Supported for Success

Mathematics major Vincent Kovacs readily admits he was a below-average high school student. The first-generation college student also had “no clue how college worked” when he visited NCC for the first time. Those factors, he says, made NCC his only college option. It turned out to be the best one.

When Kovacs attended a campus tour, he found staff who helped him understand the admissions and financial aid process. He saw an active campus with students everywhere. The student who wasn’t sure if college was for him left with a sense of belonging and the motivation to give education another shot.

Still, when Kovacs started classes, he was intimidated. Daunted by the math required to follow his passion for physics, he selected marketing as his major. In his business classes, he developed the confidence to change his major to math. Kovacs credits Wendi Achey, professor of business and marketing, with believing in his potential and pushing him to challenge himself. She even encouraged him to participate in a case study competition against students from four-year colleges, and his team took first place.

“If I could describe her class in two words, it would be ‘tough love,’” says Kovacs. “She genuinely wants to prepare her students for the future, whether they are looking to get a job right after NCC or pursue a four-year degree. She cares about each and every student who comes through her door. This just goes to show that the education you receive at NCC is on par with, or even better than, four-year institutions.” 

Kovacs, who never took math seriously, started practicing it on his own time – and he liked it. Having completed all his prerequisites at NCC, he is taking calculus in his first semester at Boston University, where he is studying physics.

His business classes also pushed Kovacs to develop his communication skills. Always wanting to become more involved in activities outside the classroom, he lacked opportunity – like so many students – due to COVID-19 restrictions. His confidence growing by leaps and bounds, he joined student clubs (over 10!) and started volunteering in his community.

Kovacs is particularly proud of his time as president of Student Senate. He declared it his mission to foster a greater sense of community and revitalize campus life, and he made good on his word. During his tenure, Student Senate transformed from an inactive club to one with thriving membership that has approved club funding requests and advocated for and approved the start of several new groups on campus.

The road hasn’t always been easy for Kovacs, but he’s a glass-half-full kind of guy. He juggles up to three jobs at times and lives with his grandparents. Thanks to financial aid and scholarships covering the cost of tuition – Kovacs is the recipient of the Allison Nicole Perno Endowed Scholarship and the Spence Endowed Scholarship – he has been able to build his savings account. He was also able to purchase his first car.

“I can’t stress this enough: I would not be the student, person, or leader I am today without all the amazing faculty and staff at Northampton,” says Kovacs. “Community college is a second chance for so many, myself included, to get an education and pursue their goals and dreams. I would never in a million years have imagined myself going to an amazing school like Boston University, but Northampton prepared me and gave me the resources to succeed.”

Kovacs plans to go into physics research – string theory fascinates him – and perhaps teach at the college level one day. Two years after starting at NCC with a host of limitations, Kovacs has none.