Around The Town with Phil

This edition of Around The Town With Phil highlights some local pacesetters.

Join Bristol Community College for the Third Annual Alumni Paragon Awards, an event created to honor the efforts of an outstanding and inspiring group of alumni.

The Alumni Paragon Awards Ceremony will be held Thursday, March 22 with a reception at 5:30 p.m., and dinner and awards beginning at 6 p.m., in the Commonwealth College Center (G-Building), BCC Fall River campus, 777 Elsbree Street.

The Alumni Paragon Award is the most distinguished award given to a graduate of Bristol Community College. Recipients of this award demonstrate excellence in their careers, service to the College, and substantial community involvement.

Congratulations to Robert Gauvin, Pamela Oliveira and Allyson Pereira. Here's why these outstanding leaders set a new standard of excellence:

Robert Gauvin is the Vice President of Finance and Treasurer, as well as a member of the Board of Directors, at Rex-Cut Abrasives, a 100 percent employee-owned company. Rex-Cut manufactures premium abrasive products for grinding, deburring, and finishing applications in metalworking industries such as aerospace, automotive, food processing, medical and general fabrication.

Bob started his career as a Cost Accountant and was eventually promoted to Controller at Aluminum Processing Corporation of Fall River, a $100 million division of Lightolier, Inc. In the late 1980’s, he became Corporate Controller at U.S. Ring Binder of New Bedford with divisions in Singapore, Mexico and St Louis. He later returned to Lightolier, Inc., which was acquired by Phillips, an international company focused on the design and manufacture of lighting systems. There, he served as Corporate Cost Accounting Manager for all North American Divisions, before becoming Corporate Compliance Manager for Sarbanes Oxley.

Bob currently serves his community on the Finance Committee for the Town of Dartmouth; Past Commodore of the Low Tide Yacht Club in New Bedford; and served on the Board of Directors of the Nautical Whalers Parrot Head Club of Southern Massachusetts, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving our community.

Pam Oliveira earned her degree in liberal arts at BCC in 2000 while working full time and raising a family with her husband, Bruce. It had been 25 year since she entered a classroom. BCC reignited a lifelong passion for learning that catapulted Pam to earn two additional degrees at local universities, culminating with a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Bridgewater State University.

Pam is currently an Advanced Placement English teacher at New Bedford High School, and she continues to be recognized for her commitment to youth in the community. In 2015, she was recognized by Mass Insight as AP Teacher of the Year. Her work tutoring and mentoring students of the New Bedford High School football team outside the classroom – and on her own time – was instrumental to their continued participation on the team. She was recognized by the New Bedford High School Gridiron Club as the recipient of the Joseph Dias Achievement Award in 2012 for many years of devoted service to the team.

Pam has been very active in the community with organizations such as Plymouth Bay Girls Scouts, Moby Dick Boy Scouts, Winslow PTO, Bay State Girls Softball, New Bedford Whaler Football and Dexter Beach Improvement Association.

Allyson Pereira is a first-generation Portuguese student who graduated in 2008 as the Class Valedictorian. She started in the Baking Program half a year later than her cohorts, but worked hard to earn her degree and graduate alongside them. She graduated in less than two years, and was also a Commonwealth Honors student.

Allyson started the SkillsUSA chapter at BCC. Through this organization, she received silver and gold medals nationally, which earned her a full scholarship at New England Culinary Institute. At NECI, she received the Distinguishing Student Award for Community Service and Highest Honors in the Hospitality Management Bachelor’s Degree Program.

Through her internships and networking, Allyson has worked in Hilton Head, NC; Provence, France; and Las Vegas, NV, where she worked for STK, the No. 1 restaurant at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. She now resides in New York City, where she seeks a position in the events or wine industries.

Many of the events that Allyson has coordinated consist of veteran, homeless and cancer fundraisers. Her passion is to promote healthy living through lifestyle and education.

Congratulations to all three, and continued success!

Around The Town With Phil is a feature presentation of Flagship Insurance.