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GARDNER – Mount Wachusett Community College Alumna Irene Hernandez of Gardner was sworn in as a trustee of the Mount Wachusett Community College Board of Trustees today. Hernandez earned both an Associate’s Degree in Human Services and General Science from MWCC.
Hernandez has devoted her career to service in her community and to others. She currently serves as director at Active Life Health Care Management, LLC Adult Day Care Clinic/Center in Fitchburg. She has also served as a manager/coordinator at Fitchburg Community Connections Coalition for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families; as assistant to former Fitchburg Mayor Lisa Wong, and as an evaluation interviewer/care partner for the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester.
Hernandez plans to bring both her experience in the community and experience as a former Mount Wachusett Community College student to the board. “I am very excited about the opportunity to be a stakeholder at MWCC and to contribute to outcomes and equity for our community,” said Hernandez. “Twenty years ago, I came to the college as a student. Today, I come with great wealth of personal and professional knowledge that will align with the mission of the college and also support others on the board to see things through a different lens and different point of view,” added Hernandez.
In assuming this role, she also thanked the college staff and professors for contributing to her success. “There was no way to fail really. There were so many areas of support for students that we could reach out to,” said Hernandez. “I believe the professors at MWCC expected excellence and they expected me to be prepared for every class. My professors were experts in their areas of study and they knew how to engage people from different backgrounds,” she added.
“Mount Wachusett Community College will be well served by the expertise and dedication Irene will bring to the board,” said MWCC President Jim Vander Hooven. “Her dedication to our communities and the region and her first-hand knowledge of the Mount student experience will be invaluable.”
In addition to her associate degrees from MWCC, she also has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology from Worcester State University as well as credentials from MWCC in Therapeutic Touch and REIKI.