Middlesex Community College: MCC Fashion Major Named To All-Mass Academic Team

Press release from the Middlesex Community College:

Caitlin Buckley

5/12/2021

When Riana Willsie was unsure of what she wanted to pursue in college and beyond, she turned to Middlesex Community College to help her figure out her goals. Now a Fashion major and member of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) – the international honors society for two-year colleges – Willsie is preparing to transfer to a four-year college in the Fall.

MCC was an easy choice for the Groton-native. Willsie has been able to make plans for her future while continuing to take high-quality classes and earn college credit. By attending Middlesex first, she is also saving money on tuition and getting used to the expectations of college.

“I realized I needed time to structure my life and figure out what I wanted my future to look like,” she said. “MCC gave me that time and resources to slowly prepare for college rather than me jumping right into the experience.”

Participating in PTK provides Willsie with even more opportunities for success. Through the society, she can give back to the community, take advantage of member benefits, and represent the mission through her work. Being named to the 2021 All-Massachusetts Academic Team for outstanding two-year college students is an added reward for her.

Every year, the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges (MACC) honors the All-Massachusetts Academic Team to showcase the best and brightest students in the 15-college system. PTK has recognized and encouraged scholarship among community college students for more than 100 years while promoting the academic integrity of the associate degree program.

Willsie is joined on the team by fellow MCC students Gianna Tringali and Hannah Ditmars.

“I am extremely honored to be recognized as a team member,” Willsie said. “It feels great knowing that my hard work is paying off.”

Willsie is also enjoying success in the Fashion program at Middlesex. A member of MCC’s National Society for Leadership and Success (NSLS), she enjoys diving into interesting subjects in her classes and interacting with professors.

“The classes have been interesting and engaging,” Willsie said. “The professors are understanding and helpful, and I feel as though my experience with these classes have helped me prepare to transfer to a four-year school.”

With Associate Professor of Fashion Merchandising Ashli Ree as her academic advisor, Willsie has the ability to ask questions and learn more about the industry. Having now taken three of Ree’s classes, Willsie has appreciated Ree’s willingness to go “above and beyond” in helping prepare her for the future.

Willsie plans to major in Fashion and Business at her next college and hopes to one day work and live in Europe to pursue her dreams. MCC helped her see – and plan out – her goals more clearly.

“Attending MCC was the best decision I could have made,” she said. “I recommend it to anyone else who is looking for structure in their life.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Willsie and her classmates – as well as honorees of the other Mass. community colleges – were honored for their 2021 PTK All-Massachusetts Academic Team through a virtual “PTK Community College Excellence Week” at the end of April 2021.

MACC works on behalf of the Community College Presidents and their local Boards of Trustees to advocate, communicate and collaborate to strengthen community colleges for the benefit of students, communities and the Commonwealth. The community colleges currently represent more than 136,000 students in every region of Mass., educating nearly half of all students in the state’s public higher education system and serving the largest share of first-generation students, low-income students and students of color.

For more information about MCC’s All-Massachusetts Academic Team members, contact Steven Rossi, MCC’s Director of Student Engagement, at rossis@middlesex.mass.edu or 978-656-3789.

Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu or call 1-800-818-3434 to register for the Summer and Fall 2021 semesters at Middlesex.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, MCC has been a proven leader in online education for more than 20 years. We educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners, offering more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!

This press release was produced by the Middlesex Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.