Campus Roundup

Full (Pickleball) Court Press

With pickleball a national sports craze, HCC’s seven new indoor pickleball courts were sure to be popular. But no one anticipated how much attention they would generate from area players and local media. “The response from the community has been tremendous,” President Royal told Business West magazine for a December feature story on the rapidly growing racquet sport. “People are calling and asking if we can expand the hours. I think we’ve really tapped into an outlet that people are looking for.” The new courts, which opened in early fall, are available Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. for just a $5 daily fee. During the colder months, HCC’s indoor courts regularly saw action from 30-40 players a day. The idea for installing courts came from President Royal, herself an avid player. “I was looking for something to burn off stress, and as a former tennis player, I really enjoy racquet sports, and this is something that’s a little easier on my knees,” she said. Besides Business West, HCC’s pickleball courts have generated coverage from Western Mass News, Spectrum News 1, Reminder Publications, the Springfield Republican, and Prime Magazine, whose January issue featured a photo of President Royal and HCC Athletic Director Tom Stewart on the cover.

Home-grown Production

A documentary that had its origins in the classrooms of HCC premiered Jan. 28 at Northampton’s historic Academy of Music. “Finding the Words: The Story of Voices from Inside” tells the stories of women who write to overcome their experiences with incarceration and addiction. HCC English professor and Service Learning Program documentarian Alex Wagman, one of the film’s executive producers, began working on the project during a sabbatical semester in 2019 with the support of a $15,000 grant from MassHumanities. The film features interviews with HCC English professor Lisa Mahon, HCC’s Service Learning Program coordinator, whose classes have long collaborated with Voices from Inside, as well as criminal justice professors Nicole Hendricks and Adina Giannelli, president of the Voices from Inside board of directors. Professors Mary Orisich (economics), Vanessa Martinez (anthropology), and Katharine Daube (sociology) served as research consultants. “It’s a very HCC, home-grown production,” Wagman said. In addition, one of the women featured in the documentary is HCC and Voices from Inside alum Sonia Mendez ’20. Aundrea Marschoun ’21, another HCC alum, worked as a videographer, and the music was composed by English instructor and singer-songwriter Kelly Vogel.

Mystery Ink

Some teachers offer incentives such as gold stars, extra credit, or even candy for work well done. Early education professor Sheila Gould offers her right arm as a canvas for tattoos selected by her students. Her latest ink came in December. It’s an image of the Very Hungry Caterpillar eating a pink cupcake. “They had an assignment to make Tik Tok videos about their course content to inform the public in a really fun way about how important the field of early childhood education is,” said Gould. “I gave them a challenge: any group that gets over 1,000 likes on their video can ask me 10 personal questions and then design a mystery tattoo for me that I can’t see until it’s done.” Gould ran the same Tik Tok challenge project in the fall of 2021, resulting in a tattoo of a green carnation with her maiden name, Murphy, on the stem, in memory of her father, who liked to hand them out to honor the family’s Irish heritage. Of all the rewards she’s offered to students over the years, the tattoo challenge seems to work best, so she’s planning to do it again. “It would be kind of fun to have a sleeve by the time I retire,” she said.

Homecoming Queen

The reception alone nearly brought Marcelle Dion LaBrecque to tears. “I was not expecting such a huge turnout,” said LaBrecque ‘16, a New York City-based alum who performs a traveling drag show in the persona of “Marilyn Monhoe.” In a much anticipated event last fall in the HCC Campus Center, Labrecque literally filled the house, then brought it down. “I’m so used to doing college gigs where there’s 10 to 15 students. Showing up here and seeing almost 50 was a little overwhelming. It felt really, really good to be home.” As a first-year student at HCC, LaBrecque took Musical Theater Workshop with Professor Ellen Cogen, singing “Let Me Be Your Star” from the TV show “Smash,” and “Who I’d Be” from “Shrek” in the semester-ending showcase. “She got my legs where I needed to get them and really helped drive me to continue pursuing musical theater professionally,” said LaBrecque, who left HCC before earning a degree. “I’m not proud of this, but I used to cut class just to choreograph and run scenes,” said LaBrecque. “My professors understood. They didn’t agree with some of the decisions I made but they understood that HCC didn’t have everything I needed to become a fully well-rounded performer, and they gave me the space and the opportunity to grow.”

Diá de los Muertos

Despite its resemblance to one of America’s favorite occasions, Diá de los Muertos  (Mexico’s Day of the Dead) has nothing to do with Halloween. “Halloween is tied to a pagan ritual,” said HCC Spanish professor Raúl Gutiérrez. “Diá de los Muertos is typically a religious holiday that has to do with Catholicism and a mixture of indigenous practices.” Part of the confusion may lie in their shared use of the color orange. “Orange marks the pathway to the afterlife. That’s the way your loved ones are able to find you,” he explained in November during HCC’s first-ever Diá de los Muertos celebration, an event organized by El Centro and HCC’s LEA Club (Latinx Empowerment Association). Gutiérrez, a native of Mexico, explained the significance of the ofrenda, a kind of alter, that had be en constructed outside the El Centro offices in the HCC Campus Center, on which members of the HCC community were invited to place photos of their loved ones who have passed on. HCC student Mishie Serrano of Holyoke brought in a photograph or her great-grandparents. “This is the only photo we have of them,” said Serrano, co-president of the LEA Club. “I could not think of a better way to honor them than to do it like this.”

Being Colleen

Growing up in Chicopee, Ashley Terron ‘23 dreamed of one day competing in the city’s annual Colleen contest, but one factor gave her pause. “Colleen means Irish girl,” she said. “I’m Puerto Rican. I always thought you had to be Irish, but that’s not true at all.” Early in 2022, during her last year of eligibility, the 20-year-old HCC biology major finally mustered the courage to enter.  After several rounds of interviews, she won. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “It was such an experience. It makes me emotional just thinking about it.” As her tenure drew to a close, Chicopee’s 2022 Colleen visited campus one day with her tiara, green sash, and corsage. “I’m sad, but I’m really grateful,” she said. “There are a lot of responsibilities. I’ve met so many people and learned so many valuable skills.” Terron, who works as a personal care assistant, said she’s now looking forward to Commencement in June before entering HCC’s medical assistant program in September and then pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology on her way to a career as a physician’s assistant. “I’ve worked hard over the last five semesters, so it’s really rewarding to finally be able to graduate,” she said. “I learned a lot from HCC, and I’ve learned a lot from being Colleen.”