Our Stories
Learning to Lead for Equity: How MCLA's Leadership Academy Transformed an Advocate into a Systemic Change Agent
For aspiring veterinarians, getting into vet school is highly challenging. Acceptance rates at many programs hover around 10-15%, making it one of the most selective professional paths in higher education. Yet three MCLA alumni have successfully navigated this competitive landscape in just the past two years, each bringing their own story of determination, preparation, and purpose.
When Kyle Milligan '23 stepped off the baseball field for the last time as an MCLA senior, he had his sights set on an entirely different court. Just two years later, he's coaching Division I basketball at Mercyhurst University, a trajectory that even he admits seemed unlikely without playing college basketball.
The MCLA Athletics Department operates on a clear vision: 3-2-1. All student-athletes reaching and maintaining a 3.0 GPA, all teams competing for the top two spots in the conference, and all student-athletes and staff working as one team.
When Amy Shapiro, MBA program coordinator and adjunct professor, walked into her Marketing class in fall 2024, she saw an opportunity. Eight hockey players sat among her students, and MCLA's hockey program needed a boost in attendance at home games.
Just weeks after walking across the stage at MCLA's 2025 commencement ceremony, Alexa Macdonald '24 took another oath, this time in North Adams City Council Chambers on New Year's Day 2026.
Treyana Holiday '28, a physics major at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, recently traveled to Denver with fellow MCLA students and faculty members Dr. Kebra Ward and Dr. Emily Maher to attend the triennial Society of Physics Students Physics and Astronomy Congress, the largest gathering of undergraduate physics and astronomy majors in the country.
Paige Dufur's path to MCLA, and now to graduate school, wasn't what she originally planned. After a brain surgery made welding school unsafe, the McCann Tech graduate took a chance on MCLA with a scholarship in hand.
William Garrity '25 didn't initially plan to attend MCLA. The Pittsfield native started his college journey at Berkshire Community College, pursuing Computer Networking and Cybersecurity with a clear career path in mind. But a late-night browse of MCLA's website changed everything,
For Paige Pouliot, a junior in MCLA's Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, the transition from classroom theory to real-world patient care isn't just smooth; it's seamless.