Campus Kudos

Business administration major Jessica Heredia ’26, president of the HCC Student Government Association (formerly the Student Senate), received the 2025 Dean Sullivan Award from the Community College Student Leadership Association. The CCSLA is a consortium of student life leaders from the 15 community colleges in Massachusetts and other community colleges in New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The award is given annually to one student leader who exemplifies enthusiasm and dedication and demonstrates achievement. The award was presented to Heredia at the CCSLA’s annual fall conference in Gardner, Massachusetts, and delivered by HCC Student Activities Coordinator Lindsey Pare ’18, who won the Dean Sullivan Award herself in 2017.

Environmental science and natural resources major AJ Jones ’26 was awarded a Newman Civic Fellowship by Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities working to advance the public purposes of higher education. The Newman Civic Fellowship recognizes students who stand out for their leadership potential and commitment to creating positive change in their communities. Jones, who uses a wheelchair, has been working with college science departments to make field study more accessible to people with disabilities.

Chef Tracy Carter, chair of the HCC Culinary Arts program, received the 2025 Community Outreach Award from the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts and the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFÉ). The national award recognizes a culinary/hospitality program or individual making a positive impact in their communities. Last year, Carter facilitated a partnership with the Western New England University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to develop an adaptive cooking series designed for people with disabilities and their caregivers.

President George Timmons and Police Chief Jacqueline Robles were both honored by the June Archer Foundation at separate gala events held at the Bushnell Theater in Hartford, Connecticut. President Timmons was named one of the “100 Men of Color” and Chief Robles one of the “100 Women of Color” for 2025. The awards recognize the contributions of men and women of color in education, business, government, entertainment, healthcare, and community service, and the impact they have made on the lives of people in Connecticut and western Massachusetts. At the men’s event, President Timmons was chosen to speak on behalf of all 100 honorees as the 2025 class “valedictorian.”

WCCH radio station manager Patrick LaBelle was named a news champion for 2026 by the Center for Community News at the University of Vermont. The award, which comes with a $1,000 stipend, supports efforts by college leaders to build community news programs. LaBelle, who comes from a professional background in community news, is developing a program that would get students out in their local communities reporting news stories with the goal of getting those published or broadcast by area media.