Student Spotlights

You might not guess that a systems engineer at General Dynamics has a passion for art. But for Mike Kusek, making paintings is second nature. Currently enrolled at BCC as a fine arts/visual arts major, Mike is well on his way to an associate degree - a degree that complements a bachelor of science degree he earned almost 20 years ago at Central State Connecticut University. There, he was a computer science major with a minor in mathematics.

Helping others comes naturally to Martha Escobar, who recently graduated BCC with an associate degree in psychology. While Martha never expected accolades for her instinct to help, her efforts haven't gone unnoticed: She is the winner of a prestigious 29 Who Shine award, representing BCC among fellow public institutions of higher learning in the Commonwealth.

At an age when most of his peers have recently finished high school or perhaps just started college, Ethan Trautman has not only graduated from BCC - he has done so as valedictorian. The 18-year-old is the youngest valedictorian ever to matriculate from BCC. The honor came as a bit of a surprise for Ethan, who didn’t think he was eligible because he graduated in the summer. “I got the email with the news and had to look at it three times,” he laughs.

For Craig Williams, the path to college has been one with many twists and turns. Born in New York State, Craig and his family moved to Florida for 15 years before moving to North Adams, Massachusetts in 2007. "I never was an outstanding student in high school," Craig recalls. "It was not fun or exciting to me, and I felt like there was no sense of purpose."

Seventeen-year-old identical twins Gavin and Ethan Trautman may look startlingly alike, but according to Gavin, they are in many ways "polar opposites." Gavin is a double major in math and political science at Kenyon College, a small liberal arts school in Gambier, Ohio, while Ethan is a nursing major at Berkshire Community College. As they create their individual career paths, they often reflect on a strong common bond between them -- BCC, the place where their educational goals took shape.