Top (left to right) – Nate Miller- Alumni Liberal Arts: Theater, Peter Rodriguez – Information Technology, Aaron Lehner – Liberal Arts: Theater Bottom (left to right)- Eliene Silva – Business, Courtney Morin – Liberal Arts, Paoli Rodriguez – Psychology, Susan P. – Sleep Technology, Connie Bodemer – Deaf Studies

Beginning at a new college is not always easy, which is why Northern Essex Community College has created a new group of students trained to help incoming freshmen navigate their first year.

This fall, NECC’s New Student Advocates (NSA) are offering a variety of services for incoming students as well as parents and families. NSA’s will welcome new students into the NECC community, while also helping students to persist through their first year of college.

“College can be tricky to navigate at times, so the NSA’s are charged with helping new students with different steps throughout their first year,” said NSA organizer Ari Chicklis, coordinator of orientation and student involvement.

“Our number one priority is to help students begin at NECC and reach the goal that they came here to achieve.”

NSA’s will help students to access the professional staff members that they need to connect with in order to be successful, and allow students to make social connections in a peer group setting.

“Many students attending college have jitters. As an advocate, I would like to help students to calm down, feel ready, and have a new friend,” said NSA Nate Miller of Newton, 2018 graduate of Liberal Arts: Theater Option at Northern Essex.

“If they have struggles throughout the year, we can help.”

Serving as mentors, the New Student Advocate group will help to prepare and set up orientation sessions, facilitate presentations to groups of new students to expand their knowledge of the campus, lead tours, and provide in-person and electronic office hours to communicate with new students. Outreach will be provided to students who select to be matched with an NSA at orientation.

For questions about the program, to be matched up with an NSA, or to inquire about becoming a NECC Student Advocate, email Ari Chicklis at Achicklis@necc.mass.edu.