Devon Kimball has been hard at work this winter and spring, flipping a house in Rutland with his cousin. He recently took a break from painting and hanging siding to talk about his experience with VSAC, which he says has been instrumental not just for him, but for his entire family. Devon, who…
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Blog Archive: Applying for Financial Aid
Two weeks before the first day of her senior year in high school, when most of her classmates were enjoying their final afternoons at the pool or going back-to-school shopping, Calleen Ferris was moving cows. She had grown up on a dairy farm in Randolph, which both the cows and the family had…
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Thinking about taking out a loan to pay for your studies? You’re not alone: Nearly seven out of 10 Vermont students will take some loans to finance their education expenses. Knowing how to compare loans and costs is essential to making college more affordable. Get some loan smarts with VSAC’s “ My…
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The future looks bright for 22-year-old Samantha Hadvab: She’s ready to graduate from the University of Vermont this spring with a degree in medical radiation sciences, and she already has a job offer waiting for her at the Lafayette Family Cancer Institute in Brewer, Maine, where she’s finishing up…
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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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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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