NOW, THE NEWSLETTER
Volume 24, Issue 3
IN THIS ISSUE:
Graduating Seniors
Award and Recognition
Jacobs Donation
Goodbye Carol
Study Abroad
Academic Calendar
__________________
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CONGRATULATIONS, CLASS OF 2013!
WE WISH YOU ALL THE BEST!
NEWSLETTER
EDITORS
Shakeila Grant
Merih Tekleghiorghis
Chany Peguero
Omar DePina
Caisel Camacho
Ashley Pires
Alyssa Arieta VIDG-BFA
Nathan Bancroft CJS-BA
Melinda Banks NUR-BS
Diane Barry ACT-BS
Cynthia Bernadeau ENLW-BA
Dane Charles MDS-BS
Charles Comeau CEN-BS
Jarren Delgado OPS-BS
Irene Depina CJS-BA
Monica Diaz MNE-BS
Paola Duarte NUR-BS
Samyr Fanfan MKT-BS
Ivana Fernandes NUR-BS
Minoucheka Frejuste ENLW-BA
David Fronduto FIN-BS
Myesha Gandy LAR-BA
Clarissa Garriga CJS-BA
Edson Goncalves ELE-BS
Shakeila Grant SOC-BA/WGS-BS
Tyler Holman ACT-BS
Felicishia Holmes MKT-BS
Saraline Joseph LAR-BA
Nicholas Kidder CEN-BS
Nathan Marshall PSC-BA
Helio Matos MNE-BS
Carmen Matute NUR-BS
Katelyn Medeiros LAR-BA
Natalie Medrano MKT-BS
Matthew Mendonca ELE-BS
Mendy Meritil NUR-BS/BSA-MN
Patience Noah MKT-BS/OPS-BS
Tomas O’Brien ELE-BS
Daniela Osorio BIO-BS
Samantha Parsons SOC-BA
Nicole Perdigao ACT-BS/MIS-MN
Anelie Pierre PSY-BA
Jasmine Ramirez SOC-BA
Jermaine Rivera ACT-BS
Shatara Robertson CHM-BS
Jeffrey Sousa MNE-BS/MTH-MN/POR-MN
Telma Talla FRN-BS
Dihanna Thomas HRM-BS
Daniel Velardo MKT-BS
Jessica Veloso CJS-BA
“Once College Now…Always College Now…”
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Internship at NextEra Energy
Hello, I’m Mercy Anna Hope-Sowah and I will intern at a company called NextEra Energy for the summer in Florida. I joined a
club called NSBE (National Society for Black Engineers) last
year on Campus. NSBE has an annual national conference that
helps prepare you for the future. With support of fund-raisers and
the College Now/START Jacobs Donation, I was able to attend.
At this conference there were over 200 engineering companies
recruiting. There were over 9,000 NSBE students all over the
whole United States there. At this conference I got offered this
summer internship.
Massachusetts High Demand
Scholarship
Hello, I’m Erickson Ramos and I received the
Massachusetts High Demand Scholarship.
This scholarship is offered by the Massachusetts Legislature to promote economic growth
and higher education in the state. The main
purpose of this scholarship is to assist students that have financial needs and have
good academic standing. They are encouraging students who are majoring in fields such
as Nursing and Engineering to continue their
education because these fields are becoming
short-handed.
ALANA Graduation Reception
On May 4, 2013, the Frederick Douglass Unity House hosted the ALANA Graduation Reception. UMass Dartmouth and College Now alum, Kenny Monteiro was the
Keynote Speaker. Mr. Monteiro is currently the Program Director of FAMS (Friends
and Mentors) for Bridgewater State University. Congratulations to CN senior,
Jasmine Ramirez, Sociology ‘13, who received the Civic Engagement Award!
Student Affairs Student Leadership Event
Congratulations to College Now students, Michael Creese and Debbie Dorcelus
for receiving the Pillars of the Community Award at the Student Leadership Banquet
held at Rachel’s Lakeside in Dartmouth on Friday, May 31, 2013.
Dr. Irwin and Mrs. Joan Jacobs
receive the Community Leadership Award
Dr. Irwin Jacobs is co-founder of the Fortune 500 Company QUALCOMM
Inc. He and his wife generously donated $50,000 to support STEM efforts.
College Now/START used the money in a manner that would benefit the
largest possible number of students. A small computer lab was outfitted
with three computers containing engineering software and printers. Also
purchased were graphing calculators and textbooks for loan, and equipment for physics experiments. Some student groups who received funding
were the IDEA Club and the National Society for Black Engineers who
used the money to attend regional and national conventions. Thank you
Dr. & Mrs. Jacobs!
National Society of Black Engineers
Hello, my name is Arnold Mukasa. I’m a junior in the Electrical Engineering program
and current Vice-President of UMass Dartmouth NSBE Chapter. Recently, College
Now/START used money from the Jacobs Donation to co-fund my chapter of a group
of 17 students, to go to the annual National Convention in Indianapolis and I’m very
grateful for that. This was my second time attending the conference and what an exciting, draining and rejuvenating experience I had.
The Convention recognized excellence among technical professionals, corporate, government, and academic leaders, as well as university and pre-college students. In addition to two days of a career fair with over 70 major companies, the National Convention hosted a wide variety of workshops and events catered to help NSBE members
grow as leaders and students. The proceeds of the convention are to create college
scholarships for gifted high school students.
To sum it up, it was an amazing opportunity for the UMass Dartmouth Chapter to meet
some really great individuals and for students to understand the options out there for
people with technical and analytical backgrounds to apply their skills outside of a traditional engineering path.
CAROL SPENCER
On April 1st, Carol Spencer began a new career as Assistant Vice-Chancellor for
Student Success . Prior to that , Carol spent 20 years as Counselor and Director of
the program. Here are some words from the Peer Counselors to Carol.
Carol, it is because of you and the rest of the College Now faculty that I was able to
come as far as I have. Thank you all for believing in me and allowing me the opportunity to come to UMASS Dartmouth for my education. It has truly been a blessing
to not only call myself a UMASS Dartmouth student, but a student of College Now.
Thank you ALL and I will miss you dearly! Good luck in all you future endeavors. Shakeila Grant
We want to thank you for all your hard work and passionate dedication to the College Now/START Program. With your strong passion, you have driven the College
Now students to be the best they can be. You’ve always kept your door open for us
and provided advice when we really needed it. You are not just our boss but also a
mentor to all of the students in this program. On behalf of all of College Now, we
would like to wish you the best of luck now and in the near future. - Caisel
Camacho
“With this success, comes greater opportunities and challenges. Face it with the
same passion, as you always have. We are going to miss you here at College Now
but I know you will do a great job in your new promotion. You’re a great boss, mentor, and friend. Congratulations Carol!” - Chany Peguero
“Thank you for all the hard work you have done to make the whole College Now
family and office such a success. I wish you nothing but the best and more success
in your new position.” - Merih T.
“Ms. Carol you and the College Now/Start Program have not only given us the opportunity to become college graduates but you have become like a mother figure to
so many of us. Thank you for your serious efforts and sincere dedication to the College Now/Start Program. You are sure to succeed in your new position. Congratulations, well done. May you always remember “Once College Now always College
Now.” - Omar DePina
STUDY ABROAD
A YEAR IN PORTUGAL
Shyra Rufin, is a sophomore who will be studying abroad in Lisbon, Portugal for the
academic year of 2013-2014. She wants to participate in this program because she
is a Portuguese major and she doesn’t know what path she wants to go down with
this degree. She hopes that she will be influenced by a class that with help determine her future career. She was not offered a grant nor a need based study grant,
although she needs one, but her parents are trying to raise money. Shyra hopes to
improve her language skills, be more independent and learn a lot about the Portuguese culture.
STUDY ABROAD cont.
DANE’S TRIP TO COSTA RICA
Dane Charles is a senior majoring in Environmental Studies and a former College
Now Peer Counselor. During his last semester he studied abroad in Costa Rica.
While there he had the opportunity to take classes in Environmental Science. His
classes allowed him to have hands on experience in a country with 5% of the
world’s biodiversity. He enjoyed visiting the well protected National Parks, where he had the opportunity to see
rare species of animals in the wild. Dane lived with a
host family for 3 months and enjoyed the laid back Costa
Rican lifestyle. According to him, Costa Rica currently
holds the first place position for “Happiest People in the
World”. When asked if he missed Costa Rica? He responded by saying, “I miss my local friends and I miss a
country whose lifestyle is based on environmental sustainability”.
GOING TO GERMANY
Tomas P O’Brien is a senior majoring Electrical Engineering who attended
a study abroad in Germany last summer. Throughout the spring semester of
2012, Tomas had been receiving emails from the UMass International Programs Office about the opportunity to study abroad in Kassel, Germany.
After a bit of research and getting the approval from his parents, he expressed an interest in the engineering module and found that he could eliminate two electives while being able to spend a month of the summer in
Germany.
While attending a study abroad Tomas was housed with an elderly couple by
the name of Wolfgang and Ursula, who were some of the kindest people he
had ever met. Tomas and his roommate Gary were given two delicious
meals a day, both of which usually had some sort of sausage incorporated
into them (Germans certainly love their sausage and bread!). As far as how
he felt about the whole experience, he was pretty happy for the entirety of
the trip. After about two weeks he had a day or two of homesickness, but
those seemed to pass by quickly. It was the first time he left the country and
flew on a plane, and Tomas felt he took things surprisingly well. Since he
was also travelling alone, his biggest challenge was not getting lost. Luckily,
that never happened.
STUDY ABROAD cont.
RETURNING TO JAPAN
Chany Peguero, a senior majoring in Computer Science & a College Now
Peer Counselor, will be doing an internship abroad.
Where will you be going?
I will be returning to Tokyo, Japan this summer.
Why did you decide to do a study abroad?
The reason I'm returning to Japan is because I fell in love with the culture. In addition, I'm interested in
improving my Japanese and gain experience in my field.
Did the school offer you a scholarship/need-based study abroad grant?
No, since it’s a summer trip, Financial Aid does not cover my trip. I received Scholarships from
Bottomline and other places.
What classes will you be taking while abroad?
I will be doing an Independent Study with a professor to work on a project based on what I learned in
Japan. I will write a paper and present my findings to the Computer Science department when I return.
What type of accommodation are you going to have?
The program will help provide an apartment but we have to purchase our own food.
What do you think you will find the most challenging about your study abroad?
I think it will be communicating with my co-workers and boss since my Japanese isn't that advanced.
What do you think you will miss the most about the host country after you return to the USA?
I will miss the food. I missed it when I returned last summer and I know I will miss it again.
What kind of experience are you looking for or expecting to face?
What I'm looking forward to is seeing my host family again and finally learning new things about my
future career. It will help me figure out my next step when I graduate next spring.
ACADEMIC CALENDAR Fall 2013
Thursday, September 1……………………….. Academic year commences
Monday, September 3………………………… Labor Day: no classes
Wednesday, September 5…………………….. Fall classes begin
Tuesday, September 11……………………….. Last day to Add, Drop or Audit
Monday, October 8…………………………. Columbus Day: no classes
Tuesday, October 9………………………….. Last day to file Pass/Fail
Wednesday, October 10………………………. Follow Monday’s schedule
Friday, October 19…………………………….Mid-Semester
Monday, November 12………………………… Veteran’s Day
Wednesday, November 14……………… Last day to withdraw from a class
Wednesday, November 21………………….. Thanksgiving recess begins
Monday, November 26……………………..……Classes resume at 8am
Monday, December 10 ……………………………Fall classes end
Tuesday, December 11………………………….. Study Day
Wednesday, December 12…………………….......Examinations begin
Tuesday, December 18………………………….. Examinations end
Please have a safe and fun SUMMER!
COLLEGE
NOW/START
College Now/START
UMass Dartmouth
285 Old Westport Road
North Dartmouth, MA 02747
Phone: 508-999-8703
Fax: 508-999-9257
E-mail:
[email protected]
Office Hours:
Monday—Friday: 8am to 4pm