Cumming, Vasquez appointed to school board

Jessica Cumming and Nain Vasquez were appointed to the Holyoke School District Re-1J Board of Education at the Nov. 16 meeting to fill existing board vacancies. They will serve until the next regular election in November of 2023.

Cumming excited to give back to the community

Cumming was born and raised in Holyoke. She brings a unique perspective to the board in that she was a student in Holyoke, she’s raised Holyoke students and she now just has a vested interest for the sake of the future.

A 1996 graduate of Holyoke High School, Cumming earned her associate degree from NJC in Sterling and her bachelor’s and Master of Business Administration degrees from Touro University.

She has been employed by PC Telcom for 16 years, currently serving as financial controller.

Her children include Savannah, a college junior; Slaten, a college sophomore; and Sabryn, a junior at HHS.

Cumming said that one of the true values of a small rural community is being involved, and she’s excited for this opportunity to give back to the community.

Citing that the school district has been a tremendous foundation to propel her kids’ future ambitions, she wants to make sure that there continues to be a quality foundation for the next generation.

She looks forward to the opportunity to understand and become knowledgeable on how the big picture actually works in education.

Recognizing she needs to go in and learn first, she is excited to better understand the policy side and legal side that drive knowledge in a school system. She also looks forward to embracing the issue that all school districts face in staying fiscally balanced while meeting all the needs and demands.

Cumming has served on the Holyoke School District Scholarship Trust and served a short stint on Holyoke City Council.

Vasquez looks forward to serving

A Holyoke resident for 16 years, Vasquez said he looks forward to being part of a board where he can hopefully do something to help the community and the kids.

He is excited to potentially get the Latino community more involved and to help with the language barrier to assist with better communication.

Not only does he hope that the Latino parents will feel more comfortable asking questions, but also that they will see his involvement and feel that they may be able to contribute input on committees and groups.

Vasquez admits he will have a big learning curve to see what the school board is all about. He was encouraged by several people to become involved, and he is glad to have the opportunity.

Vasquez earned his GED about 20 years ago and worked on construction and at golf courses in Denver. He moved to Holyoke in 2005, working construction for the Ballyneal golf course.

He was employed there until 2011 when he started his own trucking business that has become quite successful in trucking grain.

He said he has come to appreciate small-town life and loves this little town of Holyoke.

Vasquez and his wife Nadia have three boys. Nain graduated from HHS in 2020, Emmanuel “EV” is a senior at HHS, and Abraham is in the third grade.