VSAC will be closed Thursday, July 4, 2024 in observance of Independence Day.
Blog Archive: Student Aid Options
As a young electrician, Aaron Brittain was doing well. He had moved from a small shop in the Northeast Kingdom to a bigger, Barre-based company that did larger jobs. But he didn’t like getting up at 4 AM. “I liked the work, but I didn’t like the lifestyle,” says Aaron, who started electrical work at…
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Lilith Bachand, a junior at North Country Union High School, just learned a week ago that she was named a 2023 QuestBridge College Prep Scholar. As one of 3,500 high school juniors selected from more than 15,000 applicants nationwide, Lilith also has a strong chance of being awarded a four-year…
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Philip Malazarte of Chester is “a young man who is going places,” says his VSAC outreach counselor, Jessi Krause Herron. “He has been committed to the nursing field since ninth grade and has been learning all he can to prepare. And he’s a standout member of his community, caring for others and going…
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Throughout her childhood and adolescence, 18-year-old Sapphire Jackson yearned to discover what she was great at and what could become her life’s passion. But, unable to articulate the nuance she saw between aspiration and ambition, her family didn’t see a way to reconcile college and career with…
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April, besides being tax time, is highlighted as National Financial Literacy Month. For families with a high school senior, that takes on a special meaning, as it’s also when students are making decisions about what’s next … with cost often a primary consideration driving their choices. Options…
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Nathan Hickey first started mentoring 19-year-old Dakota Eddy three years ago, when she was a sophomore at Mill River Union High School. Working through the GEAR UP program, Nathan is part of a team of VSAC Outreach Counselors throughout the state who offer guidance and support to middle- and high…
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In the fall of 2020, Michelle Legere walked into the sophomore-class advisory group at Richford Junior-Senior High School to introduce herself as a brand-new VSAC Outreach Counselor. Even on her very first day at work, she knew that Xavier Wood was a standout. “The students took turns introducing…
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With warmer weather a few weeks away, high school seniors have another transition on their mind: considering what's after graduation. Even if you're undecided, this is a good time to explore the options for your future. Are you looking for a career training program, taking a gap year, entering the…
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During the spring of his senior year at Burr & Burton Academy, Nick Williams had several college acceptance letters sitting on his desk. But, he recalls saying to his parents at the time, “I have no idea how I’m going to afford this.” “It kind of soured the process for me,” says Nick, now 24. “I…
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“Job interviews are not fun, especially when you’re awful at talking to new people. I kind of have to push myself over the cliff, and just go.” That statement could easily apply to any 22-year-old looking to make his way in the world. But for Vaughn Winter of Barre, who struggles with a combination…
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