Therese Murray, state legislator, first attended EC in the ‘80s before getting her management certification at the University of Massachusetts, Boston and was then elected senator of the Plymouth and Barnstable District located in Massachusetts in 1992.
In 2007, Murray was elected as the first female President of the Massachusetts Senate, according to her official website, www.theresemurray.com. She supports a variety of issues, including affordable housing, education, environment, health care and public safety and has won many awards for her activism.
According to her official website, in 2010, Murray was awarded a Legislative Achievement Award for her work on a law concerning ethics with regards to financing lobbying and campaigning in 2009.
Murray currently serves as the president of the Massachusetts Senate.
Actors, athletes and musicians all get their start somewhere. While some begin as child-stars, many celebrities attend college. And with a notable list of alumni who attended EC, here are a few who have made it big!
From being featured on the big screen to becoming senator, these once-college-students turned their aspirations into major accomplishments.
Known for his lead role in “Hunter,” a popular police drama in the late ‘80s, Fred Dryer attended EC from 1961 to 1962 where he played football for the Warriors. He eventually transferred to San Diego State University where he signed with the NFL, John Featherstone, football coach, said.
Dryer began his career as a football player for the New York Giants and then played for the L.A. Rams.
“Football-wise, he was a real smart, tough football player,” Featherstone said. “I think he was all-pro at least five times for the New York Giants and the L.A. Rams.”
Dryer played professional football for 14 years before he began his acting career in 1984 starring as Rick Hunter in “Hunter,” according to his official website.
Filmmaker, Douglas Trumbull attended EC where he studied architecture, according to www.film reference.com. He began working at Graphic Films, creating animated films for the U.S. Air Force and NASA, to pay for his tuition.
Then in 1968, Trumbull kicked off his movie career as a member of the special effects team for Stanley Kubrick’s film “2001: A Space Odyssey.” He is also responsible for the visual effects of films such as “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” in 1979 and “Blade Runner,” in 1982.
Trumbull has also directed and produced films such as “Silent Running” and “Brainstorm.” He was nominated for several Academy Awards in the best effects and visual effects categories for his work, according to Turner Classic Movies. And Trumbull won many awards, including the Scientific and Engineering Award at the Academy Awards in 1993.
He now resides in Massachusetts where he is working on various science fiction film projects, according to the website www.film-reference.com.
Marion Knight, also known as Suge Knight in the music industry, is the former CEO and co-founder of Death Row Records.
But before he created a successful record label, Knight attended EC from 1982 to 1983 where he played football.
“He was hardworking, respectful and very focused,” Eugene Engle, football offensive coordinator, said. “I think some of those same things made him successful.”
Knight went on to play football at UNLV on a scholarship and then signed as a free agent with the L.A. Rams. But his career was short lived when he was cut from the team, Engle said.
His career in the music industry began shortly after when he started working as a bodyguard for popular entertainers such as Bobby Brown and Tom Kline, according to the website hiphop.sh.
Knight eventually founded the label, Funky Enough Records, where he is most known for discovering and signing Dr. Dre, the website hiphop.sh stated. Together, the two formed Death Row Records in 1991, which represented artists such as Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur, according to an article in the Washington Post.
While he was accused of using ruthless tactics to get his way in the music industry according to the website hiphop.sh, this was not a side of him familiar to Engle.
“He was very respectful, very appreciative of everything I did for him,” Engle said. “Not anything like the persona that was out there in the public.”
Today Knight has been low key in the music industry, but is aiming to form a new record label with a “more positive spin,” the Washington Post said.
Still the current record holder at EC for the 1500-and 800-meter dashes, Sharette Garcia, Olympian, attended EC from 1988 to 1990.
Garcia, who eventually graduated from Arizona State University, participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics representing her native country of Belize. She competed in the women’s 800-meter event, where she placed seventh overall, according to www.sports-reference.com.
She is described as “one of the most dedicated and nicest people” to come through the track and field program, Dean Lofgren, track and field coach, said.
Recently, Garcia was an inductee into EC’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
“She was a multiple event state champion for us,” Lofgren said. “She was one of the best to have ever come through the community college ranks.”
Lauren Sanchez, a broadcast journalist and TV personality, was known as Wendy Sanchez while attending EC in the early ‘90s. While a student on campus, Sanchez wrote for EC’s newspaper.
She has since become popular in the broadcasting world as an entertainment reporter for “Fox News” and anchor of “Fox Sports News,” “UPN News 13,” and “Good Day LA,” according to her official website.
“She was very driven and no one was going to stop her from reaching her goals,” Lori Medigovich, journalism professor, said. “She did exactly what she said she would do.”
Sanchez was nominated for an Emmy for a news report on the dangers of metal baseball bats that was aired on Fox Sports News. Sanchez also gained fame as the host of the popular TV series, “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2005 and 2006 and was recently featured as one of “People’s 50 Most Beautiful.”
Sanchez also appeared in a variety of movies including “Fight Club,” “Fantastic Four,” “Akeelah and the Bee,” and “We Bought a Zoo.”
She is currently the co-host of the entertainment news series, “Extra,” according to her official website.
“He’s just a fun guy,” Featherstone said. “Plus, he’s a very talented actor. He has a great sense of humor and he’s got a great personality.”
Dryer currently lives in L.A. where he produces films, continues to act and works as a product spokesperson, according to the website TMZ.com.
