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Posts tagged as “college life”

Kourtney Tibbets

By editorialteam on March 22, 2024

Empowering Education Through IT and Grit

By Kent Yang | Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Kourtney Tibbets

Kourtney Tibbets, an extremely motivated Computer Information System student at Mount Wachusett Community College, is driven by her overwhelming passion for the IT industry and education sector. Tibbets is a dual enrollment student, also attending Southern New Hampshire University in addition to the Mount.

She hails from southern New Hampshire and has an incredibly diverse heritage stemming from Northern Europe and Nigeria. “I have been to the United Kingdom but looking forward to exploring both Europe and Nigeria,” she said. “I am excited to learn more of my heritage! I was proud to learn that [my great-great-great grandfather] also fought in the Civil War for the Union Army. It is amazing to be able to connect my heritage to a specific time in American history.” read more

Katy Houghton

By editorialteam on March 22, 2024

Maybe She’s Born with It, Maybe It’s Neighbelline

By Lindsay Mahoney | Observer Contributor

Photo courtesy of Katy Houghton

“I love getting lost in my little fantasy worlds, I just start writing, and I melt away. I just feel like this is my home,” said Katy Houghton, a first-year student in the Professional Writing track at the Mount. Like many students, Houghton juggles work, school, and her personal life. A typical week for her includes working a physically demanding overnight shift at an Amazon warehouse from 1:30 am to 9:00 am. Afterward, she attends school in the afternoon, completes her homework, and repeats the cycle for the entire week. read more

Martha Morris

By editorialteam on March 22, 2024

History Professor and World Traveler

By Amal Elkhoury | Observer Contributor

Martha Morris, an adjunct history professor at Mount Wachusett Community College and Berkshire Community College, is currently teaching three history courses across both institutions. She holds a bachelor’s degree in History with a minor in Geography from the University of Washington and earned an MSc and an MPhil in Economic History from the London School of Economics (LSE). “LSE was my first choice for graduate school because I wanted to focus on the British industrial revolution and the earlier period of import substitution,” said Morris. read more

Supporting Every Student

By editorialteam on February 23, 2024

Senior Mental Health Counselor Leeanne Hadsel’s Commitment to Student Wellness

By Elysian Alder | Editor-in-Chief

Leeanne Hadsel stepped into the role of mental health counselor at Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) in the fall semester of last year, following a vacancy left by the previous counselor’s departure in the spring semester. With over a decade of experience in behavioral health and a background in trauma-informed care, Hadsel brings not only a wealth of knowledge in her field but also a special connection to the Mount, considering it an integral part of her personal success. Having taken classes at MWCC in the past to complete her remaining credits after experiencing difficulty at a traditional 4-year school, Hadsel stated,“The Mount provided the very-needed second chance to believe in myself and my desire to be educated. It was such a privilege that opened up a lot of doors for me. So I’m excited to become a member of the community again and work with students that have faced adversity and are trying to educate themselves and better their lives.” read more

Let’s Go on a Trip

By editorialteam on February 23, 2024

MWCC Prepares for Upcoming School Trip to Iceland

By Katie Holgerson | Observer Contributor

Have you ever wondered what studying abroad opportunities MWCC has to offer for its students? Well, this year students at MWCC have begun to prepare for their upcoming trip to Iceland in May 2024. Students will leave on May 16th and stay in Iceland until the 23rd. This trip is organized by Professors Michelle Valois and Heather Conn, who have planned an exciting and fulfilling experience for the students.

This will be the second year that MWCC has offered the Iceland trip. Discussing the inspiration behind choosing Iceland as the destination, Valois explained, “I was with Professor Conn at the meeting, and she teaches geology, and I love mythology. And I don’t know who said it first. I think she said, ‘I’ve always wanted to go to Iceland,’ and I said, ‘Oh my God, I’d love to teach about Norse mythology.'” Students had the opportunity to enroll in a course taught by Valois and Conn, focusing on Iceland, its geological structures, its history, and its mythological views. This course serves as a foundation for students before going on the trip. read more

Thinking About Taking a Hiatus from Your Education?

By editorialteam on February 23, 2024

By Lexi Gallagher | Observer Contributor

Studies show that approximately 40% of college students do not complete college within six years. Many students take breaks, change paths, take a gap year, or otherwise decide to take time away from pursuing higher education.

Mount Wachusett Community College student Destiny Grimes, along with many other students across America, decided to put her education on pause for a handful of reasons. “I took a break after the winter semester when my grandmother passed away because it was really hard on my mom,” said Grimes. “I wanted to give my mom the time and space to grieve, so I started working full-time to help support and take care of our family.” read more

Your Head’s in the Game

By editorialteam on February 23, 2024

Princess Yeboah’s Success

By Jordan Chila | Observer Contributor

Photo courtesy of Princess Yeboah

Princess Yeboah arrived at the Mount in the fall semester of 2023 with the tough decision to make about whether she wanted to pursue a creative future in writing or a clinical career in nursing. Yeboah grew up in Baldwinsville and attended Monty Tech in Westminster for high school. Yeboah, a basketball enthusiast and person of faith, made her family very proud when she graduated in the spring of 2023. Initially, she had a strong desire to join their health technologies program; however, Yeboah ultimately ended up taking business technology. read more

CES 2024: Coding Simplified

By editorialteam on February 23, 2024

By Kent Yang | Staff Writer

Kicking off this year is the biggest tech event of the year, CES 2024, also known as the Consumer Electronics Show. CES is an annual trade show typically held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, featuring the latest advancements in consumer technology. It all began in 1967 in New York City when organizers held the first CES. Among the 200 exhibitors were notable attractions such as pocket radios and TVs with integrated circuits, which were groundbreaking at the time and contributed to drawing in over 17,000 attendees. Since then, the CES has continued to serve as a global stage for innovation. read more

Profile: Puneet Kumar

By editorialteam on November 19, 2023

A Journey of Determination from India to the USA

By Kent Yang | Observer Staff Writer

Within the diverse cultures of Mount Wachusett Community College is Puneet Kumar, a 19-year-old biology major. One year ago, when he was just 18 years old, Kumar left his home in Punjab, India and started his journey to America, bringing with him not just his cherished cultural heritage but also his profound determination to achieve his dreams of becoming a doctor, more specifically: a neurosurgeon. Kumar has always wanted to be a doctor, explaining that his reasons were “ … not just for a good standard or passion but also for love and better understanding for the people I treat. I chose neuroscience because the brain has the most complex structures which runs the whole body … I just wanted to learn the complexities of the brain and spinal cord to fulfill my dream.” read more

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