Isabela Podmaska, from Brazil and now living in Lowell, enrolled in Middlesex Community College’s Computer Aided Design (CAD) program when she first moved to Massachusetts with her family. Her involvement and engagement within the MCC community led to Podmaska’s interest in returning to Middlesex where she is now the new Web Experience Specialist for MCC’s Office of Communications & Creative Services.

“MCC has given me so much that maybe it is my time to do something and give back,” Podmaska said. “It feels really homey and it was not just a place I came to take my classes and leave. I looked at the opportunity as a way to contribute and help make improvements to the college.”

At MCC, Podmaska was quick to make friends after attending the International Student Orientation. She credits MCC’s Director of Student Engagement for Equity Maria McDuffie Clark – who was working in a different role at the time – for guiding her with an agenda and information on important policies.

Once Podmaska felt more familiar and comfortable with the college, she joined the Paul Sullivan Leadership Institute (PSLI) and National Society for Leadership & Success. During Podmaska’s time at the PSLI, she helped create a scholarship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students for her final project. Alongside fellow MCC alumni Maria Aybar and Diego Leonardo, they worked toward providing funds for DACA students who could not apply for financial aid because of their status.

“I really appreciate how things happened and that I landed here first,” Podmaska said. “I was not the greatest English speaker, but there were so many groups and activities at the college so I could engage and become a part of something. For the scholarship, we addressed the problem and talked to the students and sympathized and understood the actual spectrum of the whole problem. That was rewarding for me.”

“Every time that I was here, I really liked how everybody was included and treated with the same respect. My familiarity with MCC and their values made me excited about coming back to the college and exploring and being on the other side where you get to make things happen.” - Isabela Podmaska, MCC's Web Experience Specialist

Podmaska was not kept to one path or career at MCC. The electives and various classes she took allowed her to be more open-minded. She had attended an architecture school in Brazil and lived in Washington D.C. to study English for three months prior to coming to Massachusetts and Middlesex. Though her interest in architecture faded, she felt drawn to the art field inspired by her father’s construction business back in Brazil.

“I feel like when you first get out of high school it is hard,” she said. “You do not know what you want to do with your life and are too young to make that decision. I liked that there were several courses you could take at MCC. I got to dip my toes into different things like graphic design and sociology. I consider myself to be a creative person and I like to be outside of my comfort zone and come up with ideas.”

After graduating from MCC in 2016, Podmaska continued her education at Lesley University where she originally studied Graphic Design. Upon taking a user experience design course (UX), she soon gained an interest in and focused on UX and user interface design. The experience influenced Podmaska’s major switch to Design.

While attending Lesley, Podmaska did a Graphic Design internship at Boston Innovation Gateway. When she graduated from Lesley in 2020, she was hired at the company as a full-time Design Strategist. Then in 2022, she resumed her education at Clark University to pursue a master’s degree in information technology.

Interested in enhancing her web skills, she had a deep desire to grow and push her limits. Her new position at MCC has given her the opportunity to do so.

“Every time that I was here, I really liked how everybody was included and treated with the same respect,” she said. “My familiarity with MCC and their values made me excited about coming back to the college and exploring and being on the other side where you get to make things happen.”