Honors Housing

The Honors Community

Merrimack provides dedicated housing, community activities and specially chosen resident advisors for all residential students in the honors program. 

Benefits of Honors Housing

Honors students live in academically focused residences where they live and study together. Incoming first-year students live in an honors living-learning community; upperclassmen have the opportunity to live in honors residential suites. Benefits include:
  • Living In a community with other honors students.
  • Engaging in transformative learning experiences by living and studying with other highly motivated students.
  • Participating in experiential-learning opportunities, including special guest speakers, service opportunities, and group outings.
All commuter students have access to the residence halls during normal college operation hours and have full access to honors activities occurring in the residence halls and other areas.

First-Year Honors Housing

Residential Honors students are expected to live in the Honors living-learning community during their first year to help facilitate their transition to Merrimack.

Students entering the program live together with other Honors first-years in a supportive environment where they can challenge one another to achieve, in class and out. This environment allows students to study together as well as engage in fun activities facilitated by Honors resident assistants, Honors program staff, and Honors faculty.

The first-year Honors living-learning community is in the south wing of Ash Centre. Features include:

  • Four-person suites.
  • Each suite features two bedrooms, a common area and a bathroom.
  • Common hallway connecting the suites.
  • Two private study rooms in the main lobby area of the building.
  • Resident advisor on each floor, including a specially selected and trained honors R.A.s for the honors wing.

Honors Residential Suites

The honors residential suites provide spacious room for upperclass honors students to live and study together.

Honors sophomores and above may apply to live in the honors residential suites for one or more years, on a space-available basis. The suites foster a community of engaged learners who are highly involved on campus in many ways. 

North Residential Village

Honors residential suites for the 2021-22 academic year are in North Residential Village, Houses 6 and 7 (pictured above). Features include:

  • Dedicated study space for honors students
  • Short walk to classrooms, dining and activities.
  • Suite-style living:
    • Four-person suites are on one level with two bedrooms, a common area and a full bathroom.
    • Six-person suites are on two levels with three bedrooms, a common area and two bathrooms.

2022-23 Resident Advisors

Honors resident advisors are tasked with developing and fostering a welcoming and academically focused residence hall environment. The honors program employs three R.A.s in Ash Centre’s first-year living-learning community and five R.A.s in the honors residential suites at North Residential Village.

North Residential Village Resident Advisors

Bella Ozga

Bella Ozga ’23

  • Hometown: Miami, FL
  • Major: Athletic Training
  • School: School of Nursing and Health Sciences
  • Hobbies: Working out, Drawing, Hanging out with Friends
Adam Roczniak

Adam Roczniak ’23

  • Hometown: Albany, New York
  • Major: Neuroscience
  • School: School of Science and Engineering
  • Hobbies: Vice President of Kappa Sigma Fraternity
Gianna Sciarappa ’23

Gianna Sciarappa ’23

Honors Residential Suites at North Residential Village

  • Hometown: Dedham, MA
  • Major: Athletic Training
  • School: School of Nursing and Health Sciences
  • Hobbies: Spin, Reading, Playing Sports
Brooke Toothaker

Brooke Toothaker ’23

Honors Residential Suites at North Residential Village

  • Hometown: Freepoint, Maine
  • Major: Health Science
  • School: School of Nursing and Health Sciences
  • Hobbies: Playing in the Marching Band

Ash Center Resident Advisors

Samarah Alteon

Samarah Alteon ’24

  • Hometown: Miami, FL
  • Major: Athletic Training
  • School: School of Nursing and Health Sciences
  • Hobbies: Working out, Drawing, Hanging out with Friends
Sam Barresi

Sam Barresi ’24

  • Hometown: Longmeadow, MA
  • Major: Mechanical Engineering with a minor in computer science
  • School: Science and Engineering
  • Fun Fact: I make and fix Jewelry
Skylar DiMartino

Sky DiMartino ’24

  • Hometown: New Hartford, CT
  • Major: Biology
  • School: School of Nursing and Health Sciences
Nicholas Dee

Nicholas Dee ’23

  • Hometown: Fitchburg, MA
  • Major: Human Development & Human Services and Education
  • School: School of Education & Social Policy
  • Hobbies: Basketball & Piano
Evan Dodge

Evan Dodge ’23

  • Hometown: Middleport, NY
  • Major: History and Secondary Education
  • School: School of Liberal Arts and School of Education & Social Policy
  • Hobbies: Drummer in the Marching Band
Briana Normandin

Briana Normandin ’24

  • Hometown: Leominster MA
  • Major: Psychology & Human Development and Human Services
  • School: School of Liberal Arts
  • Hobbies: I draw portraits!
23897_Alessia_Puccio

Alessia Puccio ’24

  • Hometown: Wilmington, MA
  • Major: Elementary Education & Human Development and Human Services
  • School: Winston School of Education and Social Policy
  • Fun Fact: I am a Merrimack legacy
Brianna VanHecke

Brianna VanHecke ’24

  • Hometown: Haverhill, MA
  • Major: Computer Science and Spanish
  • Hobbies: I really love to ice skate!

Inspired by St. Augustine

The Merrimack College honors program is inspired by St. Augustine’s belief that studying with friends is the best environment for learning, challenging oneself, and for discovering one’s passions. In describing his early education, he fondly recalls:
 I found all kinds of joy when I was in the company of my friends — talking, reading engaging books together — going from the lightest joking to talking of the deepest things, and back again.” (Confessions 4: 8, 13)
Our hope is the honors housing reflects the values proposed by St. Augustine.