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Posts published in “Profiles”

Profile: Arlo Caisse

By editorialteam on November 19, 2023

Gateway Student Talks ‘Opportunity’ and Community at the Mount

By Elysian Alder | Editor-in-Chief

Arlo Caisse has been one of Mount Wachusett Community College’s many dual enrollment students since they started the Gateway to College program in the fall of 2022, when they were just 16 years old. “I was homeschooled my whole life up until I started here at MWCC as a Gateway student,” said Caisse. Both Caisse and their sister are first-generation college students, and their sister is a former Gateway student herself. “My sister was the biggest reason I chose to go to college. I wanted to learn, and I needed to learn some important things…things I could have learned at home, but my sister encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and try something new.” read more

Profile: Khygann Hobbs

By editorialteam on October 18, 2023

Student, Writer, Self-Advocate, Lover of Halloween

By Desiree Leader | Observer Contributor

Khygann Hobbs, a 23-year-old student from Holden, Massachusetts, studies professional writing at Mount Wachusett Community College. With an interest in creative writing, especially the horror genre, there are many things that set Hobbs apart from the average student—not the least of which is her candor regarding her journey with autism. Hobbs relays how neurodiversity need not hinder you from following your dreams and is a living example of what can be achieved with an incredible attitude, a supportive family, and a lot of hard work. read more

Profile: Kerrie Griffin

By editorialteam on September 20, 2023

MWCC Professor Shares her Passion for Psychology

By Isabelle Mascary | Observer Contributor

Assistant Professor of Psychology & Human Services Kerrie Griffin has been teaching at the Mount since 2008. Her greatest passions involve socialization, advising, and helping her students grow, often drawing on her own experiences to do so.

Griffin attended the University of New Hampshire, where she obtained an undergraduate degree in psychology and a graduate degree in counseling. “I went back for a second degree because I was comfortable there and had such a great undergraduate experience,” she shared. read more

Profile: Candace Shivers

By editorialteam on May 18, 2023

Professor Talks Leadership, Social Justice, and Empowerment

By Isabelle Mascary | Editor-in-Chief

Photo courtesy MWCC

Candace Shivers, a seasoned professor with nineteen years of experience at the Mount, started as an adjunct in 2003 and became a full-time professor in the following year, teaching Sociology, human resources, and psychology classes. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science from American International College, as well as a Master’s degree from Assumption College. As a member of the Union and Board of Directors of the National Education Association, the largest labor local in the United States, she is deeply committed to her profession. What she enjoys most about being an educator is engaging with her students and having conversations about current issues. “I enjoy the process of learning together, and if I could just be in front of the class, having these conversations, I would be happy,” she said. read more

Overcoming Adversity

By editorialteam on May 18, 2023

Observer’s Incoming Editor-in-Chief Shares Journey of
Self-Discovery and Creativity

By Isabelle Mascary | Editor-in-Chief

Photo by Elysian Alder

Elysian Alder is twenty-six years old and began their journey at the Mount in the fall of 2022. She’s currently a professional writing major and the upcoming editor-in-chief. Her pronouns are: they/them, she/her or anything used with respect.

After a year of soul-searching, extensive research, and surrounding herself with more LGBTQIA+ people, Alder began her transition on July 16th, 2021. “It began with me exploring my non-binary identity, and then, while researching for a transgender character I was writing – and still am writing – it all clicked for me,” she explained. During the process, and after feeling uncomfortable with her given name, she chose her own name: Elysian. Derived from a concept in Greek mythology, the name means “a place or state of ideal happiness.” read more

‘This is Me Giving Back’

By editorialteam on April 12, 2023

Assistant Dean of Students Sabine Dupoux Shines Light on Her Journey as a First Generation College Student

By Isabelle Mascary | Editor-in-Chief

Photo by Sabine Dupoux

In the midst of the pandemic two and a half years ago, Sabine Dupoux became the Assistant Dean of Students at the Leominster campus and has been a part of the Mount family ever since. She is a first generation Haitian-American graduate with her Master’s degree in Business Administration. 

She oversees the food pantry in Gardner and Leominster and also oversees the management operations of the Leominster building to ensure safety for faculty, staff and students. “My role is to ensure that students are successful inside and outside of the classroom,” she said.  read more

Profile: Gail Steele

By editorialteam on April 12, 2023

Theater at the Mount Director Gail Steele Emphasizes the Importance of Community in Theater Arts

By Isabelle Mascary | Editor-in-Chief

Photo courtesy of MWCC

Gail Steele has been a part of the Mount community since 1977. She grew up in Lawrence, Massachusetts and received her undergraduate degree at Bridgewater State College.

She got her master’s at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Although she has always had a love for theater arts, it isn’t where she began her journey. “I was more towards communications because I wasn’t confident that I could have a career in theater,” she explained. “So I hedged my bets to focus more on communications. But I always had my hand in theater. I’m a good organizer. That’s what running a theater is all about.” read more

Profile: Kara Roche

By editorialteam on April 12, 2023

MWCC Associate Professor of English and Speech Provides
a Lesson in Chasing Your Passions

By Elysian Alder | Assistant Editor

Photo by Kara Roche

Associate Professor of English and Speech Kara Roche has been working at the Mount since 2007, and although English and teaching are two of her greatest passions, it’s the people – the community – that fill her with so much love for the college. Reflecting back on the journey she’s had to get to this point, Roche said, “Now I get to teach my two loves here: English classes filled with poetry and Shakespeare and speech classes. How lucky am I? My road taken turned out pretty well.” read more

Sue Goldstein: Driving Force for Journalism

By editorialteam on March 10, 2023

The Mount Observer Sits Down with Its Previous Faculty Adviser

By Isabelle Mascary | Editor-in-Chief

In her twenty years at MWCC, Sue Goldstein successfully re-started the student newspaper and became a beloved professor and mentor to many students. In 2022, she retired from MWCC, but her legacy remains. As a woman of many hats and a great contributor to the college, Goldstein still teaches online courses. “I’m still teaching a few classes, such as college writing one and college writing two online.”

            It might come as a surprise to many that this popular professor didn’t even get into journalism until about 1977, and she began her teaching profession in 2003. “They were kind of two separate things. I never envisioned myself teaching,” she explained, continuing to state that she didn’t start teaching until she was in her forties. read more

Women at The Mount Profile: Ann Reynolds

By editorialteam on March 10, 2023

By Isabelle Mascary | Editor-in-Chief

Ann Reynolds is the Academic Disability Counselor and Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) advisor at the Mount. She works primarily with student-parents and students with disabilities. She also oversees the child watch program on campus. Prior to moving to the United States thirty years ago and joining the Mount Community, Reynolds lived in England. 

Before college, Reynolds was a stay-at-home mom. “I was a substitute teacher in a very past life, pre-children. I used to decorate windows in England as well.” read more