Future teacher, Yvonne Roberge, finds the financial and logistical flexibility she needs to succeed

Yvonne Roberge likes to call her own plays.

As an aspiring elementary school teacher, that trait drew her to Montessori-style self-guided classrooms. As an athlete, it made her a great fit for point guard in basketball and midfield in soccer, both of which take charge of ball distribution. And as a rising college freshman, it led her to make a last-minute change, opting for the scheduling flexibility of an online program rather than the traditional dorm-and-classroom lifestyle.

Making that pivot, just one week before she was set to move into her dorm at  the Castleton campus of Vermont State University last fall, allowed this busy student to balance classes, a part-time job, eventual student teaching, and varsity athletics. The other essential piece of that complex puzzle was the Vermont Teacher Forgivable Loan Program.

“Balancing work, sports, and school is a lot,” says Yvonne, now almost finished with her sophomore year. “It’s only possible because I’m online.” While her home school is the Randolph campus of Vermont State University (VTSU – Randolph), she completes all her assignments from her home in Barre.

She also works 15 hours a week at the Montessori School of Central Vermont, just down the road from her house. As a teacher’s assistant for the grade 1-3 classroom, she creates classroom materials and floats to make sure kids are on task and progressing with their lessons.

Her VTSU major, Inclusive Childhood Education, prepares her to teach either traditional elementary school for grades K-6 or special education for grades K-8—a flexibility she really values. “I love that the degree gives me two possible career paths and the ability to change things up later on without having to go back to school. With this degree, I can work in a big classroom or more one-on-one."

The value of an easier job change is something Yvonne learned by watching her mom, who taught health and physical education for 20 years at Montpelier High School before switching to driver’s education.

From psychology to education: Discovering a passion for teaching

As Yvonne neared her graduation from Spaulding High School in 2023, she initially thought she might study psychology in college, since she enjoys learning how the brain works. But she came around to education after realizing how much she loved her job at the school, which she started during her senior year. The fact that a potential career as a therapist would likely be mentally draining and physically sedentary—a less-than-ideal fit for an active person like Yvonne—sealed the deal.

“Maybe I was in denial that I wanted to be a teacher,” admits Yvonne, for whom it seemed a little too obvious to follow in the footsteps of both her parents (her dad teaches PE at Williamstown High School), her grandfather, and her older brother, who is currently pursuing his master’s in education. “But I’ve always known I wanted to help people in some way, and I’ve always enjoyed working with kids."

The fact that she and her brother are both attending college—and now on a single-parent income with her parents recently divorced—made finances particularly challenging for her family, and made the Vermont Teacher Forgivable Loan Program particularly valuable. Yvonne applied and received the forgivable loan offer for the 2024-25 academic year after one of her professors told her about the opportunity.

“It was a big relief for me,” says Yvonne, who credits this program with her being able to continue with athletics. “The money I’m saving this year means I won’t have to work as much during the next two years, when I’ll have a practicum and student teaching requirements”—both of which are unpaid and must be done in a public school, not the Montessori school where she works. “It would be a struggle to balance all of that plus sports and a part-time job.”

Looking ahead: Yvonne’s vision for the future of education

Speaking more generally of the loan program, Yvonne says that “being able to come out of school with little to no debt is so beneficial to future educators. Having that financial support early on is really important.” She adds that the requirement for her to stay and work in Vermont for a year for each year her loans are forgiven—up to three years total, depending on future funding from the State of Vermont—posed no hesitation at all.

The loan program offers a little more security in a field that can be intense and not always the highest paying. But, she says, the work is well worth it. “My hope is to help create a generation that thinks deeply and critically.”