Haverhill, MA (October 15, 2024) ­ – Two students from Northern Essex Community College were among just four students from across the state honored at this year’s Massachusetts Educational Opportunity Association (MEOA) Scholarship Awards in Worcester, MA.

PACE Data Specialist Christine Carbone, Cat Gatej, Erin Magner, and PACE Director Kristen Arnold at the MEOA Scholarship Awards

Recipients Cat Gatej and Erin Magner are both involved in NECC’s Pathways to Academic & Career Excellence Program (PACE), a TRiO Student Support Services program that assists first-generation, low-income, or disabled students in graduating and transferring to four-year colleges.

MEOA awards $1,000 scholarships annually to TRiO students who have demonstrated the ability to overcome significant obstacles and attain educational excellence.

Erin Magner says her obstacles inspired her to pursue a degree in Human Services at NECC. Growing up, she struggled with school. She was diagnosed with ADHD years later, which she says was a relief in many ways. Still, even as an adult, it was hard to shake the feeling of inadequacy.

“I felt unworthy of college,” she remembers.

in 2020, Magner was recently divorced and her 18-month-old daughter was starting to show some signs of developmental delays. While Magner sought answers for her daughter, she decided it was time to look into continuing her education.

“I wanted to be able to provide for my daughter and me. I wanted better for us.”

Magner says the help she received for her daughter made her want to provide that same assistance to others. She enrolled at NECC as a Human Services major, with her sights set on eventually becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She initially went to the NECC Center for Accessibility Resources & Services to get an accommodation for her ADHD. The staff there helped connect her with the PACE program, which provides wrap-around services for low-income and first-generation college students.

“I didn’t even wind up needing an accommodation because of all the support I got through PACE. Here I am, someone who is neuro-spicy in college, doing the work I never thought I could.”

Magner has a 3.9 GPA and is on track to graduate this spring. She is currently doing her practicum with Opportunity Works.

Like Magner, Cat Gatej says she chose to study Human Services at NECC because of the help she received over her lifetime. She first enrolled at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy right after graduating from Central Catholic High School. However, her mental health suffered and she was only able to complete a couple of semesters.

Gatej took some classes at Middlesex Community College here and there for the next few years. She also had two sons in that time. Gatej says juggling school, family, work, and her mental health eventually took a huge toll on her, and she found herself in a dark place. Gatej realized it was time to focus on her future.

“I got my own apartment, I got financially stable, and I enrolled at NECC,” Gatei recalls. In 2023, she earned her Alcohol Drug Abuse Counseling certificate and this past May she graduated with her Human Services degree with a 3.8 GPA. Amid all this, she gave birth to her third child, a little girl.

“The professors were amazing, they were so loving and caring. They always told me family comes first,” she says of the support she received.

Catej says the PACE program was also critical to her success. “After my daughter was born, I was overwhelmed and stressed out. They helped me find available scholarships and figure out what school I wanted to transfer to.”

Catej decided on the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where she’s already started classes. She expects to finish her bachelor’s degree by the end of the summer of 2025 and she hopes to continue her education to become a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker.

“Sometimes we have to go through trials and tribulations to figure out where we want to end up,” she says. “I started college 16 years ago, faced many obstacles, and had to step away. But coming back, even as a single mother, has shown me that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams. Life may throw unexpected challenges your way, but resilience and determination can carry you far.”

To learn more about the PACE/TRiO Program at Northern Essex, visit the webpage or contact coordinator Kristen Arnold at karnold@necc.mass.edu.

MEOA is a 501(c)3 non-profit, tax-exempt organization made up of educators, policymakers, private sector professionals, and others committed to ensuring that secondary and post-secondary educational opportunities are appropriate and accessible to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.