For Sam Lucci, Freedom & Unity made the path back to college a “no-brainer”

Sam Lucci has known for the last ten years that he wanted to finish his education but constantly found himself weighing the costs against the benefits. Feeling like he couldn’t commit until he made a plan, Sam held off, pursuing jobs he liked and loved, gaining experience in sales, and taking an opportunity for on-the-job training that let him explore the trades.  

A “circuitous route” in his career and education  

Sam took what his VSAC outreach counselor, Martha McCaughin, describes as a “circuitous route on his journey toward getting his bachelor’s degree.” Martha works in VSAC’s Educational Opportunity Center, which helps adults access college and career training. She says that his journey “makes him a great role model for others, especially other men who haven’t gone straight through to college and who use their work and life experience to inform their educational focus.”  

After he graduated from Rutland High School in 2011, Sam took a gap year. He started at the University of Vermont, took a few classes at Community College of Vermont, and then left school and started working full-time at a hostel in Burlington. He loved that job, mostly because of the interaction he had with the people and the joy of meeting travelers.

A few years later, he found himself in a job training program that would give him the skills and licensure needed for him to sell insurance. At the time, it felt like an educational opportunity and a way for him to earn a credential. A few months in, he realized it wasn’t for him and started looking for another job.  

The good thing about the insurance job is it gave him established credibility in sales. He landed a job at VTDigger in advertising and sales and laughs when he thinks that he used to be doing digital editing on these Spotlight articles himself, and now finds himself the subject of one.  

After a few years in that role and in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sam was restless. “I needed to do something where I was using my body and leaving the house,” he said. He found another opportunity to do on-the-job training as a technician at a local RV dealership. Through that, he was able to sample the trades—plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and more—spend time outdoors, and interact more with folks in the community.  

Returning home to Fair Haven piqued his interest in local government  

In 2021, Sam and his partner, Hannah, bought the house Sam grew up in from his mother. They knew they wanted to be homeowners and moving home to Fair Haven, where Sam grew up, was a pathway to making that dream a reality.  

Sam, who’s always had an interest in local government, started learning more about opportunities available in the community. Through that curiosity, he found out there was an open seat on the Select Board, and no one was running to fill it. Sam stepped up, ran a write-in campaign at the last minute, and is now in his second one-year term in the role.  

Finding Freedom & Unity to finance his education

At the same time, Sam decided it was time to go back to college. He’d been considering returning to school for a while but wasn’t sure how to make it work. His father works at Vermont State Castleton (Vermont State) in student success. Sam knew that family members of employees could receive some tuition benefits but wasn’t sure if they could apply to him as an adult. He went to the registrar’s office one day to ask about it, and, while he wasn’t eligible for those benefits, the team there told him about Freedom & Unity, a program that covers tuition costs for eligible Vermonters.  

“I took them at their word that it was as easy to get Freedom & Unity as they promised it would be and applied and enrolled. I got my financial aid package and it was so much easier than I expected,” he said.

Freedom & Unity is funded by the Vermont Legislature and administered by VSAC, in partnership with Vermont State. Open to new or returning students of any age who do not already have a bachelor's degree, Freedom & Unity is an opportunity for Vermont students with a family income of $85,000 or less, like Sam, to attend Vermont State tuition free.

With the help of Freedom & Unity, Sam was able to enroll full-time the next semester. “Knowing the tuition was covered made it a complete no-brainer for me,” he added. “I knew I had to take advantage of this opportunity as long as it was available.”

Coupling his interest in local government with a degree in political science

Sam took asynchronous classes online so that he could still work at a local housing nonprofit. He then started working part-time at the town office as the assistant town clerk in Fair Haven. After taking a few political science classes, Sam has narrowed his focus to a major in political science. He’s leaving the door open to add another major or a minor in the future, but for now, he’s enjoying the intersection of his interest in local government and his education.  

“There are a lot of really promising careers in planning, and in municipal and regional government in Vermont," he noted. “We need a new generation of passionate and engaged people to pursue those careers. I’m hoping I can continue my education with that in mind.”

Freedom & Unity helped make it possible  

“I have no balance on my student account after Freedom & Unity,” Sam shared. “It’s really what made this possible for me. I do have living expenses and I’m very lucky to have a partner who is supportive of me and encouraged me to go back to school and pursue this, even though it’s hard. But I think a lot of people have these juggling decisions that they’re making, especially as an adult student.” Sam has about three semesters left before he finishes his degree.  

As for his work on the Select Board, it keeps him busy. Currently, he is interviewing candidates for town manager. And the ability to serve and keep engaged locally really appeals to him and marries his interests in local government, civic engagement, and political science.

“There might be a point where I have to weigh the cost of tuition against everything else,” Sam said. “But as long as there is Freedom & Unity, I can plan my life and my next semester and a path to my degree.”