Michelle Bourassa, 35

Most people probably wouldn't see the similarities between college freshmen arriving on campus and inmates serving a sentence at the Cheshire County Jail. But Michelle Bourassa isn't most people. "At the end of the day, the biggest piece is communication: Where are folks at, meeting them where they're at, and then helping them get to where they want to go," the 35-year-old Swanzey resident said. She's worked extensively with both populations, first as a resident assistant while studying media and marketing at Keene State College. Bourassa changed course a bit after graduating, working for about three years as a corrections officer in Sullivan County. She returned to the academic world with a job in student life at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge from 2014-2020, along the way earning a master's in mental health counseling from Antioch University New England in Keene. Today, Bourassa works as the clinical case manager for the Cheshire County Department of Corrections, helping people who are serving a sentence set themselves up for success when they are released — anything from finding substance use treatment or employment to setting up a bank account or getting a driver's license. No matter who she's working with, though, Bourassa approaches them with the same mindset. "So whether … you're a freshman coming in … and helping them transition and grow, giving them knowledge, empowering them, self-esteem, encouragement — it's the same thing also with some of the inmates," she said. "Some of these young guys who come in with minor drug offenses, it's also educating them, helping them with self-esteem, 'Where do you want to be, where do you want to go, and here are the tools.' " Bourassa's proclivity for service started young. As a student at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, she remembers skipping recess to go to the art room and help her teacher. "I've just always been very much a helper," she said. "I don't know where that came from." Perhaps her passion for community engagement started with her parents, who have spent their careers in service-oriented jobs. Her mom, Lisa, is a guidance counselor at Keene High School, a position she held when Michelle was a student there, and her dad, Edwin, is a retired Keene police officer. No matter how Michelle Bourassa got started serving others, the trait had definitely taken hold by the time she arrived at Keene State. "That really kind of honed in that I like to work with people, I like the community," she said of her time as a resident assistant. After college, she worked a variety of jobs before landing in Sullivan County, where she really connected with the work as a corrections officer. From there, Bourassa went to Franklin Pierce, leading a residence hall on campus and supporting students through their college journey. "So I've always had this connection for people and helping," she said, "and where are they and transitioning to growing up and, 'Where do you want to go, what do you want to be?' " Her superiors at Franklin Pierce encouraged her to continue her education, which led her to the master's program at Antioch. As part of her graduate school work, she interned at the Cheshire County House of Corrections in Marlborough. Bourassa enjoyed that experience, she said, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she wanted a change of pace. She moved to Orlando, Fla., to live with her high school best friend, Nate Selvidio, and worked a variety of odd jobs, including as a mobile crisis counselor for schools and a counselor in a methadone clinic. After about two years down south, though, the Monadnock Region came calling again — literally. "We had kept her on our radar screen as someone we wanted to stay in touch with," said Douglas Iosue, superintendent of the Cheshire County Department of Corrections. "… And we had an opening for a clinical case manager, and I reached out to her and she was actually thinking about returning back to the Northeast." So, Bourassa moved home and started her current role — which Iosue held before becoming superintendent — in 2022. "She's really dedicated and passionate about her work," Iouse said. "She's somebody who really cares about her clients on an individual level. … And her concern for setting them up to be successful as much as possible when they get released and re-enter the community, she takes it really seriously and gives it her all." Outside of work, Bourassa serves the community in a variety of ways as a member of Keene Elm City Rotary Club — helping wrap holiday gifts for neighbors in need, serving food at The Community Kitchen, volunteering at the Clarence DeMar Marathon. "Michelle is [also] on the board of Directors at Cooper's Crossroad's, a Nonprofit equine therapy facility [in Keene] that is dedicated to raising awareness of the profound effects of trauma and helping individuals and families," her mother, Lisa, wrote in her nomination letter for The Sentinel's Trendsetter award. "That's where she truly shines," her mother wrote, "… helping others."