Jessica Levy

When Jessica Levy talks about Berkshire Community College, she beams.

"What I found at BCC was a home, a haven, a family and a community that was supportive, and a learning environment that was conducive for me to explore and do well," says Jessica, an adjunct chemistry professor at BCC and a 2019 graduate. It was a path she hadn't planned on, but she now finds herself in an ideal place.

Having visited her grandmother in the Berkshires throughout her life, Jessica didn't stay in the area for an extended period of time until 2014, when she entered into a six-month residential service living program at Kripalu, a wellness center in Lenox. Jessica returned to Massachusetts after living in Colorado, where she had worked for five years as a licensed massage therapist. When she moved to Massachusetts, however, she also needed to transfer her massage license. That's where BCC came in.

"I did what I had to do and a little bit extra," recalls Jessica, who became a supervisor in the massage program at BCC. Because she was already licensed and practicing in Colorado, she quickly acquired her Massachusetts massage license, but , BCC brought her back to her academic journey at a time when she was ready for more.

"I had done a year and a half of college at the University of Vermont. Then, I took a long break from school before traveling a circuitous route to becoming a nontraditional student in my mid 20s," Jessica explains. She enrolled in the BCC PTA program in 2015, taking the first step in committing to a new academic journey.

"I realized I was ready to further my education, and I found a way. BCC was my entry point," says Jessica. She took several classes under the instruction of Professor Judy Gawron, who encouraged her to become an assistant in the PTA and massage lab.

As she neared the end of earning all her pre-PTA credits, Jessica realized that if she were going to continue her pursuit of a career in physical therapy, she would inevitably need at least a bachelor's degree. At the same time, she had also developed a newfound interest in chemistry.

"I ended up spending four years at BCC because I loved it there, and because I wanted to take all of my chemistry classes with Dr. [Jennifer] Collins. I wasn't ready to go to a four-year school at that time, so I just stayed," Jessica says. She began working with BCC's tutoring center as a supplemental instructor for general chemistry and as a peer tutor.

In 2019, Jessica graduated BCC as the salutatorian with an associate degree in biological science. She then transferred to Westfield State University, graduating in 2022 with a bachelor of science degree in biology and plans to teach at the high school level.

In the fall of 2022, Jessica began student teaching at Taconic High School. On just her third day on the job, the assistant principal asked if she wanted a position teaching the school's special education biology classes.

"I ended up teaching ninth, tenth and eleventh grade biology for the semester that should have been my practicum in student teaching. It was so hard," Jessica says. Upon completing her degree program, she transferred to Herberg Middle School. She taught there for a year and a half before getting her current position in 2024 at Frontier Regional School in South Deerfield, where she teaches general chemistry and AP chemistry.

Jessica loved teaching high school, but she was quickly ready for more. In a moment of perfect timing, Associate Professor Gina Foley asked her if she wanted to teach a Bio 105 lab over the summer. Jessica grabbed the opportunity. Today, Jessica still teaches at Frontier while also serving as an adjunct chemistry professor at BCC, and she readily credits BCC for helping her advance her career.

"I received so much encouragement and support. It was a pivotal moment in my life," she says. "What I learned at BCC is that you get out of education what you put into it, and at that point in my life, I was really able to put my all into it. I feel really lucky. I found my way into the classroom with some of the best teachers as my guides."

Jessica, who describes herself as a nontraditional, neurodivergent student, says her strengths were recognized at BCC.

The people there saw me for who I was and were able to guide me in a direction that was good for me. I felt empowered and capable. It encouraged me to go further. I wasn't one to do school in a traditional way. I struggle with deadlines, executive function and time management, but I got here in the end!

When Jessica isn't teaching, she can be found running, climbing, hiking with her dog Luna, snowboarding, rollerblading, practicing yoga or listening to her favorite band, Phish. All the while, she remains passionate about making education accessible for all types of learners.

"The habit of being an active learner can be nurtured at any age. No matter how long it's been, or for students who the traditional high school setting doesn't work for, there are lots of options for pursuing education that don't fit into the traditional mold," she says. "There are so many ways to access education, especially at BCC, where it feels like a real community space. You can start anywhere."