Monzerrath “Monze” Stark-Magaña has been hired as Northern Essex Community College’s new director of recruitment and admission.
Stark-Magaña, now living in Haverhill, spent most of her life in rural Idaho, more recently Moscow, where she was associate director of multicultural recruitment for the University of Idaho. In her new position, Stark-Magaña oversees a staff of three recruiters and is responsible for recruiting students and guiding them through the admission process. She said she was attracted to the job because the college is a Hispanic-serving Institution.
Stark-Magaña explained, “It’s been beautiful seeing individuals with my same background and color.”
She is the daughter of migrant workers who immigrated from Guanajuato, Mexico, to the United States and a first-generation college student.
Stark-Magaña has her master’s in adult organization learning and leadership from the University of Idaho, and a bachelor’s in sociology with an emphasis in criminology, also from the University of Idaho.
Because of her own experiences, Stark-Magaña said she understands struggles that students undergo in pursuit of a degree. “Often access to education is genuinely impacted by cultural beliefs, financial stability and literacy, familial support and citizenship status,” she says. “I’ve gone through this and want to help walk others through the process step-by-step.”