Two BCC Students Receive National Recognition

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) students Mariangel Dus and William Garrity have received national recognition for academic excellence. 
 
Both are members of Phi Theta Kappa, a national honor society for associate degree–seeking students. 
 
Mariangel Dus won a spot on the 2024 All-USA Academic Team. The team, sponsored by education technology provider Cengage in collaboration with Phi Theta Kappa, recognizes students for intellectual achievement, leadership, community and campus engagement. She is one of only 20 college students named to the team and was selected from more than 2,200 nominees. Dus will receive a $5,000 scholarship and will be recognized at the American Association of Community Colleges' annual convention in Louisville, Kentucky in April. 
 
Dus has also been named a 2024 New Century Transfer Scholar and will receive a $2,250 scholarship. New Century Transfer Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplishments, leadership, activities and how they extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom. More than 2,200 students from more than 1,300 college campuses nationwide were nominated, and only one New Century Transfer Scholar is selected from each state. The program is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, Phi Theta Kappa and the American Association of Community Colleges.  
 
William Garrity was selected as a Bronze Scholar on Coca-Cola's 2024 Academic Team and will receive a $1,000 scholarship. 
 
His selection was based on the score he earned in the All-USA Academic Team competition, for which more than 2,200 applications were received. The program is sponsored by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and is administered by Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. 

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2026 Point in Time Count on Jan. 25

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Point in Time count, which measures people experiencing homelessness, will occur on Sunday, Jan. 25, and the Three County Continuum of Care stresses that every survey matters. 
 
Earlier this month, the CoC's data and evaluations manager Michele LaFleur and compliance manager Natalie Burtzos reviewed past data with the Homelessness Advisory Committee and discussed planning for this year's count. 
 
LaFleur described the PIT count as "our attempt to try and determine how many people are experiencing homelessness on a single night." Each year, it has to be conducted within the last 10 days of January. 
 
In January 2025, there were 215 Pittsfield people in shelter, and 12 people unsheltered. In July, 107 city people reported being in shelter, and 27 people reported being unsheltered. 
 
Of the unhoused individuals in the winter of 2025, 113 were people in families with children under 18. The PIT count for 2024 reported more than 200 people experiencing homelessness on that day. 
 
Pittsfield's shelter data consists of ServiceNet's individual and family shelters, Soldier On's shelter and transitional housing, and Elizabeth Freeman sheltering areas. The winter count has increased significantly since 2021, and the CoC conducted a summer count on July 20 that showed fewer people in shelters and more unsheltered. 
 
It was noted that the count misses people who are couch surfing or paying to live in a motel, as the reporting is on the burden of service agencies or community members who work with those experiencing housing instability. 
 
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