NECC President Lane Glenn and Toni Hays, president of Regis College.

Northern Essex Community College, along with its four-year college partners Lyndon State College and Regis College, was proud to sponsor the International Book Fair which was held last weekend in Methuen and Lawrence.

In its eleventh year, the fair celebrates literature, music, and film, and this year’s focus was on Guatemala.

The fair itself was held Saturday and Sunday in Northern Essex Community College’s El-Hefni Health & Technology Center on Common Street.  Additional events included a Friday night concert at the Methuen Music Hall featuring renowned Dominican violinist Aisha Syed Castro, a Saturday night dinner gala at the Relief’s In in Lawrence, and a closing concert, also at the Methuen Music Hall, featuring Spanish pop singer Angela Carrasco.

Rear: Noemi Custodia-Lora, Executive Director of Lawrence Campus & Community Relations, NECC President Lane Glenn, students- Jonathan Matos, Jonathan Rodriguez,(not a student) Analiz Henriquez,(not a student) Gaby Then,
Writer Mery Rivas. (Front row) – Students-Carla Hidalgo, Nathanael Sencion, Amanda, Maireny Rodriguez Aquino.

NECC President Lane Glenn, Regis President Toni Hays, and Lyndon State College Nolan Atkins all spoke at the opening concert, sharing their thoughts about the importance of fostering a community in which literacy is celebrated.

“Lawrence is a hub for culture and the arts,” said Glenn.  “It’s exciting to see so many people from all over New England coming to Lawrence.”

Northern Essex, which has a campus in the city, launched its communiversity partnerships this past year with Lyndon State and Regis.

Through programs offered by Regis College, a leading Catholic University outside of Boston, and Lyndon State College, a public Vermont college, students who have earned an associate degree at NECC can now complete a bachelor’s degree without leaving Northern Essex’s Lawrence Campus.

For more information, contact Noemi Custodia-Lora, ncustodialora@necc.mass.edu.