Johnathan Paulino is the recipient of the NECC Alumni Award for Outstanding Student Achievement and the Male Athlete of the Year Award.

Recent Northern Essex Community College graduate Johnathan Paulino of Lawrence, is the recipient of the NECC Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievement from the NECC Alumni Association as well as the NECC Male Athlete of the Year Award .

The Alumni Award is given to a graduating student who has distinguished her or himself through academic achievement and involvement in either campus activities or community service.

Paulino, who graduated Saturday, May 21, with honors with an Associate in Science Business Transfer degree, served for two years as the captain of the NECC men’s basketball team.

The Male Athlete of the Year Award is a student-athlete award that is presented to an individual who has attended NECC for two years, holds at least a 3.0 GPA, and has demonstrated leadership and athletic ability.

A first-generation college student, Paulino  was a member of the Pathways to Academic and Career Excellence (PACE) Program, Alpha Beta Gamma, the community college business honor society, and a regular to the NECC dean’s list.

“Johnathan is a bright, motivated, humble young man. As a first generation college student, he has overcome many obstacles and challenges to get to where he is today,” wrote Kristen Arnold, PACE Transfer Adviser, who nominated Paulino for the Outstanding Student Award. “When not in uniform himself, Johnathan has emerged as a role model, mentor, coach, and teacher for youth in the community. He spends countless hours with various organizations working with student-athletes in the Lawrence Public School system.”

As an Enrichment Teacher he motivates and prepares middle school students for high school. He also supervises the summer Smart Hoops program designed by the local YMCA for middle school students to keep them safe and off the streets. He volunteers at both the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club basketball tournaments and the Lawrence High School varsity basketball team.

A basketball standout at Lawrence High School, Johnathan continued to be noticed for his athleticism at NECC. His college coach once remarked to the local paper that Johnathan was “the Knights’ MVP both on and off the court. Without him, Northern Essex…would be as lost as the Patriots without Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski.”

During the summers, he has been recruited to help staff the famed Bob Hurley Basketball Camp in Roxbury. Through his basketball affiliation Paulino has made a deep and positive impact on countless lives.

Paulino will attend UMass Amherst in the fall.

He received his awards at Awards Convocation on Tuesday May 17th.

For additional information contact Lindsay Graham, director of scholarships, alumni & community relations  in the NECC alumni office at lgraham@necc.mass.edu