Persistence pays off: Jeff Isabelle of Barre earns scholarship to study geology at Norwich

Jeff Isabelle of Barre grew up reading books about dinosaurs. “I’ve been fascinated with paleontology for as long as I can remember. I always hunted for fossils in my spare time, and I’ve found some pretty cool things.” On a vacation to Washington, DC, the family took a side trip to Maryland’s Calvert Cliffs State Park, where Jeff found a bryozoan—an ancient aquatic animal that lived over 500 million years ago.  

While his longtime hobby connects him to the earth’s distant past, Jeff has also kept his focus strongly on the future throughout his time at Spaulding High School in Barre. Hoping he could go on to college, he worked hard from day one to keep up his grades, and he participated in the VSAC TRIO Talent Search program, a federally funded initiative to help students from modest-income backgrounds apply to and pay for college.  

Chelsea Martin, one of VSAC’s outreach counselors, worked with Jeff for three years. “Jeff exemplifies TRIO Talent Search. He is a first-generation, modest-income student who put so much work into his academic career to continue pursuing his passion.”

Modest and hard working

This fall, Jeff will study geology at Norwich University. By March, Jeff had earned enough in scholarship awards to cover two-thirds of his college costs. Then, in mid-April, he learned he had won the prestigious Ronald York Scholarship from Spaulding, which further reduced his annual expenses, as long as he maintains a certain grade point average for all four years.

“Without Chelsea, I wouldn’t have gotten half of that,” says Jeff—a claim Chelsea Martin pushes back on. “Jeff is one of the hardest workers I know, not only in academics, but outside of school as well.”  

While Jeff is modest about his achievements, he’s quick to credit hard work, VSAC’s guidance, and his parents’ support for helping him achieve his college dream. “I always wanted to go to college, but to be honest, I wasn’t sure I would be able to,” he says.

I always worked my hardest in school, but I worried I wouldn’t get there. VSAC helped me out a lot by pointing me to schools I could apply to and ways to make college less expensive. And my parents were always right there by my side.

Jeff’s mom and dad both completed some college courses and understood the importance of education. His two older sisters, ages 28 and 29, both worked with VSAC programs in high school and went on to college and successful careers. His sister Kayla lives in Florida, where she tests soils for contaminants—something Jeff sees as a possible career path—and his other sister Christy lives in New Hampshire and works in cybersecurity.

The financial aid experience

Jeff and his parents homed in on ways to reduce the cost of college tuition. They attended VSAC’s Scholarship Night, where VSAC counselors help students and families set up scholarship applications and navigate online programs. “They showed us how to get through those websites, both during the group presentations and one-on-one.”

Jeff says he felt overwhelmed by the number of scholarships available. “It takes a lot of time, and writing essays isn’t easy. But in the end, it is worth it. Even if you don’t get the scholarship, it’s still a good experience.”  

His search for schools that had dedicated geology programs—which is becoming somewhat of a rare find—led him to Norwich. Other schools on his list offered a major in environmental studies, but Jeff liked the fact that Norwich’s geology program includes weekly trips out into the field, something he knows he wants to do once he starts working.  

While Jeff’s passion is in earth sciences, some of his favorite courses at Spaulding High School were in English and history. “I enjoyed classes on graphic novels, medieval studies, and marine biology, and I liked PE, too. Usually the more advanced something was, the more interesting it was.” He also participated in several clubs, including French Club; the SAFE Club, focusing on environmental action; and his favorite, the rock wall climbing club. “That was wicked fun,” he says with a smile.

Only part of the story

After graduation in mid-June, Jeff plans to return to his usual summer job, doing trimming and maintenance at three local cemeteries, including Barre’s renowned Hope Cemetery. It’s hard work, something Jeff doesn’t shy away from.  

In fact, having a strong work ethic is Jeff’s advice for those coming up behind him. “Better grades mean better deals for college, so you want to try your best, starting freshman year,” he says. He also encourages students to ask to re-take tests or assessments if they think they can improve their scores—an opportunity he used to his advantage.  

But hard work is only part of the story. “I’m thankful for my family, especially my mother, who helped me out so much with all the paperwork. I couldn’t have done this alone.”