HCC student musician Daymen Touissant performs during a “Live From Studio B” concert.
Live From Studio B
Inspired by National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk series of in-studio musical performances, WCCH, the HCC college radio station, launched its own version last spring “Live From Studio B”. So far, four HCC musicians have been recorded, and their episodes can be viewed on the WCCH YouTube channel (@103.5_WCCH_FM). “I’m really into live music,” said radio station manager Patrick LaBelle. “I’m a musician as well, and I wanted to give more opportunities to people around HCC, specifically in the radio station, because there’s a lot of musicians here.” The first three performers were all solo singer-songwriters and also student DJs: Daymen Touissant, Alyssa Jost, and Mikayla Nelson ’25. The fourth was HCC music student Andres Lopez Pozo, who plays the cuatro. For those unfamiliar with WCCH geography, Studio A is the DJ broadcast booth. Studio B is the WCCH podcast room across the hallway on the first floor of the Donahue Building. Each “Live from Studio B” episode features musicians performing two songs, one cover and one original, but LaBelle says each recording session takes about two hours, including setting up the recording equipment and lighting. “It wasn’t just me,” he said. “We had a whole team.” Beyond solo artists, LaBelle said he would like to add musical groups and full bands into the mix. “That’s a big goal of mine,” he said, “so hold me to that.” 4HCC student musician Daymen Touissant performs during a “Live From Studio B” concert.
Chief Jacqueline Robles in her HCC office
Not So Common Heroine
Law enforcement officials from across the state, along with members of the HCC community, gathered May 5 to celebrate the swearing-in of Jacqueline Robles as chief of police. The oath-of-office ceremony was the first ever for a chief at the college. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Springfield, Robles is a graduate of Holyoke High School and has been a member of the HCC police department for 22 years. With her promotion from sergeant, she not only became the first Latina to serve as HCC police chief but the first Latina police chief in Massachusetts. “I stand here as a proud Puerto Rican Latina,” Robles said in her remarks, “and I carry that pride responsibly with grace, honor, and purpose. The department and I are excited and ready to continue serving this exceptional college, its students, faculty, and staff, with integrity, heart, and an unwavering commitment.” Robles, a graduate of Springfield Technical Community College, is the youngest of 12 children and comes from a family of police officers, following three brothers and a sister into law enforcement. She is the mother of three boys and one girl, and grandmother of two. A fan of Wonder Woman who sports a tattoo of the Amazonian superhero on her arm, Robles was named a Commonwealth Heroine for 2025 in June by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.
HCC hosted its first ASL Pickleball Tournament on April 19, 2025.
ASL Pickleball Tourney
HCC hosted its first American Sign Language immersion pickleball tournament in April. About three dozen players and spectators turned out for the Saturday morning event, which was held in the Bartley Center and sponsored by the Deaf Studies Department, the ASL Club, and Student Engagement. Carol Ann Smalley, HCC learning specialist and ASL interpreter in the Office of Students with Disabilities and Deaf Services, said the free, friendly tournament attracted players with a wide range of skill levels, which is what organizers were hoping for. To begin, ASL instructors Minh Vo and Mick Posner led a short introduction to pickleball rules and strategy, followed by the tournament, awards presentation and social time, including a raffle and food. Smalley said the tournament, conducted entirely in ASL, was meant for people who are fluent in the language but also for students and others who are learning. Two-person teams were assembled through a random draw. “The idea was to immerse yourself both in the language and the sport,” she said. “There weren’t any cash prizes. It was just for fun.”
Food pantry manager Elizabeth Eastman loads groceries into a refrigerated locker.
Keeping Things Chill
Since relocating to larger offices close by the Campus Center in September 2024, the Thrive Center and Food Pantry has seen requests for services and food skyrocket. During the last academic year (2024-2025), use of the food pantry doubled to more than 460 requests. All told, Thrive distributed more than 9,000 pounds of food last year to 259 HCC students and their families. “The numbers have jumped a lot because of this new location,” said Thrive Center coordinator Ben Ostiguy. “Our partnerships have also allowed us to offer more,” he said. Those partners include the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and Stop & Shop, as well as donors such as Hyundai Motor America. In addition, state Rep. Pat Duffy recently secured $70,000 in state funds for Thrive that paid to install a bank of refrigerated lockers in the hallway outside the food pantry, where consumers can pick up perishable items like cheese, yogurt, and fresh fruit and vegetables. “Students will be able to access the lockers with a secure pin number or bar code,” said Ostiguy, “and they can pick up their food whenever the building is open.”
Biology students Mia McGregor, left, and Ginger Futrell search for life in the Hidden Treasures garden.
Garden Treasures
While “bioblitz” might sound like some kind of mass extinction event, it is actually a term that describes a quick, non-invasive survey of biodiversity in a specific area. On the last Friday of the spring semester, Professor Leah Ewing sent her Bio 101 students out to bioblitz Hidden Treasures, a community garden behind the Sullivan Middle School on Jarvis Avenue in Holyoke. “The garden was a cultural center used by all the people living in the housing complexes around here and also by the school for a gardening program,” said Ewing. “But it went by the wayside during the pandemic, and we’re trying in small ways to bring it back to life.” For the blitz, students counted as many plants, insects and other living things as they could find in 20 minutes. Each team of students found 15 to 30 different species. Among their key discoveries: wild strawberries, raspberries, wild chives, mushrooms, worms, spiders, lettuce, and bitterdock, an invasive plant toxic to dogs and cats. Ewing took on the garden as a Community Based Learning project in partnership with Nuestras Raices, a Holyoke nonprofit. The results will be used to figure out what plants should be kept and propagated and which should be removed. “Then,” said Ewing, “Nuestras Raices will bring its own groups in, and the school will also come in and help get the garden going again.”
HCC student Gabriel Linares works in the kitchen at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.
A True Community Partnership
The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute received two awards from area organizations for being a good community partner. The United Way Pioneer Valley honored HCC’s culinary arts institute with an impact award during its annual “Champion of Change” celebration, held at the institute on May 1. The United Way has operated a food pantry out of the culinary arts institute since 2023, with the college offering cooking instructions to food pantry patrons. “It’s wheelchair accessible, veteran accessible, children accessible — anybody that needs food can come,” said Jessica Prokop, chief development officer for United Way Pioneer Valley. “Partnering with the United Way has made a huge difference in the neighborhood around the culinary arts institute, because it provides fresh food on a regular basis,” said Jeff Hayden, HCC vice president of business and community services. “It’s a true community partnership.” The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute also received a community partnership award May 14 from the Western New England University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Led by Chef Tracy Carter, chair of the culinary arts program, the CAI team worked with WNEU to organize a six-week week “Cooking with Confidence” class for WNEU that focused on students with disabilities.
