When Passy Matendo signs on to a Zoom meeting, her name appears on the screen as “Maombi.” “It’s what I’m called at home,” she explains. In Swahili, the word literally means “prayers” or “supplications,” and as a name, it is often loosely translated as “gift from God.” Since coming to the U.S. from…
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Blog Archive: A Parent
The updated FAFSA was delayed this fall, and the impact of that three-month delay rolled down the line to colleges, families, and students. College financial aid offices are now scrambling to process student financial data and to get their aid decisions out to families as quickly as possible…
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When Kirsty Greeno was growing up, she moved around a lot, mostly through Vermont and a bit of Maine. Before completing high school, Kirsty, her sister and their single father relocated multiple times, moving from Rutland to Salisbury, then to Middlebury, followed by Whiting, and finally settling in…
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As a competitive runner, Amiya Sharp knows how to push herself to the finish line. Now a freshman pre-med student at UMass Boston, she’s majoring in biochemistry—a tough major, but one Amiya intentionally chose to make sure shes's prepared for medical school. Amiya hopes to become a pediatric…
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On February 12, 2018, when Mersadies Shantie was 12 years old, her mom suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. That night, still stunned from the loss, Mersadies left her home in Mooers Forks, New York, and moved to Sheldon, Vermont, to live with her dad, stepmom and three adopted sisters. “It was…
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I’ve always loved to learn, but I never thought I would go to college. As a teen, I was more interested in getting out into the working world, and once I’d established a successful career, I thought, why would I need to go to college now? But as I got deeper into my chosen field of birth and…
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VSAC Counselor Tia Stillman and Orwell student Olivia Scher bonded over their goals and drive to help people – as well as being people of color in a small Vermont town. As a kid, Olivia Scher was one of very few people of color in tiny Orwell, Vermont. One other person was her elementary school…
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The Thanksgiving season is for giving thanks and giving back. In that spirit, we wanted to highlight three Vermont students we’ve profiled in 2023, who, thanks to the support of their families, their employers, and the VSAC counselors who guided them on their college and career paths, are on their…
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Eleanor Placey of the Newbury High School Alumni Association and VSAC VP Tom Little, with the historic Newbury School and church in the background. Newbury High School alumni enable local Oxbow students to fund their future with the Newbury Alumni Memorial Scholarship. Eleanor Placey, a longtime…
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Vermonter Kristen Merchant Moore is inspired to help youth after the death of her father, a Veteran. Kristen Merchant Moore’s father always emphasized the importance of education. When he became one of the first Vermont National Guard members to die in the Iraq War in 2006, his service to his…
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