Irma Medina Stewart.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
HOLYOKE — Springfield resident Irma Medina Stewart has been named the inaugural dean of Holyoke Community College new Division of Integrative and Applied Learning.
Stewart told Reminder Publishing the grant from Smith Family & Accelerate the Future paved the way to build apprenticeships in high demand fields like education, health, and human services. This will expand community partnerships to co-design real-world learning that addresses equity gaps and meets the community and student needs with support.
“This new division is not only part of our core mission, our strategic plan, it directly supports the state’s goals to prepare students for the future,” she said. “This is why HCC is special and why students should come here.”
Stewart has been an educator at Holyoke Community College for 22 years with roles focused on student success, transfer opportunities and experiential learning.
“I’m honored to step into this new role and work in the community to elevate this work,” said Stewart. “This accomplishment represents many of the sacrifices made by family, especially my mom, to make the journey to this country and all that you carry along the way.”
She continued, “My vision is rooted in access, equity, and innovation, working together in community with our amazing staff to expand quality hands-on/experiential learning opportunities.”
Stewart grew up in the North End of Springfield and went through the public school system. She loved learning and is grateful for the mentors she met along the way. However, as a first-generation student, Stewart’s mother valued education and hard work but didn’t have the tools to help and support her in going to college. Even though Stewart was tracked in college-prep courses, she didn’t have the confidence and the resources to believe that college was for her until a mentor she met at her job encouraged her to go to college.
“That thought scared me,” Stewart said. “I thought my time had passed and that I had a daughter to take care of. I took a leap of faith in the power of mentorship, and as much as I doubted myself, there was something in someone else believing in me that made me feel I had to honor that belief.”
Stewart attended night classes at Holyoke Community College in 1997 and later transferred to Mount Holyoke College where she graduated in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in urban politics and a minor in history. She returned to HCC as an academic adviser for the TRIO program. Then was the inaugural coordinator of a transfer program called Pathways that she led for 17 years. Stewart was named the director of Integrated Learning in 2023 where she oversaw programs, such as Honors, Pathways, Learning Communities, Community-Based Learning and Academic Internships.
Jessica Hill, PhD., Honors Program Coordinator and Economics Professor said, “Irma is the best person for this new role and has already proven that she has the vision and experience to grow Integrative Learning when it was just a department.” She continued, “Irma will bring years of experience, innovative ideas, empathy, and passion that will propel the Division to new heights. Under her leadership, the Division will continue to grow and be recognized among the best in experiential learning.”
Stewart’s long-term goal as dean is to continue doing better and to do more by growing the division by expanding access to high-impact, hands-on learning. By expanding opportunities for all students through more internships, apprenticeships, and access to more experiential, integrative learning.
She stated, “It also means supporting our faculty in their teaching and building on our foundations as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by paving the way for meaningful careers and sustainable living wages that strengthen all communities. I will not settle for any less.”
Stewart went on to say, “This new division symbolizes the value of shared learning by combining classroom knowledge with hands-on experiences through experiential opportunities such as internships, community-based learning, research projects, and apprenticeships, so students can make connections to their studies and build the confidence needed to see their future careers and transfer possibilities.”
