Neema Isidore came to Vermont speaking Swahili and Kirundi, then rebuilt her life again after a traumatic brain injury a few years later. This week, she starts at Saint Michael's College on a full scholarship—determined to be like the social worker who was once there for her.

When a slowdown pushed him to look for his next opportunity, Parker set his sights on a Class A CDL. He completed his training at Stafford Technical Center and landed a job at Lamell Lumber in Essex within 45 minutes of walking in the door—proof, as his VSAC counselor put it, that "life often shows us possibilities if we're willing to pay attention."