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Blog Archive: Exploring Career Options

Eden Towers
Eden Towers, a young woman who is studying to be a paramedic, is no stranger to hardship and hard work. Fortunately, she’s had equal parts luck along the way. Eden grew up in Morrisville, the oldest daughter of a single mom. “Being in a household with a single parent, raising two kids, had its…
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8 high schools introduce innovative math course ‘EMC2’
Eight high schools are now teaching a new, much-anticipated course to strengthen math proficiencies in high school students before they graduate. Dozens and dozens of students have enrolled in Essential Math for College and Careers, or EMC2, at Green Mountain Union High School, North Country Union…
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Theo Avent
Theo Avent is an engaging, articulate leader who brings people together to inspire change. He’s had a longstanding interest in politics. Add in the fact that he’s the son of a white mother and an African American father, and you’d be sure we were talking about President Barack Obama, not a 20-year…
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Gail Trede
When Gail Trede started her college path she was in her mid-50s. It started because she had earned the opportunity to take an online class at no cost through volunteer work. But she was reluctant. She didn’t think she was smart enough. Her confidence was so low, someone else had to actually sign her…
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Fexhrije Ilazi
Fexhrije Ilazi had two years left of college when she was forced to end her pursuit of a degree. She was living in Kosovo and the war there left both her homeland and her dreams in smoldering ruins. Fexhrije eventually moved to the United States as a refugee with two little children. She didn’t…
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Meghan Lewia
Meghan Lewia helps keep people healthy now, but she does so from behind the scenes. She is a friendly voice and guiding hand in making sure patients, many with chronic conditions, are getting the tests and regular care they need. Meghan’s plan is to get out of the office and into some scrubs. She’s…
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Lizzie Brown
Elizabeth “Lizzie” Brown just graduated from Craftsbury Academy last week. Lizzie joined the GEAR UP program later on in high school but has taken advantage of the program as a resource to help her finalize the details of her college plans and learn how to pay for college. She persisted through the…
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Dennis Van Nostrand
Dennis Van Nostrand has two dreams: To be a cross-country tractor-trailer truck driver and to be an actor. On the first one he’s close to his destination. Dennis currently has a class B commercial driver’s license and works for Thomas Dairy in Rutland. He loves his job, but he’s been spending his…
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Debbie McBride
Debbie McBride and her son both graduated from college on the same day. She skipped her ceremony to attend his, a small sacrifice but one of many she made to pursue her degree. That graduation meant she met her goal of earning the diploma by the time she turned 50. It also represents a new career…
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Jeremy MacKenzie
Jeremy MacKenzie’s higher education journey is the stuff movies are made of. It starts when Jeremy is incarcerated and ends, at least for now, with a George Lucas scholarship to get his graduate degree in film studies. And, without the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, this tale may never have…
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