HCC College Magazine Named Best at Regional Conference

HOLYOKE — The Connection, the official magazine of Holyoke Community College (HCC), received a first-place gold Medallion Award at the fall 2025 District 1 conference of the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations.

The spring 2025 edition of the Connection took the top spot in the category of large-scale magazine, for publications of more than 16 pages.

“The design looks polished and professional,” the judges said in their comments. “It’s an engaging issue that highlights student and alumni success while showing how the college continues to grow and support its people.”

In addition to its usual campus news, alumni briefs, and class notes, the spring 2025 issue includes a cover story about the opening of HCC’s Marieb Adult Learner Success Center and Parent Learning Center (“A Family Affair”); a profile of late alum JoAnne Wrobel, who launched a free food cart for students that grew into the Thrive Center and Food Pantry, which now feeds hundreds of HCC students every year (“A Silent Hero”); and a feature story about HCC alum Brandon Towle of Westfield, who founded the first sleepaway camp in New England for stuttering youth (“Freedom to Speak”).

“Freedom to Speak,” written by the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Chris Yurko, received a second-place silver Medallion Award in the category of long-form writing (stories of more than 800 words).

The magazine is designed by John Devanski, owner of Guy With Glasses Design in Ware.

The Connection is a 36-page magazine published two times a year by the HCC office of Marketing and Communications and distributed free to alumni, students, and friends of the college.

“I’m incredibly proud of our marketing and strategic communications team for earning this recognition,” said Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of the Institutional Advancement division, which includes Marketing and Communications, Development, and Alumni Relations. “Their collaboration, creativity, and exceptional writing are what set the Connection apart. But credit also belongs to the HCC community — our students, alumni, faculty, and staff provide endless inspiration through their stories. Our team has the great honor of amplifying those voices, and it’s that authentic storytelling that makes our work meaningful.”

A digital version of the spring 2025 issue can be viewed at hcc.edu/connection-sp25.