Samantha’s Road to a Brighter Future

Samantha’s been behind the wheel since she graduated from high school. First for her own small business, Little Taxi LLC in Franklin County, and later for Special Services Transportation Agency (SSTA), she drives those who don’t or can’t drive from here to there and back again—to medical appointments, the grocery store, or the pharmacy.

Several years ago, Samantha was struggling with a tough relationship, parenting, and her own health. She was sinking into mental health challenges. All at once, she had an intense and immediate urge to give herself a second shot. She left the relationship she was in but struggled with housing instability. She lived with her mother for a period while she was trying to get back on her feet. Eventually, Samantha started taking classes on budgeting and other skills and was able to get into her own home.

Throughout Samantha’s darker days, she was driving folks, finding meaning in being able to help others. She spends a lot of time listening to her clients, learning about their lives, their kids, their hopes, and their concerns. “It got me thinking that maybe I should go back to school,” she said.

Being able to do this one thing for others—driving them to their appointments and things—is really meaningful to me. But the days can be really long and stressful, and as much as I enjoy it, I started thinking maybe I could do a little more.

Samantha sought support from Reach Up, Vermont's safety net program for families. Her Reach Up case manager, Jamie, connected her with outreach counselor Karen McGovern at VSAC’s Educational Opportunity Center, which helps adults access college and training programs. Karen began to work with Samantha to bring her goals to fruition.

Dipping a toe into classes at CCV

With Karen’s help, Samantha applied to Community College of Vermont (CCV). “I was just so excited when I got my acceptance letter. Karen connected me with scholarship applications; the next thing I knew I was taking classes online through CCV,” she said. She took classes over three years, one or two at a time, was on the Dean’s List every semester, and was invited into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

Samanth’s success at CCV gave her the boost she needed. Karen encouraged her to continue to Champlain College in the Single Parents Program, which helps support solo mothers and fathers as they pursue their education. “I knew I wanted my bachelor’s and my master’s, and I knew I’d need support to get them,” Samantha shared.

As a single parent with two young kids, Samantha has often struggled to make ends meet. Between work and relying on her mother for childcare, going to college had felt out of reach for so long. “Karen and Jamie and I, we were a team. We were going to figure out how to make all of it work,” notes Samantha. And they did

Finding opportunity and meaning at Champlain College

It wasn’t easy. Samantha was initially a little intimidated by in-person classes at Champlain, and she got lost going to class on her first day. “I didn’t know what to do,” she said. “But I knew I’d have to dive in and really figure out how to manage everything if I was going to be successful. I finally got used to it and am really proud that I’ve maintained a high GPA my whole time here.”

Now, Samantha is taking 5-6 classes each semester, continuing to work with SSTA to support herself, and doing an internship at the Vermont Psychology Association. She’s also co-president of the DREAM Club at Champlain College, a student-led community engagement initiative focused on supporting local youth, where she organizes meal preps, mentors, and more. In addition, she’s the mentor coordinator of the regional DREAM program, an affiliated regional nonprofit that works to close the opportunity gap with mentoring, academic support, outdoor adventures, and enrichment programs. “We’re working with kids who don’t have great opportunities, and we have the ability to create those for them. Helping them and doing activities with them means a lot to me,” Samantha shared. On top of all of that, she’s now helping to coordinate the Single Parents Program at Champlain. Helping others find the same tools and resources that helped her own success is important to Samantha.

Samantha is scheduled to graduate in May with her bachelor’s degree. “I am just so excited,” she said. “I want to go right away on to my master’s and build on all the momentum I have right now. My goal is to be a child and family therapist because kids go through so many things where they really need support. I’m interested in incorporating art and play therapy, so I’m looking at master’s programs that offer those options.” And her VSAC counselor, Karen, is right there, helping her again with this next step.

Looking forward to her future

“Because of Karen, I’m not scared to apply for a master’s degree program the way I was scared to apply when I first thought about going to college,” Samantha shared. “She really helped me see how powerful education is and how college is meant for everyone, not just the people who can go right after high school.”

It’s also important to Samantha to be a role model for her kids. “My hard work is encouraging my kids to think big,” she shared. “My son wants to be a police officer, and my daughter wants to be a doctor. I’m grateful to see them living a life and looking at life the way I do."

Samantha’s journey hasn’t been easy, but she’s heartened knowing she’s modeling the hard work it takes to achieve a dream for her kids. “They know we learn from mistakes,” she said. “And they think big. I’ve worked so hard for my diploma. And they’ll be right there with me when I get it.”