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Posts published in “Profiles”

Student Profile: Dakota Potter

By editorialteam on November 1, 2024

By Desiree Leader | Staff Writer

Dakota Potter, a 29-year-old Liberal Arts Major from Keene, New Hampshire is not your average community college student. Potter, in his last semester at the Mount, will be graduating in May. He will be transferring to Bridgewater State University for the spring semester, where he was recently accepted into their Archeological program; but that is not what makes him different from your traditional college student.

Potter has a gift for the English language – a gift he has been nurturing since he was just a child. “I got my start when I was really young,” he reflected, mentioning that he was quite a precocious reader. At just five years old, he was reading (and comprehending!) the Harry Potter book series, and he started writing stories when he was eight or nine. “They weren’t very good,” Potter admitted, ”but I had the passion for it.” read more

‘It Was Horrible!’

By editorialteam on November 1, 2024

Thackery Binx Remembers Life as a Cursed 300-Year-Old Black Cat

By Desiree Leader | Staff Writer

Image copyright Walt Disney Pictures

Thackery Binx, a 312-year-old Salem resident, is a hero in every sense of the word. Waking on a cold October morning 300 years ago to the sound of his beloved sister Emily being abducted, he followed discreetly behind to the home of the Sanderson Sisters, known throughout town as being witches.

“It was terrible!” he declared. “Their house smelled like chicken soup and dead man’s toes!”

Binx retells the tale he has shared for 300 years to anyone who will listen. He shares how he was discovered by the Sandersons when the middle sister, Mary, caught his scent. “It was uncanny, the way she was able to sniff out children – I’ve never seen anything like it!” read more

Learning Lessons Harsh and Beautiful

By editorialteam on October 23, 2024

Student Profile: Regulo Moreno

By Wayne Jurgeleit | Observer Contributor

Photo courtesy of Regulo Moreno

One can Google terms like “global citizen” to find eloquent descriptions of those who are inquisitive about human cultures, economies, and environments, and how they are all interconnected, transcending arbitrary boundaries. Similarly, “lifelong learner” refers to someone dedicated to acquiring knowledge and skills—both personally and professionally—throughout their lifetime to improve their own life and the lives of others. To meet Regulo Moreno is to know someone who truly exemplifies these ideals. read more

Stealing the Show in Steel Magnolias: Melissa Gates

By editorialteam on September 30, 2024

By Jordan Chila | Editor in Chief

Melissa Gates
Photo Provided by Gail Steele

Melissa Gates is a theater enthusiast whose love for the theater has recently pushed her to obtain one of the leading roles in the upcoming production of Steel Magnolias, set to hit the stage on October 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, and 13th, 2024. She hails from Fitchburg Massachusetts and graduated high school in 2000. Gates also enjoys her work as a paraprofessional in elementary education and spends her leisure time performing in her band, hiking, and attending local shows. Although she arrived at the Mount in the spring of 2024 to begin her academic journey, Gates has been a part of the Theatre at the Mount community since she was a girl. read more

How One Local Non-Profit is Tackling Food Insecurity

By editorialteam on September 30, 2024

By Mayra Alaniz Andrade | Observer Contributor

Image from Facebook

According to Allison Goodwin, Operations Director at Gaining Ground, a nonprofit organic farm in Concord, MA, “About one in five Massachusetts households is experiencing food insecurity, which is really staggering.” Gaining Ground has been working to address the area’s increasing food insecurity for the past seven years by donating free, sustainable, organic produce to local residents.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, 44.2 million Americans lived in food-insecure households in 2022, with 12.8% of residents lacking consistent access to sufficient food, up from 10.2% the previous year. read more

The Creative Art of Gary Brayboy

By editorialteam on September 30, 2024

By Princess Yeboah | Assistant Editor

Gary T. Brayboy, a student at MWCC, possesses a creative and intriguing talent for photography. After a breakup and losing his job left him at a crossroads, Brayboy decided to come to the Mount to “reboot his life.” Determined to turn life’s lemons into lemonade, he is now studying video production. With his degree, he hopes to become either a colorist for film or a camera operator. Having a background as a DJ for many years, Brayboy also plans to expand into videography services and eventually start his own production company. As an African-American artist, Brayboy aims to express himself through photographic means. read more

(Archive May 2017) Mount Professor Helps Bring Awareness to Mental Health Issues

By editorialteam on September 10, 2024

By Micah Clark | Observer Contributor

Source: courtesy Nathan Daviss, https://www.flickr.com/photos/faxpilot/6984844254

Professor of Psychology and Human Services, Sheila Murphy and her students, recently set up informational display tables as part of a Mental Health Awareness Campaign. The display tables highlight specific events that take place multiple times a year and are meant to focus on specific issues. At every event, students from Professor Murphy’s Abnormal Psychology class set up a presentation dedicated to bringing awareness to mental health issues and to encourage individuals not to stigmatize people who suffer from them.  read more

(Archive May 2017) Find Unique Items at Rietta Ranch This Summer!

By editorialteam on September 10, 2024

By Micah Clark | Observer Contributor

A row of vendors at Rietta Ranch Flea Market
Source: http://riettafleamarket.com/vendor-information/

On April 2nd, Rietta Ranch opened for the year after its winter break; this large and popular flea market has a large assortment of vendors attracting shoppers from all around. Located at 183 Gardner road along route 68 in Hubbardston, this flea market is one of the largest in the North East. 

As a flea market, it is like an organized mass garage sale, which accounts for variety and maybe rarity of the things you can find. You really don’t know what you might find because anybody can rent a table and sell old stuff like at a garage sale. Many tables sell things that are decades old, and seeing these vintage items can give you a little look into the past, and can be a nostalgia trip if it’s something from your own history. You may find tables that have an assortment of comic books from the 70s that you can purchase for fifty cents each.  read more

(Archive April 2017) Full-Time Student Juggles Full-Time Job and Social Life

By editorialteam on September 10, 2024

By Brianna Stevens | Observer Contributor

Just as many other college students, Tristen LaClair, 20, a graphic design major at MWCC, struggles with balancing a full-time job and being a full-time student.

 “I almost failed a class last semester because I was so over-worked,” LaClair recalled.        

He explained that he worked as a Food Service Aide at Heywood Hospital, and the kitchen has been so short staffed for so long, that he has had to work over 40 hours each week. He said he managed to pull his grades up in time to pass his classes, but by the skin of his teeth.  read more

(Archive April 2017) Adjunct Professor Gets Master’s Degree Working and Parenting Full-Time

By editorialteam on September 10, 2024

By Jennifer Ballou | Observer Contributor

Laura Rosmond

Going for a Master’s degree while teaching high school, and with three young children at home, is not something that many people would consider doing. But for Laura Rosmond, she did what she had to.

When Rosmond was young, she had big dreams of being able to go into the medical field and find the cure for AIDS. Medical technologist, nurse, aide, whatever it took, she was going to solve the world’s biggest problem.

But life happens, and Rosmond had her first child before attending college. She made the sensible decision to put the plan to cure AIDS on hold and make sure that her family was taken care of first. She decided to still go into biology but realized that if she couldn’t solve everything, maybe she could help teach others so that they might.  read more