Posts published in “Profiles”

(Archive May 2016) Catching Up: An Interview with Jasson Alvarado-Gomez (Part 2)

By editorialteam on August 30, 2024

By John Mossey | Editor-in-Chief

Jasson is the Student Trustee and Student Member on the Board of Higher Education for 2016-2017
Courtesy of Jasson Alvarado-Gomez

JM: What were you able to accomplish this semester? Things you were proud of, things you didn’t expect to accomplish but did?

JA: There are many things that I wasn’t expecting. One thing was my movie. I just wanted to get it done, I wasn’t planning to have a movie premier or to have a big event, but it just happened. About a month ago, people were telling me, “We want to see the movie, we want to see the movie.” So I decided to make the event, and now it’s happening. That’s one of the things that I’m really proud of. But also, I became the Student Trustee for next year and I was also selected to be on the board of Higher Education for 2016-2017. read more

(Archive April 2016) Leaving it All Behind, Part I: Growing Up a Jehovah’s Witness

By editorialteam on August 27, 2024

By Jamie Parker | News Editor

They come to every neighborhood now and then, knocking on your door, and then asking if you have accepted the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now we all have different reactions to this question. Some of us are polite and honest, some are rude, and others lie to get the process over with. But what we never really consider is, what it is like to be on the other side of that situation. Well over this spring break I interviewed my cousin, Anessa – an ex-Jehovah’s Witness – about what it was like to be part of a religion that not only is so involved with how their message gets across, but also how different it was to be raised in that type of environment. However during our interview, I found out much more than that. I found out what it was like to be raised in a very isolated, strict, and overall suffocating environment, and what it is like to leave something like that. read more

(Archive April 2016) Profiling: Heather Conn

By editorialteam on August 27, 2024

Making Science Fun

By Andrew Hoenig | Assistant Editor

Photo courtesy of Heather Conn

Gardner, Mass. – Professor of Sciences Heather Conn is looking to make learning science fun for students at Mount Wachusett Community College by bringing a young and energetic teaching style.

Conn, 43, has been a professor at the Mount for almost 11 years teaching a wide variety of sciences on campus including Anatomy I and II, Physiology I and II, Environmental Chemistry, Life Sciences for Allied Health, Geology, and Paleontology.

“I like being a jack of all trades,” said Conn. read more

(Archive April 2016) Catching Up With John Little

By editorialteam on August 27, 2024

By Jason Greenough | Arts & Entertainment Editor

MRT Students! You’re going to want to read this! We caught up awhile back with John Little, the super chilled-out Audio Professor and Department chair that has been showing you cool microphones and sound stuff for the past 11 years. We talked about a bunch of cool stuff, so take a look and find out what John had to say about his musical and audio genesis, and his time at the Mount!

Q: What got you started in the Audio Production field?

A: “[I was a drummer] in high school. Someone said to me, ‘hey, you’re getting pretty good, so if you’re serious about this, you should go to this thing they do at UNH in the summer for high school kids,’ and it was a two-week intensive college course for music, tailored for high school kids. It was there that I discovered Pro Audio. They taught a course in it, and as soon as I saw it, I said ‘this is for me,’ and never looked back.” read more

(Archive April 2016) Geocaching

By editorialteam on August 27, 2024

By Jillian Manty | Observer Contributor

It all started with a push of a button. A simple download of an app.

My first “cache” was on a rainy spring night last year. My boyfriend, Luke, and I had just gotten out of work and decided to check out this new app I had downloaded. We opened it up and realized there was a cache hidden right down the road from us, so we took off and arrived at the Hannaford parking lot in Orange.

Upon arrival, my GPS said we were within 30 feet of the cache. We slid down the muddy embankment and found the cache in the base of the tree. Feeling a rush of excitement, we took the cache back to my car to open our find. There was a log book that we signed and neat knick-knacks inside. This was the beginning to our Geocache addiction. read more

(Archive February 2016) SGA at MWCC

By editorialteam on August 22, 2024

By Andrew Hoenig | Assistant Editor

Gardner, Mass. – The Student Government Association (SGA) at the Mount is an elected group of students who represent the students’ interests to the college’s administration.

But in a recent survey done on campus regarding the general knowledge and impact of the SGA, a theme seemed to appear.

Many of the students answered these three words on at least one of three questions, “I don’t know”. In fact, 90% of the students who participated in the survey had little to no knowledge on what the SGA does for students and the school, what clubs it has organized on campus, and what impact it has on the students themselves directly. read more

(Archive February 2016) The Garrison Center

By editorialteam on August 22, 2024

By Yaritza Miranda | Observer Contributor

Mural done by Maureen Provost and staff.
Courtesy photo / Yarizta Miranda

For those of you that don’t know what the Garrison Center is, it’s a preschool program for students and teachers to tend to their classes and do their labs for the Early Childcare Major.

Students are able to have their children attend the center while they attend class themselves at MWCC. The center is also open to the public. Children must be 2.9 – 5 years of age to attend.

Maureen Provost is an Associate Professor, and the Liaison at the Garrison Center. She has worked at the center for 10 years and has been at the college for 20 years. She has been an adjunct faculty member for her first 10 years at MWCC. She has an educational background of Bachelor of Arts, Elementary, and Early Childcare, Fine Arts at Trinity College in Burlington, VT and Master of Science in Education from University of New England in Biddeford, ME. She also taught in schools of South America and is bilingual. This inspired her to come to the U.S and teach here. read more

(Archive December 2011) What TRiO Programs Are For

By editorialteam on August 21, 2024

By Alison Griffin | Observer Contributor

Gaurav Khanna, director of the Trio organization at Mount Wachusett Community College said he Trio Program consists of three sects: Upward Bound, Talent Search, and Visions. Visions, in co-ordinance with the Trio program, was created in 1965 under the Johnson Presidency. It is designed to help students succeed despite their disabilities and financial shortcomings.

Admittance into the program requires at least one of the following criteria: students must be a first generation college student, have a disability, or be in poor financial standing. Although many of this applies to students at the Mount, space is limited. Mr. Khanna said, “All funding comes from the Federal Government.” read more

(Archive December 2011) Student Profile: Ben Buckland – Horse Trainer

By editorialteam on August 21, 2024

By Luiz Arduini | Observer Contributor

All photos by Luiz Arduini

The air is a bit cool and the skies are clear, it’s a sunny fall afternoon at Crimson Acres Equestrian Center in Orange, Massachusetts. Known for its various services in the field of horseback riding, the place welcomes many visitors daily, from riders to horse owners and enthusiasts.

Ben Buckland, a student at Mount Wachusett Community College, has a horse trainer’s apprentice at Crimson Acres for three years. His past at Crimson Acres stretch back to when he was only twelve years old. read more

(Archive December 2011) Student Profile: Nathan Bixby – PRIDE Member

By editorialteam on August 21, 2024

By Nicole Hilerio | Observer Contributor

When Nathan Bixby, a Communications Major focusing in audio, came to Mount Wachusett Community College he immediately began looking into LGBT organizations on campus. He came across People Rising In Defense of Everyone (PRIDE).

Suicide rates are rising amongst LGBT teens. As the nation becomes more proactive in the fight against bullying and cyber bullying, people are finding ways to help support those who are victimized. PRIDE is the place to go for those who want to make a difference or need a helping hand on campus. read more