VSAC will be closed Thursday, July 4, 2024 in observance of Independence Day.
Blog Archive: Applying for Financial Aid
![Essex Principal Ashley Gray, right, with her wife, Rebecca and their son, Rio.](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/2021-10/Ashley%20Gray%20with%20family--Masked.jpg?itok=2hd7CnQ_)
Essex Principal Ashley Gray, right, with her wife, Rebecca and their son, Rio. Ashley Gray has never shied away from a challenge. When VSAC first profiled her in late 2019, she was a young principal at Peacham Elementary School in her native Northeast Kingdom. Though she grew up just 30 miles away…
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![Gear Up week image](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/uploads/blog/9-21%20GEAR%20UP%20Week%20image.jpg?itok=WZQaLd_n)
Every September, as families settle into their back-to-school routines, VSAC celebrates National GEAR UP Week, which promotes the wealth of resources and opportunities offered through this federally funded college and career guidance program. This year, National GEAR UP week falls on September 20–24…
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![Nichelle Montanez photo](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/uploads/blog/9-14%20Nichelle%20Montnez%20BLOG.jpg?itok=ObRPvBrZ)
At 26, Nichelle Montanez had a job that she loved, working at a gas station in Westminster. She enjoyed her co-workers, loved the environment, and planned to stay and grow with the company. “I was going to work hard, become the manager, and be there for the rest of my working career,” she recalls…
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Too often, “peer pressure” plays a negative role in teenagers’ lives. But for Tyler Eugair, who graduated this spring from Proctor High School, knowing that his best friend would be going to Castleton was what led him to decide to go to college too. “Did I always know I wanted to go to college? Not…
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![#VSACShowsYouHow](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/uploads/blog/8-26_VSACShowsYouHow_Spotlight.jpg?itok=fXZQfV2L)
With the paths for college, training, careers, and jobs changing, the need for reliable, up-to-date information is more critical than ever. VSAC’s interactive webinar series, VSAC Shows You How, is designed to help students and families get the guidance they need to explore education opportunities…
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![Ranjita Sarki photo](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/uploads/blog/8-19%20Ranjita%20Sarki_blog.jpg?itok=VMryvDJE)
Ranjita Sarki, who graduated from Colchester High School this spring, is a soft-spoken and modest young woman who nevertheless makes quite an impression. Her VSAC outreach counselor, Liam Danaher, said she was one of the students who had the greatest impact on him during the past academic year, even…
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![isabel cobb photo](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/uploads/blog/8-12%20Isabel%20Cobb_blog.jpg?itok=tZKPvcIq)
Isabel Cobb is used to swimming in a fairly small pond. The majority of her graduating class at Springfield High School has been together since kindergarten. The school band was so small — only six students total — that Isabel had to learn to play six different instruments. (Which one did she like…
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![Victor Hinojosa photo](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/uploads/blog/7-29_VictorHinojosa_blog.jpg?itok=Xw6AUqxv)
Twenty-one-year-old Victor Hinojosa will graduate this winter from Norwich University on a full military scholarship. He’s an Eagle Scout, attended Boys’ State in high school, and secured a coveted internship in the Governor’s office his freshman year of college. He’s now working full time as an…
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![Gabe Unwin photo](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/uploads/blog/8-5%20Gabe%20Unwin_blog_D.jpg?itok=eU_rmjdh)
Gabriel Unwin grew up fast. The second child born to a teenage mother before her 18th birthday, Gabe spent his childhood and early teen years living in a two-bedroom trailer in Highgate, where he and his older sister mostly raised their three younger siblings. Their mom, who was busy working three…
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![Adrianne Hutchin photo](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/uploads/blog/7-22_AdrianneHutchin.jpg?itok=BXoLhtMj)
Adrianne Hutchin wants to support her community as a family law attorney “Success is helping other people. If I can go to bed and know that I made a difference in a person's life that day, then I’ve succeeded.” It’s hard to speak with Adrianne Hutchin and not leave inspired. The fifth-generation…
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