Dec. 2022 News Blog
News briefs from the HCC campus and beyond
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Homecoming Queen
The reception alone nearly brought Marcelle Dion LaBrecque to tears. "I was not expecting such a huge turnout," said LaBrecque '16, a New York City-based alum who performs a traveling drag show in the persona of "Marilyn Monhoe." In a much anticipated event at the HCC Campus Center earlier this month, Labrecque literally filled the house, then brought it down. "I'm so used to doing college gigs where there's 10 to 15 students. Showing up here and seeing almost 50 was a little overwhelming. It felt really, really good to be home." As a first-year student at HCC, LaBrecque took Musical Theater Workshop with Professor Ellen Cogen, singing "Let Me Be Your Star" from the TV show "Smash," and "Who I'd Be" from "Shrek" in the semester-ending showcase. "Ellen was amazing," said LaBrecque. "She got my legs where I needed to get them and really helped drive me to continue pursuing musical theater professionally." LaBrecque, who left HCC in 2016 before earning a degree, credits others at HCC as well for their development. "I'm not proud of this, but I used to cut class just to choreograph and run scenes because I was so invested in wanting to be perfect," said LaBrecque. "My professors understood. They didn't agree with some of the decisions I made but they understood that HCC didn't have everything I needed to become a fully well-rounded performer, and they gave me the space and the opportunity to grow."
All Hands on Deck
Alisson De La Fuente, above left, and Gio Fernandez, right, were among the students in Sheryl Civjan's Psychology of Women class who partnered with HCC's Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center this fall on a semester-long service learning project. The class created a survey to help assess who uses the center and why – "so they can get to know their audience better and learn to promote it, and expand their services to more people on campus," said De La Fuente, a liberal arts major from Agawam. Students also conducted their own research on related topics. "Mine was on single mothers and how difficult it is for them to find childcare, especially if they work or they're in school," said Fernandez, a psychology major from Springfield." For the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center's recent holiday party, Civjan's students put together gift bags for parents and their kids. Each included a short stack of books and stickers for the children, plus gift cards, cleaning wipes, tissues, pens, and HCC-themed gear for the parents. At the party, students kept the children busy at a face-painting station and hand-print table (above). "It's really nice to be with the kids," said Fernandez, who also worked in the center this fall as a SAMP intern. "It's so much fun to work with them." Check out this short video of Civjan's Psychology of Women students talking about the project.
Committee Assignment
President Christina Royal is among dozens of state leaders tapped to serve on six transition policy committees for the incoming administration of Gov.-elect Maura Healey. Royal serves as a member of Healey's "Jobs and a Flourishing Economy for All" committee. "The solutions are not one size fits all," Royal told MassLive. "It is really critical that for Western Mass., a solution for Holyoke not be the same for Pittsfield and Roxbury." As attorney general, Healey visited HCC in May 2019, touring the Center for Life Sciences and Thrive Student Resource Center and answering questions in a classroom packed with students, faculty, staff, and members of the community. "I do feel there is an understanding of Western Mass. and the issues," Royal said of Healey. (Above) HCC criminal justice professor Alex Sanchez, left; attorney general Maura Healey, center; and President Christina Royal, at HCC in 2019.
Medal Matters
Two members of the HCC Campus Police Department recently received medals from Chief Dale Brown, one upon retirement, for serving honorably for more than three decades and another for actions taken in the line of duty. Police officer Richard Wheeler was recognized with a medal for honorable service. He began his police career at HCC on March 28, 1989, retiring in November after 33 ½ years. Sgt Jacqueline Robles received a medal of merit for putting out a on the third floor of the Fine and Performing Arts building. Taking quick and decisive action, her citation says, Sgt. Robles used a fire extinguisher to douse the flames, an action that saved the building from further damage and possibly saved the lives of the building occupants. Sergeant Robles action on this day brought great credit to herself, Holyoke Community College, and the state of Massachusetts." (Above, Sgt. Jacqueline Robles, left, and now-retired officer Richard Wheeler.)
Their Writing on the Wall
Three students from HCC's Introduction to Creative Writing class recently attended Westfield State University's end-of-semester conference in their Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity. The CURCA event follows the model of formal academic conferences, with presenters, events, and posters displaying participants' work. HCC students Shonique' Nichols, Charlie Mark, and Cassandra Cook attended with their professor Dave Champoux, HCC's creative writing advisor. Each student displayed a poster with a poem they'd written for the "Wall of Words" event alongside dozens of other from WSU students. Nichols and Cook performed at the CURCA spoken word open mic. "Wall of Words was such a wonderful experience. I was very excited about the opportunity, and being there, seeing other writers' works and having that chance to talk about my own was so much fun," said Cook. "I met many lovely people." This was WSU's first fully in-person CURCA event since the pandemic - and the first time HCC students participated. "This was a life-changing experience for me," said Nichols. "I have never been able to stand in front of a crowd and recite my poetry and have it on display for all to see. Wall of Words gave that all to me in one moment. It was the most magnificent moment in my life and I will always be thankful for that opportunity." (Above: HCC students Cassandra Cook, Shonique' Nichols, and Charlie Mark stand in front of their poems at Westfield State University.)
