Upcoming Events

Aug

ESPP: Educators Supporting Post-high school Planning

9:00am - 4:00pm Community College of VT Upper Valley

VSAC Aspirations is offering professional development for educators! This is a semester-long course that ends October 26. This course is designed to support participants to integrate post-high school exploration and...

Sep

VSAC's Annual Financial Aid Training for Education and Agency Professionals: Financial Aid 101

9:00am - 10:30am on Zoom

Financial Aid 101 This virtual training session is geared toward education and agency professionals who are newer to discussing the financial aid process with potential learners, would like to hear...

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Blog Archive: Student Aid Options

28 Apr

How VSAC helped a future ranger see the forest for the trees

Written by
Sabina Haskell

When Chandler Prescott was a high school sophomore, he joined the Forestry and Natural Resources program at Stafford Technical Center, where he got a big eye-opening. “It was there where I learned about the wilderness … how global warming is affecting the wild and everything like that. I just really…

17 Apr

For this first-generation college student, “VSAC is very close to my heart”

Written by
VSAC Staff

Cassandra Bittner knows she overcame some tough odds to be able to go to college at all. Neither of her parents had gone to college; in fact, her mother never even finished high school. And in St. Albans, where she grew up, she was definitely not alone in that, a factor that made for some low…

09 Apr

Trent Cross: From sports standout to exercise science student

Written by
Sabina Haskell

When asked to talk about his journey from a kid growing up in Milton to a successful college freshman, Trent Cross tells a story marked with the typical challenge facing first-generation college students: “None of my family had ever gone to college, so I didn’t really know what way to go.” “But when…

04 Mar

Financial aid offers: 4 steps before you sign

Written by
VSAC Staff

For families with a high school senior, now is when most college acceptances arrive in full force (congratulations!), and with them, financial aid offers. It’s an exciting time and—let’s face it—also a bit overwhelming as deadlines loom: Most colleges require a deposit by May 1. That means that…

06 Dec

VSAC Student Success Story Lauren Craig: From a scholarship & scrubs to ‘sassy saint’

Written by
Sabina Haskell

When she was in her mid-twenties, Lauren Craig thought she had hit a dead end on her career path. Fortunately, with some heavy encouragement from a friend and some financial help from VSAC, some new doors opened, and today, she’s working in a job she loves. “I’ve kind of jumped around a lot, with…

19 Nov

Ashley Gray brings the world back home to the NEK

Written by
Sabina Haskell

When Ashley Gray was selected in 2016 to be the new principal of Peacham Elementary School, officials from the Caledonia Central Supervisory Union knew they were fortunate to have found such a strong candidate. “Ms. Gray possesses strong leadership skills and a desire to work with the community,”…

04 Sep

Gail Trede uses life’s lessons to become a librarian

Written by
Sabina Haskell

When Gail Trede started her college path she was in her mid-50s. It started because she had earned the opportunity to take an online class at no cost through volunteer work. But she was reluctant. She didn’t think she was smart enough. Her confidence was so low, someone else had to actually sign her…

30 Jul

Fexhrije Ilazi rekindles her dream of earning a degree in her new homeland

Written by
Sabina Haskell

Fexhrije Ilazi had two years left of college when she was forced to end her pursuit of a degree. She was living in Kosovo and the war there left both her homeland and her dreams in smoldering ruins. Fexhrije eventually moved to the United States as a refugee with two little children. She didn’t…

22 May

Dennis Van Nostrand knows the road he wants to travel

Written by
Sabina Haskell

Dennis Van Nostrand has two dreams: To be a cross-country tractor-trailer truck driver and to be an actor. On the first one he’s close to his destination. Dennis currently has a class B commercial driver’s license and works for Thomas Dairy in Rutland. He loves his job, but he’s been spending his…

13 Mar

Jeremy MacKenzie’s story is the stuff movies are made of

Written by
Sabina Haskell

Jeremy MacKenzie’s higher education journey is the stuff movies are made of. It starts when Jeremy is incarcerated and ends, at least for now, with a George Lucas scholarship to get his graduate degree in film studies. And, without the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, this tale may never have…