“I never thought I would have gone to college,” says 21-year-old Cassie Piper, a native of Derby. It’s an incredible statement from a young woman who will graduate this month from NVU-Johnson with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a minor in Anthropology and Sociology, an associate’s degree in…

When asked about her “goals for the future,” Alexis Lape pauses. “Right now, it's up in the air given the state of the economy … and the pandemic … and my living situation … but I'd like to maybe pursue real estate as well as music. I'm a business major so I don't have set plans.” Born in Brandon…