There was a packed house last night at the Hampton Winds restaurant on the campus of Northampton Community College-packed with billboard nominees and alums for its first-ever Billboard Magazine Preview Party.
I have to say my first college of choice has always done a really good job of recognizing its alumni-but the billboard campaign is, to-date, its crowning achievement.
Last fall the college put the word out that they were looking for a fresh crop of alums to nominate as candidates for spots on the soon-to-be-iconic black, white and yellow boards that are hard to miss as you traverse the Valley's highways and by-ways.
I had the great fortune to receive my own board in 2010 and I can honestly say that even though it has been down for well over a year, the board remains a topic of conversation and a vehicle for recognition to this day.
I often hear, “Oh, yeah I know you, you were on that billboard.”
Being able to make my own nomination became a great opportunity for me to a pay my good fortune forward. I nominated a friend I took a computer programming class with back in-well, I'll just say-back in the day, Joe Pokojni. I
remember Joe being a really hard-working fellow with a dream. The programming class was among the first he would take at NCC until he graduated with a Computer Data Processing degree in ‘92. Today, he owns a successful and well-regarded sound and event service company called Blue Chip, located in Bethlehem.
Last night it was time for all of the nominated individuals to receive their recognition. There were hundreds of nominations; from those, 12 received the coveted billboard nod. As I watched President Arthur Scott congratulate and award my friend Joe with a copy of Northampton magazine and a mini-billboard mock-up, I couldn't help but feel proud. Being part of the NCC community is a unique experience.
I go back to NCC from time to time to provide career guidance to students. I just love that I can walk in there any time and immediately be catapulted back to the days of my youth. Back when I sat in College Center, sun streaming in and down on my back as I killed time before class and chatted with my peers about the latest paper that was keeping me up at night.
Little did I know then where I would be now. I'm so glad I started at NCC; it was the perfect jumping off point for me. And from the looks of the event last night, I am certain many of my peers, feel the same way.
P.S. My super smart and lovely friend Andrea Imperato, owner of Tangles Salon and Day Spa in Easton, was among the 12 who received their own billboard. Look for her along Route 22 real soon!
