Disneldy Fernandez My name is Disneldy Fernandez, my major is psychology. This is my fifth semester at Middlesex Community College; I have been working in the Writing Center as a peer tutor. This position gave me the opportunity to accomplish one of my goals, the desire of helping others. This is my second year working with the Center for Leadership & Engagement as an orientation leadership and as a First Year Champion. I am also excited to be part of the Leadership in Action course for 2016-2017. Advise: Always chase your dream even though sometimes it seems impossible. Adriana Guy Liberal Studies My name is Adriana Guy and I am currently a Liberal Studies major planning to transfer to Medical Assisting. My hobbies include singing, writing, reading, and hanging out with friends. Other leadership positions I have had at MCC include being a part of MAC (the Middlesex Activities Crew). I am currently mentoring an IDS First Year Experience class. Advice I have for new students is to find your resources at MCC. When I first came to Middlesex I was the non-traditional first year student. Previously I was enrolled in an online high school and it was a big change for me, but through all the resources I was able to transition comfortably and succeed at MCC. Also try to be active on campus if you have the time. Whether with a club or a job, you will find it beneficial and meet new people and find networks. Tiana Guerra Hi all, my name is Tianna Guerra, and I just graduated from Middlesex Community College as a Commonwealth Honors Scholar in Spring 2016, with my Associate Degree in Liberal Arts and
Sciences: Psychology Concentration. This semester I have decided to re-enroll at Middlesex to pursue a certificate in Alcohol and Substance Abuse while I work towards my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology at UMass Lowell. I'm extremely passionate about helping people and Middlesex has been tremendous in offering me positions and volunteer opportunities to assist fellow students with a variety of needs from academic support to campus tours. I have been involved with First Year Champion for almost a year now. I've worked with some great professors and have helped with everything from lesson planning to helping individual students make a power point presentation. My advice to you is to get involved in the college, both at Middlesex and anywhere you may go later, early on in your college career. I'm sure that you have heard this a million times already, but it's for good reason! Since getting involved at Middlesex so many doors have opened for me. I have received scholarships, professional work force training, skills I can bring into the real world' and amazing connections. Join or start a club, once you re established become an Orientation Leader or a First Year Champion or even volunteer; I can't stress the pros of involvement enough. Apitchaya Thiapphet Major: Liberal Arts & Science - History, Politics, and Global Studies
About me Hello. My name is Apitch. I am an international student from Thailand. This is my third semester at Middlesex Community College. I really enjoy going to classes and participating in activities provided by MCC. Last semester I started getting involved by joining numerous organizations and clubs. I was a member of MAC (Middlesex Activity Crew), International Club, and MAPP (Multicultural Achievement Peer Program). My first leadership position was First Year Champion, which I joined last semester. It was a big step for my self-development because I learned how to become a leader. It provided me with so many skills including time management, self-motivation, and responsibility. In the fall of 2016 I will be working in two leadership positions, First Year Champion and Orientation Leader. I try to challenge myself to be more manageable and professional. These two roles also help me to make new connections with students and faculty and learn new diverse things that are associated with my major Global studies. Advise for new students Do not be shy and take a step to come out of your comfort zone It is not wrong to ask what you do not know. And, it is time to explore and do things you have never done before. MCC has so many resources that will help you persuade your goal and grow as a person. You just need to choose the best way for yourself and start to do it. Genesis Martinez My name is Genesis Martinez. I relocated from the Dominican Republic to the United States in 2014. This is my fourth semester at Middlesex Community College. I am majoring in Business Management. Taking classes at Middlesex Community College really helped me to find my nitch. I have been able to participate in the Multicultural institute and in the Multicultural Achievement Peer Mentor Program. I have been working in the Writing Center as a peer tutor since the Spring Semester as well. I have been able to participate in volunteering positions as well as Leadership positions such as Orientation Leader and First Year Champion. Holding the position of a Peer Mentor in the First Year Experience classes is a great opportunity. It really helped me to improve my communication and public speaking skills. It is a great chance to network not just with other students, but also with faculty. It helped me to develop my leadership skills. I really enjoyed the process of connecting with other students and supporting them. As a piece of advice, I will highly encourage all the students to get involved. It brings lots of opportunities. I just would like to inform you that we have a bunch of programs and clubs at Middlesex Community College that you can get involved in, I will recommend you to take advantage of that. We have paid positions as well! It will help you not just to develop new skills but also to make connections that will lead you to get a job or a scholarship!
Yomeily Martinez My name is Yomeily Martinez. This is my fourth semester at Middlesex Community College. My major is Civil engineering. I would like to transfer to the Architecture University in the future. I arrived in the United States two years ago. Though this is my fourth semester, I started to get involved last semester. I noticed how beneficial it was to get engaged. Being at Middlesex really helped me to develop new skills. Last semester, I was able to hold the position of Event Coordinator of the Latinos Unidos club. In addition, I was able to participate in the Washington D.C. trip. It was a great experience where I learned so many things about the history of the United States. On the fall Semester of 2016, I was selected to be an Orientation Leader and a First Year Champion. I really enjoyed the position of Orientation Leader. I could get to know other students. Regarding to my First Year Champion class, it is the first time that I had done it. I had been told it is a great experience, so I am expecting to learn a lot from it. I am aware of all the benefits that being involved brings, so I am sure this will be great as well. I will recommend all the students to get involved. In the same way, it has helped me to improve my skills; it will help you as well! Rhaisa Ivanna Rhoden My name is Rhaisa Ivanna Rhoden and I am a proactive, benevolent, diligent and independent woman ready to bloom my way in life. At Middlesex Community College my major is nursing. I am striving to become a Nurse Practitioner to permeate any cures for my future patients. I have hobbies that tend to relieve stress throughout my everyday life. My hobbies are dog walking, reading, cooking, and a little bit of belly dancing. Walking my dog is a fantastic hobby because it makes me become an explorer while immersing in the beauty of nature. Reading makes my imagination come to life just by reading each word and creating a scene inside my head. Cooking is a work of art and beneficial to my stomach. Finally, belly dancing is a hobby I enjoy because I love to dance like Shakira. Besides being busy outside of college, I am busy inside the college by being a Student Orientation Leader and a Peer Mentor for the FY class. Being both a Student Orientation Leader and a Peer Mentor I advise new students to take notes in class, do homework, arrive on time, and participate in any MCC s activities such as clubs or sports. Remember, There is no elevator to success; you have to take the stairs. Gerald Jansen Ramon My name is Gerald Jansen Ramon and my major is Information Technology Cyber security transfer. I m social person who lives by the challenge of being better than yesterday. I like to draw for fun (Something I was regular at), writing poems and short stories, reading books, playing different games (I used to play the same) for expanding my experience and knowledge. Those are few of the activities that I like to do but. I like to participate in any activity or club that I can learn anything new or express myself. Because of that I started my involvement in college with
the Multicultural institute. Then, thanks to a faculty I connected with Pathway Center where I was able to do Summer. I also joined clubs such as Latinos Unidos and Stem club. Additionally, I was an Orientation Leader for two years and have been involved in First Champion program. And my last involvement was the Paul H. Sullivan Institute (Leadership in Action). In addition, I had the opportunity to travel to Maine with the Diversity Summit and Washington DC with the Center of Leadership and Engagement. As a First Year Champion, I have been assigned to a class (I have participated in the program 3 consecutive times) with wonderful experiences depending on the faculty and the students. My experience has been different for every class but good overall. My advice to new students will be: Ask questions Don t feel bad if you don t know the answer, that s normal. However, you have to find the answer to what you do not know by asking or finding who knows the answer. Take the time Organize your time, you are most likely to get stressed if you wait until the last minute. Put yourself on the spot You have good resources in MCC but they won t come to you. Make sure you get connected with someone. Veben Tewolde My name is Veben Tewolde. I am an international student from Germany, but originally I am from Eritrea (east Africa). This is my third semester at MCC. My major is Criminal Justice and I really enjoy it. My hobbies are meeting friends and family. What I like about MCC is that it was and is a really big opportunity for me to grow and to develop a lot of skills. I got involved with a lot of clubs and events which helped in overcoming my fear to speak in front of people. I participated in the Diversity Summit 2016, one of the best things I have done at MCC. Also we did a fundraiser where we collected money for children in Liberia. We could buy 200 bags and fill them with school supplies. These are just a few things we did at MCC; there is way more you can explore and do. Currently, I am an Orientation Leader and in the International Club and Paralegal Club. I am looking for more opportunities to work or volunteer in the college to gain more experience and to network with other students, faculty or outside sources that can help me and advise me in the long run. And that is actually my advice to all students, you need to get out there and be active it will help you a lot with everything you do during your time at MCC but also after. So get involved, be active and motivated.
Shelby Luna My name is Shelby Luna and I am an Early Childhood Education major. My hobbies include reading. I love listening to music and watching movies. Grey's Anatomy is my all-time favorite show. On campus I am an Orientation Leader and I am also a First Year Champion. My first year experience class this semester is 101-07. It is connected to a Business class. My advice for first year students is to stay on top of your assignments! They will pile up if you do not keep track of them.