MCC Dual Enrollment Student Named to All-Mass Academic Team

A Dual Enrollment student and member of Middlesex Community College’s Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) – the international honor society of two-year colleges – Hannah Ditmars is on her path to success as she earns both a high school diploma and an associate degree. She was also one of three Middlesex students named to the 2021 All-Massachusetts Academic Team for outstanding two-year college students.

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

“I feel very grateful and excited for the recognition and opportunity to be a student at Middlesex,” Ditmars said. “Phi Theta Kappa offers so many opportunities for college students, including aiding in the affordability of college costs, helping students explore career paths they are interested in, and teaching them skills for the professional workplace.”

After she graduates from Westford Academy in June 2021, Ditmars will continue at Middlesex to study as a Business Administration Transfer major. She started at MCC in Fall 2020 in response to hearing about the high school’s return plan. As a partnership was already in place between Westford Academy and MCC for Dual Enrollment classes, Ditmars jumped at the chance to participate, calling it “a great opportunity.”

At Middlesex, Ditmars enjoys being able to earn college credits and grow comfortable taking college-level classes while at home. Although her classes were all online because of the pandemic, she believes they were interactive and provided a connection between her peers and professors – particularly in MCC Professor Deborah Botker’s American Government course Ditmars took in the Fall of 2020.

“I have been extremely impressed by the quality of classes as well as the support I have been receiving as a student,” she said. “My professors have been very attentive and accessible and I frequently join the optional office hours.”

During office hours for her classes, Ditmars has a chance to ask questions, talk over content and materials, and get to know her professors better. She has appreciated all that her professors, academic advisor and MCC staff have done for her as a whole. Because of their dedication to her success, Ditmars feels as though she is “valued as a student and learner.”

As she is an active participant at clubs and organizations at Westford Academy, Ditmars is looking forward to joining more programs that MCC offers. Her interests at her high school have included the Gender and Sexuality Alliance, Human Rights Club and Speech and Debate Team. She also participated in MCC’s Earth Day event, called “Planting Bee Friendly Seeds” and hosted by Massachusetts Student Public Interest Research Group (MSSPIRG).

In the future, Ditmars wants to finish at Middlesex and take advantage of MCC’s MassTransfer program. She is hoping to continue her studies at UMass Amherst’s Isenberg School of Business to complete her bachelor’s degree.

She said, “I believe Middlesex Community College has prepared me for achieving my goal of having a successful transition to UMass Amherst by providing a rigorous curriculum and a nurturing supportive academic environment.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Ditmars 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.

By providing general education courses required by most colleges and universities, Dual Enrollment at MCC allows high school and homeschool students an opportunity to earn college credit, seek enrichment beyond courses offered at the high school, and save money on tuition. Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/dualenroll/ or contact dualenrollment@middlesex.mass.edu for more information.

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!