the postage meter and shipping and receiving. At his
internship this year at Lahey Clinic in the Medical Staff Services
Department, Jason performs a variety of clerical tasks such as
photocopying, faxing, filing and data entry. Along with
improved clerical skills, Jason feels that the skills he gained in
money management and life skills have been very valuable.
Jason hopes to find an office job after graduation.
Chris Wojcik
Andover, Mass.
Chris tells us that he has made good friends
and enjoyed hanging out in the student
lounge. He also enjoyed his teachers in the
program. Chris’s internships at Lowell
General Hospital and Saints Memorial
Hospital have given him great experience in mailroom
operations and medical records in a hospital setting. Chris
has gained independence and knows how to keep a job. He
hopes to get a full-time job and some day move into an
apartment or condo.
Congratulations!
The Class of 2007 is ready to take on new challenges.
M I D D L E S E X
NEWS FROM
OUR GRADUATES:
Elia Veloso of Hudson, NH, a 2006 graduate,
reports that she works as a personal care
aide helping elderly patients at Inter-city Home
Services in Lowell. In her free time, Elia
continues to enjoy weaving and playing the
piano and taking a class at MCC.
Stephanie Major of Holden, Mass., from the
Class of 2004, has kept in touch with us by e-mail
updates and tells us that two part-time jobs, at
Stop and Shop and Showcase Cinemas, have
kept her very busy.
Harout Bedrossian from the Class of 2006 has
been working productively in a full-time position
at Mount Auburn Hospital since graduating
from the program. He also proudly shares that he
now lives in his own apartment. He is very happy
to have gone through the program and feels a sense of
accomplishment in reaching his goals.
Jonathan Keleher of Concord, Mass., also from
the Class of 2006, is very active and engaged
with 2 part-time positions. He was hired as a
Clerical Assistant at the Institute for Community
Inclusion in Boston from his internship in the
program and also keeps his part-time job at the 5 & 10 store
in Concord as a stock clerk.
Our thanks to all the grads who have kept
in touch and provided these wonderful updates.
The
C O M M U N I T Y
Transition
PROGRAM
V O LU M E 11, I S S U E 1
C O L L E G E
NEWSLETTER
2 0 0 7 G R A D U AT E S
MAY 2007
W
elcome to the 2007 edition of the Transition Program
Newsletter. It was written and word processed by the Class of
2007, with direction from the Transition Program faculty. Special
thanks to the MCC’s Office of Marketing and Publications for editing,
production and design.
The Middlesex Community College Transition Program is an
innovative, two-year, noncredit certificate program designed for
students with significant learning disabilities who would find
traditional college classes too challenging. The program helps
students reach their potential, through specialized coursework and
hands-on experience. Students attend classes three days a week and
on the other two days work at unpaid internship placements in
competitive work environments. Graduates of the Transition Program
receive a Certificate of Completion in Office and Business Support.
The Transition Program is a nationally recognized Exemplary Program Award-winner, and is the only community college program of its
kind in Massachusetts. The program has been in operation since 1985 and continues to attract students from a wide geographic area.
To learn more about the Middlesex Community College Transition Program, call 781-280-3630.
Meet the
2 0 0 7 M i dd l e s ex C o m m u n i t y C o l l eg e
Transition PROGRAM G r a d u a t e s ...
The
Transition
PROGRAM
F A C U LT Y A N D S TA F F
Pam Flaherty, Dean of Students
Susan Woods, Director
Evy Saulich, Internship Coordinator
Instructors:
Pamela Orne • Dawn Gross
Peg Beck • Sharon Winn
Jeanne O’Connor • Maureen McIsaac
Kathy Matheson, Staff Assistant
Dyan Darcey, Secretary
Disability Support Services
For more information, call Dyan Darcey at 781-280-3630,
e-mail: [email protected], or write:
Transition PROGRAM
Middlesex Community College
Enrollment Center, 591 Springs Road, Bedford, MA 01730
www.middlesex.mass.edu/DisabilitySupport/TransitionProgram
Melissa Aguiar
Joe Awbrey
Tyngsboro, Mass.
Charlestown, Mass.
Melissa tells us that she has made a lot of
good friends in the program. She has
enjoyed the student activities and spending
time with her friends in the student lounge.
Melissa has been extremely successful at
two internships; the first at Saints Memorial Hospital working
in the mailroom and, most recently, at Lowell General
Hospital. She has successfully mastered the tasks of
alphabetizing, retrieving and filing records, and maintaining
the office area. She comments that she works with very nice
people and enjoys meeting her friends for lunch. Melissa feels
that she is no longer as shy as she was when she first started
the program and that she has a positive attitude. Her hope is to
be successful in a job in the future.
Joe has had two internships that
have provided him with lots of experience
working in a mailroom and increased his
independence and stamina. He worked at
Stride Rite Corporate headquarters last
year and has spent this year working at the New England
Journal of Medicine. Among the tasks that Joe has mastered
has been sorting and delivering mail, operating a postage
meter and documatch machine, labeling inter-office
envelopes, and making deliveries around the facility. Joe feels
that he has learned to do more tasks than anyone ever
thought he was capable of learning. His goal is to get a job
similar to the internship positions he has held during the past
two years.
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John Bunker
Assistance. Her responsibilities have included answering the
telephone and transferring calls, filing, scanning, word
processing, sorting mail and doing inventory. Maria feels
that she has become more independent and gained a
positive attitude. After graduation, her hope is to get a job
and continue to take art courses.
Lowell, Mass.
John tells us that he has liked the
Transition Program because he met new
friends, became more mature and gained
work experience. His internships at Saints
Memorial Hospital and Lowell General
Hospital have focused on Central Distribution and
Transport. His responsibilities have included: preparing
supplies for deliveries, delivering packages throughout the
facility, changing oxygen tanks and bringing stretchers and
wheelchairs to areas throughout the hospital. John hopes to
get a part-time job upon graduation.
Lauren Foley
Everett, Mass.
Lauren has been especially successful
in the Transition Program. Her clerical
internships at the Division of
Unemployment Assistance and at
Suffolk University have given her
experience in processing mail, assembling packets,
scanning and filing. Lauren tells us that she has enjoyed
meeting new people and learning new skills. She feels that
the program has helped her to have a more positive
outlook, to better deal with change, to speak up and
advocate for herself, to become more independent and to
be a good friend. Lauren’s goal is to get a full-time job in an
office setting upon graduation from the program.
Kevin Burns
Lowell, Mass.
Kevin has especially enjoyed making new
friends, campus life and becoming more
independent. His internship over the past
two years has been at Saints Memorial
Hospital in the Dietary Department. Kevin
has successfully learned to do inventory and assist in the
kitchen area. He is also proud of his improved computer and
word processing skills. It is Kevin’s dream to get a responsible
position in the culinary field and perhaps move to Florida in
the future.
Chris Kenney
Wayland, Mass
Chris has had two excellent and productive
years working in two mailrooms at Suffolk
University where he sorts mail, makes
deliveries, processes UPS mail, answers
the phone and takes messages, and
performs general distribution of inter-office mail and
supplies. Chris liked making new friends and gaining
independence. He has learned how to dress appropriately
and the importance of good punctuality and attendance.
Chris hopes to get a job in a mailroom setting when he
completes the program.
Julie Cappadona
Medford, Mass.
Julie has enjoyed campus life and her
teachers in the Transition Program. Her
internship at Suffolk University in Boston
has provided her with training and
experience as a clerical intern. Her duties
have included: data entry, making deliveries, assembling
orientation materials and mass mailings, phones,
photocopying, and filing. Julie feels that she is much more
confident in her abilities and has improved her computer
skills, as well as her independence. She hopes to get a job at
Suffolk University when she completes the program.
Michelle LaPlante
Dracut, Mass.
Michelle tells us that her favorite things in
the Transition Program were the teachers,
using the Fitness Center on campus and
her internships. Michelle gained a lot of
skills and experience working at the
Merrimack Repertory Theater in Lowell and at Harte-Hanks
Data Technologies in Billerica. Her typing skills have
improved and she enjoys her responsibilities of data entry,
copying, filing and making labels. Michelle has especially
enjoyed learning more about nutrition and handling
frustration. Her goal is to get a part-time job in the clerical
field upon graduation.
Maria D’Ambrosio
Andover, Mass.
Maria has especially liked how the
Transition Program is different from high
school. She has made a lot of new friends
and met the challenges of becoming more
independent and being prepared for the
world of work. She has had two internship experiences;
Suffolk University Business Office and the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts, Department of Unemployment
Tommy Ly
Heidi Raymond
Lawrence, Mass.
Methuen, Mass.
Tommy says that what he liked most
about the Transition Program was
making new friends and socializing in
the Student Lounge, as well as working
out in the Fitness Center. His internships
as an Office Assistant at Harte-Hanks Data Technologies
and in Medical Records at Lowell General Hospital have
given him skills in numerical filing, photocopying and
operating office machines, processing medical records,
making files and pulling records. Tommy tells us that he
especially enjoyed in-class discussions and becoming
more independent. He hopes to look for full-time
employment in a hospital environment after graduation.
Heidi tells us that the teachers in the
program are awesome. She has enjoyed
gaining more friends than she has ever
had and becoming more independent. Her
clerical internship at Saints Memorial
Hospital in Lowell has given her experience in data
entry, assembling benefits packages, using a fax and
photocopier. She has learned the importance of getting to
her internship on time, has gained self-confidence and has
become more independent. She feels that the program has
prepared her to enter the work world by teaching her how
to develop a resume and gave her an opportunity to gain
office skills experience. Heidi hopes to get a full-time job
after graduation.
Jose Ortiz
Vivian Sleiman
Lowell, Mass.
Melrose, Mass.
Jose has enjoyed making friends who
are loyal to him as well as having a
positive campus experience. He has been
successful at his two Internships at Social
Security Administration in Lowell and the
Career Center of Lowell. His responsibilities have included
filing, photocopying, preparing mass mailings, greeting
customers and preparing folders for workshops. Jose’s goals
upon graduation are to find a job in an office or retail setting
and to hopefully learn to drive a car.
Vivian values the friendships she has
made and the college experience at
Middlesex. She has had two successful
internships at The Career Place in Woburn
as a clerical intern and at the New England
Rehabilitation Hospital. Vivian tells us that she
is no longer shy and feels that the office skills class has
prepared her for the work world by improving her typing
skills. She also feels that she has learned more independence
in money management and maintaining a checking account.
Vivian hopes to find a full-time job doing something that she
loves; perhaps in a hospital environment with newborns.
Nicole Prato
Arlington, Mass.
Nicole reports that the best part of the
Transition Program was that she
developed valued friendships. She has
especially liked her teachers in the
program and the fact that students are
treated with respect on campus. She has gained many skills
in her internships as an Outpatient Volunteer at New
England Rehabilitation Hospital and in Medical Records at
Mount Auburn Hospital. Nicole comments that she now has
a cell phone, has moved out of her parents’ house and has
more friends than she ever had when she was in high
school. She feels that the program has prepared her for the
work world by teaching her the importance of being
punctual, to persevere even when things are difficult and by
providing her with advice on how to dress appropriately for
an office job.
Norman Tendo
Framingham, Mass.
Norman has enjoyed the challenges of the
Transition Program. He feels that he has
matured and learned the importance of
punctuality, professional behavior and
staying organized. His internships at
Mount Auburn Hospital, Stride Rite and R.G. Vanderweil
have provided him with training and experience in mailroom
operations and data entry. Norman hopes to get a good job
and continue with his education.
Jason Vandette
Boxford, Mass.
Jason liked that he made new friends, and
he also enjoyed the internship experience.
His first year internship was at Medical
Care Center in Lexington as a Building
Services Intern. He performed a variety of
mailroom tasks including sorting and delivering mail, using
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