Upcoming Events

Apr

Managing Education & Training Costs

6:30pm - 7:30pm Zoom

Attention high school juniors and families: Attend a free Managing Education & Training Costs online presentation. At this presentation, we will provide an overview of how families cover the cost...

May

2026 Transition & Career Planning Conference

8:45am - 3:15pm Lake Morey Resort

Advancing Possibilities: Engage. Adapt. Excel The 21st Annual Transition and Career Planning Conference is hosted by VSAC's Vermont State GEAR UP program in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Education...

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Blog Archive: Applying for Financial Aid

12 Sep

After a job curveball, this single mother heads back to school

Written by
Dilys Pierson

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…

30 Aug

Thanks to good friends and VSAC, Tyler Eugair is college-bound

Written by
Dilys Pierson

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…

24 Aug

Webinar series helps VT students & families explore & pay for education

Written by
Dilys Pierson

With the paths for college, training, careers, and jobs changing, the need for reliable, up-to-date information is more critical than ever. VSAC’s interactive webinar series, VSAC Shows You How, is designed to help students and families get the guidance they need to explore education opportunities…

17 Aug

Determined New Arrival student, Ranjita Sarki, proves what hard work can amount to

Written by
Dilys Pierson

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…

10 Aug

In high school, Isabel Cobb was a one-woman band. Now she heads to college with a full VSAC scholarship.

Written by
Dilys Pierson

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…

03 Aug

Victor Hinojosa seizes chances to overcome tragic family history

Written by
Dilys Pierson

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…

27 Jul

High expectations and a desire for growth fuel Gabriel Unwin’s college dream

Written by
Dilys Pierson

Gabriel Unwin grew up fast. The second child born to a teenage mother before her 18th birthday, Gabe spent his childhood and early teen years living in a two-bedroom trailer in Highgate, where he and his older sister mostly raised their three younger siblings. Their mom, who was busy working three…

20 Jul

Adrianne Hutchin wants to support her community as a family law attorney

Written by
Dilys Pierson

Adrianne Hutchin wants to support her community as a family law attorney “Success is helping other people. If I can go to bed and know that I made a difference in a person's life that day, then I’ve succeeded.” It’s hard to speak with Adrianne Hutchin and not leave inspired. The fifth-generation…

13 Jul

McKayla Marble, a community “big sister,” looks to work with children

Written by
Dilys Pierson

Although McKayla Marble is an only child, she’s played the important “big sister” role a few times for younger children in her community: first as a foster “sibling” and more recently as a regular babysitter for a three-year-old boy in her hometown of Johnson.

29 Jun

Allie Root refused to let a pandemic sidetrack her college plans

Written by
Dilys Pierson

While COVID definitely changed the day-to-day experience for all Vermont students — from preschoolers to postgrads — the pandemic had another layer of impact for high school juniors and seniors who were applying to colleges over the last 15 months. Students weren’t able to visit campuses in person…