nurses at Westhampton Elementary, William E. Norris School, Hampshire Regional High School and the New Hingham Regional Elementary. Nursing students are required to complete various clinical trainings to get hands-on experience. HCC offers two-year associate of science in nursing program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some students, like Burunova, want to move on to a four-year university. Burunova said she is thinking of furthering her nursing education at Elms College in Chicopee, adding that the nursing field has many different job opportunities and is particularly interested in the cardiology field.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At Westhampton Elementary, Avakian said recess can bring kids to the nurse's office for scraped knees and cuts as well as more serious playground injuries such as concussions and fractures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Second-grader Trenton Clark, 8, had a rough week last week - a sprained left wrist from a fall and a fractured finger tip on his right hand from catching a baseball. Yet there he was last Friday with an important question for Avakian: &quot;Can I play soccer?&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Avakian checked his wrist and fracture. She told him he should take a break for the day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Every day is different,&quot; Avakian said. &quot;It's fun to work with kids and watch them grow.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At Hampshire Regional High School, nurse Cyndy Domina said about 40 percent of their visits are for mental health. The school nurse are trained in both mental and physical health. This past month, the school nurses received grief training to help students cope with the loss of a loved one.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While students come in and out all day, Domina's office gets busy around lunchtime with students that need to take medication. One student, who is diabetic, checks his blood sugar levels everyday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nurse Lindsey Sojkowski recorded the blood sugar levels of a student as HCC nursing student Brittney Kane looked over her shoulder.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;His blood sugar was great,&quot; Sojkowski, explaining the numbers to Kane.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kane, who aspires to be a nurse practitioner, asked Domina how to identify a student who is receiving a medication. While many students don't carry a student ID card, they can be identified by their driver's license or date of birth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Domina said the role of school nurses is to support student's medical and mental health while also allowing them to receive their education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before spending almost a decade as a school nurse, Domina worked for a number of years at Holyoke Medical Center. At the school, she said, &quot;This is more exciting.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this job, she gets to build relationships with students, she said. &quot;You see them grow up.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by Carol Lollis:&amp;nbsp;Lindsey Sojkowski, a school nurse at Hampshire Regional, explains the different visits from students to Brittney Kane, a first year nursing student at HCC.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5413" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/kiana-estime" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|165|225" FileName="x5413.xml" Name="Kiana Estime" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Kiana-banners.jpg" Title="'This Just Changes Lives'" Abstract="Holyoke Community College student Kiana Estime has been awarded a prestigious national transfer scholarship from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation." ThumbnailAltText="Kiana Estime holds certificate from Jack Kent Cooke Foundation." IntroCopy="HCC student Kiana Estime awarded prestigious national scholarship" Date="2017-04-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Kiana Estime holds a certificate of recognition from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation while her adviser Irma Medina stands proudly by.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Kiana-Estime-Irma.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College student &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles/kiana-estime&quot;&gt;Kiana Estime&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;has been awarded a prestigious transfer scholarship from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, worth up to $40,000 a year, to complete her bachelor's degree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Estime, a 20-year-old liberal arts major from Great Barrington, Mass., with a GPA of 4.0, was one of 55 students in the United States to be awarded the Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship this year. According to the foundation, this year's winners were selected from a pool of nearly 3,000 applicants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The scholarships are awarded to outstanding community college students transferring to top-tier universities and colleges across the United States. To earn a Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, applicants must have a demonstrated financial need and a strong record of academic achievement, leadership, service to others, and perseverance in the face of adversity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Estime is the fourth HCC student to win the Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship since 2008. She has been accepted to both Smith College in Northampton and Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley and plans to pursue her bachelor's degree in anthropology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a very competitive national scholarship,&quot; said Estime's adviser, Irma Medina, coordinator of HCC's Pathways Program, which helps low-income, first-generation college students transfer to competitive four-year schools. &quot;This is huge news, both for Kiana and for HCC. She is just an all around fabulous person and well deserving of this amazing award. I do not doubt that she will be an agent for change.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Estime credited Medina and the Pathways Program for helping her through the transfer and application process.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These support systems here at HCC &amp;mdash; this just changes lives,&quot; Estime said. &quot;I feel like a great weight has just been lifted from me. As a first-generation, low-income college student, being able to have $40,000 a year for higher education will really allow me to achieve my dreams, as cheesy as that sounds.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Estime graduated from Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington in 2015. She has been living and working part time in Amherst while she attends classes at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to her perfect academic record, Estime has been deeply involved in programs and projects on campus and in the community. She is a member of the HCC Committed Club and the Latino International Students Association (LISA) Club, and is a co-founder of the campus activist group ROAR, which stands for Resist Oppression Act Responsibly. She is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society and the HCC Green Key Honor Society and has won numerous academic and leadership awards.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She has traveled as a volunteer to Honduras and Haiti with the nonprofit group Pure Water for the World. In Great Barrington, she has a long association with the Railroad Street Youth Project, where she will be interning this summer to develop a college scholarship program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship is the largest private scholarship in the nation for students transferring from two-year community colleges to four-year institutions that award bachelor's degrees.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top) Kiana Estime, right, with her mentor and adviser, HCC Pathways coordinator Irma Medina. (Thumbnail) Kiana Estime, of Great Barrington, holds a certificate of recognition from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5436" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/donald-vitkus" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|65" FileName="x5436.xml" Name="Donald Vitkus" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Vitkus-Griswald.jpg" Title="He liked it here" Abstract="Holyoke Community College alumnus Donald Vitkus, ’05, ‘Belchertown Patient #3394’ returns to HCC to sign books and shake hands. " ThumbnailAltText="Donald Vitkus, '05, with his former teacher, Jackie Griswold, HCC professor of Human Services." IntroCopy="Holyoke Community College alumnus Donald Vitkus, ’05, ‘Belchertown Patient #3394’ returns to HCC. " Date="2017-04-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC alum Donald Vitkus, '05, signs a copy of 'You'll Like It Here,' the story of his life, for HCC teacher Janet Grant. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Vitkus-grant-signing.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px; vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With every handshake, Donald Vitkus leans in. He is tall, with silver hair and engaging, bright gray eyes. His black T-shirt says &quot;Vietnam Veteran&quot; on the front. He wears it to remind people he was there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of handshakes. Everyone wants to meet him. They line up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What brings you here?&quot; he says to each in turn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The question surprises them. The answer seems obvious.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;To see you,&quot; they all say, in some form.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There's an immediate connection, in the hand and from the heart. They already know his story, captured in the book &lt;em&gt;&quot;You'll Like It Here&quot;: Donald Vitkus - Belchertown Patient #3394,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;by Northampton author Ed Orzechowski. Orzechowski is in the back of the room, signing books, following a presentation here at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vitkus is up front, shaking hands, holding on. He wants to know more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One young woman tells him she was raised in a group home. More than a few say they had relatives &amp;mdash; a sister, a brother, an aunt, a son &amp;mdash; who, like him, were at one time residents, patients &amp;mdash; prisoners, essentially &amp;mdash; in the Belchertown State School. In a way, his story is their story too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's good for me to hear what people think about the book,&quot; says Vitkus. &quot;It's good for my self-esteem. I like hearing this stuff. It's good for me here,&quot; he says, pointing to his head.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vitkus is used to the star treatment. He and Orzechowski have been making the rounds on a book tour. Their April 12 visit to HCC, though, was special, a homecoming.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They met here at HCC 12 years ago at another book signing. Orzechowski, a retired English teacher and writer, was on campus helping Benjamin Ricci, author of the book &quot;Crimes Against Humanity,&quot; which chronicles the 1973 class-action lawsuit that ultimately led to the closing of the Belchertown State School in 1992. After the presentation, Vitkus, then a 62-year-old HCC student, introduced himself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He said he was a former resident of Belchertown,&quot; Orzechowski said, &quot;and he wanted someone to write his life story.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That story begins when Vitkus was an infant and abandoned by his unwed mother during World War II. He lived with a succession of foster families. At 3, he was misdiagnosed as a &quot;moron&quot; with an IQ of 41, and at 6 committed to the Belchertown State School, an institution run the former state Dept. of Mental Retardation (now the Dept. of Developmental Services). He lived there for the next 11 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was also at HCC where Vitkus, encouraged by his classmates and teachers, started to share the details of his life. He began to talk about the abuse and neglect he'd suffered, the beatings, the regimentation, the &quot;Dog House,&quot; the residents' term for solitary confinement, the daily indignities, like group showers, and the rows of toilets that lacked dividers and even seats, and the absence of basic household items, such as toothbrushes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Orzechowski read a passage from the book, recalling Vitkus's early days at HCC and the reaction he received from fellow students:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&quot;Solitary confinement? Bars on the windows? they asked. No toilet paper? No talking allowed? How could this have happened? They had no idea that 'imbecile', 'idiot' and 'moron' were actually clinical terms for the developmentally disabled half a century ago.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite the deficit of formal education, Vitkus believed he was smart. Belchertown forced school-age residents to repeat each grade, and they taught the same material both years, so it took him eight years to complete four years of school.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In spite of everything, Vitkus was &quot;paroled&quot; at the age of 17 when administrators finally realized he didn't belong there. In 1964, he joined the U.S. Army. Initially labeled 4-F on account of his prior institutionalization, which would have exempted him from military service, Vitkus lobbied the government for a change in status. He served almost a year in Vietnam.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He subsequently earned his high school diploma in night school, got married, had children, and spent most of his adult life working in factories. He enrolled in college after the factory where he was working shut down.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, he studied human services. Professor Jackie Griswold, one of his former teachers, said he was one of the hardest working students she's ever had.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Initially, he was fairly quiet,&quot; she recalled, &quot;and I think he didn't believe he was actually in college or would be successful.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His classmates elected him president of the Human Services Club. As such, he gave a presentation about his life at the annual conference of the New England Organization for Human Services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Everybody loved him,&quot; Griswold said. &quot;He is still very kind and caring. A real champion for people who have any kind of disability.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Graduating from HCC in 2005 with his associate degree in Human Services was one of the highlights of his life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;HCC was very very good to me,&quot; Vitkus said. &quot;Graduating from here, I really surprised myself.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the book, he recalls the sea of graduates that spring at Commencement:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&quot;Seated among them in a navy blue cap and gown was me, a 62-year-old former retard of Belchertown State School. In the audience were my wife Pat, my son Dave, and his wife Laura and my grandchildren, William and Helena. Like at a previous institution, our names were called alphabetically, so I was near the end of the line. I was used to that. But I wasn't used to thinking of myself as a college student. I, Donald E. Vitkus, was no longer a moron.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;Vitkus is 73 now and lives at the Veterans Administration hospital in Florence. He and Orzechowski worked on the book over the course of eight years. The HCC presentation included photographs of Vitkus at Belchertown Orzechowski acquired researching the book. That research also included many field trips with Vitkus back to the grounds of the shuttered institution, whose buildings, though boarded up, mostly still stand.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The book title, said Orzechowski, comes from something Vitkus's last foster family said to him before they left him at Belchertown:&lt;em&gt; &quot;You'll like it here, because you'll be with other people like yourself.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He had siblings, he later learned, but no one visited him there. Ever. Many of the residents had likewise been abandoned, and some died alone, without proper burials. As the story goes, residents didn't die at Belchertown, they just disappeared: &quot;&lt;em&gt;They went to Turkey Hill,&quot;&lt;/em&gt; a graveyard where they were laid in the earth under a lump of poured concrete marked with a number instead of a name.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vitkus says he wants to be buried there, alongside those lost souls, &quot;with my brothers and sisters, in honor of them,&quot; but that request is not likely to be granted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A bigger disappointment would be history forgetting what happened inside those walls.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think this book will help educate some people,&quot; Vitkus said. &quot;I think people will remember it, how we used to treat people, even after they frickin' tear it down.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://levellerspress.com/store/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&amp;amp;key=1129&quot; title=&quot;Leveller's Press&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&quot;You'll Like It Here&quot;: Donald Vitkus - Belchertown Patient #3394&lt;/em&gt; is available from Leveller's Press in Amherst.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE, July 3, 2018: Vitkus died in January at the age of 74. On Sat., June 23, his cremated remains were buried in the Warner-Pine Grove Cemetery on Turkey Hill in Belchertown during a memorial service attended by some 70 family members and friends, including Orzechowski, his biographer.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gazettenet.com/Vitkus-Funeral-hg-062318-18285118&quot; title=&quot;Donald Vitkus '05 memorial service&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here to read about the memorial service in the Daily Hamphire Gazette ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top) Donald Vitkus signs a book for Janet Grant, coordinator of HCC's Community Health Workers program. (Thumbnail). Vitkus with his former teacher, Jackie Griswold, professor of Human Services.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5364" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/high-honors" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="69|66|165" FileName="x5364.xml" Name="High Honors" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Royal-platter.jpg" Title="High Honors" Abstract="Holyoke Community College was named one of Business West magazine's &quot;Difference Makers&quot; for 2017." ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal holds a butterfly platter presented to HCC for being named a Difference Maker by Business West magazine. " IntroCopy="Holyoke Community College and other local community colleges recognized for their 'critical role' " Date="2017-04-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Business West editor George O'Brien, center, presents a 2017 Difference Maker award to the presidents of the four western Massachusetts community colleges last week during an awards banquet at the Log Cabin in Holyoke.&quot; height=&quot;503&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Difference-group.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;Butterfly Effect&quot; is the well-known concept that small events can have much larger consequences. In meteorological terms, it's the storm off the U.S. coast that rises from the flutter of a butterfly's wings in Africa.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The butterfly is a fitting symbol for &lt;em&gt;Business West&lt;/em&gt; magazine's annual &quot;Difference Makers&quot; awards, which recognize &quot;individuals, agencies, and institutions that are finding profound and often unique ways to improve the quality of life in the community we call Western Mass.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Translated into mass culture, the butterfly effect has become a metaphor for the belief that seemingly insignificant moments alter history and shape destinies,&quot; the magazine explains. &quot;Typically unrecognized at first, they create threads of cause and effect that appear obvious in retrospect, changing the course of a human life or rippling through the global economy.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last Thursday, the magazine honored Holyoke Community College as a &quot;Difference Maker&quot; for 2017 and presented HCC president Christina Royal with a handcrafted platter that features the image of a butterfly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC was recognized collectively with Berkshire Community College, Greenfield Community College and Springfield Technical Community College during the March 30 awards banquet at The Log Cabin in Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's nice to come and lead Holyoke Community College at a time when community colleges are getting the respect that they deserve and appreciated for the full role that they play in the community,&quot; Royal said today, &quot;not only in educating students but in partnering with community leaders and organizations as well as the impact they have on economic development.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The magazine wrote in a feature story about HCC and the other three community college's in a Jan. 24 article, &quot;Steady Course: Community Colleges Forge Opportunities, Fuel Growth.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;While perhaps not as famous as the region's many fine private schools or UMass Amherst and other four-year institutions in the state system, these schools &amp;mdash; Berkshire Community College, Greenfield Community College, Holyoke Community College, and Springfield Technical Community College &amp;mdash; are playing an absolutely critical role in the development of this region,&quot; the magazine wrote. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They act as both a door of opportunity, especially to those who don't have many available to them, and a pathway to careers, through both degree and certificate programs that provide job skills and also transfer opportunities to four-year schools. Meanwhile, behind almost every major economic-development initiative in this region, there is a community college playing a significant role.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, President Royal sent out an email congratulating faculty and staff on the award.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;One of the great joys of working at Holyoke Community College is the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others,&quot; she wrote. &quot;Whether your work involves helping a student grasp a challenging concept or offering a motivational word after a stressful exam, each of us plays a role in their journey, and each of us contributes to the betterment of our college and our community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We have much to be proud of, and it is the result of each of you giving your best every day. Congratulations on being recognized for making a difference. You most certainly do.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: (Top) Business West editor George O'Brien, center, presents Difference Makers awards to the presidents of the four western Massachusetts community colleges last week during an awards banquet at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC president Christina Royal holds a butterfly platter presented to HCC for being named a 2017 Difference Maker by Business West magazine. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5365" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/royal-chat" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x5365.xml" Name="Royal Chat" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Selfie.jpg" Title="Interview with the President" Abstract="A few weeks after she started her new job, President Christina Royal sat down to talk about her life growing up, her goals for HCC, and the path that led her here. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal takes a selfie" IntroCopy="This interview, conducted on Jan. 24, 2017, is a companion piece to &quot;Royal Days Ahead,&quot; the cover story in the Spring 2017 issue of HCC's Alumni Connection magazine." Date="2017-03-31" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;President Christina Royal&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Royal-treeger-hall.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You've been working in Ohio and Minnesota for the past ten years but you actually grew up not too far from western Mass.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My hometown is Burnt Hills, which is a hamlet of Saratoga, N.Y., outside Albany. I actually grew up in my early years in Latham, N.Y., and then we moved to Burnt Hills, and that's where I finished out middle school and high school. When my parents separated my father moved to Clifton Park, N.Y., and so I spent a lot of time between Clifton Park and Burnt Hills.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My father was born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and his side of the family was still in Poughkeepsie. He was a twin, so he and my uncle were very close, and we would go down there frequently.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You lived mostly with your mother, though?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yes, me and my brother, and sister, both younger. My brother is three years younger and my sister is seven years younger. My brother is now living in San Francisco and my sister is in Clifton Park, so most of my family is still in the greater New York area. My mom's side in the greater Albany area, my dad's side between Poughkeepsie and New York City. My brother and I were the ones who got away.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You wanted to get away?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For some reason, I had some pretty good insight growing up that education was going to be the way out of my circumstances. Growing up poor and with limited means our world was quite small, and so I'd heard through my counselors at school that I could go to college, and they would talk to you about that and start to groom you for those opportunities, but, financially, I knew it was going to be quite difficult to figure out how to go to college.&amp;nbsp;But they encouraged me not to worry about that and to focus on doing well in school. And so I constantly had this thought in head, particularly in high school, that if I could just go to college my life could be different from the life that I lived as a child and my parents lived. I was really fortunate to get a scholarship to go to Marist College, and that was for me &amp;nbsp;the start of being able to build a different future.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Was it important to your parents that you go to college?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think both my immediate family and my greater family &amp;mdash; my mom has several sisters so she has a little bit bigger family &amp;mdash; I think that all of them said, she's going to go on and do something. I don't know what but she thinks differently and she's really focused on trying to create a future for herself. She's got a lot of curiosity, and so it's funny cause when I posted the notice online about stepping into the presidency of HCC, a lot of my relatives said, I knew from an early age that she was going to do something like this. If you were talking to them they'd probably say, we knew all along that she was going to be the one to do big things in life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You must have been a good student.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I would say, yes, although I did have awareness at a very early age that schools were not all the same. When we had lived in Latham and then subsequently moved to Burnt Hills, initially I was placed in some developmental type courses for a few things because the schools were different. I was doing fine in one school district but when we moved to a more affluent school district I was not up to the level of that school system. It wasn't long. I think it was maybe a couple of months or the equivalent of a semester before I was at the grade level needed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That did have an impact on me. I can relate to students and how we create that experience for students who are going through developmental education because I remember what it was like going to regular classes and suddenly a portion of the day I would have to leave the classroom and go to a special classroom. I just remembered that feeling, and for me once I knew what I needed to do to get out of it I was able to rise to the level needed to go into the regular curriculum for all my classes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You ultimately decided to pursue math. What was it about math that appealed to you?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Growing up I was always the type of kid who had a curiosity about life. I liked to solve problems. I liked to figure out puzzles. I liked to do logic games for fun.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I really did feel early on an interest in math, so when I was going to college I was unsure exactly what I wanted to do for a major, so ultimately I decided I would try mathematics, and I also was very interested in psychology. I started talking to my professors about what I should be and it really stuck in my head what my math adviser said when I asked her, what am I going to do with a math degree? And she said, you'll be able to do whatever you want because mathematics teaches you how to think critically about life and how to solve problems. That means you don't have to focus on a specific field, you can do whatever you want, and that always stuck in my head.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There was a brief time when I took organic chemistry and one of the faculty was talking to me about becoming a chemistry major, but ultimately mathematics was what I was most interested in. I ultimately decided I would major in math and minor in psychology. Later I got a graduate degree in psychology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You've mentioned a couple of times that you grew up poor. How poor were you and what was it like for you?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think it's hard for me to answer the question of how poor we were because I think having the experience of working at a community college there are a lot of people that are much less fortunate than I was. I wouldn't say we were the poorest of poor, but when we couldn't afford the rent we had to move out of our apartment and went to live with my grandparents, so we were suddenly living in an affluent district, which created a different kind of experience. Having limited means and living in a more affluent area I think accentuated that a little bit for me, but we weren't living on the street. We weren't homeless.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What kind of jobs did your parents have when you were growing up&lt;/strong&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My mom was a waitress and my father was a bartender and that's how they met. My father had dropped out of high school in about ninth grade. When he was growing up, my grandmother on my father's side couldn't make ends meet. So she told my father and his brother &amp;mdash; they were twins &amp;mdash; that one of them needed to drop out to go to work to help with the bills. My father dropped out of high school so that my uncle could graduate. He was in the army briefly, but their lives reflected that educational decision. My father was a bartender all his life, and my uncle got a job with IBM and worked there until retirement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My mother was a waitress. At some point she decided she wanted to go to trade school to essentially become a massage therapist, and she did do that, and then she was her own employer. She worked for herself. But the highest she ever earned as a single parent raising three children was $14,000 a year, and that was the year I went to college. She was also caring for her aging parents.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How much did racial identity play in your life growing up and your awareness of students' experience in the educational system?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Growing up in a bi-racial family &amp;mdash; my mother's white and my father black &amp;mdash; was impactful on me, particularly because the cultural norms were different with my mom's side of the family and my father's side. Some of that was social and behavioral and others were in terms of customs and how the families were raised, my dad and his brother, and my mom and her sisters. And so when I was growing up I think I had a clear sense of not being white like a lot of my peers, but also not being black. I often felt like I wasn't white enough to be white and I wasn't black enough to be black. I think because of that I became very acutely aware of the differences in terms of the families.&amp;nbsp;There were some challenges even with the integration of my parents' families, so that was something I was aware of too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think that one of the ways that I started to figure out my identity in that regard in terms of race and ethnicity was realizing I had an opportunity to address racism in a unique way because I was light skinned enough that I would get accepted into the white circles and then I had a chance to have them get to know me, and when I would hear racist remarks I had an opportunity to say, my dad is black and I'm half black, and it created somewhat of a cognitive dissonance for them because they have this perception that they did not like black people but they liked me and they already knew me so it gave me a platform to challenge racism in a different way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Was it hard for you to speak up like that?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At first. I noticed that they would make comments directly to my face and I would think to myself, but my father's black and some of them may or may not know, depending on my circles, because my father wasn't living with us. Then I started to use that to have a conversation, as different folks would have a chance to meet my father. I think it gave me a different kind of voice in being able to address that.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;At a recent staff meeting you talked about the feeling of hopelessness that some low-income, first-generation students experience after being told for so long that they're not college material. Did you ever feel that way?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not hopeless, but I did feel sometimes my opportunities were limited. I was very active in sports during my K-12 years and particularly I really loved baseball and softball. And I remember one time making the freshman varsity team and not having any transportation, so that was difficult. My coach couldn't understand why I couldn't play on the team, and it was hard for me to be able to say, I don't have a ride to the games. My mom had to work second shift often times, 3-11, so I wouldn't necessarily be able to get rides to a lot of things cause her work conflicted with those types of extracurricular activities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I started off trying to walk the five miles to the field. It wasn't practical, especially when you're having to do all those practices and stuff and then I'd be exhausted. Occasionally I was able to get rides from different people but it just wasn't sustainable.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was also really big into bowling. That was another one. The middle school, where the softbal games were, and the bowling alley were not too far from the high school but they were about five miles from my house. I had a friend who would give me a ride sometimes when I played on the bowling leagues, but, occasionally, if I didn't have a ride I had to decide if I was going to walk five miles with my 14-pound bowling ball, which I did on some occasions, or if I was going to miss it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And I think being the oldest child, you also have a responsibility for watching your siblings too, so it was a combination of trying to balance those, so that's an example of a way I felt some of my opportunities were limited by my circumstances.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I remember my dad being so proud, I think I was 17 or 18, either junior or senior year, and my father shows up one day, and he was so excited to let me know that he had bought me a car and that I would have the transportation that I needed, and that I could fit in with my peers. So he was really really excited about that, and the first day, or second day, I go out after classes and my car wouldn't start. And so I was really struggling to figure out what to do cause I had a haircut lined up and then I had to go work for my part-time job.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I went to the shop area for my high school and one of the shop teachers came out to look and couldn't get it started. His wife (Carol Forman-Pemberton) was my English teacher, and so when she heard about what had happened she offered to drive me to get my hair cut and make me dinner and drive me to my job.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was fortunate to have some really good teachers that I felt really cared for me beyond academics, and those experiences really resonated with me in terms of how much faculty tend to go above and beyond just focusing on educating the student in their respective discipline. I think a lot about how my teachers really helped me even beyond the classroom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I remember telling one that I was struggling financially for something in our household, I don't remember what, and she was like, why don't you come rake leaves for me and I can pay you? I feel like I've been really fortunately to have had some good teachers, and even my Spanish teacher (Louise DiNapoli) had told me I should consider taking a college class in Spanish while I was in high school. That was a great opportunity to get a chance to experience college. That was a SUNY Albany class at my high school. It was a good experience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I feel like I've had a lot of really great people around me helping to draw out the potential for my success, and I wouldn't have been able to do it without those people. Those folks ultimately helped me conceive of a life different than the one I was experiencing, which was two very hardworking parents trying to raise three kids with very limited means and a lot of curveballs thrown at them. My teachers, as well as some other folks, parents of friends and others, really provided a lot of encouragement that I had the ability to control my own destiny and that education is a path to make that happen, and so I was going to do whatever I could to go to college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Did you have any role models or mentors who inspired you?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Three in particular: My English teacher, my math teacher and my Spanish teacher were the three people in high school who had a very formative impact on me. My Spanish teacher did a lot to draw out the potential in me academically and show me that if I work hard, if I study, that I will have an opportunity to go to college. She was also very helpful in terms of overall support and encouragement.&amp;nbsp;If I was having a really bad day, she'd spend some time after class talking to me.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My math teacher (Mary Kosky) was the one who recognized that I was having a hard time following in class because I needed glasses. It's stuff like that. It's the noticing beyond just the, well, why is she struggling to pick up the information? And so that was something I remember. She said, you really have to talk to your parents about getting an eye exam because I think you're having trouble seeing the board. She was also the teacher who encouraged me to get involved in the Math Club, and ultimately I became co-president of the club, and that was a great experience in terms of being able to get involved academically in something beyond the classroom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And then my English teacher, she was someone who really helped me understand how a college application worked, and she gave me good feedback on my college essay. She really walked me through the practical things, and she's also the one who helped me when my car wasn't running.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I do feel I've been surrounded by people who cared and were willing to invest themselves in helping me so I could be in a position to thrive and not just survive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How have those experiences affected you as an educator?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I can really appreciate the multitude and varied stories that our students have about their circumstances, and one of the key things as a community college is being able to care for the whole student and recognizing that they come from a lot of different circumstances. You don't always know. Is someone homeless or living out of their car? Did someone just lose a parent or a child? Is someone working three jobs just to pay tuition and keep their family going? You have all these types of experiences that students come with, and the community college is the place where we meet students where they're at, and it doesn't matter what their circumstances are. What matters is that we have a caring and welcoming environment that shows them that they belong here and we've got the resources both in and out of the classroom to help support their success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why did you choose Marist College?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I applied to a few schools but I think not really knowing how to deal with transportation and the extra cost of going back and forth between semesters and academic years was a little problematic for me. Marist was close to my father and his family. Being a private school, it was more expensive but I was able to get a scholarship, between that and Pell aid as well as New York State aid and also having a presidential scholarship, was really the way I was able to afford it. My uncle worked at IBM, and Marist and IBM have always had a close affiliation, a very strong partnership, and so my uncle was also going to help make sure I could go to college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Did you have to work?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was able to get about three or four years covered through aid and scholarships, and, to be honest, the most challenging thing was paying for textbooks. That's why the textbook affordability initiative I've been involved in in my former schools has been personally interesting to me because the cost of textbooks is tremendously high, and for people who are struggling to pay tuition and other course fees, it can be problematic. That was a challenge. I remember getting to college and realizing there's all these day-to-day expenses, and textbooks is one of the big ones. I remember realizing that the books were going to cost a lot of money and my parents just didn't have it, so it was challenging. Fortunately, my uncle through his work had the ability to get me a computer. So that was helpful in terms of just having the resources I needed to be successful in college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I did live on campus. I tried to have that full experience and then I worked on campus mostly, too. I had a variety of jobs &amp;mdash; tutoring, and I was even guarding a parking lot. It wasn't the most intellectually exciting job but it paid more than some of the other jobs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What did you think you were going to do after college?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Given my uncle's affiliation with IBM, I imagined I was going to go out and get a job at IBM. I actually had my voice mail on the dorm phone that said, &quot;Future IBM executive overseas.&quot; That's what I imagined myself doing. Then I graduated from college and my father was very sick. I was originally planning to go to graduate school to become an industrial organizational psychologist, a psychometrician, and use my math and psychology in that way. Then with my father being very ill I decided to postpone those plans, and it's a good thing, cause he died the next year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My first job out of college was working in insurance, and I started off in sales as an insurance agent. Then I saw an opportunity, because the world was changing from paper to electronics, and the use of laptops was becoming more prevalent, so I wrote a business proposal for the creation of a training department that could help agents use technology, and they liked the proposal and they hired me into it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That was Prudential. I became a technical adviser overseeing training and worked with the sales agents to understand the software programs,. They were carrying around these rate cards to figure out mortality and morbidity rates that they would bring into homes, and so I was saying, you just have to bring your laptop and plug in your information. So, I really enjoyed that, and I had a chance to work in the greater New York area. Manhattan, White Plains, Yorktown, and Poughkeepsie were the areas I worked in, and I really liked the educational element of it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I then looked at a job that was in teaching computer applications in the corporate sector. When I was there they were telling me about this national training project that was doing an IT deployment for the Social Security Administration branch of government, and we were subcontractors. This was CompUSA. We were subcontractors of the UNYSIS Corporation. We'd travel to different cities, do training for a week at that particular office, install the new software, and train them on that, come home, do laundry, and then head back out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was first in New York doing the training, and I was moving up in the company very quickly so my boss, who worked in Dallas, said, if you want to have a chance to move into management, are you willing to move to Dallas? I said, yes, and he said, then I'm going to promote you. They moved me to Dallas, and that's where I got a chance to oversee the project that I was working on. That's when I started to enjoy being in IT project management.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And then my boss moved to Fort Lauderdale to work for a startup company that was essentially a bridge between the corporate sector and education, and I ultimately followed him a couple of months later. That was the Beacon Institute for Learning, and I was the director of curriculum. We were writing, designing, building curriculum for IT certification programs, and then we would offer those at colleges and universities. That was my first exposure working with colleges, and I really enjoyed it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While I enjoyed working at the company, I could see that business model was probably something that wasn't going to be sustainable in the long term so I was looking to move on from that job.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I had two options. I had one option to go work for Maris to head up workforce development in the graduate and continuing education school in the college, or I could go work for COMPTIAA, which is an IT certification company, to be project manager in that organization.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;That would have been similar work?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was. It was an opportunity to go to another level, but it was the same kind of work. One of the things, when I look back on my career and look forward, I just have a curiosity about how things work and looking for ways to improve them, and that curiosity keeps me as a lifelong learner. I love just learning about the way things work and how to improve things.&amp;nbsp;So I went to Marist and was working in IT workforce, and the college was looking at getting into online learning at the undergraduate level. The college had built the first online graduate program in New York State and was looking to do undergraduate, and I had the opportunity to head this up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;That was your fork in the road, and you chose higher ed.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was really intrigued with higher education. My alma mater afforded me the opportunity to make the transition into higher education, but I was really intrigued with understanding better how higher education worked. It obviously had had a real big impact on my life. Now going there and working as an employee rather than as a student I felt it afforded me an opportunity to look at the intersection of the areas that I had experience in in terms of workforce development and IT certification training as well as technology, and so when they asked about getting involved with starting up an undergraduate online program I felt I was the right person for that job. It was a connection of a lot of the different loves and interests I had in my life in terms of technology, education, and having a chance to use that experience I had learned at a startup. I was using that startup mentality to look at how we build a new program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As as I look back at my life I can see now that this has been a strength for me. I essentially started my career off in the business world and really developed a business mindset. When I came into the higher education world I would ask very different questions about how things operated, and look differently at where the opportunities were, what the potential solutions were, and I think that's really helped me a lot as I've tried to understand more of higher education. I think I have a good balance of understanding between the world of higher education and the world of business.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You also started classroom teaching at Marist.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yes. Absolutely. When I started my graduate program I had a chance to teach an educational technology course to start. That was my first class, and I absolutely loved it. I loved being in the classroom, I loved working with students, I loved being able to find new ways to deliver information that made it interesting to students, and I fell in love with teaching, and I continued to do that while pursuing my own education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why did you leave Marist?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I felt like I had had the experience of doing a startup type endeavor within higher education and I was looking for a contrasting opportunity of being able to step into a large established organization and take it to its next level, and so that's where I made the shift to Cuyahoga Community College, and Cuyahoga Community College, or Tri-C for short, is a nationally recognized community college, a leader among leaders, that gave me an opportunity to head up the e-Learning and Innovation division of the institution, which allowed me to experiment with new and different ways of thinking about we solve the same types of problems in higher education: enrollment, retention, completion, success of students, increasing diversity of learners.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I had a chance to work on some really cool initiatives that allowed us to think differently about how we support students, especially in a more digital age and with more engaging, virtual support services. And so I had a chance to build the distance learning area, which eventually became the e-Learning area, and also work on some really neat initiatives on social media and building a homegrown emergency notification system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What would you say your proudest achievement or innovation has been?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I was at Tri-C, I had sought a Title III grant, $2 million over five years, to help us build infrastructure to support more virtual students, and that to me is one of the most impactful things because it was about supporting students who wanted to access services at the college through the website. And we know that the website is more and more an absolute critical tool for marketing and support of students, so we had this initiative I called the virtual front door, because when we think of the first impression of colleges a lot of people think it's the campus, but it's actually the website. That is their first impression. They're going to go on and look up some information about the college. Sometimes even before visiting the college. And so I felt like it was important that we be able to start to adapt the virtual support services to students, both the way that we share information and also recognizing that there are some services that students don't necessarily want to have to drive to campus for.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And so now, students can register online and they can pay their tuition online, and there's a lot of these services that they couldn't necessarily do before. They can access support services. Being able to access support from the writing center was a really big step forward for students, because they would be sitting at home at 7 p.m. and needed to access services, and maybe our writing center was not open at that time or they didn't want to drive to campus or take a bus, so being able to access those services at a distance was really critical. So that's something that I think is a good example of things that specifically impact the student experience that was innovative in our use of technology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why did you want to be a college president?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I was at Tri-C I was considering an opportunity to be president of a virtual campus, but I really wanted an opportunity to impact an entire college so I felt like it was important for me to understand other areas of the college that I hadn't supervised previously. The reaston that really prompted me to look at the provost position at Inver Hills was having a more well-rounded experience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I was thinking about the possibility of becoming a college president some day, I really wanted to look at what kind of experiences were going to prepare me for the presidency. I was not interested in just getting there quickly, but getting there most prepared, so I knew I had to have an opportunity to work with other areas of the college and to be able to lead those areas effectively and to understand college as a whole, both the internal aspects of the college as well as the connections with business, industry and workforce.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At Tri-C I worked with a fabulous president, Jerry Sue Thornton. She was an outstanding leader, and I really had a chance to learn a lot working under her. When we started talking about what a presidency is like she sponsored me in an executive leader development program. I really left that program feeling like this was a job that I could do and I could make an impact.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why did you want to be the president of HCC?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There were a couple of reasons. One of the things, when I first started talking to the search firm and I read the college profile, I really had a favorable impression of HCC from the start. It was a campus that I thought was very caring and welcoming to students. The language seemed to reflect even what I experience today, which is that this is a very learning-centered culture, and that learning centered culture is something I was looking for.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was looking for a place where I felt like people really cared for students beyond their job descriptions. When I look at some of the successes that HCC's had, as well as the transitions that we're going through in terms of achieving the designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution and being able to respond to the changing demographic needs in the local community, I was definitely interested in looking for a place that had a multicultural student body and employee base. I think that multicultural aspect of an institution enriches the student experience. It gives them an opportunity to interact with different people from all different walks of life that they might not interact with on a day-to-day basis, so I was looking for an enriching environment that was inclusive in that regard.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was also looking for a place that was doing a good job already. There are obviously problems that we will have to address. Enrollment is not just affecting HCC; it is a national issue, and state funding also a national issue. A lot of these things are not just impacting one institution, but I felt like HCC has a really strong base we'll be able to build off of, and it's got employees that really care about the institution.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think that with the support of new leadership, the college, everyone is going to be able to pull together, and we're going to be able to define the future of the college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What are your goals?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I certainly would like for us to look at how we can continue to increase the success of all our learners, including reducing the achievement gap. We want success for all of our learners, not just some of our learners. That's really important to me. Also, opportunities to grow enrollment in this area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As you've heard me say, I believe that education is a way to transform an individual and their family, and that extends also to a community. Thriving communities have good educational opportunities, and so I think the more that we can work with businesses and community agencies to strengthen the number of people, citizens, we have getting an education, it's going to elevate our community, and so that's also really important to me.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There's an interdependency there, and I think that's really important in recognizing that our role isn't just serving our students, it's really about recognizing that we're a partner in the community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You often use the term &quot;co-creation&quot; to describe your decision-making process.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think my leadership style is the kind where I like to provide a vision for where we need to go, but I think that any good initiatives that have staying power have to be done in co-creation with others. That's important to me. Staff and faculty here and the students here all have great ideas on ways we can make HCC better. I want to leverage and help cultivate some of those ideas to creation. And so all the great ideas are not just going to come from me, they're going to come from us as a group so the collaboration is going to be important.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think sometimes the idea of co-creating something or being a collaborative leader people perceive as weak, but I actually think it make you stronger in terms of working with other people and being in touch with those you're leading and so forth, but when you talk about being the first female president, stylistically, there are going to differences like that.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You also like to say &quot;it takes a village to raise a student.&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yea, I very much believe that statement. It was really working at community colleges that helped me to see that in action.&amp;nbsp;You can't look at education in a bubble. You can't just think, we have to figure out what students want to study and make sure they have the curriculum to achieve that end goal because students come with a complexity of issues, and if a student is hungry they are not going to be able to focus in the classroom on learning. If a student doesn't feel safe, they are not necessarily going to be focused on engaging in clubs and activities on campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speaking of hunger, you helped set up a mobile food pantry at Inver Hills.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was on the board of a local food pantry there. We had a partnership where we had a mobile food pantry, and they would bring that on campus and deliver food, healthy food, I should say. It was one of the few organizations that had taken a stance not to bring junk food, to bring healthy food on campus so that students would not have to take another bus somewhere else. The food would be delivered to them, and they could just take their classes and then take the food home. We also had emergency food available to students if they needed something that day, and the mobile pantry wasn't there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We also had a community garden on campus, and so we would grow food and we would donate part of that to the food pantry and then they in turn would bring it to our students. Hunger is a big challenge for a lot of our students and again when we think of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs, we knew we had to address that problem for students to thrive in the classroom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is that something you had experience with either growing up or in college?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Growing up my family did have to access some support services that were available to them through social services. But I think for me the real reason why that became important to me at the college was seeing what our students were experiencing and hearing the number of students who were food insecure and housing insecure. There were a lot of issues, but really it was more about understanding the demographic that I was supporting, really figuring out, well, what do our students need? This was one of the topics that came up a lot, so I felt like it was important for us to make this a priority.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What does it mean to you to be the first female president of HCC?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Growing up, obviously, most of the role models were men, and it's been nice in my lifetime to see more females be able to assume the CEO positions at various companies, and so it is a great honor and privilege to be able to do that here, and I know just even the presence of a female in the president's role is going to have a transforming effect on the institution, because it's an opportunity to think differently about how we lead. Stylistically, they'll be some differences.&amp;nbsp;I think sometimes the idea of co-creating something or being a collaborative leader people perceive as weak, but I actually think it make you stronger in terms of working with other people and being in touch with those you're leading and so forth, but when you talk about being the first female president, stylistically, there are going to differences like that.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I also feel like it's great to be able to serve as a role model for girls and young women and even adults, so that we can normalize seeing women in the top leadership positions in any sector, and seeing that more and that that's a normal thing and that there are equal opportunities I think is very encouraging for the next generation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Clearly you've thought about this.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was a real awareness when I realized all of the finalists for the HCC job were women and that this was going to be a historic moment if I had the pleasure of serving in this role, and I do take that seriously.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is there anything else you'd like people to know about you?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I don't want HCC to be just a good school. I want us to be an outstanding school, in support of this community and our students, and so I am someone who does like to look for ways we can continue to innovate in support of our mission. I think, in that regard, I'm looking for us to really focus on excellence and not just maintaining the status quo.&amp;nbsp;We have to work to get students to a level of college readiness in partnership with the high schools, and we really need make sure students don't view HCC as the final step, that they go on for their bachelor's degrees or find other ways that they engage in lifelong learning at the college, like coming back for noncredit experiences. I hope that the role we play is instilling the importance of education in their lives for themselves and their families.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I like to be an approachable leader. I think that stylistically that might be different from past leaders. I really like to be active and visible within the community and within the college, so I think people can expect to see me around, participating in events locally on campus and in the community.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You're on Facebook and Twitter.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maybe this is a generational thing &amp;mdash; I like to use social media. I won't be sending any 3 a.m. tweets, I can promise you that, but I do believe it's part of the piece about being approachable and accessible to folks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You have a dog named Milo. Any other family?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm not married and I don't have kids. Since you're hitting all the aspects of my life, and I'm single, I don't think this will come up naturally, but I am a lesbian, and I am out about it, although I don't feel the need to make declarative statements. I feel like it will come up organically throughout my engagement with different folks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Spring 2017 issue of HCC's&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/Documents/Publications/AC/AC_SP17_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Spring 2017 Alumni Connection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/Documents/Publications/AC/AC_SP17_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Spring 2017 Alumni Connection&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Alumni Connection magazine is available online as a PDF.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;The print edition is distributed around campua and mailed to the homes of HCC alumni.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;INTERVIEW by CHRIS YURKO&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by DON TREEGER&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5400" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/getting-out" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165|226" FileName="x5400.xml" Name="Getting Out" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/GO-Fight.jpg" Title="'Getting Out' on stage" Abstract="The Holyoke Community College Theater Department production examines how one woman copes with life after prison." ThumbnailAltText="HCC students Carina Savoie, left, Paul Matica, Marissa Perez, and Patrick Ryan, rehearse a scene from &quot;Getting Out.&quot;" IntroCopy="The HCC Theater Department will present the play by Marsha Norman April 20-22 in the Leslie Phillips Theater" Date="2017-04-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC students rehearse a scene from &amp;quot;Getting Out.&amp;quot;&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/GO-Fight.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Getting Out&quot; begins as the title suggests, with a prisoner being released from jail. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After eight years of incarceration, the main character, Arlene, is escorted out by the warden. In the very first scene, she returns home and enters a new apartment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How she copes is the story of the play, as Arlene reconciles her new life with the one she had before.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a commentary on the criminal justice system,&quot; said director and Holyoke Community College theater professor Patricia Sandoval, '84, &quot;but it's also a commentary on the will of a woman to find hope and survive in the world against incredible odds.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Theater Department will present &quot;Getting Out,&quot; by Marsha Norman, April 20-22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater, with a 2 p.m. matinee on April 22. The Thursday, April 20, performance will be ASL-interpreted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tickets are available at the door: $10 general admission; $8 students and seniors, $5 HCC students and staff.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC student Marissa Perez, of Florence, portrays Arlene, whose early struggles and experiences in prison are relayed in flashbacks. Her younger self, &quot;Arlie,&quot; played by HCC student Carina Savoie, of Agawam, haunts the stage like an apparition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As Arlene adjusts, we also learn the unfortunate circumstances that led to Arlie's imprisonment and meet the central figures of her life, including her abusive father, an ex-boyfriend, prison guards, the warden, and the kind chaplain who first called her &quot;Arlene.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Something will trigger a memory, and then she'll remember what happened to her,&quot; Sandoval said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Norman wrote the play in 1977, but it is as relevant today as it was then, said Sandoval, particularly given the current attention to mass incarceration in the U.S. and controversies over the use of private prisons.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Recidivism rates for those like Arlene are discouraging, Sandoval notes, with something like 75 percent of formerly incarcerated individuals reoffending at some point.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We might look at her and say, she's never going to break that cycle,&quot; Sandoval said, &quot;but she has a child and she has reasons to make it on the outside.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sandoval did not update any details to make &quot;Getting Out&quot; more modern. The play includes a reference to former late night talk show legend Johnny Carson and mentions paying a dime to make a call from the corner pay phone.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I left them,&quot; she said. &quot;I always have respect for the playwright. I don't feel entitled to make changes.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And even though the play is set in Kentucky, she did not ask the actors to speak with southern accents. &quot;It's written that way, so it does come across,&quot; she said, &quot;but I didn't want to make it that specific. It could be here. It could be anywhere U.S.A.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sandoval chose &quot;Getting Out&quot; to fit in with this being the &quot;Year of the Woman&quot; in the HCC Theater Department. It started in September with a 24-hour-theater festival put on by HCC theater alumni as a tribute to Leslie Phillips, a beloved theater teacher who died in 1988. HCC alumna Denise Boutin, '77, directed &quot;American Daughter&quot; by Wendy Wasserstein for HCC's Fall production.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sandoval wanted to direct &quot;Getting Out,&quot; she said, because it was not just written by a woman but featured a woman as the central character.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That was our theme,&quot; said Sandoval, &quot;women playwrights; women directors; women's struggles.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The play's subject also synched with a focus on criminal justice under way on campus and in the larger community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has been partnering with public libraries in Hampshire and Hampden counties this spring to take a s&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/orange-is-new-black&quot;&gt;emester-long look at prison life in America&lt;/a&gt;. For their annual &quot;community read,&quot; called &quot;Hamptons + Holyoke Read,&quot; area libraries chose &lt;em&gt;Orange is the New Black,&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;the memoir that inspired the popular Netflix series &quot;Orange is the New Black.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, students are studying the book in a Learning Community course called &quot;Orange is the New Black: The Real Story,&quot; and HCC's&amp;nbsp;Criminal Justice Department has sponsored a series of events this semester focusing on mass incarceration, including a screening last month of the documentary &quot;13th,&quot; about racial inequities in U.S. prisons, and a panel discussion on criminal justice reform scheduled for April 12.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Cast:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Arlene: Marissa Perez&lt;br /&gt;Arlie: Carina Savoie&lt;br /&gt;Guard 1, Evan: Simeon Brown&lt;br /&gt;Bennie: Paul Matica&lt;br /&gt;Guard 2, Caldwell: Damien Crockett&lt;br /&gt;Doctor: Alora Machuca&lt;br /&gt;Mother: Deborah Uller&lt;br /&gt;School Principal: Jeremy Routhier&lt;br /&gt;Ronnie: Matt Grover&lt;br /&gt;Carl: Patrick Ryan&lt;br /&gt;Warden: Mary Callahan&lt;br /&gt;Ruby: Jametta Bailey-Hailey&lt;br /&gt;Guard 3: Jessica Burgos&lt;br /&gt;Guard 4: Daniel Alban&lt;br /&gt;Voices: Marcus Hickley, Chloe Soto, Keshana Paris&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Holyoke Community College Theater Department will present &quot;Getting Out,&quot; by Marsha Norman, April 20-22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater, with a 2 p.m. matinee on April 22.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Thursday, April 20, performance will be ASL-interpreted.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tickets are available at the door: $10 general admission; $8 students and seniors, $5 HCC students and staff.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top) HCC students Carina Savoie, left, Paul Matica, Marissa Perez, and Patrick Ryan, rehearse a scene from &quot;Getting Out.&quot; (Thumbnail) Marissa Perez, of Florence, plays the main character Arlene, a woman just out of prison; Carina Savoie, of Agawam, plays Arlie, her younger self.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5338" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/kelly-zutrau" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|165|226" FileName="x5338.xml" Name="Kelly Zutrau" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Kelly-laugh.jpg" Title="Singer charms crowd" Abstract="Guest speaker Kelly Zutrau, lead singer and songwriter for the indie-pop band Wet, answered questions and offered advice to aspiring musicians at HCC." ThumbnailAltText="Singer-songwriter Kelly Zutrau visits with HCC music students. " IntroCopy="Singer-songwriter Kelly Zutrau offers advice to aspiring musicians " Date="2017-03-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Kelly Zutrau meets with students after her guest talk at HCC.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Kelly-student-1.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kelly Zutrau, lead singer and songwriter for the indie-pop band Wet, visited HCC today as part of the Music Department's weekly series of free concerts and guest speakers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Zutrau talked about her evolution from art student to singer, offered songwriting tips, advice about the music industry, answered questions, and played a snippet of the band's most popular song, &quot;Don't Wanna Be Your Girl,&quot; the first she ever wrote.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe frameborder=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; src=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/3lNuttRinIA&quot; width=&quot;560&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Zutrau and her bandmates lived in Hadley while recording their debut studio album, &quot;Don't You,&quot; released in January 2016 by Columbia Records.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While she was living in the area she took voice lessons from HCC adjunct vocal instructor Sarah Clay, of Florence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/03/singer-songwriter_kelly_zutrau.html#incart_most_shared-music&quot; title=&quot;MassLive story about Kelly Zutrau's visit to HCC&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Read Jordan Grice's story about Kelly Zutrau's visit on MassLive ...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://bit.ly/2nh9pmx&quot; title=&quot; Facebook photo album of singer Kelly Zutrau&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos are available on HCC's Facebook page.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top) Kelly Zutrau, left, talks to an HCC music student while her former voice teacher, HCC adjunct music teacher Sarah Clay looks on. (Thumbnail) Kelly Zutrau talks to HCC music students during a guest appearance.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5336" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/guided-by-the-light" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="321|3|165" FileName="x5336.xml" Name="Guided by the Light" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/College-Frances-Smile.jpg" Title="Guided by the light" Abstract="HCC freshman Frances Rivera-Diaz was the keynote speaker at HCC's annual College for a Day event for adult learners." ThumbnailAltText="HCC freshman Frances Rivera-Diaz was the keynote speaker at HCC's annual College for a Day event for adult learners." IntroCopy="Freshman keynote speaker at College for a Day" Date="2016-03-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC freshman Frances Rivera-Diaz was the keynote speaker at HCC's annual College for a Day event for adult learners.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/College-Frances-Smile.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For Frances Rivera-Diaz, her metaphorical light bulb moment, when she discovered her true path, was literally a light bulb moment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She was a student at HCC's Adult Learning Center, taking a science class as part of a GED test preparation program. Her assignment: Build a flashlight out of basic household items -- paper clips, cardboard toilet paper roll, battery, bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Until then, she'd worked for many years at Burger King. Her goal was to leverage her GED into a managerial job at a gift shop in the Holyoke Mall.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Once that little light bulb turned on, this one turned on,&quot; she recently recalled, pointing to her head. &quot;I realized, why am I just settling for a retail job?&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I don't want a job,&quot; she continued. &quot;I want a career. I want to work somewhere where I'm going to love it, I'm good at it, and I want to go there every day. That's what I want.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;So,&quot; she thought, &quot;I'm gonna go to college.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After a long road, Rivera-Diaz is now completing her first year at HCC. She is an engineering major and the recipient of a multi-year National Science Foundation STEM Scholarship. On Tuesday, she was the keynote speaker at College for a Day, an annual event that brings hundreds of Adult Basic Education students from all over western Massachusetts to sample college classes at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Like many of you,&quot; she said, wearing an Albert Einstein tie and pacing nervously around the stage of the Leslie Phillips Theater, hardly glancing at her notes, &quot;I struggled with language barriers. Like many of you, I know how it feels to be in a dead-end job, living paycheck to paycheck. Like many of you, I know how it is not to have an education, to have dropped out of school, to do whatever you had to do to make it through the week or through the month.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I didn't believe I could do this,&quot; she said. &quot;I really thought college was for smarter, younger and, honestly, upper class people. I didn't think, as a female Puerto Rican who still struggled with English, that college was for me.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;So,&quot; she said, &quot;if any of you are struggling with that right now. I understand you. And just like I'm standing here, some day you guys can stand here too.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After she earned her GED, Rivera-Diaz continued her education through HCC's Transition to College and Careers program, and she encouraged the more than 200 students in the audience to do the same. She said the TCC program helped prepare her for college level work, especially in writing and math. It also helps teach students how to apply for financial aid and how to find and apply for scholarships.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The TCC program also led her to HCC's free summer STEM Academy, which focuses on science and math. &quot;We learned about volcanoes, planet formations, ecosystems,&quot; she said. &quot;We weren't stuck in a classroom.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For one of their academy project, students walked around campus, collecting soil, vegetation, rocks, creek water and crawlers to create mini-ecosystems -- &quot;a small forest in a jar,&quot; she said. They put the jars under spotlights and observed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Some of the jars were doing crazy stuff,&quot; she said. &quot;My jar started growing maggots. I thought it was pretty gross, but it was exciting. It just made me want to learn more.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through the STEM Academy, she heard about the NSF STEM Scholarship. She applied, and got it. &quot;It was a big accomplishment,&quot; she said, to whoops and applause from the audience. &quot;I'm just this bilingual, minimum wage, lower class female, and I was able to earn this national science scholarship.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Science is mainly a world of men,&quot; she said, &quot;and I'm challenging myself as a woman to go into a man's career and prove that a woman can do an equal amount of work that a man can do.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some day, she said, she wants to work for NASA.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Forget flipping burgers,&quot; she said. &quot;Why do that when there is something better out there for yourself? There's something you're good at, something that's going to light up.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;When I did that flashlight, I remembered that I actually like putting things together,&quot; she said. &quot;When the teacher was teaching us flashlights, he was telling us, this is how an engineer thinks. These are the steps they take. That's what I enjoyed and I liked, and that's what I do.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS and Story by CHRIS YURKO: Frances Rivera-Diaz talks to ABE students at College for a Day.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5327" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/comm-comm-checks" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="165|225" FileName="x5327.xml" Name="Comm-Comm-checks" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/CommComm-Goncalves-check.jpg" Title="Pay Day" Abstract="HCC, through the Commonwealth Commitment, delivers on its promise to reward participating students with tuition rebates." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Transfer coordinator Mark Broadbent hands a Commonwealth Commitment tuition rebate check to student Nicholas Goncalves of Ludlow. " IntroCopy="Commonwealth Commitment delivers on promise to reward participating students with tuition rebates" Date="2017-03-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Devon Siefken, Emily Roberts and Adam Bouley hold their Commonwealth Commitment tuition rebate checks.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/COMM-Conn-three.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It took Nicholas Goncalves about two minutes last fall to sign up for the &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer/commonwealth-commitment&quot;&gt;Commonwealth Commitmen&lt;/a&gt;t.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last week, he was rewarded with a check for $278.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's $278 I didn't have before,&quot; said the 18-year-old liberal arts major from Ludlow. &quot;It's definitely going to help out a lot.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Goncalves was one of five HCC students who received tuition rebate checks for their participation in the new program, which offers big savings and cash back to community college students who plan to transfer to one of the state's four-year public colleges or universities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Goncalves intends to transfer to either the University of Massachusetts or Westfield State.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I said, why not? It sounded like a great program,&quot; he said. &quot;I knew if I stuck with it it would reward me in the end. I couldn't really say no to that.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By signing on to the Commonwealth Commitment, students agree to complete their associate degrees within 2&amp;frac12; years, transfer to one of Massachusetts' state colleges or universities, and complete their bachelor's degrees within two more years. They must maintain full-time, continuous enrollment and a cumulative GPA of 3.0. They must also sign up to participate before earning 15 credits (including developmental credits).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part of the program, Goncalves' tuition and fees at HCC are now locked in at Fall 2016 prices; he will receive a complete tuition waiver after he transfers (through the MassTransfer program); and then his university tuition and fees will also be locked in at Fall 2016 prices.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's a real big benefit,&quot; says Mark Broadbent, HCC's &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center&quot;&gt;Transfer Affairs &lt;/a&gt;coordinator.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The other big benefit is a 10 percent cash rebate on tuition and fees participating students receive at the end of every semester. Broadbent hand-delivered the first Commonwealth Commitment rebate checks to Goncalves and the other students last week.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Emily Roberts, an 18-year-old psychology major from South Hadley, received a check for $229 that she said she'll put toward car insurance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It means a lot,&quot; she said. &quot;It was a lot of positive reinforcement to keep studying.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adam Bouley, a 21-year-old business administration major from West Springfield, said he will use his $272 rebate check to pay down some debt on his student loans, &quot;so it's less money I have to pay back later.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It definitely helps,&quot; he said. &quot;It's a really great program.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While only eight HCC students have signed up for the Commonwealth Commitment so far, hundreds more could qualify, potentially saving thousands of dollars on the cost of a bachelor's degree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It ended up being one of the best things I ever did,&quot; said &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/commonwealth-commitment&quot;&gt;Devon Siefken&lt;/a&gt;, a psychology major from Easthampton who wants to transfer to UMass-Amherst.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students like Siefken who transfer from HCC to UMass could wind up saving as much as $6,640.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's awesome,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More information about the &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer/commonwealth-commitment&quot;&gt;Commonwealth Commitment, a list of eligible majors, and an application&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;are available on the HCC web site.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: &lt;em&gt;(Above) HCC students Devon Siefken, Emily Roberts and Adam Bouley hold their Commonwealth Commitment tuition rebate checks.&lt;/em&gt; (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC Transfer coordinator Mark Broadbent hands a Commonwealth Commitment tuition rebate check to student Nicholas Goncalves of Ludlow.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5291" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/pakistani-visitors" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|194" FileName="x5291.xml" Name="Pakistani visitors " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-Pakistani-group.jpg" Title="HCC welcomes educators from Pakistan" Abstract="HCC is collaborating with the the nonprofit Institute for Training and Development in Amherst and UMass-Amherst on the project. " ThumbnailAltText="Educators visiting from Pakistan spent the day at HCC as part of their six-week visit to the Pioneer Valley." Date="2017-03-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC welcomed a delegation of Pakistani educators to campus this week. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-Pakistani-group.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px; vertical-align: middle;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC yesterday welcomed the fourth and final cohort of educators from Pakistan for the Community College Administrator Pakistan project.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They'll be visiting HCC for six weeks, learning about the U.S. higher education system with a focus on Massachusetts' community colleges. HCC is the lead community college partner on the three-year initiative, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State, and collaborating on the project with the the nonprofit Institute for Training and Development in Amherst and UMass Amherst.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participants will meet frequently with their HCC staff mentors, attend classes and workshops, develop personal projects and bring those lessons home with the goals of promoting higher education in Pakistan and fostering sustained engagement with their U.S. counterparts and institutions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Wednesday, the delegation toured the HCC campus after a welcome from HCC president Christina Royal and a panel discussion focusing on HCC women leaders.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today they spent the morning with our friends at Springfield Technical Community College and took a guided bus tour through Holyoke, narrated by Jeffrey Hayden, HCC's vice president of Business and Community Services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Educators visiting from Pakistan spent the day at HCC Wednesday as part of their six-week visit to the Pioneer Valley to learn about the Massachusetts community college system.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Check out more photos in our &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155091667989330.1073742036.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=46887ddfbf&quot; title=&quot;Pakistani welcome Facebook gallery&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Facebook photo gallery&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5289" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/impressions-of-home" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="65|360|226" FileName="x5289.xml" Name="Impressions of Home" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Home-Alicia.jpg" Title="'Impressions of Home'" Abstract="Alicia Shibley, '13, studied printmaking at HCC. She is now working on her master's in art therapy and helping homeless shelter residents create art." ThumbnailAltText="Alicia Shibley, '13, talks about the HCC Taber Art Gallery exhibit &quot;Impressions of Home.&quot;" IntroCopy="HCC alumna Alicia Shibley, '13, is helping homeless shelter residents in Springfield create art." Date="2017-03-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC alumna Alicia Shibley, '13, talks about the Taber Art Gallery exhibit &amp;quot;Impressions of Home.&amp;quot;&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Home-Alicia.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 5px; vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many of the pieces now on display in HCC's Taber Art Gallery are the work of one man, Jaleel Aziz.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Aziz is a prolific painter whose subjects range from birds and beaches to portraits of women and simple scenes of everyday life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One in particular stands out, &quot;Untitled #17.&quot; It features a bed in a room under a window and perfectly illustrates the theme of the show, &quot;Impressions of Home,&quot; a collection of artwork produced by residents of the Friends of the Homeless shelter in Springfield. The show runs through Thursday, March 30.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Aziz has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair. He's lost a lot of fine motor skills, so when his right hand starts to hurt, he paints with his left.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If you guys could see him, he is amazing,&quot; the exhibit's curator, Alicia Shibley, said last week during a reception and gallery talk. &quot;He is covered in paint all the time. There's paint on his hands. There's paint on his clothes. He's a very vibrant person. He paints constantly. It's very inspiring.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Had it not been for Shibley, Aziz and other residents at the shelter might not have had a chance to create any art, let alone have their work displayed in a gallery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shibley graduated from HCC in 2013 with her associate degree in Visual Arts, then transferred to UMass, where she earned her bachelor's degree in Fine Arts in 2015. She is now working on her master's degree in art therapy and counseling at Springfield College and has been at the shelter for more than a year as an intern and the arts program facilitator.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We came up with this idea to explore art and see how it went with the residents who passed through,&quot; said Shibley, who lives in West Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Twice a week, for a few hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Shibley meets with shelter residents in the cafeteria and helps them create art.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I hope that everybody can just take a minute and kind of feel what it feels like to step into these paintings and maybe experience what these artists are experiencing,&quot; Shibley said. &quot;Their stories are so diverse, and it is really a privilege to spend time with them.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than 1,000 people pass through the emergency overnight shelter every year, said Sarah Tanner, the director of Development, which makes Friends of the Homeless the largest resource center of its kind in Massachusetts outside of Boston.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber exhibit is just a small portion from a larger collection of work that will be up for auction at the Friends of the Homeless's second annual fundraiser June 5 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What is so remarkable about this work,&quot; said Tanner, &quot;is it really helps us reach out to the community and break down some of those stereotypes and assumptions people have about folks who are experiencing homelessness, and see that every single one of us in this room or who might be experiencing homelessness tonight, we all have the same hope and dream to be in our own home, to be in our own room, to be in our own bed, and we are incredibly grateful that Alicia has come to really tap in and build relationships with our guests to create this type of work and to start to tell their stories.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, under the tutelage of art professor Alix Hegeler, and later at UMass, Shibley focused on printmaking. She said art therapy allows her to combine her love of art and love for helping others.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I have come to very much appreciate the power of art and the power of healing in the visual world,&quot; she said. &quot;I thought art therapy would allow me to incorporate both into a career. I still love printmaking and continue to focus on it in my down time.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Taber Art Gallery, accessible through the HCC Library, is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS and STORY by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Alicia Shibley, '13, talks about the HCC Taber Art Gallery exhibit &quot;Impressions of Home.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Watch the video below from MassLive / Republican photographer Don Treeger:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe frameborder=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; src=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/3ZTMpO-fB4E&quot; width=&quot;560&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5268" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/college4aday-2017" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="321|97|165" FileName="x5268.xml" Name="College4ADay 2017" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/College4Day-Sam-A-thumb.jpg" Title="Chemical bonds" Abstract="A bumpy road lead back to college for 54-year-old Sam Arroyo after a nearly 30-year absence. He's now a chemistry major and STEM Scholar at HCC." ThumbnailAltText="Sam Arroyo gives the keynote speech at HCC's annual College for a Day event. " IntroCopy="Bumpy road leads back to college for 54-year-old HCC STEM Scholar" Date="2017-03-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sam Arroyo gives the keynote speech at HCC's 2017 College for a Day.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/College4Day-Sam-A-8.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sam Arroyo's fascination with science began in space.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He grew up in Puerto Rico watching Star Trek - &quot;old Star Trek,&quot; he says. Then, in 1976, when he was 14, the Viking I probe landed on Mars.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was all excited,&quot; he recalled last week. &quot;Everything was science for me. My bedroom was full of chemistry tubes and microscopes.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a private in the U.S. Army, Arroyo was a chemical operations specialist. Later, at the Universidad Interamericana in San Juan, he studied chemistry for three years before dropping out to get married.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He moved to New York City, the place of his birth. He worked for several years as a doorman on the Upper East Side, at 65th and Park Avenue. On weekends, he and his wife were disco partners downtown at the Palladium.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I never returned back to school,&quot; he said. &quot;I tried.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In subsequent years, Arroyo battled addiction, homelessness, and bipolar disorder. He endured a bad motorcycle accident and two broken marriages. He founded a cleaning business in Puerto Rico and another one years later in Massachusetts, where he eventually settled. He also worked a succession of other jobs, as a machine operator, customer service rep, food broker, and garbage sorter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We talk about obstacles and things that happen to us, but I don't see it like that any more,&quot; he said. &quot;I see it like a journey, a journey that brought me right here to HCC.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now 54 years old, Arroyo has returned to college and the subject that still fascinates him - science. He is not only majoring in chemistry again, but is part of the STEM Scholars program at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last week, Arroyo told his tale at College for a Day, an annual event that brings hundreds of adult basic education students to the HCC campus to take tours, sample classes, talk to HCC faculty and staff, and listen to an inspirational ABE alumnus. More than 200 students from 16 ABE agencies in western Massachusetts filled the Leslie Phillips Theater on March 16 for College for a Day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Nontraditional students who are entering or returning to school later in life often are our best students,&quot; said Ileana Vasu, math professor and STEM faculty coordinator. &quot;Your speaker is no different. He is many things. He is Captain Picard. He is a great student, a kind man, a father and a vet. He's an excellent worker, a compassionate person, a role model, a mentor and a much-loved member of the HCC community. Sam, you are an inspiration to us all.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2015, during one of his many bouts with periodic unemployment, Arroyo found himself at Career Point in Holyoke, where the veterans' representative advised him to call Mary Martone, the Career and Educational advisor for HCC's Adult Basic Education and Transition to College &amp;amp; Careers programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Six months later, he finally did. Martone invited him to campus to take the College Placement Test. When he finished, she said, &quot;See you Monday.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Why?&quot; I asked her. &quot;She said, &amp;lsquo;Monday, you start.'&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That day I came to college changed my whole life,&quot; Arroyo said, &quot;because all of a sudden I realized I never finished chemistry, which I love.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After he completed the Transition to College &amp;amp; Careers class, he enrolled in HCC's free summer STEM Starter Academy. In the fall of 2015, he enrolled full time at HCC as a recipient of a National Science Foundation STEM Scholarship.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, Arroyo, who lives in Holyoke, is a member of the HCC Military Club and the STEM Club. He is a STEM mentor, an HCC STEM ambassador, a chemistry tutor, and chemistry lab technician.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He plans to double major in chemistry and environmental science and eventually would like to transfer to a four-year school to get his bachelor's degree with the goal of being an environmental chemist.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He's not sure where he'll wind up, but he's looking forward to it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My past is my past,&quot; he told the crowd, &quot;but today I know where I'm at with HCC, and I love it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO:&amp;nbsp;Sam Arroyo gives the keynote speech at HCC's annual College for a Day event. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;See more photos of this event on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155084352064330.1073742034.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=d0e2472b55&quot; title=&quot;College for a Day 2017 photos&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;HCC's Facebook page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5269" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/french-film-festival" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x5269.xml" Name="French Film Festival" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/school_of_babel_-_h_-_2013.jpg" Title="French Film Festival" Abstract="Six French films will be shown during the four-week festival, which runs through April 12. " ThumbnailAltText="Still shot from School of Babel, one of the films being shown as part of HCC's four-week French Film Festival." IntroCopy="Six French films will be shown during the four-week festival, March 21-April 12, two in Amherst and four on the HCC campus." Date="2017-03-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Still shot from Pierrot le Fou.&quot; height=&quot;503&quot; src=&quot;images/About/Events/pierrot-le-fou.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This story was originally &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/03/holyoke_community_college_film.html&quot; title=&quot;Mass Live French Film Festival story&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;published March 15 on MassLive&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Story by CHRIS DONDOROS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Courtesy of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com&quot; title=&quot;MassLive&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MassLive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College will present a festival of French films from March 21 through April 12, promising to deliver a diverse range of movies screened across multiple venues including the HCC campus and Amherst Cinema in Amherst.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to festival co-organizer and HCC French professor Sabine Charton-Long, now is the time to bring a little piece of France to Holyoke Community College students and film buffs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There are lot of events in the area of Amherst with the colleges, with UMass especially, used to welcome big bands, choreographers and films,&quot; she said. &quot;I think for the students of HCC, and the audience around the area, it's important to have access to French movies that are not necessarily available otherwise.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Charton-Long said the objective of the film festival, which was organized by herself and adjunct faculty member Maggie Sweeney is simple: diversity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We tried to show a diversified face of Francophone movies. There are movies related to contemporary social issues, to youth - such as Le Cour de Babel&quot; - a documentary film,&quot; she said. &quot;It shows kids between 11 and 14 years old who have to learn French to adapt to their new country.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Charton-Long, who said she started teaching at HCC in January 2015, said this theme of adaptation is especially relevant at the college, where many students are English as a Second Language (ESL) students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;And 'Mon Amie Victoria (My Friend Victoria)' is a story of a young African woman in Paris who became in contact with a wealthy family and meets them again, and explores a number of underlying social issues,&quot; she said, adding that the festival will include one French cinema classic, too - 1965's &quot;Pierrot le Fou.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;These aren't movies you can see at the West Springfield movie cinema. I would like people to realize, Europe is far away, and it isn't easy to go to France. But it's still there, and with Quebec and its French speaking people just north to us, we would like to keep alive and reignite interest in French culture and language whether in relation to France or other French-speaking countries,&quot; said Charton-Long.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The festival will open March 21 with &quot;Dans la Cour&quot; at Amherst Cinema at 7 p.m. and follow with &quot;La Cour de Babel&quot; at HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater on March 22 at 11 a.m. &quot;Les Combattants&quot; will be shown at the Leslie Phillips Theater on March 29 at 11 a.m., followed up by &quot;Mon Amie Victoria&quot; on April 4 at the Amherst Cinema at 7 p.m. &quot;Bande de Filles&quot; and &quot;Pierrot le Fou&quot; will be shown at HCC's Kittredge Center, Room 301, on April 5 and April 12, respectively, at 7 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Admission to the films is free for Holyoke Community College students and staff showing valid identification. There is no admission fee for film shown at the college campus. Amherst Cinema tickets are $6.50 for members, $9.75 for adults and $8.75 for students and seniors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Thumbanil) Still shot from School of Babel. &amp;nbsp;(Top) Still shot from Pierrot le Fou.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5112" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/int-womens-day" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x5112.xml" Name="Int-Women's Day" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-IWD-Kiana.jpg" Title="Rally honors women" Abstract="More than a dozen HCC students, faculty and staff offered remarks for International Women's Day. See what President Christina Royal had to say.  " ThumbnailAltText="HCC student Kiana Estime of Amhest shakes hands with HCC president Christina Royal after the rally." IntroCopy="HCC President Christina Royal gave the keynote speech, reprinted below:" Date="2017-03-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal, back left, shares a moment with students at staff after the rally. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-IWD-Group.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College celebrated International Women's Day today with a rally in the campus Courtyard that featured speeches by more than a dozen HCC students, faculty and staff - both male and female.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The speakers took turns at the mic, sharing original poetry, giving shout-outs to the strong women in their lives, and offering encouragement and inspiration to all in their quest for equal rights and struggle for a better world.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Heather Ducharme, an aide to Holyoke mayor Alex Morse, delivered a special proclamation from the mayor recognizing International Women's Day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than 100 people attended the rally.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155038335509330.1073742031.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=39c0178abf&quot; title=&quot;International Women's Day photo gallery&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See the photo album from today's event on HCC's Facebook page.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HCC president Christina Royal gave the keynote speech, which is printed here in its entirety:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hello everyone and welcome! I'm delighted to be here as we recognize International Women's Day and the efforts and accomplishments of all those who work for equal rights for women and a better world for all people.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;It is an honor to stand before you as the first female president of Holyoke Community College. This is indeed historic, as this college has been led by only three men in its 70-year history. Why does this matter?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Nationally, more than half of the students in college are women, yet only about 26 percent of the college presidencies are held by women.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Boys grow up knowing they can be anything they want to, because they have role models in most job roles across the nation.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;While we have made great progress in breaking through glass ceilings, girls are growing up knowing there are some job roles we have yet to achieve.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;To the women here today: The fact that you are standing here, on a college campus, with the right to get an education, the right to vote, the right to self-determination-these are freedoms won through long struggle and personal sacrifice by those who came before us.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Women such as: Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Margaret Higgins Sanger, an American activist, who opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, which eventually led to the creation of Planned Parenthood.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Barbara Gittings, a founder of the LGBT movement and lesbian activist, who waged a successful campaign to have the American Psychiatric Institute declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Disability activist Johnnie Lacy, a leader in the independent living movement who fought for the rights of people with disabilities, especially people of color.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina Supreme Court justice in U.S. history.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;And, Mae Jemison, an American engineer and NASA astronaut, who in 1992 became the first African-American woman in space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Mae is depicted just over there, on the banner on the side of the Marieb building.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Gloria Steinem defined feminism as &quot;anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men.&quot; Women have been at the forefront of this struggle. It has taken strong and progressive women to achieve these victories, but to achieve full equality, it will take all of us - women and supportive men - to bring about the changes that must be made to achieve full equality for all people.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;I was born the year Title IX was enacted and there was a lot of advocacy and advancement of women's rights that would eventually take hold. But in my lifetime, there have been more messages about what I couldn't be or do, than what was possible.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;As a young girl, I wanted to play baseball, but I was encouraged to play softball. I wanted to wear pants, but asked to wear dresses. I was encouraged to omit that I'm half-Black because I could pass for being white.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;When I entered the workforce, I was told not to put the picture of my girlfriend on my desk. &quot;Don't promote your &amp;lsquo;alternative lifestyle' if you want to get promoted. And, I was told to not to &quot;be so assertive&quot; as it wasn't becoming of a woman.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fortunately, I rejected those notions and kept persevering. And now I stand before you not simply as a woman, but as a first generation college student, a woman who is bi-racial, a woman who is a lesbian, and a woman who just became the first female president of this college.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;We have achieved a great deal in the U.S; however internationally, there are still rights and privileges, such as a college education, that are out of reach for girls and women in other countries.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;And even here in the United States, there is much still to be done:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Women earn just 80 cents for every dollar earned by men. That gap is even greater for African American women and Latinas, who respectively earn 60 cents and 55 cents less for every dollar earned by their white, non-Hispanic male counterparts.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;To illustrate this, Equal Pay Day is Tuesday, April 4th. This date symbolizes how far into the year 2017 women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. So the wages that many women are earning today and this week - still don't match what men earned in 2016.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Violence against women is an issue in the U.S. and around the world. Studies have shown that up to 70 percent of women experience violence in their lifetime; 35 percent of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or sexual violence by a non-partner at some point in their lives.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;While women constitute slightly more than half the population of the United States, we are vastly underrepresented among our nation's political leadership. In fact, women account for just 19.1 percent of the membership in the House and 21 percent of the membership in the Senate&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The situation is not much better when it comes to leadership at the state levels:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Women account for just one quarter of executive leadership positions(such as governors and lieutenant governors) in our states.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Just 20 percent of mayors in cities with populations greater than 30,000 are women.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Nationwide, state legislators are not quite 25 percent female. Even in our blue state of Massachusetts, the percentage of women in the Legislature is just about 25 percent of women.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;When we look at women in the world of business, some inroads have been made, but change is still happening at a very slow pace.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Worldwide, under a quarter (24 percent) of senior positions in business were held by women in 2016-an increase of only 3 percent from 2011. In 2016, the percentage of women leading Fortune 500 companies dropped to 4 percent.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Women are disproportionately clustered in low wage jobs, and bear disproportionate responsibility for childcare, which impacts job opportunities and career advancement.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In education, at least in the United States, when it comes to earning degrees, women are outpacing men. Indeed, we see this at HCC, where 60 percent of our students are women. In the health professions and biological and biomedical sciences, women now account for a greater percentage of bachelor's and master's degrees and Ph.Ds.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;However, it is important to note that the success of girls and women does not come at the expense of boys and men.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;According to a report by AAUW, &quot;Women are attending and graduating from high school and college at a higher rate than are their male peers, but... the proportion of young men graduating from high school and earning college degrees today is at an all-time high.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;This is good news indeed, but when we narrow the aperture to our region, we see challenges to be met and work still to be done. Not just in the area of gender equality, but in the realm of economic equality and opportunity for all citizens. Springfield and Holyoke still struggle with high rates of unemployment and poverty.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;As an open access educational institution, Holyoke Community College has a unique responsibility to provide opportunities for those who need them most, right here in our local community. The fight for women's rights is just one part of the larger struggle to create a world in which all are valued, all are secure, all are educated, and all can achieve their full human potential.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;I call on all of us to learn and reflect on our history, embrace it, celebrate our progress, and continue advocating for equity, not just on behalf of women, but all people. We need everyone to transform our world into a place where all can live in equality, dignity and peace.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thank you for being here. Rather than show everyone what a day without women looks like, I'd rather remind the world every day, what it looks like to have girls and women in our society, valued equally, for the gifts and talents we bring,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;not regardless but inclusive of our racial identities, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, our religions or lack thereof, our immigration statuses, our age, and our abilities and disabilities.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;We represent half of this world - half of our entire planet - and we need to continue advocating for equity and inclusion. Because when this is achieved, we won't just have a day like today ... we will have everyday.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thank you.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top) &amp;nbsp;HCC president Christina Royal, back left, shares a moment with students at staff after the rally. (Thumbnail) HCC student Kiana Estime of Amhest shakes hands with HCC president Christina Royal after the rally.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5116" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/spring-break-volunteers" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="66|193|165" FileName="x5116.xml" Name="Spring Break Volunteers" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/HCC-Kelly-Group.jpg" Title="Service Call" Abstract="HCC students spent part of Spring Break volunteering at Holyoke’s Kelly Elementary School " ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal, back center, and HCC students spent time volunteering at Holyoke's Kelly Elementary School Monday during Spring Break. " IntroCopy="HCC students spent part of Spring Break volunteering at Holyoke’s Kelly elementary school " Date="2017-03-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student Siman Kamarudin, '17, sorts books in the library at Kelly Elementary School in Holyoke. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-Aiman-sort.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They could have stayed home, slept late, taken it easy. It was. after all, the first day of Spring Break, so why not relax?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But no. Instead, a dozen HCC students volunteered Monday to work at Holyoke's Kelly Elementary School, where they dusted shelves and sorted books in the library, picked up trash and leaves around the playground, and painted the school gymnasium.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I figured it was a better use of my time to come and give something to the community, rather than just staying home,&quot; said Elizabeth Eveson, who lives in West Springfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The students who took part represented a wide variety of HCC student clubs and groups, including the International Students Club, CommITTED Club, Black Student Alliance, Students on the Autism Spectrum, Anime Club, Green Key Honor Society, STEM Club and Student Senate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every HCC student club is required to perform some type of community service project each semester, said Student Clubs coordinator Lauren Le Clair. To fulfill that requirement, clubs often hold fundraisers, such as bake sales, and donate the money to nonprofits. Last fall, for instance, a few student clubs raised money for the Special Olympics and for the HCC Foundation, which awards student scholarships. Clubs also collected non-perishable food items for the HCC Food Pantry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Monday's day of service was the first time representatives from so many different HCC clubs combined their resources on a single community service project, Le Clair said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We thought if we all got together with just a couple of people from each club we could do something bigger within the community,&quot; she said. &quot;I had worked at the Kelly School last summer, so I knew they needed a lot of help.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eveson, a member of Students on the Autism Spectrum, Green Key and the Anime Club, spent the morning in the school library with about a half dozen other volunteers, including HCC's new president, Christina Royal, who helped with the sorting, organizing and dusting of children's books.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm really excited that HCC embodies a culture of service and giving back to the community,&quot; she said. &quot;I'm happy to have an opportunity to work with a school that is resource constrained and help them get to projects they might not be able to get to on their own.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kelly principal Jackie Glasheen said the library, playground and gym desperately needed some attention. &lt;br /&gt;&quot;The help from HCC is huge,&quot; she said. &quot;The students have split up into three groups, so they're going to impact the inside and the outside, and it'll be terrific.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The day of service was actually supposed to be two days of service, with even more HCC students participating. Tuesday's volunteer projects, cancelled because of the snowstorm, will be rescheduled, Le Clair said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top) Aiman Kamarudin, of Westfield, a member of the International Students Club and CommITTED Club, organizes books im the Kelly Elementary School library. (Thumbnail) HCC president Christina Royal, back center, and HCC students spent time volunteering at Holyoke's Kelly Elementary School Monday during Spring Break.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5111" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/med-drill" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x5111.xml" Name="Med Drill" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Drill-Florek.jpg" Title="Emergency Prep" Abstract="HCC nursing students and faculty members participated in a mock drill to practice how to handle mass medication distribution after a bioterrorist attack." ThumbnailAltText="Former HCC nursing instructor Lorena Florek, right, hands some mock medication to HCC nursing student Brittney Kane of Holyoke as nursing student Amanda Olson of Hadley listens." IntroCopy="HCC nursing students practice disaster scenario" Date="2017-03-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC nursing student Will Makowicz of Easthampton plays a patient during an emergency drill at the Holyoke War Memorial last month. He is talking to Holyoke EMT Michael Clapp, as HCC nursing student April Mennard, of Chicopee, looks on.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/EMT-Michael-Clapp.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brenda Jones was on the ground, face down, arms pinned back by police.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Moments before, she'd exploded with rage after a neighbor tried to get ahead of her in line as they waited to receive medication after possible exposure to a biotoxin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She's not cutting me!&quot; yelled Jones, an HCC nursing student from Russell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier, Jones had been at different times a panicking patient, an old woman having a seizure, and a woman helping a very pregnant friend, all situations a nurse might encounter during an emergency.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She played out her dramatic scenes at the Holyoke War Memorial one Friday last month, when more than 100 volunteers, health workers and public safety officials gathered for an emergency drill to practice running a mass medication distribution site in the event of a pandemic or bioterrorist attack.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More than 60 HCC nursing students and faculty members participated in the drill, which was organized by the Hampden County Health Coalition in conjunction with the Mass. Dept. of Public Health and the Mass. Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the event of a real pandemic or bio-terrorist attack, the Holyoke War Memorial is designated as the primary emergency medication dispensing site. The secondary site is the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation on the HCC campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the scenario organizers invented for the Feb. 10 exercise, an active terrorist cell was reportedly operating within the city. Following a reliable threat, a suspicious white powder was found at the HCC Center for Health Education on Jarvis Avenue. A state lab later confirmed the substance to be anthrax, and some people, many of them nursing students at HCC, were exposed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jones and her nursing classmates were assigned various roles during the drill. Some played characters with specific physical, mental or medical conditions. One was blind, another deaf, one a pregnant woman whose water broke, another someone who fainted from anxiety. They took turns doling out medication. Others tried to steal it. Some did.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They're learning about disaster preparedness,&quot; said HCC nursing faculty chair Karen Aiken. &quot;These are the kind of things that can really happen, and you can't really plan for them so the students are learning exactly what it's like to be in these situations.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hilda Gothani played a woman with mental health issues. She needed to be &quot;sedated&quot; after suffering a panic attack. EMTs put her in a wheelchair while she waited for an ambulance. &quot;I thought I was going to die,&quot; explained the HCC nursing student from Springfield. &quot;I panicked and started self-harming, cutting myself.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nursing student Brittney Kane, of Holyoke, waited in line as a concerned mother.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm just worrying about my children,&quot; she said, &quot;cause they were exposed, and I was exposed.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When it was her turn, Kane approached the screening table, where she answered questions and filled out a form. Then, retired HCC nursing instructor Lorena Florek handed her two white bottles of &quot;ciprofloxacin,&quot; an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infection.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, nearby, Holyoke EMT Michael Clapp was examining nursing student Will Makowicz, of Easthampton, who was playing a man who had consumed an entire bottle of the pills.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They don't want me to be cipro-toxic,&quot; he said. &quot;They're going to have to put me on an NG (nasogastric) tube to get it all out, or induce vomiting.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Yea,&quot; said Aiken, &quot;the students are having a really good time.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top) HCC nursing student Will Makowicz of Easthampton plays a patient during an emergency drill at the Holyoke War Memorial last month. He is talking to Holyoke EMT Michael Clapp, as HCC nursing student April Mennard, of Chicopee, looks on. (Thumbnail) Former HCC nursing instructor Lorena Florek, right, hands some mock medication to HCC nursing student Brittney Kane of Holyoke as nursing student Amanda Olson of Hadley listens.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4979" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/train-hha" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x4979.xml" Name="TRAIN HHA " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/TRAIN-HHA-PULSE.gif" Title="Taking the TRAIN" Abstract="The free, grant-funded program trains unemployed individuals to be home health aides and then puts them to work.   " ThumbnailAltText="Nateisha Greaves, of West Springfield, takes the pulse of classmate Kelly Gustafson, of Westfield." IntroCopy="Free program trains unemployed individuals to work as home health aides. " Date="2017-03-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Tanea Weissleder practices a range of motion exercise on her classmate Jackie Gomez. Both are from Springfield. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/TRAIN-HHA-MOTION.gif&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The satisfaction Kelly Gustafson felt last month receiving her certificate to work as a home health aide came with bittersweet memories.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last year, her 3&amp;frac12;-year-old daughter, Adrianna, died of complications from a litany of severe medical conditions she had endured since birth, including cerebral palsy, epilepsy and a brain cyst.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gustafson, 32, had been working at a Dunkin Donuts' shop. She decided to pursue more rewarding work in the health field, she said, because of her daughter and all the medical professionals who had cared for Adrianna during her short life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She couldn't walk. She couldn't talk. She depended on someone at all times,&quot; Gustafson said. &quot;She inspired me to help other people with disabilities or medical problems.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gustafson will now get that chance. She and her 11 classmates graduated Friday, Feb. 24, from a new, free home health aide-training program offered jointly by Holyoke Community College and Springfield Technical Community College through their Training and Workforce Options enterprise, also known as TWO.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over eight weeks, students completed 160 hours of classroom instruction and hands-on, technical training. Each received industry certificates as home health aides as well as certificates in First Aid, CPR and basic life support, Alzheimer's/Dementia, OSHA-10 (for workplace safety) and career readiness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We learned a lot,&quot; said Gustafson, who lives in Westfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This was the second of four groups funded by a $228,529 grant from the Dept. of Higher Education's TRAIN initiative, which stands for Training Resources and Internship Networks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most of the training for this group was held at HCC's Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center (PAFEC) in downtown Holyoke. A third cohort of 16 began training March 2 at STCC. The fourth group will start in May at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The grant creates opportunities for long-term unemployed or unemployed individuals to enter the workforce,&quot; said Kermit Dunkelberg, HCC assistant vice president of Adult Basic Education and Workforce Development. &quot;Between now and June 30, we will be training up to 64 people to be home health aides.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What's unique about this program, Dunkelberg said, is that the training is followed by up to a month of paid work experience at area home health care agencies, who sent representatives to PAFEC to conduct interviews with students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We will place them in jobs with our regional employer partners,&quot; said Dunkelberg.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those partners include Porchlight VNA/Home Care, O'Connell Care at Home, Victory Home Health Care, Metro Care Springfield, Aging at Home, Spectrum, Caring Solutions LLC, and Personal Touch.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many of the students receive multiple offers, and that experience can lead to permanent positions. Dunkelberg said the first cohort, which completed its training in December, has an 83 percent job placement rate, which he called &quot;remarkable.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I have two places I'm interested in,&quot; Gustafson said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jackie Gomez said the interview experiences, resume-building workshops, and career guidance built into the program was just as important as the hands-on training as a home health aide.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's not just a program that once it ends the connection with us ends,&quot; said Gomez, 29, who lives in Springfield. &quot;They want to keep helping us.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the program, counselors also talked about continuing education opportunities. Tanea Weissleder, 32, who lives in Springfield, said she earned her high school equivalency in December and eventually wants to be a registered nurse. She intends to enroll in college to complete her prerequisites for nursing school while also working as a home health aide.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I took this opportunity as a stepping-stone,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gomez said she had worked for years as a personal care assistant, but was more recently unemployed. She went to FutureWorks Career Center in Springfield looking for job training opportunities when she heard about TWO's home health aide program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I met the requirements, and it ended up being a whole lot more than what I thought it was,&quot; said Gomez, who lives in Springfield. &quot;It was exactly what I was looking for.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Feature)&amp;nbsp;Tanea Weissleder practices a range of motion exercise on her classmate Jackie Gomez. Both are from Springfield. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Nateisha Greaves, of West Springfield, takes the pulse of classmate Kelly Gustafson, of Westfield. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4980" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/orange-is-new-black" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="3|193|165" FileName="x4980.xml" Name="Orange is New Black" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Voices-at-HCC.gif" Title="Prison studies" Abstract="The book &quot;Orange is the New Black&quot; has inspired a community read project and is the focus of a Learning Community course at HCC." ThumbnailAltText="Sonia Mendez and Olga Pedraza, members of the writing group, Voices from Inside, shared their writings at HCC during an event in 2015. The group will return to HCC for an event on May 2." IntroCopy="Book inspires community read and HCC Learning Community class" Date="2017-02-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Sonia Mendez and Olga Pedraza, members of the writing group, Voices from Inside, shared their writings at HCC during an event in 2015. The group will return to HCC for an event on May 2.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Voices-at-HCC.gif&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is partnering with public libraries in Holyoke, Northampton, Florence, Easthampton, Southampton and Westhampton this spring to take a semester-long look at prison life in America.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For their annual &quot;community read,&quot; called &quot;Hamptons + Holyoke Read,&quot; area libraries have collectively chosen Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison, by Smith College graduate Piper Kerman, the memoir that inspired the popular Netflix series &quot;Orange is the New Black.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, students this semester are studying the book in a Learning Community course called &quot;Orange is the New Black: The Real Story.&quot; The course explores the American prison system through perspectives of both literature and sociology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Partnering with the local public libraries will give HCC students a great opportunity to learn more through the merging of college and community resources,&quot; said HCC English professor Lisa Mahon, one of the course instructors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to the community read and class, HCC and the libraries, together and individually, are also hosting a series of events related to the subject, including book discussions, guest speakers, film screenings, gallery exhibits, performances, and a book drive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Although the book gives a narrow view of prison life, we are using the title to have a wide-ranging community conversation about mass incarceration, youth in prison, prison reform, community prison and other related topics,&quot; according to project organizers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The community project kicks off at Holyoke Community College on Wed., March 1, at 11 a.m., in the Leslie Phillips Theater with a free screening of the Netflix documentary &quot;13th.&quot; The film explores racial inequities in the U.S. prison system and takes its title from the Thirteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which outlawed slavery except as punishment for crimes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Preceding the film, there will be an opening reception with refreshments beginning at 10 a.m. in Frost 309.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other related HCC events this semester include a Criminal Justice Reform Panel Discussion on Wed., April 12, at 11 a.m., with U.S. District Court judge Michael Ponsor and members of the HCC Criminal Justice faculty.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Theater Department will present &quot;Getting Out,&quot; a play by Marsha Norman about a woman struggling with her life after being released from a Kentucky prison, April 20-22, 7:30 p.m., and April at 2 p.m., in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On May 2, 10 a.m. to noon, HCC will present &quot;Voices Carry,&quot; performances and poetry from formerly incarcerated women who belong to the &quot;Voices from Inside&quot; writing group.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;March 6 through April 6, HCC and all participating libraries will be collecting books to donate to the nonprofit Prison Book Program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A listing of other community and library events related to the incarceration project can be found on the Forbes Library website at forbeslibrary.org/community/hamptons-holyoke-read/&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Sonia Mendez and HCC student Olga Pedraza, right, members of the writing group, Voices from Inside, shared their writings at HCC during an event in 2015. The group will return to HCC for an event on May 2.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x2046" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/the-whale-wins-award" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|165|226" FileName="x2046.xml" Name="'The Whale' wins award" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/The-Whale-Sofa.jpg" Title="'Whale' makes splash" Abstract="HCC's Spring 2016 theater production was recognized for ensemble effort at a major theater festival. " ThumbnailAltText="Karson Baird, of Wilbraham, as Charlie, and Kathleen Burke, of Holyoke, as Ellie, his estranged daughter, in a scene from The Whale." IntroCopy="Spring 2016 theater production recognized for ensemble effort" Date="2017-02-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Scene from the Spring 2016 HCC play The Whale.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/The-Whale-Sofa.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; vertical-align: top;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Theater Department's Spring 2016 production of The Whale received the ensemble award for &quot;Outstanding Dedication to the Script&quot; last week at the New England Region Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Awards are based on the recommendations of KCACTF respondents who travel the country viewing and critiquing college theater productions. Holyoke Community College belongs to Region I, which means HCC competes against two-year and four-year public and private colleges and universities from the six New England states and New York.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Theater is a collaborative effort, &quot; said HCC Theater professor Tim Cochran, who directed the play by Samuel D. Hunter last April, &quot;so the ensemble award is particularly meaningful and makes me very proud of our department and our students.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Whale follows Charlie, a morbidly obese online English instructor as he tries to reconnect with his estranged and rebellious teenaged daughter. The HCC production starred students Karson Baird, of Wilbraham, as Charlie; Kathleen Burke, of Holyoke, as his daughter Ellie; Michael Toledo, of Holyoke, as Elder Thomas, a Mormon missionary; Amanda Delore, of Agawam, as Liz, Charlie's friend and nurse; and Deborah Uller, of Northampton, as Mary, Charlie's ex-wife.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The stage manager was Maddie Riel of Easthampton.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The award was announced Thursday at the New England Region Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival at West Connecticut State University in Danbury. Each year the festival brings together hundreds of theater students and faculty from all over New England to watch plays, attend workshops, audition for theater companies, and compete for a variety of acting and theater-oriented awards.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year Cochran and HCC adjunct theater instructor Tom Geha attended with 14 HCC students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's really a student-focused festival,&quot; Cochran said. &quot;Our students love to go to compete. Every year it jump-starts their passion for the theater and keeps them moving forward.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students who win individual honors move on to compete at the national festival in Washington, D.C.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The biggest reason for students to attend, though, is not for the chance to win awards.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It shows them that the theater world is a much bigger place than our little piece at HCC,&quot; he said. &quot;It gives them some hope they're not the only ones studying theater arts and there are ways of making a living at it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Karson Baird, of Wilbraham, as Charlie; Kathleen Burke, of Holyoke, perform in the HCC Spring 2016 production of The Whale.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4809" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/jazz-festival-turns-20" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="193|165|226" FileName="x4809.xml" Name="Jazz Festival Turns 20" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-Jazz-Sax.jpg" Title="Jazz Festival turns 20" Abstract="HCC's annual music celebration opens March 10 with a concert by the Amherst Jazz Orchestra featuring guest artist Steve Davis on trombone." ThumbnailAltText="A saxophonist performs during the annual HCC Jazz Fesival in 2014. " IntroCopy="Annual music celebration opens March 10" Date="2017-02-23" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Saxophonist performs during the annual HCC Jazz Festival in 2014.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-Jazz-Sax.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By BARRY SCHATZ&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jazz icons have performed at the annual Holyoke Community College Jazz Festival for 20 years, but, according to Robert Ferrier, the festival organizer and one of its founders, the two-day event has always been more about education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each year, eight to 12 high schools and some area colleges bring their music students to the festival to watch, play, jam and attend clinics and workshops. It gives students an opportunity to meet other emerging musicians, form friendships, and exchange ideas. It's also a heck of a lot of fun. The only thing they don't do is compete.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I love it,&quot; said Ferrier, '77, a jazz guitarist and HCC music professor. &quot;It's educational. No one leaves thinking they lost.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year's annual festival, the 20th, runs March 10-11 with jazz trombonist Steve Davis as guest artist.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The concept of a regional jazz festival began in 1998 with Ferrier kicking around ideas with Dan Oberholtzer, the former chairman of HCC's Music Department, and Oberholtzer's son Chris, a jazz trombonist who was also teaching at HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the time, nothing like it existed in the area. The concept of a jazz festival for high school students was a novel idea. Right away, musicians from the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School, and high schools in Westfield, Holyoke, Amherst, Easthampton, and Springfield, among others, joined in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Soon, local colleges began participating. This year, for the first time, middle school students from Westfield will also take part.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We started this and a year later UMass started one, too,&quot; Ferrier said of the larger festival that generally comes a month after the HCC event. &quot;We start making plans in September.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The structure of the festival has not changed significantly in 20 years. For the Friday night kickoff concert, the guest performer plays with The Amherst Jazz Orchestra under the musical direction of David Sporny, in the Leslie Phillips Theater in the college's Fine and Performing Arts building, beginning at 8 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a special event,&quot; said Sporny, a former trombone professor at UMass who has brought his large jazz orchestra to the festival every year. &quot;It's not an arts war. It's not a competition. &quot;It's all educational. The percentage of kids that go on to play professionally is small, but for the kids involved in music it helps them learn discipline. And the ones who are really passionate about music find each other there.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The fact that the school has committed to it is fantastic,&quot; he said. &quot;Plus, they get to see world class jazz performers every year.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The featured artist for the 20th anniversary festival this year is Steve Davis, a renowned trombonist who has played with some of the greatest performers in jazz. A graduate of the Hartt School's Jackie McLean Institute at the University of Hartford in Connecticut, Davis began his career with Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, later playing with McLean's group. He has taught alongside McLean at the Hartt School and Artists Collective.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tickets for the Friday night performance, March 10, are $15 for the general public, $10 for seniors and non-HCC students, and free for HCC students and staff.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The festival continues on Saturday, March 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with big band and jazz combo performances by high school and HCC students. Clinics, workshops and jam sessions will be held throughout the day, with Davis participating in music clinics at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The format has pretty much been the same since the beginning,&quot; Ferrier said. &quot;Students get critiqued. It's non-competitive. They each get a CD of their performance afterward with the comments by two judges.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All Saturday events are free and open to the public, including the closing concert from 4-5 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Davis follows a long line of top notch jazz performers who have performed and given clinics at the festival, beginning with Claudio Roditi and Scott Reeves in 1998. Subsequent years brought Lew Soloff, Chris Vadala/Michael Musillami, Herb Pomeroy/Peter Madsen, John Fedchock, Peter Erskine, Yusef Lateef, Jamie Baum, John Abercrombie, Rufus Reid, Ernie Watts, Marvin Stamm, Steve Turre, Arturo O'Farrill, Dave Samuels, Karrin Allyson, the Jeff Holmes Quartet, Sheila Jordan, and George Garzone.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ferrier pointed out that one of the nice things about the jazz festival is that other departments at the college also get an opportunity to participate and show off their skills.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Festival posters are made by students in Beverly Wodicka's Computers for Graphic Designers III class. &quot;We get about 10 different posters to choose from,&quot; Ferrier said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students under the tutelage of art instructor Kenneth &quot;Vance&quot; Chatel are designing T-shirts for this year's festival.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the years, Ferrier has been thrilled by the generous spirit displayed by the guest artists, many of whom would tamp down their innovative and sometimes revolutionary music styles for their young audience at the festival.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Peter Erskine was great with the kids,&quot; Ferrier said. &quot;Yusef Lateef was another highlight. He was friends with (John) Coltrane, but by the time he came here he was in the atmosphere ... (But) he played so they could grasp it. He had outgrown that way of playing (but) he was a beautiful soul.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's all been a beautiful thing.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by DON TREEGER: A saxophonist performs during the annual HCC Jazz Festival in 2014.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x646" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/difference-makers-2017" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69" FileName="x646.xml" Name="Difference Makers 2017" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Difference-pennants.jpg" Title="Making a Difference" Abstract="The annual award recognizes the critical role HCC and the other community colleges play in western Massachusetts." ThumbnailAltText="HCC president Christina Royal, right, is joined by GCC president Bob Pura, left, BCC president Ellen Kennedy and STCC president John Cook, during a recent visit to HCC. " IntroCopy="HCC and other local community colleges recognized for 'critical role' " Date="2017-01-24" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC president Christina Royal, right, is joined by GCC president Bob Pura, left, BCC president Ellen Kennedy and STCC president John Cook, during a recent visit to HCC. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Difference-pennants.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College, along with the three other community colleges in western Massachusetts, has been named a &quot;Difference Maker&quot; for 2017 by&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Business West&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;magazine.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The annual awards recognize &quot;individuals, agencies, and institutions that are finding profound and often unique ways to improve the quality of life in the community we call Western Mass.,&quot; the magazine said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is being honored collectively with Berkshire Community College, Greenfield Community College and Springfield Technical Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;While perhaps not as famous as the region's many fine private schools or UMass Amherst and other four-year institutions in the state system, these schools &amp;mdash; Berkshire Community College, Greenfield Community College, Holyoke Community College, and Springfield Technical Community College &amp;mdash; are playing an absolutely critical role in the development of this region,&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://businesswest.com/blog/difference-makers-2017/&quot; title=&quot;Difference Makers 2017 introduction&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;the magazine writes in its Jan. 23, 2017, issue.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They act as both a door of opportunity, especially to those who don't have many available to them, and a pathway to careers, through both degree and certificate programs that provide job skills and also transfer opportunities to four-year schools. Meanwhile, behind almost every major economic-development initiative in this region, there is a community college playing a significant role.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC, BCC, GCC, STCC are featured in this week's cover story in&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Business West&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;(&lt;a href=&quot;http://businesswest.com/blog/community-colleges/&quot; title=&quot;Difference Makers CC cover story&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Steady Course: Community Colleges Forge Opportunities, Fuel Growth&lt;/a&gt;&quot;) and will be honored&amp;nbsp;along with the other awardees at a celebration March 30 at the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House in Holyoke. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO at HCC: HCC president Christina Royal, right, is joined by GCC president Bob Pura, left, BCC president Ellen Kennedy and STCC president John Cook, during a recent visit to HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x562" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/culinary-sampler" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69" FileName="x562.xml" Name="Culinary sampler" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/HCC-Nuestra-NEWOnion.jpg" Title="Culinary career sampler" Abstract="The one-day exploratory bilingual training sessions are being offered for clients of Nuestras Raices and the Community Education Project." ThumbnailAltText="Chef and instructer Alan Anischik demonstrates the proper way to dice an onion as Miriam Gonzalez of Springfield looks on." IntroCopy="HCC offers one-day bilingual culinary and hospitality training sessions. " Date="2017-01-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chef Alan Anischik teaches a cooking session at Nuestras Raices. &quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-Nuestras-Kitchen-New.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As educational programs go, this one was just a starter.&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Un aperitivo&lt;/em&gt;, so to speak. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the other hand, it also offered more than merely a taste. The 15 participants, all native Spanish speakers, consumed an entire meal, one they prepared themselves in a commercial kitchen under the guidance of two professional chefs. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Thursday, Jan. 12, Holyoke Community College offered its first-ever, one-day bilingual culinary career exploration sessions for clients of two Holyoke nonprofits, Nuestras Raices and the Community Education Project. &amp;nbsp;The event was held at Mi Plaza Restaurant at Nuestras Raices on Main Street in downtown Holyoke. Culinary instruction was handled by Alan Anischik, owner of Food 101 Bar &amp;amp; Bistro in South Hadley, and Neftali Duran, the chef at Nuestras Raices. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The exploratory sessions are free to participants and funded by a state grant from the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund awarded to HCC through the Commonwealth Corporation.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kermit Dunkelberg, HCC assistant vice president of Adult Basic Education and Workforce Development, said the objective of the program is to raise awareness in the Latino community about education and training programs in the hospitality and culinary industry.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's about exposure and awareness. This is very entry level,&quot; said Dunkelberg. &quot;We're hoping people will have a good time, that they'll feel comfortable because it's bilingual, and they'll at least be informed about opportunities we have for training and education. Maybe somebody will be inspired to take a further step.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those further steps could include enrolling in one of HCC's noncredit culinary arts and hospitality workforce training programs, English as a Second Language or HiSet (high school equivalency) classes, or even HCC's for-credit Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts degree and certificate programs, which will be moving from the main campus to HCC's new Hospitality and Culinary Arts Center, once that facility opens downtown on nearby Race Street later this year. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the day's exploratory session, participants were divided into two groups: one worked in the kitchen, cooking; the other worked in the dining area, learning about customer service and front-of-the-house operations from HCC instructor Julie Turgeon. The groups switched halfway through. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They're going to cook something; they're going to serve something; they're going to sit down and eat it,&quot; said Dunkelberg, &quot;and while they're eating we will be telling them about the other training programs that we have.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the kitchen, Anischik, who teaches many of HCC's noncredit culinary classes, taught students the proper &amp;mdash; and sanitary &amp;mdash; way to cut vegetables and meat. The menu for the day: saut&amp;eacute;ed chicken breast on a bed of rice along with a side salad. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Miriam Gonzalez, a 69-year-old Springfield resident from Puerto Rico, said she was looking to improve her knife skills. Right now, she is working as a CNA in Ludlow, but is interested in taking classes at HCC. She said she passed her high school equivalency test in October. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I want to go to the college,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hilda Roque, executive director for Nuestras Raices, which focuses on community gardening, said some of the participants have already taken part in &quot;Empresario Communidad,&quot; a community entrepreneurship program that teaches basic financial management skills.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For a lot of them, their dream is to become either a chef or have a food business,&quot; Roque said, &quot;so that's why this partnership today means a lot.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rose Egan, executive director of the Community Education Project, which offers ESL and other adult basic education classes, agreed. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We are very excited to be able to team with Nuestras Raices and Holyoke Community College to offer our students greater opportunities and more options to be fully embedded in the community. We look forward to more collaborations in the future.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The next bilingual culinary training session is planned for Wed., Jan. 18, from 5-8:30 p.m. at Nuestras Raices with HCC culinary arts professor and chef Warren Leigh.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top) Chef Alan Anischik leads a culinary arts seminar in the kitchen at Nuestras Raices for native Spanish speakers. (Thumbnail) Anischik demonstrates the proper way to dice an onion as Miriam Gonzalez of Springfield looks on. SEE SLIDESHOW BELOW FOR MORE PHOTOS.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x448" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/a-royal-welcome" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|66" FileName="x448.xml" Name="A Royal welcome" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Royal-shake-thumb.jpg" Title="A Royal welcome" Abstract="Christina Royal begins a new era at HCC as the college's fourth president. " ThumbnailAltText="President Christina Royal meets faculty and staff at a reception on her first day of work at HCC." IntroCopy="Christina Royal begins a new era at HCC as the college's fourth president. " Date="2017-01-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Christina Royal shakes hands with faculty and staff during a meet and greet reception on her first day of work at HCC.&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Royal-shake.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Editor's note: This story was originally published Jan. 9, 2017, on&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com/#/0&quot; title=&quot;MassLive&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MassLive&lt;/a&gt;, with a&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/01/hcc_welcomes_its_first_female.html#incart_river_index&quot; title=&quot;Royal story and photo gallery on MassLive&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;photo gallery by Dave Roback&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;of President Royal meeting with HCC faculty and staff.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;STORY by JORDAN GRICE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/01/hcc_welcomes_its_first_female.html#incart_river_index&quot; title=&quot;Royal begins presidency at HCC&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Courtesy of MassLive and The Republican&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;History was made at Holyoke Community College on Monday as faculty and staff gathered to welcome the school's first female president.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think there is such great potential at this institution to build off of the great work that has already existed and to be able to take HCC to the next level,&quot; said Christina Royal.Royal said she wants to hit the ground running by supporting students and increasing enrollment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Student success is paramount at a community college and any institution,&quot; she said. &quot;HCC has an excellent reputation for being a transfer institution, and I want us to continue to build off that.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal also acknowledged that as an Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution &amp;mdash; a distinction for colleges with a Latino student population between 15 and 24 percent &amp;mdash; growth of the student body would yield future grant opportunities that will assist in her plans for the school.Royal said she is most looking forward to working with employees and students to &quot;co-create our future.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'd like to look at how we can innovate at the institution, but I'd like to do it in partnership with others and having a chance to engage with the faculty, staff, students and community members,&quot; she said. &quot;I'm looking forward to seeing those opportunities to collaborate. If we build up the college, we'll build up the surrounding western region, and if we build the surrounding region up the college will grow as well.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After former HCC President William Messner announced last February that he would retire, HCC went on a nationwide search for his successor. Through an extensive vetting and interviewing process, the school narrowed the pool of 50 applicants down to four finalists.&amp;nbsp;HCC's board of trustees ultimately named Royal as the institution's fourth president on Nov. 3.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;JoAnne Rome, the college's marketing and communications director, said staff members were thrilled to welcome Royal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We should be seeing more women and people of color in more leadership roles,&quot; Rome said. &amp;nbsp;&quot;(Royal) understands how HCC needs to adjust to meet the needs of the community.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal's work history has prepared her to set the tone for HCC's future, Rome said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And although this will be Royal's first position as president, she isn't new to leadership in higher education.Prior to HCC, Royal was provost and vice president of academic affairs at Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. Before that she was associate vice president of e-learning and innovation at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by Hannah Wareham at HCC:&amp;nbsp;President Christina Royal meets faculty and staff at a reception on her first day of work at HCC. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7326" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/dirty-work" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="3|165" FileName="x7326.xml" Name="Dirty Work" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Bio-justin.jpg" Title="Small World Work" Abstract="Students in a Holyoke Community College honors biology class last semester joined the global search for new antibiotics.   " ThumbnailAltText="Honors biology student Justin Roberts of South Hadley uses a micro-pipette to deposit strands of DNA into test tube." IntroCopy="HCC honors biology class joins global search for new antibiotics" Date="2017-12-20" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Honors biology lab partners Shayla Fiedler from Longmeadow and Ariana Shannon from Beckett look over a petri dish containing strains of bacteria. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Bio-look.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 5px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The process begins with dirt. A small sample will do. It doesn't really matter where it's from.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the lab, the soil &amp;mdash; that's a more scientific word &amp;mdash; is diluted and streaked over the surface of an agar-filled petri dish and incubated.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Next, the students wait to see what types of microbes grow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Our hope is that they haven't been found before, because discovering a new bacteria in this classroom would be amazing,&quot; said Justin Roberts of South Hadley, a student enrolled during the fall semester in Prof. Carolyn Wetzel's &quot;Introduction to Cell Functions&quot; course at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Typically, Bio 107, also known as General Biology I, runs as a standard, introductory laboratory science. Wetzel's class is different. It's an honors biology course connected to a global research project called the Small World Initiative.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Small World Initiative enlists college and high school science students all over the world to literally search their local dirt for previously undiscovered strains of antibiotic-producing bacteria. The premise: The more people who look the more likely they will be to find.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a crowd-sourced research project,&quot; said Wetzel. &quot;Pharmaceutical companies aren't really looking for new antibiotics, and there's a lot of resistance building up to the antibiotics we already have. It's predicted that by the year 2050 they'll be more people dying from resistant strains of bacterial infections than from heart disease and some of the other big killers &amp;mdash; if we don't start finding new ones.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.smallworldinitiative.org/&quot; title=&quot;Small World Initiative&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Small World Initiative&lt;/a&gt; started at Yale University in 2012 and now includes some 250 partner schools in 38 states and 14 countries. Wetzel attended a five-day training session last July at the University of Connecticut, where she learned SWI laboratory techniques and teaching methods.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There are Small World partners in Spain and South America,&quot; she said. &quot;It's in a lot of places, but not that many in Massachusetts yet. We're the only community college in Massachusetts doing this.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wetzel's class covers the same basic lecture material as the other Bio 107 sections, focusing on a new topic each week, such as osmosis or enzymes. The lab portion, though, is &quot;completely different,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In regular Bio 107, students conduct prepared laboratory exercises based on that week's lecture material. The results of experiments are often predetermined. No matter what the outcome, next week you move on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is a research class,&quot; Wetzel said during one Friday lab. &quot;We have a research goal and we work on it through the semester. If something doesn't work one week, you have to figure it out and make it work because you can't go forward without that step.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That approach is what attracted many of her students to the honors class.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think this gives us more of an opportunity to be involved directly in science, rather than just sitting in a lecture and listening to it,&quot; said Ariana Shannon of Becket. &quot;I think it's interesting how no one is looking for new antibiotics to fight illnesses. It's cool that college students get to look for them instead.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first step in the process of finding new antibiotics is to identify bacteria that produce them. And that begins with dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That's where a lot of our antibiotics come from,&quot; Wetzel said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the beginning of the semester, she sent her 16 students out to scoop soil. Some brought in samples from home. Some dug around campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students isolated bacteria from those samples and then tested them against safe strains of their more pathogenic cousins with names like &lt;em&gt;Staphlococcus epidermis, Escherichia coli&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Enterococcus raffinosus&lt;/em&gt;, careful to note the ones where a clear halo surrounded the cultures like a protective moat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That tells us the bacteria they isolated is producing an antibiotic &amp;mdash; a chemical that can do the killing,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After that, the students extracted strands of DNA from the antibiotic-producing bacteria and then used a process called a polymerase chain reaction to replicate that DNA in a test tube. The DNA samples were sent to Yale for genetic sequencing, with the results compared against an international database of known bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's the same technique that's used for determining DNA evidence at crime scenes, only we're doing it with bacteria,&quot; Wetzel said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While many of the students did find antibiotic-producing bacteria during the semester, Wetzel said, results have not yet determined whether they have been previously undiscovered. At least two of her students will continue their research next semester as independent study projects.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For all the excitement about the potential for finding new disease-fighting antibiotics, a development that caused a significant buzz was an microorganism that completely swamped one petri dish like a blob of pink bubble gum, smothering all the other&amp;nbsp; cultures in its path.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We don't know what that is,&quot; Wetzel said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail) HCC honors biology student Justin Roberts of South Hadley uses a micro-pipette to deposit strands of DNA into test tube. (Above) HCC honors biology lab partners Shayla Fiedler from Longmeadow and Ariana Shannon from Beckett look for antibiotic activity in a petri dish filled with different strains of bacteria.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x20014" URL="x20014.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20014.xml" Name="News 2016" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x596" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/iet-program" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x596.xml" Name="IET program" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/ESOL-HHA-YOU.jpg" Title="ESL + job training" Abstract="An HCC pilot program integrates English language instruction and training to work in home health care. " ThumbnailAltText="Long Yonghouamoua, center, is a student in HCC's first combined ESL and home health aide certification class. " IntroCopy="An HCC pilot program integrates English language instruction an training to work in home health care. " Date="2016-09-02" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Luis Guevara, left, of Springfield practices the appropriate technique for helping an elderly person get up from a bed as his classmate Ibrahim Ahmed plays the client&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/ESOL-HH-BED.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In his native Laos, Long Yonghouamoua worked in the computer industry for several years after earning his college degree.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the U.S., though, where he has lived since 2014, he has had trouble finding work.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's been difficult because my English is not much,&quot; says the 27-year-old Yonghouamoua, who lives in Chicopee with his wife, a U.S. citizen. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;His prospects for finding a job, however, are about to improve significantly.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Friday, Sept. 2, he will complete a new, intensive Holyoke Community College course that combines English language instruction and job training. Like his classmates, he will graduate with improved English skills and a certificate as a home health aide. He will also receive job placement support from Holyoke Works, HCC's partner in this two-year, grant-funded pilot project. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I want to get a job to help my wife pay the bills,&quot; he said last month during a break from class. &quot;I feel my English is getting better. I feel a little bit more confident.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The integrated English literacy and workforce training course was one of only three such programs in Massachusetts approved last spring by the state Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education's division of Adult and Community Learning Services. HCC, as the lead agency, and Holyoke Works will receive a grant worth $112,000 over two years, funded by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, or WIOA. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;WIOA funds not just adult basic education, but also career centers, regional employments boards and a whole array of services,&quot; said Pesha Black, director of the HCC's Ludlow Area Adult Learning Center and Springfield Adult Learning Center ESOL program. &quot;The goal of WIOA is really to integrate all of these services so that workforce training isn't happening in isolation from adult basic education.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;For six weeks this summer, Yonghouamoua and his nine classmates met five days a week from 8 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. at Dean Technical High School in Holyoke. In the morning, they received English as a Second Language instruction. In the afternoon, they received training as home health aides from a registered nurse. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;Unlike typical ESL classes, however, all the English language instruction related to home health care.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&quot;Normally in an ESL class I'd be creating scenarios that run the range of life situations - work, home, anything,&quot; said ESL instructor Susan Reade. &quot;Here we strictly talk about scenarios they would encounter as home health aides: How do you talk to your client, your supervisor, family members of a client? What kind of things will you need to know how to say?&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;On a recent day, Reade and her students were talking about anxiety and communication strategies for dealing with stressful situations like using the telephone.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&quot;That's an area where people have a lot of anxiety as a second language learner,&quot; said Reade, &quot;so we practice: if a person says this, how do you respond? What's the strategy if you have to report an incident? Well, maybe you could write some notes out so you don't forget what you want to say.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;Because of the nature of the job training, the integrated course is not introductory level ESL. Holyoke Works selected applicants who could handle intermediate level ESL instruction. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;Yonghouamoua was already an ESL student in adult basic education classes HCC runs at Springfield Technical Community College. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;So was Luis Guevara.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;Before he moved to Springfield nearly four years ago, Guevara, 37, was certified to do work similar to that of a home health aide with the elderly in Puerto Rico. He said his certification is not accepted in the U.S. &amp;nbsp;For him, the program is more about learning the language of a job he already knows, and he is looking forward to getting back to that kind of work. Right now, he is working as a cook in a Latino restaurant. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&quot;I like to help others,&quot; he said. &quot;It's my passion.&quot; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;In addition to the ESL instruction, job training and placement services, the students in the class also benefit from access to HCC's career and academic adviser Jennifer Fernandez, who works in the HCC Adult Learning Center at HCC's Picknelly Adult &amp;amp; Family Education Center in downtown Holyoke. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;&quot;I do a lot of case management. A lot of the time I meet with students individually to help them with life issues, academic issues,&quot; she said. &quot;My goal is to help them overcome some of these obstacles, whether it's financial, housing, family, so it could be just talking about the issue or connecting them to outside resources.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt;Because of the grant cycle, the first integrated pilot course was just six weeks long and lead to a certificate as a home health aide. The second and third &quot;cohorts,&quot; or groups, this fall and next spring will run more than twice as long, 16-17 weeks, leading a total of about 20 students to certificates as both home health aides and certified nursing assistants.&amp;nbsp;Reade said Yonghouamoua and his classmates were &quot;very, very motivated.&quot;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot;&gt; For these students, she said, &quot;There's more of a specific purpose&quot; than a typical ESL class, &quot;and more of a sense of urgency too, because we had just six weeks, and we want them to get a job. We really want to make sure they feel comfortable and prepared.&quot;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY AND PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top)&amp;nbsp;Luis Guevara, left, of Springfield practices the appropriate technique for helping an elderly person get up from a bed as his classmate Ibrahim Ahmed plays the client. (Thumbnail) Long Yonghouamoua, center, is a student in HCC's first combined ESL and home health aide certification class.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x590" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/24-hour-festival" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="65|226" FileName="x590.xml" Name="24 Hour Festival" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/HCC-24HF-alumni.jpg" Title="Benefit tribute to teacher" Abstract="All proceeds from the 24 Hour Play Festival will go toward the Leslie Phillips Fund for Theater Arts and Education." ThumbnailAltText="HCC alumni and 24 Hour Play Festival organizers Linda Eger-Fitzel, '83, Denise Boutin, '77, and Lisa Poehler, '84, in the Leslie Phillips Theater.   " Date="2016-09-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC alumni and 24 Hour Play Festival organizers Linda Eger-Fitzel, '83, Denise Boutin, '77, and Lisa Poehler, '84, in the Leslie Phillips Theater.   &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/HCC-24HF-alumni.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The late theater professor Leslie Phillips did many things that endeared her to students as both a teacher and a director during her two decades at HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This weekend, many of her former students will return to the HCC campus to put on a benefit performance in her memory and raise money to support the theater program she created.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dozens of alumni have signed up to take part in HCC's first&amp;nbsp;24 Hour Play Festival. They will report Friday evening, Sept. 23, to the theater dedicated in her Philllips' name. Twenty-four hours later, beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 24, they will present six brand new, original one-act plays.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All of the proceeds from ticket sales will go toward the Leslie Phillips Fund for Theater Arts and Education, a new fund that will support a variety of initiatives such as scholarships, guest artists, master classes, theater enrichment programs, and other new opportunities for HCC students and faculty members.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There is such a love for this woman,&quot; said Lisa Poehler, '84, one of the event organizers who worked with Leslie Phillips on some 30 shows both as a student and alum, until Phillips' untimely death in 1988. &quot;Leslie was not only a friend, she was a role model and mentor to countless students. The fund will continue her legacy of bringing quality theater education to the students of the college.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Poehler and two other event organizers &amp;mdash; Denise Boutin, '77, and Linda Eger-Fitzel, '83 &amp;mdash; stopped by HCC recently to talk about the festival and their former teacher. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Phillips earned her bachelor's degree from Brown University. Before working at HCC, though, she had taught at Smith College. She left there, Poehler said, because she felt the students were too &quot;cookie-cutter,&quot; too privileged.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I wanted to teach students who have different life experiences than that,&quot; Poehler said Phillips told her. &quot;I wanted to bring theater to people who may not have had it before.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She came here, and they said, start your theater,&quot; Poehler said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She did, and, as the story goes, started the theater program rehearsing in an empty swimming pool with a single lamp and a long extension cord. That was on a makeshift downtown campus during the years after the great fire had consumed HCC's first campus in 1968 and before the new one opened on Homestead Avenue in 1974.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In its heyday, under Phillips' direction, the HCC theater program put on new shows every six weeks, year-round: plays, musicals, dinner theater, revues, alumni shows &amp;mdash; Gershwin, Christie, Shepard, Thomas, Porter, Shakespeare and more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was a very active department back then and a lot of fun,&quot; said Eger-Fitzel. &quot;Leslie had her hand in absolutely everything. That was a good thing. She had that kind of brain.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the classroom, Phillips was very demanding. &quot;Her classes were pretty tough,&quot; said Boutin, who went on to start her own theater program at the MacDuffie School in Springfield, where she taught for 25 years. &quot;Her expectations were high, in production as well. She was smart.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Phillips relished the behind-the-scenes research that went into putting on theater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She not only did a lot of research herself but she encouraged actors to build their character's entire backstories,&quot; said Eger-Fitzel, &quot;so your character had a whole life in your mind outside of the play.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She knew how to connect with students and how to get them to connect to the work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I did a Shakespeare production of Taming of the Shrew with Leslie and she was so good at getting the meaning of the line through to students, even though the language is difficult, so that they really understood what they were saying. They were not just reciting poetry.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She knew her craft and knew how to get the best out of her students,&quot; Poehler said. &quot;You wanted to do your best for her.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The joy Phillips exuded, said Eger-Fitzel, was about &quot;bringing something from the page to life &amp;mdash; just seeing something that was flat and static transformed into something that was happening in front of your eyes.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to Phillips, they said, the theater program at HCC became more than an academic department. More than anything, she loved her students and often invited them to pool parties at her home in Amherst.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many of them, like both Poehler and Eger-Fitzel, changed their majors to be part of the theater community Phillips had created.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I came here intending to major in journalism,&quot; said Eger-Fitzel, a pediatric nurse who concentrated in theater at HCC and came back later for her nursing degree. &quot;I took one theater class with her. That was it. I just got involved with productions. It was just very alive and vital and felt very meaningful.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Poehler was a hospitality and food major at HCC when she accompanied a friend one day to audition for a Leslie Phillips' production. Phillips cast Poehler in Taming of the Shrew, she believes, because she knew she'd be able to get food for the banquet scene. Still, Phillips seemed to sense that Poehler's true talents lay elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She said, you're going to be a producer. I said, no, I'm a food major, I'm going to be a cook. No, you're not. Next thing you know ...&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Poehler went on to Westfield State to study film, television and theater, later earning at MBA at Bay Path. She has worked for Tickets.com for more than 20 years.&amp;nbsp;One of her fondest memories of Phillips was the director's habit of lying down on the stage flat on her back before every show.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She would breathe in the smells and the feeling of the moment right before the audience comes in,&quot; Poehler said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;I just love his moment&lt;/em&gt;, Phillips would say. &lt;em&gt;It's like dawn on Christmas morning. Wonderful.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;She said wonderful a lot,&quot; said Eger-Fitzel. &quot;That was her word.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Everything was wonderful,&quot; said Poehler. &lt;em&gt;It's so wonderful, Lisa.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;24 Hour Play Festival, Saturday, Sept. 24, Leslie Phillips Theater, HCC Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Building; Tickets may be purchased in advance (credit card only) by calling the HCC Foundation office at 413.552.2182. Advance tickets are $18 for the general public and $15 for students, seniors and HCC faculty and staff. Day of show tickets (cash only) may be purchased at the HCC Box Office for $20 (general public) and $18 for students, seniors and HCC faculty and staff.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;HCC alumni and 24 Hour Play Festival organizers Linda Eger-Fitzel, '83, Denise Boutin, '77, and Lisa Poehler, '84, in the Leslie Phillips Theater. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/food-theme-closes" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4" FileName="x21.xml" Name="'Food' theme closes" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Food-finale-thumb.jpg" Title="'Food' theme closes" Abstract="HCC faculty, staff and students will soon begin brainstorming ideas for the next 'One Campus, One Theme' initiative." ThumbnailAltText="HCC Culinary Arts student Diana Morales waits to serve a risotto dish at the 'One Campus, One Theme: Food' finale. " IntroCopy="HCC faculty, staff and students will soon begin brainstorming ideas for the next 'One Campus, One Theme' initiative." Date="2016-12-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Culinary Arts students gather for the One Campus, One Theme: Food finale celebration.&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Food-finale-group.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;HCC's first 'One Campus, One Theme' initiative ended the same way it started &amp;mdash; with the consumption of a delicious meal prepared by students in the college's Culinary Arts program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That was no coincidence.&amp;nbsp;For the past three semesters, HCC has been focused on food.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last Thursday, students, faculty and staff gathered in the Picknelly Dining Room to eat and also to mark the end of the extended, campus-wide project that used food as a teaching tool, examining that subject from a variety of academic angles and integrated projects, events and activities.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154787282679330.1073742029.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=1050d1501f&quot; title=&quot;Food Finale photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See photo gallery of the event on Facebook&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;One Campus, One Theme: Food&quot; initiative officially kicked off with a&amp;nbsp;Sustainable Harvest&amp;nbsp;dinner in the Picknelly Dining Room on Sept. 28, 2015, although faculty members had already begin incorporating the food theme into their classes with the start of the Fall 2015 semester. The broad food theme was further broken done into subcategories to allow for the widest possible participation: Food Stories, Food Production, Food Culture, Food Health, Food Science, Food Policy and Food Justice.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By the end of the Fall 2015 semester, more than 40 HCC classes, from English and human services to visual arts and biology, had incorporated the food theme into their curricula in some way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many of those projects were described in&amp;nbsp;the Spring 2016 issue of Alumni Connection, which was also dedicated to the Food theme. &amp;nbsp;The Culinary Arts program, led by chef Warren Leigh, organized a series of special dinners and events, including the&amp;nbsp;Sustainable Harvest dinner&amp;nbsp;(September 2015, a Columbian Exchange dinner and&amp;nbsp;Farmers' Market Festival&amp;nbsp;(both November 2015, Student Showcase (November 2016) and Food Finale (December 2016).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Library set up special displays of food-related books.&amp;nbsp;The Theater Department's Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 plays (American Hero; and&amp;nbsp;The Whale) both touched on the theme of food.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student Activities&amp;nbsp;incorporated the food theme into its calendar of events on an almost daily basis, with new recipes in Week @ a Glance, a weekly Farmer's Market and special food trucks. The food theme also inspired at least one new club &amp;mdash; beekeeping &amp;mdash; after popular&amp;nbsp;honey harvesting&amp;nbsp;and tasting events on campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Visual Arts department held an&amp;nbsp;Empty Bowls fundraiser&amp;nbsp;to raise money for the HCC Food Pantry. Other departments sponsored special films and lectures based on food-related themes.&amp;nbsp;Last Spring, Student Senators organized&amp;nbsp;FOODx, a day of lectures focused on food, and about 70 students participated in a&amp;nbsp;Day of Service&amp;nbsp;where they volunteered to help out community nonprofits that work to feed the poor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Early in 2017, faculty, staff and students will begin brainstorming ideas for the next &quot;One Campus, One Theme&quot; initiative.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top)&amp;nbsp;HCC Culinary Arts students gather for the &quot;One Campus, One Theme: Food&quot; finale. &amp;nbsp;(Thumbnail) &amp;nbsp;HCC Culinary Arts student Diana Morale serves a plate of risotto to a dinner guest at the &quot;One Campus, One Theme: Food&quot; finale.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x384" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/community-club" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|68" FileName="x384.xml" Name="Community Club " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/CommClub-Aalyaa-thumb.jpg" Title="Community Commitment" Abstract="The CommITTED Club is the only HCC student club devoted entirely to service learning." IntroCopy="The CommITTED Club is the only HCC student club devoted entirely to service learning." Date="2016-12-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Jonathan Mendez helps a middle schooler at Homework House&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/CommClub-Jonathan.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;Holyoke Community College has more than 30 active&amp;nbsp;student clubs&amp;nbsp;whose members share a common hobby, identity or academic interest. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part of their charters, all HCC student clubs must perform some kind of community service project each semester. To fulfill that requirement, clubs often organize fundraisers, like bake sales, and donate the money to a local charity. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Only one HCC club, though, has a mission devoted entirely to community service, its members united solely by their desire to work with community groups. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That would be the&amp;nbsp;CommITTED Club, and that's how they spell it. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I enjoy helping others and helping the community,&quot; said Jonathan Mendez, one of the club's founders and the current vice president. &quot;It feels really great to do something, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to get involved on and off campus.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The CommITTED Club is one of the newest student clubs at HCC. It was started in September 2015 and just completed its third semester. &amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154793407739330.1073742030.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=9dc843a5cc&quot; title=&quot;Facebook gallery&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See photo gallery on Facebook.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The name stands for &quot;Community in training to educate&quot; and summarizes the club's purpose as a service-learning group, says club advisor Myriam Quinones.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;Community service is providing service to the community and fundraising and all of the clubs do that,&quot; she said. &quot;Service learning, on the other hand, is providing a service where both parties benefit. The students wanted to do work in the community and learn from the community while also gaining experience.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Of the club's initial 17 members, about half were international students who wanted to learn about the surrounding community, and in particular Holyoke, said Quinones, who is also the coordinator of HCC Multicultural Academic Services. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the 2015-2016 academic year, club members spent several afternoons each week working at the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.holyoke.org/departments/council-on-aging-2/&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke Senior Center&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Holyoke Senior Center&lt;/a&gt;, providing tech support to seniors struggling with their computers, cell phones and social media applications, like Facebook. &amp;nbsp;Over the summer, the Holyoke Cultural Council awarded a grant to the club for a city art project. Club members painted the first utility box in downtown Holyoke with scenes from the city's storied history. To get ideas for the project, they toured the city, visited the dinosaur tracks and climbed some of the local summits to get a view of the city from above. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They have become so interested in the history of Holyoke that we continue to do work in Holyoke,&quot; Quinones said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Club members also helped survey city residents as part of a Positive Attitude Map project (PAM) run by the University of Massachusetts. &amp;nbsp;For the Fall 2016 semester, the club focused its attention on Homework House, a free afterschool program in downtown Holyoke. For their fundraiser, club members collected school supplies that they donated to Homework House. They have also been volunteering there as tutors several afternoons each week. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One recent December afternoon, Mendez was taking turns reading paragraphs from a book called&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Blood is Thicker&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;with Jahdiel Rosario, a seventh-grader from Holyoke's Peck Community School. &amp;nbsp;On the HCC campus, Mendez, a music major, is a busy man. He's a student senator, a founder of the Musical Expressions Club, a frequent vocal performer, and the designated emcee at most campus events, such as the monthly Performance Hour in the college cafeteria. &amp;nbsp;But the CommITTED Club gives him something he doesn't get from his other campus activities, he says.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The service-learning projects, specificaly the frequent visits to Homework House and the senior center, coupled with recreational bus trips to places like New York City and Salem, Mass., have really helped the club members build a strong bond.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm connecting with people in a different way,&quot; he said. &quot;I think what really works is that we all get along together, and we're able to accomplish tasks with one another &amp;mdash; gracefully.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's been true for Desiree Reyes as well. The 19-year-old Holyoke resident, who is majoring in pre-vet and animal science at HCC, said she was reluctant at first to get involved because she was so busy with her classes. The CommITTED Club is the only club she belongs too and now can't imagine her life without it. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's been an awesome experience, cause I like helping people,&quot; Reyes said last week at Homework House where she was working with seventh-grader Graciliana Marquez. &quot;It's also a lot of fun. We're like a little family.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top)&amp;nbsp;HCC student Jonathan Mendez works on a reading assignment with seventh-grader Jahdiel Rosario one afternoon at Homework House. (Thumbnail) HCC student Aalyaa Zakaria works on a math problem with third-grader Akieluz Sanchez at Homework House.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x388" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/stem-scholar-snags-internship" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="3" FileName="x388.xml" Name="STEM scholar snags internship" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Noah-P-B-thumb.jpg" Title="STEM scholar snags internship" Abstract="Noah Paradis-Burnett will spend part of his winter break at the world-renowned Brookhaven National Laboratory." ThumbnailAltText="Noah Paradis-Burnett" Date="2016-12-16" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Noah Paradis-Burnett and classmate Frances Rivera-Diaz confer on a STEM project. &quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/STEM-Noah.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While most students will be taking a much-deserved break from college academics following final exams and the December holidays, Holyoke Community College STEM Scholar&amp;nbsp;Noah Paradis-Burnett&amp;nbsp;will be conferring with scientists at one of the nation's premier research labs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Paradis-Burnett, an 18-year-old mechanical engineering major from Russell, was selected for a prestigious Winter College Mini-Semester at the renowned&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bnl.gov/world/&quot; title=&quot;Brookhaven National Laboratory&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Brookhaven National Laboratory&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;in Upton, N.Y., on Long Island. The internship is designed for undergraduates studying science, technology, engineering or math and is sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Energy. For one week during January break, he will attend lectures, interact with faculty scientists, tour lab facilities and participate in a team research project.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;STEM students who intern at BLM have the opportunity to meet and talk to some of the greatest scientists in the country about some of the world's most difficult problems,&quot; said Ileana Vasu, HCC math professor and chair of the engineering program. &quot;It is a great honor and a great achievement.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img alt=&quot;Noah Paradis-Burnett&quot; height=&quot;354&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Noah-P-B-mug.jpg&quot; style=&quot;float: right; margin: 5px;&quot; title=&quot;Noah Paradis Burnett&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Paradis-Burnett started at Holyoke Community College as a dual-enrolled 16-year-old high school junior through HCC's&amp;nbsp;Gateway to College program. He is now one of HCC's STEM Scholars - recipients of a STEM Scholarship from the National Science Foundation. THE NSF HCC S-STEM scholarships provide up to $10,000 a year toward college tuition and fees. Recipients become members of HCC's STEM Scholars program and participate in field trips and guest lectures and benefit from other exclusive STEM-related events on and off campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The NSF STEM Scholarship continues each semester students maintain good academic standing.The scholarships are open to full-time current and incoming HCC students studying chemistry, engineering, mathematics, physics, or another STEM discipline. The&amp;nbsp;STEM Scholarship application deadline&amp;nbsp;for the Spring 2017 semester is Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016&lt;strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last spring, Paradis-Burnett was also the first recipient of the John Sullivan Scholarship from the Holyoke Community College Foundation. The endowed scholarship honors the memory of the late former HCC math teacher John Sullivan and is awarded to one HCC student annually who is studying math, physics or engineering and maintains at least a 3.0 GPA.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Paradis-Burnett is on schedule to graduate in May 2017 and plans to transfer to Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst to continue his study of mechanical engineering.Being selected for the Winter College Mini-Semester makes him eligible for Brookhaven's Community College Institute, a 10-week summer internship program. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top) &lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;Noah Paradis-Burnett confers on a project with fellow HCC STEM Scholar Frances Rivera-Diaz during a STEM seminar class&lt;/em&gt;. &amp;nbsp;(Thumbnail) HCC STEM Scholar Noah Paradis-Burnett has been selected for a prestigious winter internship at Brookhaven National Laboratory.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x397" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/giving-tree-2016-closes" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4" FileName="x397.xml" Name="Giving Tree 2016 closes" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/GivingT-FA16-thumb.jpg" Title="It's a wrap" Abstract="This year, HCC's Giving Tree campaign collected 306 gifts for local nonprofits." ThumbnailAltText="Angie Morrell, right, from the MSPCC carries out children's gifts donated by the HCC community through the 17th annual Giving Tree campaign" IntroCopy="The 2016 Giving Tree campaign collected 306 gifts for local nonprofits." Date="2016-12-17" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Giving Tree closing pile of gifts&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/GivingT-FA16-Haul.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;Of all the touching tales, there's always one that hits you harder in the gut.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This one, courtesy of Sister Jane Morrissey, a site coordinator at Homework House in Holyoke: &amp;nbsp;It's about a young boy. One of six children being raised by a single mother. Small apartment. Not a lot of money. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;He's the oldest boy,&quot; she said, &quot;and that often means you're the man in the family.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to the Holyoke Community College Giving Tree campaign, now in its 17&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;nbsp;year, the boy and his siblings who attend the after school program at Homework House, are able to have presents, which they can select from prepared lists: one from column A, or two from column B, or three from column C. The younger kids usually choose C, the three smaller presents. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Giving children a choice is often the best of all gifts,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The boy so wanted a basketball. But after a lot of agonizing, going back to the lists again and again to make sure he'd made the right decision, he settled on a $25 gift card to a local store. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It wasn't for himself,&quot; said Sister Jane. &quot;It was to give it to his mom.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Homework House is one of four local nonprofit agencies that benefit each year from HCC's Giving Tree Campaign, along with WestMass Elder Care, the Mass. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the Holyoke Soldiers' Home. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year the HCC community collected and donated 306 gifts to clients of those four agencies. Thursday, the 17&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;nbsp;annual Giving Tree campaign came to a close with a reception, presentation of gifts and the telling of stories. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're in the business of helping new life come into the world,&quot; said Angie Morrell, regional director of Prevention Services for the Mass. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. &quot;Often our families have to choose between rent and food or buying gifts. This really means more to them than I can put into words. For that we are truly grateful.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bill Fogarty, HCC interim president, acknowledged the significant role students played his year: HCC's Student Senate created the 306 gift tags that were hung on the college's three Giving Trees; the Green Key Honor Society logged the tags as they were selected; and the HCC Military Club held a fundraiser to buy gifts. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Thanks to all the agencies for letting us do this every year,&quot; he said. &quot;This is a shot in the arm for us too. It's a lot of work, but we're happy to do it.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Angie Morrell, right, from the MSPCC carries out children's gifts donated by the HCC community through the 17th annual Giving Tree campaign. (Top)&amp;nbsp;Representatives from WestMass Elder care start hauling out the many gifts donated to their clients.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x400" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/grant-funds-culinary-training" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69" FileName="x400.xml" Name="Grant funds culinary training " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Food-101-bar.jpg" Title="'I'm thinking about my future'" Abstract="A new noncredit, grant-funded program offers free culinary and hospitality training to people who have lost their jobs." ThumbnailAltText="Chef Alan Anischik, owner of Food 101 Bar &amp; Bistro in South Hadley, conducts a lesson about the restaurant business for students enrolled in an HCC, grant-funded culinary arts and hospitality training program. " IntroCopy=" A new program offers free culinary-hospitality training to unemployed" Date="2016-12-12" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chef Alan Anischik, right, talks to Johnny Scott, left, and Noelia Burgos, middle, both of Springfield.&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Food-101-Table%280%29.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She used to drive the big machines. The fork lifts with the high reach. For two years, she did that, moving heavy pallets around an auto supply warehouse in Enfield.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was employed with them from day one that they started,&quot; said Noelia Burgos, a 32-year-old Springfield resident and mother of two. &quot;I became a trainer, a team leader and equipment operator, and I kept going. One day they just sent me home.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She started collecting unemployment. She wanted a job. She found her way to Future Works Career Center in Springfield. There she learned about a new noncredit program Holyoke Community College is running to train people like her (unemployed or underemployed) to work in the culinary and hospitality industry. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The program is free, funded by a $190,000 grant from the Workforce Competitive Trust Fund. The fund is administered for the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development by the Commonwealth Corporation, a quasi-public state agency that fosters partnerships between industry, education and workforce organizations. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participants must commit to attend classes every day, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., for nine weeks. The course introduces them to a wide variety of career opportunities in culinary and hospitality, from serving and waiting tables to hosting and working as line cooks. They are also introduced to jobs in hotel operations. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;So it's a hands-on opportunity to try out a lot of things and find out what their interests and aptitudes are,&quot; said Kermit Dunkelberg, HCC's assistant vice president of Adult Basic Education and Workforce Development. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students graduate from the program with four key credentials to make them more employable: ServSafe and OSHA-10 certificates, which show they have been trained in safe food handling and workplace safety; a TIPS certificate, which allows them to serve alcohol; and a National Career Readiness certificate, which demonstrates they possess fundamental workplace skills. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Another key part is that when the program ends they have to let us help them find a job,&quot; Dunkelberg said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That sounded good to Burgos, who finished high school late after having her first son at 16. She attended college for a year but never finished her degree, &quot;because of working needs,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's time to have a career,&quot; she said, &quot;something that is going to leave me steady and able to provide for my kids.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She began training in October with the program's first cohort. Most of the classes met in the culinary arts kitchen at Dean Technical High School in Holyoke, where Burgos and her 12 classmates learned knife skills and other fundamentals of cooking, food preparation and service. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last week, though, classes were held at Food 101 Bar &amp;amp; Bistro on the Village Commons in South Hadley. While the restaurant was closed for the morning, students were sitting at the bar. The owner and head chef Alan Anischik, the program's main instructor, was standing behind it, giving a lesson on restaurant etiquette.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Service is bringing someone a drink,&quot; Anischik said. &quot;Hospitality is the feeling customers get when you bring them that drink or the feeling they get when they walk into your place.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Besides teaching students cooking techniques, Anischik has led classes on workplace communication, conflict resolution, product purchasing and receiving; and food and wine pairing. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier in the course, the students attended a job seminar with representatives from MGM Resorts to learn about future opportunities at the casino now under construction in Springfield. Last Tuesday, students had speed interviews with local employers from the restaurant and hotel industry. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Already, Burgos has leveraged her new skills into a job. For the past four weeks she has been working part time, 5-8 p.m., waiting tables in the dining room at the Glen Meadow Retirement Community, an assisted living facility in Longmeadow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm just trying to get experience because I was doing a different type of work before,&quot; she said. &quot;I'm thinking about my future. I'm thinking about what's going to be ahead of us.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She's excited about the prospect of working at the new MGM casino after it opens in 2018. She understands the position she and her classmates are in, given that most of them will be starting new careers at an older age. She said she's grateful for the opportunity the HCC program has provided. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Most of these people were the same way,&quot; she said of her classmates. &quot;They were unemployed, they got laid off, or they got terminated. There's a big challenge for us out there. You have to find some way to survive.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Burgos and her classmates will celebrate the completion of the program Thursday, with a noontime meal they will prepare and serve for family members and friends at Food 101. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The next program cohort begins March 23, 2017. Anyone interested in signing up for the program should call Milissa Daniels at 413.552.2042.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top)&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Chef Alan Anischik, right, talks to Johnny Scott, left, and Noelia Burgos, middle, both of Springfield. &amp;nbsp;(Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt; Chef Alan Anischik, owner of Food 101 Bar &amp;amp; Bistro in South Hadley, conducts a lesson about the restaurant business for students enrolled in an HCC, grant-funded culinary arts and hospitality training program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x398" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/pakistani-educators-glean-lessons" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|4|66" FileName="x398.xml" Name="Pakistani educators glean lessons" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Pakistan-Troppe-Sidra.jpg" Title="Foreign Relations" Abstract="Pakistani educators spent six weeks at HCC learning about the community college system. " ThumbnailAltText="Sidra Khalid, left, a principal from Punjab Vocational Training Council in Pakistan, visits with her mentor Marie Troppe, director of HCC's Transition to College and Career Programs." IntroCopy="Pakistani educators glean lessons from HCC." Date="2016-12-06" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC professor Elizabeth Trobaugh meets with visitor from Pakistan&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Pakistani-Trobaugh-Adeel.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's note: This story originally appeared in print in the Daily Hampshire Gazette and online on&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gazettenet.com/&quot; title=&quot;Gazettenet&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Gazettenet&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;on Monday, Dec. 5. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;STORY by CHRIS LINDAHL&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gazettenet.com/Holyoke-Community-College-hosts-Pakistani-educators-as-part-of-state-department-initiative-5346614&quot; title=&quot;Daily Hampshire Gazette story&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Courtesy of the Daily Hampshire Gazette&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In Pakistan's third-largest city, students at the Karachi Tools, Dies &amp;amp; Moulds Centre learn how to operate machinery in what's called a &quot;teaching factory.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's a pragmatic approach to technical education, academics head Muddasir Ahmed says, but memorizing the properties of various industrial materials, the details of regulatory frameworks and other nitty-gritty details is simply too narrow an approach to learning. &amp;nbsp;So he plans to change that.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's not only the contents of the subject,&quot; Ahmed said. &quot;The goal of education is to make a human a human.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ahmed has a radical approach to learning compared to the status quo cut-and-dry career-driven approach that's existed in Pakistan for some time. But times are changing in the South Asian country home to some 202 million as the government has planned to implement something closer to the American community college model. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's why 19 Pakistani educators and administrators spent six weeks in the Valley earlier this fall &amp;mdash; to work with mentors at Holyoke Community College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst who could help make their visions for new educational endeavors a reality. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The group was the third of four cohorts in the Community College Administrator Program for Pakistan set to visit western Massachusetts. The iniative was put together by the nonprofit Institute for Training and Development in Amherst with funding from a grant from the U.S. State Department.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're designing a system in our colleges to further improve the quality of training of our students,&quot; said participant Noor Ul Qamar. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ahmad Salman Mirza, deputy director of the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission, said that a large portion of Pakistani youth are not employed or not in school. The government aims to get them involved in fruitful activities, motivate them and help them get jobs in Pakistan and across the globe. That's why he's tasked with helping establish 15 new community colleges in the country, he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The goal, said IBA Community College Khairpur Principal Zubair Mugbar, includes bolstering English language programs, further strengthening the connections between Pakinstan's largest industry of textiles and the education system and improve connections between general education and specialized technical education. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For his part, Ahmed aims to create a student development center, implement a cross-subject course model and improve and student soft-skills training at his school. &amp;nbsp;He was paired up with mentor Vivian Ostrowski, director of HCC's Gateway to College program. She offered him insights from her experience leading the school's high school dual enrollment program and also helped connect him with other locals who have specific expertise. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of Ahmed's outings was to the Greenfield Community College Development Center. He said he was impressed by the structure there, which provided students with personal, professional and educational development opportunities. There students are welcome to discuss particular academics problems in a comfortable environment, he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We don't have a structured department,&quot; he said. &quot;We do it piecemeal.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But what really struck Ahmed was HCC's Learning Communities program - team-taught, interdisciplinary courses that look at a specific theme through different academic lenses. This is something he wants to bring back to Karachi.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They are doing marvelous things,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ahmed is a man who sees connections. He's clearly a man of science and numbers, having been trained as a mechanical engineer, but he's also interested in hypnosis, mindfulness and has began studying neurolinguistic programming, a personal development approach that focuses on self-awareness and effective communication. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It has given me a lot of different tastes, a lot of different aspects to learning,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is what he sees for the teaching factory: an implementation of the HCC Learning Communities model but applied to technical education. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;What I'm picturing is a single class, three teachers are standing there: one is teaching manufacturing process, one is teaching materials and one is teaching inspections,&quot; he said in a mentoring session with Ostrowski. &quot;These should be integrated. Learning is all about making connections.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After graduating, students are left to connect these different aspects of their field in the factory. Ahmed figures why not just introduce them together in the first place?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Claire Novotny, assistant project coordinator for the Pakistan project at HCC, said the federal government's aim is a diplomatic one, to improve the global image of American society. But for her and others involved in the program, it offers something greater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're giving best practices, but at the same time we're getting cross-cultural interaction that is going to change both of our outlooks drastically,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chris Lindahl can be reached at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:clindahl@gazettenet.com&quot; title=&quot;Chris Lindahl email&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;clindahl@gazettenet.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO at HCC: (Top)&amp;nbsp;Pakistani educator Adeel Ahmad Gauri talks to HCC English professor Elizabeth Trobaugh during a visit to her class. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;Sidra Khalid, left, a principal from Punjab Vocational Training Council in Pakistan, visits with her mentor Marie Troppe, director of HCC's Transition to College and Career Programs.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;More photos from the Pakistani contingent's visits to HCC can be viewed in a photo album on&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154500731749330.1073742007.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=788cb2f152&quot; title=&quot;Pakistani educators visit HCC&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;HCC's Facebook page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x414" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/new-president-approved" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|66" FileName="x414.xml" Name="New president approved" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/President-Royal-thumb.jpg" Title="New president approved" Abstract="Christina Royal will start work Jan. 9 as HCC's fourth president and the first woman to hold the position." ThumbnailAltText="Christina Royal meets with HCC staff during a visit to campus Nov. 1.  " IntroCopy="Christina Royal will begin work at HCC Jan. 9" Date="2016-11-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Christina Royal with others after her appointment was approved by the Board of Higher Education. &quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/President-Royal-group.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;The state Board of Higher Education today unanimously approved Christina Royal as the next president of Holyoke Community College.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Royal traveled to Boston this morning for her official interview with the Board of Higher Education.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The HCC Board of Trustees unanimously voted Nov. 3 to recommend Royal as the successor to William F. Messner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Holyoke Community College has made an excellent choice in Christina Royal,&quot; said Carlos Santiago, commissioner of Higher Education. &quot;Her demonstrated record of success and commitment to high-quality education make her the perfect candidate for this role and we look forward to having her at HCC.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal, PhD, is now the provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. She visited the HCC campus on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 for a series of interviews and meetings with a presidential search committee, trustees, staff, faculty and students. &amp;nbsp;She was one of three finalists.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal plans to start work at HCC on Monday, January 9, when she will become the fourth president in the 70-year history of HCC and the first woman to hold the position.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're pretty excited about it,&quot; said Robert Gilbert, chair of the HCC Board of Trustees, who traveled with Royal to Boston today. &quot;I think you'll see a lot of interesting thoughts and ideas coming from Christina. I know we picked the right person for the coming years to continue the mission of HCC.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal holds a PhD in education from Capella University and a master of arts in educational psychology and a bachelor of arts in math from Marist.&amp;nbsp;She joined Inver Hills Community College in 2013. Prior to that she served as associate vice president for e-learning and innovation at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland and director of technology-assisted learning for the School of Graduate and Continuing Education for Marist College. She has also worked as the director of curriculum for The Beacon Institute of Learning and was the manager of research and development at CompUSA.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Messner retired in August after serving for 12 years. He succeeded David Bartley (1975-2003) and George Frost (1946-1975), the school's founding president.Since Messner's departure, William Fogarty, vice president of Administration and Finance, has been serving as interim president.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Top) Christina Royal, second from left, stands with Robert Gilbert, chair of the HCC Board of Trustees (far left); Commissioner of Higher Education Carlos Santiago; and Chris Gabrieli, chair of the Board of Higher Education (far right) today in Boston. (Thumbnail) Christina Royal meets with HCC staff during a visit to campus Nov. 1.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x413" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/campus-center-update" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4" FileName="x413.xml" Name="Campus Center update" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/HCC_CC_thumb.jpg" Title="Campus Center update" Abstract="The $43.5 million renovation will create a new 'front door' to the college and transform the organization of the campus." ThumbnailAltText="The east side of the renovated Campus Center will feature a walkway over a restored Tannery Brook that will be the new main entrance to the college. " Date="2016-12-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The east side of the renovated Campus Center will feature a walkway over a restored Tannery Brook that will be the new main entrance to the college. &quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC_CC_Brook.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is about to embark on a two-year $43.5 million renovation project that will utterly transform the look, feel and organization of the campus. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The HCC Campus Center is scheduled to close Feb. 3, and construction will begin soon after. When it reopens in 2019, college officials say, the building will be a place that truly lives up to its name. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Originally known as &quot;G Building,&quot; the sloping three-story concrete structure sits in the middle of the campus facing Homestead Avenue, between an intermittent stream choked with invasive plants and the HCC Courtyard. Since it opened in 1980, it has been plagued by water leaks. Projects that would have waterproofed the building have been delayed since at least 2008.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;The main impetus for this is to get the building watertight,&quot; said interim HCC president Bill Fogarty. &quot;Then we also wanted to do things that will improve the operation of the building and make it a real campus center.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To that end, the building's sloping facade, a primary source of leaks, will be squared off, and the building encased in a new envelope that will make it both weather-tight and energy efficient. &amp;nbsp;The squaring off and the addition of large windows will give the building a look that complements the adjacent Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, which opened in 2003.&amp;nbsp;The project will also add about 9,000 square feet of space to the current 58,727.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An atrium will be added to the western side, covering a set of double stairs that descend from the lower Courtyard into an area known as &quot;the pit&quot; that now serves as the main entrance to the food court and cafeteria. &amp;nbsp;On the eastern side of the building, the open balcony on the second floor will be enclosed, adding much-needed square footage to the dining area of the cafeteria. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first floor of the Campus Center, on the side facing Homestead Avenue, will become the new &quot;front door&quot; to the campus, accessed by a bridge walkway to be built over a restored Tannery Brook. HCC Admissions, Assessment Services (college placement testing) and the ACT Center (Advising, Career and Transfer Affairs) will relocate from the Frost Building to this new &quot;Welcome Center.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Admissions will have a dedicated parking lot, and a separate, college-funded project will reconfigure traffic flow, creating a new bus drop in the front of the campus. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We want to make it real easy for people who aren't familiar with the campus to find their way around,&quot; Fogarty said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The current bus drop by the pole, on the far side of campus next to the visitors' parking lot, is now the area preferred for drivers picking up and dropping off students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This was all built when we had 2,500 students and it just doesn't work anymore,&quot; Fogarty said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's current full- and part-time enrollment is now nearly 9,000. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the new design, the College Store (formerly the College Bookstore) will move from the first floor to &amp;nbsp;the second floor, on the same level as the food court and cafeteria. This area will also include programs and departments focused on student engagement, including Student Activities, Student Clubs, and Multicultural Academic Services (MAS), which are being relocated from other parts of the campus. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The whole idea of bringing the College Store up to the second floor, so that it's on the same level as dining services and Student Activities, really made sense in terms of foot traffic,&quot; said Fogarty. &quot;They all complement each other. It gives it a real feel of a campus center.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Academic classrooms at the north end of the second floor will be opened up to make more room for student engagement areas. The layout, both on the first and second floor, will be more open and airy, with glass walls and doors separating offices and community spaces.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's going to look differently, much more open and inviting,&quot; said Michelle Snizek, director of Retention and Student Success. &quot;Not so much offices and chunked up spaces like we have now. The idea is to create engaging and alluring spaces - we're calling them pods &amp;mdash; where students can come and charge up their cell phones and do their work.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The third floor will remain the Media Arts Center. In preparation for the renovation, the Electronic Media Program is already operating in its temporary home on the first floor of the Donahue Building. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Bookstore will close for the semester on Dec. 23. It will reopen on Tues., Jan. 3, in Donahue 154, as the HCC College Store, with a focus on retail merchandise and school supplies. Textbook sales are now being handled by HCC's online partner MSB Direct. More information about that is available on the HCC web site:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/campus-life/bookstore&quot;&gt;http://www.hcc.edu/campus-life/bookstore&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC cafeteria will remain open in its present location until Friday, Feb. 3, operating as usual for the first two weeks of the Spring semester. A Subway sandwich shop is scheduled to open on the second floor of the Frost Building in Room 251 on Monday, Jan. 30. Food service will be handled by increased offerings at The POD (on the first floor of Donahue), and The Forum Caf&amp;eacute; (on the second floor of the Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Building) and by the addition of high-end vending machines in the Kittredge Center and Bartley Center. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When not in use for special events, the Picknelly Dining Room (Frost 265) will be open for students who want to sit and eat. &amp;nbsp;For the Spring semester, the Culinary Arts kitchens in Frost will be shared by HCC Dining Services and the Culinary Arts program. After the Culinary Arts program moves off campus into the new hospitality and culinary arts center in downtown Holyoke, HCC Dining Services will be able to offer a larger menu of freshly cooked food for purchase in the dining room. &amp;nbsp;In the renovated Campus Center, the food court and cafeteria will return to their present locations with a new look and configuration.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance is in charge of the project. Walsh Brothers Construction of Boston has been hired as the general contractor.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Renderings from HTK Architects (Top)&amp;nbsp;The east side of the renovated Campus Center will feature a walkway over a restored Tannery Brook that will be the new main entrance to the college.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154742127814330.1073742025.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=4d5c654e6c&quot; title=&quot;HCC Campus Center renderings&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here to see more images on the HCC Facebook page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x415" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/integrated-training" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69" FileName="x415.xml" Name="Integrated training" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/HCC-Sheriffs-thumb.jpg" Title="Integrated training" Abstract="A new 15-week program combines HiSet education and culinary job training for men and women from facilities managed by the Hampden County Sheriff's Department." ThumbnailAltText="A student in a joint HCC-Hampden County Sheriff's Department culinary arts and college-readiness program prepares a mozzarella and eggplant dish. " IntroCopy="Grant supports HiSet education and culinary job training for incarcerated men and women" Date="2016-11-28" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Two students in the program prepare a meal in the Culinary Arts Laboratory kitchen at HCC. &quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-Sheriffs-cook.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College, in partnership with the Hampden County Sheriff's Department, has been awarded a $71,300 grant to train currently and formerly incarcerated men and women to work in the food service industry while also preparing them to pass their high school equivalency tests. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The grant, from the state Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education, Division of Adult and Community Learning Services, for the first time integrates vocational training and preparation for the HiSet test, formerly the GED.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There's an increasing drive toward contextualizing adult basic skills and including occupational skills with it, instead of making those sequential,&quot; said Kermit Dunkelberg, HCC vice president of Adult Basic Education and Workforce Development. &quot;So somebody can be working on completing their high school equivalency and at the same time getting job training, rather than taking the test first and subsequently enrolling in a training program.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 15-week program will serve up to 36 individuals in two cohorts from facilities managed by the Hampden County Sheriff's Department. The Sheriff's Department will provide HiSet preparation during the week at their facilities. HCC will provide instruction in culinary arts on Saturdays at the Pre-Release Center in Ludlow for the first five weeks and in the Culinary Arts Laboratory kitchen on the HCC campus for the following 10 weeks. &amp;nbsp;Upon successful completion of the Integrated Education and Training program, participants will have obtained a high school equivalency degree, a culinary arts certificate, a Serv-Safe certification and an OSHA-10 certification, which show they have been trained in safe food handling and workplace safety. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first cohort begins in January. &amp;nbsp;HCC and the Hampden County Sheriff's Department have for years collaborated to offer adult basic education services and vocational training to incarcerated men and women and those receiving after-incarceration services. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're excited to continue our partnership with HCC,&quot; said Dan O'Malley, director of education for the Hampden County Sheriff's Department. &quot;We believe in the vision of increasing opportunities through educational transformation. Our collaboration with HCC helps to promote the successful reentry of our population into society as responsible, working, law-abiding citizens.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most recently, HCC and the Sheriff's Department have jointly run programs that combine culinary arts training and a college-preparation class. Students in that program already had their high school diplomas or high school equivalency. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're targeting a little bit different level of education with this new grant, but there's a great need for it,&quot; said Dunkelberg.&amp;nbsp;&quot;Having the high school equivalency is really important for getting a job, and the culinary training should help them do that too. Having the HiSet also makes them eligible for college or transition to college programs.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top)&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Two students in the program prepare a meal in the Culinary Arts Laboratory kitchen at HCC&lt;/em&gt;. &amp;nbsp;(Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;A student in a joint HCC-Hampden County Sheriff's Department culinary arts and college-readiness program prepares a mozzarella and eggplant dish.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x416" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/future-teachers-test-lessons" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|3" FileName="x416.xml" Name="Future teachers test lessons" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Literacy-SLP-Ashley.jpg" Title="Future teachers test lessons" Abstract="Early Childhood Education students created a &quot;Literacy Enrichment Day&quot; for preschoolers and teachers at the Springfield Boys and Girls Club." ThumbnailAltText="HCC student Ashley Molidor, from Chicopee, works with preschooler at the Springfield Boys and Girls Club Family Center." Date="2016-11-18" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC student Cindy Soriano, from Northampton, reads the book Blueberries for Sal during a Literacy Enrichment Day at the Springfield Boys and Girls Club.&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Literacy-SLP-Cindy.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;The theme was camping, inspired by the children's book&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Maisy Goes Camping&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;by Lucy Cousins. The goal: letter recognition. The activity: spell your first name using the letters on the slips of green construction paper, building a tree for your campsite.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jillian Dubuque had read the book aloud and conducted this lesson before - for her classmates,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/college-catalog/areas-of-study?category=345&quot; title=&quot;Education programs&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Early Childhood Education&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;majors at Holyoke Community College. Today, though, for the first time, she'd be testing it out on a more appropriate audience - 3- and 4-year-olds in the preschool program at the Springfield Boys and Girls Club Family Center. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;Its easy for us to put a name together,&quot; said Dubuque, who lives in Chicopee. &quot;It's a little harder for them.&quot; &amp;nbsp;Dubuque and her classmates are all enrolled this semester in Education 210: Curriculum in Early Education. They spent one recent morning at the center, on Acorn Street in Springfield's Bay section, for Literacy Enrichment Day, a Service Learning project they created specifically for these preschoolers and their teachers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's robust&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/x3276.xml&quot;&gt;Service Learning Program&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;matches classes with community groups, generally nonprofits. Students conduct projects that enrich their studies and also benefit their community partners. Each semester, dozens of HCC classes engage with community groups in a wide variety of Service Learning projects. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For Literacy Enrichment Day, the education students from HCC set up colorful, eye-popping displays and crafted fun, engaging activities, each based on a different theme and book. Lyudmila Maksyuk, of Chicopee, for instance, picked apples for her theme and&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Love the Very Hungry Caterpillar&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;for her book. Cindy Soriano, of Northampton, picked bears and&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Blueberries for Sal.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The lessons they crafted were meant to help the preschoolers learn to read. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;They're studying to work with very young children,&quot; said their teacher, Sheila Gould, coordinator of HCC's Early Childhood Education program. &quot;Some of them want to be preschool teachers. Some of them may move toward early intervention. Usually they practice their lesson plans on each other, pretending they're preschoolers. It's not the same as working with real children, so this opportunity helps them get practical experience.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Partnering with Gould's class from HCC was also a great opportunity for the Springfield Boys and Girls Club, said preschool director Joey Gebo. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Just being able to engage my students with other teachers is amazing,&quot; she said. &quot;They see me every day. To have another voice in the classroom draws them out of their boxes, so to speak, and gives them a different perspective about what different teachers can offer, how different teachers teach and gives them a little more group socialization, which I don't usually get to do too much of during the day.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She also doesn't have much time for lesson planning, she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We get in as much as we can,&quot; said Gebo, &quot;but we're pretty much hands-on full nonstop, so we don't have much time for it.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part of this Service Learning project, though, the HCC class produced a 28-page packet full of lesson plans they left behind for Gebo, Brenda Hogan, the other lead teacher, and their two assistant teachers. Each student developed a complete cross-curricular thematic unit based on their book with lessons and activities that emphasize math, science, social students and visual arts, in addition to English language arts. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;So it's all planned out for them,&quot; said Gould, &quot;even citing the Massachusetts guidelines for preschool learning experiences and what supplies they need. Each teacher will get one of these packets.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gould, who has led classes in Service Learning projects in prior semesters, said the experience of working in real-world settings can be transformative for students, and she witnessed that with this one.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I could see first-hand their ability to engage with children through conversation, using an enthusiastic tone of voice and just being more animated with their body language than they typically display in the lab setting on campus,&quot; Gould said. &quot;It was like they let go of any inhibitions they may have when giving a lesson presentation in a college class. Their work came to life.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC student Ashley Molidor, from Chicopee, works with preschooler at the Springfield Boys and Girls Club Family Center. (Top)&amp;nbsp;HCC student Cindy Soriano, from Northampton, reads the book Blueberries for Sal&amp;nbsp;during a Literacy Enrichment Day at the Springfield Boys and Girls Club.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x430" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/extra-credit" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|3|97" FileName="x430.xml" Name="Extra credit" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/HHS-Spanish-students.jpg" Title="Extra credit" Abstract="For the first time, HCC is running a for-credit class at Holyoke High, adding another element to the college's growing dual enrollment program." ThumbnailAltText="Ernice Colon and Jasmin Rodriguez, both 17, confer on an assignment in a college-level Spanish class HCC is running at Holyoke High School." IntroCopy="For the first time, HCC is running a for-credit class at Holyoke High School." Date="2016-11-14" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC adjunct Santa Garcia teaches a class at Holyoke High School.&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/HHS-Santa.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By RONNI GORDON&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It both is and isn't a high school class. Students doing college-level work in a high school classroom. A college class with a high school atmosphere.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The teacher, Santa Garcia, a Holyoke Community College adjunct faculty member, was at the blackboard in front of 20 high school juniors and seniors on a recent Monday afternoon, reviewing present progressive tenses in an intermediate Spanish class. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She wanted them to&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;transforme seg&amp;uacute;n el modelo&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;(change the mode of speech) for a list of phrases. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;El tren sale de la estaci&amp;oacute;n&lt;/em&gt;. (The train leaves the station.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;El tren est&amp;aacute; saliendo de la estaci&amp;oacute;n&lt;/em&gt;. (The train is leaving the station.) &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They later moved on to a reading comprehension exercise, working on a passage titled&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;La bienvenida&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;(The welcome). &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By the end of the semester, according to the course description, students should be able to give and understand directions, express beliefs and opinions about issues, and write descriptive and cohesive essays, and more. &amp;nbsp;The class &amp;shy;&amp;shy;&amp;mdash; 50 minutes, three times a week &amp;mdash; represents the first time HCC has run a for-credit class at Holyoke High School, adding another element to&amp;nbsp;HCC's growing dual enrollment program&amp;nbsp;by bringing college to the students in addition to the other way around. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's a great way to expand and strengthen the community part of being a community college,&quot; said Monica T&amp;oacute;rregrosa, professor of Spanish and Foreign Languages coordinator. &quot;It's a natural extension of our mission. We hope they'll like the course and that they might want to take more advanced foreign language classes at HCC.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dual enrollment students are enrolled both in high school and at HCC. Typically, they take classes on campus, or on line, for which they receive both high school and college credit. &amp;nbsp;Research shows that dual enrolled students are more likely to finish high school and continue on to college. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last spring, HCC was one of only three colleges in Massachusetts &amp;mdash; and 44 nationwide &amp;mdash; selected by the U.S. Dept. of Education for a pilot program that for the first time allows dual-enrolled high school students taking college-credit courses to access federal Pell Grants.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While dual enrollment numbers overall have dramatically increased in recent years at HCC, the number of students from Holyoke High School had dropped, said Jenilee Cochran, HCC admissions counselor and dual enrollment coordinator. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is one of the ways of expanding it,&quot; she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Offering the class at the high school frees students from concerns about transportation to campus or missing after-school activities. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A year ago, only two students from Holyoke High School were dual enrolled at HCC. This fall there are 61, plus another 14 students from Holyoke's Dean Technical High School.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Serving a different population - &amp;shy;students who have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out &amp;mdash; HCC's Gateway to College program has also seen a steep increase in students from Holyoke. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A new cohort of Gateway students that started in October accounts for a doubling in the number of students in the program from 45 to 97, most of those from Holyoke (48). &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A total of 242 high school students are dual enrolled at HCC this fall. That is up from 67 just three years ago. Almost the entire increase is the result of new relationships HCC has formed with area high schools, such as Chicopee Comprehensive High School, the Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School in Holyoke, and now Holyoke public schools. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The agreement with Holyoke resulted from a conversation last year between William F. Messner, HCC's now-retired president, and Stephen K. Zrike, the state-appointed receiver charged with turning the city's public schools around.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Zrike said dual enrollment gives students early exposure to college material and brings a higher level of expectation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We believe it will have an impact on graduation rates, dropout rates, increased college admission and other metrics,&quot; he said. &quot;Receivership or not, it provides for a better experience in high school.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Early in the semester, Garcia said, she had to make some adjustments in the curriculum because teaching and learning is different in high school. But now, she said, her students are mostly working like they would in a college class on campus.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some of the students in the class were already Spanish speakers, such as Kiara DeJesus. On the other hand, Jasmin Rodriguez does not. The two seniors are getting different benefits from the class, they said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's improving my Spanish,&quot; DeJesus said. &quot;I'm learning the proper way to say things instead of using slang.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She said she's thinking of doing either two years at HCC and transferring to Westfield State University or going straight to Westfield, where she would like to major in criminal justice, with the goal of becoming an FBI agent. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rodriguez started taking classes at HCC last spring, with courses including biology, health, and sociology. She hopes to become an anesthesiologist; as one of five children in her family, she likes dual enrollment because it allows her to get through her college coursework more quickly. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The class, Spanish 201 in the HCC course catalog, replaced the high school's Spanish 4 class, which had been under-enrolled and would likely have been cancelled if HCC had not stepped in, said Anna Rigali, the high school's college and career readiness coordinator. The class will go on transcripts as HCC Spanish. Students who successfully complete the course will receive three college credits along with credit toward their high school diplomas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For many of these students, I don't know if they would have applied to take a class at the college,&quot; Rigali said. &quot;I hope it helps students see themselves as college potential, college material.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Left)&amp;nbsp;HCC adjunct professor Santa Garcia hands out papers in a college-level Spanish class she is teaching at Holyoke High School. (Right)&amp;nbsp;Ernice Colon and Jasmin Rodriguez, both 17, confer on an assignment in a college-level Spanish class HCC is running at Holyoke High School.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x417" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/pushups-mark-veterans-day" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|4|68" FileName="x417.xml" Name="Pushups mark Veterans Day" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Vets-pushups.jpg" Title="Pushups mark Veterans Day" Abstract="The '22 Pushup Challenge' will continue each day at noon until Nov. 30 to help raise awareness about the issue of suicide among veterans." ThumbnailAltText="Members of Veterans of Foreign Wars District VII joins students, staff and faculty at HCC for the 22 Pushup Challenge Wednesday during HCC's Veteran Day festivities. " Date="2016-11-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Members of Veterans of Foreign Wars District VII joins students, staff and faculty at HCC for the 22 Pushup Challenge Wednesday during HCC's Veteran Day festivities. &quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Vets-pushups-feature.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;Let the pushups begin.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Students, staff, faculty members and friends gathered in the HCC Campus Center cafeteria Wednesday to take part in the 22 Pushup Challenge as part of this year's annual Veterans Day celebration. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/HolyokeCommunityCollege/videos/&quot; title=&quot;22 Pushup Challenge video&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;A video of the pushups&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154651218294330.1073742019.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=0703246c12&quot; title=&quot;HCC Veterans Day 2016 photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;more photos&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;of the HCC Veterans Day event are available on the HCC Facebook page.&amp;nbsp;The 22 Pushup Challenge is a national initiative started by a group called&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.22kill.com/&quot; title=&quot;22Kill&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;22Kill&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;to bring attention and awareness to the issue of suicide among U.S. veterans. According to the group, 22 veterans commit suicide every day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Typically the challenge is undertaken by individuals who pledge to do 22 pushups a day for 22 days, recording the event and uploading the video to social media using the hashtag #22Pushups.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, however, it is being done as a group and will be led each day at noon by students from the HCC Military Club in the HCC Courtyard (if weather permits) or some other designated spot on campus, until Nov. 30.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To accommodate as many people as possible regardless of physical ability, any type of pushup is acceptable: standard military pushups, assisted pushups (on the knees), incline pushups (against a wall) or air pushups (raising your hands in the air).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Anybody who's willing to do 22 pushups is invited to participate,&quot; said Elizabeth Golen, Student Activities coordinator and co-advisor to the HCC Military Club. &quot;We want everybody and anybody to join us, even if it's only for one of the 22 days.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 22 Pushup Challenge was the culminating item on the agenda for HCC's Veterans Day celebration, which was held Wedneday because the college is closed on Nov. 11 in observance of the Veterans Day holiday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC also welcomed the color guard from the Veterans of Foreign Wars District VII. HCC music major Jonathan Mendez from Springfield sang the National Anthem and America the Beautiful. Speakers included Brian Willette, commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Western Massachusetts Chapter 875 , and HCC student-veterans Chester Wilson, of Ludlow, and Jonathan Jasmin, of Westfield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: &amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Members of Veterans of Foreign Wars District VII joins students, staff and faculty at HCC for the 22 Pushup Challenge Wednesday during HCC's Veteran Day festivities.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x423" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/giving-tree-2016-opens" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|4" FileName="x423.xml" Name="Giving Tree 2016 opens " Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Giving-Jonathan.jpg" Title="Leave no one behind" Abstract="HCC's 17th annual Giving Tree campaign will benefit children, elders and veterans from four nonprofit community groups. " ThumbnailAltText="HCC student Jonathan Mendez checks out a gift tag on the HCC Giving Tree." IntroCopy="HCC opens its 17th annual Giving Tree campaign" Date="2016-11-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Student Senate president Natalie Richards holds up the gift tag she chose from the Giving Tree.&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Giving-Natalie.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Natalie Richards read the rose-colored tag, smiled and picked it off the HCC Giving Tree.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It said: &quot;anything Minnie Mouse; anything princess; books.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm the perfect person for that,&quot; said Richards, an HCC student from Granby and president of the Student Senate. &quot;I love princesses, Minnie Mouse and books. I also love shopping.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to Richards, some anonymous little girl will have a much happier holiday. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The gift tag Richards selected is one of 306 red, pink, yellow and gray tags decorating three Giving Trees at HCC this holiday season. The gifts purchased by members of the HCC community will go to support children, elders and veterans at four local nonprofit agencies: the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, WestMass Elder Care, Homework House and the Holyoke Soldiers Home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's 17&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;nbsp;annual Giving Tree campaign opened yesterday with a reception and tree unveiling. It closes on Dec. 15 with the presentation of gifts to representatives from each of the four agencies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;George Frost, HCC's first president, liked to say that the whole point of this place is to make sure no one gets left behind,&quot; said interim president Bill Fogarty. &quot;When you look at these groups, that's exactly what we're trying to avoid &amp;mdash; leaving people behind, so this is something you should feel really good about participating in. This is helping people who really need it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Giving Trees are located in the main lobby on the third floor of the Frost Building and in the HCC Library on he second floor of Donahue. This year there is also a small Giving Tree in the lounge area on the second floor of the Kittredge Center. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To participate, choose a tag from any one of the Giving Trees; write your name and contact information on the bottom half of the tag; tear that part off and deposit it into the Giving Tree box next to the tree; buy the gift; wrap it; attach the top part of the tag with a piece of tap and bring it to Nelson Lopez in the President's Office on the third floor of the Frost Building by Dec. 7. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions should be directed to Gail Golas, the Giving Tree campaign chair, at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:ggolas@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;ggolas@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or 552-2270.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC student Jonathan Mendez checks out a gift tag on the HCC Giving Tree. (Top)&amp;nbsp;HCC Student Senate president Natalie Richards holds up the gift tag she chose from the Giving Tree.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x419" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/an-american-daughter" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|68" FileName="x419.xml" Name="An American Daughter" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Daughter-thumb.jpg" Title="Politics in the spotlight" Abstract="Alumna Denise Boutin, '77, is directing the HCC Theater Department production of 'An American Daughter,' by Wendy Wasserstein, Nov. 17-19." ThumbnailAltText="HCC students Chris Webber and Maddie Riel rehearse a scene from An American Daughter." IntroCopy="Alumna Denise Boutin, '17, directs 'An American Daughter' at HCC. " Date="2016-11-09" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC students Gabe Cifuentes and Marissa Delisle rehearse a scene&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Daughter_Marissa-Gabe.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A successful, professional woman is in line for a prominent political post. A minor indiscretion is uncovered that raises questions about her character. The ensuing media frenzy threatens her reputation and her nomination. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If that seems like a familiar narrative from U.S. political history, it is. It's also the plot of Wendy Wasserstein's 1998 play&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;An American Daughter,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;which the HCC Theater Department will present Nov. 17-19 on the stage of the Leslie Phillips Theater. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the preface to the play, Wasserstein cites several historical references that inspired it, most notably &quot;Nannygate,&quot; the scandal surrounding the nomination of Zoe Baird to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1993. Baird, a successful lawyer, removed her name from consideration after it was revealed she had hired undocumented immigrants for childcare. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Wasserstein was frustrated about how Baird was treated,&quot; says director Denise Boutin, &quot;how she was treated as a woman, whereas a man would not be asked about nannies and how they got paid.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;An American Daughter,&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;the main character is Lyssa Dent Hughes, played by HCC student Marissa Delisle of Chicopee. Lyssa is a brilliant doctor, wife, mother of two, direct descendant of President Ulysses S. Grant, and daughter of a prominent U.S. senator. &amp;nbsp;The President nominates her for surgeon general, a seemingly safe and inspired choice. Then, a scandal erupts &amp;mdash; &quot;jury-gate.&quot; The indiscretion? A neglected summons to appear for jury duty. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During interviews, Lyssa comes off as elitist, cold, out of touch with middle America, in particular, out of touch with stay-at-home moms. She must decide how hard to combat this image, and the play examines the effects of this unraveling on her family and friends. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There are a lot of parallels to the world of politics right now in the United States,&quot; said Boutin, &quot;especially the elitism issue and how a woman is supposed to behave as a public figure.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC theater professor Pat Sandoval chose the play to coincide with the Presidential election and Hillary Clinton's selection as the Democratic nominee. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We decided this would be the 'year of the woman' in the HCC Theater Department &amp;mdash; women playwrights, women directors,&quot; said Sandoval, who will direct the play&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Getting Out&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;by Marsha Norman next spring at HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sandoval asked Boutin to be the guest director for the Fall 2016 production. Boutin, who lives in East Longmeadow, is a 1977 graduate of Holyoke Community College. She taught theater and arts at the MacDuffie School in Springfield for 25 years and founded the theater program there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I was thrilled,&quot; Boutin said. &quot;I'm excited to come back here. It's a real pleasure to see where the theater program is at.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She was also excited about directing a Wasserstein play. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Wasserstein is so good at writing round characters,&quot; Boutin said. &quot;They're really fleshed out and the women in her plays are significant roles that are really meaty, and the female relationships have depth.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her main concern was that the students might not be able to handle the material or understand the historical significance. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Wasserstein writes the way people would like to articulate their thoughts, really clearly and eloquently,&quot; Boutin said. &quot;The characters are all smart. They're well educated. They're all clever and well informed. To that end, I was a little nervous, cause not only would most of the actors be playing someone 10 to 40 years their senior, but they'd also have to wrap their mouths and brains around stuff that was not part of their historical world.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those concerns were quickly put to rest, she said, once rehearsals began. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I've been so pleased with their ability to master the language, and they are all real eager to be fully informed,&quot; Boutin said. &quot;That's a credit not only to the students here but to the theater department.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cast also includes Larissa Polk of Springfield and Naidelyn Cruz of Holyoke as Lyssa's friends Quincy and Judith; Gabe Cifuentes of Chicopee as her husband Walter; Chris Webber of Springfield as Alan, her father, the senator; Maddie Riel of Easthampton as Chubby, her step-mother; Seth Olsen of East Longmeadow as Morrow; Patrick Ryan of Springfield as Timber; Jakub Bucior of Suffield, Conn., as Jimmy; Christopher Vega of Holyoke as Billy; Jessica Burgos of Chicopee and Joey Chiaravalle of Ware as members of a television crew; and Mariah White of Palmer and Dan Sullivan of Southampton, as offstage voices.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC student Kathleen Burke of Holyoke is the stage manager. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The HCC Theater Department will present An American Daughter, by Wendy Wasserstein Nov. 17-19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater, Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts Building, with a matinee performance Sat., Nov. 19, at 2 p.m. The Friday Nov. 18 show will be ASL-interpreted.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tickets are available at the door: $10 (general admission), $8 (students and seniors), and $5 (HCC students, staff and faculty with a valid ID). &amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top)&amp;nbsp;HCC students Gabe Cifuentes and Marissa Delisle rehearse a scene. (Thumbnail)&amp;nbsp;HCC students Chris Webber and Maddie Riel rehearse a scene from An American Daughter.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x427" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/next-president" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|66" FileName="x427.xml" Name="Next President" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/Royal-smile-pen-thumb.jpg" Title="Trustees pick next president" Abstract="If the state Board of Higher Education approves, Christina Royal would become HCC's fourth president and the first woman to hold the position." ThumbnailAltText="Christina Royal meets with members of the campus community during her November visit to HCC. " Date="2016-11-04" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Christina Royal during her November campus visit&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Royal-smile-pen.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC Board of Trustees voted last night to recommend that Christina Royal be approved as the next president of Holyoke Community College.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Royal, PhD, is now the provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. She was on campus Tuesday and Wednesday for a series of interviews and meetings with the presidential search committee, trustees, staff, faculty and students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She was the last of three finalists to visit the college.The board of trustees met Thursday night to discuss the finalists, ultimately voting unanimously to endorse Royal. The state Board of Higher Education will consider that recommendation at a meeting in Boston on Tues., Nov. 29.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We were fortunate to have three highly qualified candidates to consider,&quot; said Robert Gilbert, chair of the board of trustees. &quot;During the board's discussion, however, it quickly became clear that Christina was the best fit for HCC. There were so many things we liked about her, in particular her demonstrated success in closing achievement gaps and her sensitivity to diversity. Also, her business background and expertise with technology will be a great asset in reaching out to area employers on issues related to workforce development.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If Royal is approved, she will become just the fourth president in the 70-year history of Holyoke Community College and the first woman to hold the position.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President William F. Messner retired in August after serving for 12 years. He succeeded David Bartley (1975-2003) and George Frost (1946-1975), the school's founding president. Since Messner's departure, William Fogarty, vice president of Administration and Finance, has been serving as interim president.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gilbert said he hopes that Royal will be approved and ready to start work before the Jan. 23 start of the Spring 2017 semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Royal joined Inver Hills Community College in 2013. Prior to that she served as associate vice president for e-learning and innovation at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland and director of technology-assisted learning for the School of Graduate and Continuing Education for Marist College. She has also worked as the director of curriculum for The Beacon Institute of Learning and was the manager of research and development at CompUSA.She holds a PhD in education from Capella University and a master of arts in educational psychology and a bachelor of arts in math from Marist. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Left)&amp;nbsp;Christina Royal meets with staff and faculty during her visit to campus Nov. 1. (Right) Royal makes a presentation to the HCC campus community. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x460" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/words-in-transit-event" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|4" FileName="x460.xml" Name="Words in Transit event" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/WIT-thumb.jpg" Title="Book features students' stories" Abstract="Angelica Merino Monge, '17, and Bryan Torres, '14, first talked to New England Public Radio for an oral history project about immigration." ThumbnailAltText="Bryan Torres, '14, and Angelica Merino Monge, '17, sign copies of Words in Transit: Stories of Immigration." Date="2016-10-31" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Bryan Torres, '14, and Angelica Merino Monge, '17, sign copies of Words in Transit: Stories of Immigration.&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Words-in-Transit-sign.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Angelica Merino Monge has told her story many times now. In the newspaper. On the radio. At public events. To teachers and classmates.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's a story about fleeing gang violence in El Salvador with her mother and brother at the age of 10. About being smuggled through the Mexican desert on their way to the U.S. About struggling to learn English in American schools and yearning to go to college.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For a long time, though, she was afraid to tell her story, afraid of the backlash and scrutiny she could face over her immigration status. &amp;nbsp;At Holyoke Community College, she learned to be an advocate for herself and others like her, undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children, looking for a better life. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My teachers really taught me how to be open about who I am, where I come from, my struggles,&quot; she said. &quot;I realized that maybe through my own story I could inspire other people to pursue an education.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her story is one of 28 featured in a new book from the University of Massachusetts Press called&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Words in Transit: Stories of Immigrants.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Merino Monge recounted her story again last week from the stage of HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater during a panel discussion about immigration and education celebrating the publication of the book, a joint venture with New England Public Radio. The first-person accounts collected in the book were originally broadcast on NEPR for an oral history project called &quot;Words in Transit.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Words in Transit&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;book was edited by Ilan Stavans, a professor of Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College, who moderated the discussion. Also on the panel: Tema Silk, an NEPR producer who conducted most of the radio interviews; HCC professor Raul Gutierrez; and Bryan Torres, '14, an HCC alumnus now at Amherst College whose account of leaving El Salvador alone at the age of 12 is also in the book. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Merino Monge, a graduate of Amherst-Pelham Regional High School, and Torres, a graduate of Northampton High School, came to the attention of NEPR after talking to a newspaper for a story about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act, which in 2012 granted temporary residency to certain undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. &amp;nbsp;The two were again featured in news stories for their role in organizing the 2015 Out of the Shadows march in Amherst, which was meant to bring attention to the plight of undocumented immigrants and DACA students. &amp;nbsp;They were then recorded by NEPR for &quot;Words in Transit.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I had never told my story, my full length story, to anyone, especially on the radio,&quot; said Merino Monge, who now lives in Northampton, &quot;so that was a new experience for me. The reason I did it, I guess, was to raise awareness about undocumented people, but more specifically about undocumented students.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Merino Monge said the turning point for her came in an HCC Learning Community course she took called &quot;Give me your tired, your poor: Immigration, Identity &amp;amp; the Struggle for Social Justice&quot; taught by Gutierrez and HCC political science professor Mark Clinton.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This immigration class really opened my eyes to stuff that I had been struggling with since I was 10 years old,&quot; she said. &quot;I knew that I was undocumented, but I didn't know how much it affected me until I got to college.&quot; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Merino Monge will graduate next spring with her associate degree in liberal arts. She is president of the Latino International Students Association, the LISA Club. She has earned several scholarships from the HCC Foundation and last spring won the award for Outstanding Student in Political Science. Outside of school, she tutors migrant farmworkers enrolled in the &quot;Planting Literacy&quot; program at Head Start in Springfield, and she is an intern at the Holyoke Public Library, where she translates documents and forms for a Puerto Rican history project. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She also works 35-40 hours a week as a personal care assistant and dietary aide at Center for Extended Care in Hadley. Because of her immigration status, she does not qualify for financial aid. She also must pay between $200 and $1,000 every two years to maintain her DACA status. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think education is as important to me as it is for anyone, to get ahead, to be someone in life, to do what you want to do,&quot; said Merino Monge. &quot;For me, it's especially important because I've had to fight for it. I know the value of what I'm paying for. I think it motivates me even more to get good grades and make the experience at HCC as rewarding as I can.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Proceeds from the book will go toward a new scholarship at HCC for student-immigrants administered by the HCC Foundation called the Words in Transit Immigrant Scholarship. The suggestion to make HCC the beneficiary of those funds came from Stavans, who first conceived of the idea for the &quot;Words in Transit&quot; project with NEPR. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I have been having students that come from HCC to Amherst where I teach, and I have been involved here with classes and faculty and the administration,&quot; said Stavans, who is himself from Mexico.&quot;I love this place,&quot; he said of HCC. &quot;I think the American story is really told here, so I think that by funding students here we end up funding people all over.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The book is available at UMass Press at:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.umass.edu/umpress/title/words-transit&quot;&gt;http://www.umass.edu/umpress/title/words-transit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You can listen to the original radio interviews at:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://nepr.net/wordsintransit/&quot;&gt;http://nepr.net/wordsintransit/&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;To make a donation to the Words in Transit Immigration Scholarship fund, please go to:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/donate&quot;&gt;www.hcc.edu/donate&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Bryan Torres, '14, and Angelica Merino Monge, '17, sign copies of&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;Words in Transit: Stories of Immigration.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x428" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/government-lessons" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69" FileName="x428.xml" Name="Government lessons" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/ALC-Morse-thumb.jpg" Title="Government lessons engage" Abstract="Students enrolled in the Level 2 class at HCC's Adult Learning Center are preparing to take their high school equivalency test, the HiSet." ThumbnailAltText="Mayor Alex Morse visited HCC's Adult Learning Center Oct. 11 to give a lesson about governm" IntroCopy="Guest instructors included Holyoke mayor Alex Morse and state Rep. Aaron Vega." Date="2016-11-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Mayor Alex Morse visited HCC's Adult Learning Center Oct. 11 to give a lesson about governm&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/ALC-Morse.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By RONNI GORDON&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Earlier this week, state Rep. Aaron Vega was talking about state government, how it operates, how bills get passed, how voter initiatives, such as the four questions Massachusetts will consider Nov. 8 on Election Day, end up on the ballot.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Vega took questions on topics such as drivers' licenses for immigrants and the status of the Holyoke public schools. He also discussed the pros and cons of ballot Question 4, which, if passed, would legalize marijuana in the state. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A couple of weeks before, Holyoke mayor Alex Morse had stood in the same spot, at the front of a classroom in HCC's&amp;nbsp;Adult Learning Center&amp;nbsp;at the&amp;nbsp;Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center&amp;nbsp;in downtown Holyoke. &amp;nbsp;The mayor talked about government as well. He gave a crash course on the city's budget and explained the differences in governance at the local, state and national levels. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vega and Morse were both there for a night as guest lecturers. The students they spoke to are enrolled in an&amp;nbsp;Adult Basic Education&amp;nbsp;Level 2 Social Studies and Science class and preparing to take their high school equivalency test, the HiSet. The class meets in the evening three nights a week for three hours each night. The first half is social studies, the second half science. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We've been talking a lot about the election,&quot; said Aliza Ansell, coordinator of the ALC program and the class instructor, &quot;so, in social studies, I've been focusing on government and using the election as a platform to teach it.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The class textbook is called&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Painless American Government&lt;/em&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The speakers have been supporting the material students have been reading,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other guests this semester have included Linda Hueber, western Mass field organizer for Citizens for Farm Animal Protection, who talked about ballot Question 3 (The Massachusetts Minimum Size Requirements for Farm Animal Containment); and Sophia Buchanan, a government major from Smith College, and an activist with Black Lives Matter. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vega, a democrat who represents Holyoke and is an HCC alum, Class of 1990, encouraged students to get in touch with their local legislators when they have problems they want to see addressed. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;State and local issues are the issues that affect your daily life,&quot; said Vega. &quot;The thing that helps moves things along is people like yourselves. The squeaky wheel gets attention. If more people email us or write us or call us, whatever your issues are, that's what gets things done.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Buchanan, who also visited the class this week, talked about the Black Lives Matter movement, the value of education, and charter schools. She attended Fort Rivers Charter Public School in Greenfield. She is opposed to Question 2, which would expand the number of charter schools in the state, but presented arguments on both sides of the issue.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anzell said she asked all the guest speakers to present opposing viewpoints on election issues to help students prepare for the English Language Arts section of the HiSet exam. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;For the ELA section of the HiSet, students have to write a pro-con essay, so hearing both sides of the issue will help them think about the ballot questions in a pro-con way,&quot; Ansell said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Buchanan urged the students to stay informed on all the issues. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The main takeaway, said student Christina Alvarez, a 29-year-old mother of three from Holyoke, &quot;We learned that our voice counts.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The really cool thing,&quot; said Ansell, is how excited and interested the students have become about government and next week's election. They asked Rep. Vega if he could help them raise money for a trip to Washington, D.C. Probably not Washington, he said, but maybe Boston.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ansell said the class has also become obsessed with checking journalist Nate Silver's &quot;FiveThirtyEight&quot; web site for the latest polling numbers and election forecasts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The fact that they have gotten so turned on to government really speaks volumes about what the speakers have done to engage them,&quot; she said.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: &lt;em&gt;Mayor Alex Morse visited HCC's Adult Learning Center Oct. 11 to give a lesson about governm&lt;/em&gt;ent. He gave a crash course on the city's budget&lt;/em&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x474" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/30-years-of-esl" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|3" FileName="x474.xml" Name="30 years of ESL" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/ESL-awardees.jpg" Title="30 years of ESL" Abstract="Since 1986, the English as a Second Language program at HCC has helped thousands of non-native speakers prepare to do college-level academic work, in English." ThumbnailAltText="ERSL academic counselor Carlos Malavé, ESL teacher Vivian Leskes, and ESL tutor Bella Feldman were each honored for their longtime service to HCC's ESL program." IntroCopy="Since 1986, the ESL program at HCC has helped thousands of non-native speakers prepare to do college-level academic work, in English." Date="2016-10-27" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Current and former faculty and staff from HCC's ESL program gathered for a photograph to celebrate the 30th anniversary of HCC's ESL program.&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/ESL-group.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Deydamia Rodr&amp;iacute;guez was not on the list of scheduled speakers for the 30&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;nbsp;anniversary celebration of HCC's English as a Second Language program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But, following a program of short speeches and award presentations, the small, fiery woman from Ludlow was first to the microphone when the floor was opened up for additional comments. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She could hardly wait to talk and made no attempt to temper her enthusiasm. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am so pleased to be here in this place that I love,&quot; she said Wednesday to the capacity crowd in HCC's PeoplesBank Conference Room. &quot;When I came here in 1987, my English was zero. I was unable to communicate with anyone in English. Thanks to Holyoke Community College's ESL program, I am the woman that I am today.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By 1992, that woman, originally from the Dominican Republic, had graduated from HCC with her associate degree in Early Childhood Education. She then transferred to UMass, earning her bachelor's degree &quot;with honors,&quot; she noted. She started working as a kindergarten teacher in Springfield while studying for her master's degree. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;Holyoke Community College prepared me to be successful in life,&quot; she said. &quot;Thank you, Holyoke Community College. Thank you for all you did for me.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rodriguez was just one of dozens of ESL alumni who returned to HCC Wednesday, joining students, current and former faculty and staff to mark the anniversary of the program that began in 1986.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I see so many faces who were here 10 years ago, 15 years ago, 20 years ago, and so on, and we welcome you,&quot; said Idelia Smith, assistant vice president of Diversity and director of Academic Administration. &quot;We're so happy you could come back and help us celebrate this remarkable day.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Smith noted the origins of today's ESL program started with a &quot;grand meeting&quot; 33 years ago where Holyoke city officials and business leaders asked HCC to host an event to talk about what the college could do to support the community in educating the city's growing population of non-native English speakers. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Thirty years is a very long odyssey,&quot; Smith said. &quot;It has grown and grown and grown from the 40 plus students who started way back then to having hundreds and then thousands of students come through the program. I've watched it change, and it's a marvel.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It started as a non-credit, grant-funded program with two levels of ESL and three part-time instructors. Today, HCC's English as a Second Language studies program is the largest and most comprehensive in western Massachusetts, with five levels (four for credit), five full-time professors and more than 10-14 adjuncts teaching 34 different classes each semester. &amp;nbsp;The goal, today, as always, has been to help non-native speakers prepare to do college-level academic work, in English, on their way to a certificate or associate degree. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Understanding Holyoke's history is understanding that we have always been a city of immigrants,&quot; said state Rep. Aaron Vega, '90, of Holyoke, whose father immigrated to the U.S from Ecuador. &quot;The city was built on people from Ireland, people from France, people from Germany, different people from different religions and different backgrounds, different languages, different cultures coming to Holyoke to build a better life. This program is needed just as much today as it was 30 years ago.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The ESL program is so incredibly important,&quot; said Holyoke mayor Alex Morse. &quot;Being bilingual in today's age is such an asset to the folks here, and if we didn't invest in these programs then we're not helping those folks who come to our country to get ahead, to get an education, to be productive members of our society.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Four members of the HCC community received awards for their long-time service to the ESL program: Bella Feldman, who has worked as an ESL tutor at HCC for 30 years; Vivian Leskes, an ESL teacher at HCC since 1991; Carlos Malav&amp;eacute;, an ESL academic counselor, who went through the ESL program himself before graduating from HCC and UMass; Lucy Perez, a former coordinator of the ESL program, who is now on the HCC Board of Trustees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/10/hcc_celebrates_30-year_anniver.html#incart_river_index&quot; title=&quot;HCC celebrates 30th anniversary of ESL program&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See story and more photos on MassLive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Thumb)&amp;nbsp;ESL academic counselor Carlos Malav&amp;eacute;, ESL teacher Vivian Leskes, and ESL tutor Bella Feldman were each honored for their longtime service to HCC's ESL program. (Top)&amp;nbsp;Current and former faculty and staff from HCC's ESL program gathered for a photograph to celebrate the 30th anniversary of HCC's ESL program.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x476" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/another-cougar-crown" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="2" FileName="x476.xml" Name="Another Cougar crown" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/NechampsTRIO.jpg" Title="Another Cougar crown" Abstract="Sisters Natalie and Jennifer Galindo led HCC to a fifth straight New England Championship with a 4-0 victory over STCC." ThumbnailAltText="Three sophomore players pose with the New England Championship plaque, Liv Neiswanger, Natalie Galindo, and Alli Stuetzel." IntroCopy="The HCC Women's Soccer team won its fifth straight New England Championship." Date="2016-10-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The 2016 New England Champion Lady Cougars.  &quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/NEchamps.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 2016 Women's Soccer team won the New England (NJCAA Div. III Region XXI) Championship Sunday afternoon with a decisive 4-0 victory over longtime local rival Springfield Technical Community College.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Cougars had a perfect 11-0-0 record in regional games this year, outscoring their competition 73-2 while registering nine shutouts. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sophomore sisters Natalie Galindo, of Chicopee, and Jennifer Galindo, of South Hadley, both graduates of Chicopee Comprehensive High School, led the way for HCC in Sunday's championship win, dominating the pitch as they have all season long. Both players scored on spectacular free kicks, Natalie in the first half for the Cougar's first goal; and Jennifer in the second half for the team's third goal.&amp;nbsp;The Galindos lead the team in points this season, Natalie with 42 (15 goals, 12 assists) and Jennifer with 37 (12 goals, 13 assists).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sophomore forward Olivia Neiswanger, of Holyoke, a graduate of Cathedral High, scored the Cougars' second goal before assisting the one by Jenni Galindo. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Sophomore forward Taydrah Clinton, of Springfield (Renaissance High&lt;em&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;added the Cougar's fourth goal late in the game. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coach Rob Galazka also noted the outstanding play of freshman Allison Zollo of Monson (Monson High). &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Allie was an absolute force and one of the best players on the field for the entire 90 minutes,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Freshman goalkeeper MyKaela O'Connell, of Palmer (Palmer High) made three saves and earned her 10&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;nbsp;shutout of the season and the team's 11th. &amp;nbsp;Alexandria Stuetzel, of Feeding Hills (Agawam High), McKenzieWilson, of South Hadley (Smith Academy), and&amp;nbsp;Holly Wardwell, of Grandy (Granby High) also played brilliantly, Galazka said, each contributing with an assist. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Lady Cougars have won five consecutive New England Championships and nine of the last 11. They are undefeated in Region XXI over the past four seasons, last losing in 2012. &amp;nbsp;The team will next play for the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III District Championship on Sunday, Oct. 30, at 12 noon against Nassau Community College, the Region XV champions. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That game will be played at home at O'Connell Field. &amp;nbsp;A win there will earn HCC a spot in the Elite 8 of the NJCAA Division III National Championship Tournament. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Photos: (Thumbnail) Three sophomore players pose with the New England Championship plaque, Liv Neiswanger, Natalie Galindo, and Alli Stuetzel. (Top) The 2016 New England Champion Lady Cougars. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x581" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/president-finalists" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|66|193" FileName="x581.xml" Name="President finalists" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/HCC-Spring-thumb.jpg" Title="Finalists named for president" Abstract="On-campus interviews with the top candidates to become HCC's fourth president will be completed by Nov. 2." ThumbnailAltText="Spring shot of HCC campus with flowering tree" Date="2016-10-13" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Spring photo of HCC campus&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/HCC-Spring-flowers.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDITOR's NOTE:&amp;nbsp;One of the original four finalists, Naydeen T. Gonz&amp;aacute;lez-De Jes&amp;uacute;s, vice president of Student Affairs, Bergen Community College, has withdrawn from consideration after accepting another position.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For the first time in its 70-year history, Holyoke Community College will likely have a woman as its president.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All the finalists for the position held most recently by William Messner (2004-2016), and previously by David Bartley (1975-2003) and George Frost (1946-1975), are women with extensive experience in higher education and community college service. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;The search committee tasked with finding HCC's fourth president announced the finalists' names today. &amp;nbsp;They are: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;Laura L. Douglas, PhD, provost of Des Moines Area Community College's Urban Campus, who was born in Northampton and spent her early years living in Amherst.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Julie A. White, PhD, senior vice president of Student Engagement and Learning Support, Onondaga Community College, Syracuse, New York.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Christina Royal, PhD, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;The final four were pared down from a list of 11 semi-finalists, culled from 30 applicants who met the &quot;preferred qualifications&quot; established by the search committee and the Pauly Group, the professional firm hired to assist in the selection process. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Hiring a college president is no small nor easy task,&quot; said Robert Gilbert, chair of the HCC Board of Trustees and one of the search committee members. &quot;It is a great responsibility, and we take that responsibility very seriously. It is also a great and exciting opportunity to choose a new leader with both experience and vision. We're quite impressed by all the finalists.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On-campus interviews and visits with the finalists begin Monday with Laura Douglas (Oct. 17-18) and will continue with Julie White (Oct. 25-26) and Christina Royal (Nov. 1-2). &amp;nbsp;Each finalist will participate in two days of meetings, meals, tours and discussions with the search committee, Board of Trustees, administration, faculty, staff, and students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Members of the community are invited to attend an open coffee session with each of the candidates at HCC's Picknelly Adult &amp;amp; Family Education Center in downtown Holyoke. (&lt;em&gt;See&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;s&lt;em&gt;chedule below&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're looking forward to the on-campus interviews with the finalists and have structured their visits to give them the broadest exposure to the campus community,&quot; said Gilbert. &quot;We welcome input from all areas of the college and invite members of the community to meet the finalists as well.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While on campus, the finalists will also participate in Skype interviews with Jim Peyser, state secretary of Education, and Carlos Santiago, commissioner of Higher Education. &amp;nbsp;Once the campus interviews are complete, the trustees will meet Nov. 2 pick their top choice, which needs to be approved by the Board of Higher Education. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Messner retired in August. William Fogarty, vice president of Administration and Finance, is now serving as interim president of the college.&amp;nbsp;The new president is expected to be at work at HCC before the start of the Spring 2017 semester. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additional Background on the Finalists:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Laura L. Douglas&lt;/strong&gt;, doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education, 2005, University of Michigan; master of arts in Higher Education, 2001, University of Michigan; master of arts, International Administration, 1980, School for International Training; bachelor of arts in Social Welfare, 1982, University of Southern Maine. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Julie A. White&lt;/strong&gt;, doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership, 2013, University of Rochester; master in Education-Counseling, 1989, Xavier University; bachelor of science, Education, 1985, Miami University.&lt;a href=&quot;Documents/Marketing and Communications/Julie White - Campus Visit Sheet 1.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Julie White Interview Schedule&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Christina Royal&lt;/strong&gt;, doctor of Education, 2007, Capella University; master of arts, Educational Psychology, 2003, Marist College; bachelor of arts, Math, Marist College. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Community coffee with the candidates:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;All sessions will be held at the Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center, 206 Maple St., Holyoke. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Laura L. Douglas: Tues., Oct. 18, 10:30-11:30 a.m., PAFEC, Room 104. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Julie White: Wed., Oct. 26, 10:30-11:30 a.m., PAFEC, Room 402/403 &amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Christina Royal: Wed., Nov. 2, 10:30-11:30 a.m., PAFEC, Room 104. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x477" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/immigration-stories" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|165" FileName="x477.xml" Name="Immigration stories" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Angelica-at-HCC-thumb.jpg" Title="Immigrants inspire book " Abstract="HCC student Angelica Merino Monge originally told her story for the 'Words in Transit' oral history project broadcast on New England Public Radio." ThumbnailAltText="Angelica Merino Monge, at HCC. " Date="2016-10-25" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Angelica Merino Monge, at HCC. &quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Angelica-at-HCC-cropped.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She has told her story many times now. In the newspaper. On the radio. At public events. To teachers and classmates. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's a story about fleeing gang violence in El Salvador with her mother and brother at the age of 10. About being smuggled through the Mexican desert on their way to the U.S. About struggling to learn English in American schools and yearning to go to college. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For a long time, though,&amp;nbsp;Angelica Merino Monge&amp;nbsp;had been afraid to tell her story, afraid of the backlash and scrutiny she might face over her immigration status. &amp;nbsp;At HCC, she learned to be an advocate for herself and others like her, undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children, seeking to better their lives through education. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My teachers really taught me how to be open about who I am, where I come from, my struggles,&quot; she said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Merino Monge's story is one of 28 featured in a new book from the University of Massachusetts Press called&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Words in Transit: Stories of Immigrants.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;Another story in the collection is that of HCC alumnus Bryan Torres, '14, who also left El Salvador for the U.S. as a child. Torres is now a student at Amherst College. &amp;nbsp;Both will tell their stories again Wednesday night when they take part in a panel discussion at an&amp;nbsp;HCC event celebrating immigration and education.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The event, Wed., Oct. 26, at 6:30 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater, marks both the release of&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Words in Transit&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;and&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;the creation of a new scholarship at HCC for student-immigrants funded in part by proceeds from the sale of the book. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first-person accounts collected in the book were originally broadcast on New England Public Radio for an oral history project called&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://nepr.net/wordsintransit/&quot; title=&quot;Words in Transit on NEPR&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Words in Transit.&lt;/a&gt;&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Words in Transit&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;book was edited by Ilan Stavans, a professor of Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College. He will moderate the discussion. &amp;nbsp;Also appearing on the panel will be Tema Silk, an NEPR producer and managing director of the &quot;Words in Transit&quot; radio project, and Raul Gutierrez, HCC professor of Spanish. John Voci, an NEPR producer and director of &quot;Words in Transit&quot; will discuss the project's development and play clips from the original broadcasts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Amy Dopp, interim HCC vice president of Institutional Development, will introduce the scholarship, which was largely inspired by the stories of Merino Monge and Torres.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Merino Monge, a graduate of Amherst-Pelham Regional High School, and Torres (Northampton High School) came to the attention of NEPR after telling their stories to the Daily Hampshire Gazette for an article about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act, which granted temporary residency to certain undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. The two were again featured in news stories for their role in organizing the 2015 Out of the Shadows march in Amherst, which was meant to bring attention to the plight of undocumented immigrants and DACA students. &amp;nbsp;They were then recorded for the NEPR project. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I had never told my story, my full length story, to anyone, especially on the radio,&quot; said Merino Monge, who now lives in Northampton, &quot;so that was a new experience for me. The reason I did it, I guess, was to raise awareness about undocumented people, but more specifically about undocumented students.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, Merino Monge is president of the LISA Club (Latino International Students Association). She has earned several scholarships from the HCC Foundation and last spring won the award for Outstanding Student in Political Science. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Outside of school, she tutors migrant workers enrolled in the &quot;Planting Literacy&quot; program at Head Start in Springfield. She is an intern at the Holyoke Public Library, where she translates documents and forms for a Puerto Rican history project. &amp;nbsp;She also works 35-40 hours a week as a personal care assistant and dietary aide at Center for Extended Care in Hadley. Because of her immigration status, she does not qualify for financial aid. She also must pay between $200 and $1,000 every two years to maintain her DACA status. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think education is as important to me as it is for anyone, to get ahead, to be someone in life, to do what you want to do,&quot; said Merino Monge. &quot;For me, it's especially important because I've had to fight for it. I know the value of what I'm paying for. I think it motivates me even more to get good grades and make the experience at HCC as rewarding as I can.&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She said the feedback she's received from the original &quot;Words in Transit&quot; radio broadcast has been mostly positive. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;There were a few people who were not understanding,&quot; she said. &quot;Obviously, immigration is a really hot topic. I've gotten some negative reactions, but also some really good stuff. So I feel like the good stuff far outweighs the negative.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Initially, she said, she was ambivalent about her story being published in a book, but has since warmed to the idea. She has already made one public appearance at a bookstore in Easthampton to help promote the book.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I wasn't really sure how I felt about the book at first because I knew that it was going to be extremely public,&quot; she said, &quot;but now that they're doing the scholarship for immigrant students, I'm very proud.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY by CHRIS YURKO&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS by Beth Reynolds: Angelica Merino Monge, at HCC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x568" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/chw-simulation" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="69|3" FileName="x568.xml" Name="CHW simulation" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/CHW-Esther.jpg" Title="'Are you o.k., Mrs. Johnson'" Abstract="A simulation room in HCC's Center for Health Education mimics the conditions a community health worker might find during a home visit." ThumbnailAltText="Esther Russell of Springfield talks to &quot;Mrs. Johnson&quot; during a simulated home visit. " IntroCopy="Simulation set-up mimics home visit" Date="2016-10-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Esther Russell of Springfield talks to &amp;quot;Mrs. Johnson&amp;quot; during a simulated home visit. &quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/CHW-Wide.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among her many ailments, Mrs. Johnson suffers from cirrhosis and hypothermia. She uses a nasal cannula connected to an oxygen tank to help her breathe. Yet, she still likes to smoke Newports and drink Keystone Light and nips of Jack Daniel's Fireball.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mrs. Johnson is not very tidy. Her small studio apartment is a mess. Garbage overflows the trashcan. Dirty dishes, chip bags, empty beer cans and liquor bottles crowd the kitchen sink. Newspapers cover the floor, from one end of the room to the other. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mrs. Johnson has lots of problems. That's why Esther Russell is here. &amp;nbsp;&quot;Mrs. Johnson, what's this?&quot; Russell politely asks, pointing to the white powdery substance on the table. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I crush up my pills, Mrs. Johnson says. &quot;It's easier for me to swallow them.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mrs. Johnson blinks frequently, and she talks without moving her lips. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Are you feeling all right today?&quot; Russell asks. &amp;nbsp;&quot;I guess,&quot; says Mrs. Johnson. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Frankly, Mrs. Johnson looks a little stiff. She never budges from her chair nor moves her hands, even though she's holding a cigarette between the fingers of her right hand. Her immobility, however, is not one of her medical conditions. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Mrs. Johnson&quot; is a SIM, a computerized medical simulation mannequin used at Holyoke Community College to train students for work in health care fields. Her vitals, including pulse and breath rate, are controlled by a simulation technician who sits in a darkened control room behind a two-way mirror. Her voice is his as well, coursened and piped in through a microphone.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Russell, who is from Springfield, is a student in HCC's&amp;nbsp;Community Health Worker program. Mrs. Johnson's apartment scene was staged to mimic the conditions a community health worker might find during a home visit. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Community health workers need to know how to work with individuals who may have multiple health conditions and be able to help them get the assistance they need to improve their health,&quot; said Janet Grant, coordinator of HCC's Community Health Worker program. &quot;They are often hired by organizations to make home visits to help patients follow their treatment plans.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier this year, HCC became the first area institution to unveil a&amp;nbsp;Community Health Worker certificate program. Last week, students enrolled in Health 104: &quot;Core Competencies for the Community Health Worker&quot; had their first chance to practice in the&amp;nbsp;simulation lab at HCC's Center for Health Education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The community health worker program is fairly new in Massachusetts and to our college, and the use of simulation in our Community Health Worker program is cutting edge,&quot; said HCC SIM lab coordinator Michelle Sherlin. &quot;Nobody in the country is using it much outside of nursing and medical education, so to use it for a Community Health Worker outreach experience for students is very innovative.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Working in pairs, students took turns visiting Mrs. Johnson, knocking on her door and entering only after she gave them permission. In a nearby conference room, their classmates and instructor watched the interactions on a large-screen monitor.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In our class, we can role play some of this as a way to practice the needed skill sets, but doing it in a simulation lab is much more realistic,&quot; said Grant. &quot;The SIM staff set the room up with items that would trigger the kinds of conversations community health workers need to have with clients when doing this work, conversations about safety, nutrition, medication, oxygen therapy, smoking cessation, alcohol abuse, support systems and a lot more.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After each visit, students discussed what they had done well and where they might improve and listened to feedback from Grant and guest Wendy Coco, a program manager at Commonwealth Care Alliance who supervises the agency's community health workers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It was great to have Wendy there to field questions and talk about what this looks like in the 'real world,'&quot; said Grant.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Esther Russell of Springfield talks to &quot;Mrs. Johnson&quot; during a simulated home visit.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154581896739330.1073742012.135146729329&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;l=8a12b18c77&quot; title=&quot;Simulation set-up mimics home visit photo album&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SEE MORE PHOTOS IN OUR FACEBOOK GALLERY&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x585" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/aaron-lakota" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|65|226" FileName="x585.xml" Name="Aaron Lakota" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Aaron-Lakota-thumb.jpg" Title="'It's just got that sound'" Abstract="Professional oboe player Aaron Lakota, '05, returned to HCC as part of the Music Department's Alumni Guest Series." ThumbnailAltText="Aaron Lakota performs at HCC" IntroCopy="Professional oboe player Aaron Lakota, '05, returned to HCC as a guest performer." Date="2016-09-30" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Aaron Lakota&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Aaron-Lakota-thumb.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first time he heard one,&amp;nbsp;Aaron Lakota&amp;nbsp;knew he wanted to play the oboe.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He was 12 years old and attending what they call an instrument petting zoo in Belchertown for students interested in joining beginner band. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;I wanted to play either percussion, clarinet or trumpet,&quot; Lakota, '05, said last week during a visit to his old stomping grounds at HCC. &quot;I had never heard an oboe before.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then, his teacher, who later became his mentor, played one.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&quot;In fact, she played&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;this&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;oboe,&quot; he said, indicating the one he had brought to HCC. &quot;It was hers. She gave it to me as a gift. She played this, and everything else went away. I said, I want to play an oboe, cause it's just got that sound.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For those unfamiliar with the oboe, it's a woodwind that looks like a clarinet, sleek, generally black. Instead of a mouthpiece that looks like a duckbill an oboe has a tubular, pencil-thin double reed sticking out of the top onto which oboists pinch their lips and blow. &amp;nbsp;Few people play them, because it's so difficult, and orchestras generally have only one. The sound has been described as being as close to that of a human voice as an instrument can get.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I always knew that I wanted to be surrounded by music and the oboe in some way,&quot; Lakota said this week during a guest performance at HCC as part of the&amp;nbsp;Music Department's Alumni Music Series. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lakota talked a bit about his academic and professional career during breaks between performances of Schumann's Three Romances for Oboe and Piano, which he called &quot;chop busters.&quot; He was accompanied on piano by alumna Ania Bostock, '03, an adjunct instructor of music at HCC. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lakota, 32, now lives in Holyoke and has been playing the oboe for 20 years. He is an active music teacher and performer in the Pioneer Valley. He has played with the Holyoke City Symphony and the Farmington Valley Symphony, as well as other chamber music groups. He is a founding board member and artistic adviser with the Valley Winds and was recently named principal oboist with the Pioneer Valley Symphony. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He is also a professional reed maker. His business,&amp;nbsp;A.Lakota Reeds, provides hand-made reeds for oboists throughout North America. It's the reed business, he says, that has allowed him to focus on his music. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I'm a good reed maker, so these little things are what I do to supplement my income,&quot; he said. &quot;It's allowed me to play music and be a musician full time. I don't have a day job. I teach, I make reeds, I play music, and it's worked out great.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He wasn't always sure it would. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite amassing 64 credits here, he never graduated from HCC. In the spring of 2005 he got a D in music theory and quit school. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;That was my fault,&quot; he said. &quot;I was a total slacker. I really worked hard at music. I worked hard at performing and practicing, but I spent more time in practice rooms than classrooms. That was sort of both a detriment and a benefit. &quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He not only quit school, he quit music entirely for more than a year. Then he reached out to Fred Cohen, an oboe teacher at UMass, looking for lessons. Cohen convinced him to go back to school. Lakota transferred his credits, earned his bachelor's degree in music from UMass and then his master's degree. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I think about HCC a lot,&quot; he told students, &quot;and I attribute the success that I have now in large part to here, and also my success in making it through UMass, and my success making it through my grad studies. It gave me an introduction to a life when I wasn't sure what I wanted to do yet.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He urged students to &quot;keep embracing what you're doing.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;If you work hard at things, I think you can succeed with them, no matter what the field is,&quot; he said. &quot;It's less about talent than it is about working your ass off and putting in the time and doing it.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Professional oboe player Aaron Lakota, '05, returned to HCC as part of the Music Department's Alumni Guest Series.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x582" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/go-higher-fa16" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="3|97|193" FileName="x582.xml" Name="Go Higher FA16" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Higher-Gov-Frances.jpg" Title="'Go Higher' the message" Abstract="STEM scholar Frances Rivera-Diaz and alumna Selina Ortega, '16, talked about their experiences at HCC and the importance of a college education." ThumbnailAltText="HCC student Frances Rivera-Diaz with Gov. Charlie Baker at the Go Higher college fair earlier this week in Springfield. " Date="2016-10-07" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Kassandra Rivera, 18, a senior at Springfield  Central High School, listens to the heartbeat of a patient simulator from HCC at a Go Higher college fair this week at the Basketball Hall of Fame.&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Higher-Kassandra.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SPRINGFIELD &amp;mdash; They oooed and ahhed over the baby in the car seat, leaned in to take a closer look, reached down to touch its skin, and gasped when it cried out. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;How do you make it stop?&quot; said one of the girls, a senior from Springfield's Central High School.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this case, all you'd have to do is touch a button on the computer screen. &amp;nbsp;The infant with the red pacifier was a &quot;newborn&quot; patient simulator from the high-fidelity medical&amp;nbsp;Simulation Center&amp;nbsp;at the&amp;nbsp;Center for Health Education&amp;nbsp;at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like other patient simulators used for health education at HCC, this baby blinks, breathes, &quot;talks,&quot; and has a heartbeat. It can also be programmed to mimic the behavior of a real infant, complete with illnesses and other medical complications. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier this week, the infant and its &quot;brother,&quot; a five-year-old patient simulator in a wheelchair, visited the Basketball Hall of Fame as part of a &quot;Go Higher&quot; college fair organized by the Dept. of Higher Education to promote the state's public colleges and universities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the course of the two-day fair, 1,800 high school seniors from Springfield also visited the Hall to view exhibits like HCC's, talk to&amp;nbsp;Admissions counselors, and listen to students and alumni talk about their experiences in college. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was the largest college fair ever put on by the state Dept. of Higher Education, organizers said. Gov. Charlie Baker attended the first day of the fair on Tuesday. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/HolyokeCommunityCollege/&quot; title=&quot;HCC on Facebook&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See more photos from the Oct. 4-5 Go Higher Event on HCC's Facebook page:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the student and alumni speakers were two from HCC: Selina Ortega, '16, a 21-year-old criminal justice major from Holyoke, who now works at HCC as a campus police officer and is also working on her bachelor's degree in psychology at Bay Path University; and current HCC student Frances Rivera-Diaz, 31, who briefly attended Springfield's Commerce High School before dropping out in 9&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;nbsp;grade. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Unfortunately, I didn't make the right choices,&quot; Rivera-Diaz said. &quot;I was working and I was like, I have a job already, what do I need school for?&quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She talked about the succession of low-paying jobs she had over the years, in manufacturing, landscaping, fast food, dog walking. &quot;I was working every day, six days a week, about 40-50 hours and I wasn't getting anywhere. It was tiring.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Her life changed, she said, after she got her&amp;nbsp;GED through HCC. She moved on to HCC's&amp;nbsp;Transition to College and Careers program, then to HCC's&amp;nbsp;STEM Starter Academy, through which she earned a National Science Foundation STEM Scholarship. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's put me through college,&quot; she said. &quot;I'm very proud of that.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She is now an engineering major at HCC. Her dream is to work for NASA. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I don't want a job,&quot; she told the crowd. &quot;I want a career.&amp;nbsp;A career is different than a job. You're doing something for yourself; you're doing something possibly for the community; you're doing something that will get you further in life and that you're passionate about.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x584" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/commonwealth-commitment" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="3|165|225" FileName="x584.xml" Name="Commonwealth Commitment" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Commonwealth-Siefken.jpg" Title="College at a discount" Abstract="By starting at HCC, students enrolled in the 'Commonwealth Commitment' can save thousands on the cost of a bachelor's degree." ThumbnailAltText="HCC student Devon Siefken was one of the first HCC students to sign on to the new Commonwealth Commitment. " IntroCopy="The state's 'Commonwealth Commitment' promises thousands in savings on the cost of a college degree. " Date="2016-10-03" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC Transfer coordinator Mark Broadbent, left, talks to first-year student Keondra Lafortune about transfer options in his office in the ACT Center&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/Commonwealth-Keondra.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For Devon Siefken, signing up for the state's new Commonwealth Commitment program was a no-brainer. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 18-year-old student from Easthampton had already earned nine college credits while she was in high school. She knew she wanted to study psychology at HCC and then transfer to the University of Massachusetts. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For a motivated community college student like her, intent on earning a bachelor's degree at a four-year state school, the&amp;nbsp;Commonwealth Commitment promised a freeze on tuition and fees at HCC, a tuition waiver and fee freeze at UMass and a 10 percent cash rebate each semester &amp;mdash; an estimated cost savings of $6,640 over four years. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I got an email about it, and it just seemed to fit everything that I wanted to do,&quot; Siefken said. &quot;I was immediately like, Oh, my gosh, I have to get an application for this.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Siefken was one of the first students at HCC to sign on to the Commonwealth Commitment. Filling out the two-page application took about two minutes, she said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The application is available through the&amp;nbsp;Commonwealth Commitment page&amp;nbsp;on the HCC web site and in the ACT Center in Frost 273. By signing on to the Commonwealth Commitment, students agree to complete their associate degree at HCC within 2&amp;frac12; years, transfer to one of Massachusetts' state universities, and complete their bachelor's degree within two more years. They must maintain full-time, continuous enrollment and a cumulative GPA of 3.0. They must also sign up to participate before earning 15 credits (including developmental credits). &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For her participation, Siefken's tuition and fees at HCC will be locked in at Fall 2016 prices; she will receive a complete tuition waiver at UMass (through the&amp;nbsp;MassTransfer program); her fees at UMass will also be locked in at Fall 2016 prices; and she will receive a 10 percent cash rebate on tuition and fees at the end of every semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am excited about it,&quot; said Siefken. &quot;I think it'll be good for everything I want to go into. It'll help a lot.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This semester, her first at HCC, Siefken is taking four classes: Human Biology, Adolescent Psychology; Statistics for Psychology; and Painting. She said she's not worried about maintaining a 3.0 GPA.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I consider myself a pretty good student,&quot; she said. &quot;I've always had good grades, honor roll, National Honor Society, and so I knew that I could do that.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While only a handful of HCC students have signed up for the Commonwealth Commitment so far, many more could potentially qualify. Hundreds of HCC students each year transfer to UMass and Westfield State alone. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;UMass and Westfield are out top two schools for transfer,&quot; said Mark Broadbent, HCC Transfer Affairs coordinator, &quot;so for the right student, it's an excellent opportunity to save a lot of money on the cost of their bachelor's degrees.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Right now, the Commonwealth Commitment applies to students majoring in six academic areas: biology, chemistry, economics, history, political science and psychology. Beginning in September 2017, the Dept. of Higher Education plans to expand the program to include business, communications and media studies, computer science, criminal justice, early childhood education, English, liberal arts, math, sociology and STEM physical or natural sciences.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: (Top)&amp;nbsp;HCC Transfer coordinator Mark Broadbent, left, talks to first-year student Keondra Lafortune about transfer options in his office in the ACT Center. (Thumbnail) HCC student Devon Siefken was one of the first HCC students to sign on to the new Commonwealth Commitment.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x587" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/film-festival-fa16" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="3|193" FileName="x587.xml" Name="Film Festival FA16" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Film-CRISTAL1.jpg" Title="Film series expands focus" Abstract="HCC's third-annual celebration of films from Central and Latin America focuses on themes about migration." ThumbnailAltText="Screenshot from Who is Dayani Cristal?, the final film in this year's film festival." Date="2016-09-22" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Screenshot from Who is Dayani Cristal?, the final film in this year's film festival.&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Film-CRISTAL1.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Migration not only affects people who leave their homelands, but also the loved ones they leave behind.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That is the theme behind&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Everybody Leaves,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;the first installment in this year's Holyoke Community College &quot;Ibero-American Film Festival,&quot; which features five weeks of free screenings of movies from Central and Latin America. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The third-annual film festival begins Wed., Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. in HCC's Leslie Phillips Theater with&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Everybody Leaves&lt;/em&gt;. The film, from Chile&lt;em&gt;,&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;deals with social and political unrest in Cuba under Castro as seen through the eyes of an 8-year-old girl in the midst of a custody battle. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The film series continues each Wednesday through Oct. 26, concluding with the screening of&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Who is Dayani Cristal?,&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;a documentary that tracks an investigation to identify a man who died in the Arizona desert after crossing the border from Mexico. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Formerly called the &quot;Spanish Film Festival,&quot; the new title reflects an expanded focus. In the previous two years, all the films were in Spanish. This year one of the films (&lt;em&gt;The Second Mother,&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;on Oct. 19, from Brazil) is in Portuguese. &amp;nbsp;All have English subtitles. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is the first time we have had a film from Brazil,&quot; said Spanish professor Raul Gutierrez, chair of the HCC Language Studies Department and one of the organizers of the film festival. &quot;We're trying to expand our reach with this.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Brazil is part of Latin America, and we don't teach Portuguese here, but it seemed like such a good film, so why not?&quot; said Spanish professor Monica Torregrosa, the other event organizer. &quot;It might spur interest in learning Portuguese, which would be great.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The theme of migration runs throughout this year's festival entries. That was by design, said Gutierrez.&amp;nbsp;This year the film festival dovetails with another Pioneer Valley-wide project Gutierrez and HCC are involved with called the &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.recorder.com/Getting-us-all-on-the-same-page--Mary-Lyon-gets-grant-for-valley-reading-program-4766304&quot; title=&quot;Recorder story on the Big Read&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Big Read,&lt;/a&gt;&quot; which is sponsored by the Mary Lyon Foundation and kicks off Oct. 15.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The foundation won a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for the project and selected the novel&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Into the Beautiful North,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;by Mexican-American author Luis Alberto Urrea, which is about a Mexican village where all the men have left to find jobs in the U.S. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Next April, Urrea is scheduled to visit HCC to present his work. &amp;nbsp;In keeping with the theme of Urrea's novel, &quot;Big Read&quot; organizers asked Gutierrez to select films this year that deal with issues related to migration, and HCC's Ibero-American Film Festival is one of the events listed on the &quot;Big Read&quot; calendar. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gutierrez said he is also working to schedule more screenings of this year's films at off-campus locations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;I think people really enjoy the opportunity to see quality films for free,&quot; said Torregrosa. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;All the films are free and open to the general public. All screenings will be held in the Leslie Phillips Theater in HCC's Fine and Performing Arts Building.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;Screenshot from&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;Who is Dayani Cristal?&lt;em&gt;, the final film in this year's film festival.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x586" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/act-center" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|227" FileName="x586.xml" Name="ACT Center" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/ACT_CAREER.jpg" Title="Time to ACT" Abstract="The HCC Career Center has moved into the Advising Center in Frost 273 to form the new Advising, Career and Transfer Center." ThumbnailAltText="Career Center coordinator Richard Powers works with HCC student Paris Taheri in the new ACT Center.     " IntroCopy="HCC Career Center merges with Advising and Transfer" Date="2016-09-29" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Career Center coordinator Richard Powers works with HCC student Paris Taheri in the new ACT Center.     &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/ACT_CAREER.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the past, new students who came to the HCC&amp;nbsp;Advising Center&amp;nbsp;seeking guidance on choosing a major were often referred to the Career Center.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If students have a clear sense of their career path, the thinking goes, it's easier for them to choose an academic concentration, and they are more motivated in their classes. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is not an exceptionally long walk from Frost 273 to KC 322 but directions could be confusing to someone unfamiliar with the campus: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Go down the hall, out the door, down the stairs, across the courtyard, down another set of stairs, into the Kittredge Center, up to the third floor, down the hallway, all the way in the back. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If they were unsure about a major, we'd always refer them,&quot; said Linda Scott, director of Advising, &quot;but we didn't know if they actually went.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those days are gone. &amp;nbsp;On Monday, Sept. 26, the&amp;nbsp;Career Center&amp;nbsp;officially moved into the Advising Center. Accordingly, the suite of student services now located in Frost 273 is collectively called the ACT Center, short for Advising, Career and Transfer Center. (HCC&amp;nbsp;Transfer services, under the direction of coordinator Mark Broadbent, moved from Admissions into the Advising Center in 2011 after the area was renovated.) &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Scott said the new move makes sense for students. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Advising and career counseling are very linked,&quot; said Scott, &quot;because we're talking about career goals, their life goals. All the data says that when a student has a goal and understands that goal ahead of time, they're more likely to succeed, and that's what we're about.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The move comes at the same time as another big change in academic advising at HCC. New students no longer have to declare a major when they first enroll for classes. They can postpone that decision until the end of their first semester. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All of the &quot;undecided&quot; majors are being assigned to one of the three Career counselors who now have offices in the ACT Center: Richard Powers (Career Center coordinator), Bemie Enyong and Margaret Downing. The Career counselors then become the students' academic advisers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Career exploration is an important resource and something HCC tries to introduce to students early in their college careers, said Michelle Snizek, director of Retention and Student Success. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;If they are 'undecided' when they first check in, they can immediately be sent to a career counselor,&quot; she said. &quot;Those students can now access that service right here, in the ACT Center. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to Snizek, the Advising Center records about 17,000 student visits during each academic term. So it is a high traffic area where more students are likely to be exposed to Career services. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This is where students are coming when they first enter the college,&quot; she said. &quot;When they apply, they come here to take their college placement test, then they come over to advising, where they do educational planning and set up their schedules.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Career Center had been tucked into the back corner at the end of the third floor corridor of the Kittredge Center. &amp;nbsp;All Career center activities, including career counseling and career workshops, will now take place in the ACT Center, unless otherwise noted. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;To have the Career Center embedded within Advising is just an amazing resource for students,&quot; said Scott, &quot;and then we also have Transfer here. So we have three key functions of the college in one area where we're all working together. It's phenomenal. We've been wanting this for a long time.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: &amp;nbsp;Career Center coordinator Richard Powers works with HCC student Paris Taheri in the new ACT Center.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x589" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/emt-grant" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="193|194" FileName="x589.xml" Name="EMT grant" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Features/EMT.jpg" Title="EMT program gets boost" Abstract="A grant will allow HCC to expand the number of students served in its non-credit EMT classes and offer state-of-the-art training equipment." ThumbnailAltText="EMTs excort a patient on a stretcher" Date="2016-09-21" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;EMTs escort a patient on a stretcher&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Features/EMT.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College has been awarded a $127,741 Workforce Skills Capital Grant to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for its EMT Training Program.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The grant, announced this week by the governor's office, will allow HCC to expand the number of students served in its non-credit emergency medical technician classes and offer improved training equipment and materials at the college's new Center for Health Education, adjacent to the main campus on Jarvis Avenue. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC was one of seven community colleges, vocational high schools and educational collaboratives chosen to share in a total funding package worth $2.6 million. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This was a great opportunity for us to get some needed funding to replace outdated materials and equipment, which, because of the cost, is difficult to keep up to date,&quot; said Ken White, dean of HCC Community Services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The grant will allow HCC to expand the number of students served in the noncredit certificate EMT classes, which are geared for firefighters and other emergency workers who need certification or continuing education; individuals interested in beginning careers as EMTs; and nurses or other heath professionals. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Students at all levels will have access to state-of-the-art technologies, including simulators that respond to student actions,&quot; White said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Instructors for the enhanced program will be supplied by Springfield Technical Community College, White said. Together, HCC and STCC, through Training and Workforce Options, their collaborative workforce program, will work with area employers to provide customized EMT training opportunies at HCC's Center for Health Education. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The goal of these grants is to expand the capacity of programs that build skills for Massachusetts residents,&quot; said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito. &quot;We already see the impact these grants are having at educational programs around the state, and we know these investments will strengthen the state's economy for all residents.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: &amp;nbsp;EMTs escort a patient on a stretcher.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x595" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/katie-stebbins" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="" FileName="x595.xml" Name="Katie Stebbins" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Katie-Stebbins-globe.jpg" Title="Gov. appoints new trustee" Abstract="Katie L. Stebbins has a long record of experience in economic development and urban planning in the Greater Springfield area." ThumbnailAltText="Katie Stebbins in her Boston office. " IntroCopy="Katie L. Stebbins has a long record of experience in economic development and urban planning in the Greater Springfiel area. " Date="2016-09-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Katie Stebbins in her Boston office.&quot; height=&quot;503&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Katie-Stebbins-globe.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Katie L. Stebbins, the assistant secretary of Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Massachusetts and a longtime economic development consultant and urban planner in the Greater Springfield area, has been appointed by Gov. Baker to the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Since April 2015, Stebbins, who recently moved from Springfield to Holliston, has worked for the state in the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. Previously, as the founder and principal of Your Friend in Springfield Consulting, a private economic development and project management firm, she helped establish the Holyoke Innovation District. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC's new center for hospitality and culinary arts is now under development in the Cubit Building in the Holyoke Innovation District. Stebbins was one of the guest speakers there last December during a press event announcing a $1.75 million state grant for the facility, scheduled to open next summer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I am honored to serve as a trustee of Holyoke Community College,&quot; Stebbins said. &quot;I have a personal and deep commitment to Holyoke and western Mass. This opportunity will allow me to further engage with HCC's excellent record of impacting education, workforce training, and economic development in the region.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stebbins, 45, holds a master's degree in regional planning and a graduate certificate in Latin American Studies from the University of Massachusetts. She began her career in 1998 in Springfield as a senior planner, project manager and brownfield coordinator with the city Planning Department and later as the deputy director and principal planner for the Springfield Office of Planning and Economic Development. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Katie brings a wealth of experience as a leader in economic development in Springfield, Holyoke, the region and the state and has long been a friend to the college,&quot; said interim HCC president Bill Fogarty.&amp;nbsp;&quot;She will be a welcome addition to the board.&quot;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: Katie Stebbins, in her Boston office, courtesy of the Boston Globe.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x588" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/heylook-holyoke" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:33:39" CategoryIds="4|66" FileName="x588.xml" Name="HeyLook Holyoke" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Frank-Ward-Taber.jpg" Title="'Flesh and metal'" Abstract="HCC visual arts professor Frank Ward has been taking photographs of people and places in Holyoke for nearly five decades." ThumbnailAltText="HCC visual art professor Frank Ward talks about &quot;HeyLook HoLyoke,&quot; his exhibit of photographs on display in the Taber Art Gallery. " IntroCopy="Professor Frank Ward's photo exhibit celebrates five decades of Holyoke history." Date="2016-09-26" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC visual art professor Frank Ward talks about &amp;quot;HeyLook HoLyoke,&amp;quot; his exhibit of photographs on display in the Taber Art Gallery. &quot; height=&quot;504&quot; src=&quot;images/About/News/2017/Thumbnails/Frank-Ward-Taber.jpg&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first photograph in professor Frank Ward's exhibit in HCC's Taber Art Gallery recalls a 19&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;nbsp;century New York City tenement. Clotheslines strung from rickety wooden balconies crisscross the common courtyard below, sagging under their own weight.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In fact, Ward snapped the grainy black and white photo in Holyoke in 1970. He was then an undergraduate student at the University of Massachusetts and had recently bought his first camera - a 35-millimeter - and was only then learning how to use it. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;It's not from my very first roll of film,&quot; he recently recalled, &quot;but it's probably in the first half dozen or so.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During his long career as both a teacher and photographer, Ward, a professor of visual art at HCC, has traveled all over the world taking pictures. He's been to India, Tibet, Bosnia, Kosovo, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Russia, among other places, and has won numerous awards and grants for his work. But the subject he has returned to more than any other during the past five decades &amp;mdash; and the focus of his exhibit &amp;mdash; is Holyoke.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Holyoke is a treasure,&quot; said Ward, who lives in Ashfield. &quot;From my perspective, having Holyoke as an asset that's here for students is one of the reasons that I like being here.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ward's show, which continues through September, is called &quot;HeyLook HoLyoke&quot; &amp;mdash; &quot;HeyLook&quot; being a playful anagram for &quot;Holyoke.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The images span Ward's 46 years' photographing the city, beginning with the black and white tenement photo and ending with a series of color images Ward took this summer during the city's Puerto Rican Family Festival. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In between, there are photos of a police officer standing outside the police station, two of Holyoke resident Diosdado Lopez, one as a young activist and more recently as a city councilor, a mural in the city council chambers, an art professor's messy office, a drained canal, an empty jail cell, a shoe tree, a partly demolished building, an old fire alarm box, storefronts, and lots of portraits, many of them life-sized.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My favorite things to photograph are flesh and metal &amp;mdash; not necessarily in the same picture,&quot; Ward explained during a gallery talk. &quot;There's something about a camera that really captures the texture of skin and paint, peeling paint especially. If you look at the history of photography, you're going to see a lot of peeling paint pictures. And a lot of nudes.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There aren't any nudes in &quot;HeyLook HoLyoke,&quot; but there are plenty of pictures of &amp;nbsp;flesh, metal and peeling paint. Many of them were taken on class field trips with his students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Holyoke is a really good place to be, and it's amazing how many HCC students haven't really wandered around in Holyoke,&quot; he said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In choosing pictures for the exhibit, he said he was impressed by this own guts as a 20-year-old college student in 1970, wandering around a strange neighborhood in Holyoke, climbing up on people's backyard balconies and taking pictures. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;I do have more pictures of kids playing on these levels I was crawling around in, and I was thinking, would I do that today and just bother people and show up like that?&quot; Ward said. &quot;But there's something about having a camera that's like, permission to be a real jerk, cause you can stick your camera in almost anybody's face and sometimes they'll complain. But what I tell my students is, say,&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;oh, my professor made me do it. He said I had to take a picture of a stranger. I'm so sorry&lt;/em&gt;.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;But,&quot; he added, &quot;do that after you click the shutter.&quot; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ward's &quot;HeyLook HoLyoke&quot; exhibit is on display in HCC's Taber Art Gallery, which is accessible through the HCC Library. There are additional photographs from Ward's collection hanging in the hallways of the Media Arts Center, on the third floor of the Campus Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;STORY and PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: &amp;nbsp;HCC visual art professor Frank Ward talks about &quot;HeyLook HoLyoke,&quot; his exhibit of photographs on display in the Taber Art Gallery.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page></Page></Page><Page ID="x302" URL="about/news-events-and-media/news-blog" Schema="NewsIndexPage" Locale="" Changed="20250822T14:56:21" CategoryIds="" FileName="x302.xml" Name="News Blog" Title="News Blog" Abstract="The official, one and only Holyoke Community College News Blog" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x303" URL="about/news-events-and-media/publications" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260505T15:14:06" CategoryIds="" FileName="x303.xml" Name="Publications" Title="Publications" Abstract="Here you'll find PDF versions of all HCC's printed publications: registration booklets, non-credit course bulletins, student handbooks, college catalogs, annual security reports and alumni magazines. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Major catalogs and schedules are available in print or on the web in PDF Format.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To request printed versions of current publications, contact the Admission office at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2321&quot;&gt;413.552.2321&lt;/a&gt;, or email&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;To view PDF's, you must have a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader. To download a free copy, visit the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.adobe.com/downloads/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Adobe downloads page&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and choose &quot;Get Adobe Reader&quot; under the Readers &amp;amp; Players area (on the right).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information on college publications, visit the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/marketing-and-communications&quot; title=&quot;HCC Marketing &amp;amp; Communications department&quot;&gt;Marketing &amp;amp; Communications&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;page.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x369" URL="about/news-events-and-media/spotlight-profiles" Schema="NewsIndexPage" Locale="" Changed="20250811T13:32:57" CategoryIds="" FileName="x369.xml" Name="Spotlight Profiles" Title="Spotlight Profiles" Abstract="HCC has many amazing students, teachers, staff, and alumni and we often feature them here in our spotlight profiles. " ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x371" URL="about/president-and-cabinet" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260507T13:02:33" CategoryIds="" FileName="x371.xml" Name="President &amp; Cabinet" Title="President &amp; Cabinet" Abstract="HCC's president George Timmons and members of Cabinet." IntroCopy="George Timmons, Ph.D., joins Holyoke Community College as its fifth president, bringing to the college a wealth of experience from a distinguished career in higher education as well as a passion for—and commitment to—student success." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;George Timmons, Ph.D., 2023 to Present&quot; height=&quot;267&quot; src=&quot;images/Landing%20Pages/Timmons%20-%20BC.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0px 15px 10px 0px; float: left;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;George Timmons, Ph.D., joins Holyoke Community College as its fifth president, bringing to the college a wealth of experience from a distinguished career in higher education as well as a passion for-and commitment to-student success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most recently serving as the provost and senior vice president for academic and student affairs at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, N.Y., President Timmons previously served as dean for the School of Liberal Arts at Excelsior College in Albany, N.Y.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With strong family roots in the greater Springfield/Hartford region, President Timmons has equated his arrival at Holyoke Community College to a homecoming.&amp;nbsp; As a first-generation college graduate, he has experienced first-hand the challenges many Holyoke Community College students face.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He believes that providing the support necessary to help students overcome the barriers to their success is critical in ensuring equity in access to a high-quality college education. Through the provision of excellent educational and training opportunities and the removal of obstacles such as lack of transportation, childcare, housing, food security, and more, students can find achievement and become valuable members of a society that needs their intelligence and innovation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Timmons embraces the Holyoke Community College core values of Innovation, Collaboration, Kindness, Inclusion, and Trust, and is pleased to lead a community committed to those values.&amp;nbsp; Under his watch, the college has grown enrollment while successfully implementing MassReconnect and other growth-focused initiatives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Timmons brings to the college a commitment to community service. He serves on the Education Sector Working Group of Governor Maura Healey's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Taskforce. His current boardsmanship includes the boards of Holyoke Hospital, MassHire Hampden County Workforce, The Tech Foundry, and the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Timmons earned a Bachelor of Science in financial management from Norfolk State University, a Master of Science in higher education from Old Dominion University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in higher education administration from Bowling Green State University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President Timmons is an avid sports fan, particularly of basketball. He and his wife, Frankie, are the proud parents of three adult children.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x19184" URL="about/president-and-cabinet/the-inauguration-of-president-george-timmons-phd" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240703T17:41:32" CategoryIds="197" FileName="x19184.xml" Name="The Inauguration of President George Timmons, Ph.D." Title="The Inauguration of President George Timmons" Abstract="The Inauguration of President George Timmons" BodyCopy="&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;April 19, 2024&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h5 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;560&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/OMPfL5IIRfA?si=L1kbYNb6e2WBEWGA&quot; title=&quot;YouTube video player&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allow=&quot;accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share&quot; referrerpolicy=&quot;strict-origin-when-cross-origin&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x271" URL="about/offices-and-administration" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240404T15:16:10" CategoryIds="" FileName="x271.xml" Name="Offices &amp; Administration" Title="Offices &amp; Administration" Abstract="Here you'll find information about the administration of Holyoke Community College, including its board of trustees, president, and senior staff." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A teacher helping a college student with homework&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/Offices-Administration/academicsupport_intext.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here you'll find information about the administration of Holyoke Community College, including its board of trustees, president, and senior staff.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x272" URL="about/offices-and-administration/board-of-trustees" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260526T12:08:42" CategoryIds="" FileName="x272.xml" Name="Board of Trustees" Title="Board of Trustees" Abstract="Members of the Board of Trustees meet monthly throughout the year to oversee the business and promote the well-being of Holyoke Community College." IntroCopy="The Board of Trustees meets monthly throughout the year to oversee the business and promote the well-being of HCC." BodyCopy="&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Board Statement of Anti-Racism&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;As members of the Board of Trustees, we are committed, both individually and collectively, to creating an anti-racist community at Holyoke Community College (HCC). As fiduciaries, we are responsible for ensuring that the College fulfills its mission and lives up to its promise of equity for our students and all members of the College community. We pledge to lead the way in taking a bold stand to live up to this commitment as we work to build a truly just and equitable society.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We acknowledge that structural and institutional systems of oppression have harmed-and continue to harm-many members of our community. It is the responsibility of each one of us to educate ourselves and others, to engage in difficult conversations, and to listen to and engage with our students, faculty, staff, donors, community partners, and alumni of color. The core of our work in equity, diversity, and inclusion must center around viewing our practices and policies through an anti-racism lens.&amp;nbsp;As a Board, we have taken the following steps while continuing to work towards becoming an anti-racist institution:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Approved the College's first Strategic Plan, focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Established the Board of Trustees Equity Committee which includes Trustees and College leaders who serve as advisors to the Committee and ensure alignment with the College's Strategic Plan&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Participated in a series of Board Equity Trainings, with workshops centered on microaggression, implicit biases, equity, anti-racism, and systemic racism in higher education&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Conducted a Board Self-Assessment Survey to evaluate our progress toward strategic goals&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Prioritize equity within the Audit &amp;amp; Finance Committee of the College's Board of Trustees as it relates to financial decision-making in order to best retain students and support their success&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Continued our commitment to BIPOC representation on the HCC Board of Trustees&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;We fully support the President and the College administration, whose anti-racism efforts we acknowledge and embrace, including:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Developed culturally responsive pedagogies with special emphasis on the College's status as a Hispanic Serving Institution, as part of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/offices-and-administration/strategic-plan/strategy-1-teaching-and-learning&quot;&gt;HCC's Strategic Plan Strategy #1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Collaborated with the communities we serve to increase equity, as part of HCC's &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/offices-and-administration/strategic-plan/strategy-2-equity-and-student-success&quot;&gt;Strategic Plan Strategy #2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Diversified our faculty and staff to better reflect the students we serve&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Created a Vice President for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion position&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Formed a Campus Safety Task Force, consisting of students, faculty, and staff, with membership from the BIPOC community, to review current events involving police agencies, provide opportunities for dialogue and community feedback, and advise the Director of Public Safety&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Launched the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/student-resources/drop-in-child-watch&quot;&gt;Itsy Bitsy Child Watch&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp;a free drop-in childcare program that provides short term care for children while their parents are learning on campus&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Maintain an agreement with the Holyoke Housing Authority that allows the College to provide housing options to students&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Continued to provide all students with a PVTA bus pass that can be used across the Pioneer Valley&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Provide all students who need one with a laptop and/or Wi-Fi hotspot&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Opened the Homestead Market, a campus store providing students with access to fresh produce, pantry essentials and quick meals. The market is the first at any public college or university in Massachusetts to accept federal SNAP benefits&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Dismissed more than $1 million in student debt using some of the institutional portion of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Established the Bienvenidos Latinx Scholarship and President's Student Emergency Fund through the HCC Foundation to help students overcome barriers to academic success, and further address students' financial needs through initiatives led by the college's division of Administration &amp;amp; Finance&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Eliminated holds on registration for students with unpaid balances&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Secured funding from Supporting Urgent Community College Equity through Student Services (SUCCESS) grants program providing wraparound supports and services to improve outcomes for low-income, first- generation, minority, and disabled students, and LGBTQ+ students.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Expanded the work of ALANA, a program providing men of color with personalized support with academics, financial aid, and academic/career planning through specialized orientation, one-on-one mentoring, field trips, and workshops&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Established mental health support services for students through a collaboration with Center for Human Development&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Launched the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/student-life/clubs-and-organizations/student-ambassador-and-mentorship-program&quot;&gt;Student Ambassador &amp;amp; Mentorship Program (SAMP)&lt;/a&gt;, which provides academic support to women, nonbinary and transgender students, as well as book stipends and CougarCash to be used while on the HCC campus&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Enhanced the work and services provided through El Centro in order to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for HCC's Latinx students&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;The road to creating an anti-racist community is long and challenging. It requires an ongoing commitment to listening, self-reflection, and thoughtful action. By taking the measures listed here, allocating resources, and changing the way we at HCC go about our work, we hope we have taken the first steps on that road. We remain committed to this vital work, and look forward to updating you on our progress.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Robert W. Gilbert, Jr.&lt;br /&gt;Former Chair, HCC Board of Trustees&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;This statement was created in our Board Equity Committee and approved by the full board at the meeting on&amp;nbsp;March 22, 2022. We continue to engage in conversations about equity, and appreciate the dialogue happening in all aspects of the institution.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the Board&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;The board of trustees meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 8 a.m. in FR 309. No meetings are held in July, February, or December. Occasionally meetings may need to be rescheduled. The complete schedule, as well as &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/public-records/minutes-of-open-meetings&quot;&gt;agendas, minutes&lt;/a&gt;, and related materials, may be found in the &lt;a href=&quot;/about/public-records&quot; title=&quot;HCC public records&quot;&gt;public records section&lt;/a&gt; of this website. If you have questions, please get in touch with Angela O. Cardenas&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;at &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:acardenas@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;acardenas@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt; or &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:4135522168&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;413.552.2168&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Trustees' By-Laws are available for download &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Public%20Records/Board_of_Trustees_By-Laws_May_2021_FinalSigned.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to PDF of Board of Trustees By-Laws&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;table&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 630px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.4507%;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/BOT/Sonia-Dinnell-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;283&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.4507%;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/BOT/Julius-Dixon-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;283&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.2808%;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/BOT/Seal-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;283&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.4507%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Sonia E. Dinnall, Ph.D&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.4507%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;Julius Dixon, &lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Student Trustee&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.2808%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;Charles D. Epstein&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;table&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 630px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.4507%;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/BOT/Yolanda-Johnson-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;283&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.4507%;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/BOT/Seal-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;283&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.2808%;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/BOT/Nayroby-Rosa-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;283&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.4507%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;Yolanda D. Johnson, Ed.D.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.4507%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Todd McGee, Esq.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.2808%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;Nayroby Rosa '10&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;table&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 630px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.4507%;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/BOT/Vanessa-Smith-web2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;283&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.4507%;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/BOT/Ivonne-Vidal-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;283&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.2808%;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/BOT/P-Samra-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;283&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.4507%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;Vanessa L. Smith, Esq.,&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Chair&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.4507%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;Ivonne Vidal, Esq.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.2808%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;Pat Samra&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;table&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 630px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.4507%;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/BOT/Aaron-Vega-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;283&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.4507%;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.2808%;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.4507%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;Aaron Vega&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.4507%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 33.2808%; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x273" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-deans" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:59:46" CategoryIds="" FileName="x273.xml" Name="College Deans" Title="College Deans" Abstract="HCC's academic divisions and programs are overseen by its deans." IntroCopy="HCC's academic divisions and programs are overseen by its deans, who work with department chairs and faculty to administer the academic program and help develop new instructional initiatives." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Social Sciences, Arts &amp;amp; Humanities Division (SSA&amp;amp;H)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:khicks@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Kim Hicks, PhD&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Health, Education, Culinary Arts &amp;amp; Human Services (HECH)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:abrandt@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link abrandt@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Amy Brandt&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Business &amp;amp; Science, Technology, Engineering &amp;amp; Mathematics (BSTEM)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:ebreton@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Link to Elizabeth Breton email&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Elizabeth Breton, MS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x275" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241211T13:04:49" CategoryIds="" FileName="x275.xml" Name="College Offices" Title="College Offices" Abstract="Find an alphabetical list of HCC's offices. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;If you can't find what you're looking for in the following pages, please contact the college operator at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-538-7000&quot;&gt;413.538.7000&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x278" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/academic-affairs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:59:41" CategoryIds="" FileName="x278.xml" Name="Academic Affairs" Title="Academic Affairs" Abstract="The division of Academic Affairs supports the mission of the College by providing academic leadership." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The division of Academic Affairs supports the mission of the College by providing academic leadership. Our focus is on providing the very best service possible to both new and current students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;About Our Office&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Academic Affairs is responsible for credit-bearing and developmental coursework as well as administrative oversight of the academic unit of the College, which includes academic divisions; library and academic support services; and academic publications.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Academic Affairs Office is located in the Frost Building, Room 317.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x276" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/admissions-onboarding-and-financial-aid-services" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250604T11:44:19" CategoryIds="" FileName="x276.xml" Name="Admissions, Onboarding, and Financial Aid Services" Title="Admissions, Onboarding, and Financial Aid Services" Abstract="The Office of Admissions fosters a student-centered approach to the proactive and personal recruitment and enrollment advisement of students from diverse experiences and backgrounds." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Our mission is to&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;empower students with the foundational skills for academic excellence, personal growth, and community engagement.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Our vision is to&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;facilitate equitable access to education by providing comprehensive and transparent financial aid support services and a seamless transition for all students in their academic and career paths.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x277" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/administration-and-finance" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:59:41" CategoryIds="" FileName="x277.xml" Name="Administration &amp; Finance" Title="Administration &amp; Finance" Abstract="The Administration &amp; Finance office is the financial and administrative operations management component of Holyoke Community College." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The Administration &amp;amp; Finance division provides support to the academic mission of the College through the following:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Financial administration and accounting&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Human resources management&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Business services support&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Operation and maintenance of the campus physical plant&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Campus security&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Bookstore services&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Food services&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Departments within the division are responsible for preparing the college's annual budget and related capital and financial planning, monitoring college investments, overseeing procurement practices, maintaining the campus physical plant, managing construction projects, and overseeing security and emergency preparedness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Departments in our Division&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Administration and Finance Division includes the Business Office, Human Resources Department, Business Services Department, Facilities Department, Campus Bookstore, and Campus Police Department.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Location&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Administration and Finance office is located in the Frost Building, Room 327.&lt;br /&gt;Fax: 413.552.2045&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x279" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/business" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:59:41" CategoryIds="" FileName="x279.xml" Name="Business" Title="Business" Abstract="The Business Office can assist students and parents with student account information and payment of fees. The Business Office also assists faculty and staff with travel reimbursement questions, vendor payments, budget transfers, and other related questions." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The Business Office is here to help students, faculty, staff, and other community members. The office assists students and parents with student account information and payment of fees, and also assists faculty and staff with travel reimbursement questions, vendor payments, budget transfers, and other related questions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About General Accounting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;General Accounting provides the following services for the college:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Purchasing contracts&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Vendor payments&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Employee reimbursements&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Miscellaneous billing and accounts receivable&amp;nbsp;accounting&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Cash management&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Campus store accounting&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Fiscal reporting&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;The&amp;nbsp;office&amp;nbsp;assists faculty and&amp;nbsp;staff with travel reimbursement questions, vendor payments, budget transfers, and responds to&amp;nbsp;inquiries from trustees, vendors, regulatory agencies, auditors, and public records&amp;nbsp;requests.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x281" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/people-and-talent" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250918T15:42:04" CategoryIds="" FileName="x281.xml" Name="People and Talent" Title="People and Talent" Abstract="Find information regarding employment, benefits, training and development, labor, and employee relations." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;get in touch&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:swomeldorf@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link to human resources swomeldorf@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;email our office&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;call&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413.552.2554&quot; title=&quot;Human resources phone number&quot;&gt;413.552.2554&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;and leave your name and contact information, and we will be in touch within 24 hours.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our institution strives to provide quality education to our students. As we strive to fulfill our mission, one of our primary resources is the people working for this institution. This page is built with you in mind. Here we provide you access to information regarding employment, benefits, training and development, labor, and employee relations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We also invite prospective employees to use this site so that you can learn about the information that may impact your future, as well as the future of our students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://login.neoed.com/authentication/saml/login/holyokeedu&quot; title=&quot;Link to NEOGov&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;NEOGOV Single Sign-On&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://login.neogov.com/authentication/saml/login/holyokeedu&quot; title=&quot;Link to neogov single sign-on&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Offices-Administration/Human%20Resources/NEOED%20Employee%20Contract%20Process.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to PDF of Contract Employee Approval Process&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Contract&amp;nbsp;Employee Approval Process&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Offices-Administration/Human%20Resources/Neogov%20Contract%20Approver%20Process_06022022.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of contract approver process&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Contract Approver Process&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Offices-Administration/Human%20Resources/NEOGOV%20Originating%20a%20Contract.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of Originating a Contract&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Originating a Contract&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x282" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/people-and-talent/employment-opportunities" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250401T16:59:47" CategoryIds="" FileName="x282.xml" Name="Employment Opportunities" Title="Employment Opportunities" Abstract="View current job openings at HCC." IntroCopy="Join the HCC family." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;current openings&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Click&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/holyokeedu/&quot; title=&quot;Link to hcc hr site&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for a listing of current employment opportunities at Holyoke Community College.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;about hcc&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,&amp;nbsp;national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, genetic information, gender identity, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and college policies. The College prohibits sexual harassment, including sexual violence. Inquiries or complaints concerning discrimination, harassment, retaliation or sexual violence shall be referred to the College's Affirmative Action and/or Title IX Coordinator, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission or the United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.&lt;a href=&quot;http://hcc.edu/Documents/Human%20Resources/Policies/CC_EqualOpportunityPlan(2015)(0).pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Documents/About/Diversity/PAAAugust2021UpdatedPolicy.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity and Diversity Policy&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Policy of Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity &amp;amp; Diversity&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke Community College has prepared the ASR report in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Copies of Annual Security Report may also be obtained at the Campus Police Department located in the Public Safety building, or by calling HCCPD at &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2400&quot;&gt;413.552.2400&lt;/a&gt;. All prospective employees may obtain a copy from the Human Resources Office in Frost Building, or by calling &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2554&quot;&gt;413.552.2554&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All Candidates must have legal authorization to work in United States.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Application Instructions&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Applicants interested in applying&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;MUST&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;submit the following documents online:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Resume/CV&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Online Application:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;You will see the application when you apply to a position. It is important that your application is completed in full, containing the most up-to-date information.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cover Letter/Letter of Interest:&lt;/strong&gt; When preparing your cover letter, please refer to the minimum and preferred qualifications as pertaining to this position and, if applicable, include an equivalency statement.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reference List:&lt;/strong&gt; Include names, email addresses, and telephone numbers of three professional references.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is important that you submit all of the above documentation. Incomplete applications will not be considered.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Human%20Resources/FREQUENTLY%20ASKED%20QUESTIONS%20FROM%20CANDIDATES.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of Frequently asked questions about the HCC hiring process&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Frequently Asked Questions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Online applications are stored on a secure site. Only authorized employees and hiring authorities have access to the information submitted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/holyokeedu/&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC HR site&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Returning Applicant Login&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;more information&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/public-safety/annual-security-report&quot; title=&quot;HCC annual security report&quot;&gt;Annual Security Report&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Human%20Resources/DrugFreeWorkplace.pdf&quot; title=&quot;HCC drug free workplace&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Drug-Free Workplace&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Human%20Resources/SexualViolence.pdf&quot; title=&quot;HCC Sexual Violence Policy&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Sexual Violence Policy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Human%20Resources/VictimsRights.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Sexual Violence &amp;ndash; Victim's Rights&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Sexual Violence &amp;ndash; Victim's Rights&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/people-and-talent/resources&quot; title=&quot;Candidate Travel Reimbursement Policy&quot;&gt;Candidate Travel Reimbursement Policy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fdiversityinhighereducation.com%2f&amp;amp;c=E,1,NAAwEEjgPnYpg1oBfarh0OMdFp7R4c_Xaz86B7CFYKJESVfUU6bacuOTmyX5dBU_j20smfqmX4tUnEZd25AzhhaIbS2REKtoVx_VotMw&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Diverse Job Opportunities in Higher Education&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://workplacediversitynetwork.files.wordpress.com/2023/03/dhe-network-2023badge-small.png&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fworkplacediversity.com%2f&amp;amp;c=E,1,hOgBxFQVMcy2WJ5kwuIOKXiXl2jMfvSSZKNtE5V7xmfUoCtP5Q-hJhg49dQdrYucd44EuD2CyJvq8qOQfZ2lHclFhp5nkoaCD2hPqErZA0C93FqAocC-n8WSVqek&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Diverse Job Opportunities&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://workplacediversitynetwork.files.wordpress.com/2023/03/wdn-network-2023badge-small.png&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x385" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/people-and-talent/resources" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260415T11:48:31" CategoryIds="" FileName="x385.xml" Name="Resources" Title="Resources" Abstract="This section is a roadmap for most of our working documents, forms, and procedures, including the HCC org. chart." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;This section is a roadmap for most of our working documents, forms, and procedures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/ITD/login_instructions_fac_staff.pdf&quot; title=&quot;HCC email login instructions for new employees&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Activation and login instructions for HCC email accounts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Human%20Resources/Non-Benefited%20Contract%20Guidelines%20July%202014.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Part-time Non-Benefited policy and procedures&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Part-time Non-Benefited policy and procedures&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Human%20Resources/DCE%20Hiring%20Process.pdf&quot; title=&quot;DCE hiring and assignment process&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;DCE hiring and assignment process&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;resources&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Human%20Resources/Org%20Chart%204-14-26.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; title=&quot;Org Chart&quot;&gt;Org chart&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(&lt;em&gt;Updated April. 14, 2026&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mass.gov/anf/employment-equal-access-disability/hr-policies/masshr/&quot; title=&quot;MassHR&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;MassHR&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://payinfo.state.ma.us/payinfo/Login.asp&quot; title=&quot;View my pay info&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;View My Pay Info&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mass.gov/anf/employment-equal-access-disability/hr-policies/masshr/employee-self-service.html&quot; title=&quot;Self-Service Online Learning TOols&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Self-Service Online Learning Tools&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://login.neoed.com/authentication/saml/login/holyokeedu&quot;&gt;SSO NEOGOV Login&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mass.gov/anf/employment-equal-access-disability/hr-policies/masshr/employee-self-service.html&quot; title=&quot;Self-Service Online Learning TOols&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Human%20Resources/sm-forgot-your-ssts-password.pdf&quot; title=&quot;SSTA Forgot Password&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;SSTA Forgot Password&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Offices-Administration/Human%20Resources/SSTAJobAid_Part-Time-2024.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of SSTA Part Time Instructions&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;SSTA Part Time Instructions&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Human%20Resources/HCC%20Self%20Service%20Guide_2017.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Self-Service Guide&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Self-Service Guide&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Human%20Resources/SSTA%20FAQ.pdf&quot; title=&quot;FAQs&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;FAQs&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Human%20Resources/AFSCME%202020-2023%20CBA%20Final%20Signed%20Document%20Jun3%2013%202022.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to AFSCME CBA 2020-2023&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;AFSCME CBA 2020-2023&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Human%20Resources/FINAL%20Salary%20Charts%20AFSCME.pdf&quot; title=&quot;AFSCME Rates&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;AFSCME Rates&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sxkr8big3sBq5c3xtfRg3xYzfINJMCgh/view&quot;&gt;MCCC 2025-2026 MCCC Day CBA &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/a/hcc.edu/viewer?a=v&amp;amp;pid=sites&amp;amp;srcid=aGNjLmVkdXxodW1hbi1yZXNvdXJjZXMtaW5mb3JtYXRpb258Z3g6ZjFmNzJjNGRiNDgzODc&quot; title=&quot;Link to google doc of MCCC CBA forms, moas, and appendices&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DSNmFvftqGVgn_3v2QIaLlSsxeVniJcM/view&quot;&gt;MCCC 2025-2026 Day Forms, MOAs and Appendices&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Human%20Resources/FinalCorrectedVersionBHEapprovedNUPHandbook10.11.23.pdf&quot;&gt;NUP Handbook 2023&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Human%20Resources/pay-calendar-2026%20%282%29.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of pay calendar&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Pay Calendar 2026&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Human%20Resources/DCE%20CBA%202023-2024%20%281%29%20%281%29.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to DCE CBA pdf in google drive&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;DCE CBA 2023-2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Human%20Resources/2018-2020-DCE-CBA.pdf&quot; title=&quot;PDF of DCE CBA 2018-2020&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Documents/About/Human%20Resources/DUA%20How%20to%20File%20a%20Claim%201-26-18.pdf&quot;&gt;Unemployment Benefits&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Documents/About/Human%20Resources/DUA%20How%20to%20File%20a%20Claim%201-26-18.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf about unemployment insurance&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Unemployment Insurance&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe1LdF3Zxgb5__U0njtdcrkhLEOt8ILQJzqE2t72vd0dKk4Ew/viewform&quot;&gt;Cheers for Peers Nomination Form&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x284" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250710T15:03:03" CategoryIds="" FileName="x284.xml" Name="Information Technology" Title="Information Technology" Abstract="Holyoke Community College has invested heavily in computer equipment and the human support necessary to maintain and maximize these resources." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Because computer skills are essential to success in most academic and career areas, Holyoke Community College has invested heavily in computer equipment and the human support necessary to maintain and maximize these resources. Every student enrolled at the College has the opportunity to develop and enhance computer skills while pursuing his or her education. In addition, students have numerous other opportunities to explore more advanced computer areas, such as graphic design, electronic media, geographic information systems, and website design. As HCC's online learning options continue to increase, more students are participating in online classes and accessing computing resources than ever before.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x620" URL="x620.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:59:41" CategoryIds="" FileName="x620.xml" Name="Components" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x621" URL="x621.xml" Schema="FeaturedLinksComponent" Locale="" Changed="20250710T15:02:35" CategoryIds="" FileName="x621.xml" Name="IT Featured Links" IsComponent="true" /></Page><Page ID="x614" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology/media-services" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250710T15:03:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x614.xml" Name="Media Services" Thumbnail="/images/ITD/Classroom-379.jpg" Title="Media Services" Abstract="Request media services or equipment, contact the staff" ThumbnailAltText="Classroom" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;HCC Media Services is part of the Information Technology Division. It is comprised of academic classroom technology, media retrieval system, AV equipment distribution, and videoconferencing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We are a resource for administration, faculty, and students to receive technical direction and assistance in the use of new and emerging educational technologies, both in the classroom and in the community.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our goal is to provide the entire College community with professional support and equal access to the Media Services facilities. Instructional Technology is any technology which directly supports teaching and learning. It includes the use of computers, the Internet, and other forms of multi-media technology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objectives&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Establish an effective ongoing planning and implementation process for a technology standard in the classroom. (Addressing any issues related to access, disabilities, special curriculum requirements, and budget.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Establish an instructional program for faculty and staff in the use and operation of the multimedia technology in the classroom.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Through professional development and research in the emerging instructional technologies, Media Services will keep the college community informed of the latest developments, progress in classroom projects, and equipment issues.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Ensure equipment performance and reliability in the classroom. Media Services will establish a technical support program for ITD in the operation and maintenance of the multimedia technology in the classroom.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop a collaboration with academic departments and faculty on integrating technology into the classroom and with the administration in the support of these classrooms.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Staff&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edward Murch&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Classroom Technology Manager&lt;br /&gt;Multi-Media System design, specification, installation and project management; Management and Instruction of multi-media technology; and Videoconferencing&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Carlos Garcia&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;AV Equipment Technician&lt;br /&gt;Multi-Media equipment installation, operation and technical support; media production and AV equipment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ems.hcc.edu/virtualEMS/&quot; title=&quot;Request AV equipment with EMS&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Media Services or Equipment Request&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Log in to EMS to request AV equipment for a classroom, meeting, or an event.&amp;nbsp;An email will be submitted to the AV staff.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7463" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology/application-projects" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250710T15:03:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7463.xml" Name="Application Projects" Thumbnail="/images/ITD/project.jpg" Title="Application Projects" Abstract="Current projects; status; timeline" ThumbnailAltText="Project image" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The ITD Applications team works with administrative users and management to determine and prioritize unmet computing needs and recommends solutions that may include the purchase of new applications, upgrades to existing ones, or the creation of custom reports and programs.&amp;nbsp; Once an application project is completed, the team performs testing and provides initial training and continued support.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; At any given time applications team staff are involved in a variety of projects large and small.&amp;nbsp; Highlighted below are current projects that are significant primarily because they will impact a large number of users or they will considerably streamline processing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology/projects&quot; title=&quot;Curriculum Management&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Curriculum Management&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology/application-projects/online-catalog&quot; title=&quot;Online Catalog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Online Catalog&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology/application-projects/banner-9-upgrade&quot; title=&quot;Banner 9 Upgrades&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Banner 9 Upgrade&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x7440" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology/projects" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250710T15:03:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7440.xml" Name="Curriculum Managment" Title="Curriculum Management" Abstract="Curriculum Management" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Project Background&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last Spring the college initiated a search for software to facilitate curriculum goverance, by automating the course and program review approval process in a workflow fashion.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key project objectives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Streamline the processing of academic proposals as they move through governance&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Centrally store program and policy information&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Ensure curriculum listings are consistent with the catalog&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Banner integration to assist with accuracy and efficiency&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Project Overview&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In February 2017 the RFR was issued, and responded to by two vendors.&amp;nbsp; Throughout the Spring semester, demos and meetings took place with stakeholders from many departments across campus inluding: Curriculum Committee members, Senate leadership, Academic Deans, Department and Program Chairs and Coordinators, VP's, and the core project team.&amp;nbsp; In August 2017 the college selected &lt;strong&gt;Curriculog&lt;/strong&gt; for curriculum management and &lt;strong&gt;Acalog&lt;/strong&gt; for catalog production from the vendor &lt;strong&gt;Digarc.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7464" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology/application-projects/online-catalog" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250710T15:03:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7464.xml" Name="Online Catalog" Title="Online Catalog" Abstract="Online Catalog" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Project Background&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Last Spring the college initiated a search for software to facilitate catalog production.&amp;nbsp; Also required was the capability for branded online and print catalogs and program listings, with PDF rendering of the entire catalog to be posted on the HCC website.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key project objectives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Centrally store program and policy information&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Facilitate the catalog's transition to a new online format&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Banner integration to assist with accuracy and efficiency&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Project Overview&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In February 2017 the RFR was issued, and responded to by two vendors.&amp;nbsp; Throughout the Spring semester, demos and meetings took place with stakeholders from many departments across campus inluding: Curriculum Committee members, Senate leadership, Academic Deans, Department and Program Chairs and Coordinators, VP's, and the core project team.&amp;nbsp; In August 2017 the college selected&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Curriculog&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;for curriculum management and&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Acalog&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;for catalog production from the vendor&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Digarc.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7465" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology/application-projects/banner-9-upgrade" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250710T15:03:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7465.xml" Name="Banner 9 Upgrade" Title="Banner 9 Upgrade" Abstract="Banner 9" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is Banner 9?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In December 2018 support will end for our current Banner 8 Internet Native Banner (INB) system, so in preparation for that we need to upgrade to Banner 9.&amp;nbsp; This upgrade is a significant one that will deliver a more modern user interface similar to a web page, as well as enhanced navigation, searching, and record-filtering tools.&amp;nbsp; Most exciting of all, Banner 9 may be run using any browser and is mobile and tablet-friendly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is changing?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;First, the Banner 9 version of INB will be called &lt;strong&gt;Banner ADMIN&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp; As with any system upgrade, we understand there may be&amp;nbsp;concerns about what will change. &amp;nbsp;In Banner ADMIN screens will be called pages, but they will have the same functions as in Banner INB, so users will just need to learn the new interface.&amp;nbsp; We have been working closely with our vendor partner Ellucian to understand what will be different in Banner ADMIN so we can explain and demonstrate and help all INB users eventually make a successful transition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When is this happening?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;ITD staff and some key INB users are currently testing Banner ADMIN.&amp;nbsp; In the coming months we will begin to work directly with staff in departments that use INB, inviting them to sessions to introduce Banner ADMIN and include time for experimentation.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; We will encourage everyone to continue exploring Banner ADMIN after the sessions to become comfortable with how to do the work they currently perform in Banner INB.&amp;nbsp; Then we will schedule and announce the rollout of each Banner ADMIN module- Finance, Student, Accounts Receivable, and Financial Aid - between now and February 2019.&amp;nbsp; For a few months Banner INB and Banner ADMIN will run concurrently, so staff will still be able to use Banner INB to accomplish their work.&amp;nbsp; However, by the end of February 2019 all INB users will need to be ready to use only Banner 9.&amp;nbsp; We will help everyone get there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What about Online Services?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Initially Online Services will remain the same, but over the next 1-2 years we will transition to a new enhanced Banner 9 version of Online Services. Much more information to come soon - stay tuned!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x615" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology/helpdesk" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250710T15:03:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x615.xml" Name="Helpdesk" Thumbnail="/images/ITD/help-desk-640x360-0002.jpg" Title="HCC Helpdesk" Abstract="Help with logins, campus wireless, hardware or software questions" ThumbnailAltText="Helpdesk" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Please send a request for help to:&amp;nbsp;helpdesk@hcc.edu.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you cannot send an Email, please contact us at: 413.552.2075 or visit us in Frost 109.&lt;br /&gt; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;When requesting help, please be as specific as possible in your request detail.&amp;nbsp; We will enter your request into the log and get back to you as soon as possible.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Beware of phishing attempts and other social engineering scams!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Phishing is when someone poses as a legitimate organization and attempts to get sensitive information such as a password.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We will never ask you for your account password over the phone, in an email or on a collection form.&amp;nbsp; You only use your password when logging in.&amp;nbsp; We may ask for your student ID number or user account name, but never for your password.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you receive an email that appears to be from&amp;nbsp;hcc.org&amp;nbsp;and asks you for your password or to verify your account, it is not from us, so do not respond, and contact the Help Desk to let us know.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check out our&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology/spam-alert&quot; title=&quot;Spam alert page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hcc.edu/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology/spam-alert&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1558441778658000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFWCdSoXzCSBVlTSLVlr-ffwLvMrw&quot;&gt;Spam Alert&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;page for more information. Questions about the validity of a message can be directed to the Help Desk.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4975" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology/request-for-services" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250723T12:32:00" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4975.xml" Name="Request for Services" Thumbnail="/images/ITD/phone-computer.jpg" Title="Request for Services" Abstract="Request IT services for new employee's - computer, phone, network access" ThumbnailAltText="Phone and computer on a desk" BodyCopy="&lt;div&gt;To make a technology request for new or existing staff or faculty, please go to your myHCC Dashboard to access the Technology Equipment Request Form.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Employee Forms &amp;rarr; Technology Equipment Request Form&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This form is for supervisors to request technology needed for staff and faculty.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;All requests will be submitted to and handled through our IT Help Desk ticketing system.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please allow 3&amp;ndash;5 business days for us to complete your request.&lt;/div&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x616" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology/computer-labs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250908T12:11:13" CategoryIds="" FileName="x616.xml" Name="Computer Labs" Thumbnail="/images/ITD/Computer%20Lab%20picture.jpg" Title="Computer Labs" Abstract="Location and hours of Open Labs" ThumbnailAltText="Computer Lab" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The Information Technology division provides computing, networking, and information resources to the college community. While some tend to take access to college computing facilities and services for granted, it is indeed conditioned upon compliance with the current&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/IT/ACCEPTABLE_USE_ITD_Policy.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Acceptable Use Policy&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Acceptable Use Policies&lt;/a&gt;. Maintaining a productive computing environment is a cooperative venture; successful delivery of quality services depends on individual users acting responsibly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Our open labs on campus are:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;DON 310 and 312 (both located in the Library) Labs have the same hours as the Library.&lt;br /&gt;Visit the &lt;a href=&quot;/library&quot; title=&quot;Library page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Library&lt;/a&gt; page for the latest schedule.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;FR 151&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x618" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology/spam-alert" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250710T15:03:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x618.xml" Name="Spam Alert" Thumbnail="/images/ITD/spam.jpg" Title="Spam Alert" Abstract="How to recognize and report spam." ThumbnailAltText="Spam Email" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why Messages Are Marked as Spam&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Gmail has an automated system that helps detect spam by identifying viruses and suspicious messages, finding patterns across messages, and learning from what Gmail users like you commonly mark as spam.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;If you click your&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Spam&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;label and open one of the messages, you'll see a message at the top with a brief explanation about why that particular message was placed in Spam. Use this information to protect yourself from potentially dangerous or fraudulent messages and to better understand why a message was or wasn't marked as spam.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;For a full explanation of different types of spam messages, please&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.google.com/mail/answer/1366858?hl=en&amp;amp;ctx=mail&amp;amp;expand=5&quot; title=&quot;Gmail spam&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reporting Spam&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you are receiving spam:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Select the message you'd like to report.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Click the&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;spam&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;button&amp;nbsp;&lt;img alt=&quot;Report spam icon&quot; height=&quot;16&quot; src=&quot;https://storage.googleapis.com/support-kms-prod/SNP_6811ED650F81648B7843CD7729A990C84D22_2976851_en_v1&quot; title=&quot;Report spam icon&quot; width=&quot;16&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;in the toolbar above your message list.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;(If you have the message open, you can also report it as spam by using the same button.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Here are some examples of the type of messages we've seen come through our system. &amp;nbsp;These should always be ignored and deleted!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Things to note in this message:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;This is coming from another college domain&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The logos are not current&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;ITD will never have you update your info by going to a form&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;We do not sign our messages with &quot;Technology Helpdesk&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Spam email&quot; height=&quot;604&quot; src=&quot;images/ITD/spam_message.png&quot; width=&quot;780&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Things to note in this message:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;There is no address in the &quot;To:&quot; field&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;IT always signs our messages with &quot;ITD&quot; and would include the HCC helpdesk email and phone number&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;ITD would never ask you for any information by email&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;It is highly unlikely that you will ever run out of storage space for your email&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Example of a spam email message&quot; height=&quot;253&quot; src=&quot;images/About/IT/spam_message2.png&quot; width=&quot;599&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Things to note in these messages:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;The IRS will never ask for your personal information by email&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;It says it's from IRS.gov but the email address is a HCC email&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;The subject line in the second image has a misspelled word&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Example of a spam email message&quot; height=&quot;346&quot; src=&quot;images/About/IT/spam_message3.png&quot; width=&quot;444&quot; /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Example of a spam email message&quot; height=&quot;388&quot; src=&quot;images/About/IT/spam_message4.png&quot; width=&quot;544&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Example of a spam email message&quot; height=&quot;276&quot; src=&quot;images/About/IT/IRSSpam.png&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 9pt;&quot; width=&quot;304&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10835" URL="x10835.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20250710T15:03:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10835.xml" Name="Remote Everything" IsComponent="true" /></Page><Page ID="x285" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/institutional-advancement" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:59:41" CategoryIds="" FileName="x285.xml" Name="Institutional Advancement" Title="Institutional Advancement" Abstract="The Institutional Advancement office encompasses the grant writing, alumni relations, private fundraising, marketing, and the HCC Foundation." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The Institutional Advancement office encompasses the grant writing, alumni relations, private fundraising, and marketing departments, and the HCC Foundation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;About our office&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;We work closely with other departments within the College to disseminate consistent information to external audiences regarding the College, to promote and market the institution to prospective students and supporters, and to seek external support and funding for College initiatives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Departments within our division&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Institutional Advancement Division includes the Alumni Office, Marketing &amp;amp; Communications Department, Development Office, Research Development Office, and Planning &amp;amp; Assessment Office.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x286" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/institutional-effectiveness-and-strategic-analytics" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:59:41" CategoryIds="" FileName="x286.xml" Name="Institutional Effectiveness &amp; Strategic Analytics" Title="Institutional Effectiveness &amp; Strategic Analytics" Abstract="The mission of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Analytics is to empower the college community at all levels to utilize data, analytics, information, and evidence to make data-informed decisions and take actions that benefit students and support institutional planning, assessment, and institutional effectiveness." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;Mission&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The mission of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Analytics is to empower the college community at all levels to utilize data, analytics, information, and evidence to make data-informed decisions and take actions that benefit students and support institutional planning, assessment, and institutional effectiveness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;vision&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our vision is to maintain a key role at the college through accurate, timely and high-quality analysis to support planning, assessment, and a culture of data-informed decision making. We seek to be recognized as a source of reliable &quot;institutional intelligence&quot; and to be the leader in promoting a culture that&amp;nbsp;leverages&amp;nbsp;data and analytics, critical for decision-making and continuous institutional improvement&amp;nbsp;that shapes HCC's future.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Functions&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Analytics (OIESA) assumes primary responsibility for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data of the institution to support strategic decision making, assessment, and planning functions of the college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What We Do&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Provide data and other support for the college's planning process&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Collect data about the college's performance metrics&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Identify and develop outcomes to measure institutional continuous improvement&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Support faculty, academic deans, and staff in conducting research and assessment&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Provide data collection, organization, and presentation in support of institutional outcomes assessment and academic program review&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Collect and maintain required institutional data for regional and professional accreditation and assist in the preparation of accreditation documents and reports&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Support the research and evaluation efforts of other administrative offices and departments on campus&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Submit all institutional reports and data for federal and state agencies by the required due dates&lt;strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x287" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/institutional-review-board" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251211T18:41:39" CategoryIds="" FileName="x287.xml" Name="Institutional Review Board" Title="Institutional Review Board" Abstract="The Holyoke Community College Institutional Review Board is responsible for safeguarding the rights and welfare of human subjects who participate in research activities conducted by the college community." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The Holyoke Community College Institutional Review Board is responsible for safeguarding the rights and welfare of human subjects who participate in research activities conducted by the college community. The IRB is also responsible for safeguarding the rights and welfare of members of the college community who participate as subjects in research studies conducted by researchers outside of the HCC community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Any faculty member, student, or staff member who proposes to engage in research involving the use of human subjects must have the project reviewed and approved by the IRB. Researchers not affiliated with Holyoke Community College who conduct research with HCC students, faculty members, or staff members also must have their research projects approved by the IRB. This policy applies to all research regardless of methodology (e.g., surveys, interviews, observational studies, experiments).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Individuals requesting authorization to conduct research must complete the &quot;Holyoke Community College IRB Application for Research Involving Human Subjects.&quot; Applications should be submitted by mail as well as electronically to the IRB Chair. There are three categories for IRB review (view below). These categories are based on an evaluation of risks and benefits of the study and protection of confidentiality of participants. All researchers must submit the &quot;Holyoke Community College IRB Application for Research Involving Human Subjects,&quot; and the IRB Chair will decide which type of review is appropriate. Principal investigators cannot make the determination that their research is exempt from IRB review.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;IRB approval is required before data collection can begin. Please note that the IRB cannot approve a proposal submitted after research is initiated. To avoid delays in starting your research, you should plan to submit your proposal as early in the semester as possible. The HCC IRB meets quarterly throughout the academic year. Proposals qualifying for Exempt or Expedited Review are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Proposals requiring full board review will be reviewed at a regularly scheduled meeting and should be submitted three weeks prior to the meeting date.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x283" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/marketing-and-communications" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260422T13:46:24" CategoryIds="" FileName="x283.xml" Name="Marketing &amp; Communications" Title="Marketing &amp; Communications" Abstract="The Marketing and Communications Department provides public information about HCC." BodyCopy="&lt;style&gt;p.attention {  border: 2px solid #27ae60;  padding: 30px;  background: #d4efdf;}&lt;/style&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;attention&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.monday.com/forms/b3eed717d13611b356b604aac422473f?r=use1&quot;&gt;Project Request Form&lt;/a&gt;: &lt;/strong&gt;For additional information, please email Althaea &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:acarroll1@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;acarroll1@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Marketing &amp;amp; Communications Department provides public information about HCC. Our staff are responsible for advertising, marketing, and publicity activities; the production of all college publications and printed material; and the content of the college website, including HCC's &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories&quot; title=&quot;HCC news stories&quot;&gt;news stories&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Publications&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our department produces The &lt;em&gt;Connection&lt;/em&gt;, a business and community education bulletin, college catalog, student handbook, and more. Please visit the &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/publications&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke Community College publications&quot;&gt;publications page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;!-- &lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Order Business Cards:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learn about self-service business card ordering &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Marketing%20and%20Communications/HCC_Brandly_BC_Instructions_FA23.pdf&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our ordering portal can be accessed&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.brandly.com/join/12001/e10475be-ca10-4acb-a8b3-4558fc0c36d9&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;(&lt;em&gt;Please order business cards by April 15, 2026&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt; --&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Location&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;DON 170&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Guides, Policies &amp;amp; Forms&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Marketing%20and%20Communications/Brand_Guidelines_DEC18_m.pdf&quot; title=&quot;HCC Brand Guidelines&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Brand Guidelines&lt;/a&gt;:&amp;nbsp;Looking for official HCC colors, or want to know more about our visual brand?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Marketing%20and%20Communications/DoorPlacardInserts.docx&quot; title=&quot;Door Placard Insert template&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Door Placard Insert&lt;/a&gt;: Download the Word file and create a sign with your name/title customized to fit the placard outside your office door.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Marketing%20and%20Communications/Model_Release_2020.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Model release form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Model Release Form&lt;/a&gt;:&amp;nbsp;Taking photos or video that will be published online or in print? You'll need one of these for each person depicted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Marketing%20and%20Communications/HCC_Web_and_Social_Media_Guidelines.pdf&quot; title=&quot;link to pdf of HCC social media guidelines&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Social Media Guidelines&lt;/a&gt;:&amp;nbsp;How to use Facebook, Twitter, and social networking tools and sites.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Marketing%20and%20Communications/STUDENT%20COMMUNICATIONS%20POLICY.pdf&quot; title=&quot;HCC Student Communications Policy&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Student Communications Policy&lt;/a&gt;:&amp;nbsp;How to communicate with students, who can send all-student emails, and more.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/videorequestform&quot; title=&quot;Link to google form for video request&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Video Request Form&lt;/a&gt;: Want a new video promoting your department or program?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To ensure your announcement's place in the queue, requests should be submitted at least two weeks in advance. To submit a request, please complete a&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Marketing%20and%20Communications/Digital_Sign_Posting_Request.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Digital sign announcement request&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Digital Sign Posting Request&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;form and email to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:communications@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;communications@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x288" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/office-of-foundation-and-government-grants" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:59:41" CategoryIds="" FileName="x288.xml" Name="Office of Foundation &amp; Government Grants" Title="Office of Foundation &amp; Government Grants" Abstract="The Office of Foundation and Government Grants (the “Grants Office”) is the centralized clearinghouse and source of support for grant activity throughout the Holyoke Community College campus." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The Office of Foundation and Government Grants (the &quot;Grants Office&quot;) is the centralized clearinghouse and source of support for grant activity throughout the Holyoke Community College campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;About Our Office&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Grants Office exists to:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Support the mission and vision of Holyoke Community College through the creation of innovative projects and partnerships that are funded by external grant-funding agencies.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Write and process proposals for the college and HCC Foundation.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Coordinate and support grant writing efforts initiated by faculty and staff.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Identify and pursue grant opportunities.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Track grant activity and regularly report to the President and Vice Presidents.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Coordinate partnership proposals with other higher education institutions, school districts, community-based organizations, and other entities.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Track reporting requirements and provide support as necessary.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Ensure quality and integrity in HCC's representations to and engagement with funders.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Act as the hub for online submissions of grants through Grants.gov and other web-based portals.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Communicate about and facilitate professional development opportunities for faculty and staff related to grant-seeking, project design, and development.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Roles &amp;amp; Responsibilities&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Curious about grant roles and responsibilities?&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Offices-Administration/Institutional%20Research/Grant%20Roles%20and%20responsibilities%20-%20AHB%20edits.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of grant roles and responsibilities&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Location&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Grants Office is located in Kittredge Center 201.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x289" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-accounts" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250804T13:32:33" CategoryIds="" FileName="x289.xml" Name="Student Accounts" Title="Student Accounts" Abstract="Looking for your bill? HCC does not mail bills, but you can find your statement and links to your payment plan online." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;get in touch&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;You can reach us Monday through &lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and&amp;nbsp;Friday, 1&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;p.m.&amp;nbsp;to 4:30&amp;nbsp; p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;by phone at &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2101&quot;&gt;413.552.2101&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentaccounts@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link studentaccounts@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;email&lt;/a&gt;, or you can chat with us by clicking on the Chat Now icon on this web page.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Looking for your student bill? Want to make a payment? Expecting a refund?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can find your statement and payment plan information online. &lt;span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Go to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fmy.HCC.edu&amp;amp;c=E,1,3meAJg8WSG-gfAZqoNd_uWCK-u7fswkfS4qTdP3b5sELZTv127ckB6C5v6LucPNimuOpqQ60nHeybN-uEiVt0mCIyis1AxTXN7xsFIAia7cO&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fmy.HCC.edu%26c%3DE,1,3meAJg8WSG-gfAZqoNd_uWCK-u7fswkfS4qTdP3b5sELZTv127ckB6C5v6LucPNimuOpqQ60nHeybN-uEiVt0mCIyis1AxTXN7xsFIAia7cO%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1738846748619000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw11zwP9Pq7j2k3rGq89jmoc&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;my.HCC.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;portal and under my&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gmail_signature_prefix&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Student Resource Card click the link to my Student Bill&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;. HCC does not mail bills.&amp;nbsp; Billing reminders and other important messages will be sent to your HCC email address, so be sure to check it regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions? Contact us by phone at &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2101&quot;&gt;413.552.2101&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or email at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentaccounts@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;studentaccounts@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;View the &lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/billing-and-refund&quot; title=&quot;Link to billing and refund page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Billing Schedule &amp;amp; Refund Policies for Credit Courses&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once you have registered for your classes, the Bursar's Office (Student Account Services, located in Frost 201) will upload an e-bill statement, listing charges (such as tuition and fees) and credits (such as financial aid or other payments).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/health-insurance&quot; title=&quot;Link to health insurance page&quot;&gt;Health insurance&lt;/a&gt; information and waiver/enrollment form are available online.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Be sure to make your payments by your billing due date! You are responsible for any charges incurred that are not addressed in a payment plan or covered by financial aid. You will be responsible for charges incurred if courses are not dropped during the add/drop period.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Incomplete paperwork can delay payment to your account, so be sure that your financial aid application, veteran or other tuition waivers, and/or online payment plan have been completed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Enrollment in the Payment Plan is online through &lt;span class=&quot;gmail_signature_prefix&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fmy.hcc.edu%2f&amp;amp;c=E,1,C_nIU-dWXG1Zlew7FWj65-WWvHq-9XhrdfUmsfPT6ORTpoYgHb3RquWxkSNPh0RTY-Q4Grg_tTFeLZD0XhHP9VU1ykRFm2_zK3FLAw0NbOD6Qh_rMRY,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fmy.hcc.edu%252f%26c%3DE,1,C_nIU-dWXG1Zlew7FWj65-WWvHq-9XhrdfUmsfPT6ORTpoYgHb3RquWxkSNPh0RTY-Q4Grg_tTFeLZD0XhHP9VU1ykRFm2_zK3FLAw0NbOD6Qh_rMRY,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1738846748619000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw2p-9nwbiLNwxTxijwvePzT&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;my.HCC.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;. (&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;Go to&amp;nbsp;my Student Resource Card and click&amp;nbsp;on my Student Bill&lt;b&gt;.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you are receiving financial aid or other type of tuition assistance/payment, the College must provide students with a copy of their billing statement. The email notice and the online Bill Statement will show a negative amount due (e.g. Amount Due -$100.00) when your anticipated aid exceeds tuition and fees. Financial aid surplus will be converted into a book advance to purchase books and supplies during the open Book Advance Program period. Any remaining surplus of financial aid, tuition assistance or overpayment will be refunded to you, the student, by the College for financial aid within 14 days upon receipt and within 7 days upon request by the student for other overpayments.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Payments made by credit/debit card will be refunded to credit/debit cards used for payment.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Where is my refund?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333333;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Detailed information is available to you through &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff0000;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fmy.HCC.edu&amp;amp;c=E,1,Ri9rEg-04YKlu00YWPnXkz-W3R5jyAsI1QU22QD95NhefviA92owdeRBT6yCpwWgPmhlXvuNgyYPGuGt4WWU8mLGNnwdS-ag0ypB4xYinsXl&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;my.HCC.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;,&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333333;&quot;&gt;where you can set up direct deposit &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;for &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333333;&quot;&gt;funds to be delivered directly into your bank account of choice. Holyoke Community College can&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;also&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;deliver your refund through &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333333;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #000000;&quot;&gt;B&lt;/span&gt;ankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc. Visit our&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hcc.edu%2ftuition-and-aid%2fbilling-and-refund%2frefund-options&amp;amp;c=E,1,DQyN9zIv_dFJD0nzygv9bDvdhezpx3GYTwlO5Vq-amPiQfD-PWF-ObkK2fdLYOZpGMSE_7MtWxO454x0iUMFzf0TAEyebDHq8wVIb31Y8eO3UnAe-BkLZ_HL1A,,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; title=&quot;Link to refund options page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;refund options page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333333;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;to learn all about your other refund choices.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Withdrawal&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;If, after registering, you decide not to attend HCC, immediately notify the Student Records Office to withdraw you from your classes. Use the &lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.gle/j4A6uuqrX7M6azVm6&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://forms.gle/j4A6uuqrX7M6azVm6&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1585413831185000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNHfUQ5ywOkLi1I7v6PAJKfcqjTbVw&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Student Course Withdrawal Form&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to submit your request. Please be aware that non-payment of your bill does not constitute withdrawal from the College.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x290" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-affairs" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250826T16:39:32" CategoryIds="" FileName="x290.xml" Name="Student Affairs" Title="Student Affairs" Abstract="Student Affairs complements the overall institutional mission to promote student success." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;About Our Office&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The mission of Student Affairs at Holyoke Community College is to empower students through equitable opportunities, personalized support, and inclusive resources. Grounded in the college's commitment to Educate, Inspire, and Connect, we strive to dismantle barriers to success by fostering a culture of belonging, advocating for equity, and providing comprehensive services that address the diverse needs of our student body. Through innovative programming and collaborative partnerships with faculty and external partners, we aim to cultivate an environment where every student is supported in achieving their educational goals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;LOCATION and CONTACT INFORMATION&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Office of Student Affairs is located in the Frost Building, 2nd Floor, room 224&lt;br /&gt;Email: &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentaffairs@hcc.edu&quot; id=&quot;E71&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;studentaffairs@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Phone: 413.552.2390&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;MEET US&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Renee Tastad&lt;/strong&gt;, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs - &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:rtastad@hcc.edu&quot; id=&quot;E84&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;rtastad@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;M.A. University of Colorado, Denver; B.A. University of Jamestown&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Janet Aracena&lt;/strong&gt;, Administrative Assistant, Office of Student Affairs - &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:jaracena@hcc.edu&quot; id=&quot;E96&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;jaracena@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Bilingual - Spanish &lt;br /&gt;A.A. Holyoke Community College&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College expects students to conduct themselves in a manner that is appropriate to a collegiate environment. Students are expected to assume responsibility for their own behavior and learning and to respect the learning environment of others. Holyoke Community College strives to maintain a learning environment that enhances the academic, intellectual, cultural, and social enrichment of its students, faculty, staff, and the community at large. To ensure that no member of the College community is deprived of this collegiate environment, student rights and responsibilities are clearly stated, and behavior and discipline codes have been established.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Student Rights&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The right to pursue their education and assistance in overcoming educational, cultural, emotional, and economic disadvantages that create challenges to the educational process.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The right to fair and equal treatment without discrimination based on a students of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, maternity leave, military service and national origin.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The right to privacy and confidentiality under the Family Education Right and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. &amp;sect; 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The right to procedural and substantive due process in disciplinary or grievance matters.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Student Responsibilities&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;To be knowledgeable of and to comply with federal, state, and local laws, and ordinances.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;To be knowledgeable of and to comply with all directives, policies, and procedures of Holyoke Community College.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;To choose behavior that does not interfere with the learning environment of others inside and outside of the classroom, including College events.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;To review all information that is shared with students in official college communications.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/HCC%202025%20Student%20Code%20of%20Conduct%202025.pdf&quot; id=&quot;E134&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Student Code of Conduct&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?HolyokeCC&amp;amp;layout_id=2&quot; id=&quot;E138&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Report Alleged Violations of the Code of Conduct&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;Requesting Information from Student Affairs:&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;If you are a former or current student requesting information&amp;nbsp;from the office of Student Affairs regarding past or current discipline records from our office, please submit the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdHUIsXWKZmM4HpJvBcr3TGisUhSgyNvHJ7Mw_L5DU_IBZzAA/viewform?usp=sharing&quot;&gt;Release of Information form&lt;/a&gt; and send the form you wish to have completed to &lt;i&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentaffairs@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;studentaffairs@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/i&gt;. Our office will not release information unless you complete the Release of Information form or legal binding information.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x18921" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-affairs/student-code-of-conduct" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250902T14:28:06" CategoryIds="" FileName="x18921.xml" Name="Student Code of Conduct" Title="Student Code of Conduct" Abstract="Information about the student code of conduct." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Members of the campus community have a responsibility to act in a manner that promotes the well-being, respect, safety and security of all members of the campus community. Conduct that disrupts, invades or demonstrates disrespect for those rights will not be tolerated. Individuals are responsible for their conduct and the consequences of their actions. Interference with the College's educational objectives or community life is cause for disciplinary action. All members of the College community and visitors are expected to refrain from such interference including, among others, the following particular types of conduct on College premises and at College sponsored or authorized activities. Although all staff members representing the College are concerned with the welfare and discipline of students, it is the responsibility of the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, or his or her designee, in concert with other campus offices, to see that rules and regulations are maintained.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/HCC%202025%20Student%20Code%20of%20Conduct%202025.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of code of conduct&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Code of Conduct: Printed Version&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?HolyokeCC&amp;amp;layout_id=2&quot;&gt;Report&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x291" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260323T13:17:13" CategoryIds="" FileName="x291.xml" Name="Student Records &amp; Registrar" Title="Student Records &amp; Registrar" Abstract="Information about HCC's Student Records &amp; Registrar office." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;get in touch&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;The Student Records office is typically open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Fridays from 1 pm - 4:30 p.m.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Before the start of each semester extended hours are Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;em&gt;Drop in, call us at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2319/&quot;&gt;413.552.2319&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentrecords@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link studentrecords@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;email&lt;/a&gt;, or you chat with us by clicking on the Chat Now icon on this web page.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Located in Frost 223, the Student Records and Registrar's office maintains student records, evaluates transcripts for transfer credit from other institutions, certifies students for the completion of degree requirements, and provides academic guidance and other assistance to students as needed. Student Records provides:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Academic policy information&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Address change forms for you to update your records&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Advising report/academic history printout&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Advisor name and office location&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Class schedule printout&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Degree and certificate requirement listing&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Enrollment verification&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Evaluation or Re-Evaluation of transfer credit (Visit our &lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar/transcript-re-evaluation-request&quot; title=&quot;Re-Evaluation Page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;re-evaluation page&lt;/a&gt; for more information)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Graduation Application/Audit&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar/immunizations&quot; title=&quot;Link to immunizations webpage&quot;&gt;Immunization information&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Loan deferment&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar/ma-community-colleges-transfer-principles&quot; title=&quot;MA Community Colleges Transfer Principles&quot;&gt;MA Community Colleges Transfer Principles&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar/name-in-use&quot;&gt;Preferred First Name Policy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Transcripts (Visit our &lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar/request-a-transcript&quot;&gt;transcript page&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for more information)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Offices-Administration/Student%20Records-Registrar/Student%20Veteran%20Credit%20Evaluation%20Form%20%284%29.pdf&quot; title=&quot;VALOR Act (Student Veteran credit transfer)&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;VALOR Act (Student Veteran credit transfer)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Withdrawal forms (course or college)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Curious about how HCC&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/IT/HCCDisasterPlan.pdf&quot; title=&quot;disaster recovery plan&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;safeguards student records&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;in the event of a closure?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Offices-Administration/Student%20Records-Registrar/SP206_POT_10.1.2025.pdf&quot;&gt;Add/Drop &amp;amp; Withdrawal Dates for Spring 2026 and Wintersession&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fdrive.google.com%2ffile%2fd%2f1Tn4yX4tZ6Nm6_Wm1qwPyG318lKnHl42a%2fview%3fusp%3ddrive_link&amp;amp;c=E,1,RCRN856VzoxJXpaoV7m8pV-B7TcJ4Uo8bjAjJPPkdBLApYSaQqqO363chmjvLI5Z8y_X3et0yq-D3UkV-9zQxGzYVAmeZ4tD6iE3xzlHNbV9ShMdmSjJ5EU,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fdrive.google.com%252ffile%252fd%252f1Tn4yX4tZ6Nm6_Wm1qwPyG318lKnHl42a%252fview%253fusp%253ddrive_link%26c%3DE,1,RCRN856VzoxJXpaoV7m8pV-B7TcJ4Uo8bjAjJPPkdBLApYSaQqqO363chmjvLI5Z8y_X3et0yq-D3UkV-9zQxGzYVAmeZ4tD6iE3xzlHNbV9ShMdmSjJ5EU,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1774357768510000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1W4C_KLarhzXcwUP3n-dgU&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Add/Drop and Withdrawal Dates for Summer 2026&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fdrive.google.com%2ffile%2fd%2f1GiP2YGEFt2Yj-P5C8sBvvP_jJBbD347g%2fview%3fusp%3ddrive_link&amp;amp;c=E,1,8h7-lrHuciFHQPrhbJL-MkQoStAmISiJtVWStC4ahzxlp4eUbxhkbNOC1DqfiJzOv-PhJEARWGhTu7XSzKL43khCyQ_UmR9tr9vjQaTf7HLBGzhNdIM,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fdrive.google.com%252ffile%252fd%252f1GiP2YGEFt2Yj-P5C8sBvvP_jJBbD347g%252fview%253fusp%253ddrive_link%26c%3DE,1,8h7-lrHuciFHQPrhbJL-MkQoStAmISiJtVWStC4ahzxlp4eUbxhkbNOC1DqfiJzOv-PhJEARWGhTu7XSzKL43khCyQ_UmR9tr9vjQaTf7HLBGzhNdIM,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1774357768510000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0ZK5fcpwYoLfe8n5sYq5u0&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Add/Drop and Withdrawal Dates for Fall 2026&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;contact&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Phone:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:(413)%20552-2319&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;413.552.2319&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x9565" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar/immunizations" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260115T16:24:16" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9565.xml" Name="Immunizations" Title="Immunization Requirements" Abstract="Details about the immunizations required for HCC students. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Massachusetts law (Chapter 76, Section 15C) requires that all full-time undergraduate students under 30 years of age and all full and part-time health science students &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Offices-Administration/Student%20Records-Registrar/Immunization%20Form%208.2023.pdf&quot; id=&quot;E136&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of immunization record form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;must submit proof&lt;/a&gt;, within 30 days of registering for courses, of immunization against the following:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Measles, mumps, and rubella (need two MMR shots)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Pertussis-containing tetanus shot called Tdap (within 10 years)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Hepatitis B (need 3 shots)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Varicella (Chickenpox; need 2 shots or documentation by a MD of date of history of disease)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Meningitis (MenACWY)&amp;nbsp;vaccine (Individuals 21 years of age and younger must provide documentation of having received a dose of quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine on or after their 16th&amp;nbsp;birthday) or complete the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Offices-Administration/Student%20Records-Registrar/MDPH%20meningococcal-info-waiver%202018.pdf&quot; id=&quot;E161&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;MDPH Meningococcal Information Waiver&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Documentation of positive antibody titers for measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, and varicella is acceptable. Immunization records can be obtained from the student's healthcare provider or an elementary or secondary school in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. Students with incomplete or outdated immunizations are required to receive updated vaccinations. Please mail to HCC Immunization Records, Bartley Center Room 100, Holyoke, MA 01040; phone:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2387&quot;&gt;413.552.2387&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:immunizations@hcc.edu&quot; id=&quot;E169&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;email&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Looking for info on COVID-19 vaccine requirements?&lt;/strong&gt; Please read our &lt;a href=&quot;/about/public-safety/public-health-emergencies-and-covid-19&quot; title=&quot;Link to covid-19 information page&quot;&gt;COVID-19 info page.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10px;&quot;&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Students who want to transfer immunization records from HCC to another college may request by submitting an online&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2d2kwTiueHA6NIWqlx6RmQtKpFjBCB5ubTRTito8SWW8FMA/viewform&quot; title=&quot;link to google form for transfer immunization request&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;HCC College Request to Transfer Immunization Records form&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5390" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar/confidentiality-of-student-records" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260203T13:30:17" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5390.xml" Name="Confidentiality of Student Records" Title="Confidentiality of Student Records" Abstract="Here you'll find a brief description of FERPA and FERPA forms." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is the Family Educational Rights &amp;amp; Privacy Act (FERPA)?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;FERPA helps protect the privacy of student education rights. The act provides three basic rights:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li value=&quot;0&quot;&gt;The right to inspect and review the education relating to the student maintained by the schools the student attends.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li value=&quot;0&quot;&gt;The right to challenge and require the schools to amend any portion of the education records concerning the student that is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student's privacy rights.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li value=&quot;0&quot;&gt;The right to require the school to obtain written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information, except in those instances specifically noted in the statute.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;The act applies to all institutions that are recipients of federal funds administered by the Secretary of Education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Student Information Release Form&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College considers all students to be independent as defined in Section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code. The College will&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;disclose non-directory information of any student except where the Family Educational Rights &amp;amp; Privacy Act requires or allows disclosure without consent.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students can request that their information be released to a third party (parents, state agency, etc.) by completing the &lt;a href=&quot;https://nextcloud.hcc.edu/index.php/s/s9cZKAFZRoeQ7Qx&quot;&gt;Student Information Release&amp;nbsp;form&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See the HCC Student Handbook under &lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/publications&quot; title=&quot;HCC publications&quot;&gt;Publications&lt;/a&gt; for Holyoke Community College's full policy on Student Confidentiality and FERPA.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x4996" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar/request-a-transcript" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250127T17:40:47" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4996.xml" Name="Request a Transcript" Title="Request a Transcript" Abstract="Need a copy of your transcript? HCC uses Parchment to send official copies to other schools, prospective employers, and other agencies. You can even request a paper copy for yourself! " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Parchment provides official HCC transcripts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Our offices does not accept email transcript requests.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;There is no fee for an unofficial transcript.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;An official e-transcript and an official paper transcript are $5 each, and an official mailed transcript is $7.50.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Processing may take 3-5 business days during final grades and graduation.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h3&gt;What kind of transcript do you need?&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;OFFICIAL ELECTRONIC TRANSCRIPT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the quickest and easiest way for Parchment to securely deliver a certified PDF copy of your transcript to another college/university, a third party recipient, or yourself. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.parchment.com/u/registration/34416/account&quot; title=&quot;Link to parchment to order a transcript&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Order transcript.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;OFFICIAL MAILED TRANSCRIPT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once the transcript is approved by HCC, Parchment prints a certified PDF copy of your transcript and mails it to the recipient via USPS, which takes 7-10 business days to arrive. It can also be expedited with FedEx for an additional shipping charge. Plan your request accordingly. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.parchment.com/u/registration/34416/account&quot; title=&quot;Link to parchment to order a transcript&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Order transcript.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;This is a non-certified printed paper transcript is available at no cost for&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;current students&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;from the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://my.hcc.edu&quot;&gt;myHCC Dashboard&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Look for 'My Student Profile'&amp;nbsp;in the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;My Student Resources&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;card and select Unofficial Academic Transcript.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Choose your Transcript Level and Type from the dropdown menus; then click &quot;Submit&quot; to view your unofficial transcript and print.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For &lt;strong&gt;non-current students&lt;/strong&gt;, please complete the Unofficial HCC Transcript Request form&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdwd4BE4fujBMa52cjM-MlRocHiAjOzGTLd4gxKJzaABQ5RAw/viewform&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GED or HiSET TRANSCRIPT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC only provides the testing site for these exams. To receive your records, please&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.diplomasender.com/&quot; title=&quot;Link to Diploma Sender website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;visit this website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Place Your Order Now&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Parchment transcript orders need to be submitted using a laptop or desktop computer and the Chrome or Mozilla Firefox browsers. &lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;Mobile devices do not work.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.parchment.com/u/registration/34416/institution&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Order Credentials from Parchment&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://exchange.parchment.com/images/ordertranscript.png&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When can I pick up my order?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you'd like to pick up your transcript, choose &quot;Paper Transcript Pickup&quot; when ordering your official transcript through Parchment.&amp;nbsp;You will be notified by email when the transcript is ready for pickup, and you can obtain it in FR 223 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday or 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday. You must show an HCC ID or government-issued picture identification to receive your transcript.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why do I have a hold on my transcript order?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Transcripts may be held for the current semester's grades or the next degree date.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you're expecting a grade change, don't order your transcript until you're sure the grade has been changed prior to your request.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Resources&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Parchment Customer Support&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;If you are having difficulty with Parchment, please contact&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://parchmentsupport.force.com/s/?language=en_US&quot; title=&quot;Link to parchment customer service&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;customer support&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Track An Order&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the real-time order status updates, log into&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.parchment.com/u/auth/login&quot; title=&quot;Link to Parchment login&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Parchment&lt;/a&gt;, or track your order with the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://exchange.parchment.com/d/tracking/didtracker.htm&quot; title=&quot;Link to tracking on parchment website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;document ID&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(DID). You will get an email from Parchment any time your order status changes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Parchment Quick Bytes Playlist&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Short walk-through videos on many different transcript processes provided by Parchment&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://vimeo.com/parchment&quot; title=&quot;Link to Vimeo playlist of parchment quick bytes&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;All Parchment Quick Bytes Playlist&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://vimeo.com/730505236&quot; title=&quot;Link to Vimeo video on creating an account with parchment&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;How to Create an Account with Parchment Transcript Services&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5640" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar/transcript-re-evaluation-request" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:59:41" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5640.xml" Name="Transcript Re-Evaluation Request" Title="Transcript Re-Evaluation Request" Abstract="Transcript Re-Evaluation Request" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Request an evaluation of transcripts if:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;you feel as though an error or omission has occurred in the evaluation of transfer credit&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;you have changed your program of study&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;To request an evaluation of transcript(s), please fill out the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/forms/fgEHGBsE1Lpp8Yyy2&quot; title=&quot;Re-Evaluation Request Form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Transcript Evaluation Request Form&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Once we have received the request, notification will be sent via mail within 2 weeks.&amp;nbsp; Should you need immediate assistance, please call Student Records at (413) 552-2319.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5674" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar/ma-community-colleges-transfer-principles" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:59:41" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5674.xml" Name="MA Community Colleges Transfer Principles" Title="MA Community Colleges Transfer Principles" Abstract="The community colleges of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in order to ease and clarify the process of transferring earned credit from one college to another, whether among themselves or from other public or private institutions; to provide standards for the evaluation of alternative sources of credit; to reduce the time and cost of completing a college education; and to increase the opportunities for graduation of their students, establish these Community College Transfer Principles." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The community colleges of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in order to ease and clarify the process of transferring earned credit from one college to another, whether among themselves or from other public or private institutions; to provide standards for the evaluation of alternative sources of credit; to reduce the time and cost of completing a college education; and to increase the opportunities for graduation of their students, establish these Community College Transfer Principles. These Principles respect the academic standards, quality and integrity of each of the Massachusetts community colleges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In accepting undergraduate transfer credit from other institutions, the Massachusetts community colleges apply these Transfer Principles to ensure that credit accepted reflects appropriate levels of academic quality and is applicable to students&amp;rsquo; programs. Each community college makes these Transfer Principles publicly available to students and prospective students on their websites and other communications. These Principles reduce unnecessary barriers to protect the colleges&amp;rsquo; academic quality and integrity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These Transfer Principles address issues of academic credit earned through coursework completed at one institution and transferred to another. It also addresses the related issue of credit earned through alternative sources of credit, such as examinations, professional courses, military training and other prior learning experiences.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Transfer Credit Policy at HCC&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;A. For credit to transfer, the courses must have been taken at an institution accredited by one of the seven regional accreditation agencies in the United States or by a national accreditation agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;B. Credit earned at international institutions not accredited by one of the six regional United States accreditation agencies may transfer. An official course-by-course evaluation report must be sent directly to HCC from an approved credential evaluation agency for students seeking college or university transfer credit. Students are strongly encouraged to send course descriptions for any course they are interested in transferring to HCC. Approved agencies are the Center for Educational Documentation (CED Boston) and all agencies listed &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naces.org&quot; title=&quot;NACES&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;C. HCC requires official transcripts from the institutions where credit was earned for credit to transfer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;D. Students must be accepted by HCC and have declared their major programs of study for credit to be transferred.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;E. Credit will be granted for courses that apply to students&amp;rsquo; current programs of study.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;F. Once credit is transferred it becomes part of the students&amp;rsquo; permanent records.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;G. Only credit for college-level coursework will transfer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;H. Credit for pre-college-level or developmental coursework does not transfer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I. HCC may use developmental coursework for student placement purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;J. Grades do not transfer; only credit transfers. Therefore, transfer credit grades are not used in calculating grade or quality point averages.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;K. Transfer credit is designated on transcripts with a &amp;ldquo;T&amp;rdquo; in the grade field.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;L. Credit will transfer as (1) the course equivalent at HCC, if it exists, or (2) as an elective equivalent within a comparable department, if it exists. HCC may transfer credit with an appropriate transfer code and number, when neither the course equivalent, nor a comparable department, exists.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;M. Credits earned in a quarter-hour system will be converted to semester-hour equivalents.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;N. Audited coursework does not transfer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;O. Credit will not be granted for duplicate coursework or for two courses that cover the same or similar content.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Minimum Grades&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;A. HCC accepts grades of C- or higher in transfer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;B. Grades of D, D+, C- and CD (1.00 to 1.99 on a 4.00 scale) may transfer if they are for courses that are part of the 34-credit General Education Foundation (formerly MassTransfer Block) and students have completed the Block with a cumulative grade or quality point average of 2.00 or higher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;C. Grades higher than C (2.00) may be required for admission to certain programs, for use as pre-requisite courses and for application of credit to certain program requirements. See the college catalog for specific program requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;D. Grades of Pass (P), Satisfactory (S), or similar grades will transfer only when official transcripts indicate that such grades are equivalent to a grade of C or higher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Residency Requirement/Maximum Transfer Credit Allowed&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC requires students to complete at least one quarter (25%) of the credits of the first associate degree at HCC in order to graduate (referred to as the residency requirement). Transfer of up to the remaining three quarters (75%) of the credits will depend upon the associate degree program's requirements and elective options. An additional fifteen (15) credits, over and above the credits required for the first degree, are required for a second and subsequent degree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Alternative Sources of Credit&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;A. Credit will be granted for satisfactory scores on Advanced Placement (AP) examinations based on HCC&amp;rsquo;s policies. For information about Advanced Placement credit please see the list of exams and &lt;a href=&quot;/admission/ap-exam-credit&quot; title=&quot;HCC AP exam credit&quot;&gt;HCC&amp;rsquo;s equivalent credit&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;B. Credit will be granted for satisfactory scores on College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) examinations based on HCC&amp;rsquo;s policies. For information about College-Level Examination Program credit, &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/testing-and-workforce-certification-center&quot; title=&quot;Testing &amp;amp; Workforce Certification Center&quot;&gt;please click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;C. Official score reports from the College Board are required in order to receive credit for AP and CLEP.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;D. Credit will be granted for satisfactory scores on challenge examinations based on HCC&amp;rsquo;s&amp;rsquo; policies. For more information about Challenge Exam credit please see the &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/testing-and-workforce-certification-center&quot; title=&quot;Testing &amp;amp; Workforce Certification Center&quot;&gt;list of exams&lt;/a&gt;. Credit granted for HCC Challenge exams will not transfer to another institution.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;E. Credit may be granted via articulation agreements with high schools.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;F. Credit may be granted for formal courses or examinations offered by various organizations, including businesses, unions, government and military based on the recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE) as found in its National Guide to College Credit for Workforce Training, a resource of its College Credit Recommendation Service (CREDIT).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;G. Credit also may be granted for learning from experience at work, volunteering in the community, military service, job training, or open source courseware study, based on the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) standards of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;H. Members of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium adhere to the Consortium&amp;rsquo;s Academic Residency Requirements for servicemembers at their institutions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I. Academic credits earned through the evaluation of military occupation, training, experience and coursework are transferable within the Massachusetts public higher education system in accordance with the Mass Transfer agreement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;J. Credit granted by one institution from alternative sources other than that included by item H above may not transfer to another institution.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Time Limits&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;A. Credit will be transferred without time limits, except for science courses for certain programs. See college catalog for further information on individual program requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;B. Certain programs, courses, or admission standards may require courses to be taken within a specified time period based on HCC&amp;rsquo;s policies. See the college catalog for further information on individual program requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Student Appeals &amp;amp; Re-evaluation for Change of Major&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students who feel as though an error or omission occurred in the evaluation of their transcript, or for a re-evaluation based on a new major, a re-evaluation may be requested by completing the form &lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar/transcript-re-evaluation-request&quot; title=&quot;Transcript Re-Evaluation Request&quot;&gt;located here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5906" URL="about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar/name-in-use" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250804T13:10:53" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5906.xml" Name="Name in Use" Title="Name in Use" Abstract="HCC recognizes that some students identify themselves with a name that differs from their legal name. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College recognizes that some students use a name other than their legal name to identify themselves. This name, referred to as the name in use, will be used where possible in the course of college business and education. Students may use this name wherever a legal name is not required. When students enter a name in use on the HCC application for admission or submit a request for a change of Name in Use through myHCC Dashboard&lt;!-- notionvc: c23f4209-c327-40ed-a4f2-65d0888e6bc3 --&gt;, the following systems and documents will be affected:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Student identification cards&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Email accounts&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;myHCC Dashboard&amp;nbsp;transcripts, class rosters and advisor lists&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;DegreeWorkso&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Canvas accounts&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Diplomas, awards, and recognitions.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;A student's legal name will continue to be used on all college documents, systems, and communications external to the college and/or where a legal name is required. Examples include, but are not limited to: financial aid records; student accounts records; student personally identifiable information; student directory information; payroll records; health records; official transcripts; federal immigration documents; and interactions with government agencies. To change your legal name on all college records a court order or other acceptable legal documentation is required.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This service may be modified, changed, altered, or rescinded at the discretion of HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;frequently asked questions&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page></Page><Page ID="x13330" URL="about/offices-and-administration/shared-governance" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20220914T13:24:27" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13330.xml" Name="Shared Governance" Title="Shared Governance" Abstract="Shared Governance" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Shared governance at HCC is the process through which individuals develop recommendations for policies and decisions that affect the institution. This process encourages and values the voices of all members of the HCC community. Opportunities for open dialogue throughout the process is paramount, which provides College leadership access to the knowledge and expertise that resides at all levels of the institution. This dialogue is collaborative, data-informed, and grounded in the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The purpose of this process includes supporting student success and fostering a respectful and inclusive workplace. It assumes goodwill, is transparent, and demonstrates a commitment to our mission and to our institutional values.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Black background with Shared Governance HCC in white surrounded by yellow, green, blue and orange circles&quot; height=&quot;1700&quot; src=&quot;images/About/Offices-Administration/Shared%20Governance/HCC_Shared_Gov_Flow_Chart_d3.png&quot; width=&quot;2200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;our commitments:&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Communication, Documentation &amp;amp; Transparency&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Communication, documentation, and transparency are essential to the active participation of all constituency groups in college governance. To be most effective, shared governance commits to the following:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Enable all members of the College community to access information about and participate in governance activities through the use of accessible, American with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant agendas and minutes created from college-provided templates;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Provide information through the HCC website, intranet portal and/or other electronic media so constituents can view information at any time;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Focus on documentation of agreements, actions items, and relevant context for the:&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Participatory governance body,&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Between participatory governance bodies, e.g., College Advisory Council and standing committees, or between standing committees,&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Between decision makers and recommending governance bodies, and&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Various constituency groups;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Ensure standing committees move final recommendations forward in writing to the College Advisory Council and that the College Advisory Council forwards written recommendations to the College president for final consideration and decision-making;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Ensure that final decisions that differ substantially from forwarded recommendations are accompanied by a written rationale for the final decision; and&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Annually review and evaluate the process via the College Advisory Council, documenting feedback from the various constituencies.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;our commitments:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Constituencies&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The central governing body has representation that is inclusive of all constituencies so that all voices are heard.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Constituencies that will be represented on shared governance committees are administrators, full-time staff, part-time staff, full-time faculty, part-time faculty, and students.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;In order to promote active participation in shared governance, as part of onboarding, new employees will be provided training on the HCC shared governance committees and processes as well as how to participate in shared governance. This training on HCC shared governance will be provided by leadership and/or representatives from each of the broad constituencies (faculty, staff, &amp;amp; administration).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;On all committees with student representatives, chairs will work with Student Senate to identify students to serve, but the student representatives do not need to be members of Student Senate.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;There must be formal opportunities for all constituency groups to get together within their constituency groups for shared governance issues, and to determine shared governance representation on committees.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;In a representative form of governance, constituency representatives in all shared governance committees have the responsibility to get feedback from and give information to their constituencies&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x311" URL="about/public-records" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251014T15:27:15" CategoryIds="" FileName="x311.xml" Name="Public Records" Title="Public Records" Abstract="These pages were created to aid the public in accessing records in compliance with Massachusetts Public Records Law." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Two female nursing students using tablets together&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/Public%20Records/tablets_intext.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; To request a transcript, please &lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar/request-a-transcript&quot; title=&quot;Request a transcript&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Welcome to HCC's public records section. These pages were created to aid the public in accessing records in compliance with Massachusetts Public Records Law (Chapter 66, Section 10 of the Massachusetts General Laws). It is the policy of HCC to be open as possible while protecting legitimate privacy issues. We strive to be responsive to all legal and legitimate requests for public information. Please note that some of the information you seek may be posted elsewhere on the college website. Check this section's FAQ for guidance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While no form is required to request public information, we provide the form below for your convenience. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts also suggests language that may help expedite your request.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or need assistance in accessing the college's public records.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Narayan Sampath&lt;br /&gt;VP Administration &amp;amp; Finance Records Access Officer &lt;br /&gt;303 Homestead Ave. Holyoke, MA 01040 &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2220&quot;&gt;413.552.2220&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:recordsrequest@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;recordsrequest@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="true" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x312" URL="about/public-records/minutes-of-open-meetings" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260527T13:27:26" CategoryIds="" FileName="x312.xml" Name="Minutes of Open Meetings" Title="Minutes of Open Meetings" Abstract="On this page you will find meeting dates, agendas, and minutes related to meetings of the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees and its subcommittees." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;On this page you will find meeting dates, agendas, and minutes related to meetings of the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees and its subcommittees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Board meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 8 a.m.&amp;nbsp; They are traditionally held in Frost 309 with an option of Zoom.&amp;nbsp; Meetings in July and December are sometimes canceled, and occasionally meetings may need to be rescheduled.&amp;nbsp; Contact &lt;span&gt;Angela Cardenas&lt;/span&gt; at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:President@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;President@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mmariani@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;or 413.552.2223 for information or to request a link to the Zoom meeting.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Please note:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Minutes from the previous month&amp;rsquo;s meeting are included in the following month&amp;rsquo;s attachments.&amp;nbsp; Example:&amp;nbsp; Minutes from the January 2024 board meeting are in the February 2024 attachment. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Public%20Records/Open%20Meetings/2025/SCHEDULE%20OF%20MEETINGS-AY%2025-26.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of 2024-2025 meeting schedule&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Schedule of Meetings July 2025 &amp;ndash; June 2026&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;board of trustees&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x292" URL="about/public-safety" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250902T14:28:37" CategoryIds="" FileName="x292.xml" Name="Public Safety" Title="Public Safety" Abstract="Your safety is important to us! The information provided here is aimed at helping the members of our community be safe both on and off campus." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Frost building at Holyoke Community College&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/Campus%20Safety/frost_intext.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your safety is important to us! The information provided here is aimed at helping the members of our community be safe both on and off campus. In case of fire or to call an ambulance, please dial 911 from any campus phone. For all other emergencies, dial 2211 for the HCC Police Department from any campus phone or call&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2211&quot;&gt;413.552.2211&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;from a cell phone. Be sure to state your location and describe your emergency. If possible, always stay on the phone with the police dispatcher to help her/him better assist you. If there is information that you can't find and would like to see on these pages, please email &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:communications@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;communications@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;with your suggestions.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x298" URL="about/public-safety/annual-security-report" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240723T14:18:58" CategoryIds="" FileName="x298.xml" Name="Annual Security Report" Title="Annual Security Report" Abstract="The HCCPD prepares the Annual Security Report in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The HCCPD prepares the &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/ASR/ASR_2023.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Annual Security Report&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy &amp;amp; Crime Statistics Act. This report includes statistics for the previous three years concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Holyoke Community College; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Annual Security Report is prepared in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies and the offices of Student Affairs, Athletics, and Student Activities. Each entity provides updated information on their educational efforts and programs to comply with the Clery Act. Campus crime, arrest and referral statistics include those reported to the HCCPD, designated campus officials, and local law enforcement agencies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each year, an email notification is made to all enrolled students, faculty, and staff providing information on how to access the Annual Security Report online; employees who do not have a campus email address will receive a postcard through campus mail which provides similar information. Students should familiarize themselves with the &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Publications/SHB/FINAL2%20HCC_StudentHandbook_2024-25.pdf&quot;&gt;HCC Student Handbook&lt;/a&gt;, which states that the student's HCC email account will be used to communicate with the student body.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Copies of this report may also be obtained at the Campus Police Department located in the Frost building, or by calling &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2400&quot;&gt;413.552.2400&lt;/a&gt;. Prospective students may obtain a copy from the Admissions office in the Campus Center or by calling &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2296&quot;&gt;413.552.2296&lt;/a&gt;. All prospective employees may obtain a copy from the Human Resources Office in Frost Building, or by calling &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2554&quot;&gt;413.552.2554&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x297" URL="about/public-safety/campus-closures" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T13:01:48" CategoryIds="" FileName="x297.xml" Name="Campus Closures" Title="Campus Closures &amp; Delayed Openings" Abstract="The easiest—and speediest—way to find out when campus will be closed is to update your contact information in Rave, HCC's alert notification system." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The easiest &amp;mdash; and speediest &amp;mdash; way to find out if campus is closed is to update your contact information in Rave, HCC's alert notification system. Rave can send text, email, and/or phone alerts, but only if we have your up-to-date contact information. In addition to Rave alerts, campus closings or delayed openings are posted on the college website and on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/HolyokeCommunityCollege/&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke Community College on Facebook&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Facebook&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/holyokecc&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke Community College on Twitter&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Twitter&lt;/a&gt;. Make sure to follow us for notifications!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Delays or closings due to inclement weather are also available on HCC's Weather Hotline at &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2900&quot;&gt;413.552.2900&lt;/a&gt;, ext. 1418. Please do not call the college switchboard for this information, as an operator may not be available.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The following media outlets carry announcements of closings and delays:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Radio&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;KIX&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;100.9 FM&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;WHMP&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;96.9 FM, 1400/1240 AM&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;WHYN &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;93.1 AM, 560 AM&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;WRSI&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;93.9 FM&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TV&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;WGGB-TV-40&lt;br /&gt;WWLP-TV-22&lt;br /&gt;WSHM TV-3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Note:&lt;/em&gt; Closures or delayed openings of the Holyoke Public Schools does not mean there will be a closing or delayed opening at HCC. The radio or television station must announce &quot;Holyoke Community College.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Delayed Openings&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;If there are 45 minutes or more remaining in a class or lab, it will start at the time the campus opens. For example: If HCC has delayed opening until 10 a.m. and you have a class scheduled from 9:30-10:45 a.m., that class will meet from 10-10:45 a.m. If you had a class scheduled from 9-9:50 a.m., that class will not meet.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x293" URL="about/public-safety/campus-police" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260408T14:01:33" CategoryIds="" FileName="x293.xml" Name="Campus Police" Title="Campus Police" Abstract="At HCC, public safety is a campus partnership." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;Welcome&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The officers and staff of HCC's police department care about your concerns. If you have any (non-emergency) questions or comments, please call&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2400&quot;&gt;413.552.2400&lt;/a&gt;. We look forward to working with you to create a safe environment for our community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;About the HCC Police Department&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Located in the Frost building, &lt;span&gt;Frost 273&lt;/span&gt;, the department is staffed by full-time commissioned police officers and Institutional Security Officers on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Empowered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to enforce federal and state law, HCC police officers have the power of arrest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All officers are graduates of the special State Police Academy, conducted by the Massachusetts State Police. Police Academy training consists of several months of full-time, in-depth training in all aspects of police operations. Additionally, officers participate in annual in-service refresher training, along with a variety of specialized training, including active shooter/workplace violence, Clery reporting, crime prevention, and FBI protocol on other campus related crimes. Joint active shooter training exercises have been conducted with the City of Holyoke Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police SWAT team. Trained by a certified firearms instructor, officers re-qualify each year with their duty weapons.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC police work closely with the Massachusetts State Police, City of Holyoke Police Department, and other local and federal law enforcement agencies. The City of Holyoke Fire Department provides fire and emergency medical response to supplement departmental services. In the event of a criminal offense, the Massachusetts State Police will provide assistance to us in the investigations of alleged criminal offenses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;How to Reach Us&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the event of an emergency, dial 2211 from a campus phone or call &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2211&quot;&gt;413.552.2211&lt;/a&gt; from a cell phone. For non-emergency matters, please dial 2400 from a campus phone or &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2400&quot;&gt;413.552.2400&lt;/a&gt; from a cell phone or off-campus land line.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;Campus Police&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Frost 273&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2400&quot;&gt;413.552.2400&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;To make an Anonymous Report&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you would like to report a crime without identifying yourself, please use this &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdjMQxhHQMQx6h9VQIJIoF4_dJTzpCZ8dxkxomSJ0KXJO3RyQ/viewform?usp=sf_link&quot; title=&quot;Anonymous crime report form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Anonymous Crime Report form&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x296" URL="about/public-safety/care-team" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250819T18:51:44" CategoryIds="" FileName="x296.xml" Name="CARE Team" Title="CARE Team" Abstract="CARE stands for Concerns, Assessment, Referral, and Education. This team, formally known as the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) is an interdisciplinary team of HCC faculty, staff, and clinicians from CHD. The CARE team meets weekly to review referrals in order to support the academic, emotional and overall well-being of students and the campus community. " BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?HolyokeCC&amp;amp;layout_id=3&quot;&gt;refer a student to the CARE team&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;CARE stands for Concerns, Assessment, Referral, and Education. This team, formally known as the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT), is an interdisciplinary team of HCC faculty, staff, and clinicians from CHD. The CARE team meets weekly to review referrals in order to support the academic, emotional and overall well-being of students and the campus community.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;care team mission&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The CARE team (formerly known as BIT) is dedicated to a proactive, coordinated, and planned approach to the identification, prevention, assessment, management, and reduction of interpersonal and behavioral threats to the safety and wellbeing of Holyoke Community College students, faculty, staff, and visitors. We are here to support students experiencing challenges that might lead to a disruption in their education; assess, intervene, and provide timely resources and support for students in need.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;How to Refer a Student&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;How to Refer a Student&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you are concerned about an HCC student, &lt;a href=&quot;https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?HolyokeCC&amp;amp;layout_id=3&quot; title=&quot;Link to CARE Team response form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;contact the CARE team&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you or someone you know needs to talk to someone right now, text HOME to 741.741 or call &lt;a href=&quot;tel:1-800-273-8255&quot;&gt;1.800.273.TALK&lt;/a&gt; (8255) for a free confidential conversation with a trained counselor 24/7.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If there is immediate danger of harm, call Campus Safety at 2211 from a campus phone, or &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2211&quot;&gt;413.552.2211&lt;/a&gt; from a cell phone. Explain that you need support for a mental health crisis. Do not put emergencies through this form as we cannot guarantee that it will be seen immediately.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;What to look for?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Behavior that disrupts or impedes usual classroom and/or co-curricular activities; changes in attendance, withdrawn or depressed behavior, negative change in attitude, negative attention-seeking behavior;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Preoccupation with death, violence, and/or having access to firearms;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Difficulty containing anger or accepting limits; assaultive behavior;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A diminished capacity to think logically or coherently;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Significant and indiscriminate abuse of alcohol, illegal substances or over-the-counter supplements, diet pills or performance enhancers;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Obvious signs of a severe eating disorder;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Deterioration of appearance, performance, and/or general behavior;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Changes in social connection or isolation and/or marked difficulty in getting along with peers.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contacting Campus Police is required when you observe:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Direct threats of violence/harm to self or others;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Stalking or making threatening or belligerent comments;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Escalating threats;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Visible agitation and escalating physical aggression&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Resources&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://jedfoundation.org/mental-health-resource-center/&quot; title=&quot;Link to JED Foundation website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;JED Campus&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;JED Foundation logo&quot; height=&quot;85&quot; src=&quot;images/jed-logo-placeholder-1.png&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x19137" URL="about/public-safety/conduct" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250902T14:30:54" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19137.xml" Name="Conduct" Title="Code of Conduct" Abstract="Holyoke Community College expects students to conduct themselves in a manner that is appropriate to a collegiate environment." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College expects students to conduct themselves in a manner that is appropriate to a collegiate environment. Students are expected to assume responsibility for their own behavior and learning and to respect the learning environment of others. Holyoke Community College strives to maintain a learning environment that enhances the academic, intellectual, cultural, and social enrichment of its students, faculty, staff, and the community at large. To ensure that no member of the College community is deprived of this collegiate environment, student rights and responsibilities are clearly stated, and behavior and discipline codes have been established.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;media/documents/HCC%202025%20Student%20Code%20of%20Conduct%202025.pdf&quot;&gt;View Student Code of Conduct&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?HolyokeCC&amp;amp;layout_id=2&quot;&gt;Submit Disciplinary Report&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x294" URL="about/public-safety/emergency-preparedness" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250616T14:59:45" CategoryIds="" FileName="x294.xml" Name="Emergency Preparedness" Title="Emergency Preparedness" Abstract="Learn about emergency alerts, safety tips, and more." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Use the following links to learn about emergency preparedness, safety tips, and more.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10954" URL="about/public-safety/public-health-emergencies-and-covid-19" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250513T13:43:08" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10954.xml" Name="Public Health Emergencies &amp; COVID-19" Title="Public Health Emergencies &amp; COVID-19" Abstract="Learn about HCC's response to the global pandemic of coronavirus." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Proof of vaccination against COVID-19 is no longer required for class registration. We will continue to focus on sanitation protocols and to encourage vaccination, social distancing, masking, and testing when necessary.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x12667" URL="about/public-safety/public-health-emergencies-and-covid-19/exposure-and-positive-tests" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T13:02:56" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12667.xml" Name="Exposure &amp; Positive Tests" Title="Guidance About Exposure &amp; Quarantine" Abstract="What to do if you are exposed to or test positive for COVID-19" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you contract COVID-19 or have been exposed to COVID-19:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Any student or employee who learns they have been exposed to COVID-19 and/or tests positive for COVID-19 should follow the guidance found at the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html&quot;&gt;CDC website&lt;/a&gt; for the most accurate, up-to-date information pertaining to the COVID-19 virus and how to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html&quot;&gt;protect one's self and others&lt;/a&gt;, and observe the appropriate guidance for isolation and returning to in-person activity, including practicing good personal hygiene as a way of staying healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students should follow policy and procedures as outlined in Holyoke Community College and HCC program student handbooks or course syllabi to notify their professor or instructor of any necessary absence due to illness. Employees should follow College procedures to notify their supervisor of any expected absence from work due to illness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students and employees are strongly encouraged to visit the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html&quot;&gt;CDC website&lt;/a&gt; for the most accurate, up-to-date information pertaining to COVID-19 and how to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html&quot;&gt;protect one's self and others&lt;/a&gt;, as well as the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.gov/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19&quot;&gt;Massachusetts COVID-19 update&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12606" URL="about/public-safety/public-health-emergencies-and-covid-19/masks-and-social-distancing" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T13:02:27" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12606.xml" Name="Masks &amp; Social Distancing" Title="Masks &amp; Social Distancing" Abstract="All about masks and social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic" BodyCopy="&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MASKS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;On May 20, 2022 HCC transitioned to a mask optional-environment. Masks are longer required to be worn while on campus or in campus buildings. Please&amp;nbsp;make those who continue to mask feel comfortable, respected, and welcome as part of our community. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Those who choose to mask but do not have a clean, well-fitting mask that fully covers the mouth and nose may pick one up at the following locations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.75em;&quot;&gt;Need a mask?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;DON 272&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&amp;nbsp;Social Science, Business &amp;amp; Integrative Learning&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;FPA 210&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&amp;nbsp;Arts &amp;amp; Humanities Division Office&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;FR 224&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&amp;nbsp;Student Affairs Office&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;MRB 318&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&amp;nbsp;Science, Technology, Engineering &amp;amp; Math Division Office&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;FR 273 &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&amp;nbsp;Campus Police&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;What mask should I wear graphic&quot; height=&quot;900&quot; src=&quot;images/PHCC_Jan22_FaceMaskGuidance.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: baseline;&quot; title=&quot;What Mask Should I Wear?&quot; width=&quot;1600&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Qu&amp;eacute; mascarilla debo usar?&quot; height=&quot;900&quot; src=&quot;images/About/COVID-19/PHCC_Jan22_FaceMaskGuidance_Spanish.png&quot; title=&quot;Qu&amp;eacute; mascarilla debo usar?&quot; width=&quot;1600&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12737" URL="about/public-safety/public-health-emergencies-and-covid-19/visitors" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20230512T13:07:50" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12737.xml" Name="Visitors" Title="Visitors to Campus" Abstract="Please read our Covid-19 protocols for visitors to HCC" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;On May 20, 2022 HCC transitioned to a mask optional-environment. Masks are longer required to be worn while on campus or in campus buildings. Please&amp;nbsp;make those who continue to mask feel comfortable, respected, and welcome as part of our community.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Masks are available for those who wish to use one but do not have one. Go to our &lt;a href=&quot;/about/public-safety/public-health-emergencies-and-covid-19/masks-and-social-distancing&quot;&gt;Masks and Social Distancing&lt;/a&gt; page for a list of mask locations on campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC students, faculty, and staff, as well as contractors who routinely interact with students and/or employees, &lt;strong&gt;must be compliant with the employee vaccination policy, which includes approved accommodations, in order to be on campus.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We strongly encourage all members of our community to get vaccinated (and boosted) as well. Let's keep everyone safe and healthy!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x5651" URL="about/public-safety/sex-offender-registry" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240522T12:48:57" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5651.xml" Name="Sex Offender Registry" Title="Sex Offender Registry" Abstract="The Federal Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act requires colleges and universities to advise the college community about where they may obtain information concerning registered sex offenders." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The Federal Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act requires colleges and universities to issue a statement advising the college community about where they may obtain information concerning registered sex offenders. The act also requires registered sex offenders to provide notice to each institution of higher education in the state&amp;nbsp;in which he or she is employed or enrolled as a student. Sex offenders are required to register with the Sex Offender Registry Board. Following a sex offender's registration, the Board issues a recommended classification level. An offender may appeal that classification through an administrative hearing.&amp;nbsp; Following the administrative hearing an offender will receive a final classification.&amp;nbsp; The Board transmits the offender's registration data and final classification to the institution of higher education where the offender works, intends to work, is enrolled as a student or intends to enroll as a student.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Level 1 classification information is NOT public information. No public access to Level 1 information is permitted.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Level 2 classification information is public information. Level 2 information is available to the general public upon written request.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Level 3 classification information is public information. Level 3 information is available to the general public through local police departments and the Board upon written request&amp;nbsp;or by accessing the Board's website at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/sorb/&quot;&gt;www.mass.gov/sorb&lt;/a&gt;. Requestors may use&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Campus%20Safety/sorb_request.pdf&quot; title=&quot;SORB request form&quot;&gt;this form&lt;/a&gt;. Additionally, police departments are obligated to make community notification of Level 3 information. Community notification shall be made to all organizations or individuals which provide services to children, the elderly, or other vulnerable members of the community and are likely to encounter such an offender.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;College Officials Meet With Offender&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once HCC receives notification from the Board that a student or employee has been finally classified as a Level 2 or 3 sex offender, &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:hccpd@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link hccpd@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Director of Public Safety&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and a designee of the president (senior student affairs or personnel administrator depending on whether the offender is a student or an employee), shall meet with the offender to:&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;Inform the offender of the college's knowledge of his/her final classification&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;ul type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;Outline the college's obligation to provide public access to Level 2 &amp;amp; 3 sex offender information through its Department of Public Safety&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;ul type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;If the offender is classified at Level 3, he/she is further informed of the college's policy of community notification&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;ul type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;Provide the offender with a copy of the public notification the college intends to release.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Public Access to Level 2 &amp;amp; 3 Sex Offender Information&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In accordance with federal law, the college is required to advise the campus community where information concerning registered sex offenders may be obtained.&amp;nbsp; Information concerning Level 2 and Level 3 offenders is available to the general public by contacting your local police department or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Sex Offender Registry Board, P.O. Box 4547, Salem, MA 01970-4547, 978.740.6400.&amp;nbsp; Level 3 offender information is also available on-line at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mass.gov/sorb&quot;&gt;www.mass.gov/sorb&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; If you have any questions regarding access to sex offender information, please feel free to contact HCC's Department of Public Safety. &lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;Level 2 &amp;amp; 3 offender information received by HCC's Department of Public Safety is available to the public upon written request.&amp;nbsp; Recognizing that HCC may not possess complete notification information on all sex offenders within its community, individuals seeking public information on sex offenders shall also be advised to contact their local police department or the Board.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;ul type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;HCC's Department of Public Safety shall not respond to a request for Level 2 or 3 sex offender information unless the request is presented in writing utilizing the Board's &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Campus%20Safety/SO_request-to-local_PD.pdf&quot; title=&quot;SO Request to Local PD&quot;&gt;&quot;&lt;em&gt;Request for Sex Offender Information from City/Town Police Departments&quot;&lt;/em&gt; form&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;ul type=&quot;disc&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;Level 2 &amp;amp; 3 sex offender information shall be maintained in a binder located in HCC's Department of Public Safety.&amp;nbsp; The binder shall be available for public inspection and copies of Level 2 and 3 notices may be provided upon appropriate written request&lt;strong&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Community Notification of Level 3 Sex Offender Information&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Police departments in the Commonwealth are required by law to provide community notification to all organizations or individuals which provide services to children, the elderly, or other vulnerable members of the community and are likely to encounter such an offender. &amp;nbsp;Unlike local police departments, a community college's Department of Public Safety is not obligated under the Sex Offender Regulations to perform community notification of Level 3 offender information.&amp;nbsp; Notwithstanding, it is recommended that a College's Department of Public Safety perform community notification of Level 3 offender information as follows:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Level 3 offender notices shall be posted in at least one conspicuous location on each campus maintained by the college&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Direct distribution of Level 3 notices shall be made to all college departments and personnel which provide services to children, the elderly, or other vulnerable members of the college community and are likely to encounter such an offender, including, but not limited to: child care center, early childhood education programs, libraries, fitness center, summer camps, elder care programs, and college run elementary or secondary schools&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Community notification must be made within 2 days of receiving notice from the Board of a final classification of a Level 3 offender.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;These recommendations establish minimal standards for community notification.&amp;nbsp; A community college may engage in broader community notification efforts as it determines appropriate under the circumstances.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Penalties for Improper Use of Sex Offender Registry Information&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Information contained in the Sex Offender Registry shall not be used to commit a crime against an offender or to engage in illegal discrimination or harassment of an offender. Any person who improperly uses Sex Offender Registry information shall be punished by not more than two and one-half years in the house of correction, or by a fine of not more than $1,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x295" URL="about/public-safety/sexual-violence-awareness" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20230926T15:52:34" CategoryIds="" FileName="x295.xml" Name="Sexual Violence Awareness" Title="Sexual Violence Awareness &amp; Prevention" Abstract="At HCC, we are committed to fostering civility, respect, and an environment free of violence or harassment. The information and resources provided here are intended to educate our community on this important issue." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Did you know:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;20% - 25% of college women and 15% of college men are victims of forced sex during their time&amp;nbsp;in college&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A 2002 study revealed that 63.3% of men at one university who self-reported acts qualifying as&amp;nbsp;rape or attempted rape admitted to committing repeat rapes&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;More than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;27% of college women have experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Nearly two thirds of college students experience sexual harassment&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;At HCC, we are working together to create a campus culture and climate that doesn't tolerate sexual harassment, sexual violence or dating violence. The information provided here is intended to educate our community and increase awareness of these important issues. We hope you'll explore the sections, follow the links, and learn how you can be a part of the solution.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x5797" URL="about/strategic-plan" Schema="SectionFrontPage" Locale="" Changed="20260326T15:02:26" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5797.xml" Name="Strategic Plan" Thumbnail="/images/Future-speakers.jpg" Title="Strategic Plan" Abstract="As stewards of Holyoke Community College, the future is in our hands. Embarking on a strategic plan is an opportunity to think deeply about HCC's role in the community. Through this process we will articulate an aspirational vision for HCC and chart the way forward, further, toward the future we will create for HCC." ThumbnailAltText="Three staff members speak in a group at the strategic plan future walk event" BodyCopy="&lt;h2 dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Strategic Planning at HCC&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Strategic planning has become the cornerstone of how we advance our mission to &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Educate. Inspire. Connect&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;. Our journey began in 2017 and continued in &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;2021 when we refreshed our plan amid pandemic disruptions and growing awareness of social justice issues. The resulting 2023-26 Strategic Plan reflected our evolution and deepened commitment to equity and student success. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Now, we embark on Strategic Plan 3.0 under the leadership of President George Timmons, reflecting our commitment to ensuring that the transformative work we do every day continues to evolve and respond to our students and community. Strategic planning at HCC is how we honor our past achievements while boldly shaping our fut&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;ure.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/SP3/SP3.0_Wordmark.png&quot; width=&quot;325&quot; height=&quot;95&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Strategic Plan 3.0: Spring Progress Update&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h4&gt;A Message from President George Timmons&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;As we enter the spring season, I am filled with gratitude for the remarkable engagement our community has shown in shaping the future of Holyoke Community College. Strategic Plan 3.0 has been a collective effort that belongs to all of us. Our students, faculty, staff, board members and community partners have shown up with courage, creativity, and commitment to ensure HCC continues to serve as a beacon of opportunity and excellence for our region.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;In the fall semester, we embarked on an ambitious journey together. We asked big questions. We listened deeply. We dreamed boldly about what HCC can become&amp;mdash;a future-focused, student-centered institution that meets the evolving needs of our community while staying true to our mission of transforming lives through accessible, high-quality education.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Power of Collective Voice&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;When I look across all the engagement opportunities we hosted this fall, I am inspired by what we accomplished together. Hundreds of members of our community&amp;mdash;students, employees, trustees, and regional leaders&amp;mdash;took part in articulating the challenges we face, the opportunities before us, and the areas where HCC can elevate its impact. This level of participation reflects the deep investment our community has in HCC's success and the future we are building together.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;OUR FALL 2025 JOURNEY&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Explore photos from our Student Experience Workshop and Community Conversation here:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/196531757@N06/albums/72177720330970811/&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;https://www.flickr.com/photos/196531757@N06/albums/72177720330970811/&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/196531757@N06/albums/72177720330996189&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;https://www.flickr.com/photos/196531757@N06/albums/72177720330996189&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Strategic Plan 3.0 Kickoff&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;We launched this process by examining national trends in higher education and conducting a comprehensive SWOT analysis, gathering honest input about our institutional strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This foundation helped us understand the landscape we're navigating and the distinctive role HCC plays within it.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Student Experience Workshop&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Perhaps most importantly, we created space to hear directly from those at the heart of our mission&amp;mdash;our students. This workshop offered us the opportunity to engage deeply with their perspectives: what they love about HCC, what they wish were different, and how we can best serve them and future students. Their voices will remain central as we move forward.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Future Summit&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Our campus community came together for a transformative day of learning and visioning. Board Chair Vanessa Smith reminded us that this strategic plan belongs to the entire HCC community and will be shaped by our collective input. We were privileged to learn from three nationally recognized thought leaders:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Josh Wyner from the Aspen Institute challenged us to improve transfer outcomes, strengthen workforce programs, and overhaul advising to ensure our credentials lead to both good jobs and bachelor's degree attainment.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Kate McConnell from AAC&amp;amp;U inspired us to modernize teaching with high-impact practices, authentic assessment, and AI-aware pedagogy that builds long-term learning and adaptability.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;David Trujillo from Trujillo &amp;amp; Associates called us to center people, culture, and equity in our work&amp;mdash;pursuing systemic, community-responsive change supported by professional development and continuous improvement.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;In breakout sessions, participants drafted powerful impact statements on topics ranging from labor-market alignment and advising transformation to equity and access, and community partnerships. These conversations are already informing the measurable objectives that will drive Strategic Plan 3.0.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Community Conversation&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;We gathered with a distinguished panel of regional leaders for a breakfast conversation that brought external perspectives into our planning process. Many of you were around the tables to take part in these conversations. Through facilitated table discussions, community members explored opportunities, challenges, and big questions facing higher education and our region. Their input is helping us understand how HCC can best serve as an anchor institution and partner in addressing our community's most pressing needs.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Steering Committee's Leadership&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Throughout this process, our Strategic Plan 3.0 Steering Committee has provided invaluable guidance and facilitation. Members served as table captains for our Student Experience Workshop and Community Conversation, and helped navigate the rich discussions at our Future Summit. Their dedication exemplifies the collaborative leadership that makes HCC special.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;I also want to express deep appreciation to our faculty, deans, and program directors who participated throughout these events, bringing both their expertise and their openness to new ideas. Your engagement sends a powerful message about our institutional culture and our commitment to continuous improvement.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Looking Ahead&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The work we did this past fall is just the beginning. This spring, the strategic plan themes will take greater shape as we synthesize the feedback and data we&amp;rsquo;ve gathered and translate them into measurable objectives and action items. We are continuing to engage our community in meaningful ways, ensuring that Strategic Plan 3.0 truly reflects our collective aspirations and addresses the real challenges our students face.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;A Community Committed to Excellence&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What strikes me most about this work is not just the quantity of participation, but the quality of engagement. People are coming prepared. They are listening to one another. They are challenging assumptions respectfully. They are offering creative solutions. They are keeping students at the center of every conversation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;This is who we are at HCC&amp;mdash;a community that believes in the transformative power of education and in our responsibility to make that transformation accessible to every student who walks through our doors. Together, we are building a future worthy of the students we serve and the community we call home.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Thank you for your partnership in this vital work. I look forward to our continued collaboration as we move into the next phase of Strategic Plan 3.0.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;George Timmons, Ph.D.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/SP3/Timeline.png&quot; width=&quot;512&quot; height=&quot;287&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:kcholeva@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;Kris Ricker Choleva&lt;/a&gt;, Director of Planning, Curriculum and Assessment with any questions.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x22123" URL="about/strategic-plan/strategic-plan-2023-26" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260327T19:30:55" CategoryIds="" FileName="x22123.xml" Name="Strategic Plan 2023-26" Title="Strategic Plan 2023-26" Abstract="Strategic Plan 2023-26" BodyCopy="&lt;h4&gt;&lt;span&gt;Strategic Plan 2023-26&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of hexagon and arrow&quot; height=&quot;346&quot; src=&quot;images/_PLAN%20Main%20Graphic.jpg&quot; width=&quot;515&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;media/documents/HCC%20Strategic%20Plan%20Booklet%20web%202023-1-24.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to PDF of strategic plan booklet&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;download the strategic plan pdf here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;MISSION&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Educate. Inspire. Connect.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;VISION&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College aspires to be a college of academic excellence known for helping students overcome barriers to success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;STUDENT EXPERIENCE STATEMENT&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College commits to delivering a transformational student experience characterized by:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;A student-ready environment with connections that draw people, services, and resources together to address students&amp;rsquo; needs and ensure their success;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;An affordable, relevant education designed to ensure equitable student outcomes, resulting in career and transfer opportunities that enable all students to thrive;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;An approach to educating the whole person that consistently meets students where they are and engages them in real-world learning experiences; and&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A vibrant, diverse, and inclusive college community that enriches the learning experience, delivers unwavering encouragement, and builds lifelong connections.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Faculty and staff of Holyoke Community College commit to support this transformative experience through:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Accessible, guided, and intuitive services that support and inspire students and their families;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Culturally responsive practices that promote equity within and beyond the classroom;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Technology, data, and predictive analytics that enable HCC to deliver personalized, proactive, and responsive programs and service; and&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;An agile and supportive culture that recognizes the importance of professional development to build knowledge, skills, and a deep understanding of our students.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;VALUES&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kindness, inclusion, and trust are the foundations of the work that we do together. Innovation and collaboration enable us to explore and implement the ideas that will shape our future.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Innovation:&lt;/strong&gt; We empower each other to explore, share, and actualize our ideas to continuously improve the HCC experience for all. We do this with creativity and agility by keeping an open mind, taking risks, evaluating outcomes, and learning from mistakes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Collaboration:&lt;/strong&gt; We work as a community to develop and achieve common goals through an open exchange of ideas. We do this by encouraging wide-ranging participation, intentional communication, and the pursuit of diverse perspectives and expertise.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kindness:&lt;/strong&gt; We approach all interactions with empathy and in consideration of one another&amp;rsquo;s needs. We act with the highest levels of professionalism, respect, and civility as we seek common ground and strive for mutual understanding.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Inclusion:&lt;/strong&gt; We provide a fair and welcoming environment where all voices are heard and meaningfully included to contribute to the growth and success of HCC. We take intentional action, challenge our assumptions, foster belonging, and respect the uniqueness of individuals and diverse groups.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trust:&lt;/strong&gt; We assume the best in others, prioritize transparency, and communicate with honesty, clarity, and consistency. We do this thoughtfully by including all stakeholders in the decision-making process and following through with our commitments.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of four photos and the numbers 1-4&quot; height=&quot;424&quot; src=&quot;images/_4%20graphics%20with%20numbers%280%29.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;h4&gt;STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK 1 - TEACHING &amp;amp; LEARNING&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Enhance and expand innovative teaching and learning practices that result in a quality education for all.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;1.1&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; Increase fall course completion rate from 77% to 81% by 2026. (Disaggregate for full time, part time, adult students, BIPOC, first generation.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Assess the effectiveness of the HCC website with a particular emphasis on how information about student support services is delivered.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop an easily accessible, one-click &quot;information hub&quot; that will allow faculty and staff to connect students with support services.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Redesign, strengthen, and expand supplemental instruction in gateway and high risk high enrolled courses.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop, implement, support, and assess a LMS migration plan for a move to Canvas for fall 2023.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Scale up and remove barriers to academic engagements that qualify as high impact practices including service learning, learning communities, honors, and internships.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1.2&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Increase fall-to-fall retention rates of first-time degree seeking students from 53% to 57% by 2026. (Disaggregate for full time, part time, adult students, BIPOC, first generation.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Advance, expand, and assess OER initiatives that lead to significant cost savings for students, with a specific focus on culturally relevant materials. Redesign the academic probation outreach and support process in order to build stronger connections and help students improve academic standing. Provide up front financial support options.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Expand SAMP programming to increase GPA and retention for women, nonbinary, and transgender students.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Build systems to market and support Itsy Bitsy Child Watch and related supports for student parents.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Expand and market THRIVE services and Homestead Market.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1.3&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Increase the 150% graduation rate of first-time degree seeking students from 17% to 21% by 2026. (Disaggregate for full time, part time, adult students, BIPOC, first generation.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop an AY 2023 education and training plan for Navigate users.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Systemize advising that ensures that all new, readmit, and transfer degree or certificate-seeking students will have an academic plan created in Navigate prior to completing their first semester with 15 credits.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Redesign new student accepted, orientation, and program days to increase student contact from first point of entry to the college with program chairs and coordinators.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Scaffold/redesign certificate programs (interdisciplinary pathways) within parent associate degree programs and align academic programs with workforce development.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1.4&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Assess the impact of a program of equity-focused professional development offered to all faculty and staff by 2026.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Research micro-credentialing options for faculty and staff, compile and conduct focus groups to get community feedback.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Create a year-long academic calendar of professional development events.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop comprehensive onboarding and offboarding programs for all HCC employees.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop a comprehensive, multi-modality, equity-focused professional development program offered to all faculty and staff.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop an assessment and data-tracking system for participants in all professional development through the Center for Excellence.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Create a plan for active learning spaces and related professional development for faculty.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK 2 - EQUITY &amp;amp; STUDENT SUCCESS&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Collaborate with the communities we serve to increase equity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.1&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Decrease the fall course completion gap between BIPOC and white students from 10 points to 6 points by 2026.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop a system for identifying the basic needs (childcare, housing, food insecurity, learning support, etc.) of our BIPOC students for support and referral purposes.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Provide faculty with the knowledge and skills necessary to support BIPOC students by integrating service use into the classroom (library, writing center, math lab, tutoring center, etc.).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop and operationalize a process for ensuring all student-facing print materials are available in Spanish.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.2&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Decrease the retention rate gap between BIPOC and white students from 13 points to 9 points by 2026.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Redesign the ALANA program.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Expand the use of progress reports/early alerts to new student populations and with a particular emphasis on BIPOC students.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Assess programming aimed to increase retention rates for women, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC students.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.3&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Decrease the graduation gap between BIPOC and white students from 11 points to 7 points by 2026.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Latinx students, supported by El Centro, will receive wrap-around support and holistic services designed to keep them on track to timely graduation.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Create a centralized system for tracking participation in student activities.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.4&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Decrease the gap between BIPOC and white students transferring to four-year institutions from 11 points to 7 points by 2026.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Increase support for transfer and the Pathways program with a focus on removing barriers and providing targeted outreach to BIPOC students.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.5&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Increase Hispanic Fall FTE from 660 to 772 by 2026.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;In collaboration with community partners, further develop recruiting efforts specifically targeted at the Hispanic population.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK 3 - WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT &amp;amp; TRANSFER&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Align program outcomes with workforce demands and student needs for employment and transfer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3.1&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Increase the percentage of students who transfer to four-year institutions from 19% to 23% by 2026. (Disaggregate for full time, part time, adult students, BIPOC, first generation.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Create a comprehensive inventory of transfer programs that includes the analysis of data relative to all disaggregated groups. Create a strategic plan for transfer that includes the review of transfer programs with all academic departments and SMART goals for the increase of direct transfer rates.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3.2&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Increase enrollment in non-credit programming from 2,700 to 3,500 by 2026. (Disaggregate for adult students, BIPOC, first generation.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Create a system for the collection of Business and Community Services Division data in order to identify baselines and track expansion in existing skills training programs.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop new non-credit programs in order to increase alignment with regional industry.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Create new occupational training options for Spanish speakers.\&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Expand online and hybrid training options.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3.3&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/span&gt;Increase the percentage of HCC non-credit students matriculating into credit programming by 2026. (Disaggregate for adult students, BIPOC, first generation.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Create a data collection system for tracking non-credit completion to credit enrollment numbers.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Expand noncredit to credit for prior learning/prior learning assessment options.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Explore and develop stackable pathways from noncredit to degree/certificate programs.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3.4&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Increase the number of students who become employed upon graduation/completion by 2026. (Disaggregate for adult students, BIPOC, first generation.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Explore opportunities for utilizing noncredit grant reporting.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Utilize Handshake and other career tools to expand career readiness and job placement.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop an implementation strategy for obtaining and utilizing Lightcast and MassHire employment data.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Explore collaboration between the Institutional Research and Alumni Relations to track alumni employment.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Track calendar-year non-credit completers' employment data.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK 4 - FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Create a sustainable model for long-term financial stability and growth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4.1&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Increase total annual credit hours from 65,500 to 67,465 by 2026.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Continue a systematic process of ongoing website improvements focused on increased student and family accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Continue to expand opportunities for course scheduling and modality innovation including remote, hyflex, evening, weekend, and summer courses. Implement and assess the planned enrollment and admissions initiatives. Coordinate marketing and strategic communication activities with relevant areas to positively impact enrollment.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4.2&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Increase total annual revenue in charitable contributions, including estate commitments, to the HCC Foundation from $1.75 million to $8.5 million by 2026. (Disaggregate by individual, corporate, private grants.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop a system for the creation of major gift prospect portfolios for the Leadership Gift Officer, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, and President in order to facilitate successful moves management.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Develop a process for the alignment of corporate, foundation, and government letters of inquiry and grant submissions to the Strategic Plan of the college.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Optimize database information to provide more accurate and complete information on alumni and prospects.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Launch faculty/staff and retiree campaign that includes opportunities for payroll deduction and planned gift options.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Launch a micro-philanthropy campaign that engages the community in specific fundraising opportunities across campus.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4.3&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Increase the total annual number of unique donors making gifts to the HCC Foundation by 50% by 2026.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Increase the use of impact campaigns in order to retain current donors. Collaborate with Institutional Research to create a process for obtaining accurate contact information from soon-to-be graduates.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4.4&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Increase total annual revenue outside of student tuition and fees from $9,442,000 to $9,725,260 by 2026. (Disaggregate by earmarks/funding not associated with annual state appropriations, state and federal grants, other.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Prepare a list of potential state and federal earmark requests by January every year.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Collaborate with the 14 other community colleges to come up with a shortlist of state appropriation requests that Massachusetts Associations of Community Colleges could pursue in January of every year.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Increase faculty and staff engagement in the process of applying for federal grants.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Explore and report to the cabinet on opportunities for new revenue sources including, but not limited to, rental revenue.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4.5&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Increase the implementation of Process Reimagine and Redesign projects from 4 to 10 by 2026.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Operationalize a system for Process Reimagine and Redesign projects, including identifying and prioritizing prospective projects, facilitating the implementation of new projects, and assessing the impact of completed projects.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/HCC%20Strategic%20Plan%20FY19-22.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to PDF of HCC strategic plan 2019-2022&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to view an archived version of the HCC 2019-2022 Strategic Plan.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x313" URL="about/space-reservations" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250908T16:21:29" CategoryIds="" FileName="x313.xml" Name="Space Reservations" Title="Space Reservations" Abstract="Interested in holding a meeting or event at Holyoke Community College? HCC facilities include a theater, banquet hall, classrooms, state-of-the-art conference facilities (including video-conferencing), and meeting rooms." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The atrium of the Kittredge Center building at Holyoke Community College&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/Space%20Reservations/insidekc_intext.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Interested in holding a meeting or event at Holyoke Community College?&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;HCC facilities include a theater, classrooms, and meeting rooms. Spaces are available in a variety of sizes and configurations, and can accommodate 10 to 300 people (depending on the room). (Scroll down for photos.) Our 135-acre campus offers plenty of parking, and convenient access from I-91 and the Massachusetts Turnpike.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Catering is available through Aramark, HCC's food service provider for an additional fee. Click &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.campusdish.com&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; to visit their website.&amp;nbsp;As of April 1, 2024 we have acquired a new online reservation system that no longer requires account creation. Please click the link below to access the new system.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://events.hcc.edu/&quot; title=&quot;Request A New Event&quot;&gt;Request A New Event&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you need assistance with our online reservation system?&amp;nbsp; Please click on this job aid &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kIlBgrGxmkPhwEsCXWKVb0eX8MQFdFq9qAF2uEM4XsM/edit?usp=sharing&quot;&gt;External Event - Requesting a New Event&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;We ask all who reserve space at HCC to be familiar with our campus policies (see below). Thank you for choosing HCC for your event!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;h5&gt;FEES:&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The fees shown are for the use of facilities only.&amp;nbsp; The Hourly Rate will be discounted by 50% for non-profit organizations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Outside users are required to provide proof of general liability coverage with minimum limits of $1 million per occurrence/$3 million aggregate naming HCC as an additional insured in order to receive a facility use confirmation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For any events with attendees of 100 or more a campus safety officer is required at a rate of $75 an hour for all organizations.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x305" URL="about/taber-art-gallery" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260520T19:10:44" CategoryIds="" FileName="x305.xml" Name="Taber Art Gallery" Title="Taber Art Gallery" Abstract="The Taber Art Gallery provides a visual art venue to the City of Holyoke, and surrounding Pioneer Valley, with regularly changing exhibits, gallery talks, and other special events." IntroCopy="Art is for everybody." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The gallery features innovative contemporary artists from the western Massachusetts area and beyond and holds an annual exhibition for Holyoke Community College art students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Free and open to the public, the gallery is accessed through the HCC Library Lobby in Donahue Building. For directions and parking accessibility, see &lt;a href=&quot;/about/taber-art-gallery/getting-here&quot; class=&quot;intLink&quot; title=&quot;Getting to the Taber&quot;&gt;Getting Here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are always accepting applications for exhibtions by one or more artists, with application reviews taking place over the summer. See &lt;a href=&quot;/about/taber-art-gallery/open-calls&quot;&gt;Open Calls&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x21007" URL="about/taber-art-gallery/tours" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260520T19:10:44" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21007.xml" Name="Tours" Thumbnail="/images/About/Taber%20Art%20Gallery/Old/103124-opening.png" Title="Tours" Abstract="Tour the current exhibition at the Taber Art Gallery" IntroCopy="Use this page to book a tour for your class or small group through current exhibitions at the Taber." BodyCopy="&lt;!-- Google Calendar Appointment Scheduling begin --&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;600&quot; style=&quot;border: 0;&quot; src=&quot;https://calendar.google.com/calendar/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ1BihGB17eIsk5T2QJdAqJNDEjoL6rWVHdKJs5_YgKlFleaY7moW5EybtvF6DB05jeGmXJ8eCNJ?gv=true&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;!-- end Google Calendar Appointment Scheduling --&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20888" URL="about/taber-art-gallery/open-calls" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260520T19:10:44" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20888.xml" Name="Open Calls" Title="Open Calls" Abstract="Calls for Art" IntroCopy="Any available calls for artwork at the Taber will be posted here. " ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20867" URL="about/taber-art-gallery/getting-here" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260520T19:10:44" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20867.xml" Name="Getting Here" Title="Getting Here" Abstract="Getting Here" BodyCopy="&lt;h2&gt;Directions&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are multiple ways to get to the Taber Art Gallery including driving, public transit, and biking. &amp;nbsp;Use the menus below for more information.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x261" URL="about/visit-hcc" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:32:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x261.xml" Name="Visit HCC" Thumbnail="/images/About/visithccthumbnail.jpg" Title="Visit HCC" Abstract="Visit HCC Directions, maps, and parking information." ThumbnailAltText="A classroom of students raising their hands" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The HCC campus in fall&quot; height=&quot;477&quot; src=&quot;images/About/Visit/fallcampus_intext.png&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Located on a beautiful 135-acre campus in the heart of the Pioneer Valley, HCC is just minutes from Interstates 91 and 90 (Massachusetts Turnpike). HCC is seven miles from Springfield, 31 miles from Hartford, CT, 80 miles from Boston MA, and 126 miles from New York City. The region is served by&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pvta.com/&quot; title=&quot;PVTA&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA)&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;buses (HCC students are provided with a&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/visit-hcc/getting-here&quot; title=&quot;pvta bus passes for hcc students&quot;&gt;PVTA bus pass&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;as part of the transportation fee they pay each semester).&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.peterpanbus.com/&quot; title=&quot;Peter Pan&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Peter Pan Bus Lines&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=am/am2Station/Station_Page&amp;amp;code=SPG&quot; title=&quot;Amtrak Springfield website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Amtrak&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bradleyairport.com/&quot; title=&quot;Bradley Airport website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Bradley International Airport&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;offer transportation to destinations outside the area.&amp;nbsp;Prospective students, families, and members of the community are always welcome to &lt;a href=&quot;/admission/visit-campus&quot; title=&quot;HCC admissions visit&quot;&gt;visit the campus&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x12283" URL="x12283.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:32:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12283.xml" Name="Self Guided Tour" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x12284" URL="about/visit-hcc/frost" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:32:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12284.xml" Name="Frost" Title="Frost (FR)" Abstract="The Frost building houses IT, Student Accounts, Financial Aid, Student Records, the Thrive Center, Marieb Adult Learner Success Center, Pathways, and the HCC Mini Mart." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;In the Frost (FR) building, you'll find the following offices and programs:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;first floor&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology/helpdesk&quot; title=&quot;link to it help page&quot;&gt;Information Technology &amp;amp; Help Desk&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;FR 109&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2075&quot;&gt;413.552.2075&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:helpdesk@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;helpdesk@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Family Bathroom w/baby changing station&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;FR/DON lobby near POD&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:helpdesk@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sensory Safe Space&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;FR 105&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:helpdesk@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;second floor&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/financial-aid&quot; title=&quot;Link to financial aid page&quot;&gt;Financial Aid&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;FR 201&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2150&quot;&gt;413.552.2150&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:financialaid@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link financialaid@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;financialaid@hcc.edu &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-accounts&quot; title=&quot;link to student accounts page&quot;&gt;Student Accounts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;FR 221&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2101&quot;&gt;413.552.2101&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentaccounts@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link studentaccounts@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;studentaccounts@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar&quot; title=&quot;link to student records and forms page&quot;&gt;Student Records &amp;amp; Registrar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;FR 223&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2319/&quot;&gt;413.552.2319&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentrecords@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link studentrecords@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;studentrecords@hcc.edu &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/marieb-adult-learner-success-center&quot; title=&quot;link to Marieb Adult Learner Success Center page&quot;&gt;Marieb Adult Learner Success Center for Adult Learners&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;FR 232&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2072&quot;&gt;413.552.2072&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:lwayson@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link lwayson@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;lwayson@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/mental-health-counseling-and-stress-mgmt&quot; title=&quot;link to Mental Health Support page&quot;&gt;Mental Health Services w/ CHD&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;FR 232&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2626&quot;&gt;413.552.2626&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;ext. 2626&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:hccreferral@chd.org&quot;&gt;hccreferral@chd.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/thrive-center&quot; title=&quot;Link to thrive center webpage&quot;&gt;Thrive Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;FR 233&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2783&quot;&gt;413.552.2783&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:thrive@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;thrive@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Homestead Market&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;FR 251&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2151&quot;&gt;413.552.2151&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:Vincent-Kevin@aramark.com&quot;&gt;Vincent-Kevin@aramark.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x140.xml&quot; title=&quot;Link to Pathways page&quot;&gt;Pathways&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;FR 264&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2857&quot;&gt;413.552.2857&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:imedina@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;imedina@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12285" URL="about/visit-hcc/donahue" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240801T13:44:29" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12285.xml" Name="Donahue" Title="Donahue (DON)" Abstract="The Donahue building houses Provisions On Demand (the POD), a gender-neutral bathroom, a baby-changing station, the Bunker and Veteran Services, the Office for Students with Disabilities &amp; Deaf Services (OSDDS), the TRIO Student Success program, the Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS; tutoring), the Library, Taber Art Gallery, and the Academic ESL office." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;In the Donahue (DON) building, you'll find the following offices and programs:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;FIRST FLOOR&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;height: 162px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px; width: 414.875px;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.campusdish.com/LocationsAndMenus/PODExpress&quot; title=&quot;link to pod webpage on hcc campus dish&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Provisions On Demand (POD)&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px; width: 176.375px;&quot;&gt;FR/DON Lounge&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px; width: 276.672px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2075&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:(413) 552-2130&quot;&gt;413.552.2130&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px; width: 250.062px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:vincent-kevin@aramark.com&quot;&gt;vincent-kevin@aramark.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 36px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 36px; width: 414.875px;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Family Bathroom w/&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Baby-Changing Station&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 36px; width: 176.375px;&quot;&gt;FR/DON Lobby near POD&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 36px; width: 276.672px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 36px; width: 250.062px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px; width: 414.875px;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/veteran-services/the-bunker&quot; title=&quot;Link to the bunker page&quot;&gt;The Bunker&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px; width: 176.375px;&quot;&gt;DON 105&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px; width: 276.672px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2321&quot;&gt;413.552.2321&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px; width: 250.062px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:bunker@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link bunker@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;bunker@hcc.edu &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px; width: 414.875px;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/veteran-services&quot; title=&quot;Link to veteran services&quot;&gt;Veteran Services&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px; width: 176.375px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px; width: 276.672px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2321&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 18px; width: 250.062px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:bunker@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link bunker@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 36px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 36px; width: 414.875px;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services&quot; title=&quot;link to disability and deaf services page&quot;&gt;Office for Students w/ Disabilities &amp;amp; Deaf Services (OSDDS&lt;/a&gt;)&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 36px; width: 176.375px;&quot;&gt;DON 147&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 36px; width: 276.672px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2417&quot;&gt;413.552.2417&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-650-5502&quot;&gt;413.650.5502&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(video)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 36px; width: 250.062px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:osd@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;osd@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 36px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 36px; width: 414.875px;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships/scholarship-resource-center&quot;&gt;Scholarship Resource Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 36px; width: 176.375px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;DON 158&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 36px; width: 276.672px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2182&quot;&gt;413.552.2182&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 36px; width: 250.062px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:scholarships@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;scholarships@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;SECOND FLOOR&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/trio-programs&quot; title=&quot;Link to trio/sss webpage&quot;&gt;TRIO Student Support Services&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;DON 240&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2417&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2505&quot;&gt;413.552.2505&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mblanchard1@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mblanchard1@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:osd@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring&quot; title=&quot;link to tutoring webpage&quot;&gt;Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;DON 240&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2505&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2584&quot;&gt;413.552.2584&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:caps@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link caps@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;caps@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:erodriguez@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library&quot; title=&quot;Link to library webpage&quot;&gt;HCC Library&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;(water bottle filling station &amp;amp; open computers&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;)&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;DON 202&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2424&quot;&gt;413.552.2424&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/taber-art-gallery&quot;&gt;Taber Art Gallery&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;(located in Library lobby)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;DON 202&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2614&quot;&gt;413.552.2614&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:ajohnquest@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;ajohnquest@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/academic-english-as-a-second-language-(aesl)&quot; title=&quot;link to aesl page&quot;&gt;Academic ESL Office&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;DON 203&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2990&quot;&gt;413.552.2990&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mkorchevska@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mkorchevska@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;THIRD FLOOR&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/arts-and-humanities&quot; title=&quot;Link to Arts &amp;amp; Humanities division office web page&quot;&gt;Arts &amp;amp; Humanities Division Office&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;DON 370&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2417&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2485&quot;&gt;413.552.2485&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mstarzyk@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mstarzyk@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:osd@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12286" URL="about/visit-hcc/fine-and-performing-arts" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250630T14:00:45" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12286.xml" Name="Fine &amp; Performing Arts" Title="Fine &amp; Performing Arts (FPA)" Abstract="The Fine &amp; Performing Arts (FPA) building houses the Forum Café (Starbucks) and the Leslie Phillips Theater." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;In the Fine &amp;amp; Performing Arts (FPA) building, you'll find the following offices and programs:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;second floor&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leslie Phillips Theater&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;FPA 2nd Floor&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2485&quot;&gt;413.552.2485&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mstarzyk@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mstarzyk@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/preparing-for-college/gateway-to-college&quot;&gt;Gateway to College&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;FPA 230&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-533-2320&quot;&gt;413.552.2320&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:vostrowski@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;vostrowski@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12287" URL="about/visit-hcc/marieb" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260526T12:38:15" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12287.xml" Name="Marieb" Title="Marieb (MRB)" Abstract="The Marieb (MRB) building houses the Center for Life Sciences, a water bottle filling station, student lounge, the Ombudsperson &amp; Chief Cultural Officer's office, the HCC Greenhouse, and the Title IX Coordinator's office." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;In the Marieb (MRB) building, you'll find the following offices and programs:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;first floor&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/center-for-life-sciences&quot; title=&quot;link to center for life sciences page&quot;&gt;Center for Life Sciences&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(CLS)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;MRB 1st Fioor&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2470&quot;&gt;413.552.2470&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:erabinsky@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;erabinsky@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Water Bottle Filling Station&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;MRB 1st Fioor by CC walkway&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Student Lounge&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;MRB 1st Floor by CLS&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x9409.xml&quot;&gt;Ombudsperson &amp;amp; Chief Cultural Officer&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;MRB 119&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2825&quot;&gt;413.552.2825&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:locchialini@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;locchialini@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/itsy-bitsy-child-watch&quot; title=&quot;Link to Itsy Bitsy Child Watch page&quot;&gt;Itsy Bitsy Child Watch&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;MRB 130&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2487  &quot;&gt;413.552.2487&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:childwatch@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;childwatch@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/stem/stem-equity-programs&quot; title=&quot;Link to STEM Starter Academy web page&quot;&gt;STEM* Starter Academy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;MRB 126&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2173&quot;&gt;413.552.2720&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mpaciulli@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mpaciulli@hcc.edu &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;STEM* Innovation Lab&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;MRB 116&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2173&quot;&gt;413.552.2720&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mpaciulli@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mpaciulli@hcc.edu &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;third floor&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/hcc-greenhouse&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC greenhouse page&quot;&gt;Greenhouse&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;MRB 3rd Fioor&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:greenhouse@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;greenhouse@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/diversity/affirmative-action-and-title-ix&quot; title=&quot;Link to Affirmative Action and Title IX landing page&quot;&gt;Title IX Officer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;MRB 319&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2173&quot; title=&quot;Olivia Kynard phone&quot;&gt;413.552.2173 &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:okynard@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;okynard@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x5279.xml&quot; title=&quot;Link to STEM division office page&quot;&gt;STEM* Division Office&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;MRB 116&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2405&quot;&gt;413.552.2405&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:lprovidenti@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;lprovidenti@hcc.edu &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;*Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12288" URL="about/visit-hcc/campus-center" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250630T14:04:51" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12288.xml" Name="Campus Center" Title="Campus Center (CC)" Abstract="The Campus Center (CC) houses admissions, the ACT Center, a gender-neutral bathroom, a baby-changing station, dining services, student engagement, El Centro, the HCC Bookstore, a water bottle filling station, a student lounge, and a computer lab." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;In the Campus Center (CC) building, you'll find the following offices and programs:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;first floor&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center&quot; title=&quot;link to act center webpage&quot;&gt;Advising, Career &amp;amp; Transfer (ACT) Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CC 102&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2722&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;413.552.2722&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:advisingcenter@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link advisingcenter@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;advisingcenter@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot; title=&quot;Link to admissions page&quot;&gt;Admissions &amp;amp; Onboarding&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CC 148&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2321&quot;&gt;413.552.2321&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission/course-placement&quot; title=&quot;Link to placement testing&quot;&gt;Placement Testing Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CC 164&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Family Bathroom w/Baby-Changing Station&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CC 1st Floor&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;second floor&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/food-on-campus/dining-services&quot; title=&quot;link to dining services webpage&quot;&gt;Dining Services&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CC 2nd Floor&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:(413) 552-2130&quot;&gt;413.552.2130&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:Vincent-Kevin@aramark.com&quot;&gt;Vincent-Kevin@aramark.com&lt;/a&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;link to bookstore page&quot;&gt;HCC Bookstore&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CC 251A&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2521&quot;&gt;413.552.2521&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:savery@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link savery@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;savery@hcc.edu &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/itservices/tech-center&quot;&gt;Tech Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CC 251&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2255&quot;&gt;413.552.2255&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:techcenter@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;techcenter@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/el-centro&quot; title=&quot;Link to El Centro&quot;&gt;El Centro&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CC 248&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2539&quot;&gt;413.552.2508&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:jcolon@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link jcolon@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;jcolon@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-engagement&quot; title=&quot;Link to Student Activities&quot;&gt;Student Engagement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CC 227&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2536&quot;&gt;413.552.2536&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:clubs@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;clubs@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Student Lounge&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CC 2nd Floor&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Water Bottle Filling Station&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CC 2nd Floor&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12289" URL="about/visit-hcc/kittredge-center" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:32:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12289.xml" Name="Kittredge Center" Title="Kittredge Center (KC)" Abstract="Kittredge Center (KC) houses the Career Closet, the Testing &amp; Workforce Certification Center, two gender neutral bathrooms, and the PeoplesBank Conferece Room." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;In the Kittredge Center (KC) building, you'll find the following offices and programs:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;second floor&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gender Neutral Bathrooms&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;KC 2nd Floor&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/career-closet&quot; title=&quot;link to career closet page&quot;&gt;Career Closet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;KC 207&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2561&quot;&gt;413.552.2561&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:cscott1@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;cscott1@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/testing-and-workforce-certification-center&quot; title=&quot;link to Testing &amp;amp; Workforce Certification Center webpage&quot;&gt;Testing &amp;amp; Workforce Certification Center&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;KC 204&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2112&quot;&gt;413.552.2112&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:testing@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;testing@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;third floor&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PeoplesBank Conference Center&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;KC 301/303&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2320&quot;&gt;413.552.2320&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:alingham@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;alingham@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/preparing-for-college/mount-tom-academy&quot; title=&quot;Link to Mt. Tom Academy page&quot;&gt;Mount Tom Academy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;KC 302&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2564&quot;&gt;413.552.2564&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:kreuter@collaborative.org&quot;&gt;kreuter@collaborative.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/free-job-training-programs/jump-start&quot; title=&quot;Link to Jump Start page&quot;&gt;Jump Start Program&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;KC 322&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2112&quot;&gt;413.552.2112&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:afunk@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;afunk@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development&quot; title=&quot;Link to workforce development landing page&quot;&gt;Workforce Development Office&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;KC319&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2320&quot;&gt;413.552.2320&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:alingham@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;alingham@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;fourth floor&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gender Neutral Bathrooms&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;KC 4th Floor&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Planning, Assessment &amp;amp; Curriculum Office&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;KC 402&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2274&quot;&gt;413.552.2274&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mchevalier@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mchevalier@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12290" URL="about/visit-hcc/center-for-health-education-(che)" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:32:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12290.xml" Name="Center for Health Education (CHE)" Title="Center for Health Education &amp; Simulation" Abstract="The Center for Health Education &amp; Simulation (CHE) houses the nursing program, health sciences classes, and the simulation suite." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The Center for Health Education &amp;amp; Simulation (CHE) is located at 404 Jarvis Ave. and houses the &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/nursing-(associate-and-practical)&quot; title=&quot;link to nursing page&quot;&gt;nursing program&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences&quot; title=&quot;Link to health sciences landing page&quot;&gt;health sciences&lt;/a&gt; classes, and the &lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/che-and-simulation&quot; title=&quot;link to simulation suite page on hcc website&quot;&gt;simulation suite&lt;/a&gt;. A shuttle between the CHE and main campus runs every 10-15 minutes, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;first floor&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Nursing Resource Coordinator&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CHE 103&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2271&quot;&gt;413.552.2271&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:dwestcott@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;dwestcott@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Simulation Lab Coordinator&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CHE 113&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2090&quot;&gt;413.552.2090&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:msherlin@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;msherlin@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Simulation Lab Technician&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CHE 129&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2428&quot;&gt;413.552.2428&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:msuckau@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;msuckau@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Simulation Lab Technician&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CHE 120&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2030&quot;&gt;413.552.2030&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:amcmahon@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;amcmahon@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;second floor&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Division Administrative Assistant&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CHE 202&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2467&quot;&gt;413.552.2467&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:ktrombley@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;ktrombley@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Department of Nursing Secretary&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CHE 205&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2880&quot;&gt;413.552.2880&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mmurphy@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mmurphy@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Director of Nursing Education&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CHE 228&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2147&quot;&gt;413.552.2147&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:tbeaudry@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;tbeaudry@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dean of Education, Health Careers, Culinary Arts&lt;br /&gt;&amp;amp; Human Services&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CHE 203&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2288&quot;&gt;413.552.2288&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:abrandt@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;abrandt@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Health Compliance Staff Assistant&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CHE 204&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2451&quot;&gt;413.552.2451&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:tbeaudry@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;jalbert@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Assistant Dean of Education, Health Careers, Culinary Arts&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;amp; Human Services&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CHE 213&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;TBA&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;TBA&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chair of PN Nursing Program&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CHE 217&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2454&quot;&gt;413.552.2454&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:tjacques2@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;tjacques2@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chair of ASN Nursing Program&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CHE 222&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-4204&quot;&gt;413.552.4204&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:kbriand@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;kbriand@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Chair of Radiology Program&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CHE 212&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-4204&quot;&gt;413.552.2448&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mbuckley@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mbuckley@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13334" URL="about/visit-hcc/bartley-center" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:32:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13334.xml" Name="Bartley Center" Title="Bartley Center (BC)" Abstract="The Bartley Center (CC) is home to HCC's student athletic teams, and features a three-court gymnasium, full fitness center, steam and sauna facilities, multipurpose studio, assessment room, and locker rooms. It also features classroom and office space, as well as a lounge where students meet, socialize, and study." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;In the David M. Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation (BC) , you'll find the following offices and programs:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;first floor&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Women's Locker Room&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;BC 106&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Men's Locker Room&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot; title=&quot;Link to admissions page&quot;&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;BC 108&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fitness Center&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;BC 109&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Basketball Court&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;BC 1st Floor&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lobby and Student Lounge&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;BC 1st Floor&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contact:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mshelasky@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;tstewart@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2162&quot;&gt;413.552.2162&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;second floor&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Multi-Purpose Room&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;BC 202&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Administrative Office&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;BC 204&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contact: &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mshelasky@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mshelasky@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2161&quot;&gt;413.552.2161&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13352" URL="about/visit-hcc/culinary-arts-institute-(cai)" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250915T12:16:30" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13352.xml" Name="Culinary Arts Institute (CAI)" Title="HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute (CAI)" Abstract="The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute (CAI) is a state-of-the-art facility featuring four full-service kitchens, a bakery, hotel lab, and student-run dining room. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute is located at 164 Race Street in downtown Holyoke. There, you'll find the following offices and programs:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;first floor&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Lab Technicians Office&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CAI 101&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2408&quot;&gt;413.552.2408&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Demo Kitchen&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CAI 105&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Bakery&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CAI 108&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dining Room&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;CAI 116&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;second floor&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;406&quot; style=&quot;width: 620px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 234px;&quot;&gt;Computer Lab&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 73px;&quot;&gt;CAI 201&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 106px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 207px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 234px;&quot;&gt;Classroom&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 73px;&quot;&gt;CAI 204&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 106px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 207px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 234px;&quot;&gt;Workforce Development Office&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 73px;&quot;&gt;CAI 206&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 106px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 207px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 234px;&quot;&gt;Faculty Office&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 73px;&quot;&gt;CAI 208&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 106px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2809&quot;&gt;413.552.2809&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 207px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mmorenocontreras@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mmorenocontreras@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 234px;&quot;&gt;Department Chair&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 73px;&quot;&gt;CAI 209&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 106px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2298/&quot;&gt;413.552.2298&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 207px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:tcarter@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;tcarter@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 234px;&quot;&gt;Conference Room&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 73px;&quot;&gt;CAI 216&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 106px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 207px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 234px;&quot;&gt;Dean's Office&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 73px;&quot;&gt;CAI 217&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 106px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2288&quot;&gt;413.552.2288&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 207px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 234px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/hospitality-and-culinary-arts&quot;&gt;Coordinator of CAI &amp;amp; PAFEC&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 73px;&quot;&gt;CAI 218&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 106px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2823&quot;&gt;413.552.2823&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 207px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 234px;&quot;&gt;Hotel Lab&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 73px;&quot;&gt;CAI 219&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 106px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 207px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 234px;&quot;&gt;General Purpose Lab&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 73px;&quot;&gt;CAI 221&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 106px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 207px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x267" URL="about/visit-hcc/campus-map" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241223T12:52:15" CategoryIds="" FileName="x267.xml" Name="Campus Map" Title="Campus Map" Abstract="Download the official HCC map." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://map.hcc.edu/&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC campus map&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here to view our campus map.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Use&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Visit/Campus_Map_sp23.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to PDF of campus walking map&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;this campus building map&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to find your way around.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Visit/HCC_Map_CC_Frost_FA24_d2.pdf&quot; title=&quot;link to pdf of campus map showing directions from act center to frost building&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt; for a map showing directions&amp;nbsp;from the Advising, Career &amp;amp; Transfer (ACT) Center to Frost.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Looking for a new hiking spot? Check out our&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Visit/hcctrail%20copy.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Map of HCC trails&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;trail map&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;425&quot; height=&quot;350&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; src=&quot;http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;q=holyoke+community+college&amp;amp;fb=1&amp;amp;gl=us&amp;amp;hq=community+college&amp;amp;hnear=Holyoke,+Hampden,+Massachusetts&amp;amp;ll=42.199639,-72.633671&amp;amp;spn=0.011088,0.041929&amp;amp;iwloc=lyrftr:unknown,3367227812359929056,,&amp;amp;output=embed&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x262" URL="about/visit-hcc/getting-here" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250611T18:26:23" CategoryIds="" FileName="x262.xml" Name="Getting Here" Title="Getting Here" Abstract="Maps and directions to HCC, where to park, electric charging station locations, plus bus and shuttle information." IntroCopy="How to find your way to campus – and your future." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;We care about making education accessible to all. Explore the links below to learn more about driving directions, where to park, our campus shuttle, and more.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x268" URL="about/visit-hcc/other-locations" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:32:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x268.xml" Name="Other Locations" Title="Other Locations" Abstract="Learn about HCC's locations in downtown Holyoke, Ludlow, Ware, and more. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;As part of our commitment to making education accessible to residents of the Pioneer Valley, HCC offers a variety of programs and services in several off-campus locations. Explore them below.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://map.hcc.edu/?id=2018#!ce/61594?ct/65034,61593?s/&quot; title=&quot;Link to interactive map&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Click here to view maps of off-campus locations.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x269" URL="about/visit-hcc/accessibility" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260501T11:56:42" CategoryIds="" FileName="x269.xml" Name="Accessibility" Title="Accessibility" Abstract="HCC is committed to accessibility and inclusion, and to ensuring that all are able to participate in college programs, activities, and events. " IntroCopy="HCC is committed to accessibility and inclusion, and to ensuring that all are able to participate in college programs, activities, and events. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The following is information we hope you will find useful in planning your visit to HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;Students&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college provides reasonable accommodations to students with documented disabilities and those who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Student accommodations are arranged through the college's&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/academic-support/disability-and-deaf-services&quot; title=&quot;Office for Students with Disabilities &amp;amp; Deaf Services&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;amp;q=http://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/academic-support/disability-and-deaf-services&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1530980571810000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGcm_upUAAuCdrWUB3pObRyk7QCFQ&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Office for Students with Disabilities &amp;amp; Deaf Services&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;Faculty &amp;amp; Staff&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;Accommodations for faculty and staff are arranged through HCC's&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/people-and-talent&quot; title=&quot;HCC human resources&quot;&gt;Human Resources&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;office. HR staff can be reached at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2554&quot;&gt;413.552.2554&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:swomeldorf@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;swomeldorf@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;Visitors&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a public institution, HCC welcomes thousands of visitors to our campus each year. Whether you are a prospective student (or a friend or family member) or here to attend a meeting, conference, or cultural event, we hope to make your visit as enjoyable as possible. If you anticipate needing a reasonable accommodation for an HCC event, please contact the event sponsor in advance of your visit.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://map.hcc.edu/?id=2018#!ce/61590?ct/65034,61593?s/&quot; title=&quot;Link to accessibility map&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Accessibility Map&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;Parking &amp;amp; Getting Around&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC offers plenty of parking with easy access to building entrances. A state-issued handicapped parking permit suffices for parking in designated accessible spaces on campus. Elevators are conveniently located in our six connected buildings to enable easy access to campus spaces.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;Accessible Restrooms&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;Accessible restrooms can be found in the Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation, &amp;nbsp;in the Donahue building, and in the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development. Donahue and Kittredge connect to the other buildings in the center of campus.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;The Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wheelchair users can take advantage of the ADA-compliant SciFit cardio machine with a removable seat for wheelchair access, wheelchair ramp, and low support boots. There is an elevator to the second floor fitness studio and Braille signage throughout the building.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College adheres to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 which states that &quot;no qualified individual with a disability shall, solely on the basis of their disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity in higher education.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions, concerns, complaints, or requests for additional information regarding the ADA may be forwarded to:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Students:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Title IX Coordinator Olivia Kynard, &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:rrubinstein@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link okynard@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;okynard@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2173&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;413.552.2173&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Faculty, staff, and visitors:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span&gt;Office of People &amp;amp; Talent &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552-2554&quot;&gt;413.552-2554&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span id=&quot;gmail-docs-internal-guid-26b49bd8-7fff-0401-0d73-db9dc8a87b53&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College (HCC) is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and equitable educational environment, exemplified in HCC&amp;rsquo;s Strategic Plan 3.0, which emphasizes accessibility as a core value. In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued updated regulations under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), requiring public institutions to ensure that all digital content and services are accessible to individuals with disabilities.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/digital-accessibility-statement&quot;&gt;Digital Accessibility Statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7567" URL="about/visit-hcc/smoke-free-campus" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:32:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7567.xml" Name="Smoke-Free Campus" Title="Smoke-Free Campus" Abstract="HCC is a smoke-free campus, and we offer resources and support to help you quit." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the Holyoke Community College campus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This policy includes electronic and vapor cigarettes, and applies to students, staff, faculty, and visitors.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Violators of this official campus policy may face disciplinary measures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;free resources to help you quit&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Massachusetts Smoker's Helpline:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:1-800-784-8669&quot;&gt;1.800.784.8669&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://Smokefree.gov&quot; title=&quot;Smokefree.gov&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Smokefree.gov&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://BeTobaccoFree.gov&quot; title=&quot;BeTobaccoFree.gov&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;BeTobaccoFree.gov&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://smokefree.gov/tools-tips/apps/quitguide&quot; title=&quot;QuitGuide quit smoking app&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Quit Guide&lt;/a&gt; (smartphone app)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x7405" URL="about/visit-hcc/disc-golf" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:32:38" CategoryIds="" FileName="x7405.xml" Name="Disc Golf" Title="Disc Golf" Abstract="Information about HCC's disc golf course." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Welcome to HCC's disc golf course!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Print a &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/About/Visit/Disc%20golf/disc_golf_card_su19_d4.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of Disc golf scorecard&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;scorecard&lt;/a&gt; with the course layout and hole lengths.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Explore the course in photos and videos below.&amp;nbsp;Photos are shot from the tee and about halfway down the fairway for each hole. The tee box areas are indicated by two 4-inch brick pavers set five feet apart. The baskets are just visible near the center of most photos. White arrows near each basket point toward the next tee. All holes are par 3 unless otherwise noted.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x20981" URL="about/acknowledge-and-respect-indigenous-residents" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241021T12:58:12" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20981.xml" Name="Acknowledge &amp; Respect Indigenous Residents" Title="Acknowledge &amp; Respect Indigenous Residents" Abstract="HCC Land Acknowledgement Statement" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College acknowledges that our institution and community inhabit land that was once and still is the homeland of Indigenous peoples. The area commonly known as &amp;ldquo;New England&amp;rdquo; was, at the time of first contact with Europeans, the homelands of millions of native peoples whose numbers were reduced by European diseases, warfare, and unscrupulous land acquisitions. We honor the earlier inhabitants of the Connecticut River Valley, the Pocumtuck, the Nonotuck, the Woronoco, and the Agawam nations, among others. We acknowledge the surviving Native nations, which include the Nipmuc and the Wampanoag, the Mohegan, the Pequot, the Mohican, and the Abenaki.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The College community must go beyond a statement alone to reconcile this history. We pledge to maintain respect for Indigenous peoples. We are committed to increasing college-wide programming that informs and educates our community about Native contemporariness, histories, cultures, and sovereignty. HCC&amp;rsquo;s land acknowledgment statement is a living document to living cultures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Pronunciation Guide: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;(Source:&amp;nbsp; Springfield College. Used with permission.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pocumtuck [poe-come-tuck] &lt;br /&gt;Nonotuck [non-oh-tuck] &lt;br /&gt;Woronoco [wore-oh-no-co] &lt;br /&gt;Agawam [aa-gah-wahm]&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Nipmuc [nip-muck] &lt;br /&gt;Wampanoag [wamp-ah-nawg]&lt;br /&gt;Mohegan [moh-he-gahn] &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;Pequot [pee-kwaht]&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Mohican [moh-hee-kuhn]&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;Abenaki [a-ben-a-kee]&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Moment of Gratitude:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you to the ARIR - Acknowledge &amp;amp; Respect Indigenous Residents Committee for their incredible work and support.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Committee Chairs:&lt;/strong&gt; Patricia Kennedy, Amreen Shaikh&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Members: &lt;/strong&gt;Alicia Hyman, Olivia Kynard, Rachel Rushing, Elizabeth Trobaugh, Ileana Vasu&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you to Rhonda Anderson (Inupiaq Athabaskan), Western Massachusetts Commissioner on Indian Affairs, founder and co-director of the Ohketeau Cultural Center and the Native Youth Empowerment, for her valuable insights as we created our land acknowledgment statement and resources list.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x211" URL="x211.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20170112T23:06:41" CategoryIds="" FileName="x211.xml" Name="Constituent pages" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x315" URL="alumni-and-friends" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251002T13:50:52" CategoryIds="" FileName="x315.xml" Name="Alumni &amp; Friends" Title="Alumni &amp; Friends" Abstract="We hope you'll visit often, and keep up with the latest news and events." BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.monday.com/forms/8668cd457520e5313b68fe56759596fa?r=use1&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Submit Alumni Class Note&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;alumni pics&quot; height=&quot;362&quot; src=&quot;images/Alumni-Friends/Website%20Image%201%20-%20May%202024%20Refresh%20-%201193%20x%20509%20px.png&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whether you walked the halls of HCC as a student or are part of our large network of family and friends, thank you for being a part of our community! Here you'll find a place to connect to HCC: read the latest issue of &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/publications&quot;&gt;The Connection&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;(formerly known as the &lt;em&gt;Alumni Connection&lt;/em&gt;), learn about recent&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;News &amp;amp; Events&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;from campus, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/13339/donations/new?donation_type=general&quot; title=&quot;Make a gift&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;make a gift to support the College&lt;/a&gt;, or get in touch with the &lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/alumni-association&quot;&gt;Alumni Association&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;TRIO students with president&quot; height=&quot;509&quot; src=&quot;images/Alumni-Friends/Website%20Image%202%20-%20May%202024%20Refresh%20-%201193%20x%20509%20px.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: top; margin: 15px 15px;&quot; width=&quot;1193&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x4766" URL="alumni-and-friends/alumni-association" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251009T18:22:40" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4766.xml" Name="Alumni Association" Title="Alumni Association" Abstract="The mission of the HCC Alumni Association is to promote alumni interest in, engagement with, and connection to the college and to each other by bringing alumni together and fostering interaction with HCC students, faculty, and other graduates." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The purpose of the Alumni Association is to involve HCC alumni in the life of the college as donors and volunteers, and to promote the attributes and value of HCC to the community at large.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;To generate moral and financial support for HCC from alumni and other appropriate constituent groups.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;To aid in keeping the alumni in contact with HCC through the use of activities, events, programs and publications.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;To coordinate and implement appropriate professional, vocational, personal, cultural, and educational services for alumni.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;To encourage students to pursue educational goals at HCC.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;alumni news &amp;amp; stories&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Discover what HCC alumni are doing professionally and personally by following the Alumni Association on&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/give2hcc&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC alumni association on facebook&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/give2hcc&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1616267094042000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGCMEq9A3-TGnZzWqe4dHD8tzB4qg&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Facebook&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/school/holyoke-community-college/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true&quot; title=&quot;link to hcc on linkedin&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.linkedin.com/school/holyoke-community-college/mycompany/?viewAsMember%3Dtrue&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1616267094042000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNG6v7y-VRICs06IZaPQAwVG3_c6rg&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;LinkedIn&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and check out alumni in the news&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories&quot; title=&quot;link to hcc news stories&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1616267094042000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNHpayip2EXSSVwFSVUsuh8_ZP2cKw&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Help us celebrate HCC's 75th anniversary, by submitting your HCC Story&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScEI0hYK99bY-Afxc0Ms64fftDxVM5np9XrWnQeCp5qKV6r7w/view&quot; title=&quot;link to google form to submit hcc story&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScEI0hYK99bY-Afxc0Ms64fftDxVM5np9XrWnQeCp5qKV6r7w/view&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1616267094042000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFFofenLp4c5pFa9OyNmdWrlW70EQ&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Alumni Connection Magazine&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/publications&quot; title=&quot;HCC publications&quot;&gt;Enjoy past issues here.&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;Tell your fellow grads what you've been up to and submit a class note using the form below. Send us your feedback! We'd love to hear from you. Send letters to the editor to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;chrome-extension://gbkeegbaiigmenfmjfclcdgdpimamgkj/views/qowt.html#mailto:alumni@hcc.edu&quot; id=&quot;E98&quot;&gt;alumni@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://hcc.edu/classnotes&quot; title=&quot;link to google form to submit class note&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Submit Alumni Class Note&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Sign up for alumni e-newsletter&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;bbox-root-5eef2aed-65b9-46c9-9c31-f6c9e2f1b8a5&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;var bboxInit2 = bboxInit2 || [];    bboxInit2.push(function () {        bboxApi.showForm('5eef2aed-65b9-46c9-9c31-f6c9e2f1b8a5');    });    (function () {        var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true;        e.src = 'https://bbox.blackbaudhosting.com/webforms/bbox-2.0-min.js';        document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(e);    } ());&lt;/script&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Important Alumni Resources &amp;amp; Contact Information&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alumni Relations Office: &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2253&quot;&gt;413.552.2253&lt;/a&gt;; &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:alumni@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;alumni@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar/request-a-transcript&quot; title=&quot;Request a transcript from hcc&quot;&gt;Request a Transcript&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/bartley-center&quot; title=&quot;Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation&quot;&gt;Athletic Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library&quot; title=&quot;HCC library&quot;&gt;Library&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/career-services&quot; title=&quot;HCC career center&quot;&gt;Career Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;HCC college store&quot;&gt;College Store&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdr1zQ-IzyL7q8MjLwLiYR1oD1e6Arhwgn6y7a6VefcFyonFA/viewform&quot; title=&quot;Link to google form to update alumni info&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Update Your Information&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x4768" URL="alumni-and-friends/alumni-association/alumni-council" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251019T14:09:51" CategoryIds="" FileName="x4768.xml" Name="Alumni Council" Title="Alumni Council" Abstract="The Alumni Council is a group of approximately 25 volunteers who lead events and activities that bring HCC alumni together and connect them with the college and its students." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The Alumni Council is a group of volunteers who lead events and activities that bring HCC alumni together and connect them with the college and its students. They meet six times a year (three in the fall/three in the spring) on campus as the governing body of the Alumni Association. These meetings are open to anyone who wants to attend.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;President&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trudy Monson '97&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Owner, Gem's Creations&lt;br /&gt;Retired, Engineering Clerk, Verizon&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vice President&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elizabeth Rom&amp;aacute;n '04&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Executive Editor of News, New England Public Media&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Secretary&lt;br /&gt;Vacant&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alumni Trustee&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nayroby Rosa '10&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;MEMBERS&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maureen Babineau '00&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Teaching and Learning Initiative Coordinator, Month Holyoke College&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gloria G. Lomax '75&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Professor Emeritus, Holyoke Community College&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Matt McMahon &amp;lsquo;06&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tech Advisor, Cybersecurity Expert&lt;br /&gt;Alumni Representative to the HCC Foundation Board of Directors&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kim Monson '01, LCSW&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Associate Director of Practicum Learning, Smith College&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lucy Perez &amp;lsquo;87&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Human Resources Professional, Mount Holyoke College&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thomas Rachele '96&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Supervisor of Secondary ELA and Libraries, Springfield Public Schools&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ryan Rege '08&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Principal, Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Paul Rogers &amp;rsquo;81, &amp;lsquo;13&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Retired, Chicopee Herald&lt;br /&gt;Alumni DJ, WCCH 103.5&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Karen Thompson Brown '04&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Reading Support Specialist, SABIS International Charter School&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x21453" URL="alumni-and-friends/the-green-thread" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260501T11:49:52" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21453.xml" Name="The Green Thread" Title="The Green Thread Podcast" Abstract="The Green Thread is a podcast series that invites alumni to share their stories—exploring the connections, experiences, and threads that tie them to their alma mater, their communities, and one another." IntroCopy="The Green Thread Podcast Series" BodyCopy="&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;table&quot; cellpadding=&quot;10&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 552px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 250px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 70.8552%; vertical-align: top; height: 552px;&quot; rowspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to East Asian mythology, an invisible thread connects people destined to meet. At HCC, we believe these meaningful connections shape our alumni's journeys long after graduation. The Green Thread is a podcast series that invites alumni to share their stories&amp;mdash;exploring the connections, experiences, and threads that tie them to their alma mater, their communities, and one another.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This podcast was made possible through the support of our generous donors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Latest Podcast&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;352&quot; style=&quot;border-radius: 12px;&quot; data-testid=&quot;embed-iframe&quot; src=&quot;https://open.spotify.com/embed/show/2qYeLq0KSRL1ia88A1SYEq?utm_source=generator&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;allowfullscreen&quot; allow=&quot;autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Episode 8&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;lykOktr3YIn79xOvVQtS&quot;&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;e-91000-text encore-text-body-medium encore-internal-color-text-subdued SvUN7GwF6XYIW1FW&quot; data-encore-id=&quot;text&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Payton North '15 is the communications director for the Hampden District Attorney&amp;rsquo;s Office. She holds both a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree in communications&amp;ndash;journalism and a master&amp;rsquo;s degree in public relations and marketing from Western New England University. In this episode, North sits down with Pat LaBelle, radio station manager, and Natalia Castagno, assistant director for alumni relations, to discuss the HCC professor who compared her work to Harvard students, why she made the switch from broadcast to print journalism, her favorite food at The Big E, and how a conversation over coffee led to her new career.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;2:48 Why she chose HCC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;3:34 On choosing print over broadcast journalism&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;5:22 The professor who compared her work to Harvard students&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;11:52 On being vulnerable with her writing&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;15:34 Her favorite food at The Big E&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;19:37 How a conversation over coffee led to her new career&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;31:08 The HCC professor who convinced her to study journalism at Western New England&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 29.1448%; height: 250px; background-color: #bfedd2; vertical-align: top;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot; rowspan=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Alumni-Friends/TGT/HCC_Green_Thread_Spotify_Cover_FA25_d1_600x600.png&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Do you know an HCC alum with a story worth sharing? We want to hear about them.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Tell us who should be on The Green Thread and what makes their story special. What connections have shaped their path? How does their experience reflect the threads that tie our HCC community together?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Please fill out &lt;a href=&quot;https://wkf.ms/4lFSIPy&quot;&gt;this form&lt;/a&gt; to recommend yourself or someone else.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Previous Green Thread Podcasts&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;scribe-shadow id=&quot;crxjs-ext&quot; data-crx=&quot;okfkdaglfjjjfefdcppliegebpoegaii&quot; style=&quot;position: fixed; width: 0px; height: 0px; top: 0px; left: 0px; z-index: 2147483647; overflow: visible; visibility: visible;&quot;&gt;&lt;/scribe-shadow&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21218" URL="alumni-and-friends/recent-grads" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260528T12:58:51" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21218.xml" Name="Recent Grads" Title="Recent Grads" Abstract="Connect with Alumni and Friends" IntroCopy="Welcome Holyoke Community College Alumni!" BodyCopy="&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;table&quot; cellpadding=&quot;25&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 750px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 28.1609%;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Alumni-Friends/Nat.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; height=&quot;420&quot; class=&quot;floatImg&quot; alt=&quot;Nat&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 71.8391%;&quot;&gt;Congratulations, graduates! I'm Natalia Castagno, assistant director for alumni relations at Holyoke Community College. As we celebrate your hard work and the exciting journeys ahead, I want to formally welcome you to the HCC Alumni Association. During your transition from student to alum, you have joined a vibrant community of more than 43,000 HCC graduates around the world. We're thrilled to have you with us and excited for the opportunities ahead to connect, engage, and support one another.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stay in Touch&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;table&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 500px; height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 123.141px; height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a style=&quot;text-decoration: none; float: left;&quot; href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/give2hcc/&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Facebook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 123.188px; height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a style=&quot;text-decoration: none; float: left;&quot; href=&quot;https://www.instagram.com/hccalumni/&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 243.672px; height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a style=&quot;text-decoration: none; float: left;&quot; href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/school/holyoke-community-college/posts/?feedView=all&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;LinkedIn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Your relationship to HCC is changing, but we&amp;rsquo;re still with you every step of the way.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Welcome to your new alumni family&amp;mdash;a network of individuals representing all 50 U.S. states, 5 U.S. territories and federal districts (including the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Armed Forces Europe, and Armed Forces Pacific)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;, and 14 international countries (including Canada, Ireland, Brazil, Thailand, Cyprus, Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia, England, and Panama).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;We&amp;rsquo;re here to help you along your journey and keep you connected.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Welcome, Class of 2026. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="true" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21370" URL="alumni-and-friends/alumni-voices" Schema="NewsIndexPage" Locale="" Changed="20250820T15:10:55" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21370.xml" Name="Alumni Voices" Title="Alumni Voices" Abstract="Getting to know our graduates beyond the résumé." ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x22269" URL="alumni-and-friends/alumni-voices/kimm-quinlan" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260409T13:06:04" CategoryIds="196" FileName="x22269.xml" Name="Kimm Quinlan" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Kimm-Quinlan-IBCW-web.jpg" Title="Always Curious " Abstract="After more than a decade working in early childhood education, Kimm Quinlan '93 returned to HCC as the coordinator of the Early Childhood Career Pathways program." ThumbnailAltText="Kimm Quinlan '93" IntroCopy="&quot;The professors that I had really encouraged students to share their ideas, to ask questions, to engage in their learning. And that sort of empowerment really helped me to find my voice and helped me to feel confident that what I had to share was meaningful.&quot; – Kimm Quinlan '93" Date="2026-04-08" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2026%20Spring/Kimm-Quinlan-IBCW-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Editor's Note: This is one of a continuing series of interviews with HCC alumni called &quot;Alumni Voices.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kimm (Greaves) Quinlan &amp;rsquo;93&lt;/strong&gt; grew up in Northampton, Mass., and started her undergraduate education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, but she found the massive institution overwhelming and left after her first year. After four years working in the circulation department for the Daily Hampshire Gazette newspaper, she decided to study early childhood education and enrolled at HCC. Once there, she thrived, completing her associate degree in just two years while working part time at an early childhood center and later at Head Start in Holyoke. She went on to finish her bachelor's degree at Westfield State University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;In 2019, after more than a decade of consulting and advising for early childhood programs, Quinlan followed a state-funded grant initiative back to HCC, joining as the coordinator of the Early Childhood Career Pathways program. She helped build a department that now has a team of 12, offers certificate programs, and oversees the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center. HCC is also where she met her husband, &lt;strong&gt;Michael &amp;rsquo;96&lt;/strong&gt;, a fellow early childhood education student, who now works as the Northeast Sales Manager for David Milligan Selections, a wine importer.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;What did you learn at HCC that still benefits you today?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;I learned that you should always be curious. You should always question what you're learning, and you should have the confidence to trust that asking those questions is appropriate and valuable to everyone around you. I was 22 when I came back to school, so I felt a little bit older than the average student at that time. HCC was a very traditionally aged college for the most part. I felt a little nervous about being the oldest person in class. The professors that I had really encouraged students to share their ideas, to ask questions, to engage in their learning. And that sort of empowerment really helped me to find my voice and helped me to feel confident that what I had to share was meaningful.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;What's your most vivid HCC memory?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;One of the first classes I took was child growth and development. Connie D&amp;rsquo;Elia was the professor. To try to help the students understand the perspective of a small child, she told a story about a person being put on top of a big hole with rushing water underneath it, and not being able to really balance because they were too small for the size of this enormous hole; having to hang on, and how scary that would be. Then she explained to us that that is what a child feels like when they're being potty trained. Because a toilet is a scary thing. It was her ability to take this everyday situation and turn it into an opportunity for us to be able to gain perspective about the people that we'll be working with &amp;ndash; for us, small children. It has always stuck with me that you have to understand the people you are going to be working with in order to really be effective at your job. This thing that we all take for granted and don't even think about, children find scary or could be intimidated by. And, so, when you're going to teach them something or engage with them, you need to think about it from their side of things. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;What HCC classroom moment will you never forget?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;I took a sociology class where the professor walked in every morning and said, &quot;If you are in a bad relationship, getting married will not help. If you're in a difficult situation, don't make it worse by diving in deeper.&quot; He really helped us to think about how the decisions that we make impact our future lives. I think that those connections from the big picture to your individual experience, and to your community's experience, were something I had never thought of before. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Who was your best HCC professor and why?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gloria Lomax &lt;/strong&gt;(HCC class of 1975, professor emerita, and former president of the HCC Alumni Association) was my best HCC professor. She was inspirational and helped me create a vision and a philosophy of how I wanted to be when I was working with children, what type of educator and teacher I wanted to be. She had high expectations. I learned a lot and really continued to think about the lessons I learned in our class when I was a new teacher and trying to get my feet under me.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How did you and Michael get together?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;We were students at HCC and both working at the YMCA in Northampton. We signed up to teach an evening swim class for adults who were afraid of the water. There were probably 10 people in the class, and they were incredibly wonderful about being vulnerable. One night as class was ending, someone suggested going out to get a beer afterward. We said, &quot;Oh yeah, we would love to.&quot; They asked about us being a couple. We said, &quot;We're not a couple.&quot; They were like, &quot;Okay, sure.&quot; And, so, it was this huge joke. Two or three weeks later, we started dating. That was 34 years ago.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;What book changed your life?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;When I was in high school, junior year, we started reading literature for the sake of the beauty of the writing. When we read Wuthering Heights, I realized that you could read things that were really, really poignant and enjoy them. I don't know that it changed my life in inspirational ways, but it definitely changed my life in realizing that intellectual endeavors could be really enjoyable and not just really hard and miserable to get through. So I think that that book definitely helped me shift my perspective, and I've enjoyed reading in a different way ever since then. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;What is your least useful talent?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;My least useful talent is my ability to remember bizarre dreams that I have and retell them afterward. I know a lot of people can't remember their dreams. I have incredibly vivid, incredibly bizarre dreams that I can remember.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;What do you love that everyone else hates?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Transitions. I love change. We just moved out of our house of 21 years. After three months, my husband said, &quot;So what do you regret?&quot; I said, nothing. Even at work, there are a lot of things that change on a daily basis. I've worked in a variety of administrative and leadership roles where people have given notice, people are changing their careers &amp;ndash; it can be incredibly stressful. And while I'm often sad to see people move on to a new thing, it's never the kind of thing where I think, &quot;Oh my God, we'll never make it through.&quot; It doesn't freak me out. I actually appreciate it.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;What's the last movie you recommended to a friend?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;It's called Brooklyn. It was amazing. It's an Irish immigration story. I&amp;rsquo;ve recommended it to a number of people to watch.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;What person, alive or dead, would you most like to meet?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Agatha Christie. I've read all of her books. I watch tons of documentaries on British TV about her. I would love to meet Agatha Christie. I would ask her what she did for the few days that she was missing. There was this period of time where she went missing for two or three days. And no one knows what happened to her during that time. There are docudramas about it, and short stories, but no one knows what happened to her.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Kimm Quinlan '93&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22109" URL="alumni-and-friends/alumni-voices/dylan-pilon" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251211T20:31:02" CategoryIds="196" FileName="x22109.xml" Name="Dylan Pilon" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/Dylan-Pilon-Cropped.jpg" Title="All In on HCC" Abstract="Dylan Pilon '12 runs Cloud 9 Marketing Group in East Longmeadow, a digital and social media agency he founded in 2014. " ThumbnailAltText="Dylan Pilon '12" IntroCopy="&quot;The biggest value of any sort of education is the people that you're going to meet there, whether it's forming really good relationships with your professors or peers.&quot; – Dylan Pilon '12" Date="2025-12-10" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/Dylan-Pilon-Cropped.jpg&quot; width=&quot;858&quot; height=&quot;510&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This is one of a continuing series of interviews with HCC alumni called &quot;Alumni Voices.&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;After being accepted to Western New England College and facing a $44,000 annual price tag, &lt;strong&gt;Dylan Pilon &amp;rsquo;12&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;reluctantly enrolled at Holyoke Community College, carrying the stigma he felt about attending community college while watching friends head to four-year schools. Then he took his first marketing class with Professor Ellen Majka.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&quot;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;She told the class that she teaches the same marketing class with the same book and the same syllabus at Western New England,&amp;rdquo; Pilon remembers. &amp;ldquo;So, I was getting the same education for a fraction of the price. My perspective on HCC immediately changed after that.&amp;rdquo; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;From then on, Pilon was all in on HCC. He immersed himself in campus opportunities, becoming vice president of the Entrepreneurship Club and participating in a new Topics in Business course, where he and his classmates visited companies throughout the Northeast such as Kringle Candle Company in Bernardston, Mass., to CVS headquarters in Woonsocket, Rhode Island&lt;strong&gt;,&lt;/strong&gt; gaining invaluable, behind-the-curtain access to businesses operations. After earning his associate degree in business administration from HCC, he transferred to UMass Amherst's Isenberg School of Management, where he graduated with his bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Today, Dylan runs Cloud 9 Marketing Group in East Longmeadow, a digital and social media agency he founded in 2014. He serves as board president of the East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce, sits on the board of Living Local 413, and has established scholarships at both his high school, East Longmeadow, and HCC. Last year, he leveraged his company's 10th anniversary to host a charity casino night that raised $10,000 for Jessy's Fight, a cancer-related nonprofit. And each year, during the college's annual day of giving, &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives, Pilon issues a dollar-for-dollar match for all alumni gifts.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Pilon shared his journey through HCC and what he has learned along the way.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What did you learn at HCC that still benefits you today?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;I personally feel that the biggest value of any sort of education is the people that you're going to meet there, whether it's forming really good relationships with your professors or peers. Because you never know who that person you're sitting next to is going to be 10 years from now. If you have a good relationship with folks, when you cross paths again, it can be helpful.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;W&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;hat is your most vivid HCC memory?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;My grandfather, &lt;span&gt;Philip Pilon,&lt;/span&gt; had passed away, and the next day I showed up to campus very early. I sat in my car and wrote his eulogy. After I finished, I sat there for a moment, and then I took a deep breath, and I went inside. That day we went on one of those Topics in Business class trips. When Professors Majka and [Anne] Potter found out that my grandfather had passed the night before, and that I was there, they said, &amp;ldquo;You could have taken the day off.&amp;rdquo; But I wanted to be there. Of course, it was a welcome distraction. But, also, I was looking forward to that trip, and that class meant a lot to me. It was invite-only, so we had to be hand-selected by the professor to be able to be part of that class. I was proud of that. And I was excited about learning from people who have been extremely successful in business.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Who was your best HCC professor and why?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Ellen Majka, 100 percent. That woman changed my life. She's amazing. If I didn't take that first class, I probably would not have snapped out of the negative feeling I had toward community college as a whole. She was instrumental in getting me to realize that this is nothing to be ashamed of. You're not less than somebody else because you went to a community college.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Also, accounting professor Gerry Bates&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;was a wonderful teacher. She was a tough cookie, but she was great. And as somebody who is not a math person, Gerry made those classes interesting and easy to understand. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;What advice would you give to a brand-new HCC student?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Shake every hand and take every business card. Get an understanding of everything that the school has to offer, figure out a plan to take advantage of as many of those things as you can, and make sure that you are forming relationships with people in classrooms and on campus.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;What surprising job have you had in the past?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Being a car wash attendant was very interesting. I stood outside year-round, and I would make sure that people could get their money into the machine and pay for their car wash, and I would help clean their rims and their tires. That was a very humbling experience, especially when it's 20 degrees outside, and there's freezing water flying everywhere. That taught me very quickly that I did not want to have a career that was outside.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;What are you reading these days?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;I am reading a book by Gary Vaynerchuk called &lt;em&gt;Day Trading Attention&lt;/em&gt;. It&amp;rsquo;s about how to build a brand in the new social media world. I am a little more than halfway through it. In my opinion, he's the greatest marketer, potentially ever. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;What is either the best or worst piece of advice you've received?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Try to identify the problem that you solve for people. That's the key to anything in business: you're either solving a pain point or providing a pleasure point. Approaching business from a perspective of, what are the problems that I solve for people, because that's really what you're selling. You're not selling the thing that you do, you're selling the value of the thing that you do, which is the problem that you're solving.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;What do you hate that everyone else loves?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;People go crazy for Game of Thrones. I've never seen an episode of it. And if I died today, I would be at peace knowing that I&amp;rsquo;ve never watched an episode of Game of Thrones. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;What person, alive or dead, would you most like to meet?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;My mother&amp;rsquo;s father, John Annino. He passed away shortly before I was born. I had great relationships with my other three grandparents, but I never had the chance to meet him.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Another one would be my cousin, Shelby. She passed away when we were around 15 years old. She had a brain aneurysm in her&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;sleep.&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;And almost 20 years later, I would love to be able to sit down with her for dinner and just talk to her and see what life could have been.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;If I had to pick somebody that I wasn't related to, I would love to have dinner with Paul McCartney. What a life that guy has lived. I think he's the greatest composer of music in history. He's so talented. He plays every instrument, sings. I would love to sit down and have dinner with Sir Paul. He's 80-something, and he's still out there with pyrotechnics blowing up behind him.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21455" URL="alumni-and-friends/alumni-voices/kathy-bronner" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251002T13:50:00" CategoryIds="196" FileName="x21455.xml" Name="Kathy Bronner" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/Fall%202025/Kathy-Bronner-web.jpg" Title="Developing Spirit" Abstract="After graduating from HCC in 1977, Kathy Bronner built a career in development, raising money for Mount Holyoke College and hospital foundations on Cape Code and in Springfield." ThumbnailAltText="Kathy Bronner" IntroCopy="&quot;HCC provides crucial, accessible ways to continue education. Education opens doors, and not just employment doors, but intellectual doors.&quot; – Kathy Bronner '77" Date="2025-10-01" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/Fall%202025/Kathy-Bronner-web.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's Note: This is one of a continuing series of interviews with HCC alumni called &quot;Alumni Voices.&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Years after graduating from HCC with an associate degree in administration, Kathleen (Monat) Bronner &amp;rsquo;77 finished her education as a Francis Perkins scholar at Mount Holyoke College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in American Studies.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;During her 25-year career at Mount Holyoke College, Bronner held multiple roles. Beginning in development research, she also served as assistant secretary of the college and director of annual giving. Bronner started a brief stint as the director of development at HCC before being recruited to work for the Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation, where she spent eight years fundraising for the hospital system, with a focus on major and principal gifts. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;The long weekend commutes eventually led her back to western Massachusetts, where she joined the Baystate Health Foundation to build its major giving and planned giving programs. Now retired, Bronner works as a consultant specializing in strategic and campaign planning for small nonprofits, recently volunteering on behalf of Heritage Museum and Gardens in Sandwich. She stays active in community service, including a 20-year tenure on Granby's Zoning Board of Appeals, and also volunteers as an election worker.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;From her time at HCC to her current consulting work, Bronner shared her thoughtful perspectives on career, community, and life.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;What did you learn at HCC that still benefits you today?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;The importance of continuing our education. And I think HCC provides crucial, accessible ways to continue our education. Education opens doors, and not just employment doors, but intellectual doors.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;W&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;hat's your most vivid HCC memory?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;The big walk from the parking lot in the freezing cold. At that time, I had a broken-down car, and with fingers crossed, I hoped it would start at the end of the day. But I also remember there was a sense of community, and I had the opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds. I grew up in a small town (Granby, Mass.), a very rural farming community. And meeting people from different areas and cultures, whether from Holyoke, Springfield or elsewhere, left a meaningful impression.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;What surprising job have you had in the past?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;At HCC, I went into the secretarial program, where you have to have internships as part of the program. And I worked at Forestdale Cemetery, in the office. It began as an internship, but I ended up staying on part time for another year. It was cataloging burials and ceremonies, filling requests for people. That's the oddest job I've ever held.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;What was the last book you finished?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;I just reread Madeleine Blais&amp;rsquo;s &lt;em&gt;Uphill Walkers&lt;/em&gt;. She now lives locally. When growing up, I knew her family. They were originally from Granby, and I recently came across the book in my library, which I hadn't read in a while. It's a very good book, and it captures the Pioneer Valley. It also thoughtfully dealt with an older sibling, who had serious mental health issues. And it highlighted the lack of services for mental health. But it gives you a wonderful snapshot of our region and small-town life in the 1950s and 1960s.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;What's either the best or worst piece of advice you've received?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;I was privileged to work with someone at Mount Holyoke who was a very good fundraiser, and one of the things he had shared when I was first starting off was to always be present. People love to tell their stories. And you should not only be knowledgeable about the mission you're representing, but you should be well-read, engaged in the community, engaged in the world. When you are engaging with someone, they're half of that conversation, if not more. And you need to be able to carry on conversations on local miscellaneous topics.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;What do you love that everyone else hates?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;I love classic movies and silent films, and I'm not sure there's a big audience for that anymore. One of the classes I took at Mount Holyoke was film appreciation. We had a great professor who spurred my interest in silent films. I always like classic films from the 30s and 40s and breaking them down. I find that interesting. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;What person, dead or alive, would you most like to meet?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;John and Abigail Adams. Their collection of letters is at the UMass library. It was a unique partnership of equality. When you read their letters, John Adams&amp;rsquo; respect for Abigail is clear at a time when women were not viewed as intellectual equals. And Adams was fearless. He took on challenges, and he also believed in the need for a federal government. But I loved Abigail equally. She was indeed his intellectual equal, and she was the steward of the Quincy farm and their family for years without him.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTO: Kathy Bronner '77, during a recent visit to HCC&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x21369" URL="alumni-and-friends/alumni-voices/trevor-chan" Schema="NewsDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250820T15:09:13" CategoryIds="196" FileName="x21369.xml" Name="Trevor Chan" Thumbnail="/images/About/News/2025%20Summer/Trever-Chan-Tuxedo-webjpg.jpg" Title="Data Driven" Abstract="Trevor Chan '06 used his military background and engineering education at HCC as a springboard into a career as a consultant for federal agencies such as the Dept. of Defense." ThumbnailAltText="Trevor Chan '06" IntroCopy="&quot;A lot of people (at HCC) helped me, and I just feel like, when I'm in that position, I want to help other people along their journey, too.&quot; – Trevor Chan '06" Date="2025-08-15" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/About/News/2025%20Summer/Trevor-Chan-cockpit.jpg&quot; width=&quot;848&quot; height=&quot;504&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Trevor Chan '06: From farmhand to avionics technician to Pentagon consultant &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Hadley, Mass., native&lt;strong&gt; Trevor Chan &amp;rsquo;06&lt;/strong&gt;, began his college experience at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He stayed just one semester before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force Reserve at Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee. (He wanted to take a break from college, gain experience, and serve his country.) &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;The end of his avionics technician training coincided with the 9/11 attacks. Chan and his unit, the 439th Maintenance Squadron, were activated soon after for Operation Enduring Freedom. During his second activation &amp;ndash; Operation Iraqi Freedom &amp;ndash; Chan considered a return to college and started looking for affordable options to study engineering. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;That led him to HCC, where he grew to appreciate the small classrooms and access to his professors. Chan threw himself into the college experience, tutoring students in the math center, playing on the tennis team, and helping a classmate with a disability by sharing his neatly organized, color-coded notes. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;After graduating with his associate degree in engineering, he transferred to Cornell University to complete a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree in operations research and engineering, following that with a master's degree in systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;After eight years of military service, Chan was honorably discharged in 2008 with the rank of staff sergeant. He now lives in northern Virginia with his wife, Joy, and their three daughters, where he works as a senior consultant for LMI, a consulting firm that partners with federal agencies like the Department of Defense. He uses his data engineering skills to analyze complex equipment maintenance records, turning them into practical insights that help military leaders manage defense logistics more effectively.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Chan recently answered a few questions about his HCC experience and shared some surprising facts about himself.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;Who was your best HCC professor?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Ileana Vasu. She was my math professor for a number of classes. What I really enjoyed about her was her investment in her students. She was the one who really pushed me to participate more and be more involved with the campus community. I really appreciated that.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;What did you learn at HCC that still benefits you today?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Aside from the academics, I think it's really about the social networking &amp;ndash; meeting people and helping others. A lot of people helped me, and I just feel like, when I'm in that position, I want to help other people along their journey, too.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;What's your most vivid HCC memory?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;I played on the tennis team at HCC. We were pretty good. We played against the other community colleges in the area, but we would also play at the National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament in Texas. We&amp;rsquo;d get our butts kicked by some of the better schools but representing HCC in collegiate competition was a fun experience.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;What is the strangest job you&amp;rsquo;ve ever had?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;I spent summers in Hadley during high school chopping tobacco at the local farms. It was hard manual labor in the sun, but it was fun working with friends. We would chop the tobacco plants down, spear four to a lath, and pick them up to hang in the barns to dry.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;What is your least useful talent?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;I&amp;rsquo;m not an expert, but I know how to yo-yo. I thought that would be kind of useless, until my wife said, &amp;ldquo;Wow, that's pretty cool.&amp;rdquo; I was asked to present some yo-yo tricks at my kids' school.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;What do you love that everyone hates?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Rules and following them. My love of rules may be a result of military training. It bothers me when someone bends the rules to their advantage, whether it's parking in a handicap space or not calling the fouls in a basketball game. Rules were created to give people a chance and to keep order. Surprisingly, I have one daughter who loves rules, and sometimes we bond over that.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14pt;&quot;&gt;What was the last book you read?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Being Mortal &lt;/em&gt;by Atul Gawande. We lost a friend to cancer. He loved life. What he said towards the end about what he feared most is what really stuck with me. Enduring chemotherapy and realizing he's on his last few days, he said what he feared most is that his kids (ages 2-9) would forget him. His response really hit a chord for me and reminded me that what's important in life, and what we all care about when our time is up, is not the things, but the relationships we created.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PHOTOS: (Above) Staff Sergeant Trevor Chan during his service as a member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve (Thumbnail) Trevor Chan '06&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x12086" URL="alumni-and-friends/togetherhcc" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260317T17:57:54" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12086.xml" Name="#TogetherHCC" Thumbnail="/images/Alumni-Friends/TogetherHCC%202025%20Campaign%20HCC.EDU.png" Title="#TogetherHCC: Drive to Change Lives" Abstract="On March 4, Holyoke Community College will be celebrating #TogetherHCC: Drive to Change Lives, our Sixth annual giving day. " IntroCopy="One day. 500 donors. Unstoppable impact." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;#TogetherHCC&quot; height=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;images/Alumni-Friends/Drive25%20RESULTS%20%282%20x%201.75%20in%29%20%283%29.png&quot; width=&quot;330&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #2dc26b;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;455 donors &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;showed up and raised an incredible &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #2dc26b;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;$131,278&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; to fuel student success!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Your generosity helped push the &quot;Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives&quot; campaign past $1 million in cumulative giving since 2021 &amp;mdash; a milestone made possible by donors like you.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;From alumni who spread the word, to faculty and staff who champion our students every day, to parents, friends, and students who gave what they could &amp;mdash; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #2dc26b;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;THANK YOU&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; for accelerating student success!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Your support provides scholarships, emergency assistance, innovative programs, and campus resources that keep our students moving forward.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;On behalf of everyone at Holyoke Community College, thank you for being in the driver's seat of transforming lives through education.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Missed your chance to participate? You can still &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/13339/donations/new?donation_type=general&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;make a gift today&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="true" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20162" URL="x20162.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20240802T12:30:29" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20162.xml" Name="The Connection Magazine" Title="The Connection Magazine" CustomURL="https://theconnection.hcc.edu/" CustomURLTarget="_blank" IsComponent="true" /><Page ID="x19076" URL="alumni-and-friends/events" Schema="EventIndexPage" Locale="" Changed="20260113T13:40:02" CategoryIds="" FileName="x19076.xml" Name="Events" Title="Events" Abstract="The Holyoke Community College Alumni Association sponsors several events throughout the year. Learn more about these events here. " ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x22310" URL="alumni-and-friends/events/constellations-alumni-art-show" Schema="EventDetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260529T14:24:27" CategoryIds="65|360" FileName="x22310.xml" Name="Constellations Alumni Art Show" Thumbnail="/images/About/Events/Spring%202026/Taber-Boston-Skyline-web.jpg" Title="“Constellations” Alumni Art Show" Abstract="A celebration of more than 20 alumni artists whose work is part of the HCC permanent collection." ThumbnailAltText="HCC alumni at CAI" EventLocation="Taber Art Gallery, HCC Library" EventStartDate="2026-08-06" EventStartTime="17:00:00" IntroCopy="A celebration of more than 20 alumni artists whose work is part of the HCC permanent collection." ExcludefromNavigation="false" EventEndTime="19:00:00" EventDescription="&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;ldquo;The stars we are given. The constellations we make. That is to say, stars exist in the cosmos, but constellations are the imaginary lines we draw between them, the readings we give the sky, the stories we tell.&quot;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; &amp;mdash; Rebecca Solnit&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Since 1969, artists from across the region have come to Holyoke Community College to study visual art. Their work connects ideas, cultures, and people around the world. From August 3-21, you have the opportunity to experience Constellations, a celebration of the many talented artists who have walked through these doors. This unique exhibit features the artwork of more than 20 alumni artists whose work is part of the HCC permanent collection.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Please join us for a reception on August 6 in the Taber Art Gallery. Admission is free, but space is limited so please register early.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Questions? Contact Alumni Relations at &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:alumni@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;alumni@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;tel:4135522576&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;413.552.2576&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;bbox-root&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;       window.bboxInit = function () {           bbox.showForm('42e66872-1392-4be4-b6bb-eeb19797e928');       };       (function () {           var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true;           e.src = 'https://bbox.blackbaudhosting.com/webforms/bbox-min.js';           document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(e);       } ());&lt;/script&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" EventAdmission="Free. Space is limited." IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x13051" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240802T12:40:45" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13051.xml" Name="Giving to HCC" Title="Giving to HCC" Abstract="Thank you for considering making a gift to Holyoke Community College." IntroCopy="Thank you for considering making a gift to Holyoke Community College." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Donors like you have made a profound impact on the lives of Holyoke Community College students. You enable students to study in topnotch facilities, and learn from faculty recognized as experts in their fields, and discover what inspires them as they take their next steps in life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://www.givecampus.com/4zhjl4&quot; title=&quot;Link to give now page&quot;&gt;Click here to Give Now!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;MATCHING GIFTS&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Want your gift to have even more impact? More than 1,000 companies nationwide participate in matching gift plans that allow you to double or triple the impact of your gift. Some will even match gifts made by retirees or spouses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contact the personnel department at your job and ask if they offer a matching gift plan. If your company matches, they may have a matching gift form they want you to use. Simply fill it out and return it to the HCC Foundation with your contribution.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you need assistance with any part of the process, the HCC Foundation will be happy to assist. Thank you for giving to Holyoke Community College!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x22061" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-opportunity-circle" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251015T17:37:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x22061.xml" Name="The Opportunity Circle" Title="The Opportunity Circle" Abstract="Creating opportunities for students to thrive is what our donors do best. Behind every gift is a story of dreams achieved thanks to the opportunities granted by those who came before us" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Alumni-Friends/HCC_OC_Wordmark_Tr_800x200_d1%20%281%29.png&quot; width=&quot;800&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;ldquo;Like many of you, I am successful today because people saw something in me and cared about my future&amp;mdash;even when I wasn't sure about it myself. Every single one of us represents possibility to a person who might be struggling to see their own path forward. When we open the door for others &amp;ndash; when we create opportunity &amp;ndash; anything is possible.&amp;rdquo; - President George Timmons, Ph.D.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Creating opportunities for students to thrive is what our donors do best.&lt;/strong&gt; Behind every gift is a story of dreams achieved thanks to the opportunities granted by those who came before us:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;A professor who opened our eyes to a new discipline&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;An advisor who believed in us when we doubted ourselves&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A parent who sacrificed to make education possible&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A mentor who saw potential we didn't know we had&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;The President's Fund for Opportunity exists to ensure that our students are continuously inspired by the people, programs, and services that define the HCC experience. Fueling this work is essential to seeing our students thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Opportunity Circle is a special community of donors whose $1,000 gifts create immediate, life-changing impact.&lt;/strong&gt; As a member of this distinguished group, you join a powerful cycle of transformation&amp;mdash;where your leadership-level support not only opens doors for today's students but connects you to a meaningful tradition of opportunity-makers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We invite you to share your own inspiring story of the opportunities that shaped your journey. Whether it was a scholarship that made college possible, a program that launched your career, or a mentor who changed your perspective, your story becomes part of our collective narrative.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Together, our gifts, stories, and collective impact create an unbreakable circle&amp;mdash;where today's recipients become tomorrow's opportunity-makers, ensuring that the transformative power of education continues to ripple forward for generations to come.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Your $1,000 investment doesn't just change a student's trajectory&amp;mdash;it strengthens the very foundation upon which dreams are built.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;bbox-root&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;window.bboxInit = function () {bbox.showForm('6ca384a7-ffe4-44f0-b2e8-8d6fa6dc20e7');};(function () {var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true;e.src = 'https://bbox.blackbaudhosting.com/webforms/bbox-min.js';document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(e);} ());&lt;/script&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20949" URL="x20949.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20240924T18:12:32" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20949.xml" Name="translations" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x20948" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/2024-letter-from-the-president-espanol" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240924T18:13:08" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20948.xml" Name="2024 Letter from the president espanol" Title="2024 Letter from the president" Abstract="2024 Letter from the president" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Estimado/a &amp;lt;&amp;lt;Salutation&amp;gt;&amp;gt;,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Concluido mi primer a&amp;ntilde;o como presidente de Holyoke Community College, me siento muy agradecido e ilusionado por lo que vendr&amp;aacute;. Este &amp;uacute;ltimo a&amp;ntilde;o supuso un recorrido incre&amp;iacute;ble de descubrimiento y crecimiento, tanto para nuestros estudiantes como para m&amp;iacute;. Fui testigo del esp&amp;iacute;ritu extraordinario que ha definido a nuestra universidad durante m&amp;aacute;s de 75 a&amp;ntilde;os, y me entusiasma compartirle una oportunidad para que forme parte de nuestra visi&amp;oacute;n de futuro.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Usted ha contribuido a que HCC sea m&amp;aacute;s que una instituci&amp;oacute;n educativa; es un segundo hogar donde personas diversas aprenden, crecen y tienen un sentido de pertenencia. Nuestro compromiso inquebrantable con la inclusi&amp;oacute;n y la integraci&amp;oacute;n sigue siendo central para todo lo que hacemos.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Ante la llegada de este nuevo a&amp;ntilde;o acad&amp;eacute;mico, me complace presentar el &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;President&amp;rsquo;s Fund for Opportunity&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; (Fondo Presidencial para las Oportunidades). Con su apoyo a esta iniciativa naciente, reforzaremos nuestros pilares:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;creando espacios colaborativos que fomenten la innovaci&amp;oacute;n mediante avances en la tecnolog&amp;iacute;a y en las instalaciones que les demuestren a nuestros estudiantes que merecen lo mejor;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;promoviendo la excelencia acad&amp;eacute;mica al atraer y retener docentes excepcionales; y&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;fomentando un verdadero sentido de comunidad para cada estudiante con servicios y programas de apoyo que los ayuden a llegar a la meta.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Si contamos con su colaboraci&amp;oacute;n, podemos garantizar que HCC siga siendo un hogar acogedor para todos, un catalizador del &amp;eacute;xito personal y profesional, y una pieza fundamental para la prosperidad de nuestra comunidad.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Con el prop&amp;oacute;sito de ayudarnos a hacer realidad esta visi&amp;oacute;n, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;me complace anunciar que un generoso donante se ha ofrecido a igualar la contribuci&amp;oacute;n que haga usted, d&amp;oacute;lar por d&amp;oacute;lar, de aqu&amp;iacute; al 1.&amp;deg; de noviembre o hasta que se alcancen los $25,000.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Esta es una oportunidad incre&amp;iacute;ble para duplicar su impacto y ayudar a m&amp;aacute;s estudiantes a alcanzar todo su potencial. Espero poder darle la bienvenida a nuestra comunidad de donantes del President&amp;rsquo;s Fund for Opportunity y agradezco todo su aporte.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Atentamente,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Dr. George Timmons&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Presidente de Holyoke Community College&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="true" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x13052" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/areas-of-support" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240802T12:40:45" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13052.xml" Name="Areas of Support" Title="Areas of Support" Abstract="State funding covers only 35 percent of the cost of an HCC education. Without the support of donors like you, HCC would be unable to provide students with the education and opportunities they deserve." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College proudly offers a superior education at the lowest tuition of any public college or university in the Commonwealth. HCC students benefit from state-of-the-art facilities, innovative instruction, and have access to the resources and technology they need to successfully transfer to a competitive college or university or enter the workforce.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;State funding covers only 35 percent of the cost of an HCC education. Without the support of donors like you, HCC would be unable to provide students with the education and opportunities they deserve. When you give to HCC's Annual Fund, you help bridge the gap between state support and the actual cost of running the college.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gifts to the Annual Fund can be directed to the area you are most passionate about.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Where the Need is Greatest:&lt;/strong&gt; Making an unrestricted gift to HCC allows us the flexibility to respond to the greatest needs of our students.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Academic Excellence and Innovation Fund:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Teaching and learning is at the core of the HCC experience, and your gift ensures that it is exceptional. By supporting the Academic Excellence and Innovation Fund, you empower our students to thrive with outstanding faculty, state-of-the-art technology, and student-centric facilities, elevating their educational experience to unparalleled heights and setting a new benchmark among colleges in the region.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Scholarship Fund:&lt;/strong&gt; 86 percent of our full time first year degree seeking students receive some form of financial assistance. Your gift to the scholarship fund helps remove barriers and ensures everyone has access to an HCC education.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The President's Student Emergency Fund:&lt;/strong&gt; The President's Student Emergency Fund assists students who encounter an unforeseen financial emergency that would prevent them from continuing their education. The fund is intended to assist students so that they may continue their studies and successfully complete their coursework. Dollars are intended for unexpected emergency expenses.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Equipment &amp;amp; Technology Fund:&lt;/strong&gt; This fund helps provide and maintain laboratory equipment, computers, software, and mediated classrooms.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Other areas of support&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/thrive-center&quot; title=&quot;Link to Thrive Center webpage&quot;&gt;Thrive Center &amp;amp; Food Pantry:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; Located in the Frost Building on our campus, HCC's Thrive Center &amp;amp; Food Pantry provides basic foods to students in need. Students are free to choose the foods they wish according to their dietary needs. The Thrive Center also provides students with credit repair; financial coaching; referrals to the HCC Career Closet, housing, legal aid, and free tax prep; and helps with MassHealth applications.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships/podemos-scholarship&quot; title=&quot;Link to PODEMOS scholarship page&quot;&gt;The PODEMOS Scholarship&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; provides financial support to Latinx students attending or planning to attend Holyoke Community College. Awards from this scholarship will cover up to $2,500 per student. Student recipients will also be connected to mentoring, workshops, and peer/alumni support to further welcome them to the HCC community and support their ongoing success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Support the Future of HCC&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your gift can ensure the success of future generations of HCC students. Contact our Institutional Advancement staff if you are interested in establishing any of the following giving opportunities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ENDOW A SCHOLARSHIP:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Scholarships can change a life forever, and are an extraordinarily meaningful way to honor or remember a loved one. The HCC Foundation administers more than 70 endowed scholarships. HCC Foundation staff work closely with donors to establish scholarship guidelines that most closely match the interests of the donor and benefit the many deserving students who attend the College.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ESTABLISH A FACULTY CHAIR:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; The core of the College is the excellence of its faculty. The establishment of a faculty chair within any of the divisions can be made in honor of a loved one or to recognize the achievements of current faculty. Faculty chairs can either enhance a specific program by bringing in outside experts who can add valuable perspectives to curricula or provide opportunities for research and study for current faculty.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SUPPORT FUTURE BUILDING NEEDS:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Gifts can be made to support new facilities such as equipping a classroom with state-of-the-art technology, or modernizing an outdated area of the campus. Naming opportunities are available for gifts that enhance HCC facilities.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13053" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/faculty-and-staff-giving" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250224T15:06:15" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13053.xml" Name="Faculty &amp; Staff Giving" Title="Faculty &amp; Staff Giving" Abstract="Holyoke Community College could not be the top two-year school in the Pioneer Valley without the dedicated faculty and staff members that are the driving force behind the day-to-day activities on campus. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Alumni-Friends/BetterTogether/BetterTogether-Header.png&quot; width=&quot;700&quot; height=&quot;251&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;table&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 700px; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 100%; height: 10px; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; line-height: 36px;&quot;&gt;At Holyoke Community College, we're&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Better Together&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;/span&gt;United by the work we do and our reasons for doing it, our shared mission to empower students creates a bond that goes beyond just being colleagues. Every day, we come together to inspire &amp;mdash; and be inspired &amp;mdash; by the amazing individuals who walk through our doors.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Alumni-Friends/BetterTogether/WhyGive.png&quot; width=&quot;288&quot; height=&quot;142&quot; class=&quot;floatImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;float: right;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your gift demonstrates your pride in our collaborative work and our commitment to the mission of Holyoke Community College. As employees, we have the unique opportunity to witness the immediate impact our gifts have on the lives of our students and the community we serve. Here's why your support is so important. By joining our community of supporters, your gift will:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Invest in Student Success:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Together, our gifts provide scholarships, support programs, and services that transform the student experience.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Strengthen Our Community of Communities:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; HCC is a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff. Your support ensures that we can deliver a quality education and vibrant support services that make everyone feel like they belong..&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Create Lasting Change:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; When we unite our efforts, every contribution, regardless of size, has the power to transform lives and ensure HCC can carry on its mission for another 75 years.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;table&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: auto; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 50%; height: auto; vertical-align: top;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Alumni-Friends/BetterTogether/Yaritza.png&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; height=&quot;338&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 50%; height: 10px; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;ldquo;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;As an alumna of HCC, I am proud to give back to the college that granted me the opportunity to further my education. Going back to school while working full-time was difficult and scary, but I was guided through my journey by amazing faculty and staff. I want current and future students to continue to have access to scholarships and programs that can let them create the future they deserve to have.&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Where Can You Help?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The area of greatest need, allowing HCC to respond nimbly to emerging student and campus priorities&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Student scholarships&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The President's Student Emergency Fund&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The Thrive Center and Food Pantry&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Your favorite HCC program or fund&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How can you make a gift?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfCIFsXL5u9SovXjEMhUHC-UCLBRBYaFNyegZuh7YwBUkobHA/viewform&quot; title=&quot;Faculty Staff payroll deduction&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Give through payroll&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.givecampus.com/4zhjl4&quot;&gt;By credit card&lt;/a&gt; (one-time gift)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;table&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 50%; height: 10px;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;ldquo;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;I have a personal attachment to this Institution. Graduating and working here is all I've ever known, along with my very own &amp;ldquo;alumnied&amp;rdquo; family. I am lucky to have worked alongside present and past employees&amp;mdash;some of the finest this Commonwealth has ever employed.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;I give towards scholarships because I see the happiness it brings first hand and there is nothing more fulfilling than helping and giving to others.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;lsquo;There is no greater gift in life, than giving of ourselves,&amp;rsquo; and an HCC education to the greatest students.&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;rdquo;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 50%; height: auto; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; line-height: 44px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Alumni-Friends/BetterTogether/Brian-l.png&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; height=&quot;338&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How You Can Help&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are many ways you can get involved and support our college through employee giving:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Make a Gift:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Make a one-time gift or a recurring gift through &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfCIFsXL5u9SovXjEMhUHC-UCLBRBYaFNyegZuh7YwBUkobHA/viewform&quot;&gt;payroll&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spread the Word:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Share your &quot;Better Together&quot; story with colleagues and on social media&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Join the Frost Society:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/span&gt;By naming Holyoke Community College as a beneficiary of your estate plans, you automatically become a valued member of the Frost Society.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Together, we can make a lasting impact on the lives of our students and community.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thank you for your support!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;table&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 50%; height: auto;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt; line-height: 44px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Alumni-Friends/BetterTogether/Denise-l.png&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; height=&quot;338&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;width: 50%; height: 10px; text-align: center;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;ldquo;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;HCC has provided me with a community, a family, an opportunity for growth and learning, and an opportunity to give back. I would not be me without HCC!&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;rdquo;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x18621" URL="x18621.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20240802T12:30:29" CategoryIds="" FileName="x18621.xml" Name="Hidden CAI giving page" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x18622" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/cai-donation-form" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240802T12:30:30" CategoryIds="" FileName="x18622.xml" Name="CAI Donation Form" Title="CAI Donation Form" Abstract="Make a gift to the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute." BodyCopy="&lt;div id=&quot;bbox-root&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;       window.bboxInit = function () {           bbox.showForm('9b3c9e6e-b7d2-4948-9c51-3983f19d6633');       };       (function () {           var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true;           e.src = 'https://bbox.blackbaudhosting.com/webforms/bbox-min.js';           document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(e);       } ());&lt;/script&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x21106" URL="x21106.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20250203T13:34:46" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21106.xml" Name="Planned Giving" Title="Planned Giving" CustomURL="https://hcc.giftlegacy.com/" IsComponent="true" /><Page ID="x317" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T13:19:22" CategoryIds="" FileName="x317.xml" Name="The HCC Foundation" Title="The HCC Foundation" Abstract="For more than 50 years, the Holyoke Community College Foundation has helped Pioneer Valley students realize their hopes and dreams for the future." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;For more than 50 years, the Holyoke Community College Foundation has helped Pioneer Valley students realize their hopes and dreams for the future. The Holyoke Community College Foundation was created to support those dreams and enable the college to meet the needs of the region's citizens and workforce.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Private support is essential to maintain access to quality, affordable public education for citizens throughout the region. Each year, the foundation (a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization that is fiscally and legally separate from the college), provides income that supplements state appropriations, which are currently less than 50% of the college's total budget. This income is critical to help fund student scholarships and internships, advance new initiatives, meet tomorrow's needs, and provide stability in uncertain economic times.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A gift to HCC is an investment in the region and the future!&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x21396" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/join-the-hcc-foundation" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250828T12:40:30" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21396.xml" Name="Join The HCC Foundation" Title="Join an award-winning board" Abstract="The Holyoke Community College Foundation, Inc. is seeking community leaders to serve on its Board of Directors beginning January 2026." IntroCopy="The Holyoke Community College Foundation, Inc. is seeking community leaders to serve on its Board of Directors beginning January 2026." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Transform Lives. Shape Futures. Make History.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Holyoke Community College Foundation, Inc. is seeking community leaders to serve on its Board of Directors beginning January 2026.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Opportunity Awaits&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Join an award-winning board that&amp;rsquo;s making a difference in the lives of thousands of individuals throughout western Massachusetts and beyond. The HCC Foundation Board of Directors was honored in 2023 with the prestigious John W. Nason Award for Board Leadership by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges &amp;mdash; recognition reserved for boards that &amp;ldquo;go above and beyond what boards should do, and instead take board-driven measures to advance their institutions in ways that truly matter.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;As a member of this exceptional board, you won&amp;rsquo;t just attend meetings &amp;mdash; you will be part of a dynamic team that is revolutionizing student success at Holyoke Community College. Your expertise, advocacy, and strategic vision will directly impact the lives of over 7,500 students, helping them overcome barriers and achieve their dreams in a community where your leadership matters most.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Our Impact&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The HCC Foundation doesn&amp;rsquo;t just support the college &amp;mdash; it transforms it. Through innovative solutions and bold initiatives, our board members help create:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Enhanced Learning Environments: Classrooms, technology, and state-of-the-art facilities that inspire excellence&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Faculty &amp;amp; Staff Excellence: Resources that attract and retain outstanding educators who change lives daily&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Student Success Programs: Scholarships, support services, and pathways that turn potential into achievement&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Community Partnerships: Innovative collaborations that address real-world challenges and create opportunities&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;With an endowment exceeding $18 million, the Foundation has the resources to make ambitious visions reality. But it&amp;rsquo;s the collective wisdom, professional experience, and passionate advocacy of board members like you that turns those resources into transformational impact.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Your Leadership in Action&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Board members bring their unique professional expertise to bear on the challenges and opportunities facing higher education today. Working collectively as a board committed to the community college mission, you will:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Innovatively solve complex problems affecting students and the broader community&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Champion strategic initiatives that position HCC as a leader in accessible, high-quality education&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Leverage your professional networks to create opportunities for students and the institution&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Advocate powerfully for the vital role community colleges play in economic mobility and community development&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Guide strategic investments that deliver measurable impact on student outcomes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Seeking Dynamic Leaders&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;While ALL experience is valued and every perspective strengthens our work, we are particularly seeking board members with expertise in two critical areas:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1. Financial Leadership &amp;amp; Strategic Investment&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Finance, investments, and endowment management&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Strategic financial planning and analysis&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Risk management&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Budget development and fiscal stewardship&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;2. Community Engagement &amp;amp; Resource Development&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Fundraising and donor cultivation&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Community engagement and partnership building&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Marketing, communications, and brand development&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Corporate relations and foundation partnerships&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Join a Legacy of Leadership&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;First established in 1968 as one of the first organizations of its kind affiliated with a community college, the HCC Foundation has a proud 56-year history of making the impossible possible. Today, we are building on that legacy to meet tomorrow&amp;rsquo;s challenges with innovation, investment, and unwavering commitment to student success.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Your Commitment&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Board Terms: Three years with the opportunity to serve up to three consecutive terms&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Meetings: Quarterly meetings, approximately 90 minutes each&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Committee Service: Active participation in one of five standing committees aligned with your interests and expertise&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Recognition: Join an award-winning board that serves as a model for higher education governance nationwide&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Time is Now&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;This is your opportunity to be part of something extraordinary. Community colleges stand as beacons of hope, accessibility, and transformation. Your leadership can help ensure that HCC continues to be a college of academic excellence known for helping students overcome barriers to success.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The students we serve &amp;mdash; many of them first-generation college students, working parents, and individuals seeking new career paths &amp;mdash; don&amp;rsquo;t just need education. They need advocates. They need champions. They need leaders like you who understand that investing in their success is investing in the future of our entire community.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Ready to Transform Lives?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1o_rLU1VZOnzh2jUVMtOHAQJ2Posgln-TTu02Pbo4foE/preview&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Please click here to submit your interest in board service.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Recruitment is currently underway, with invitations for service to be extended in fall 2025. Thank you for considering this exciting leadership opportunity. Together, we can ensure that HCC continues to transform lives and strengthen our community for generations to come.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x5577" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/foundation-board-of-directors" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260507T12:59:16" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5577.xml" Name="Foundation Board of Directors" Title="Foundation Board of Directors" Abstract="The Board of Directors of the Holyoke Community College Foundation, Inc." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Kathleen Bronner &amp;rsquo;77&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Retired, Director of Philanthropy, Baystate Health Foundation&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Jasarah Burgos-Dil&amp;aacute;n&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Executive Director, Enlace de Familias&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Angela O. Cardenas&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Interim Executive Director, HCC Foundation&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Robert Cestola, CPA, MBA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Chief Financial and Operations Officer, Pope Francis Preparatory School&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Steven Clement &amp;rsquo;11&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Certified Public Accountant&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Tiffany Cutting Madru&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;President, CMD Technologies LLC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Dan Desrochers&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Director of Communications in Student Affairs, Amherst College&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Luindy Espinal &amp;lsquo;19&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Senior Accountant, Colony Hills Capital&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Kip Foley&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Entrepreneur&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Wendy M. Fox &amp;rsquo;16&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Human Resources Operations Manager, Smith College&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Joshua A. Garcia&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mayor, City of Holyoke&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Susan Goldsmith&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;President, Marcus Printing&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Maura E. Greaney &amp;rsquo;93&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Owner, Fierce B Fundraising&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Ted Hebert &amp;rsquo;71&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;President, Teddy Bears Pools and Spas&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Thomosina Holloman &amp;rsquo;09&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Chief Executive Officer, HomeCare Hands&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mary E. Kaeding &amp;rsquo;83&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Retired Associate Vice President, Project Manager, US Bank&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Michael Lynch&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Deputy Commissioner of Administration and Finance, Department of Youth Services&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Alaina Macaulay&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Assistant Vice Provost, Inclusive Excellence and Leadership, Tufts University&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Matthew T. Manganelli &amp;rsquo;09&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Retail Lending Sales Manager, Westfield Bank&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Matt McMahon &amp;rsquo;06&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Systems Engineer and Senior Technical Advisor, Booz Allen&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Adjunct Faculty, Salve Regina University, Graduate Cybersecurity Program&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Deana L. McPherson &amp;rsquo;90&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;CFO, Smith &amp;amp; Wesson Brands, Inc.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Corey Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;President, First American Insurance&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Ryan B. Rege &amp;lsquo;08&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Principal at Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Israel Rivera &amp;rsquo;16&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;At-Large City Councilor, Holyoke&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Deborah Rodriguez &amp;rsquo;04&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Licensed Clinical Social Worker&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Gary Rome&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;President, Gary Rome Auto Group&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Michael Roundy, Esq.,&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Partner,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Bulkley Richardson&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;David Rudder, Ph.D.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Dean of Professional Studies, Regis College &amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Jim Shevlin &amp;lsquo;80&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Division President, ESIS, a Chubb Company &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Vanessa L. Smith, Esq.*&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Chair, Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Lynn Starr &amp;rsquo;95&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Retired Executive Vice President, bankESB&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Camille L. Theriaque &amp;rsquo;12&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Mental Health Clinician, Behavioral Health Network&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;George Timmons, Ph.D.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;President, Holyoke Community College&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;*Representing the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x3162" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/marieb-award" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260305T17:14:21" CategoryIds="" FileName="x3162.xml" Name="Marieb Award" Title="Marieb Award" Abstract="The Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence was established to recognize a full-time member of the faculty who exemplifies the characteristics associated with outstanding classroom teaching." BodyCopy="&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence is presented annually to the faculty member who best exhibits excellence in teaching, passion and enthusiasm for learning, and genuine concern for students&amp;rsquo; academic and personal growth. Full-time faculty with five or more years of service are eligible for the award.* The award program is administered by the Holyoke Community College Foundation (division of Institutional Advancement) and the selection committee is composed of previous awardees (2), President&amp;rsquo;s designee (2), and member of the Student Senate (1), along with one non-voting member from the HCC Foundation Board of Directors. The recipient receives a cash stipend, is formally celebrated at the College&amp;rsquo;s January Professional Day that begins the spring semester, has their name inscribed on a plaque placed outside their office, leads the Commencement procession by carrying the ceremonial mace, and addresses the community with a speech during the Commencement ceremony. Awardees representing the two most recent years will serve on the Marieb Chair Selection Committee.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;*A faculty member is not eligible to receive the award more than once in a three-year period.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Nomination and Selection&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Announcement of the Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence will begin with a&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdGeq_FZ1bb3PZ2hLMhTWetcqesZoYHp2zKlvi-dcJM9DS4Qw/viewform&quot;&gt;call for nominations&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;. Nominations may be submitted by any members of the HCC community using the online&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdGeq_FZ1bb3PZ2hLMhTWetcqesZoYHp2zKlvi-dcJM9DS4Qw/viewform&quot;&gt;form here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Selection Committee, 2026:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2025 Marieb Chair&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;2024 Marieb Chair&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;President&amp;rsquo;s Designee&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;President&amp;rsquo;s Designee&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Student Senator&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;HCC Foundation Board of Directors (non-voting)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Nomination and Selection Timeline*:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400; color: #333333;&quot;&gt;September &amp;ndash; October:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdGeq_FZ1bb3PZ2hLMhTWetcqesZoYHp2zKlvi-dcJM9DS4Qw/viewform&quot;&gt;Call for Nominations&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400; color: #333333;&quot;&gt;October &amp;ndash; November:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Selection Committee meetings to determine the recipient&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400; color: #333333;&quot;&gt;November &amp;ndash; December:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Celebration video in production&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400; color: #333333;&quot;&gt;January:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Recipient notified 24 hours prior to Professional Day&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400; color: #333333;&quot;&gt;January:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Professional Day / Announcement of Recipient&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #333333;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;January &amp;ndash; May:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Plaque displayed, awardee provided time to prepare &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Commencement speech; awardee invited to play a role in the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;celebration of other colleagues during end-of-semester employee &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;recognition ceremony&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;May/June&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Awardee addresses faculty, graduates, and guests at the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Commencement ceremony&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;*This timeline is effective Fall 2026 for the 2027 Marieb Faculty Chair recipient. The process for the 2026 recipient will begin with a call for nominations in February/March 2025, followed by review and selection in April, and notification and celebration in May. The 2026 Marieb Faculty Chair will be announced on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Nominations are the sole way in which an individual will be evaluated. Nominees will not be asked/required to submit an application following nomination; thus, thorough nominations that address the award criteria are critical.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The names of all eligible nominees will be shared, in confidence, with Academic Affairs leadership (e.g., vice president, academic dean) prior to the committee&amp;rsquo;s review. Academic Affairs leadership will be asked to provide a brief statement in support of the nominee, specifically noting that the nominee has received a rating of satisfactory or higher on student evaluations for the last three years.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;A rating system is provided to the selection committee to assist with the review of nominations and selection of the recipient. Nominated faculty will be rated based upon the following criteria:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table class=&quot;table&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; height: 300px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px; background-color: #ced4d9;&quot; class=&quot;table&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 435.234px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 84.4844px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Rating (1-5)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 67.3125px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Weighted&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 435.234px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Excellence and innovation in teaching&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 84.4844px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 67.3125px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;45%&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 435.234px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Genuine concern for students&amp;rsquo; academic and personal growth&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 84.4844px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 67.3125px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;25%&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 435.234px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Dedication to inclusive practices&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 84.4844px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 67.3125px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;10%&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 435.234px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Commitment to community engagement&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 84.4844px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 67.3125px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;10%&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 50px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 435.234px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Passion and enthusiasm for learning&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 84.4844px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;height: 50px; width: 67.3125px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;10%&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Announcement and Celebration&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Marieb Faculty Chair will be notified of their selection 24 hours prior to the date of the public announcement (at January Professional Day). Advance notice will enable the awardee to reach out to family and friends to encourage their attendance, either in-person or virtually. This also provides time for the awardee to collect their thoughts in advance of addressing their colleagues upon acceptance of the award. While the element of surprise is exciting and makes for a memorable moment, more important is making every attempt to ensure the awardee is present for and prepared to accept this prestigious award.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Being acknowledged for one&amp;rsquo;s excellence in teaching and impact on students is a high honor, even if not ultimately selected for the award. All individuals receiving nomination(s) will be notified by the review committee of their nomination.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;In-Person and Virtual Celebration Option&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Coordinating the time and location of the Marieb Faculty Chair announcement will be done in consultation with the Professional Day planning committee. Every effort will be made to ensure there is both an in-person and virtual attendance option for the award announcement.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Video Announcement of Awardee&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence has long been announced by way of a video that helps build anticipation for our community. This video provides the awardee with a special memento that is unique to their HCC experience, personality, and academic discipline. This tradition will continue, and is best accomplished with the help of those who know the awardee best. Individuals completing nomination forms will be asked to indicate their interest in participating in the video (should their nominee be selected), and also to share the names of others who may wish to be contacted for this purpose.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Ongoing Recognition and History&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;A complete list of all past Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence recipients will be available on the College&amp;rsquo;s website, along with links to any media (e.g. awardee&amp;rsquo;s Commencement remarks, press announcement of award, etc.) that further commemorates their honor.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x13328" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/our-donors" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240802T12:30:30" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13328.xml" Name="Our Donors" Title="Our Donors" Abstract="Giving that changes lives" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;They provide opportunity, recognize success, and transform the lives of our students. HCC wouldn't be what it is without the support of the alumni, friends and businesses whose gifts inspire hundreds of HCC students to pursue their dreams, every single year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read our &lt;a href=&quot;https://hccannualreport.com/&quot;&gt;FY23 Annual Report here&lt;/a&gt;. (with archives)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x22145" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/adelante-hcc" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260121T13:29:58" CategoryIds="" FileName="x22145.xml" Name="Adelante HCC" Title="Adelante HCC" Abstract="Adelante HCC Legacy Match" BodyCopy="&lt;h2&gt;&lt;b&gt;Move Students Forward. Double Your Impact.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Adelante &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;(ah-deh-lahn-teh)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; means forward &amp;ndash; and your support helps our students take their next brave step.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Every day, HCC students take brave steps forward: a single parent returning to school, a first-generation student taking the first step toward a degree, or a career changer building a new future. Your support makes those steps possible.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Now, the Adelante spirit &amp;ndash; moving forward together &amp;ndash; can multiply your impact. Thanks to a $750,000 commitment from the HCC Foundation Board of Directors, qualifying gifts will be matched dollar-for-dollar through June 30, 2030.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Three Ways to Participate&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Adelante spirit&amp;mdash;moving forward together&amp;mdash;drives this campaign. Here&amp;rsquo;s how you can multiply your impact from now through June 30, 2030:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Support an Existing Scholarship Fund:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Give $2,500 or more* to a scholarship already changing lives. Your matched gift strengthens the fund, increasing the annual scholarship award for years to come. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Example: Give $5,000, and with the match, you&amp;rsquo;ve added $10,000 to the endowed scholarship fund&amp;mdash;generating approximately $400 annually in scholarship support, year after year.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Establish a New Endowed Scholarship Fund. &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Create a lasting legacy honoring someone who shaped your life &amp;ndash; a teacher, mentor, parent, or friend. With a gift of $15,000 or more*, you build a fund that will support students in perpetuity. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Example: Give $20,000, and with a match, you will create a $40,000 endowed fund generating approximately $1,600 in annual scholarships &amp;mdash; every year, forever.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Join the Frost Society through Estate Planning. &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span&gt;Include HCC in your estate plans and receive a $1,000 match to support any existing scholarship. Additional matching is available when you disclose your planned gift amount.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/adelante-hcc/join-the-frost-society-through-estate-planning&quot;&gt;Learn more about estate planning options here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why Now Matters&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Matching funds are limited and available first-come, first-served. The larger the endowment grows, the more students benefit &amp;mdash; and the stronger the fund becomes to serve future generations. Every scholarship removes a barrier. Every gift moves a student forward.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Ready to move forward together?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Contact us at &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:foundation@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;foundation@hcc.edu&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; or 413.552.2182.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Adelante, HCC.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;*Maximum match of $25,000 per donor.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x22147" URL="x22147.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20260121T13:31:37" CategoryIds="" FileName="x22147.xml" Name="Hide" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x22146" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/adelante-hcc/join-the-frost-society-through-estate-planning" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260204T19:34:46" CategoryIds="" FileName="x22146.xml" Name="Join the Frost Society Through Estate Planning" Title="Join the Frost Society Through Estate Planning" Abstract="Join the Frost Society Through Estate Planning" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Join the Frost Society Through Estate Planning&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;When you name HCC Foundation as a beneficiary in your will, trust, retirement account, or life insurance policy, you become a member of the Frost Society &amp;mdash; honoring students for generations to come.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;How Adelante works with the Frost Society&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Name the HCC Foundation as a beneficiary: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Your commitment immediately supports students: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;$1,000 match&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; added to an existing HCC scholarship of your choice.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Disclose estimated value of planned gift: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Share the estimated value of your future gift, and we'll match 10 percent of that amount (up to $25,000) to establish a new endowed scholarship in your honor or enhance an existing fund.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;For example: Disclose a $100,000 planned gift and receive $11,000 in matching funds&amp;mdash;$1,000 to support a scholarship of your choice immediately, plus $10,000 to establish or grow your own named endowed fund.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hccmarketing.digital/frost-society/&quot; class=&quot;button&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Bequest intention form&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Ready to create your legacy?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Contact us at foundation@hcc.edu or 413.552.2737 to discuss how your gift can make the greatest impact.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page></Page><Page ID="x321" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260327T19:31:01" CategoryIds="" FileName="x321.xml" Name="Scholarships" Title="The 2026-2027 Scholarship Application has closed" Abstract="The HCC Foundation has more than $300,000 in scholarships available for new, current, and transferring students. One of them could be you!" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Each year, the HCC Foundation offers more than 165 scholarship awards to support students who are achieving their educational and career goals. These scholarships help reduce financial barriers and make higher education more accessible for our community.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;How to Apply?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The 2026-2027 Scholarship has closed. Check back for updates!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;QUESTIONS?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Email &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:scholarships@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;scholarships@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Call 413.552.2182&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Visit the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships/scholarship-resource-center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Scholarship Resource Center&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; in DON 158&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot; aria-level=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Scholarship Resources&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x10633" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships/scholarship-resource-center" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260326T15:07:54" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10633.xml" Name="Scholarship Resource Center" Title="Scholarship Resource Center" Abstract="Find need-to-know information about the scholarship process, plus the steps you need to take to apply for a scholarship." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;The Scholarship Resource Center is the first of its kind among community colleges in Massachusetts. The goal of the Center is to promote scholarship season on campus, increase student applications by making the scholarship application process simpler and easier for students, and provide application information for external (non HCC) scholarships available to&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;our students.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Center provides:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Assistance completing the scholarship application&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Help writing the scholarship application essay&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Small group student workshops on completing the application&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Assistance completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Access to scholarships available through external organizations (for example, The Community Foundation of Western Mass)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Home-base for the student club, the Student Philanthropy Council&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Bi-lingual student support&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;The 2026-2027 Scholarship season has closed. Check our &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Scholarships&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt; page for updates! &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.83em;&quot;&gt;Questions?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Email &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:scholarships@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link scholarships@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;scholarships@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Call &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2182&quot;&gt;413.552.2182&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Visit the Scholarship Resource Center in DON 158&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;links &amp;amp; resources&lt;/h2&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x21162" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships/scholarship-resource-center/a-taste-of-gratitude" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260312T12:23:57" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21162.xml" Name="A Taste of Gratitude" Title="A Taste of Gratitude " Abstract="A Taste of Gratitude " BodyCopy="&lt;div id=&quot;bbox-root&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Loyal donor luncheon focused on gratitude and impact.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Date: &lt;/strong&gt;Wednesday, April 22&lt;sup&gt;nd&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Time:&lt;/strong&gt; 12pm&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Location:&lt;/strong&gt; MGM HCC Culinary Arts Institute 164 Race St. Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are excited for you to &quot;taste&quot; our gratitude with a delicious meal on us!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div id=&quot;bbox-root&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;       window.bboxInit = function () {           bbox.showForm('58bcb230-4bee-4604-9c4d-f5cb351c4125');       };       (function () {           var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true;           e.src = 'https://bbox.blackbaudhosting.com/webforms/bbox-min.js';           document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(e);       } ());&lt;/script&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x12271" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships/podemos-scholarship" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240802T12:30:30" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12271.xml" Name="PODEMOS Scholarship" Title="PODEMOS Scholarship" Abstract="The PODEMOS Scholarship provides financial support to first-time degree-seeking Latinx students planning to attend Holyoke Community College. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The PODEMOS Scholarship provides financial support to first-time degree-seeking Latinx students planning to attend Holyoke Community College. Awards from this scholarship may cover up to $1,000 per student for the 2023-2024 academic year. PODEMOS is an acronym that stands for:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;P&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;ave the way for future leaders&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;O&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;ffer opportunities to share common goals and aspirations&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;D&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;evelop mentors and role models&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;E&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;ducate and inform on the Hispanic experience&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;M&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;otivate and inspire Hispanic academic success&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;O&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;btain skills to further enrich personal and professional growth&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;S&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;upport excellence in leadership&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;To be eligible to receive the award, students must be new to college and intending to enroll in at least six credits at HCC beginning in the Fall 2024 semester and must identify themselves as Hispanic, Latina/o, or Latinx.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This scholarship is open (but not limited) to DACA, undocumented, and international students. Preference will be given to students residing in Holyoke, Springfield, or Chicopee.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;HOW TO APPLY for THE PODEMOS SCHOLARSHIP&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Create a &lt;strong&gt;scholarship account&lt;/strong&gt;. (&lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hcc.edu%2falumni-and-friends%2fgiving-to-hcc%2fthe-hcc-foundation%2fscholarships%2fscholarship-application-and-info&amp;amp;c=E,1,_OmH0jTJ0y95KUgwPyQG9dbynGNHv4eBuZEQlJ1mUUhbrVR10o1ILMlk7ds-HilmDnQ4coME9gkfrs3M2Z7DdFkmNfqcmgq5HLLNJjH-FukK&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; title=&quot;Link to scholarship info page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hcc.edu%252falumni-and-friends%252fgiving-to-hcc%252fthe-hcc-foundation%252fscholarships%252fscholarship-application-and-info%26c%3DE,1,_OmH0jTJ0y95KUgwPyQG9dbynGNHv4eBuZEQlJ1mUUhbrVR10o1ILMlk7ds-HilmDnQ4coME9gkfrs3M2Z7DdFkmNfqcmgq5HLLNJjH-FukK%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1674066533894000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw34nylO_tVxaORT62zVFUTQ&quot;&gt;Find more information here!&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Submit the &lt;strong&gt;general scholarship application&lt;/strong&gt;. (This is the general application for all internal scholarships. (Filling out the application will also tell you if there are more scholarships you are eligible to apply to, like the PODEMOS Scholarship!)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Apply to the &lt;strong&gt;PODEMOS Scholarship&lt;/strong&gt;. (To be considered for the PODEMOS application, all you will need to do is answer two additional questions!)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions? Email &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:scholarships@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link scholarships@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;scholarships@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The PODEMOS Scholarship was established by the HCC Foundation in 2021 when the Foundation's Board of Directors voted to allocate $75,000 to support Latinx students and take HCC from a Hispanic Serving Institution to a Hispanic thriving institution. Contributions to the PODEMOS Scholarship may be made at any time by &lt;a href=&quot;https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hcc.edu%2falumni-and-friends%2fgiving-to-hcc%2fways-to-give&amp;amp;c=E,1,i4KIMNRFXiVv9P96NV6YLZGVZyJHk_3VvTbBF9chPrW3QbJ52AkVuOsymoyS7HFLvuBTapJoxzsLIeeqAck6J2C-ef1n6hOVqCybqcjfSRmoC_N6stN2ydTH9H4,&amp;amp;typo=1&quot; title=&quot;Link to ways to give page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a%3Dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hcc.edu%252falumni-and-friends%252fgiving-to-hcc%252fways-to-give%26c%3DE,1,i4KIMNRFXiVv9P96NV6YLZGVZyJHk_3VvTbBF9chPrW3QbJ52AkVuOsymoyS7HFLvuBTapJoxzsLIeeqAck6J2C-ef1n6hOVqCybqcjfSRmoC_N6stN2ydTH9H4,%26typo%3D1&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1674066533894000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw3wtMFoVOXqS0T0w8dwQv6R&quot;&gt;clicking here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x9471" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation/scholarships/presidents-student-emergency-fund" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20241105T16:14:24" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9471.xml" Name="President's Student Emergency Fund" Thumbnail="/images/DLT_0217.jpg" Title="President's Student Emergency Fund" Abstract="The President’s Student Emergency Fund was created by the HCC Foundation, with President Christina Royal and through the generosity of alumni and friends, in order to assist students who encounter an unforeseen financial emergency that would prevent them from continuing their education." ThumbnailAltText="A student receives support in HCC's Thrive Center" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The President's Student Emergency Fund was created by the HCC Foundation, with President Christina Royal and through the generosity of alumni and friends, in order to assist students who encounter an unforeseen financial emergency that would prevent them from continuing their education. The Student Emergency Fund is intended to assist students so that they may continue their studies and successfully complete their coursework. Dollars are intended for unexpected emergency expenses. Applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis based on the criteria listed below.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page></Page><Page ID="x318" URL="alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/ways-to-give" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251003T13:05:19" CategoryIds="" FileName="x318.xml" Name="Ways to Give" Title="Ways to Give" Abstract="Learn about scholarships, faculty chairs, unrestricted gifts, and more." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;If you would like to shape the future of HCC and the lives of our students, our development staff is ready to work with you to find the giving opportunity that best expresses your values and interest while also meeting the college's financial needs. There are many ways to give, including:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GIFTS BY CASH, CHECK &amp;amp; CREDIT CARD:&lt;/strong&gt; You can make sure that your support benefits programs of your choice by giving online, by sending your check (made out to the HCC Foundation, Inc.) to Holyoke Community College&amp;nbsp; Foundation, 303 Homestead Ave, Holyoke, MA 01040.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER (EFT):&lt;/strong&gt; You can direct your bank to issue payments on a monthly or yearly basis.&amp;nbsp;Please email&amp;nbsp;John Sieracki at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:jsieracki@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link jsieracki@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;jsieracki@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or call &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2746&quot;&gt;413.552.2746&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MATCHING GIFTS:&lt;/strong&gt; Your employer may match your contributions to the Holyoke Community College Foundation. Please contact your employer for more information.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IRA CHARITABLE GIFTS:&lt;/strong&gt; The IRA charitable rollover (also called the Qualified Charitable Distribution, or QCD) is a great way to make a tax-free gift to HCC and satisfy your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). If you are not required to take an RMD but no longer itemize your deductions, then a QCD may be right for you as well.&amp;nbsp;Make a gift to the Holyoke Community College Foundation from your IRA. &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScgaKb41Iq6-6JWgjsZJRqwV61CRn5F9m9VtorBatFTpEAnxQ/viewform&quot; title=&quot;Link to IRA gift google form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Start here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GIFTS OF SECURITIES:&lt;/strong&gt; You may be able to transfer stock or mutual fund holdings to the Holyoke Community College Foundation while securing significant tax benefits for yourself and your family. &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Complete our &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfHHe_APOuBDm3r3FwxhwRVKP8Ksq5m606oXZ0tPVfnYPEV_w/viewform&quot;&gt;stock transfer gift form&lt;/a&gt;,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; and a member of our team will reach out to you.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GIFTS OF OTHER ASSETS:&lt;/strong&gt; Retirement funds and real estate can be transformed into important philanthropic support for Holyoke Community College. The same may be true for other personal property, such as artwork and special collections.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ESTATE GIFTS:&lt;/strong&gt; Through a bequest, you can create a legacy that will benefit Holyoke Community College for years to come. Our staff can tell you more about how to work with your estate planner.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x11987" URL="alumni-and-friends/hcc-stories" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240802T12:30:29" CategoryIds="" FileName="x11987.xml" Name="HCC Stories" Title="HCC Stories" Abstract="Share your HCC story to celebrate our 75th anniversary!" IntroCopy="What's your HCC story?" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;HCC 75th anniversary logo&quot; height=&quot;211&quot; src=&quot;images/75th%20with%20Dates.png&quot; style=&quot;margin: 10px auto; vertical-align: middle; display: block;&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For 75 years, the story of Holyoke Community College has been one of exceptional academics, relentless encouragement delivered by incredible faculty and staff, and opportunities for students to achieve more than they ever dreamed possible.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Help us celebrate HCC's remarkable past and define our bright future by&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;telling your story.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;How has Holyoke Community College shaped your life? What are some of your fondest memories? What does HCC mean to you?&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Share with us&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;by &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScEI0hYK99bY-Afxc0Ms64fftDxVM5np9XrWnQeCp5qKV6r7w/viewform&quot; title=&quot;Link to google form for hcc stories&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;filling out this form&lt;/a&gt; or&amp;nbsp;emailing&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:alumni@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;alumni@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp;and we may feature your story in our special 75th anniversary publications.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScEI0hYK99bY-Afxc0Ms64fftDxVM5np9XrWnQeCp5qKV6r7w/viewform&quot; title=&quot;link to google form for hcc stories&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;submit your story&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x314" URL="faculty-and-staff" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260416T16:18:46" CategoryIds="" FileName="x314.xml" Name="Faculty &amp; Staff" Title="Faculty &amp; Staff" Abstract="Learn about benefits and college policies, check the schedule for the next Staff Council meeting, locate a colleague, or join a committee." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;Following, you'll find links to information about benefits, college policies, textbook adoptions, how to request media services, and more!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;news for faculty &amp;amp; staff&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;ticker&quot;&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;Stay up-to-date on professional development in the &lt;a href=&quot;/faculty-and-staff/the-learning-collaborative&quot; title=&quot;Link to the Learning Collaborative&quot;&gt;Learning Collaborative&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40;&quot;&gt;All the tech tools you need in one place: check out&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/faculty-and-staff/remote-resources-for-faculty-and-staff&quot;&gt;Remote Resources for Faculty &amp;amp; Staff&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 class=&quot;polygon&quot;&gt;useful links&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/people-and-talent/employment-opportunities&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke community college employment opportunities&quot;&gt;Employment&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/assessment/home&quot; title=&quot;Link to GEAC google site&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;General Education Assessment Internal Site&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.curriculog.com/&quot; title=&quot;HCC Curriculog&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;HCC Curriculog&lt;/a&gt; - Curriculum Management&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.campus.eab.com/&quot; title=&quot;HCC Navigate Staff&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;HCC&amp;nbsp;Navigate Staff&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/people-and-talent&quot; title=&quot;Holyoke Community College human resources&quot;&gt;People and Talent (HR)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ems.hcc.edu/virtualEMS/&quot; title=&quot;Learning Collaborative&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/faculty-and-staff/the-learning-collaborative&quot; title=&quot;Link to center for excellence page&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Learning Collaborative&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Faculty-Staff/Model_Release_2014.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Model Release&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Model Release Form&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hccprofdev.blogspot.com/&quot; title=&quot;HCC space reservation&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/a/hcc.edu/new-adjunct-orientation/&quot; title=&quot;New Adjunct Orientation&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;New Adjunct Orientation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/visit-hcc/getting-here&quot; title=&quot;Parking at HCC&quot;&gt;Parking&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://forms.monday.com/forms/b3eed717d13611b356b604aac422473f?r=use1&quot; title=&quot;Link to design request form on wrike website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Project Request Form&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/religious-holidays&quot; title=&quot;Link to Religious Holidays page on HCC website&quot;&gt;Religious Holidays&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://events.hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;HCC space reservation&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Reserve a Room or Vehicle&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/hccsharedgovernance?usp=sharing&quot;&gt;Shared Governance Internal Site &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.registerblast.com/holyoke/professor/enroll&quot; title=&quot;Exam Upload (Testing Center)&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Testing Center Exam Upload&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;| &lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/Faculty-Staff/4.2018%20%20REGISTER%20BLAST%20PROF%20INSTRUCTIONS.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Exam Upload Instructions&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Instructions&lt;/a&gt; |&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/testing-and-workforce-certification-center&quot; title=&quot;Testing Center&quot;&gt;Testing Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://fast.ecampus.com/school/hcc &quot; title=&quot;Link to AIP portal&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Textbook Adoption &amp;amp; Insight Portal&lt;/a&gt; (log in with your HCC email credentials)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfY70lDYhEhfKXzT17wkKwHrM8lMe8EORMxyC2x3T9_niKTEA/viewform&quot; title=&quot;Video request form&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Video Request Form&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x9635" URL="faculty-and-staff/the-learning-collaborative" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250925T14:15:00" CategoryIds="" FileName="x9635.xml" Name="The Learning Collaborative" Title="The Learning Collaborative" Abstract="Holyoke Community College’s Learning Collaborative (The Collaborative) supports a culture of inclusion, innovation, and collaboration through quality professional development and access to progressive technology tools." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Visit the &lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/the-learning-collaborative&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Learning Collaborative website&lt;/a&gt; for more information&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;MISSION&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College's Learning Collaborative (The Collaborative) supports a culture of inclusion, innovation, and collaboration through quality professional development for staff and faculty and access to progressive technology tools. The Collaborative creates and promotes opportunities for professional growth and engagement to support students' sense of belonging and cultural wealth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;FUNDING&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h4&gt;PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC is committed to providing opportunities for its employees to grow professionally, and has established a Professional Development Fund administered through the Collaborative. Proposals for professional development should be in alignment with the college's Strategic Plan. Monies for the Fund are allotted monthly as available. The funds will be recommended for distribution by The Collaborative's Funding Council.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please read the Collaborative's Guidelines to learn about the proposal process. Ready to apply? Use the &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfGWmcKJmLdn-mDa5w83G3QG-9J9a5x-OYOF5BvXM2Aq-4dxA/viewform?usp=pp_url&quot;&gt;Collaborative Professional Development Fund application&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;WHO WE ARE&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Collaborative serves as the college's central hub for Professional Development programming, supporting the work of HCC staff and faculty. Employees are encouraged to reach out to the Collaborative with ideas that support our community's continued growth and learning. The Collaborative is run by HCC's Title III Director; the work of the Collaborative is supported by a Faculty in Residence, Staff in Residence (AFSCME), and Staff in Residence (MCCC).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;WORKSHOPS &amp;amp; TRAINING&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Collaborative invites employees who would like to use the space to offer a workshop, training, or event to email Shakara Acoff,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:sacoff@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;sacoff@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;. Events should align with the strategies and objectives of the College as outlined in the Strategic Plan. The Collaborative Newsletter and events calendar contain information and registration links for all upcoming programming.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;THE SANDBOX&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Sandbox (Frost 255) provides a physical space where faculty and staff can access Apple and PC products/software. Working with an instructional designer, the Sandbox space provides individual support and resources applicable in classroom and office settings.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4&gt;CALENDAR OF EVENTS&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;Explore the calendar of Professional Development events on campus. Want to offer your own workshop or other event through The Learning Collaborative?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;800&quot; height=&quot;600&quot; style=&quot;border: 0;&quot; src=&quot;https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=cfe%40hcc.edu&amp;amp;ctz=America%2FNew_York&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;button&quot; href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/instructional-technology&quot; title=&quot;Link to instructional technology google site&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;instructional technology&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;CONTACT US&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;KC 501&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:thecollaborative@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;thecollaborative@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2124&quot; title=&quot;413-552-2124&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:4135522509&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;413-552-2509&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x20870" URL="faculty-and-staff/instructional-design-and-technology" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240823T13:01:27" CategoryIds="" FileName="x20870.xml" Name="Instructional Design and Technology" Title="Instructional Design and Technology" Abstract="The Instructional Design and TechnologyTeam supports student success by supporting faculty in their teaching practices and in continuous curricular innovation." BodyCopy="&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IDT Mission&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;The Instructional Design and Technology Team supports&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; student success by supporting faculty in their teaching practices and in continuous curricular innovation.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vision&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Instructional Design and Technology Team is integral in helping the &lt;span&gt;college &lt;/span&gt;achieve its goal to become an inclusive, equity-driven campus with zero measurable gaps in student achievement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What We Do&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;The IDT Team, part of the Department of Planning, Curriculum, and Assessment&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;, supports faculty in their teaching needs, on campus and online.&amp;nbsp; We encourage faculty to consult with any and all IDT team members on topics related to course development and delivery.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Each semester, the team sponsors a workshop series dedicated to improving teaching and learning, offers private consultations, and sponsors the Innovative Pedagogy Institute and the Online Development Academy.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Learn more&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/instructional-technology&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Instructional Design and Technology&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://canvas.hcc.edu/courses/12098&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Canvas Training Repository&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://canvas.hcc.edu/courses/12098&quot; class=&quot;button&quot;&gt;Canvas Design Tips&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Questions?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Canvas Questions&amp;nbsp; Contact &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:canvashelp@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;canvashelp@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Student Evaluation Questions Contact &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:evaluations@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;evaluations@hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10840" URL="faculty-and-staff/remote-resources-for-faculty-and-staff" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240820T17:12:40" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10840.xml" Name="Remote Resources for Faculty &amp; Staff" Thumbnail="/images/Faculty-Staff/facstaff_thumb.png" Title="Teaching &amp; Working Remotely" Abstract="Resources and tips for teaching and working remotely." ThumbnailAltText="Pat Sandoval smiles in front of a whiteboard. She is wearing a denim jacket, purple scarf, and glasses." IntroCopy="Information technology is essential to teaching, learning, and working at HCC. Here we've pulled together valuable resources for faculty and staff." ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x10849" URL="faculty-and-staff/remote-resources-for-faculty-and-staff/technologies-for-working-remotely" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:49:36" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10849.xml" Name="Technologies for working remotely" Title="Technologies for working remotely" Abstract="Learn to use video for real-time classes, discover tools to capture your desktop and record presentations, or become a Moodle Master: you'll find the details here." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Canvas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Canvas is HCC's official learning management system (LMS). Using it gives students a uniform method of navigating their courses. For students just gaining tech literacy, it can be daunting to have courses in various platforms. Rather than learning to use another LMS (Google Classroom, for example), students can focus on mastering course content. Review Passport to Canvas for lots of tutorials and tips. Questions? Contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:canvashelp@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;canvashelp@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Web &amp;amp; Voice Conferencing&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;For synchronous/real-time class meetings, HCC uses Zoom. Follow Zoom security guidelines (require a passcode, use a waiting room and admit authenticated users only, etc.). Zoom requires you to keep your client application &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362233-Updating-Zoom-to-the-latest-version&quot;&gt;up-to-date&lt;/a&gt;, so you need to check periodically for updates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC Zoom requires you to sign in with your HCC Account using SSO. To activate your Zoom license, go to &lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us&quot;&gt;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us&lt;/a&gt; and sign in with your HCC Account.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;In the Zoom application on your device, select the Sign In option and look for &lt;strong&gt;Sign in with SSO&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Enter &lt;strong&gt;hcc-edu&lt;/strong&gt; for Company Domain&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Use your HCC Account username and password&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Click &lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gxXHJCR1vDx8U9M_1zuxjEdZCeBmLGHF/view&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more on How to Join a Zoom Meeting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Video Tools&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;For tutorials, training videos, presentations and more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.loom.com/&quot; title=&quot;Link to Loom.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Loom&lt;/a&gt; (record your camera, microphone, and desktop simultaneously, then share your video on the Loom platform. And it's &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.loom.com/hc/en-us/articles/360006579637-Loom-Pro-Free-for-Students-and-Teachers&quot;&gt;free to students and teachers&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://screencast-o-matic.com/&quot; title=&quot;Link to screencastomatic website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Screencastomatic&lt;/a&gt; (capture any area of your computer screen, add narration and video)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.apple.com/quicktime&quot; title=&quot;Link to apple quicktime website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.screencast.com/&quot; title=&quot;Link to Screencast website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Screencast.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Note: We are currently working on documentation for the document camera lecture capture option and meeting rooms. No ETA is available at this time&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Accessing HCC servers&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;For staff who require remote access to HCC servers, IT uses two methods. Read about &lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/it-services/remote-connections&quot;&gt;how to use VPN and VDI&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chat&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://products.office.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software&quot; title=&quot;Link to Microsoft teams&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Microsoft Teams&lt;/a&gt;: Includes a chat-based workspace for real-time collaboration. Simply log in with your HCC email address and password.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gsuite.google.com/products/chat/&quot; title=&quot;Link to Google chat info&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Google Chat&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Collaboration&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;HCC uses Google Workspace. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides are very similar to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and can be easily accessed online and shared with others. Google Drive provides file storage that can be private or shared, and files can also be accessed wherever you have an internet connection.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Check out &lt;a href=&quot;https://teachercenter.withgoogle.com/fundamentals/course?reset=AEATG5C8&quot; title=&quot;Link to Google Workspace for teaching&quot;&gt;Google Workspace for Teaching&lt;/a&gt; tutorials&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;There is also lots of information and support at the &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.google.com/a/users/?hl=en#topic=9797903&quot; title=&quot;Google Workspace learning center&quot;&gt;Google Workspace Learning Center&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Phone&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Forwarding calls and checking messages&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Voicemail:&lt;/strong&gt; Be sure to set your outgoing message and check voicemail regularly by calling 413.552.2600 and entering your extension and password.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Call Forwarding:&lt;/strong&gt; We are working on a more permanent solution for accessing office phones number from off-campus, but for now we recommend using Zoom to have &quot;drop in&quot; sessions. Zoom has a waiting room feature that allows the meeting host to admit attendees from-and place attendees in-the waiting room, in order to have private conversations.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ongoing training and education&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Center for Excellence is offering numerous trainings and other resources for faculty and staff. Visit the &lt;a href=&quot;/faculty-and-staff/the-learning-collaborative&quot; title=&quot;Center for Excellence&quot;&gt;CFE webpage&lt;/a&gt; for a complete calendar of daily sessions. Also, explore these &lt;a href=&quot;https://campustechnology.com/Articles/2020/03/02/9-Resources-for-When-Coronavirus-Moves-Your-Course-Online.aspx&quot; title=&quot;tips and best practices&quot;&gt;tips and best practices &lt;/a&gt;for shifting to remote learning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remember:&lt;/strong&gt; We're here for you! IT will do everything we can to resolve any issues as quickly as possible. If you need assistance, please contact the Help Desk at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:helpdesk@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link helpdesk@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;helpdesk@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2075&quot;&gt;413.552.2075&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false"><Page ID="x10843" URL="faculty-and-staff/remote-resources-for-faculty-and-staff/technologies-for-working-remotely/vpn-vdi" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:49:36" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10843.xml" Name="VPN - VDI" Title="VPN - VDI" Abstract="Accessing servers using VPN or VDI" BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;About VPN&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;strong&gt;Virtual Private Network (VPN)&lt;/strong&gt; is a technology that allows user devices to securely connect to a corporate network from remote locations with an Internet connection.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;About VDI&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Virtual Desktop Infrastructure&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;refers to using a virtualized desktop that ultimately lives on a server. The device that you use to access it , typically a laptop, serves as a terminal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some members of staff have already been set up to use VPN. If that's you, you&amp;nbsp;may continue to do so. Anyone else needing remote access to network resources will use&amp;nbsp;VDI. Here's what to expect:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;All&amp;nbsp;VDI&amp;nbsp;users will have access to a &quot;generic&quot; desktop that is just like logging into a&amp;nbsp;computer in an HCC classroom, lab, or library.&amp;nbsp; You'll have access to network resources and internal tools, and can make and save changes &lt;strong&gt;on the network.&lt;/strong&gt; However, your computer will not retain any work that you save to it during a VDI session. If you create folders or documents on your computer whle using VDI, they will not be there when you login again.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Anyone who is using a&amp;nbsp;HCC&amp;nbsp;laptop and logging in with their&amp;nbsp;HCC&amp;nbsp;account (some newer loans&amp;nbsp;are using a generic&amp;nbsp;HCCUser&amp;nbsp;account and are exempt from this) must connect to the campus network, either&amp;nbsp;Wi-Fi&amp;nbsp;(HCC-eq&amp;nbsp;OR&amp;nbsp;HCC-User) or Ethernet (or&amp;nbsp;VPN, if previously set up), at least once every 30 days, or their credentials will expire on the laptop. This is especially important for anyone whose password changes. Be sure to login regularly!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Some users were set up with a&amp;nbsp;VDI&amp;nbsp;agent on their office computers to allow them to log into their computer through&amp;nbsp;VDI. The office computer&amp;nbsp;must remain on&amp;nbsp;for it to work. This only works when using&amp;nbsp;VDI&amp;nbsp;on a Windows computer; no Mac or&amp;nbsp;Chromebooks.&amp;nbsp; We have had varying reports of issues connecting through&amp;nbsp;VDI&amp;nbsp;when the computer was left logged in locally, but otherwise is working well.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Confused? Uncertain? IT is available to help! Contact the Help Desk at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:helpdesk@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link helpdesk@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;helpdesk@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2075&quot;&gt;413.552.2075&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x10845" URL="faculty-and-staff/remote-resources-for-faculty-and-staff/tips-for-working-remotely" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:49:36" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10845.xml" Name="Tips for Working Remotely" Title="Tips for Working Remotely" Abstract="It's a big transition! We've rounded up some strategies for working remotely to make life run a little more smoothly." BodyCopy="&lt;h5&gt;CREATE A SPACE&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;If you can, designate a workspace.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Use the most comfortable chair you can find, and consider back support and ergonomics.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;CREATE A SCHEDULE&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;If you can, set a schedule and stick to it. If you can't, communicate with your supervisor and team&amp;mdash;let them know when or how frequently they can expect to hear from you.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Remember to take regular breaks. Walk around. Stretch. Leave the room (and your computer) for regular periods of time.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;USE A PLANNER&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whether you use a calendar, a Google doc, or a spiral-bound notebook, write down and keep track of projects, deadlines, and meetings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;TRY A TIME MANAGEMENT APP&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you struggle to stay on task, check out some of the following:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.getharvest.com/&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Harvest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rescuetime.com/&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;RescueTime&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://toggl.com/&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Toggl&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;ORGANIZE YOUR FILES&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;If you're saving some documents on your computer desktop, some on your local drive, and some in Google docs, at some point you're going to have difficulty locating them. Pick a location, create your system, and stick to it&amp;mdash;it will save you headaches later.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;DON'T FORGET SECURITY&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Phishers and spammers are working from home, too, so be vigilant about security.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Update your operating system and apps&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Be sure you know the source of any document before you open it.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Don't click on a link unless you trust it and the source.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h5&gt;KNOW WHEN TO STOP&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC faculty and staff are passionate about their jobs&amp;mdash;but when you're working at home, it can become difficult to leave work behind. Turn off your computer when it's time to stop working, and don't check your email.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10919" URL="faculty-and-staff/remote-resources-for-faculty-and-staff/zoom-bombing" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20240402T12:49:36" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10919.xml" Name="Zoom Bombing" Title="Zoom-Bombing Prevention" Abstract="Resources and support to prevent Zoom-Bombing." IntroCopy="WHAT IS ZOOM-BOMBING?" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Zoom is the video conferencing platform HCC uses to host remote classes and other meetings with students and guests. Zoom-bombing is a form of Internet trolling during which uninvited individuals disrupt Zoom meetings by sharing their screens to bombard real attendees with disturbing or distracting content. Most attacks take advantage of publicly available Zoom links.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC has gone to great lengths to ensure that all Zoom sessions are set up using the latest security features provided by the company. Unfortunately, HCC acknowledges that intruders may attack a Zoom session even if the host has taken all recommended precautions.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the unfortunate event a Zoom-bombing incident occurs, the college recognizes that there can be an emotional impact when someone is a victim of online abuse. Online imagery that shows offensive pornagraphic material or targets a community is offensive and can be traumatizing. The impact on victims of sexual violence, assault, or descrimination may be re-traumatizing. The college also recognizes that having to recount and describe a traumatic incident, especially indecent imagery, can be triggering and emotionally difficult.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The HCC community can be assured that a sensitive and caring trauma informed approach will be the priority during any potential investigation and outreach. For more information, please review our Zoom Guide on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://hccnet.hcc.edu/&quot; title=&quot;HCC Staff Resources&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Staff Resources page&lt;/a&gt;, in the IT Resources section.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page></Page><Page ID="x391" URL="help-desk" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251201T13:20:49" CategoryIds="" FileName="x391.xml" Name="Help Desk" Title="Help Desk" Abstract="Login information, connecting to wireless, help desk details, and more." BodyCopy="&lt;h2&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get in Touch&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Excluding &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/academic-calendar&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;school vacations and holidays&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;, the Help Desk is open on the following days and times.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monday&amp;ndash;Thursday:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;8:30 AM &amp;ndash; 4:30 PM&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Friday:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;8:30 AM &amp;ndash; 3:00 PM&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Closed Wednesdays:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;10:00 AM &amp;ndash; 11:00 AM for weekly meeting&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;For the best service, visit us in &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://map.concept3d.com/?id=2018#!ce/62215?ct/0?m/624402?s/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Frost 109&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Now Open&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span&gt;: Visit the&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/itservices/tech-center&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/itservices/tech-center&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1742910848353000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1dCKBCugEndMsRxF5d1L7m&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;HCC Tech Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;in&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://map.concept3d.com/?id=2018#!bm/?ce/62214?ct/61593,65034?m/1007629?s/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://map.concept3d.com/?id%3D2018%23!ce/62214?ct/0?m/1007629?s/&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1742910848353000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1z9fM_jMGPsdfEWPBNwy8C&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Campus Center 251&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Email us at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:helpdesk@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;helpdesk@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; or phone &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2075&quot;&gt;413.552.2075&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;b&gt;Getting Started with your HCC Account&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Welcome to HCC! Before starting classes you will need to access your HCC Account and become familiar with HCC systems.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Your HCC Account provides single sign-on (SSO) access to most of the resources HCC has to offer. The same credentials are used to sign into all HCC Account systems.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;HCC Resources are designed to be easily available from the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;my&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #2dc26b;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;HCC&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Dashboard at &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://my.hcc.edu/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;https://my.hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;HCC recommends the latest Google Chrome browser. Chrome supports profiles.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/itservices/profiles&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;More on Profiles&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Add a new profile to your browser to keep your HCC Account information separate from your other online accounts. Using a profile will prevent account confusion with another school or organization.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x12223" URL="students" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260331T17:35:08" CategoryIds="" FileName="x12223.xml" Name="Students" Title="Students" Abstract="Find resources, links, and support for current HCC students." BodyCopy="&lt;!-- &lt;div class=&quot;ticker&quot;&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li style=&quot;list-style-type: none;&quot;&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40; font-size: 16px;&quot;&gt;Registration is now open for winter &amp;amp; spring classes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40; font-size: 16px;&quot;&gt;For mental health support &amp;amp; resources, &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/mental-health-counseling-and-stress-mgmt&quot; title=&quot;Link to mental health page&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40; font-size: 16px;&quot;&gt;For bookstore hours &amp;amp; info,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;Link to bookstore page&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #00af40; font-size: 16px;&quot;&gt;For on-campus dining hours &amp;amp; info, &lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/food-on-campus&quot; title=&quot;Link to food on campus page&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt; --&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;top links&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;10&quot; cellspacing=&quot;10&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: 394px;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 238px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; height: 238px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;link to bookstore page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of a storefront that says SHOP&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/bookstore_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;link to bookstore page&quot;&gt;Bookstore&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; height: 238px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot; title=&quot;Link to admissions page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of apple on a pile of books&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/admissions-reg_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot; title=&quot;Link to admissions page&quot;&gt;Admissions/&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot; title=&quot;Link to admissions page&quot;&gt;Register for Classes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; height: 238px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar&quot; title=&quot;link to student records &amp;amp; registrar&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of forms&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/stdt-records_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar&quot; title=&quot;link to student records &amp;amp; registrar&quot;&gt;Student Records &amp;amp; Forms&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; height: 238px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-calendar&quot; title=&quot;link to academic calendar page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of calendar page&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/acad-calendar_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-calendar&quot; title=&quot;link to academic calendar page&quot;&gt;Academic Calendar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style=&quot;height: 156px;&quot;&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; height: 156px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/course-finder&quot; title=&quot;link to course finder page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of a teacher and students in a classroom&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/course-finder_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/course-finder&quot; title=&quot;link to course finder page&quot;&gt;Course Finder&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; height: 156px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/help-desk&quot; title=&quot;link to it help page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;graphic of headphones with microphone&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/helpdesk_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/help-desk&quot; title=&quot;link to it help page&quot;&gt;HCC Help Desk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; height: 156px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/advising&quot; title=&quot;link to advising page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of two silhouettes with an arrow from one to the other&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/advising_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/advising&quot; title=&quot;link to advising page&quot;&gt;Advising&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center; height: 156px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library&quot; title=&quot;link to library webpage&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;graphic of a building with columns&quot; height=&quot;120&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/library_icon_800x%280%29.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;120&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library&quot; title=&quot;Link to library webpage&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Library&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring&quot; title=&quot;link to tutoring page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of a head silhouette with an open book&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/tutoring-acad-supp_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring&quot; title=&quot;link to tutoring webpage&quot;&gt;Tutoring&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h4 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;links a-z&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;10&quot; cellspacing=&quot;10&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-calendar&quot; title=&quot;link to academic calendar page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of calendar page&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/acad-calendar_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-calendar&quot; title=&quot;link to academic calendar page&quot;&gt;Academic Calendar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services&quot; title=&quot;link to disability and deaf services page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of a person in a wheelchair&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/wheelchair_zippy_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services&quot; title=&quot;link to disability and deaf services page&quot;&gt;Accessibility&lt;br /&gt;Resources&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot; title=&quot;Link to admissions page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of apple on a pile of books&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/admissions-reg_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot; title=&quot;Link to admissions page&quot;&gt;Admissions/&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot; title=&quot;Link to admissions page&quot;&gt;Register for Classes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/adult-learner&quot; title=&quot;Link to adult learner page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A line graphic of a person using a laptop&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/adult_student_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/adult-learner&quot; title=&quot;Link to adult learner page&quot;&gt;Adult Supports&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/advising&quot; title=&quot;link to advising page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of two silhouettes with an arrow from one to the other&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/advising_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/advising&quot; title=&quot;link to advising page&quot;&gt;Advising&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness&quot; title=&quot;link to athletics page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of two silhouettes with an arrow from one to the other&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/athletics_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness&quot; title=&quot;link to athletics &amp;amp; fitness page&quot;&gt;Athletics&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/bartley-center&quot; title=&quot;Link to Bartley Center webpage&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A line graphic of two weights&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/Bartley_Center_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/bartley-center&quot; title=&quot;Link to Bartley Center webpage&quot;&gt;Bartley Center (Gym)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;link to bookstore page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of a storefront that says SHOP&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/bookstore_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;link to bookstore page&quot;&gt;Bookstore&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/visit-hcc/getting-here&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of open map&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/bus-map-park_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/visit-hcc/getting-here&quot; title=&quot;Link to getting here page on hcc website&quot;&gt;Bus, Maps&lt;br /&gt;&amp;amp; Parking&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://fed.hcc.edu/adfs/ls/?SAMLRequest=fZLLTsMwEEX3fEXkfR5OUhBWEqm0QlQqELWBBRvkOk5rybGDxy7w9yQpjyJEt%2BN75s6dcQa0lR2ZOrtTK%2F7iOFjvrZUKyPiQI2cU0RQEEEVbDsQysp7eLkkcRKQz2mqmJTpCThMUgBsrtELeYp6j5%2FM0wclFk%2FjxhF74KU4an2I88RlNNmndsDjaJMh75AZ6Jkd9ix4EcHyhwFJl%2B1IUxz7GfpRWOCVpTCaXT8ib9zmEonakdtZ2QMKw4XWwYyzgtQtp3UAoIUTe9GukmVbgWm7W3OwF4w%2Br5Q%2FKqNpT%2BKal3goVDnGRV34u4UqoWqjt6fybgwjITVWVfnm%2FrlCRDX3ImMoUg%2BFfv0ERZ%2BGxMDsc7q63WMxLLQV79661aan9fwIc4LEiar8ZpcQp6DgTjeB1vwkp9evMcGp5jqxxHIXFwfT3BynOPgA%3D&amp;amp;SigAlg=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2F09%2Fxmldsig%23rsa-sha1&amp;amp;Signature=eRkFznCw0sSTMz%2FzORLE8VqLj4DnuSaZVPzWliLXXIeA5mQ78FUZhad8UW5q7weq1TL9dw5bqB5yuERRAcrh9OYyjgUg43q%2Bns%2BFfGPQYj52R2wv2ofMyt96Zdyr8hXew7vU8soAfpb3y7%2F74uKTuLGhwW%2FXnSntHAeZcSPPjhxZ7qX%2BYtDvqTHQo7lebJwD0qup6TlsvpoAGh6gC1NBXP%2FfvxutXI2MAVv1ph4iZQe3SHx85TPsOjLr14Llg8G8SzcR%2FHg7S%2FDcyd6ruP%2BcqgcgN6oqLAs5USddsWha47sST7xAhkJ8IkFJMdPmw0ElQnEbEzA4oPQdPVDxbf6zdg%3D%3D&quot; title=&quot;link to canvas&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of two gears&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/degreeworks_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://canvas.hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;link to canvas&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Canvas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/career-services&quot; title=&quot;link to career center page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of person leaping from block to block&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/career-svcs_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/career-services&quot; title=&quot;link to career center page&quot;&gt;Career Services&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/course-finder&quot; title=&quot;link to course finder page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of a teacher and students in a classroom&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/course-finder_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/course-finder&quot; title=&quot;link to course finder page&quot;&gt;Course Finder&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/directory&quot; title=&quot;Link to directory&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A graphic icon of an address book&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Directory.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/directory&quot; title=&quot;Link to directory&quot;&gt;Directory&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mail.hcc.edu/&quot; title=&quot;link to hcc email&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of an envelope with a piece of paper emerging&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/Images/Students/email_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mail.hcc.edu/&quot; title=&quot;link to hcc email&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Email&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources&quot; title=&quot;link to student resources page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A graphic of a lifesaver&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/essential_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources&quot; title=&quot;link to student resources page&quot;&gt;Essential Services&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/food-on-campus&quot; title=&quot;link to food on campus page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;graphic of hamburger and cup with straw&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/food.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/food-on-campus&quot; title=&quot;Link to Food on Campus page&quot;&gt;Food on Campus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/help-desk&quot; title=&quot;link to it help page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;graphic of headphones with microphone&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/helpdesk_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/help-desk&quot; title=&quot;link to it help page&quot;&gt;HCC Help Desk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library&quot; title=&quot;link to library webpage&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;graphic of a building with columns&quot; height=&quot;120&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/library_icon_800x%280%29.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;120&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library&quot; title=&quot;Link to library webpage&quot;&gt;Library&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/mental-health-counseling-and-stress-mgmt&quot; title=&quot;link to mental health support page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of head with heart inside&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/Mental%20Health%20Icon.png&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/mental-health-counseling-and-stress-mgmt&quot; title=&quot;Link to mental health support&quot;&gt;Mental Health Support&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.navigate.eab.com/&quot; title=&quot;Link to EAB Navigate for Students&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The EAB Navigate logo&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/navigate.png&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.navigate.eab.com/&quot; title=&quot;Link to EAB Navigate for students&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Navigate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ban.hcc.edu/prodssb/twbkwbis.P_GenMenu?name=homepage&quot; title=&quot;link to online services&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of open laptop with person outline&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/online-svcs_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ban.hcc.edu/prodssb/twbkwbis.P_GenMenu?name=homepage&quot; title=&quot;link to online services&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Online Services&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/billing-and-refund&quot; title=&quot;Link to billing and refund webpage&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A line graphic of a checkbook&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/pay_your_bill_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/billing-and-refund&quot; title=&quot;Link to billing and refund webpage&quot;&gt;Pay Your Bill&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;graphic of bag of money and coins&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/fin-aid_icon_800x.png&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid&quot; title=&quot;link to tuition and aid page&quot;&gt;Paying for College&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/HCC%20Version_Student%20Code%20of%20Conduct%20Revised_2-18-20.pdf&quot; title=&quot;link to PDF of student code of conduct&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;graphic of a book&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/shb_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;media/documents/HCC%202025%20Student%20Code%20of%20Conduct%202025.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Link to pdf of student code of conduct&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Student Code of Conduct&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Image of one hand extending and another hand receiving money&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/EmergenC_Fund_icon_800x.png&quot; title=&quot;Link to Student Emergency Fund&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/presidents-student-emergency-fund&quot; title=&quot;Link to Student Emergency Fund&quot;&gt;Student&lt;br /&gt;Emergency Fund&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/publications&quot; title=&quot;link to publications page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;graphic of a book&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/shb_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/news-events-and-media/publications&quot; title=&quot;Link to publications page&quot;&gt;Student Handbook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar&quot; title=&quot;link to student records &amp;amp; registrar&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of forms&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/stdt-records_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar&quot; title=&quot;link to student records &amp;amp; registrar&quot;&gt;Student Records &amp;amp; Forms&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wd10NAk0fZZY16c1pufxP4NyUOYSRgqkO6MNFhqjEPE/edit?usp=sharing&quot; title=&quot;Link to student self registration guide&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Laptop with Arrows pointing left and right&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/Student_Guidebook_Square_200x200_d4.png&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSfBDr_js0CRnZXGW2gV-35Z_tCxooE37Yz2Lxrax9kbCz47YQz9w15t6xMWLVqM5bRg-_Kaj1gWFc6/pub&quot; title=&quot;Link to Student Self Registration Guide&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Student&lt;br /&gt;Self-Registration&lt;br /&gt;Guide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer&quot; title=&quot;link to transfer page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of two black arrows&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/transfer_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer&quot; title=&quot;link to transfer page&quot;&gt;Transfer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring&quot; title=&quot;link to tutoring page&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Graphic of a head silhouette with an open book&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/tutoring-acad-supp_icon_800x.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring&quot; title=&quot;link to tutoring webpage&quot;&gt;Tutoring&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC's zoom&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;The Zoom logo&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;images/Students/cib-zoom.png&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/&quot; title=&quot;Link to HCC's zoom&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Zoom&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x24" URL="x24.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20161210T02:28:37" CategoryIds="" FileName="x24.xml" Name="Utilities" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x13245" URL="event-rss-feed" Schema="EventRSSFeed" Locale="" Changed="20220531T18:13:45" CategoryIds="" FileName="x13245.xml" Name="Event RSS Feed" Title="HCC Event RSS" Abstract="What's going on at HCC? Check out this RSS feed of upcoming events." IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x10958" URL="sitemap.xml" Schema="XmlSiteMap" Locale="" Changed="20200730T18:01:46" CategoryIds="" FileName="x10958.xml" Name="Sitemap" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x102" URL="directory" Schema="DirectoryPage" Locale="" Changed="20240126T13:05:31" CategoryIds="" FileName="x102.xml" Name="Directory" Title="Directory" Abstract="Search HCC staff and faculty." IntroCopy="Use the form on the left to search HCC staff and faculty." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Interested in contacting an HCC office or program? View our &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us&quot; title=&quot;contact us&quot;&gt;list of contacts&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /><Page ID="x82" URL="search" Schema="SearchPage" Locale="" Changed="20240730T21:37:43" CategoryIds="" FileName="x82.xml" Name="Search" IsComponent="false" /></Page><Page ID="x5534" URL="x5534.xml" Schema="Folder" Locale="" Changed="20241223T13:33:02" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5534.xml" Name="MYHCC" IsComponent="true"><Page ID="x21405" URL="x21405.xml" Schema="VirtualLink" Locale="" Changed="20250908T12:22:14" CategoryIds="" FileName="x21405.xml" Name="Help Desk" Title="Help Desk" CustomURL="help-desk" IsComponent="true" /><Page ID="x5535" URL="myhcc" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251029T18:14:29" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5535.xml" Name="MyHCC" Title="MyHCC" Abstract="MyHCC" IntroCopy="Your HCC resource quick stop" BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;images/Homepage/myHCC_w.png&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; height=&quot;64&quot; class=&quot;blockImg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 18pt;&quot;&gt;For the best experience, go to myHCC dashboard. &lt;a href=&quot;https://experience.elluciancloud.com/hcc739/&quot; title=&quot;myHCC Dashboard&quot;&gt;my.HCC.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mail.hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;HCC Email&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://canvas.hcc.edu/&quot; title=&quot;Link to Canvas&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Canvas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc.navigate.eab.com/app/#/authentication/remote/&quot; title=&quot;Navigate Student&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Navigate360 Student&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.getrave.com/login/hcc&quot; title=&quot;Rave&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Rave&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hcc-edu.zoom.us/&quot; title=&quot;Zoom link&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Zoom&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/help-desk&quot; title=&quot;HCC help&quot;&gt;Help&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Forgot your password? Don't remember how to log in? We've got you covered! Visit the &lt;a href=&quot;/help-desk&quot;&gt;HCC Help page&lt;/a&gt; for answers to all your tech-related questions.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" /></Page></Navigation>
  <FooterAddress type="xhtml" UID="ba2e2aaf12e943218aea1ee6a4f03ae6" label="Footer Address" readonly="false" hidden="false" required="false" indexable="false" openByDefault="false" CharacterLimit="" Height="150" CIID="">&lt;h5&gt;Holyoke community college&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;p&gt;303 Homestead Ave., Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://tel:413-538-7000"&gt;413.538.7000&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</FooterAddress><CopyrightText type="string" UID="56c83804e00b4c7499a2574ea07548f4" label="Copyright Text" readonly="false" hidden="false" required="false" indexable="false" openByDefault="false" CharacterLimit="" CIID="">Holyoke Community College 2025</CopyrightText><Page ID="x391" Name="FooterLink" Link="Help Desk" Target="_blank" URL="help-desk" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20251201T13:20:49" CategoryIds="" FileName="x391.xml" Title="Help Desk" Abstract="Login information, connecting to wireless, help desk details, and more." BodyCopy="&lt;h2&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get in Touch&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Excluding &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/academic-calendar&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;school vacations and holidays&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;, the Help Desk is open on the following days and times.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monday&amp;ndash;Thursday:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;8:30 AM &amp;ndash; 4:30 PM&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Friday:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;8:30 AM &amp;ndash; 3:00 PM&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Closed Wednesdays:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;10:00 AM &amp;ndash; 11:00 AM for weekly meeting&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;For the best service, visit us in &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://map.concept3d.com/?id=2018#!ce/62215?ct/0?m/624402?s/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Frost 109&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Now Open&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span&gt;: Visit the&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/itservices/tech-center&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/itservices/tech-center&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1742910848353000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1dCKBCugEndMsRxF5d1L7m&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;HCC Tech Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;in&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://map.concept3d.com/?id=2018#!bm/?ce/62214?ct/61593,65034?m/1007629?s/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?q=https://map.concept3d.com/?id%3D2018%23!ce/62214?ct/0?m/1007629?s/&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1742910848353000&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1z9fM_jMGPsdfEWPBNwy8C&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Campus Center 251&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Email us at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:helpdesk@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;helpdesk@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; or phone &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2075&quot;&gt;413.552.2075&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;b&gt;Getting Started with your HCC Account&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Welcome to HCC! Before starting classes you will need to access your HCC Account and become familiar with HCC systems.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Your HCC Account provides single sign-on (SSO) access to most of the resources HCC has to offer. The same credentials are used to sign into all HCC Account systems.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;HCC Resources are designed to be easily available from the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;my&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #2dc26b;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;HCC&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt; Dashboard at &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://my.hcc.edu/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;https://my.hcc.edu&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;HCC recommends the latest Google Chrome browser. Chrome supports profiles.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/hcc.edu/itservices/profiles&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;More on Profiles&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: 400;&quot;&gt;Add a new profile to your browser to keep your HCC Account information separate from your other online accounts. Using a profile will prevent account confusion with another school or organization.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" UID="fc52824f67c8ddc96f998c47243a96a4"></Page><Page ID="x102" Name="FooterLink" Link="Directory" Target="" URL="directory" Schema="DirectoryPage" Locale="" Changed="20240126T13:05:31" CategoryIds="" FileName="x102.xml" Title="Directory" Abstract="Search HCC staff and faculty." IntroCopy="Use the form on the left to search HCC staff and faculty." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Interested in contacting an HCC office or program? View our &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us&quot; title=&quot;contact us&quot;&gt;list of contacts&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" UID="3abcbab8d33c472633818509832c9206"></Page><Page ID="x5598" Name="FooterLink" Link="Contact Us" Target="" URL="contact-us" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260504T18:40:59" CategoryIds="" FileName="x5598.xml" Title="Contact Us" Abstract="How to contact Holyoke Community College." BodyCopy="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#k&quot;&gt;A&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#B&quot;&gt;B&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#C&quot;&gt;C&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#D&quot;&gt;D&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#E&quot;&gt;E&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#F&quot;&gt;F&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#G&quot;&gt;G&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#H&quot;&gt;H&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#I&quot;&gt;I&lt;/a&gt; | J | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#k&quot;&gt;K&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#L&quot;&gt;L&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#M&quot;&gt;M&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#N&quot;&gt;N&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#O&quot;&gt;O&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#P&quot;&gt;P&lt;/a&gt; | Q | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#R&quot;&gt;R&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#S&quot;&gt;S&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#T&quot;&gt;T&lt;/a&gt; | U | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#V&quot;&gt;V&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;/contact-us#W&quot;&gt;W&lt;/a&gt; | X | Y | Z&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;A&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;act center (advising, career &amp;amp; transfer)&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;CC 102&lt;br /&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2722&quot;&gt;413.552.2722&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:advisingcenter@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;advisingcenter@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center&quot; title=&quot;Advising, Career &amp;amp; Transfer Center&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;academic affairs&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;FR 317&lt;br /&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Friday 8 a.m. &amp;ndash; 4:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2227&quot;&gt;413.552.2227&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/academic-affairs&quot; title=&quot;Academic Affairs&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;academic internships&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;MRB 231&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2342&quot;&gt;413.552.2342&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:apicard@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link apicard@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;apicard@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;admissions&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;CC 148&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2321&quot;&gt;413.552.2321&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:admissions@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;admissions@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/admission&quot; title=&quot;Admissions&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(click for hours)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;alana men in motion&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;FR 224&lt;br /&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Friday 9 a.m. &amp;ndash; 4:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2244&quot;&gt;413.552.2244&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:alana@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;alana@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;alumni association&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;DON 170&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2253&quot;&gt;413.552.2253&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:jphillips@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link jphillips@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;jphillips@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:bzimadowd@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/alumni-association&quot; title=&quot;Submit class notes&quot;&gt;Submit class notes&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/alumni-association&quot; title=&quot;Alumni Association&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;B&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;bartley center&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Friday 6 a.m. &amp;ndash; 9 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Saturday &amp;amp; Sunday 8 a.m. &amp;ndash; 1 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2160&quot;&gt;413.552.2160&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/athletics-and-fitness/bartley-center&quot; title=&quot;Bartley Center&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;board of trustees&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2700&quot;&gt;413.552.2700&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/board-of-trustees&quot; title=&quot;Board of Trustees &quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;bookstore&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;CC 251&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;HCC college store&quot;&gt;Hours&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2521&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;413.552.2521&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;college store&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;C&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;campus safety&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff0000;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Emergency:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2211&quot;&gt;413.552.2211&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Other calls: &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2400&quot;&gt;413.552.2400&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/public-safety&quot; title=&quot;Campus safety&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;cannabis education center&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kittredge Center for Business &amp;amp; Workforce Development&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cannabiseducationcenter.org&quot; title=&quot;Link to cannabis education center website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:4135522561&quot; rel=&quot;&quot; data-ux=&quot;Link&quot; data-tccl=&quot;ux2.FOOTER.footer4.Layout.Default.Link.Default.10806.click,click&quot;&gt;413.552.2561&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cannabiseducationcenter.org&quot; title=&quot;Link to cannabis education center website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;caps center &amp;amp; tutoring services&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;DON 240&lt;br /&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Thursday 9 a.m. &amp;ndash; 6 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Friday 9 a.m. &amp;ndash; 2 p.m. (Math until 3 p.m.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2584&quot;&gt;413.552.2584&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2416&quot;&gt;413.552.2416&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Math Help Desk:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2423&quot;&gt;413.552.2423&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/caps-tutoring&quot; title=&quot;caps center&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;career closet&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;KC 207&lt;br /&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Thursday 10 a.m. &amp;ndash; 2 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2564&quot;&gt;413.552.2564&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/career-closet&quot; title=&quot;Career closet&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;career services&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Advising Career &amp;amp; Transfer Center&lt;br /&gt;Campus Center 102 H&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/career-services&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;center for excellence&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;FR 265&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:cfe@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;cfe@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2939&quot;&gt;413.552.2939&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/faculty-and-staff/the-learning-collaborative&quot; title=&quot;Link to center for excellence page&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;center for health education&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;404 Jarvis Ave., Holyoke&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;chd (mental health support)&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;FR 232&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2626&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:hccreferral@chd.org&quot; title=&quot;Email link hccreferral@chd.org&quot;&gt;hccreferral@chd.org&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2626&quot;&gt;413.552.2626&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;ext. 2626&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/mental-health-counseling-and-stress-mgmt&quot; title=&quot;link to Mental Health Support page&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;college store&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;CC 251&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;HCC college store&quot;&gt;Hours&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2521&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;413.552.2521&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/bookstore&quot; title=&quot;college store&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;D&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;disability &amp;amp; deaf services&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;DON 147&lt;br /&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Friday, 8:30 a.m. &amp;ndash; 4:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2417&quot;&gt;413.552.2417&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:osd@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;osd@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services&quot; title=&quot;Disability &amp;amp; Deaf Services&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;E&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;education to employment (e2e) center, ware&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;79 Main St., Ware&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;el centro&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;CC 248&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2052&quot;&gt;413.552.2052&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:elcentro@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link elcentro@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;elcentro@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/el-centro&quot; title=&quot;Link to El Centro webpage&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;english as a second language (esl)&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;DON 203&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2553&quot;&gt;413.552.2553&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;(Non-credit:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2990&quot;&gt;413.552.2990&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:gmontero@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;gmontero@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/social-sciences-arts-and-humanities/academic-english-as-a-second-language-(aesl)&quot; title=&quot;English as a Second Language (ESL)&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;experiential education (internships)&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:apicard@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2342&quot;&gt;413.552.2342&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:apicard@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;apicard@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/integrative-learning/academic-internships&quot; title=&quot;Link to academic internships page&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;F&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;financial aid&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:financialaid@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;financialaid@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2150&quot;&gt;413.552.2150&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tuition-and-aid/financial-aid&quot; title=&quot;financial aid&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(click for hours)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;food pantry&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2783&quot;&gt;413.552.2783&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/food-pantry&quot; title=&quot;food pantry&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;G&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;gateway to college at hcc&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2370&quot;&gt;413.552.2370&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:vostrowski@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;vostrowski@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/preparing-for-college/gateway-to-college&quot; title=&quot;Gateway to college&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;H&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;hcc foundation&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;DON 170&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2308&quot;&gt;413.552.2308&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:kgifford@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/alumni-and-friends/giving-to-hcc/the-hcc-foundation&quot; title=&quot;HCC foundation&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;hcc mgm culinary arts institute&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;164 Race St., Holyoke&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2823&quot;&gt;413.552.2823&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:cai@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;cai@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/areas-of-study/culinary-arts&quot; title=&quot;Link to hospitality and culinary arts page&quot;&gt;Culinary programs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;I&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;information technology help desk&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;FR 109&lt;br /&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Friday 8 a.m. &amp;ndash; 5:00 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;Phone support is available 24/7&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2075&quot;&gt;413.552.2075&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:helpdesk@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;helpdesk@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/information-technology/helpdesk&quot; title=&quot;helpdesk&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;institutional research&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-275-2179&quot;&gt;413.552.2289&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/institutional-effectiveness-and-strategic-analytics&quot; title=&quot;Institutional Research&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;k&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;kittredge center for business &amp;amp; professional development&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2500&quot;&gt;413.552.2500&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;L&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;library&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;DON 202&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library&quot; title=&quot;HCC library&quot;&gt;Hours&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2372&quot;&gt;413.552.2372&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:library@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;library@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library/tutorials-and-help/ask-a-librarian&quot; title=&quot;Ask an HCC librarian&quot;&gt;Ask a Librarian&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/library&quot; title=&quot;hcc library&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;ludlow adult area learning center&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;54 Winsor St.&lt;br /&gt;Ludlow, MA 01056&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-583-0320&quot;&gt;413.552.2999&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x5469.xml&quot; title=&quot;Ludlow Area Adult Learning Center&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;M&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h5&gt;massachusetts casino career training institute (mccti)&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2257&quot;&gt;413.552.2257&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:psheehan@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link psheehan@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;psheehan@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mccti.org/scholarships.html&quot; title=&quot;Link to mccti website&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;massachusetts inclusive concurrent enrollment initiative (maicei)&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/disability-and-deaf-services/maipse&quot; title=&quot;MAICEI&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;mental health support via chd&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;494 Appleton St.&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/mental-health-counseling-and-stress-mgmt&quot; title=&quot;link to Mental Health Support page&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-420-2302&quot;&gt;413.420.2302&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/caring-for-yourself/mental-health-counseling-and-stress-mgmt&quot; title=&quot;link to Mental Health Support page&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;mount tom academy&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.collaborative.org/programs/alternative-education/mount-tom-academy&quot; title=&quot;Collaborative for Educational Service&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Collaborative for Educational Service&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;97 Hawley St.&lt;br /&gt;Northampton, MA 01060&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-586-4900&quot;&gt;413.586.4900&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/preparing-for-college/mount-tom-academy&quot; title=&quot;Mount Tom Academy&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;multi-environment resource consultants (merc)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Library Commons, DON 310A&lt;br /&gt;4th Lobby, Kittredge Center&lt;br /&gt;Marieb 225 &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2232&quot;&gt;413.552.2232&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentshelpingstudents@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;studentshelpingstudents@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;N&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Marieb Adult Learner Success Center&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;FR 262&lt;br /&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Friday 8:30 a.m. &amp;ndash; 4:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2072&quot;&gt;413.552.2072&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/marieb-adult-learner-success-center&quot; title=&quot;Marieb Adult Learner Success Center&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;O&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;office services&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;FR 225&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2383&quot;&gt;413.552.2383&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:printing@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link printing@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;printing@hcc.edu &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;online learning&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:kmoyanocamihort@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:onlineprograms@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Online Programs&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;onlineprograms@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Advising: &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:online@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Online Advising&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;online@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x157.xml&quot; title=&quot;online learning&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;P&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;pathways&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;FR 264&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tel: 413-552-2857&quot;&gt;413.552.2857&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/x140.xml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.83em; color: #000000;&quot;&gt;personal enrichment&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2123&quot;&gt;413.552.2123&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/personal-enrichment&quot; title=&quot;personal enrichment&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;picknelly adult &amp;amp; family center (pafec)&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;206 Maple Street&lt;br /&gt;Holyoke, MA 01040&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2990&quot;&gt;413.552.2990&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:aansell@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mfontanez@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mfontanez@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/adult-education/picknelly-adult-and-family-education-center&quot; title=&quot;Picknelly Adult &amp;amp; Family Education Center&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;president's office&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2700&quot;&gt;413.552.2700&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/president-and-cabinet&quot; title=&quot;president and cabinet&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;R&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;request a transcript&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentrecords@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link studentrecords@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;studentrecords@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar/request-a-transcript&quot; title=&quot;link to Request a transcript&quot;&gt;Request a transcript online&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;S&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;space reservations&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2221&quot;&gt;413.552.2221&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:sgraves@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;sgraves@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/space-reservations&quot; title=&quot;Space Reservations&quot;&gt;Register online&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;strive&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;DON 240&lt;br /&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Friday 8:30 a.m. &amp;ndash; 4:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2505&quot;&gt;413.552.2505&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/academic-support/trio-programs&quot; title=&quot;strive&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;student accounts&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2101&quot;&gt;413.552.2101&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentaccounts@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;studentaccounts@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-accounts&quot; title=&quot;student accounts&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(click for hours)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;student activities &amp;amp; engagement&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;CC 227&lt;br /&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Friday 8:30 a.m. &amp;ndash; 4:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2536&quot;&gt;413.552.2536&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-engagement&quot; title=&quot;student activities&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;student affairs&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;FR 224&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Friday 8:30 a.m. &amp;ndash; 4:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2390&quot;&gt;413.552.2390&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-affairs&quot; title=&quot;student affairs&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;student records &amp;amp; registrar&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;FR 223&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2319&quot;&gt;413.552.2319&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:studentrecords@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link studentrecords@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;studentrecords@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/student-records-and-registrar&quot; title=&quot;Student Records &amp;amp; Registrar&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(click for hours)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;T&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;taber art gallery&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Library lobby (DON)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2614&quot;&gt;413.552.2614&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:rrushing@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;rrushing@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/taber-art-gallery&quot; title=&quot;Taber Art Gallery&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;testing &amp;amp; workforce certification center&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;KC 204&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2506&quot;&gt;413.552.2506&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:testing@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;testing@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development/testing-and-workforce-certification-center&quot; title=&quot;Testing &amp;amp; Workforce Certification Center&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;thrive financial success center&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;FR 233&lt;br /&gt;Monday &amp;ndash; Friday 8:30 a.m. &amp;ndash; 4:30 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2783&quot;&gt;413.552.2783&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:thrive@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;thrive@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/student-resources/thrive-center&quot; title=&quot;thrive&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;training &amp;amp; workforce options&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-755-4893&quot;&gt;413.755.4893&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/x181.xml&quot; title=&quot;Training &amp;amp; Workforce Options&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;transfer&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;CC 103&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/advising-and-transfer-center/transfer&quot; title=&quot;Link to transfer page&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552.2498&quot;&gt;413.552.2498&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mbroadbent@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;mbroadbent@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;transition to college &amp;amp; careers&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:tcc@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;tcc@hcc.edu&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/preparing-for-college/transition-to-college-and-careers&quot; title=&quot;Transition to College &amp;amp; Careers &quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;V&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Veterans Services&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;DON 105&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2189&quot;&gt;413.552.2189&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/student-life/veteran-services&quot; title=&quot;Veteran Services&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;W&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;weather-related closings&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2900&quot;&gt;413.552.2900&lt;/a&gt;, ext. 1418&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;workforce development&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2500&quot;&gt;413.552.2500&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/courses-and-programs/workforce-development&quot; title=&quot;Workforce Development&quot;&gt;Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" UID="578a83d7707f0bf6801e546e7eca7460"></Page><Page Link="The Connection Magazine" Target="_blank" URL="https://theconnection.hcc.edu/" Name="FooterLink" UID="248f1ab49983f9471e47f2607748d6f6" /><Page ID="x294" Name="FooterLink" Link="Emergency Alerts" Target="_blank" URL="about/public-safety/emergency-preparedness" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20250616T14:59:45" CategoryIds="" FileName="x294.xml" Title="Emergency Preparedness" Abstract="Learn about emergency alerts, safety tips, and more." BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;Use the following links to learn about emergency preparedness, safety tips, and more.&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" UID="7c58277dee66d49cecc29812c8e8dc23"></Page><Page Link="Employment" Target="_blank" URL="https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/holyokeedu/" Name="FooterLink" UID="c15ba69db1ed2f983f17a129a2e36563" /><Page ID="x269" Name="FooterLink" Link="Accessibility" Target="" URL="about/visit-hcc/accessibility" Schema="DetailPage" Locale="" Changed="20260501T11:56:42" CategoryIds="" FileName="x269.xml" Title="Accessibility" Abstract="HCC is committed to accessibility and inclusion, and to ensuring that all are able to participate in college programs, activities, and events. " IntroCopy="HCC is committed to accessibility and inclusion, and to ensuring that all are able to participate in college programs, activities, and events. " BodyCopy="&lt;p&gt;The following is information we hope you will find useful in planning your visit to HCC.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;Students&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;The college provides reasonable accommodations to students with documented disabilities and those who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Student accommodations are arranged through the college's&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/academic-support/disability-and-deaf-services&quot; title=&quot;Office for Students with Disabilities &amp;amp; Deaf Services&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-saferedirecturl=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;amp;q=http://www.hcc.edu/courses-and-programs/academic-support/disability-and-deaf-services&amp;amp;source=gmail&amp;amp;ust=1530980571810000&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGcm_upUAAuCdrWUB3pObRyk7QCFQ&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Office for Students with Disabilities &amp;amp; Deaf Services&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;Faculty &amp;amp; Staff&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;Accommodations for faculty and staff are arranged through HCC's&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;/about/offices-and-administration/college-offices/people-and-talent&quot; title=&quot;HCC human resources&quot;&gt;Human Resources&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;office. HR staff can be reached at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;tel:413-552-2554&quot;&gt;413.552.2554&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:swomeldorf@hcc.edu&quot;&gt;swomeldorf@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;Visitors&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a public institution, HCC welcomes thousands of visitors to our campus each year. Whether you are a prospective student (or a friend or family member) or here to attend a meeting, conference, or cultural event, we hope to make your visit as enjoyable as possible. If you anticipate needing a reasonable accommodation for an HCC event, please contact the event sponsor in advance of your visit.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://map.hcc.edu/?id=2018#!ce/61590?ct/65034,61593?s/&quot; title=&quot;Link to accessibility map&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Accessibility Map&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;Parking &amp;amp; Getting Around&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;HCC offers plenty of parking with easy access to building entrances. A state-issued handicapped parking permit suffices for parking in designated accessible spaces on campus. Elevators are conveniently located in our six connected buildings to enable easy access to campus spaces.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;Accessible Restrooms&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;Accessible restrooms can be found in the Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation, &amp;nbsp;in the Donahue building, and in the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development. Donahue and Kittredge connect to the other buildings in the center of campus.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;The Bartley Center for Athletics &amp;amp; Recreation&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wheelchair users can take advantage of the ADA-compliant SciFit cardio machine with a removable seat for wheelchair access, wheelchair ramp, and low support boots. There is an elevator to the second floor fitness studio and Braille signage throughout the building.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Holyoke Community College adheres to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 which states that &quot;no qualified individual with a disability shall, solely on the basis of their disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity in higher education.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions, concerns, complaints, or requests for additional information regarding the ADA may be forwarded to:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Students:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Title IX Coordinator Olivia Kynard, &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:rrubinstein@hcc.edu&quot; title=&quot;Email link okynard@hcc.edu&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;okynard@hcc.edu&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://tel:413-552-2173&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;413.552.2173&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Faculty, staff, and visitors:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span&gt;Office of People &amp;amp; Talent &lt;a href=&quot;tel:413.552-2554&quot;&gt;413.552-2554&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;gmail_default&quot;&gt;&lt;span id=&quot;gmail-docs-internal-guid-26b49bd8-7fff-0401-0d73-db9dc8a87b53&quot;&gt;Holyoke Community College (HCC) is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and equitable educational environment, exemplified in HCC&amp;rsquo;s Strategic Plan 3.0, which emphasizes accessibility as a core value. In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued updated regulations under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), requiring public institutions to ensure that all digital content and services are accessible to individuals with disabilities.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/digital-accessibility-statement&quot;&gt;Digital Accessibility Statement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" ExcludefromNavigation="false" IsComponent="false" UID="70263b00ae0636869f5cb9de36ac48de"></Page><SocialMediaIcons type="xhtml" UID="c8ee7a528ca74a3a9faf1c6d780317c7" label="Social Media Icons" readonly="false" hidden="false" required="false" indexable="false" openByDefault="false" CharacterLimit="" Height="150" CIID="">&lt;div class="social"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/holyokecommunitycollege" title="Link to Holyoke Community College on Facebook" aria-label="Link to Holyoke Community College on Facebook" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt; &lt;em class="fa fa-facebook"&gt; &lt;/em&gt; &lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/holyokecc" title="Link to Holyoke Community College on Twitter" aria-label="Link to Holyoke Community College on Twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt; &lt;em class="fa fa-twitter"&gt; &lt;/em&gt; &lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/holyokecommunitycollege/" title="Link to Holyoke Community College on Instagram" aria-label="Link to Holyoke Community College on Instagram" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt; &lt;em class="fa fa-instagram"&gt; &lt;/em&gt; &lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/HolyokeCC" title="Link to Holyoke Community College on YouTube" aria-label="Link to Holyoke Community College on YouTube" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt; &lt;em class="fa fa-youtube-play"&gt; &lt;/em&gt; &lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.linkedin.com/school/7715" title="Link to Holyoke Community College on LinkedIn" aria-label="Link to Holyoke Community College on LinkedIn" 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