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: Student Aid Options
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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Nicole was a straight-A student throughout her high school years at Ygnacio Valley High School; but when she went on to community college right after graduation, she left after one semester.
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When Uganda-born Geofrey Ssebugwawo decided to seek asylum in the United States, all he wanted was safety. “I grew up knowing that America respects and protects human rights,” he said. “That’s why I wanted to come here.” While his journey to America, and to Vermont, was a long and arduous one — and…
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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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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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A village store and a Covid-inspired scholarship program shape a young woman’s path Phoebe Stoddard spent most of her high school career at Craftsbury Academy waiting for her “Eureka moment.” When, by senior year, it still hadn’t come, Phoebe didn’t know what she wanted to do. And with college…
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Dalib Bulle’s life history may be what we all envision as the ideal immigrant story. He came to America from a war-torn country, got a job right away, and has been able to help hundreds of families from his native Somalia gain their own foothold in Vermont. Now, with the help of VSAC’s Educational…
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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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