The Stories of Us

Northern Essex Student Honored as ’25-26 Newman Civic Fellow

Haverhill, MA (September 10, 2025) — Recent Northern Essex Community College Outstanding Graduating Student Awardee caitlin little has a new honor to add to her impressive resume. Campus Compact has chosen her as a 2025/2026 Newman Civic Fellow. Thirty-eight students from 38 states, Washington, D.C., and Mexico make up this year’s cohort.

The Newman Civic Fellowship is a yearlong program that recognizes students who stand out for their leadership potential and commitment to creating positive change in communities. The fellowship is named for the late Frank Newman, one of Campus Compact’s founders, who was a tireless advocate for civic engagement in higher education. In the spirit of Dr. Newman’s leadership, each fellow is nominated by their campus president or chancellor, who is invited to select one exemplary community-committed student from their campus each year.

little, a general studies: individualized option graduate who attended NECC through the MassReconnect Program, is a first-generation college attendee and an active participant in the college’s PACE Program. Through her full-time job as a nonprofit community engagement director, she has devoted much of her time outside of campus to promoting inclusive arts programming for youth across Haverhill, and recently launched a capital campaign to raise funds for a permanent arts mentoring program space. little currently serves as a member of the Haverhill Promise book buddy program, the Dover Arts Commission, and the Haverhill Cultural Council, and is the fundraising committee co-chair for Haverhill’s first-ever Pride Parade.

In his nomination of little, NECC President Lane Glenn wrote: “She approaches leadership with kindness and empathy, striving to create opportunities that foster inclusive and sustainable communities. With a deep commitment to the non-profit sector, Caitlin is driven to address public issues with innovative solutions, ensuring that no community member is left behind. Her leadership exemplifies the power of compassion in creating lasting change.”

Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides these students with learning and networking opportunities that help to nurture their development as civic leaders. Programming emphasizes personal, professional, and civic growth that can empower them to collaborate effectively across disciplines and create large-scale positive change.

The cornerstone of the fellowship is the Annual Convening of Newman Civic Fellows, which offers intensive in-person skill-building and networking over three days. The fellowship also provides fellows with pathways to apply for exclusive opportunities, including mini-grants to help fund community projects, scholarships, and post-graduate opportunities.

“I believe in collaboration over saviorism, and I measure impact not by numbers, but by connection and sustainability,” said little.  “As a Newman Civic Fellow, I look forward to growing within a network of changemakers— sharing strategies, amplifying each other’s work, and continuing to ask hard questions about justice, power, and possibility. I want to be the kind of leader who doesn’t just open doors but holds them open for others.”

“It is an honor to welcome this group of accomplished and dedicated students to the Newman Civic Fellowship,” said Campus Compact President Bobbie Laur. “As higher education faces unprecedented challenges, these students exemplify the power and possibility of civic and community engagement on campus. As they emerge as the leaders of tomorrow, we are proud that this fellowship will be part of their story. From a variety of institutions and with diverse backgrounds and experiences, these Fellows represent a bright future for public problem solving.”

Learn more at compact.org/newman-civic-fellowship. You can read more about each of the student leaders selected for this year’s cohort here.

Eighteen NECC Professors Transform Courses with AI and Open Educational Resources

Haverhill, MA (August 4, 2025) — Over the summer, 18 Northern Essex Community College faculty members have been working to expand student access to free, relevant textbooks and course materials. Those materials are known as Open Educational Resources (OER), and this project focuses on creating materials that integrate artificial intelligence and career readiness into coursework.

The project is supported by a $1.98 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to develop open-source textbooks for high-enrolling general education courses that are applicable across public college systems in Massachusetts. Framingham State is the lead recipient and has partnered with UMass-Lowell and NECC on the initiative, which is called the Career and AI Readiness while Remixing Open Textbooks through an Equity Lens (CA-ROTEL) project.

“This grant is about more than cost savings for students,” says Sue Tashjian, NECC’s Academic Innovations Programs Manager and Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education OER Advisory Council. “The professional development provided through the CA-ROTEL project gives faculty a practical framework for integrating AI with OER, leaving instructors feeling confident and better prepared to embed AI readiness into their courses, which directly translates to students gaining essential digital literacy skills needed for today’s AI-driven workplace.”

NECC’s Criminal Justice Program Coordinator Scott Joubert is redesigning the online version of his class, Incarceration & Alternatives. In 20 years, he’s taught several iterations of this class, and says he saw the CA-ROTEL project as an opportunity not only to update the content, but also the delivery and engagement.

“My goal was to integrate AI into the course in meaningful, pedagogically sound ways I could only dream about a few years ago,” says Joubert. “One of my favorite examples: In the early weeks of the course, students explore the historical evolution of incarceration, including some deeply troubling Supreme Court decisions that shaped our system. To bring these cases to life, we created a PowerPoint lecture, turned it into a script, and used AI to generate a deep fake video of Chief Justice Melville Fuller narrating these historical events as if he were in the room. It’s immersive, thought-provoking, and—honestly—one of the most exciting things I’ve worked on.”

Professors Elizabeth Casanave, Meredith Gunning, and Dermot Luddy are exploring several ways to use AI to enhance their Intro to Philosophy classes.

“I do believe that both in school and in workplaces, AI is transforming what is expected of students. If we do not teach them how to use AI as a tool, we could be doing students a disservice, both in their own studies and once they enter the workforce. But it is a complex issue as to how to do this well, such that it is only a tool rather than a quick route which bypasses human thinking,” remarks Gunning. She says AI has already been helpful in her classes by making materials more engaging and accessible.

Like many faculty members working on the CA-ROTEL project, Computer & Information Sciences professor Michael Penta is deeply familiar with OER and its benefits. He already uses OER in six of his eight classes. This project is allowing him to adapt a new textbook that he’s using for Intro to Python Programming/Programming for IT.

“It’s a solid resource, but the exercises are lacking. My project is to develop an open set of exercises for each chapter that cover core concepts, career readiness, and ethical AI use. The idea is to have students build a continuous project throughout the semester, completing it piece by piece through these exercises.”

The CA-ROTEL project has allowed Public Health Program Coordinator Amanda Prophett to include up-to-date, relevant case studies that reflect current public health issues in her curriculum. She says this greatly helps students in her Intro to Public Health Class to connect concepts to contemporary issues, fostering critical thinking.

“The diverse and talented CA-ROTEL team helped me bring my vision to life every step of the way, and I am thrilled with the simulators and engagement opportunities this resource provides students. I truly believe students will be able to gain better mastery of these concepts and learning outcomes thanks to this project being so efficient and engaging.”

Northern Essex CA-ROTEL projects also include business, English, Writing, Early Childhood Education, Liberal Arts, and language classes. This initiative builds on a previous project– supported by a separate $1.3 million grant from the DOE – which produced nearly 30 OER textbooks being used at the partner colleges and beyond. NECC’s first open textbook, The Whole Child: Development in the Early Years, is in use at more than a dozen colleges and universities, including institutions in Canada and Portugal.

Tashjian estimates the use of free and low-cost course materials has saved Northern Essex students $10 million on textbooks over the last ten years. NECC currently offers 90 courses that use OER. Students can search specifically for these classes in the course search tool and select the Free/Low-Cost Books icon. For more information about free and low-cost textbooks or OER, please contact Sue Tashjian at 978-556-3686 or stashjian@necc.mass.edu.

New SGA President Hoping to Inspire Fellow Dominican Students

With 126,000 followers on TikTok and multiple press and media appearances sharing his experience with the MassReconnect program, Business Transfer student Pedro Rentas is a familiar face. Now, he plans to use that recognition to advocate for his fellow students as the new president of the Northern Essex Community College Student Government Association (SGA).

“I’m going to meet with all of the clubs on campus and go into some classrooms. I want people to know who I am and what I can do for them,” says Rentas.

Rentas is well-versed in mass communication. Born in San Pedro De Macoris, Dominican Republic, and raised in the city of Higüey, he worked his way up through the broadcasting industry there, eventually landing a role as a reporter for a nationally televised, weekly magazine-style show. Then, in 2015, he had the opportunity to move to the United States with his siblings. Though it meant giving up a career he’d worked hard for, Rentas says it was worth the sacrifice. He eventually settled in Haverhill, married his husband Jesse, and found steady work in banking while his TikTok channel slowly started to accumulate followers.

As his personal brand grew, he thought he could benefit from some business know-how. Rentas first came to Northern Essex in the fall of 2023 for a training program. That’s when he learned about MassReconnect. It was, at the time, a brand new program making community college free for Massachusetts residents over the age of 25 who did not already have an associate degree.

“I think many people who come here from my country think that college here [in the United States] means taking out loans. I’m old, I’m afraid of loans,” jokes Rentas who is now 39. “I heard about the MassReconnect Program and I said, ‘Sign me up! Right away!’”

Rentas immersed himself in classes immediately, taking a full course load. In early 2024, he became involved in SGA. He first served as marketing chair and then became the vice president of the Lawrence Campus. Inspired by his positive attitude and resourcefulness, SGA members then asked him if he’d be the next president.

“I believe that is not enough to just want change,” reflects Rentas. “You must go and make that change happen; I am so proud to be a Dominican who is doing good things for his community.”

Outgoing SGA president Elijah Antunes swore Rentas in as the new president in late November. Rentas says, according to his research, he is the first person from the Dominican Republic to lead the group.

“More than 47% in our community college are Hispanic students, the majority are from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and now the president is also Dominican. This is a door that now is open for more people like me to continue an inclusive and diverse environment.”

Rentas says top issues he plans to address as president include:

• addressing student mental health
• ensuring students have access to food resources
• increasing collaboration with other community college student government leaders
• increasing access to English for Speakers of Other Languages classes

“There are so many people that I want to thank for their support during my journey in the United States and Northern Essex Community College. I don’t want to miss anyone, so to all of you: thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

The SGA meets twice a month on both the Haverhill and Lawrence Campuses and via Zoom. To learn more about the SGA and how to get involved, visit the webpage.

The Stories of Us: Liberal Arts Major Helping Others Achieve Their Goals

This article is part of a regular series called “The Stories of Us,” highlighting the justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion work of Northern Essex Community College students, faculty, and staff. 

Northern Essex Community College liberal arts major Nayeli Almanzar-Lizardo is just 18 years old, but she already knows the importance of giving back to her community. She’s lived in Lawrence since her family emigrated there from the Dominican Republic when she was five years old. Though life was very different from what they were used to in the Dominican Republic, they quickly felt at home in their new city.

“It’s like a mini–Dominican Republic – it’s very sentimental,” says Almanzar-Lizardo. “This is a city of loving people who are working hard each day.”

Almanzar-Lizardo took that spirit of hard work to heart, becoming a standout student and a participant in the Adelante Program at the Lawrence YMCA. The program provides educational and scholarship support to middle school students interested in developing into stronger students and helps students who wish to apply to a private high school.

Through this program, Almanzar-Lizardo attended Presentation of Mary Academy in Methuen, which was acquired by Notre Dame Cristo Rey the following year. Almanzar-Lizardo continued to excel in the classroom and started working with Groundwork Lawrence as a junior counselor, educating youth about access to healthy food and agriculture. When junior year rolled around, like her classmates, Almanzar-Lizardo also devoted much of her time to applying to college. And like many of her classmates, she was accepted to many four-year institutions. However, those acceptance letters came with a sobering realization.

“When I finally got my letters, I was emotionally distraught because I knew I would have to pay thousands and thousands to attend university. I was in a state of panic. So many of my classmates were getting offers, and I struggled deeply. I realized I would need to borrow at least $100,000 [to afford the schools], a burdening amount of money I could not surmount,” remembers Almanzar-Lizardo. “I have many goals. I aspire to earn my PhD, and I thought, ‘How am I going to get there?’”

Almanzar-Lizardo had heard of Northern Essex and knew it was an affordable option for college. She started doing some more research and decided to apply. She was already sold on the savings but says her decision to enroll was solidified by her experience taking a dual enrollment English Composition class at NECC during her senior year of high school.

“The exposure was just what I needed. Being in the small class made me realize the support that’s available to students at NECC. And because it’s located in my hometown of Lawrence, I recognized this is where I belong.”

Almanzar-Lizardo enrolled at NECC in the fall of 2023 as a Liberal Arts major and participates in NECC’s Pathways to Academic & Career Excellence Program (PACE), which provides wrap-around services to first-generation and low-income students. She is on track to graduate in 2025 with her associate degree. She plans to transfer to a four-year school and eventually get her PhD in psychology.

“I realized the school was offering just as many opportunities as other colleges. I recognized this is a place where I can grow and succeed,” she says.

Outside of the classroom, Almanzar-Lizardo continues to help her community. She now works for the Lawrence YMCA as an Adelante program advisor, mentoring middle school students and presenting and speaking to various groups about educational opportunities.

“I see a version of myself in each of my students; they inspire me every day. I remind them that everything works itself out in the end. I can’t imagine where else I’d be.”

The Stories of Us: Creating Community Through Student Leadership

This article is part of a regular series called “The Stories of Us,” highlighting the justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion work of Northern Essex Community College students, faculty, and staff.  

Northern Essex Community College student Elijah Antunes is the kind of person who sets a goal and sees it through. In the months leading up to graduation from Methuen High School, his goal was to go to Salem State University and graduate with a degree in economics. That was until the tuition bill arrived.

“It was almost $20,000. That was just impossible for me to pay, and I didn’t want to take out loans,” he remembers. “I was devastated. I had to backtrack and tell everyone I wasn’t going.”

Antunes soon realized that he could still reach his goal of attending a four-year college, but he would need to take a different path to get there. At the suggestion of his mother, an NECC Nursing alumna, he enrolled at Northern Essex Community College for the fall 2022 semester as a Business Transfer major.

“I saved up from working over the summer and paid my bill in full and that was such a relief,” he says, reflecting on how, when he was a toddler, his family struggled financially, even experiencing homelessness for a time. “It’s hard to raise yourself out of poverty, and it was almost surreal to think I wouldn’t have [student loan] debt tearing me down.”

Antunes was all in on NECC and immediately got to work to get the most out of his student experience. In his first semester, he campaigned and won a seat as the Vice President of the Student Government Association (SGA). This year, he is serving as the group’s president. He says his main objective is to help other students find their place at NECC.

“We did a lot of tabling events to speak to students. It’s one thing to plan behind closed doors; it’s another to get their voices. I also worked with President Lane Glenn and Chief Officer of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Francellis Quinones to learn how to get students involved and feeling at home.”

One way to boost inclusion, says Atunes, is planning more events for students. In addition to weekly events and clubs, the SGA is hoping to host a cultural festival this spring. Atunes envisions students bringing food, music, and traditions from their cultures to share with the whole NECC community. The SGA is exploring fundraising opportunities to support the festival and has started outreach to grow its membership.

“Student government is an organization where you can get your voice heard. Students should be motivated and inspired. If they are interested in making a change, I encourage them to get involved and be disciplined. That’s what’s going to make the world a better place.”

The SGA meets twice a month on both the Haverhill and Lawrence Campuses and via Zoom. To learn more about the SGA and how to get involved, visit the webpage.

The Stories of Us: A New Perspective Inside the Classroom

This article is part of a new, regular series called “The Stories of Us,” highlighting the justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion work of Northern Essex Community College students, faculty, and staff.  

Brian MacKenna-Rice and Lisa Fabbri-Lopez have helped people from all walks of life in their work with individuals in crises and recovery. As they’ve developed Human Services courses at Northern Essex Community College, they’ve been mindful of ensuring different perspectives are represented.

“We work in a field where this is an underpinning of what we do,” says the Human Services Program Coordinator MacKenna-Rice.

Both recognize there’s always more work to be done regarding justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) in the classroom. Recently, they attended a workshop hosted at Salem State University called Principles for Anti-Racist Community-Engaged Pedagogy. Over two days, they explored topics about developing more inclusive course materials, reflecting on individual and systemic racism, and creating compassionate and reflective classrooms.

“I loved meeting them,” MacKenna-Rice says of the other workshop attendees. ‘They were a lot younger than me and a lot smarter than me. And I enjoyed that. It was a nice two days.”

“He represents a generation that is not always deemed as being open to this,” adds Fabbri-Lopez, a Human Services faculty member and co-lead of the NECC Center for Professional Studies.

“I’m old enough that I remember Selma. And I remember the Birmingham bombings, and I remember the Civil Rights March. People being struck down with Billie clubs just because of their skin color,” recalls MacKenna-Rice from his teenage years. “For me, you can’t do enough to help people understand how unjust that is.”

MacKenna-Rice and Fabbri-Lopez say the workshop helped them build upon their personal and professional experiences to ensure that courses are accessible and equitable. One example of this work, says MacKenna-Rice, is using course materials representing the student population. “I added a unit on BIPOC contributions and influence on what we do. We’re trying to get people involved in a field that’s about helping people. And we can’t do that if we can’t represent all people.”

This fall semester, they hope a change in class location will also increase accessibility and equity. All 100-level Human Services courses will be taught on the Lawrence Campus, and 200-level classes will be held on the Haverhill Campus. “Then next year, we’ll switch that around. So philosophically, a student could do all the core courses entirely in Lawrence or Haverhill. This is equity. Everyone has the same opportunity because they have the same starting point,” says MacKenna-Rice.

More changes are in the works, such as utilizing Spanish-language resources and developing a new certificate program. In the meantime, the pair plans to work closely with NECC Chief Officer of JEDI Francellis Quiñones and the NECC Center for Equity and Social Justice to identify more professional development opportunities in the JEDI space.

“We work out in the field. And we learn that anybody can talk about this, but this is about behavior and what are you doing about it?” reflects MacKenna-Rice. “Let’s not just pretend it’s a philosophy book. Let’s understand it’s about life and human beings.”