Jonathan Jasmin
"As student trustee it seemed like I would have a pretty big voice, because you're sitting there with people who actually run the college, and you're a voting member. You have the exact same say as they do. I like that."
Jonathan Jasmin is a mechanical engineering major at HCC, vice president of the HCC Military Club, a member of the National Guard and this year's student trustee.
Hometown:
Westfield
HCC Major:
Mechanical Engineering
What appeals to you about your major?
I guess I've always had an aptitude for it. Seeing how motion works and how previous engineers have solved problems by their designs, seeing all the different types of joints, different bearings and types of designs other engineers have used, like a frictionless bearing, or some type of moving part that has less resistance. Seein how those kind of things developed is really interesting to me, and how it all fits together and how that can be applied.
Campus activities:
HCC student trustee (2017-2018); Student Senate (Fall 2017); vice president, HCC Military Club; member, HCC Veterans Committee
Employment:
I work at Marcotte Ford in Holyoke. I take pictures of their inventory. They joke around and call me lead photographer, cause there's nobody else. I'm also a member of the National Guard. I spent six weeks this summer on Cape Cod, two for regular drilling, learning how to tie and secure sling loads to helicopters. I also spent four weeks at air assault school, repelling from helicopters.
Other interests:
Cars. My dad and I have been working on cars a little bit. We've been building a '69 Ford Fairlane for me for a while. We've been woriing on that, and we just got the motor back, and we're gonna redo the heads adn put it all together. We just love to rebuild and work on cars. We have a lot of cars sitting around in various states of repair, probably around 12.
What do you drive now?
2005 GT Mustang
What brought you to HCC?
After high school I spent nine months in Missouri for basic training for the National Guard. Originally, after I came back, I wanted to go to UMass but I missed the application deadline. I was going to stay here at HCC for one semester and then go to UMass, but I decided to stay here instead for the spring semester and I'm back now for my second year. I like this school. It's convenient and easy for me to get to. And I've gotten to know a lot of professors personally, and I like that it's a little smaller.
What's your favorite thing about HCC?
I've got say how easy it is to get help. If I was struggling in any of my classes, I know where my professors are and when they're available. All the teachers I've had so far have really gone out of the way to help me, and I don't feel like I would have gotten that in a big lecture hall.
What's been your favorite class so far?
I think I've got to say macro-economics, with professor Jessica Hill. I loved learning how GDP is actually calculated, and we ended up doing projects on what actually helps and hurts the stock market. For my project, I analyzed the Great Depression and the stock market crash that caused it. I found that very interesting.
Why did you want to be HCC's Student Trustee?
Well, Student Activities coordinator Liz Golen recommended it to me and said it would be a good fit for me and then I kind of shadowed Teddy McCormick, last year's Student Trustee, and learned what the Student Trustee does. I was very interested in it and seemed like I would have a pretty big voice because you're sitting there with people who actually run the college and you're a voting member. You have the exact same say as they do. I like that.
What's been your most meaningful experience at HCC?
Raising money for local veterans groups as a member of the HCC Military Club.
What's the most important thing you learned at HCC?
You have to study a lot more than you did in high school.
Why is education important to you?
I feel like I'm bettering myself and I'm opening up more doors for myself down the road, and it will help me do what I want to in the future.
Where are you planning to go after HCC?
UMass-Amherst to study engineering.
What is your career plan?
I'd like to design new cars. That would be a dream of mine. I also want to do ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) at UMass and become an officer in the U.S. Army. I might want to go active duty for a time as a full-time job.
