Main Content

Blog Archive: Unsure About College

20 Sep

Shaftsbury’s John Dell’Anno heads back to school for a mid-career change

Written by
VSAC Staff

Over the last two decades, John Dell’Anno of Shaftsbury had built a career as a carpenter. Employed by a company out of Manchester, John worked on high-end residential job sites, and found plenty of work in towns like Stratton, Windham, and Dorset. But in 2014, after suffering a few accidents (one…

07 Sep

“I’m here, you can keep me!” Following up with Mimi Duong, one of Vermont’s most enthusiastic new employees

Written by
VSAC Staff

When Mimi Duong was applying to college during her senior year at St. Johnsbury Academy, she found herself at a bit of a disadvantage, since her parents, who had emigrated to Vermont from Vietnam, weren’t totally familiar with the American college admissions system. When we last spoke with her in…

29 Aug

8 back-to-school “to-dos” for students looking toward college or career training

Written by
VSAC Staff

If you have a middle school or high school student, you may want to add college and career planning to your annual back-to-school to-do list. It’s never too early for students to start thinking about their lives beyond high school: preparation can start as early as 7th and 8th grade. And if you have…

01 Aug

Cabot student chooses a unique college program that “just sounded really interesting”

Written by
Emily Stetson

When Brody Moran works with kids – either as a substitute teacher at Cabot School in his hometown during his college breaks, or this summer as a counselor at Turtle Island camp – he never asks a child what they want to be when they grow up. “Some people love asking that question, because it provokes…

Blue Mountain Union High School seniors (left to right) Sera Brooks, Jada Longmoore, Avery Nelson, Gabby Houghton and Lauren Joy.

08 Jun

5 students, 1 story: "GEAR UP helped us!"

Written by
Emily Stetson

Blue Mountain Union High School seniors (left to right) Sera Brooks, Jada Longmoore, Avery Nelson, Gabby Houghton and Lauren Joy. “If it wasn’t for Kassidy, I would be going to a school I didn’t love, because I didn’t realize how little UVM was going to cost me.” “If Kassidy hadn’t convinced me to…

2023 graduates, left to right: Sahra Hassan, Philip Malazarte and Nick Williams

01 Jun

VSAC congratulates our featured 2023 grads

Written by
VSAC Staff

VSAC has profiled more than two dozen traditional and adult students over the 2022-23 academic year, and three of them are among the graduating Class of 2023. Two are exceptional high school students who will be entering the health care field, and the third –– a National Guard veteran who served…

24 May

Danville’s Aaron Brittain switches gears & turns his hobby into a career

Written by
Emily Stetson

As a young electrician, Aaron Brittain was doing well. He had moved from a small shop in the Northeast Kingdom to a bigger, Barre-based company that did larger jobs. But he didn’t like getting up at 4 AM. “I liked the work, but I didn’t like the lifestyle,” says Aaron, who started electrical work at…

09 May

Small-town student seizes big opportunities

Written by
Emily Stetson

Lilith Bachand, a junior at North Country Union High School, just learned a week ago that she was named a 2023 QuestBridge College Prep Scholar. As one of 3,500 high school juniors selected from more than 15,000 applicants nationwide, Lilith also has a strong chance of being awarded a four-year…

27 Apr

GEAR UP student Philip Malazarte finds his fit in VT nursing programs

Written by
Emily Stetson

Philip Malazarte of Chester is “a young man who is going places,” says his VSAC outreach counselor, Jessi Krause Herron. “He has been committed to the nursing field since ninth grade and has been learning all he can to prepare. And he’s a standout member of his community, caring for others and going…

Sapphire Jackson sitting on bike path bridge

20 Apr

“There’s nothing stopping me”: Sapphire Jackson pursues her college & career dreams

Written by
Emily Stetson

Throughout her childhood and adolescence, 18-year-old Sapphire Jackson yearned to discover what she was great at and what could become her life’s passion. But, unable to articulate the nuance she saw between aspiration and ambition, her family didn’t see a way to reconcile college and career with…

Upcoming Events

Blog Archive: Unsure About College