WELLESLEY HILLS, Mass. (May 7, 2020) — MassBay Community College is pleased to announce that students, Nathalia Goettert of Wayland, MA, Sungmin Kim of Belmont, MA, and Ashley Robinson Snell of Westborough, MA, have been named to the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) All-Massachusetts Academic Team and have been virtually honored by the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges (MACC). The PTK Community College Excellence Week started on Monday, April 27, 2020 and ran through Friday, May 1, 2020. MACC highlighted the student members of the All-Massachusetts Academic Team for their outstanding academic achievement and exemplary student service on its social media pages.
Traditionally, a celebratory ceremony is held at the Massachusetts State House to honor the highest academic achievers in the state’s 15-member community college system. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Phi Theta Kappa All-Massachusetts Academic Team ceremony originally scheduled for April 8, 2020 at the State House was canceled.
Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society of two-year colleges, has recognized community college students and encouraged scholarship for more than a century. They promote the academic integrity of the associate degree program. Students with grade point averages of 3.5 or higher are invited to join Phi Theta Kappa.
“We are extremely proud of Nathalia, Sungmin, Ashley, and all the PTK community college students across Massachusetts who have been selected for this honor,” said MassBay President, Dr. David Podell. “We celebrate their accomplishments, dedication, and perseverance, and we will congratulate them virtually for this prestigious accolade.”
“Every year, we look forward to this opportunity to highlight community colleges’ commitment to access, opportunity, and excellence. Despite the virtual nature of this year’s recognition, the outstanding achievements of our students cannot be understated. We are proud of all they have accomplished and celebrate the continued pursuit of their academic and career aspirations,” said Tom Sannicandro, Director of the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges (MACC).
The 2020 Phi Theta Kappa All-Massachusetts Academic Team members are:
- Berkshire Community College students Travis Costello and Jimmy Phan;
- Bristol Community College students Hannah Davignon, Lindsay Dias,and Paul Rhuda;
- Bunker Hill Community College students Oumaima Erragragui, Prepsa Ghimire, and Elidijon Tafa;
- Cape Cod Community College students Lexis Grandel, Noah Lamperti, and Cassandra Robin;
- Greenfield Community College students Hailee Galandak-Cochran and Clairise Netto;
- Holyoke Community College students Maxwell Faytell, Esfier Okhrimenko, Synell Rodriguez, and Jordan Wyman;
- MassBay Community College students Nathalia Goettert, Sungmin Kim, and Ashley Robinson Snell;
- Massasoit Community College students Kevin Denicola and Jasmine Jaynes;
- Middlesex Community College students Cara Hartsgrove, Sokharath Koy, and Andrea Wallis;
- Mt. Wachusett Community College students Ammar Alkayal and Sidney Myers;
- North Shore Community College students Laela Bisgrove, Larissa Louissaint, and Vanessa Molina;
- Northern Essex Community College students Zaida Melina, Pimentel Gamboa, and Jonas Ruzek;
- Quinsigamond Community College students Krystle Bedrick and Temsalet Molla;
- Roxbury Community College students Michael Gregorka and Kimberly Headley-Jeffrey; and
- Springfield Technical Community College students Gary Hutchins and Helder Serrazina
![Nathalia Goettert]( "Nathalia Goettert")
Nathalia Goettert, an international student from Brazil, is a biotechnology major at MassBay Community College. She is a participant in MassBay’s STEM Mentor Program, which matches her with a local biotechnology professional who provides her with academic and career support. The program also offers her the opportunity to participate in many career-focused events and activities. Nathalia is scheduled to graduate with her Associate of Science degree in spring 2021. She hopes to transfer to the University of Massachusetts or Northeastern University to continue her studies in biotechnology. Her career goals include working in the biomanufacturing industry, where she hopes to help people by discovering and producing treatments to cure diseases. When Nathalia is not on the MassBay campus, she volunteers at animal shelters and loves cooking and baking at her Wayland home.
![Sungmin Kim]( "Sungmin Kim")
Sungmin Kim is originally from Seoul, South Korea, but moved to the United States in 2014 and settled in Belmont, MA. As a General Studies Science student at MassBay, he is involved in the STEM Mentor Program, which pairs him with a local professional who provides academic and career support. Sungmin is also a member of the Gamer’s Guild Club and the Multicultural Mentoring Program. He was accepted to, and participated in, the Bridges to Baccalaureate research internship at UMass Boston for summer 2019. Sungmin will continue his education in fall 2020 to pursue his bachelor’s degree. Although he has not yet committed to a university, he has been accepted to UMass Amherst Honors College and Boston University. His career aspirations include attending medical school to become a psychiatrist. Sungmin’s hobbies include playing video games, watching science documentaries, and volunteering at a local homeless shelter.
![Ashley Robinson Snell]( "Ashley Robinson Snell")
Ashley Robinson Snell, of Westborough, MA, graduated from MassBay in December 2019 with an associate degree in business administration. She balanced a full-time job as a retail coordinator at a local bank and a part-time job as a food server in the MetroWest area, all while taking a full course load and earning a spot on the Dean’s List each semester. Ashley will pursue a bachelor’s degree in management at Framingham State University in fall 2020, while also focusing on a management role in a retail or sales setting to help improve customer experiences. In her spare time, she volunteers at Meals on Wheels and the Special Olympics of Massachusetts. Ashley also participates in financial literacy programs at local middle and high schools, where she helps students understand the importance of sticking to a budget and starting a savings account early in life. Her hobbies include crafting, refinishing antiques, reading, and gardening. Ashley has a passion for writing and she hopes to publish her work sometime in the future.
The Massachusetts Association Community Colleges (MACC) works on behalf of presidents and trustees of the fifteen community colleges in Massachusetts, currently representing more than 150,000 students in every region of the Commonwealth. To see more on the virtual “PTK Community College Excellence Week,” highlights about the students, follow MACC’s social media posts at the below accounts:
Facebook: Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges (@macommunitycolleges)
Twitter: @MassCCs
Instagram: @massbayview
To learn more about at MassBay visit www.massbay.edu
MassBay Community College is ranked by the Brookings Institution as one of the top schools for value added and earned salaries in the workforce. Ranked #1 for two-year colleges in Massachusetts, #2 in New England, and #16 nationally. The College’s facilities in Wellesley Hills, Framingham, and Ashland house day, evening and weekend classes that meet the needs of degree-seeking students and career minded life-long learners. Online options provide convenience and allow faculty to facilitate the learning process. Since its founding in 1961, MassBay has been accredited by several governing bodies and strives to meet the needs of the diverse local communities it serves.