1963
John O’Connell earned a bachelor of arts from Boston University and a juris doctorate from Suffolk Law School. He is currently enjoying retirement.
1974
Since her retirement, Louise Cavanaugh (arts and science) has been working part time in the Holyoke Public Schools, two years as an instructional leadership specialist and three years as a reading tutor. She retired in 2014 after 38 years as an elementary school teacher, all but one year in Holyoke.
Janis Santos (liberal studies) retired in 2021 after working for over 48 years at Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Head Start, six years as a teacher and 42 years as executive director/CEO.
Gayle Smith (retail management) is semi-retired as president of Middlebridge Marketing in Lincoln, R.I. She will continue as a consultant to the firm as well as chief marketing officer. She resides in Cape Coral, Fla., with her husband.
1978
Jack Desroches (business administration) is the founder of Milestone Production in Springfield, a full-service event production company, and My Father’s House, a place of transformation for formerly homeless men.
1980
Stephen Donnelly (computer information systems) earned a bachelor of arts degree from Westfield State University and a master of business administration from Western New England University. He is now a consulting senior business analyst in the life insurance industry. He frequently contributes book reviews to the Historical Journal of Massachusetts. He has lived and worked in Germany and Japan.
1983
Sharon Miskiv (visual art) is semi-retired and volunteering at the Cape Cod and Islands chapter of the American Red Cross. She previously served as secretary for the Chicopee Democratic Committee in 2008 and attended the Democratic state convention as a delegate from Chicopee. She works as a special education monitor for Van Pool Transportation in Wilbraham.
1988
Cynthia Ravosa (arts and science) was named one of the Top Lawyers of 2021 by Boston Magazine. Ravosa has extensive experience representing individuals and small businesses in bankruptcy cases throughout Massachusetts. In addition to earning her law degree from the Massachusetts School of Law at Andover in 2016, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Western New England University, and also holds an MBA with a concentration in accounting from Suffolk University. She is a member of the Hampden, Boston, and Worcester Bar Associations, the National Consumer Bankruptcy Association, and the American Bankruptcy Institute.
1996
Melissa Labonte (hospitality management) is the human resources manager at Pioneer Valley Hotel Group in Springfield.
2005
Joseph Couture (arts and science) earned a master’s degree from Boston University and now works as a regional information security officer at Orsted, an offshore wind farm developer in Denmark.
2006
Matt McMahon (psychology) completed a bachelor of arts degree in psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He went on to Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I., where he completed a master’s degree in international relations and post-graduate certificate in cybersecurity. He also has an executive education certificate in public policy from the Harvard University Kennedy School. He has a number of cyber certificates, including HCISPP, Sec +, AWS, and certified cloud practitioner, among others. He currently works as the research and development lead for cybersecurity and privacy at Philips, a graduate adjunct cyber professor at Salve Regina, and a cybersecurity subject matter expert at MIT.
2008
Jamal Coleman (arts and science) earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from UMass Amherst and now works as the lead VFX artist at Lightforge Games based in Raleigh, N.C. He has previously worked for Blizzard Entertainment, WB Boston, and Hi-Rez studios.
2013
Leigh-Ellen Figueroa (arts and science) completed a bachelor’s degree in sustainable food and farming from UMass Amherst in 2018, a master’s degree in counseling psychology from American International College in 2021, and a graduate certificate in restorative practices from the International Institute of Restorative Practices in 2021. She currently works at the Communities That Care Coalition in Franklin County as the health and equity programs coordinator, where she manages and oversees state grants and projects that are connected to the coalition’s mission of improving youth health, wellness, and health equity. She also works as a clinician in community mental health at the Center for Human Development and provides consultation, support, and coaching to schools on anti-oppression/equity work and restorative practices.
2015
Alison Dalpé (criminal justice) is finishing bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and sociology at Westfield State University. She is a campus police officer at Greenfield Community College.
Shamia (Martinez) Anthony (elementary education) earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Westfield State University and teaches fifth grade (English language arts) in Springfield Public Schools.
Melanie Wilk (nutrition and food science) is the food service director of Chicopee Public Schools and a registered dietitian.
Jeffery Anderson-Burgos (sociology) completed his bachelor’s degree in political science from the Commonwealth Honors College at UMass Amherst in 2017. A resident of Holyoke, he now works as the administrative assistant to the Holyoke City Council and serves on the board of the Greater Holyoke Council for Human Understanding. He is also a member of the Holyoke Pride Committee, a member of the city’s 150th anniversary committee, and a member of the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. During the 2020 presidential campaign he served as a regional volunteer coordinator for Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg and has raised funds for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as a member of several road race teams, including two years running the Boston Marathon.
2016
Savannah Paul (liberal studies) is in her final semester at Bay Path University, where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education. She lives in Boston and works as an after-school teacher in the Somerville Public Schools.
2018
Cara Chenaille (veterinary and animal science) works at the Monson Animal Clinic as a certified veterinary technician.
Alyssa Lucchesi (Deaf studies) of South Hadley graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in American Sign Language and English Interpretation and now works as an independent contractor ASL interpreter.
Louis Burgos (criminal justice 2014; communications, media and theater arts 2018) is the digital and social media manager at Springfield Technical Community College.
Samantha Harris-Lariviere (visual arts) works in administrative services for the United States Postal Service and volunteers at Dakin Humane Society.
Marianna Chechile Puskas (liberal arts) works as an administrative assistant/digital coordinator for Ware Public Schools.
2019
Yaritza Barta (liberal arts) is a human resource staff assistant at HCC. She will graduate in 2023 from Bay Path University with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts.
Madison Trask (foundations of health) completed a bachelor’s degree in health sciences from Westfield State University, as well as an EMT certification. She has been working as a medical assistant/EMT for Berkshire Allergy Care and as a registered pharmacy technician for CVS Health.
2020
Theresa Kincaid (business administration) is a manager at WIS International, a retail services solutions company.
2022
Sylvan Knight (biology) transferred to UMass Amherst, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology.
Arien Monti (business administration) will graduate this fall from Westfield State University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She recently obtained her real estate license and also works for the fantasy sports betting company DraftKings.
Emma Pouliot (criminal justice) is studying criminal justice at Southern New Hampshire University and working full time.
Send news and photos to alumni@hcc.edu or to The Connection, c/o Alumni Relations, 303 Homestead Ave., Holyoke MA 01040.
