STCC experience opens door to Isenberg School of Management

by Jim Danko

Springfield, MA (01/25/2022) — SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Damian Breton admits he wasn't a good student when he first went to college in 2005.

But years later, he went back to school and seriously applied himself at Springfield Technical Community College. His diligence paid off. He's now a student at the highly competitive Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

It wasn't instant academic success for Breton. When he decided it was time to go back, he looked into UMass. "They said go to community college. Go to STCC and get good grades," the Springfield resident said.

With the goal of one day getting into Isenberg, Breton enrolled at STCC and took advantage of the MassTransfer program, which offers seamless pathways to state institutions like UMass. One of STCC's transfer options, MassTransfer also provides financial incentives to bring down the cost of a four-year degree.

He excelled during his second time at STCC where he focused on accounting and finance and earned A's and A minuses. When he graduated in 2020 with an associate degree in business administration, he had a strong grade point average, even when factoring his less-than-stellar grades from 15 years ago.

He also successfully completed "predictor" courses Isenberg uses to evaluate applicants, along with their overall academic performance, personal and professional achievements, demonstrated leadership experience engagement at the university and respective communities throughout their college career.

Breton likely would not be an Isenberg student today if he did not first go to STCC. He cited the professors, class sizes and affordability of STCC as top reasons why he was transformed into a successful student.

Rhoda Belemjian, a professor of Business Administration, described STCC as a good choice for students who want to transfer to Isenberg, or any other four-year university, because faculty focuses on preparing them.

"We know how important it is for them to succeed in foundational courses so they can move forward," Belemjian said. "We communicate with the four-year universities that our students transfer to. We ask, 'What can we do to better prepare our students to transfer to your institution?' This includes technical and soft skills."

Belemjian added, "Damian showed strong leadership skills in my classes. He was eager to learn and share that with his classmates. He was helpful in groups, communicated thoughts and ideas well, and demonstrated good problem solving skills. Damian has a positive attitude. He was an awesome student in class."

Breton said he succeeded thanks to the guiding hand of professors like Belemjian.

"Having the support from the professors helped a lot because you could meet with them easily after class or email them for more information," Breton said.

STCC, he explained, is an ideal environment for non-traditional students - people who are returning to school after being in the workforce or parents who might be juggling raising children and working.

"The professors at STCC are more understanding of people who might have kids. They might be working while going to college," Breton said.

Breton worked as a restaurant manager while going to STCC. He continues to juggle working and being a student. "I work about 50 hours a week for Moe's and I do my classes up here," he said.

Going to STCC kept costs down for him. He estimated he paid about $6,500 for his two year degree at STCC. By contrast, the price tag of UMass is about $16,000 a year.

It's not just the affordability that drew him to STCC. Breton noted it would have been more of a struggle for him if he returned to school and faced a large university environment where upwards of 100 students might be seated in an auditorium.

"I've talked with students up here (at UMass) where their introductory accounting class might have several hundred kids in them versus STCC, where there's maybe 30," Breton said in an interview at UMass. "You get more individual attention from the professors."

Breton feels strongly about the quality of STCC's business program. He said his finance classes prepared him for the rigorous Isenberg program. He recommends that anyone dreaming of going to a prestigious university or college program consider starting at STCC.

"Anyone who is an STCC student can come up here if they put their mind to it," Breton said. "They can be a student at one of the top business schools in the Northeast. STCC will open the door to get you here."

Interested in applying to STCC? Visit stcc.edu/apply or call Admissions at (413) 755-3333.

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