STEM Students of the Semester

In December 2022, Dean of the School of Business, Engineering, and Technology Betty Lauer and Dean of the School of Math and Science Ben Benton announced that 23 QCC students were recognized as STEM Students of the Fall Semester. Below we feature profiles of the first half of these students, sharing why they were selected and stories of their journey on the road to achieving student success. Congratulations to all!

SCIENCE

Leesa Kamura – selected by Biology Professor Donald Buell, who wrote “Leesa was enrolled in my A&P II lab course. During each of the lab experiences she demonstrated exemplary mentorship and leadership to help her classmates learn the curriculum. She always asked probing and clarifying questions to help her to own the material and at the same time aiding her classmates to learn. Leesa was always engaged, focused, respectful, compassionate, passionate, thorough and simply a joy to have in class. Leesa was so well-spoken, mature, resilient, supportive and always strived to do her very best. Leesa set the bar very high for herself and therefore helped to raise the bar for her classmates. All of her lab work, lab reports, and lab exams were exemplary and earned her a solid 98 for her lab grade. I can think of no better student to be “Stem Student of the Semester”.

In telling her story, Leesa shared “I initially applied to QCC when I was 18. I was a new mother and trying to navigate life while being enrolled in classes. Unfortunately, circumstances led me to drop my classes at the time. I worked in a residential school for children diagnosed with autism and other developmental delays which worked with DDS to offer classes in the human service field. I finally came back to QCC after 6 years and received a Direct Care certificate. Due to my passion for the healthcare side of my job, I switched my major and I am now pursuing Nursing. I attend QCC part-time due to working and being a single mother to my two daughters. My oldest will be graduating in the fall and starting her college experience. My youngest is in third grade and I spend most of my free time with them. I really love school and building an education. I always joke that if I could get paid to go to school, I would take every class available. I would love to eventually transfer to receive my BSN and possibly my DNP after that. I am not positive where I would like my nursing career to go but I am very interested in psychiatric nursing. I have worked in the mental health field for 14 years and do not see myself giving it up instead helping in a different way.”

Danielle Weaver – selected by Environmental Science Professor Anita Soracco, who wrote “Danielle is a very passionate and enthusiastic environmental science major.  She lives and breathes environmental initiatives.  Danielle is one of the students working on the research project monitoring cyanobacteria with the City of Worcester.  In class, she was consistently bringing up relevant news stories, history and knowledge on environmental issues.  Her drive to make a difference is strong, and she hopes to run for political office one day on an environmental platform.  Danielle has had several personal setbacks during her studies, but she has a rejuvenated focus and is working very hard to make her dreams come true!  I highly recommend her as STEM student of the semester!

In telling her story, Danielle shared, “I decided to attend QCC after I became increasingly more depressed and despondent about Donald Trump's "Environmental Plan" and decided to go back to school and major in Environmental Science. My goal is to get myself into positions of power within the government, where I can eventually be involved in making the decisions for what happens to the Environment we live in. I'm always looking to get involved in environmental projects that benefit the City of Worcester.”

Aragsan Ali – selected by Biology Professor Tatiana Gritsko, who wrote “Aragsan took Bio101 with me. She showed an excellent work ethic in both the Lab and Lecture parts of the course. She actively participated in discussions, was fully engaged in lab experiments, was leading and helping other students in her Lab group, always positive and enthusiastic. I was surprised to learn that she had an accommodation and small kids since she was the top student in the class and never used her family or health situation as an excuse. Aragsan is a refugee from Somalia. She got US citizenship shortly before our final Exam. I am strongly recommending Aragsan as a STEM student of the semester; she is a great role model, overcoming very challenging life obstacles with a positive attitude and amazing perseverance.”

In telling her story, Aragsan shared “I’m an East African from Somalia. I came to the USA 6 years ago at 20 years old, a single mother of two kids. At the time, I didn’t know how to speak English. After taking some English courses, I decided to attend QCC because I love education because it helps me with my mental health. My current major is General studies, I will finish during the intersession, but my Goal is to become a nurse. I will be transferring to 4-year school next year. I decided to do General Studies while doing my prerequisites for the nursing degree. I work at the QCC gym part-time, and enjoy using the gym”.

TECHNOLOGY

Anthony Fisher – selected by Computer Information Systems Professors Robert Desilets and Charulata Trivedi, who wrote “Anthony assists many students in the General Academic Area and the students find his tutoring style extremely easy to understand. During COVID, Anthony continued with classes. He also takes advantage of the opportunities offered by the college such as the mentoring program. We have received many positive comments from the mentoring coordinator about Anthony’s level of engagement.”

In telling his story, Anthony shared “Here is a picture of me from Providence Pride this past summer. I think it captures my personality quite well. I am a very open person. I started at QCC the fall of 2020. It was the height of the pandemic and I work in a restaurant so there was some instability in that line of work.  I was taking some online certification courses as a way to pass the time and improve my computing skills while also thinking about a career change. I have been working in restaurants since 1995. I have always been interested in web design and programming so I am a CIS major.  My future plans involve finishing school and moving to the US Virgin Islands to work remotely from a beach.  I had planned on stopping school after finishing my associate degree but feel I may continue on in my education and eventually teach college-level courses. I currently work full-time at The Red Rock Grill and Bar in Upton (it’s great food) and I also tutor CIS here at QCC part-time while also taking classes. I love to travel and take at least one cruise every year, this year I was lucky enough to go on 3, but I still manage to make it to all my classes online and have done homework while sitting on my cabin’s balcony. As anyone in the GAA Tutoring Center can tell you, I can tell some great stories.”

Mike Gachukia – selected by Professor Jim Heffernan, who wrote “Mike is in one of my courses this semester, and also in two of my courses last spring. He has proven to be a positive asset to every class. He is a persistent problem-solver, asks relevant questions when needed, and sticks with assignments until they are completed. He is helpful to other students and generous with his time.”

In telling his story, Mike shared “What initiated my enrollment at QCC was my mother. She wanted me to gain a college education and right after high school, I was enrolled in summer classes at QCC. She claimed QCC is a great community college with a great educational system (she knew because she attended QCC and became an RN). I found that to be true, and as a plus, it is affordable. I have always been interested in a study that would allow me to help others. I was interested in the healthcare world but with time realized it wasn’t for me. I was then introduced to the manufacturing industry, it was there that I learned that it is possible to help others using technology. I wanted to learn more about the electrical portion and this goal led me to want to become an Engineer. I am currently interested in becoming an Electrical Engineer. I fell in love with my career and wished to learn more, to advance my knowledge to be able to apply that at my job and for future purposes that will help me focus on my goals. I started off as an assembler and later became a technician. I am working towards becoming an engineer at my company.”

Jacob Ridlon – selected by Computer Science Engineering Technology Professor NT Izuchi, who wrote “Jacob Ridlon is an exceptionally brilliant and dedicated student. He excelled in the “Summer 2022 Computer Build” workshop that I conducted for incoming STEM/CSET students. His documentation/technical write-up of the processes he followed to build the computer was so exceptional that I shared it with the rest of his classmates. He is currently taking CSC 141 with me, and he was able to finish and submit the entire semester’s lab assignments within five weeks with excellent grades. Informally, he is serving as a tutor for some of his classmates. Jacob Ridlon is simply an exceptionally dedicated student.”

In telling his story, Jacob shared “I personally had enrolled at QCC for two reasons, my first reason being I had no idea where to start with my next chapter and seeing QCC was ranked #1 in my state really made me want to check you guys out. This would cause me to get with my school and do a first-year experience as part of QCC dual enrollment which brings me to my second point. Having taken that class made me really feel at home and having a welcoming community had me decide to continue my education. My current main study is in computer science/cybersecurity. I really have been into tinkering, protecting people’s privacy, and really making things work to their absolute max. As technology becomes a bigger part of our world we need more and more people who know how to make these devices work. For every person we have protecting these devices, there is another person breaking them or ruining it for someone else. My main goal is to make it so I can protect as many as possible and make sure everyone’s privacy is protected in the real world.”

Jacob was a musician playing trumpet and percussion before attending QCC in high school; he was part of a band that was a National Champion in US Bands division 3. The group was also featured on TV’s Channel 5 show “Chronicle”.

ENGINEERING

Eva Kadriu – selected by Engineering Professor Dadbeh Bigonahy, who wrote “Eva is a hard-working, active, motivated, diligent, polite, well-disciplined, intelligent and cooperative student. Her ability to assist students with tutoring support is excellent.”

In telling her story, Eva writes “I enrolled at QCC to save money and get the general education courses out of the way for when I transfer. My major is Engineering. I want to have a degree in either Civil Engineering or Architecture (or both, why not?). At first, I chose Architecture because it was a simple connection - it contains art and math, and I love both those subjects. After I got accepted to my high school's engineering academy, I had so much fun learning and applying my knowledge to real world problems. Engineering is a field that solves impactful problems in our world and that is exactly why I chose to pursue it after high school. Engineers are constantly changing the world and I have my own ideas for changes that can make our world a little better. I plan to finish my associate degree and transfer to a 4-year college. I also want to minor in education, which at first was a backup plan – but I would be happy to teach STEM subjects and have more students find what they are passionate about just like my professors did for me. I like learning about renewable energy and dove deep into learning about renewable energy, recycled materials, eco-friendly materials, etc. and their use in Construction. I want to either come up with more materials that are eco-friendly or make designs and help build homes for people in need using the most eco-friendly materials that we have available right now and have forms of renewable energy in the homes. I want to help people and if I can do that in the most eco-friendly way possible would be amazing. I am originally from Albania, more specifically from the Peshkopi in Dibër county. I work as a tutor for ERG courses (ERG 101 as of now, and occasionally ERG 280). As a fun fact, I worked as a STEM teacher for a summer camp (as a Hanover Fellow)!”

Monica Doan – selected by Engineering Professor Dadbeh Bigonahy, who wrote “Monica is a dedicated, polite, intelligent, motivated, goal oriented, well disciplined, and punctual student.”

In telling her story, Monica shared “I attended QCC because I was recommended to participate in the engineering program by my teachers in high school and upperclassmen. I also chose QCC since it was much more affordable and learned that the credits I will be taking are transferable to a four-year college. I currently major in engineering and I plan to transfer to WPI so I can in pursue electrical engineering. I chose this major since I had hands-on experience with it, there's a large emphasis on it in math (my favorite subject), and it pays well. Following my Bachelor’s degree I plan to complete both of the exams to be a licensed Professional Engineer. I also want to print poetry books and share my artwork when I have more free time and expenses. I am currently happy with the job I have right now, which is in a small engineering business. I simply want to live comfortably and do hobbies I thoroughly enjoy!”

Kristina (Tina) Meneses – selected by Engineering Professor Dadbeh Bigonahy, who wrote “Kristina is hard-working, intelligent, cooperative, excellent tutor helping student, conscientious, studious, mature, polite and reliable student.”

In telling her story, Tina shared “I decided to attend to be closer to my family and to focus on my mental health. My major is engineering, I intend to major in Electrical Engineering after transferring to a 4-year university. I picked engineering since I love creating things, however, I leaned toward electrical engineering because I absolutely adore Times Square and love the lights, and robots!  I plan to take my E.I.T. exam, practice with it for the required time, and then take the P.E. exam. My career goal is to hopefully become a principal electrical engineer and expand my knowledge. Hopefully one day I will be able to do electrical engineering while living in New York / New Jersey. I hope that I will be able to expand a business for the entire east coast while also giving back to the community through nonprofits and donations. In my free time, I like to produce music. I currently work at ART Engineering as an Electrical Designer in downtown Worcester. I have been there for 5 years now and love it more every single week. I like being part of a team and the building process of a new or renovated building.”

Katlyne Mio – selected by Engineering Professor Dadbeh Bigonahy, who wrote “Katlyne is intelligent, hardworking, at the top 1 percent of her classes, active, motivated, studious, mature, well-disciplined, considerate, conscientious, dedicated, punctual, and reliable student. She has an inquisitive mind and insatiable appetite for learning.”

In telling her story, Katlyne shared “I decided to attend QCC for a few reasons, including to save money (tuition, commutable) – and my last couple of high school years were impacted by difficult times such as mental health (PTSD due to assaults), medical emergencies, and family tragedies which severely impacted my performance in school, so I felt my HS grades and extracurriculars did not reflect who I was as a student or person by the time I graduated. At QCC I have the chance to show what I am capable of! I work part-time during semesters and full-time on breaks to pay off as much of my tuition as possible to graduate with minimal debt. I am currently majoring in engineering at QCC. When I transfer, I plan on pursuing either a mechanical or aerospace engineering bachelor's degree followed by a master's. For my future I dream of having a career I am passionate about that will positively impact people and the world and that will challenge me every day. And I want to be someone other minorities (POC, women/girls, ESL) or anyone, in general, can look up to. I want to inspire others by being a positive role model and mentor. I love helping others and I love sharing my passions so I also hope for the future to create programs and outreach that can positively impact and support underprivileged communities with better accessibility and resources in STEM education. I am first-generation, and both my parents were born and raised in Peru. They immigrated here 27 years ago and as a result, this has opened many doors for me and my siblings. My parents have sacrificed a lot and I admire their resiliency and strength. Despite their many hardships, they are some of the kindest, welcoming, supportive, and open-hearted people who inspire me daily to be the best version of myself.”

Stephany Conley – selected by Engineering Professor Dadbeh Bigonahy, who wrote “Stephany is very active in tutoring, and is hard-working, polite, punctual, and goal-oriented.”

In telling her story, Stephany shared “I decided to attend QCC because it offers me the flexibility of scheduling classes while working as a Dental Hygienist and a great opportunity to get started on a degree and transfer to very reputable schools to complete my degree. As I've gotten older I have come to realize more about my strengths and have found Engineering to be a good fit for my interests and my skill set. I'm excited about the career opportunities that come with this major and the growth that is possible in this career motivates me to complete this challenging degree. In my free time, I can often be found working on "Do it yourself" projects around the house and have a knack for learning everything I can about home ownership! I've recently installed a sliding door, a window, and a pellet stove when I am not working or going to school!”

MATHEMATICS

Nhut Tien Tran – selected by Mathematics Professor Philomena D'Alessandro, who writes “Nhut is a first-year, full-time college student, majoring in Computer Science. His goal is to be a programmer, and he is currently taking (and excelling in) MAT 100: College Algebra. He shared with me that he knows that becoming a programmer is not an easy job, where one has to learn about machine language. To make the machine run properly one would have to be very careful coding, because a small error could cause the machine to fail to run. He said that when he codes, he sometimes runs into errors that are extremely hard to find. But, instead of giving up, he spends the time to check his code (from beginning to end) to find out what he did wrong. Computer science, specifically coding, has taught him about passion, persistence, and responsibility. He is applying that work ethic to all of his courses this semester to help him achieve his goal. He said he always takes full responsibility for the work he turns in and tries his best. His dedication, humor, friendliness to his classmates, and positive attitude are evident.”

In telling his story, Nhut shared “I’m from Vietnam, and I have been in America for 4 years, I’m currently a student at Quinsigamond Community College. I attend Quinsigamond Community College because I want to improve my major skills before transferring to another college. My major is Computer Science Transfer, I choose it because I like coding. I want to graduate college with a bachelor’s degree and become a programmer in a big company. In my free time, I like listening to music, playing games, and watching videos. I work a part-time job at Leominster when I have free days.”

Stay tuned for the second half of STEM Students of the Semester in the next Wyvern Guardian!