If Shixin Huang’s parents had decided to remain in Guangdong, China, where she was born, she would have taken a standardized test in the sixth grade that would have determined whether she would have the chance to go to college, could go to technical school, or would go straight into the workforce.…

Nicole was a straight-A student throughout her high school years at Ygnacio Valley High School; but when she went on to community college right after graduation, she left after one semester.

When Uganda-born Geofrey Ssebugwawo decided to seek asylum in the United States, all he wanted was safety. “I grew up knowing that America respects and protects human rights,” he said. “That’s why I wanted to come here.” While his journey to America, and to Vermont, was a long and arduous one — and…