On January 5, 2022, Mount Wachusett Community College held a pinning ceremony honoring the six graduating students in Paramedic Class 3. The ceremony was held for a limited in person audience, and on the college live stream for friends and family.

The Paramedic Class of 2021 are Joseph Bernardini of Fitchburg, Edward Coulter of Winchendon, Michael Flood of Barre, Sarah Lyon of Brookfield, Patricia Levasseur of Templeton, and Robert Walters of Rutland.

“We are proud of you and the incredible amount of work that you have done to complete such a difficult program during a difficult time,” noted MWCC President James Vander Hooven. “You are going to make a huge difference in our region, in our communities, and for people who are in desperate need of you, your knowledge, caring, and compassion.”

“We are here to recognize your accomplishments and reflect with gratitude upon the choices and actions that have led you to success, and the support you have received from your faculty, family and friends,” reflected Margaret Jaillet, DPT, Dean of Health Professions, Public Service Programs and Social Sciences.  “We are thankful beyond words that you have decided to continue to serve this community as a paramedic.”

Guest speaker, John Breshnahan, MPA, EMTP and Clinical Coordinator of the Paramedic Degree program, highlighted the character of the six members of Class 3, who consciously made the decision to enroll in the program during the pandemic, knowing they would encounter a COVID patient each day. He enumerated the students’ achievements; the six students of Class 3 completed 382 12-leads, conducted 270 airway managements, 946 adult patient assessments, and 326 pediatric patient assessments, issued 791 medications, started 1,116 IV’s, and completed 212 EMS Patient Care Reports. They completed 1,564.5 hours in the field, and 3,776 hours in clinical rotation.

“You have been a pleasure to work with. I am so proud of you,” stated Peter “I enjoy watching the classes come together as strangers and leave as friends and colleagues. Your class has been such a cohesive group supporting each other and I will miss you.”

Vice President of Class 3, Robert Walters, noted how the class has grown together as a group and as individuals. “Peter, John, Gary and the rest of the faculty – you have provided us with not only the tools to become paramedics, but you have enabled us to achieve what was once thought not possible. You have given us experiences and friendships that will last us the rest of our lives,” Walters said in his address.

Program Medical Director Dr. Daniel Wilson added, “One of my most prideful joys is teaching you in this program. We have come a long way, you have seen a lot, learned a ton, and now you can put the rubber to the road. You are ready to step into any situation, you have the ability, the acumen, the talent to go forth and make a difference. You have already made a difference amongst your colleagues and at this college, and you will make a difference in patient’s lives. You will be acting on our behalf, taking the first steps to make people who need you well. Congratulations from the bottom of my heart. I can’t wait to see you in the field!”

The MWCC Paramedic Technology Program, is in its fourth year and has now graduated twenty-three students in its first three classes. The MWCC Paramedic Technology Certificate program is one of only nine such programs in the state, and the only program in North Central Massachusetts. The intensive 14-month program prepares students to take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic Certification Exam. Learn more at mwcc.edu.

Debbi Mallinson, founder of Magic Lamp Consulting Inc, a nonprofit business consulting and grant writing service in Leominster, was selected as the top prize winner in EforAll Greater Worcester’s Pitch Contest. In a “Shark Tank” style event, entrepreneurs were given 10 minutes to pitch their business to a panel of judges, followed by 10 minutes of intensive questioning. Magic Lamp Consulting was the top prize winner, receiving $2,500 in prize money.

Magic Lamp Consulting’s mission is to strengthen communities through innovative work with small to mid-sized nonprofit partners, helping them attain the financial support needed to fulfill their mission. Since being founded in 2020, Magic Lamp Consulting has raised over $2.1 Million for local nonprofit organizations.

For more details on Magic Lamp Consulting, Inc, please visit www.MagicLampConsulting.com

Mount Wachusett Community College, with generous support from the Shannon Grant, has launched a new program aiming to connect with students and provide them with support, coaching and workshops in academic, employment, and life readiness. The program is intended for high school seniors and HiSet participants or graduates who are interested in attending MWCC in the fall for either credit degree or certificate programs, or non-credit training programs.

Once accepted into the program, students will participate in various workshops including study strategy techniques, selecting college courses, completing career assessments, building self-esteem, preparing to transition to college, college admissions procedures, and completing financial aid forms.

“Through this program, I’ll be providing coaching, accountability and training to students,” noted Senior Success Program manager, local personal growth and development specialist, and MWCC outreach counselor Maria Vazquez. “I work to make sure these students are getting what they need through the completion of their senior year, on through the summer, and into their first semester at the Mount. My goal is to ensure that they are reaching their full potential.”

Students must reside in Fitchburg, Leominster or Gardner, be a first-generation college student, and meet one or more other risk factors (low-income, single parent household, etc.) in order to be eligible. Individuals interested in the program can visit mwcc.edu/senior-success to complete the application questionnaire.

About the Shannon Grant

Funded by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Office of Grants and Research, the Charles E. Shannon Community Safety Initiative (Shannon) is modeled after the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Comprehensive Gang Model. Shannon is a multi-sector approach used to address a community’s gang and youth violence problem. Each community receiving Shannon funding demonstrates the presence of risk factors for youth and gang violence.

Massachusetts is exploring the future of natural gas used in homes and businesses and by large commercial and industrial customers. We’d like your thoughts.

Whether you live in Massachusetts or run a business here, the future of natural gas impacts us all. That’s why we would like your input on a plan to ensure a safe, reliable, and equitable transition to the future of energy in our state.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) directed the Massachusetts gas companies to explore pathways for a clean energy future – for you and our future generations. This includes the critical goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Our part in achieving “net zero” includes removing the same amount of greenhouse gases we produce or avoiding them altogether through new technologies, to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change. These new technologies could impact home appliances like heating systems, boilers, gas stoves, and water heaters and a variety of commercial and industrial equipment that use natural gas. That’s a big job, and one that needs the public’s support and input to succeed.

Here’s how to share ideas and get involved:

• Attend a live webinar to learn more and provide your feedback. Please register below for one of the sessions to reserve your spot, attendance is limited.
  • December 15, 6:30 pm-7:30 pm
  • December 16, 12 pm-1 pm
• Send us an email at
• Check out these videos for more information
• Call our hotline at 1-833-285-7160 to provide your feedback.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held last month to celebrate the opening of Solvus Global’s new Center for Scaled Innovation in Manufacturing at 272 Nashua St. in partnership with North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and the city, attracting local and state officials as well as interested parties.

Solvus Global is a technology-solution provider for materials and manufacturing founded in 2017 specializing in the areas of additive manufacturing, machine learning and sustainable materials processing. Headquartered in Worcester, it now operates out of three locations — research and manufacturing facilities in both Leominster and Worcester and a collaborative center in Webster.

Solvus Global co-founder and CEO Aaron Birt said the goal of cSIM is to create a place where innovative manufacturing solutions can be scaled from their research and development facility in Worcester and demonstrated in full production environments.

“It’s really a showcase of how government, industry and academia can come together to solve major supply chain challenges that we face as a country today,” he said.

Birt said two primary products will be coming out of the cSIM facility.

“One will be specialty powder materials that serve the cold spray industry, a growing community that specializes in both 3D printing and repair of legacy parts that are worn out or damaged,” he said. “The second is what we call production of large format additive components, which are parts at least one foot by one foot by one foot that are typically made of specialty materials like Inconel or titanium. We will be fabricating, treating and finishing these parts for our customers across the defense and industry sectors.”

Christine Nolan, director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing at the MassTech Collaborative based in Westborough, said cSIM is important for the greater community, as it will benefit those beyond Leominster as well.

“Companies like Solvus show local students that today’s manufacturing jobs are not the repetitive or dirty jobs of the past but are high-tech careers that call for teamwork, an interest in cutting-edge digital tools, and critical thinking,” she said. “North Central Massachusetts is full of innovative, high-tech manufacturers like Solvus, places where Massachusetts students can find rewarding career opportunities once they graduate.”

MassTech Collaborative jointly manages the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative, or M2I2, grant program along with the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. During the ribbon-cutting, Nolan announced a new $1.6 million M212 grant to Solvus Global and its partner, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, which will support both an infrastructure investment, establishing a first-of-its-kind, fully automated robotic Arc-DED (Direct Energy Deposition) manufacturing line, along with an apprenticeship program spearheaded by Solvus and partners WPI and the national manufacturing institute ARM Robotics.

As part of the award, Solvus will establish an apprenticeship program with local technical schools such as Worcester Technical High School and Mount Wachusett Community College, and program curriculum facilitated by WPI will be established which highlights key skills needed by the advanced manufacturing workforce.

“The commonwealth’s support for this program is investing in infrastructure but also in a training program, which taps into educational institutions that have strong ties to the manufacturing sector including schools like WPI, Mount Wachusett Community College, and Worcester Tech,” Nolan said.

She said Solvus Global’s cSIM and the apprenticeship program aligns well with the region’s historical manufacturing roots.

“Massachusetts and the North Central region in particular have a long history of manufacturing leadership,” she said. “We’re now leading when it comes to advanced manufacturing, where manufacturing meets high-tech innovation. Through the M2I2 grant program we’re making critical investments in the tools, training programs and partnerships that will help keep our ‘Made in Mass.’ manufacturing sector in this leadership role for decades to come.”

As CEO of Solvus Global, Birt said much of his job “is setting up the vision for our future and helping to pull together the high-level people and resources necessary to make those visions a reality” through projects such as cSIM.

“Our goal is to be in full production with these innovative manufacturing solutions by the end of 2022 while at the same time serving as a resource for the region to support reskilling our workforce for the next era of manufacturing,” he said. “It’s something that we and many of our partners are passionate about and so we’re looking for ways to work together to create an environment that’s supportive of both the people and the industry.”