Campus Life

What's life like for students at Northampton? What have Northampton graduates gone on to accomplish? What do faculty and staff have to say about working here? Meet some current students and find out why they chose NCC. Read how successful alumni got their start right here and discover what they are up to now. Learn why faculty and staff love working here.

Get to know Northampton through the eyes of the students, alumni and people that work here - just click on a profile below to get started.

Don Gamble, Funeral Service Education Student

Funeral Services student Don Gamble still has vivid memories of visiting his mother's community college during his childhood, is one that the NCC funeral services student still holds with him today. Now he's following in his mother's footsteps and hopes to eventually join the staff at the Janette Gamble Funeral Home in Vandergrift, PA.

Codi Januszkiewicz, Interior Design Student

Interior Design student Codi Januszkiewicz spent her spring 2013 semester balancing classes, two jobs, and an internship. She also now has the ability to integrate architectural understanding into her design skills – a task that, two years ago, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to pull off.

Chloe Hoyak, Interior Design Student

Chloe Hoyak remembers being excited about bold colors and organizing spaces even as a young girl. Design remained in her blood through her teenage years, and when it came time to think about college, she was excited to be accepted to the New York School of Interior Design. A life on your own in the big city isn't for every 16-year-old, however, and so Hoyak's parents gently gave her a nudge in another direction: Northampton Community College.

Charles Moronski, Business Management Student

At the Spring 2013 Student Celebration in April, NCC president Dr. Mark Erickson and vice-president for academic affairs, Dr. Jeffrey Focht, joined a group of students in dancing to the popular Gangnam Style. Leading the way in the center of the floor was the student who had convinced the college's leaders to participate: business management major Charles Moronski.

Jason Toncik, HVAC/R Student

When Jason Toncik graduated from NCC in 2009 with a degree in computer programming, he went to work for a Lehigh Valley company that ultimately outsourced their local jobs. After only two years of working in his field, he was faced with the prospect of unemployment unless he decided to go search for a similar job in a big city.

Nordia Campbell, Biological Science Student

It's been almost 14 years since Nordia Campbell first came to the U.S. from her native Jamaica and in that time, she's had to teach herself how to overcome all of the hurdles that life has thrown at her. She's now ready to make her mark on the world, and that starts with the foundation she's laying at NCC.

Kim Lightcap, Automotive Technology Student

Kimberly Lightcap didn't grow up around classic cars or motorcycles. She wasn't raised around people who were constantly under a hood or tinkering with automotive interiors. As a matter of fact, Lightcap's first go-around in a college setting saw her receiving a bachelors degree in psychology. She then spent 15 years working in insurance. Lightcap is the first to admit that going back to school for automotive technology wouldn’t exactly seem like the next natural step now.

Bill Rowe, Business Administration Student

There is a quote in the book The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale that says, "The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism." Vice president for academic affairs, Dr. Jeffrey Focht, gave a copy of this book to NCC business administration student Bill Rowe, whose own college journey thus far could have been based on that quote.

Angela Collins, Liberal Arts & Psychology Student

Angela Collins had always wanted a career. Then she took on the most important job in the world: being a mother. Collins raised four sons and taught them that education is important. All four went on to college. Now, when others her age have things like retirement and world travel on their minds, Collins is working on obtaining an associate’s degree in psychology.

Natacha Clicteur, Paralegal Studies Student

Fourth-semester Paralegal Studies student Natacha Clicteur wanted to invest in a career that would provide her with future job security, but more than anything she wanted to enter into a field that is exciting, varied and intellectually stimulating.

Kacper Waskiewicz, Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Kacper Waskiewicz did not start out pursuing an education in a medical field. In his native Queens, N.Y., Waskiewicz grew up playing music, stage acting and excelling on the soccer field. He stayed there to finish high school while his parents resided in the Lehigh Valley, and he was recruited to play soccer at a local college until the cost of his education derailed his plans. By the end of 2008, he found himself in Pennysylvania pursing a job at Brookmont Healthcare Center while he took a semester off to figure out his next step.

Eder Florian, Chemistry Student

Two teachers – Dieruff High School chemistry teacher Paul McHugh and NCC chemistry professor William Magilton – made all the difference in the world to Eder Florian.

Kathy Rocchetti, Paralegal Student

Kathy Rocchetti raised two children, had a successful administrative career, and had never been to college. When the school district she was employed by began making budget cuts a few years ago, Rochetti looked at her layoff as an opportunity to potentially try something new.

Samantha Henning, Athletic Training Student

Samantha Henning's schedule is so full that it reads more like something you’d expect from a seasoned career executive instead of a college student. She juggles three jobs, several classes, gymnastics and a weekly babysitting gig.

Edite Neves, Nursing Student

Starting a nursing program us challenging enough, but it becomes even more so when you have to balance it with work and raising a family. Edite Neves holds it all together by setting realistic goals, keeping a schedule, and staying focused and organized. This is also her second academic journey through NCC.

Jose Valderrama, Marketing Student

Rather than enrolling in college just after completing high school, Jose Valderrama decided to get some real-world experience and put in some time working for a marketing firm. The result -- once he decided to pursue his education -- was a more focused student.

Ruth Gameiro, Social Work Student

Ruth Gameiro has had her life changed not just by her choice field of study, but by the faculty and staff who have supported her since her arrival at NCC. The Wilson High School graduate admits that she had a rough time with her education prior to her decision to attend college, but that she was determined to make it count when she arrived here.

Evelyn Galarza, Biological Science Student

Community colleges can be a stepping stone for students interested in a variety of fields, including aspiring medical students. In fact, some of the most passionate aspiring medical students complete their first two years of prerequisites at a community college, primarily because it makes the most sense for their finances and educational path at the time. In Evelyn Galarza’s case, her last-minute enrollment and intervention on behalf of one of her professors led to her pursuing biological sciences at NCC – a degree which will cover many of the pre-med credits she requires.

Joseph Ortiz, Architecture Student

The surfaces in the architecture classrooms in Founder’s Hall are littered with inspirations, concepts and drafts of projects; everything from drawings to small-scale bridge models are displayed on the side tables along the walls. First-year student Joseph Ortiz sits in the middle of the organized chaos, reflecting on the evolution of concepts for class projects, as well as on how he arrived at NCC with a career goal already in mind.

Kasheena Collins, Biology Student

Kasheena Collins will need four years instead of the typical two to earn her associate’s degree. She heard “you can’t” or “you won’t” from people back in her old New York neighborhood when she would tell them that she was going to attend college and become a veterinarian.