MWCC e-News

March 31, 2015

In This Issue
Student Veteran Wins National Essay Contest, Seat Among the VIPS at Kennedy Institute Dedication
Student Leader John Day Receives National Newman Civic Fellows Award
Student Trustee Phillip Stan Named National Coca-Cola Scholar
MWCC Implements Lean Green Belt Practices College-Wide
MWCC Receives $198,400 College Access Challenge Grant to Continue Regional Program
Area High School Juniors Show #Grit
MWCC Mentors Honored During Women's History Month
Upcoming Events
Join Our Mailing List!
Quick Links
Student Veteran Wins National Essay Contest, Seat Among the VIPs at Kennedy Institute Dedication
MWCC student Aaron Trudeau with VP Joe Biden
Aaron Trudeau with VP Biden

MWCC student Aaron Trudeau was among a select group of VIPs invited to join President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama and other national leaders in Boston for the March 30 dedication of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate.


The 23-year-old Liberal Arts Biological Sciences major and Marine Corps veteran was one of 50 college students selected to attend after winning a national essay contest.


"Attending the event was a great honor," said Trudeau, who wore his dress military uniform and received a personal "challenge coin" from Vice President Biden. 

 

Trudeau became a finalist in the essay competition after describing what community service meant to him and explaining why he wanted to attend the ceremony.


"I wrote about how 9/11 impacted my life, and how it was the driving force behind me becoming a Marine. I then went on to talk about how I still felt I had much more to do for my country and community. I still feel and believe that I have a duty and an obligation to my community. It is my belief that without community service, our societies and communities would fall apart. It gives you a different perspective, allows you to be more knowledgeable and aware of the community around us, as well as bring us closer together as a community."

  

Read more

Student Leader John Day Receives National Newman Civic Fellows Award

MWCC student leader John Day has been presented with Campus Compact's national 2015 Newman Civic Fellows Award for his dedication and commitment to serving others. The Gardner resident currently serves as an AmeriCorps VISTA, dedicated to working with community partners to provide quality service learning and civic learning opportunities for MWCC students. Among numerous activities, he is treasurer and past vice president of the MWCC Student Government Association, is president of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and is a founding member of the Students Serving Our Students (SOS) peer advocacy program.

 

Read more

Student Trustee Phillip Stan Named National Coca-Cola Scholar
MWCC Student Trustee Phillip Stan has been named a 2015 Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Bronze Scholar. The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation recognized 150 students out of 1,700 applicants. Stan was awarded a $1,000 scholarship and a medallion. The Gardner resident is majoring in Liberal Arts with a concentration in music. After graduating from MWCC this May, he plans to continue for his bachelor's and master's degrees and pursue a career as a music therapist working with children with autism and other special needs
.
  
MWCC Implements Lean Green Belt Practices College-Wide

Seventeen MWCC employees recently received Lean Green Belt Certification to help streamline operations college-wide. Lean training teaches participants to examine how they do things with an eye toward identifying ways to achieve greater efficiency, eliminate waste and streamline processes for more efficient and cost effective outcomes. The goal is to build a solid foundation for a culture of continuous improvement, said President Asquino. "This training will prove to be quite valuable for the college and our students." 

 

Read more

 MWCC Receives $198,400 College Access Challenge Grant to Continue Regional Program

MWCC was awarded a $198,400 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Education to continue the North Central Massachusetts College Access Challenge Grant program. The college's Division of Access & Transition launched the regional program in 2011. The program provides low-income, minority or first-generation high school students and college freshmen with tools and support services to help them persist and succeed in college. Partnering high schools include: Athol, Fitchburg, Gardner, Leominster, Ralph C. Mahar Regional, Murdock, and the Sizer School.

 

Read more

Area High School Juniors Show #Grit
Two hundred area high school juniors were welcomed to MWCC's annual Juniors Symposium to gain insight into applying to colleges and universities, seeking financial aid and scholarships and related topics to help them succeed. Students from Athol, Gardner, Fitchburg, Murdock, Mahar and the Sizer School attend the half-day forums, held March 17 and 19 at the Gardner campus.
  
MWCC Mentors Honored During Women's History Month

MWCC faculty and staff members who play an instrumental role in the lives of our students were recognized during the college's annual Women's Appreciation Day on March 26. For the past several years, students in Professor Susan Goldstein's Journalism I class interview and write feature articles on women who are making a difference in the lives of others for the Women's HerStory Project.

 

Read more

Upcoming Events
  • Job Fair: April 1
  • Culture Fest: April 7
  • Open House: April 9
  • PTK Character Breakfast: April 11

For information about upcoming events, click here.

 

To submit to the MWCC e-News and MWCC NewsCenter, or to request coverage for your event, contact the Division of Marketing and Communications.
  
Janice O'Connor
Director of Public Relations
Mount Wachusett Community College
978-630-9547