Emily Forisso

Name: Emily Forisso

Major: Early Childhood Education

Hometown: Haverhill

GPA: 3.95

High School & Year of Graduation: Haverhill High School – Class of 2017

Did You Attend Another College or University Before NECC? I attended UMass Lowell, majoring in music education, for 1 year before deciding to come back to NECC and change my major to Early Childhood Education (ECE).

What Brought You to NECC? I participated in the Early College program in high school, and my dad is an NECC alumnus who graduated in 1975 while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.

How did you choose your major? I have always wanted to work with children, and I especially enjoy working with younger children up to 3rd grade. My dream is to become a kindergarten teacher and eventually a school administrator, so the ECE program is the perfect way to do that.

Were you involved in any extracurricular activities at NECC? I was a member of Phi Theta Kappa and the NECC Choral & Music Club, performing in 3 shows with the NECC Choir.

What are you planning for fall, 2020? I am transferring to Merrimack College to pursue my bachelor’s in Child, Family and Community Studies with a concentration in PreK-2 Education. The program will give me my teaching license and the ability to work full-time in a school, since the classes are at night and on weekends.

What did you appreciate most about NECC? I loved the flexibility of my classes (the ability to take online, hybrid or face-to-face classes), as well as the incredible support that each and every one of my professors gave me.

Was there a faculty or staff member who was especially helpful? If yes, how did they help you? My music professor Alisa Bucchiere was especially helpful to me. She was not only a fantastic voice teacher, challenging me with complex pieces and helping me to improve my singing technique, but she also reached out to me when I was going through some tough things this year. She would support me and give me lots of wonderful advice, and I am so thankful that I have gotten to know her these past two years.

What surprised you most about NECC? The sense of community among all the students here. When I started at NECC, I didn’t think a community college would offer so many great services and activities to bring its students together. I had always assumed that community college students simply went to classes and went home or to work. I was pleasantly surprised at how much school spirit there is at NECC! The campus community is very positive and welcoming, and the school spirit I have seen here makes me really proud to be an NECC Knight!

What advice would you give an incoming NECC freshman? I would encourage them to get involved on campus! There are so many clubs here and extracurricular activities that students can be a part of. There truly is something for everybody. I have made so many friends through the clubs and school activities I have participated in and my NECC experience definitely wouldn’t have been the same without those activities!

What would people be surprised to know about you? I faced many health challenges when I was younger. I was born with a benign tumor on my face, I have broken both of my legs and had to have surgery on my ankle as a result, I have had 4 mouth surgeries to correct jaw problems and I was hospitalized many times as a child due to my bad asthma.

What were the biggest challenges that you faced in pursuit of your associate degree? In December of last year, my longtime boyfriend Will, who is also a student at NECC in the sleep tech program, was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. I decided to try my hardest to finish my degree, since I only had one semester left and I figured it was a good way to take my mind off of things, but I really was not sure if I would be able to finish. It was definitely a challenge to keep up with schoolwork and my student-teaching while also bringing him to treatment appointments and overall having my mind preoccupied with him, but I managed to do it. I’m glad to say that he is almost finished with his cancer treatments now and I was also able to finish my degree this semester. I am looking forward to what the future holds for both of us!

What are you long term career/education plans? My plan is to transfer to Merrimack College, receive my teaching license and eventually get a job as a kindergarten or first grade teacher in a public school. My long-term goal is to eventually become a principal or other administrator in the public school system, and to be an advocate for students and families. I have always been an outspoken and outgoing person, so I hope to use both of those qualities to be the best teacher and advocate that I can be.

Anything else you want to add? I would like to congratulate all of my fellow Class of 2020 graduates. We did it! We graduated during a pandemic!

SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook name: Emily Caroline Forisso

Instagram handle: @emmiforisso

Twitter handle: @TheMusicNerd172