Grad Spotlight: Johnathan Dowling

Johnathan Dowling, NCC general studies graduate, wanted a challenge. For his third year of high school, he decided to take classes as a dual enrollment student at Northampton Community College (NCC).  

“Since the Bethlehem campus was very close to Freedom High School, where I attended, I looked into college courses that would count towards my diploma and an associate’s degree,” he says. 

His courses gave him a taste of a variety of subjects that he could explore. When he took English classes, he found a love of the subject. He enjoyed the classes where the students and professors would discuss meaning and symbolism in the books they read, and he had more of an opportunity to write in these courses.  

“As you write, you are putting your thoughts and feelings on paper, expressing yourself in ways words can’t always do,” Dowling says. 

Dowling is a part of the Gay Straight Alliance and Black Student Union on campus, where he says he’s found community and enjoyed making new friends. He also was featured in The Laconic, NCC’s literary and arts magazine, for his pieces titled Τίμιο Σώμα και Παναγία (Holy Body and Virgin Mary), Rayas, and Loop. 

“NCC was such a welcome change of pace, and I love every aspect of the school. Teachers, courses, students, and community made the shift from high school wonderful. I finished my last two years in high school at NCC, and I couldn’t be happier.”  

Dowling will be attending Moravian University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in English with a writing certification. He received a Presidential Scholarship to attend Moravian, which will help him financially on his journey. Dowling's goal is to become a writer, regardless of the industry.  

“Whether it’s scriptwriting, news writing or copywriting at a company, I’m excited about what my future holds,” he says.