Lindsey Curole

Lindsey Curole had two concerns when she sat down with an enrollment counselor at Northern Essex — earning a science degree and being able to transfer it to a four-year institution. After a quick conversation, Lindsey learned she could earn an associate degree in lab science, a high-demand degree, and transfer seamlessly to UMass Lowell under a transfer agreement between the schools.

Sure enough, the now 28-year-old Merrimac resident graduated with an Associate of Science Degree in Applied Science and is enrolled in UMass Lowell’s Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science.

A New Orleans native, Lindsey came to Massachusetts after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina. She arrived with a semester of courses and the desire to study science.

“When I learned about the Lab Science Program I knew it was what I wanted,” she says. “It was hands on and wellrounded. I knew I wanted to work in a lab, but didn’t know what kind of degree I needed. This was it.”

After completing an internship with a global company, Charm Sciences in Lawrence, she was hired as a part-time quality control technician. Lindsey still works for the diagnostic test company.

“The program is excellent.” she says. “You are extremely well prepared for the workplace. You hone those hands-on technical skills that are so important.”

Lindsey says she found assistance at NECC at every turn — from the enrollment staff who helped her identify a science program, to the professors who encouraged and guided her, to the PACE staff who helped her apply for scholarships that fully funded her UMass tuition.

“I am so glad I attended Northern Essex,” she says. “It was one of the best decisions I ever made.”