Alumni … Out & About

Exceeding the challenge

There are 295 reasons to celebrate the success of “Together HCC.” Over a 24-hour period in April, nearly 300 alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students joined together with gifts of all sizes that demonstrated the passion and commitment of our HCC community.

Our community’s participation in “Together HCC” translates to four words that can change a  student’s future forever: I believe in you. There is no greater message for individuals trying to make their way in the world. As we look ahead to our next 75 years, we are inspired to think bigger and go further in support of the next generation of HCC students.

133 Gifts from alumni

90 Gifts from HCC employees and retirees

72 Gifts from HCC trustees, friends, and community members

20 Number of states where donors reside 

148 First-time donors 

$144 Average gift

$126,824 Total raised

Donations directed to:

$12,645 Thrive Center & Food Pantry

$44,130 President’s Student Emergency Fund

$70,050 Scholarships

Saucy Solution

When she first arrived in the U.S. to attend college, Kahntapaht (Nan) Wilson ’06 used to help her aunt and uncle work in the kitchen of her family’s Amherst restaurant, Thai Corner. Wilson’s late uncle, Chet Satienpoch (a.k.a. Mr. C), was the creator of the family’s signature recipes, including their flagship line of sauces and marinades with a Thai twist – “Mr. C’s.”In 2020, after 25 years in business and facing new challenges from the pandemic, her aunt decided to retire and close the restaurant. But Wilson saw an opportunity to keep the family business alive. Using her marketing and business background, Wilson now produces the Mr. C’s family of sauces and distributes them to grocery stores and eateries from Westfield to Boston. “As the new owner of Mr. C’s, I wear so many hats,” she says, “no two days are the same.” Wilson, who lives in eastern Mass. with her husband and two young children, credits HCC for providing her with the support she needed to build her life in America. “I was an ESL student and I remember Myriam Quinoñes and Rubaba Matin helping me navigate college when I spoke very little English,” says Wilson. “I also had a job at the Taber Art Gallery working with director Amy Johnquest.” After getting her start at HCC, Wilson attended Westfield State University and Bay Path University, earning her MBA.

Standing Out in a Crowd

Among the many alumni who stepped up to offer their support during HCC’s April 27 “Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives” campaign, no one stood out more than Mychal Connolly ‘04. During the one day, 24-hour fundraiser, Connolly donated the use of his mobile billboard business – Stand Out Truck – and literally drove around the Springfield-Holyoke area to advertise the campaign and solicit donations. “The reason I had to get involved with this is because HCC has done a lot for me,” Connolly said during a pitstop that day at HCC. “When I first moved to this country from the Bahamas, HCC was one of the first places that embraced me. I literally felt like I was back home. It was the same kind of welcoming vibe, like everyone loves on you, and that’s how HCC was. That’s the beauty of this place. It’s a genuine place where people want to see you succeed, like if someone is looking to get a start or start over, this is where you begin.”

Excited as a Nerd

LGBTQ activist Meghan Murray ’04 works for the Biden Administration as a senior advisor at the U.S. Census Bureau. As such, Maury functions as a liaison to nonprofits, members of Congress and other stakeholders, providing education about the work of the bureau to make what is complex and technical accessible to people who are not necessarily data experts. After graduating from HCC, Maury went on to UMass for bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting and then to Georgetown University for a law degree before landing a job as policy director for the National LGBTQ Task Force. At the Task Force, Maury led a campaign to “queer the census” to counter the deficit of data about the LGBTQ community. The last few months have been busy for Maury as the bureau has been crunching numbers and releasing new data from the 2020 Census. “I’m excited as a nerd, but I’m also excited as a big fan of democracy,”  Maury said.

Up, Up, and Away

Not many people can say they’ve worked on every U.S.-led rover mission to Mars. One who can is David C. Gruel ’91. Five years out of HCC, Gruel was part of the Pathfinder mission that landed the Sojourner rover on Mars. After that, through his job as an engineer at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, Gruel was among the NASA rover mission crews working on Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and, most recently, Perseverance, which landed on Mars in February 2021 to much international ado.  Gruel’s role in the last two Mars missions was to lead the team known as ATLO, which stands for Assembly, Test and Launch Operations. Essentially, the team takes all the parts for the rover and its spacecraft – tens of thousands of them – and assembles them like a “bunch of intricate Legos,” he says. Typically, once a mission has landed, Gruel’s role slows down quite a bit, but the Perseverance landing was different because he had installed a camera system to take video and still images of the descent and landing, including video of the rover setting down on Mars and kicking up dust. “We joked it was kind of like our selfie cam,” he said.

Rising Role Model

Julissa Colón ‘13, special programs coordinator for HCC’s Gateway to College program, was named one of the “40 Under Forty” by Business West magazine for 2021. The annual awards recognize promising young community leaders from Western Massachusetts. In her “40 Under Forty” profile, published in the magazine’s May 12 online edition, Colón recounts how she had dropped out of college at 19 to have her daughter and thought she might never return. She did, though, years later, earning her associate degree from HCC in 2013 and then a bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies and history from Smith. She now advises students in Gateway, HCC’s alternative high school program. “These are students who have already left high school or are on the verge of leaving,” Colón, 39, told Business West. “What they all have in common, though, is that they don’t want to give up — they do want their high-school diploma, they do want to be successful, they do have dreams.” 

Acting in Good Faith

Terence Murphy ’68, ’77, retired HCC bookstore manager, adjunct professor and baseball coach, is the acting mayor for the city of Holyoke. A Ward 2 city councilor, Murphy was appointed by the council to serve until a new mayor is elected in November to succeed the departed Alex Morse. Murphy said he does not intend to run for the permanent seat. “It’s been interesting,” said Murphy, who has served in Holyoke city politics since 1976.  “It’s been challenging. I’ve met a lot of people, and everyone has been very kind to me for the most part, so I appreciate that. I just tell people I’m doing the best I can. I don’t have a political agenda. I’ve got an agenda of trying to figure out how do I make each little part a little bit better, and if I can do that then ultimately Holyoke as a community can become better.” After graduating from HCC in 1968, Murphy went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in political science from Stonehill College and later a master’s degree in public administration from American International College. In between, he earned a second associate degree in legal studies from HCC in 1977 and stayed on to manage the bookstore for 28 years while also coaching women’s basketball and men’s baseball, and teaching government as an adjunct professor. “HCC has, without a question, been the most significant organization in my life,” Murphy said. “I appreciate what I got.”