Meet successful local diverse HCC alumni working in the community. Discussion topics will include: transferring from HCC to a four-year school, how they navigated a new campus, lessons learned along the way, and how they found their dream career. Opportunities for question and answer, and chatting over coffee and desserts.

panelists

Eilianie Alvelo '13
Board Certified Behavior Analyst
Behavior Concepts Innovations (BCI)

Eilianie M. Alvelo was born and raised in Comerío, Puerto Rico, and moved to western Massachusetts in December 2008 after her family struggled to find treatment for her nephew, who had been diagnosed with autism. Alvelo graduated with an Associate's Degree in Liberal Arts from Holyoke Community College in May 2013. She then attended Westfield State University (WSU), where she graduated in May 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She was the recipient of the Robert Goodale Award, which is given to the student with the highest cumulative grade point average in the department of psychology. In the fall of 2015, Alvelo returned to WSU to pursue a Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), and she graduated in May 2017. Currently, she is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) as well as a Licensed Applied Behavior Analyst (LABA). Now, she works at Behavioral Concepts Innovations (BCI), where she oversees a dynamic group of therapists that provide behavior analytical services to children who have an autism diagnosis. Through her job, Mrs. Alvelo has the fantastic opportunity to teach children skills that improve their independence as well as their quality of life.

Shawn Robinson '05
Director of Prospect Meadow Farm
Director of Vocational Services, Hampshire/Franklin/Hampden
ServiceNet, Inc.

Shawn Robinson has worked with individuals with chronic mental illness, developmental disabilities, and autism for 18 years. He has served as the founding director of Prospect Meadow Farm since 2011, a therapeutic vocational training program for individuals with various disabilities that provides meaningful training and paid employment to 75 individuals daily. As the current director of vocational services for ServiceNet, Robinson's responsibilities also include overseeing vocational programming for disabled individuals residing in Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties. In 2015 the Department of Developmental Services Central/West Region and the MA House of Representatives awarded Robinson a certificate of appreciation and recognition for his "vision, creativity and outstanding leadership at ServiceNet's Prospect Meadow Farm." He is a member of BusinessWest's 40 Under 40 class of 2017, recognizing his community leadership.

Nathalie Vicencio '02
Assistant Executive Director, Southcoast Fair Housing, Inc.
Fair Housing Coordinator, Way Finders

Nathalie Vicencio is a civil rights activist working with fair housing organizations to protect the livelihoods of Massachusetts' most vulnerable people. But Nathalie is more than a fearless protector; following in the footsteps of her father, world musician Mauricio Vicencio, Nathalie has become a consciousness awakener and arts advocate, connecting with her ancestral Andean roots through music and theater, plant medicine, and earth wisdom.

This event is being offered as part of HCC's Black History Month programming.