90s Class Notes

Robert A. Johnson (’90)

“I started as a full-time student in 1985 and went through until 1988. I ended up 2 credits short of the A.S. in Criminal Justice. So I finally wrote a paper to get the 2 credits and I think the official graduation year was 1990. I have taken a few classes at the Mount since. I am going to start on my Bachelors this winter. The biggest incentive to getting a degree if you're a Police Officer in Massachusetts is the Quinn Bill. This Bill gives us 10% extra income for an Associates, 20% for a Bachelors, and 25% for a Masters. As you can see, this adds up over the years. And this also carries over into your retirement.” Bob Johnson

Sharon M. Tibbetts (’90)
2001 Alumna of The Year

Mount Wachusett Community College is a springboard to becoming anything you wish to be. Though I went on to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degrees, I came to realize that everything I needed to know to become successful I had learned while at the Mount. It can get you anywhere you want to go. I had many wonderful teachers at the Mount. My overall educational experience there was absolutely wonderful. In fact, it has forever changed my life for the better. Note: Tibbetts raised two small children while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average, graduating in 1990 with an Associate Degree in Computer Information Systems. She has worked as an independent consultant for IBM, Global Core Strategies, CIS Americas, Inc., and other corporations. Tibbetts received a B.S.B.A. in 1994, and an MBA in 1997 from Fitchburg State College.

top of page

Stacy G. Creque-Valdez (’92)

Stacy majored in Business Administration at MWCC and currently lives in Maryland. She is employed by the federal government and has also started a vending business.

Stacy writes, “ I am a military and linguist analyst with a background in international topics particularly Southeast Asia.”

Jamison Warren (’93)

Jamison received an Associate Degree in Computer Information Systems and works as an Oracle Database Administrator at the L.S. Starrett Company.

Charles S. Crivellaro (’94)

Charles was a Business Administration major at the Mount. Today, he puts his education to good use as a Civilian Contracting Specialist for the United States Air Force. According to Charles, “I administer contracts for the Air Force… from paper clips to building. I buy everything.”

Kathryn Duffy (’94)

Though her first love is Art, her major while at the College, Kathy is happily employed as a sales representative at New England Business Services where her official title is Inbound Sales Representative. Her work at NEBS entails interacting with customers via incoming phone calls for product orders.

“I'm married, with two children a boy age 7, and a daughter age 3,” she writes. “Because of the courses I took at MWCC, I now handle all personnel matters for my husband's company as well as working as a Sales Rep full time. I had worked at a department store as a human resource clerk for almost two years in order to prepare myself to take on my husband's project.”

“And thanks to my interests in the art courses and the business courses I took while at MWCC, I am now beginning my own business as a Wedding Consultant for the Central Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire Region. The name of my company is Inexpensive Elegance and with the creativity that inspired me to obtain my Associate of Arts Degree, I pride myself on being able to create an elegant dream wedding without it costing a fortune. My Web-site is www.inexpensive-elegance.freehosting.net. I have a Novice Membership with the Association for Bridal Consultants, as well as being a member of Bridal Shows Online, Wedding Manor, Wedding Links Online and Coordinator's Corner; a web site exclusively for Wedding Consultants. I do all of this on top of my regular job at New England Business Services.”

Sergio Paez (’94)

Sergio Paez is by any definition a leader.  Along with being a member of the Board of Trustees for Mount Wachusett Community College, he is also an Associate Professor at Fitchburg State College, and the Language Acquisition Department Director at the Leominster Public Schools, before that he was a teacher and the Assistant Principal at the Fitchburg Public Schools.  Among his favorite quotes are the following, "there are not impossible things but incapable people", "you only find satisfaction in the job well done", and "before you lead someone else you must lead yourself."

Sergio is definitely a leader.  He took full advantage of the educational opportunity the Mount offered and recalls the peace and joy he felt every time he came on campus "because of the beauty of the surroundings and the different architectural landscaping of the college."

" Two main things come to mind," Sergio said, as he thought of his school days here at the College.  "One is the memory of having professor Bonnie Toothaker as the person that helped me enroll in the program (Criminal Justice), and later helped me with a placement in an internship at Fitchburg District Court. The other memory is of conversations I had with professor (Thomas) Malloy about social issues and consequently his wisdom in helping me continue my academic career."

Victoria Pelchat (’94)

With a background in Broadcasting and Telecommunications from the Mount, Vicky is now employed as a News Writer and Producer at the NBC Feed Room in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her official title is Writer/ Station Broadband Producer which means she writes stories for NBC's newscasts as well upload video and text for their web site.

Edwin Encarnación (’95)

Edwin studied Broadcasting and Communications while at the Mount. He later attended NYU, but returned to Massachusetts and was later graduated Suma Cum Laude in 1999 with a Bachelors in Communications Media. While attending FSC, he was awarded the Maurice Kanbar Award for Excellence at the Annual National Student Festival for Film, video and New Media at Hunter College in New York for his film “Detour”. Written, produced and directed by Encarnacion, “Detour” is an urban drama of two teenagers “bound by loyalty, ripped apart by violence and senseless death on the streets of New York City.”

“When I started attending MWCC, I was only 2 years removed from my home in the Dominican Republic. In those 2 years, I graduated from high school, learned as much English as I could, and did my best to adapt to a new culture,” Edwin explained. “However, I was still adjusting to my new environment and it wasn’t always easy.”

top of page

“Naturally, when it came to going to college, it was important for me to find a place where I could feel not only comfortable, but that provided an encouraging atmosphere to help me develop my personal and intellectual abilities. Mount Wachusett Community College definitely provided such an environment,” he continued. “The student body was friendly and the teachers were very passionate. I was always treated with respect and given encouragement, which filled me with confidence.”

“I also benefited greatly from the Visions program because it allowed me to interact with many students who, like me, were trying to succeed while trying to adapt to a whole new culture and language. I had counselors who helped me with anything from choosing my classes to transferring to another school,” he stated. “I also met my wife, Teresita, at MWCC. We graduated together in 1995 and later got married in 1998. We now have a daughter, Liliana, who is 2-1/2 years old.”
According to Edwin, “MWCC had a great impact on my intellectual as well as my personal development. Attending the Mount was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The Mount allowed me to develop my confidence and desire to succeed because I was always respected and encouraged. My motto is to always do more than what is expected.”

Employed by Avid Technology, Inc., where he is an “Escalation” Team Member, involved in Customer Support, Edwin explained, “I assist post-production (video editing) facilities both in the broadcast as well as the feature film market with any technical issues affecting their Avid digital video editing systems.”

Daniela S. Plant (Class of 1995)

Daniela received a certificate in Early Childhood Education from the Mount in 1993. In 1995, she completed an associate degree in Child Study and was the recipient of the child study curriculum award, as well as being a member of Phi Theta Kappa.

Daniela is currently employed at Health Alliance as a kindergarten teacher. There she plans and implements a developmentally appropriate curriculum that meets the needs of each child individually, from ages 5 - 6 years old.

Her favorite quote is to “treat others the way you want to be treated! It always returns back to you.... in many ways!” She also recalls running to Rosanne's curriculum class with her new 3 week old baby in tow because the sitter couldn’t take him...

Daniela will be completing her bachelors in Human Development at Lesley University, Spring 2004

Robert D. Wetmore
Honorary Degree (‘96)

Robert Wetmore, retired state Senator from Barre attends LIFE (Lifelong Learning Institute for Enrichment) classes for adults 50 and over at the MWCC.

The following is a poem he wrote in his creative writing class:

Beyond the Reach of the Sun

While walking, I saw a snake lying in the warm sun.
It had swallowed something, creating a large lump in its body.

There are times I feel like that snake,
not a lump of food in me, something else.

Events in my life have each left their mark in me.
I can review them all in my mind
like clicking the remote control while watching TV.

But there is something deep inside that won't show
like knowing there is something within that snake.
But what?

It could be survivors’ guilt but I think it is the
thousands of prisoners of war we left in Korea.
When I write about them I feel better, for a time,
Then the lump returns.

I hope some day it will shrink and disappear
but I don't think so.
It’s the soldier's burden.

This sunny fall day, there must be hundreds
of snakes lying in the warmth of the sun
With a large lump in their body.
On this day there must be untold numbers of
veterans with a lump deep within them.
But there is no warm sun that will make it go away

Lorraine Wickman (’96)

Lorraine was nearing retirement age when she received her degree in Human Services from the Mount. She remembers, "Meg Gillis, her sociology teacher, telling her team of two that their presentation was the best she had ever seen.”

After graduation, Lorraine was chosen for the position of LIFE (Lifelong Learning for Enrichment) Curriculum Developer for the College. The program is offered to individuals 50 years and older and offers noncredit courses and activities in arts, crafts, and hobbies; computers; history; literature and writing; and travel. The LIFE Program also includes free and optional book groups, a walking group, volunteer opportunities, and the publication of a senior magazine to showcase the writing ability of her adult learners. The program won a national award for "Exceptional Program" in 1999 given by the Association for Higher Education (ACHE). In regard to her job at the college, Lorraine writes, “MWCC started me on the Yellow Brick Road that led to my Emerald Isle - my dream job.”

For further info on LIFE, please check the LIFE page.

Brenda J. Court (’80 & ’98)
Fine Arts & Computer Graphic Design
MWCC Alumni Advisory Board

Brenda is a Graphic Designer employed by The Landmark Corporation where she works as an advertising layout designer.

” The one thing that sticks with me about the Computer Graphic Design program at MWCC, is the dedicated staff. They taught a fully comprehensive series of courses using the latest software. Their reinforcement of methods and professionalism made it possible to go out into the work force and successfully attain employment,” Brenda writes.

The Long, Long Trail A-Winding
Bonnie Cunningham (’99)

At certain stages in one’s life it is interesting to look back and see how small decisions often turn out to be momentous ones in determining where one ends up. The decision to “risk all for love” at age 16 found me standing before a minister and making serious promises to love, honor and cherish a callow youth only three years older than myself.

top of page

Seven years later I was a disillusioned young divorcee with two children to support, unable to drive or balance a checkbook, and wondering who was going to take care of me. I soon learned that the most dependable helping hand was at the end of my own arm, and after a few false starts career-wise, I was hired by Digital for the pilot plant in Leominster, and later, the new Westminster plant.

I found out that the company was offering college courses through the Mount, so I took my G.E.D cold, (not having cracked a textbook for twelve years,) and took my first class, Composition 101, at the old Gardner High School. This was ‘70 or ‘71 and many of my classmates were Viet Nam veterans going to school on the GI Bill. Many of them were very macho and intimidating with their beards and tattoos. They looked so rough and tough that I was completely blown away when it came time to share our entries in our journals. These wonderful, brave men, who had been through so much, dared to share on paper their most tender emotions and deepest feelings with their peers, and I was ashamed of my intellectual snobbery and prejudice. It was a valuable life lesson in not taking people at face value.

I plugged along, one class a semester, and accumulated 27 credits in core subjects. During this period, I remarried and acquired three new step-children along with my new husband. I made the decision to set aside my goal of a degree, for only a time, I thought, to attempt to meld two disparate families into a “Brady Bunch”. Looking back, we did a pretty good job, and a fine blended family was worth the sacrifice.

Digital moved out of Westminster, and I left the company, going on to wildly eclectic pursuits. Over the years, I was secretary for my town, police dispatcher, reporter, costumed historical interpreter at Old Sturbridge Village, USDA milk tester, dog officer, caregiver to the elderly and a newspaper columnist. The problem was, I really didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I was already in my late fifties! Finally, in 1997, when my stepdaughter with nearly grown children announced she was going back to school, and my retired husband said that he too was going to take some classes, I made another decision-I was going back, too.

top of page

I had had a lot of interest in medical technology when I was in high school,
so I chose that as my course of study. It was scary going into a real college classroom (the classrooms at Digital hadn’t felt like college to me). Everyone but me seemed so competent and comfortable in their role as student. I wasn’t sure that I really belonged, but the professors were encouraging. After I reached out a few times, the younger students accepted me, and we studied and commiserated and laughed together.

Gradually I became aware that the medical field was not what I wanted, and I explored the arts, drawing and sculpting, and really enjoyed my English courses. A professor encouraged me to start tutoring other English students.
Suddenly, I found out what I really wanted to do: to help others master the written word, and achieve their academic goals. I continued as a peer tutor through the remaining semesters until graduation.

While words were my joy, numbers were my downfall. I ended up my last semester compromising on a major in General Studies to avoid the higher math I would have needed for a Liberal Arts degree. Still, I graduated with a 3.37 GPA, and that walk across the stage was one of the happiest moments of my life. The smiles and hugs from my proud family were worth all the effort of fitting in studies around running a household and three part-time jobs. I was asked to continue working as a tutor at the Academic Support Center, this time as a paraprofessional. When a part-time clerical position became available, I jumped at the chance to spend more time there.

All that I’ve learned here at the Mount has become synthesized with the varied and rich life experiences I have had. I feel that my knowledge and maturity, and personal experience with the balancing act of family, work and study that any person coming back to school faces, give me special insight into students’ problems, and have helped make me a better tutor. I feel so lucky. I am living proof that, with the Mount’s help, it is never too late to find what you want to be when you grow up!