How persistence paid off for Lizzie Brown

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Brown just graduated from Craftsbury Academy last week. Lizzie joined the GEAR UP program later on in high school but has taken advantage of the program as a resource to help her finalize the details of her college plans and learn how to pay for college.

She persisted through the application process, the financial aid process, and pursued many scholarship opportunities. And, she did all of this while carrying a full course load throughout her senior year. Lizzie is an avid athlete in her school community playing on the soccer, basketball, and softball teams. She is the youngest of three sisters and enjoys snowboarding and spending time with her two dogs. Lizzie was recruited into GEAR UP by Matt Mitchell and finished out her senior year with Rose Reynolds as her outreach counselor.

What’s next for this resilient scholar-athlete? Lizzie is thrilled to be attending the University of Vermont (UVM) next year to pursue a degree in elementary education. Her long-term goal is to teach in kindergarten through 2nd grade.

In her own words, Lizzie wants to become a teacher so she can “be the one who makes a difference in kids’ lives.” Lizzie is the proud recipient of the Catamount Commitment scholarship at UVM, the GEAR UP scholarship, the Vermont Endowment Scholarship, and the Governor Phil Hoff Vermont Honor Scholarship, among others. When she graduates from UVM, Lizzie will join her older sister with a degree from UVM! Her school, community, and friends in the Northeast Kingdom are very proud of Lizzie.