Campus Kudos

Honored for Innovation 

For the second year in a row, Chef Tracy Carter was recognized with a national award for her work as chair of the HCC culinary arts department. In July, Carter received the 2026 Innovation Award from Real Milk California and the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFÉ).  Carter was recognized in part for implementing the Culinary Learning Hub, a digital platform designed to reinforce in-person instruction and provide students with widely accessible learning materials. Beginning this fall, English 101 (Composition) was embedded in the culinary arts education, allowing culinary students to complete foundational coursework in their own learning environment. In 2025, Carter received the Community Outreach Award from CAFÉ and the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts.

Who I Am

Anthropology Professor Vanessa Martinez was honored March 9 for her work engaging students in civic learning. During a ceremony at Holyoke’s Wistariahurst Museum celebrating Civics Learning Week, Martinez received proclamations from Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia and state Rep. Patricia Duffy. Martinez, Ph.D., a health anthropologist, is coordinator of community-based learning at HCC. In 2023, as part of their coursework, her students started collecting stories from Holyoke residents for two oral history projects, one on the COVID-19 pandemic and another that examines living conditions in the city and their impact on public health. Those interviews have become part of the Wistariahurst Museum’s permanent archives. “I hope you know that for the rest of my life I will support this community and do this work, because that’s how meaningful it is” she said. “It is who I am.”

Hall of Famer

HCC Director of Athletics Thomas “Tommy” Stewart was inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame during a March 5 ceremony at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, site of the 2026 NJCAA Track and Field Championship, where he served as meet director. Stewart has served on the NJCAA Track and Field Committee for 20 years, but he has been involved with the NJCAA in various roles for 25. During Stewart’s 30 years at HCC, the college has hosted nine NJCAA national cross-country championships and one national track and field championship. “I’ve had a good run and a wonderful career,” said Stewart, who plans to retire in January 2028. “I’m very lucky to do what I do. At some point, you’ve got to pass the baton.”

Lifetime Achievement

During the past three decades, thousands of graduating students have passed through the office of Transfer Affairs Coordinator Mark Broadbent on their way to other colleges and universities. For all his work helping HCC students progress to the next level of education, the New England Transfer Association honored him with the 2026 Dr. Mary E. Dunn Lifetime Achievement in Transfer Award. Broadbent started working at HCC in 1990 as a graduate intern from Springfield College, moving into Admissions and TRIO before landing in Transfer Affairs 34 years ago.