NVCC will host a number of important events in Oct. and Nov., including featured guests: Board of Regents President Dr. Gregory Gray, Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra, Dr. Marianela Medrano, Fulbright Scholar Oonya Kempadoo and Pulitzer Prize winning author Junot Díaz.

Board of Regents President Visit

Board of Regents President Dr. Gregory Gray will visit NVCC in October as part of his tour of the 17 Connecticut State Colleges and Universities. Hosted by President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D., Dr. Gray will meet with College faculty, staff and students, as well as community and business leaders, to discuss the Board of Regents plan and vision for the ConnSCU institutions. Dr. Gray's visit will take place on Tues., Oct. 8. Students, faculty and staff are invited to meet with Dr. Gray at 2 p.m. in the Leever Atrium. Local leaders are invited to attend a community session at 3 p.m. in the Learning Resources Center, Room L501.

Hispanic Heritage Month

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens who descend from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. This year, NVCC will host two lectures that pay homage to the rich Hispanic community found within the Greater Waterbury area.

First at the College is Hartford Mayor Pedro E. Segarra, who will share the details of his journey to public office. A product of public schools, Mayor Segarra believes in the importance of a high quality education and equal opportunities for all. He will speak at 2:30 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 9 in the College’s Playbox Theater.

Dr. Marianela Medrano, a licensed professional counselor (LPC) with a Ph.D. in psychology, an MS in counseling, certification in poetry therapy, and extensive training in relational cultural therapy will host a dialogue on reclaiming ancestral legacy and redressing history. Introducing her most recent book, Prietica, Dr. Medranowill also speak about how children’s books can be instructive as well as imaginative and fun. Medrano will speak at 2 p.m., Wed., Oct. 16 in the NVCC Library.

NVCC Fulbright Scholar Reception

NVCC will officially welcome its second Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, Oonya Kempadoo, with a reception held in conjunction with the year’s first Confluencia event. Kempadoo, whose most recent book All Decent Animalswas listed on Oprah Winfrey’s 2013 summer reading list, will be one of five featured authors to read from their published work. The reception will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 16 in the Playbox Theater with Confluencia immediately following.

An Evening with Junot Díaz

Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New Jersey, Junot Díaz is the author of the critically acclaimed Drown; The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award; and This Is How You Lose Her, a New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist. The event begins at 7 p.m. on Thurs., Nov. 14 in the College’s Mainstage Theater and is free and open to the public.

For directions to these events visit nv.edu/maps.