When Ella Suchecki ’24 was a senior at Newburyport High School, she found herself with a tough decision to make. Her hard work and talent earned her acceptances at two selective schools: Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island, and Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut.
After much consideration, she chose Connecticut College. But, she says, once she got there in early August 2022, she realized it wasn’t what she was expecting.

“I went for two weeks. It just didn’t fit. I felt like the values didn’t align with mine and I wasn’t interested in the classes because as freshmen, we got last choice. I begged my parents to let me come home.”

Liberal Arts major Ella Suchecki is a talented musician who often plays in and around Newburyport.

Before she was even fully moved out, Suchecki was thinking of her next steps.

“I had already applied to Northern Essex. I knew it was close to home and I could easily commute there.”

She says she was also excited to learn she could take the classes she wanted right away. This led her to envision a whole new career path for herself.

“I always thought I’d be a biology major. I grew up around that and was interested in it. But then I took a history class at NECC. It really made me fall in love with history and sparked a new passion.”

This winter, Suchecki supplemented her history courses with an internship at the Museum of Old Newbury. She still works there three days a week, scanning negatives, helping catalog items, and giving tours.

As she approached her final semester at NECC, Suchecki was once again thinking about her next steps. Though she says this time, the decision was much easier.

“I realized I always wanted to go to Salve [Regina]”

Suchecki reactivated her original application and coordinated with NECC and the admissions office at Salve Regina. She not only learned that all her credits would transfer seamlessly, but that she was eligible for several scholarships due to her involvement with the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society and National Society of Leadership and Success at NECC.

Suchecki graduated with her associate degree in Liberal Arts from NECC this spring with a near-perfect GPA. She will be a junior at Salve Regina when she starts classes there in the fall. She plans to major in American History and says she may consider law school after she earns her bachelor’s degree. Reflecting now on the past two years, Suchecki credits NECC with helping her discover the right path for her.

“I met such great professors. And I felt like I could explore different majors and figure out what I wanted to do. It really changed my whole perspective.”

To learn more about transfer programs at NECC visit the webpage.