VSAC will be closed Monday, May 25, 2026 in observance of Memorial Day.
Blog Archive: A Foster Youth
Raneen Salha is fascinated by the human brain: how it works, how it can sometimes betray us, and how we can begin to heal. She saw this betrayal on a clinical level when her grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s, a defining period in her life that inspired her interest in the medical field. “It was…
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First-generation college students — or students whose parents did not go to college — are much less likely to pursue and to complete postsecondary degrees than are their classmates whose parents did go to college. According to data gathered by the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC), first…
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From a young age, Johanna Krushat had an inkling that she wanted to work with kids, but she wasn’t sure about the “how” or the “where.” Her Vermont Student Assistance Corp. (VSAC) counselor helped her narrow that down, and Johanna decided she wanted to be an elementary-school counselor. After…
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Essex Principal Ashley Gray, right, with her wife, Rebecca and their son, Rio. Ashley Gray has never shied away from a challenge. When VSAC first profiled her in late 2019, she was a young principal at Peacham Elementary School in her native Northeast Kingdom. Though she grew up just 30 miles away…
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Every September, as families settle into their back-to-school routines, VSAC celebrates National GEAR UP Week, which promotes the wealth of resources and opportunities offered through this federally funded college and career guidance program. This year, National GEAR UP week falls on September 20–24…
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At 26, Nichelle Montanez had a job that she loved, working at a gas station in Westminster. She enjoyed her co-workers, loved the environment, and planned to stay and grow with the company. “I was going to work hard, become the manager, and be there for the rest of my working career,” she recalls…
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Too often, “peer pressure” plays a negative role in teenagers’ lives. But for Tyler Eugair, who graduated this spring from Proctor High School, knowing that his best friend would be going to Castleton was what led him to decide to go to college too. “Did I always know I wanted to go to college? Not…
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Ranjita Sarki, who graduated from Colchester High School this spring, is a soft-spoken and modest young woman who nevertheless makes quite an impression. Her VSAC outreach counselor, Liam Danaher, said she was one of the students who had the greatest impact on him during the past academic year, even…
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Isabel Cobb is used to swimming in a fairly small pond. The majority of her graduating class at Springfield High School has been together since kindergarten. The school band was so small — only six students total — that Isabel had to learn to play six different instruments. (Which one did she like…
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Twenty-one-year-old Victor Hinojosa will graduate this winter from Norwich University on a full military scholarship. He’s an Eagle Scout, attended Boys’ State in high school, and secured a coveted internship in the Governor’s office his freshman year of college. He’s now working full time as an…
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