As Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing (BSM) in Lee, Mass., has grown, many MCLA alumni have grown there, too.
MCLA's first radiologic technology graduates have worked hard to get to this point, facing the closure of Southern Vermont College, which originally housed their program before MCLA became the school's official teach-out partner, and then a pandemic that caused MCLA's spring semester to move to a remote format. Still, the program earned a 91% pass rate on its board exams this year.
Since 2018, the Berkshire Regional Arts Integration Network (BRAINworks) has offered free in-person professional development for local educators, focusing on integrating the arts into their curriculums. But when all schools, public and private, went virtual this year, BRAINworks' programming became even more crucial.
Emily Sienkiewicz '21 has loved the Library of Congress since she visited it during a trip to Washington, D.C. when she was 13. This summer, though she's not there in person, she's contributing as a Junior Fellow to the Library's important work.
Two MCLA students, Amanda Bortman and Max Martel, are interning for Berkshire County Arc this summer, using their communications skills to help tell the stories of BCArc’s staff.
If you were to read a popular press book about the state of youth sports, you would think the situation needed immediate attention. According to some recent tomes, youth sports are in a crisis and parents are partly to blame. Their rude, aggressive, and overbearing antics are allegedly making the sports field a dangerous place for kids to be and the fear is that this might stop other parents and children from signing up to play.
Drew Thomas ’21 and Declan McDermott ’21 are working to promote MCLA’s Institute for Arts and Humanities this summer. As they enhance their skills in design and nonprofit administration, they’re both making an impact on the Berkshire community.
Sonja Stewart is the director of family support and advocacy at Berkshire County Arc (BCArc), based in Pittsfield, Mass., which serves more than 1,000 individuals and their families across the Berkshires. She earned her master's degree in education from MCLA in 2018, after receiving a bachelor's in social work from the College of St. Rose in 2014.
Although he's now helping design temperature sensors for the cutting-edge rockets of SpaceX, Dan Kuszpa '98 entered the field quite by accident.
Every year, MCLA's faculty members write, edit, and contribute to papers and articles, receive awards and grants for their research, are quoted as experts, and contribute to their community, among other accolades. We are proud to present this list of accomplishments for the 2019-20 academic year.
