Turning “We can’t afford that” into “I did it”: Tasha Gallup's Story

Tasha Gallup says that in high school, she was athletic, hardworking, and constantly thinking about what came next. She always knew that college would be the thing that would change her future for the better. “I had enough awareness to see that as hard as my parents worked, they were struggling,” she recalled. “I saw differences in families. I knew I was going to have to do something to earn my own successes. I realized that college was probably going to be the thing that helped me build the skills and knowledge to have a life where I could provide for and sustain myself.”

“If I set my mind to something, that was the hill I was going to die on.”

Sports were a big part of Tasha’s life at Spaulding High School. She played lacrosse for four years and was named a Vermont Senior All-Star when she graduated in 2000. That connection kindled her interest in a career that involved athletics. “I was always interested in sports medicine,” she said. “I thought athletic training was interesting, and I wanted to blend athletics with academics. I didn’t think I had the chops for med school, but I wanted to do something in that direction.” She was determined to figure out how to make it happen.

“We can’t afford that”

When she first told her mother she wanted to go to college, the response was painful. “She said, ‘We can’t afford that. It’s not going to work.’ I was dashed but I was heated. I wanted to do it, so I was going to do it.”

Tasha met with Clark Amadon, a counselor working in VSAC’s Talent Search program at the time. Clark began helping her figure out what might be possible.

I told Clark the truth. I said my parents couldn’t afford it. I was ready for him to say goodbye. Instead, he said, ‘Okay, if your parents can’t do this, there are other options. There are steps along the way.’ And I started to see it could be attainable.”

She remembers that first meeting at their kitchen table in Graniteville like it was yesterday.

Clark came to our house. He’s a tall man and there wasn’t a lot of space in our duplex…I remember him sitting at the table, and he had a laptop to help us with the documents and FAFSA. It was 1998 and laptops weren’t an everyday thing. My parents were nervous but gracious and they accepted the support and were willing to hear him out.

With Clark’s guidance, Tasha began to see all that might be possible for her.

Making it to Castleton

Tasha applied and was accepted to several Vermont schools. She eventually selected Castleton State College (now Vermont State University Castleton).  

When her financial aid package arrived, she was excited and apprehensive. She remembers, “it was so exciting to see that financial aid package. It felt like a true success when I had the realization that my goal of getting to college, being there, was going to happen.”  

She also recalls what it felt like to sign that first promissory note. “I took it so seriously when I signed that note. That meant a lot. My mom was nervous. She said, ‘This is for real. You have money on the line. If you’re going to do this, do this.’ I was committed. I had to get myself into a career field that could substantiate the obligation of what that loan meant.”

Learning beyond the classroom  

Tasha says that there’s no doubt, college was difficult.

I knew I wasn’t a star student. I was working hard but I was still so average. I remember my first paper in college—I got an F. I didn’t have the grammar skills I needed for success in college. I sat down with my professor because I knew I had to take responsibility for it. She showed me why the errors were errors. She said, ‘This is a comma splice.’ I said, ‘a what?’ She explained it. I knew that I had to work at it.

Tasha began to set up structure in her days and week, and strong boundaries to make sure she had time to study, go to the library, participate in study groups, and meet with her professors when she needed help. Slowly, it started to pay off.  

In her junior year of school, her parents divorced. “Things were stressful and I needed to work more. I had four or five part-time jobs plus full-time school.” She ended up staying at Castleton for a fifth year in order to finish, taking a lighter course load those last few years to be able to balance work and school.  

“The dedication to the goal had never wavered,” she said. “I needed to take that extra time. I also knew that a bump didn’t mean the journey was over.”

Tasha proudly graduated with her Bachelor’s in Athletic Training in 2005.  

Building a career in sports medicine

After college, Tasha took on several jobs while saving up for the expense of taking her Athletic Trainer certification exam. “I worked at Dartmouth doing EKGs and exercise stress testing while studying and saving for my exam,” she said. She developed a mantra to help her stay grounded and focused: “The capability is mine to have. It’s the effort which I wish to put into it.”

After passing her exam, she spent the next seven years as an Athletic Trainer at a regional high school helping approximately 300 athletes across 26 varsity sports. Tasha notes that while it was a wonderful step in meeting her dream, she started to get the itch to go further. “I was seeing all these injuries and wanting to have more of a hand in the workup and diagnosis—I wanted to do more and be more involved in injury management.” Inspired to take the next step, Tasha decided to pursue a graduate degree that would enable her to become a Physician Assistant.  

A new chapter, despite an initial rejection

Tasha knew there were resources like VSAC that could help her. She paved the path to grad school and took the prerequisite classes she needed to apply to a Physician Assistant program while working full-time. “I burned the candle at both ends to get those credits covered,” she said.

But her first application to graduate school at Franklin Pierce University was denied. “I was so disappointed,” she remembers. She got on the waitlist the second time she applied, then got an unexpected phone call three weeks before classes started. “I got in, and I was so excited,” she remembers. But she had to move quickly to figure out financial aid, housing, and more. “I had put in the work to get this opportunity. I was not going to lose it.”

Tasha earned her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from Franklin Pierce University in 2017 and began working in orthopedic medicine. She got a job at a small hospital in New Hampshire as an orthopedic PA, splitting her time between surgery and seeing patients in the office. In addition to providing surgical and non-surgical orthopedic care to the patients of her community, she also stayed connected to her roots in sports medicine. Tasha worked with the Athletic Training Staff and was a part of the sports medicine team for the athletes of Plymouth State University, truly coming full circle in her dream of helping athletes manage injuries.  

Family, change, and perspective

Bristol, New Hampshire is home today for Tasha and her husband, Scott. Their nephews, ages 11 and 13, moved in with them last year. The change at home led to a change at work for Tasha. “I started practicing in family medicine, continuing with non-operative orthopedics. It has better family hours and I’m not on call,” she says.

She still misses parts of her earlier work. “I miss the rush of athletics and surgery where you are the calm and stabilization in the middle of a big storm. It was so rewarding. But when my nephews moved in, I was ready to move on.”

Looking back, she is clear that the help she got from VSAC mattered. “Clark helped me understand the steps I needed to take to secure financial aid. He came to the house, sat down with my parents, and helped us with the paperwork. Having that person who could explain it and believed I could do it—that changed everything.”